Bronco_A Contemporary Cowboy Romance

by H. P. Mallory

  Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, I cleared my throat and quickly exited the room to check on Brady—or at least that’s what I told myself.

  “Hey!” he hollered at me from the living room couch and I pulled up short.

  “You get any sleep last night?” I asked him, eyeing him warily.

  He rubbed his eyes and inched upward on the couch, wincing. “Not really. Shitty night. I’m hurting all over.”

  “So, you’re ready to let me take you to the hospital?”

  He glared at me. “I already told you I wasn’t going.”

  “Just to get checked out,” I insisted. “What if something is really wrong with you?”

  He swung his leg to the floor, gasped, and grabbed the arm of the couch. “Christ, that’s sore.”

  “I hear they’ve come a long way with pain meds.” Every word was dripping with sarcasm.

  He ignored me and stood, glaring some more and daring me to help him. I ignored him and gave him my shoulder to lean on. After he proved he could take a step, he grabbed a hold of my arm and growled his displeasure.

  “I’m going to make it into breakfast if it kills me,” he grumbled.

  I shrugged. “And it very well might. You sure you don’t want to stay here and I’ll have Rue bring you breakfast? Or, shit, I’ll bring it to you myself.”

  “No. I already feel like a complete weakling, I’m not going to make it worse by anyone doting on me. I got this ranch to run.”

  I assisted him into the dining room and he was surprised by the lavish table setting, just like the rest of us had been.

  “What’s going on in here?” he grumbled. “Why so formal?”

  “Summer,” I answered under my breath, as if that was response enough.

  “That girl’s just a surprise a minute, isn’t she?” he asked, some of the gruffness absent from his voice.

  Before I could answer, Rue rushed over and fussed Brady into the nearest chair. “You are too darn stubborn for your own good!” she reprimanded him. “You shouldn’t be off that couch, mister! You’re going to cause more damage to yourself than you already have!”

  He stuck his tongue out at her as one of the twins took notice of him.

  “Did you get shot?” he asked excitedly as everyone laughed. Brady even gave a little smirk. I skirted the family and took the seat across from Summer. She quickly averted her eyes and fiddled with one of the candlesticks, looking nervous. I wasn’t sure why.

  Meanwhile, Brady was busy fielding questions and comments and everyone’s attention was on him. Except for Summer’s and mine. We were in our own little bubble at the other end of the table. She’d set a big centerpiece down between us and if we wanted to, we could almost hide from all the commotion. If we wanted to…

  “How are you feeling this morning?” she asked the candlestick.

  “Were you talking to me or the candle?”

  I waited for her to look up. It took her forever, but she finally lifted a very careful gaze as she studied me. She was still clearly nervous. She withdrew her hand and accepted a bowl of hard-boiled eggs as they headed our way. “I was talking to you.”

  “Because you seemed extra interested in everything but me,” I teased but there was an undercurrent of seriousness to my comment. I didn’t like the fact that it seemed like she was avoiding me this morning, that she wasn’t comfortable making eye contact with me or even being in the same room. I didn’t want her to feel awkward because it was starting to make me feel awkward and that wasn’t a feeling I was used to.

  She struggled to maintain eye contact, but managed as she passed me the eggs and fumbled for her water glass. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  My grin widened. I enjoyed teasing her. In fact, I wondered if it might be my newest favorite pastime. “Yes, I do feel better. Little on the tired side and my muscles are aching something fierce...” I tugged at my pant leg. “But I’m better.” I took a sip of my water as I eyed her above it. “I think last night helped me abundantly.”

  She choked and grabbed her napkin, holding it against her mouth while she coughed and sputtered into the snowy-white linen. The little boy tapped my arm and I tipped my head toward him, giving her a minute to collect herself, but it was all I could do to keep from laughing.

  “Hey, partner,” I addressed him.

  He grinned. “I like that. Mom, could my new name be Partner?”

  Marlene looked at us and smiled. “Sure, honey.”

  He seemed satisfied with the answer and looked back at me with a wide grin. “What’s your name?”

  “Jake.”

  He scrunched up his face. “Like the Jake pirate cartoon?”

  “Yeah.” I grinned. He was damned adorable and I couldn’t help but remember how good Summer had been with him when they were making those crafts earlier. I wasn’t usually one for kids, but this guy was softening me, question by question.

  “Are you a real cowboy?” He looked quickly at my hat, then back at me.

  “I am. Maybe when the weather calms down, you could come out and help me work the cows?”

  His face lit up and he yipped, then quickly turned toward his mother again. “Mom! Mom?” Marlene faced the little guy as he nearly exploded with excitement. “Jake said I could ride with him. Is that okay?”

  She glanced at me, then at Brady. “Um, well...”

  Brady finished his mouthful of food, then set down his fork and explained what he had planned for their stay—weather permitting—which meant, I had to go get those cows and bring them in if he thought we were still moving them out north while Marlene and her kids were here. While he was giving them the rundown, I turned back to Summer. She was watching me carefully and I lifted an eyebrow, but she ducked her head and studied her last few bites instead, a rosy hue shadowing her cheeks. God, but the woman was absolutely stunning.

  Images of her beneath me, moaning as I slid in and out of her suddenly assaulted my mind and I started to grow heavy in my pants. Not wanting anyone to notice, I immediately started thinking about cow shit to get myself to calm down. It worked, thank God.

  “You still want to grab cows with me today?” I asked the top of her head.

  She glanced up at me, surprised, but then immediately nodded.

  “Let’s ride out as soon as you can get away. Think you could get out of chores after breakfast ‘cause it’s gonna take us a while.”

  Rue sat down between us. “Yes. You two need to get going as soon as you’re done eating. I can handle everything here.”

  “Are you sure?” Summer asked, and her voice was timid for the first time since she’d gotten here. I wondered if maybe she regretted last night and didn’t want to spend any more time with me. I hoped that wasn’t the case because I didn’t regret one hot, wet, slippery second of it.

  Well, that is, until I thought about Brady finding out. And then maybe I regretted about an inch of it.

  Nah, I didn’t regret a millimeter.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Summer

  I stalled for as long as I could, but Rue started shooing me out the door the minute my plate was empty. Jake was ahead of me by a few minutes, and by the time I got to the barn and got my helmet strapped on, he had both horses saddled. I took the bridle from him and he paused. “Pretty sure you’re going to want a hat with a brim.”

  “I’m fine.”

  He frowned. “Seriously. Rain’s going to run straight into your collar.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t care,” I answered, not really sure why I was giving him attitude. I just felt uncomfortable—with him, the night before, today, with myself, with everything. Mostly because we hadn’t talked about it. Sure we’d come close earlier but then breakfast had happened and we hadn’t had any time to ourselves. And with all the time that had gone by since last night and the fact that we hadn’t discussed any of it, my anxiety was at an all-time high.

  Jake sighed and shook his head. I unclipped Jenny’s halter and slid her bridle on, the
n glanced out the big doors. The thunderclouds were still there, but they weren’t nearly as ominous as they had been the day before. “I don’t think it’s going to rain, anyway.”

  He snorted and climbed on Breezy, with another glance at my helmet. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

  I thought about the fact that we still hadn’t talked about anything and although there was a part of me that was burning with the need to have that exact conversation, the rest of me tried to calm myself down by focusing on other things. I didn’t want to be the one to bring the conversation up—mostly because I didn’t want Jake to think I was needy or insecure or anything like that. So, instead, I took a deep breath in through my nose and then exhaled out through my mouth as I forced my anxiety to abate.

  Focusing on the here and now, taking in the views and listening to Jake’s instruction was all I wanted to think about. There would be plenty of moments to discuss what was or wasn’t going on between us later. For now I just wanted to be.

  We rode out at a good clip and I posted while Jake just let his kidneys take a beating. As we left the yard and headed into the pasture, both mares stepped up into easy canters. I leaned over and stroked Jenny’s neck. She was so easy to ride, but this type of riding still wasn’t my thing. I wanted to be taking fences and feeling that adrenaline rush. Even though this was different to me, it was also kind of mundane in its simplicity.

  We rode to a small creek—or one that looked like it used to be small. Swift water was pulling down the tall grass along the banks now and it was fully engorged with rainwater.

  “Damn.” Jake pulled Breezy to a halt and stood up in his stirrups, glancing left and right. “There’s no good place to cross this, so here is as good a place as any. We’re going to have a fine time getting those cows across this water though.”

  His comment left a trail of goosebumps across my skin. I hoped he was right about me being able to handle it, because if we had a lot more of these obstacles along the way, I wasn’t sure I could. I tensed and Jenny lifted her head, ears working forward and back like she was worried too.

  I stroked her neck. “Easy, girl.”

  Jake glanced over. “Are you scared?”

  I stiffened, making Jenny’s ears shoot backward. “No.”

  He scooted Breezy sideways until our knees were touching, then he leaned over and grabbed my shoulder. “Trust that mare. This is the kind of stuff she’s done every day of her life...”

  I swallowed and nodded. I knew he was right, and I’d seen the horses out here, not giving a damn about much of anything, but I was still nervous. He squeezed me again gently. “Okay?”

  “Okay.” I took a breath and relaxed and Jenny did too, then she walked toward the creek like it was no big deal.

  Jake nudged Breezy a little so she eased in front of us. “Just follow me.”

  My fingers were tight on the reins, but Jenny didn’t seem too fazed by the water. She willingly followed Breezy as the water began to grow higher and higher up her body. Once it was just below my feet, my heart started to pick up.

  “It’s getting deep,” I said to Jake.

  “It’s okay. Just trust Jenny.”

  So I did. And by the time we climbed out on the other side, I could finally let go of the breath I’d been holding and truly relax. I gave Jenny a healthy pat. “Thanks, girl.”

  Jake glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “That’s the only time we’ll have to cross the river, and by the time we get back here, the current should have mellowed out.” He glanced up at the sky. “Unless those let loose again.”

  I nudged Jenny and she jogged up next to Breezy, then slowed to a walk. Breezy flattened her ears and nipped the air, but Jenny didn’t care. Jake shook his head. “Quit,” he growled at Breezy, then glanced at me. “They fight like sisters.”

  I laughed. The tension finally drained out of me and I started enjoying the ride. We rode up the side of some steep cliffs and I gripped the horn tightly and tried not to look down as Jenny skillfully navigated the narrow path. “You’re really bringing cows down this?” I heard the quiver in my voice and wanted to be embarrassed, but I was too scared.

  “No,” he yelled back over his shoulder. “We’re going to take a shortcut and then we’ll drive them the long way.”

  Oh great, the long way, I thought. But the long way was still better than heading back down this treacherous path. I glanced over the edge of the path and noticed the hillside was thick with pines and undergrowth. But it was also really steep. One false step and we would be tumbling down that thing, probably never to be seen or heard from again. I did my best to keep my weight in the middle of the saddle and not give Jenny anything else to worry about other than keeping us alive.

  On one hand, I was really glad that Jake trusted me and thought I was good enough to handle this kind of riding, but I also wasn’t sure if it was validated trust. Because I wasn’t so sure I could handle it.

  The trail wound up and up and we finally crested the ridge and the view was insane. All the cows were spread out below us, nestled in a tight grove of trees in the middle of a thick pasture of grass at the base of the mountain.

  Jake pulled up and scooted Breezy over so I could come up beside him.

  “Wow,” I said, my breath literally taken away by our surroundings.

  He smiled. “Right? That’s kind of why I wanted to come up the backside of the mountain. This is the only pasture that butts up to the mountains and I never get enough of the view. Thought maybe you’d think the terror-ride was worth it once you saw this.”

  I smiled, a little surprised that he wanted me to experience this for myself. “It’s beautiful,” I admitted.

  “Worth the trip?”

  I got caught up in those long eyelashes and the way they framed his eyes for a second before I pulled my gaze away and enjoyed the scenery. My blood was pumping fast and as much as I wanted to blame it on my fear of the climb, the truth was that Jake was the one responsible. “Totally.”

  He grinned and pointed to a trail off to our left. “This takes us back down. There are a couple of pullouts and overhangs along the way, so watch your head.”

  I knocked a fist against my helmet. “Covered.”

  His laughter echoed across the high walls of the mountains and I liked the way it made me feel. “You want to lead the way?”

  My eyes widened and I shook my head vehemently. “Are you kidding? No way.”

  “It’s impossible to get lost. Just head straight down.”

  “Ha. No thanks.” He may have thought I couldn’t get lost, but I could barely find my way out of my driveway half the time. The fact that I’d traveled halfway across the country with only a handful of mistakes still boggled my mind. Of course, I had had GPS there to guide me…

  “Alright, I’ll lead.”

  Breezy took another swipe at Jenny as she passed by and Jenny responded by dragging her nose across Breezy’s flank and butt. I tensed for Breezy’s reaction, but she didn’t kick out, just lifted her head and squealed. Jake pressed his calves against the mare’s sides quickly and she focused on him. I was impressed. The mare was so totally in-tune with him.

  We barely rode two minutes off the backside of the mountain when the first raindrop hit the pommel. I stared at it and squeezed my eyes closed. The trail was bad enough on its own; I was terrified to think of what kind of slip-n-slide we would be looking at in the rain.

  Another drop joined the first and Jake urged Breezy into a faster walk. Jenny followed without any urging on my part and my eyes were glued to Jake’s back. I didn’t know how long it was going to take us to get down, but it must have been at least an hour to ascend. Jenny’s hoof caught on a rock and she faltered. I yelped, but she quickly regained her balance. Jake spun around in the saddle. “You okay?”

  I clutched the reins and the horn and tried to get my breathing under control. “Yeah.”

  He turned around and we started back dow
n the mountain again. The rain increased and quickly became a downpour. The mares bowed their heads, but they remained steadfast in their plodding. This was nothing like going over fences. It was real and it was terrifying. Rain poured off my helmet and straight down my back but I didn’t care. I just wanted off the damn mountain.

  By the time we reached the first thing that looked even remotely like an overhang, water was pouring off Jenny and me in mini waterfalls. I tipped the short brim of my helmet up and blinked through the drops. The water was racing down the sheer face of the rock and falling in a straight sheet directly onto our path. From what I could see, there was no way around it. I closed my eyes and inhaled. Jake slowed.

  “We’ll hang out here for a second.”

  I could barely make out his words beneath the pounding of the water, but as he moved through the waterfall, a tremor of fear snaked down my back as he disappeared. Jenny followed and as we made it underneath the waterfall, all I could hear was the incredibly loud sound of the water rushing overhead and slamming into the rocks below. A few minutes later, we were safely on the other side. I gasped as the overhang spanned out around us, leaving only enough room for us and our horses.

  “Let’s wait this out and see if it mellows.”

  Jake slid off and draped Breezy’s rein over a tree branch that had grown under the rock. She immediately stuck her nose out in the rain and grabbed a mouthful of grass off the mountainside. I dismounted and searched the opposite side for a similar branch and found one about a foot over my head. I glanced over my shoulder and Jake was there, pressing close and taking the rein from me.

  “I’ll loop it over twice. Pretty sure she won’t go anywhere, but I don’t trust her fully.” I took a step back while he secured her rein and she stood there like she was cross-tied, sweet as could be. I petted her neck.

  “She’s such a good mare.”

  He stroked her neck in a path above my hand and our fingers almost brushed. I yanked mine away and wiped the rain off my neck. I didn’t know why but Jake just made me completely uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he was being rude or unfriendly or anything. He was totally acting like himself but maybe that was the problem. After last night, it felt like we should have been different—that things shouldn’t have just returned to normal, like we’d both just brushed whatever had happened underneath the rug.