“Good idea,” Tristan murmured.
“What’s up? You aren’t as focused as you were last night.”
“I’m giving your suggestion some thought. It’s a good idea.”
“Yeah, I’m like that,” smiled Lyric. “I’m full of ’em. But which one in particular are you talkin’ about?”
“Where’s Bullet living?”
“Scre-e-e-e-ch. Whoa girl. You gotta give me some warnin’ before you bounce off the subject wall.”
“Sorry. He’s just on my mind. I tried to talk to him before you came in, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
“He rented a place in town yesterday. It’s furnished, which is a good thing. He doesn’t have time for furniture shoppin’.”
He probably didn’t have the money either. Crested Butte was not an inexpensive place to live.
“I’d like to talk to him before I leave tomorrow. You know, clear the air.”
“What are you sittin’ here for? Go find him.”
Tristan grabbed her jacket from the coat rack. The ranch was a big place. Who knew where he might be working?
She caught a glimpse of someone leading a horse into the arena. The man was built like Bullet, but she couldn’t see his face. As she got closer, she saw he was working with a bronc.
“Shh now,” she heard him say, his hands holding the catch rope lightly. “You can let your guard down. I ain’t gonna hurt you.”
She listened to him soothe the horse. “Come on now, let’s be friends. Let ol’ Bullet take care of you.”
It was the tone of voice one might use with a lover. Slow, sultry, reinforcing the care he’d give, the time he’d take. Tristan leaned up against the fence, and closed her eyes. He coaxed and cajoled. Sweetly.
“Come on now darlin’, that’s a girl.”
He was working with a filly? Surprising. Geldings typically made better broncs. Maybe this was just a spirited horse, not one they intended to take out to rodeos.
Tristan climbed up on the fence and watched as Bullet continued to soothe the horse, murmuring to her as he took the lead, and walked her around the arena.
“She’s a beauty, ain’t she?”
Tristan hadn’t realized he knew she was there.
“She sure is.” The palomino paint didn’t look to be much over two years old, and about fifteen hands.
“You takin’ her out?”
“Not yet. Not sure they ever will.”
“What’s her name?”
“Holbrook.”
Tristan grinned. How did he know the name of her hometown? “Oh yeah? You playin’ with me cowboy?”
When Bullet smiled, she almost fell off the fence. It had been a while since one had been directed at her. The blue eyes that had been so frosty, warmed again when he winked at her.
He dropped the lead and walked over to where she sat.
“I’d like to be friends again,” she said before he could say anything.
“Friends huh? I didn’t realize that’s what we were.”
Tristan cheeks flushed. “I’d like to be.”
“All right. We can be friends. If that’s what you’d like,” he drawled. As he got closer, she could see his dimples.
God, he was dangerous. He knew just what to say, and how to say it. If she was a little younger, and a lot dumber, he could talk her into just about anything. He put his hand on her knee.
“I’m sorry I ran out of the house so quick. I’m runnin’ low on sleep and high on anxiety these days.” The devastating smile didn’t leave his face. He squeezed her knee. “Forgive me?”
“Bullet…I…” What was she trying to say? She couldn’t think with him caressing her knee.
“Come on now, darlin’. Say you’ll forgive me.” He was using the same tone of voice with her that he used with the filly. And it was working just as well on her as it had with the horse.
She brushed his hand away. “There isn’t anything to forgive. I was the one that insulted you. You still haven’t accepted my apology.”
Bullet leaned in closer, so his body rested up against her leg, his hand came back to rub her knee. “I haven’t? Well, now.” His hand stopped moving and he looked up at her face. “Tristan, I accept your apology.”
***
1965
It had been three years since he first set foot on Double-P-Bar Ranch, and three years since he’d seen his mama. When Clancy offered to take him to Colorado Springs to see her, Bill didn’t hesitate to take him up on it. He missed her so much. And his sister. There was something important his mama wanted to tell him, that’s what Clancy said. Bill hoped it wasn’t more bad news. His family had more than their fair share of strife in the last five years.
It took them seven hours to make the drive. The weather over Loveland Pass was rough, which made Bill worry more. If Clancy was making this drive in the middle of winter, his mother’s news must be mighty important.
“Stop worryin’ so much,” Clancy punched his arm.
“Can’t help it. Did she tell you anything at all?”
“She did, but she made me promise not to tell. So you gotta wait.”
Clancy was smiling. If it was bad news he wouldn’t be smiling. Right? Bill continued to chew on his fingernails. He couldn’t help it.
His mama came running out the back door of the house as soon as Clancy drove up. Bill had the truck door open and was running toward her just as fast.
“Oh my boy,” she cried, “how I’ve missed you.”
His little sister wasn’t far behind, tears in her eyes. “Look how big you’ve gotten,” he said to her.
“Me? Look at you!”
“Let me look at you,” said his mama. “She’s right, you’ve grown a foot or more.” She started to cry again.
“Oh Clancy,” she reached out to him. “How can I thank you for takin’ my boy in?”
Clancy tipped his hat. “No thanks necessary, Mrs. Flynn. Bill here is a real hard worker. We’re happy to have him up at the ranch.”
She put her hand on his arm. “It’s more than that, and we both know it is. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.” Bill swore Clancy’s weathered skin reddened.
He had a million questions. For starters, whose house was she living in? He knew it was far nicer than she could afford. He wondered if she and his sister worked for room and board. He hoped not, but that was the most likely explanation.
“Come inside, it’s freezing out here.” She took his hand and pulled him the direction of the door, and then put her arm around his shoulders.
A man came out the same door his mama had. “There’s someone I want you to meet. Someone very special. Bill, this is Russ Snyder. Russ, this is my son, Bill.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Russ, shaking Bill’s hand.
“You too, sir.” There was something about the man that didn’t sit right with Bill. Something in his eyes.
Clancy offered to find another place to bunk for the night, but his mama insisted he stay with them at Mr. Snyder’s place. He had a guest room with two twin beds in it, she told him. He and Bill wouldn’t mind sharing a room, would they?
After thanking Mr. Snyder and Bill’s mama for their hospitality, Clancy suggested they call it a night. They’d had a long day of travel, he told them, and they were both mighty tired.
Bill wasn’t tired at all, and he doubted Clancy was either. He hoped this meant they’d have a chance to talk. The longer Bill was around Mr. Snyder, the less he liked him. His little sister didn’t seem all that fond of him either. The only person who seemed to like the man was his mama, and she liked him a lot.
“You didn’t do a very good job of hidin’ your feelings son,” Clancy said as he closed the bedroom door behind him.
“Should I have?”
“Yes, you should’ve.”
“Why? You can’t tell me there ain’t somethin’ ’bout the man that rubs you the wrong way.”
“No I can’t say that.”
“Can’t say
what? There is somethin’ or there ain’t somethin’?”
Clancy opened the door a crack. “Let’s wait a bit before we have this conversation. I think they’re headed to bed too.”
That was more than Bill wanted to think about. His mama was sharing a bed with this man, and they weren’t married. If his papa wasn’t already turning in his grave over his wife being with another man, this would have him clawing his way out of the ground.
A few minutes passed. Clancy told him to follow him outside, and to be quiet about it. They crept down the hall, and out the door by the kitchen.
“You’re right young Flynn. I don’t like the man much,” Clancy began once they were inside the cab of the truck. “Can’t put my finger on why not, but there’s somethin’ about him.”
“See? So why’d you say I shoulda’ hid my feelings?”
“Listen to me now.” Clancy looked over at him. “Are ya listenin’?”
“Yes sir,” Bill muttered.
“Your mama is fixin’ to tell you that she and Mr. Snyder are gonna get married. That’s the important news.”
Bill put his head down. He didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t be planning to marry him. She just couldn’t.
“I don’t know yet what their timin’ is. Could be next week, could be next year. Although considerin’ she wanted me to get you down here right away, I’m thinkin’ next week is more like it.”
A terrible thought crossed Bill’s mind. “She don’t want me to stay here, does she?”
“I don’t have a read on that yet. Seems if she wanted you to, she woulda’ asked me to bring your gear down with us. And she didn’t ask me to do that, just to bring you.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want her son around. Maybe that’s the bad feelin’ I get from him, that he doesn’t want me.”
Clancy rubbed his chin. “Possibly, but I think it’s more than that.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Chapter 7
“Got a minute Billy?”
“Ya know, I’ve been meaning to ask you somethin’. Is Bullet a nickname?”
“Uh, no. It’s my name.” Bullet couldn’t always follow Billy’s line of thinking. Sometimes the guy came out of left field.
“Pretty cool name. How’d you get it?”
“Uh, my parents. How’d you get yours?”
“Smart ass. I’m a junior. So come on, tell me. Your parents really named you Bullet?”
“Yep.” Billy was working on his last nerve.
“You ever ask if there was a story behind it?”
“It’s always been my name. Never seemed unusual to me.”
“I mean, Lyric, that makes sense. Your dad bein’ a rock star and all.”
“Number one with a bullet.”
The expression on Billy’s face changed in an instant. “You couldn’t have told me that ten questions ago?”
“Nope.”
Billy laughed, and grabbed Bullet’s shoulder. “You fit in right perfect ol’ Bullet. Damn smart ass, ornery bastard. So what did you wanna talk to me about?”
“Bull ridin’.”
“That’s what I figured. Been waitin’ for you to bring it up. Everybody has. We got a deal all worked out for when you finally did.”
“Oh yeah? What kinda deal?”
“Now don’t get your panties all twisted up. It’s a good one.”
Bullet folded his arms across his chest and waited.
“Here’s the thing. My daddy isn’t too keen on the idea of raisin’ rough stock up in Black Forest. The truth is, he isn’t too keen on what he refers to as modern rodeo.”
“Why are you involving him if he doesn’t want to do it?”
“Because we need the support in El Paso County. We’re partnerin’ with TZ Bucking Bulls in Larkspur, but that’s just bulls. We need a bronc operation too.”
Bullet shrugged his shoulders and looked off in the distance.
“You got an opinion? Now’s the time to tell me.”
“I’d say the land belongs to your daddy, and if doesn’t want to do it, ain’t nothin’ gonna change his mind.”
“That’s where you come in.”
“Oh no. No way. I’m not gettin’ in the middle of this. I hardly know you, let alone your family. Go fight your own battles.” Bullet walked away.
“Don’t you wanna know how this involves gettin’ you on bulls?”
He stopped. “How?”
“My dad’s gonna be your trainer, and Flying R is gonna be your sponsor.”
Bullet turned around. “Is this another thing he ain’t too ‘keen’ on?”
“Nope, he’s all for it.”
Bullet walked back over to where Billy stood. “This doesn’t add up. If he’s against raisin’ rough stock because he’s against rodeo, why would he train me on bulls?”
“Guess that’s somethin’ you’re gonna have to ask him.”
“I wouldn’t walk in that water wearin’ your boots.”
“I don’t know what the hell that means, but I’m headed to Black Forest tomorrow. Renie and Willow are comin’ with me. You and your son can follow us. We can talk to my daddy and straighten this all out.”
Bullet didn’t see he had much choice. He worked for Flying R, and if one of the partners told him he had to go to Black Forest, then that’s what he had to do.
***
“Hey Daddy, I’d like you to meet Ben Rice. Ben, this is my father.”
“Nice to meet you Mr. McCullough,” Ben stepped forward to shake hands.
“Call me Hugh, and it’s nice to finally meet you in person. Can’t thank you enough for getting my girl home safe and sound.”
“And this is my granddaddy, Hugh McCullough Senior, although everyone calls him Gramps.”
“Hello sir,” Ben shook her grandfather’s hand, who then turned to Tristan. “Fancy stuff little girl, travelin’ in a private plane.”
Tristan smiled. “Not something I plan to get used to.” She didn’t want Ben to think she expected door-to-door plane service on a regular basis.
“My pleasure. And it was necessary. I’ll do just about anything to put off comin’ to New York City. Havin’ another reason to fly east forces me to take care of business.”
Ben told Tristan his agent had been threatening to withhold his royalty checks until he made the trip. “He wasn’t serious. But that tells you how mad he’s been at me for avoiding the business side of my profession.” He told her how hard it was to leave Crested Butte. He hated being away from Liv, their little girl, and the two sons he had from a previous marriage. He knew touring was necessary for the band to continue to sell records, but anything else was easy to put off.
Sometimes she felt as though all she did was travel. Having a place she never wanted to leave, having people in her life she never wanted to leave, was something she couldn’t comprehend. Although, she was yearning to get back to Crested Butte too, and it hadn’t been forty-eight hours since she left.
Her dad offered to let Ben use one of their ranch vehicles to drive into the city. He declined and took the train from Ronkonkoma instead. “I’m a boy from the mountains, used to wide-open spaces. I’m not built for city drivin’,” he told them.
Tristan offered to drive him back to the train station.
“What do you think of Bullet?”
Ben rubbed his hand over his face. “As Liv would say, ‘Bullet is one hot mess.’ I know, I was one myself. Cowboy Patterson seems to think spendin’ time in Black Forest on their family’s ranch will help rein him in.”
“Cowboy Patterson?”
Ben laughed. “I was never a big fan of ol’ Billy. Still can’t say I am. Although now that he’s my business partner, and my son-in-law, I suppose I should work on gettin’ over it.”
“Do you think being in Black Forest will make a difference?”
“Can’t predict whether it will or won’t, but if there’s a woman alive Bullet might listen to, it’s Dottie Patterson.”
“Yeah? Why’s th
at?”
“You know the type. Some people just have a way about them. Dottie is a second mother to my Livvie, and one of the most loving people I’ve known in my life. You should meet her. She’ll look straight into your soul, and then wrap her arms around you in the best hug you can imagine.”
Tristan looked away when her eyes filled with tears. Dottie sounded like her mother. She’d been that way too. She always seemed to know the right thing to say, even if it was nothing at all. When she was a little girl, getting a hug and a smile from her mom always made things better.
***
Miss Dottie’s cooking reminded Bullet of his Gram’s. Every time he walked in to the kitchen, she was cooking something that made his stomach growl. Her homemade macaroni and cheese was extra gooey, rich with butter, fresh cream, and a blend of sharp and mild cheddar cheeses. She added crumbled bacon to it as a twist. Grey ate two big bowlfuls and was asking for a third when Bullet swept him out of the high chair.
“He sure likes your cookin’ ma’am. And so do I.”
Dottie beamed at the little boy. “It’s my pleasure Grey. You’re welcome at my table anytime.” She opened her arms and Grey ran straight into them. It was another thing that reminded him of his Gram. Dottie’s hugs.
“I love having little ones in the house. I miss my granddaughter when she’s in Crested Butte,” Dottie looked at Willow, Billy and Renie’s four-year-old daughter. At a little over eighteen months, Grey was almost as tall as the little girl.
“Say hi to my baby,” Willow pulled her grandmother toward Renie. Dottie obliged by rubbing Renie’s belly. “Not too long before you have a little brother or sister.”
“I’m having a brodder.” Willow put her hands on her hips.
“Is that right?” Dottie asked Renie, who shrugged her shoulders.
“Willow changes her mind daily. Sometime she’s sure she’s having a little sister.”
“You didn’t find out?” Bullet asked Billy.
Billy stood behind Renie and put his arms around her waist. “We decided it’d be more fun this way.”
He’d never known that kind of easy affection. When he refused to marry his daughter’s mother, and told her he doubted he was the baby’s father, she stopped speaking to him. After the little girl was born, and the DNA test proved he was her biological father, they’d tried to be friends. Sometimes they managed okay. Not very often though.
And Then You Dare (Crested Butte Cowboys Series Book 5) Page 6