And Then You Dare (Crested Butte Cowboys Series Book 5)

by Heather A Buchman

  “Your turn,” she said after she’d recovered from the orgasm that shook her to her core.

  Bullet closed his eyes and slunk his body deeper into the water. When he joined her in the bath, he’d planned to hold her while they soaked, but having her in front of him, naked, was more than he could resist. He wanted his hands on her, everywhere at once. His brain wanted him to take his time, but the rest of him refused to listen.

  He’d watched her last night, every time she climaxed. The look she got on her face was addictive. Five minutes after he saw it, he wanted to see it again. Her body responded to him as though it had been his to enjoy forever. In the same way they fit when he held her, or danced with her, their bodies were a perfect fit when he made love to her.

  As she reciprocated the care and nurturing he had given her body, he felt his heart slipping deeper into feelings he’d never experienced before. This was far more than lust, far more than he’d ever felt for anyone, including Callie. Bullet knew for certain, he was falling in love with Tristan McCullough.

  ***

  “I wish I had time to have breakfast with you, but I’m late, and I have a feeling no one is ever late to a training session with Buck Bishop,” Bullet sighed.

  “Buck Bishop? The Buck Bishop? That’s who you’re training with?”

  “Yes ma’am. Isn’t that somethin’?”

  “And it’s just you. No one else is training with him this week?”

  “I got him all to myself.” Clearly Tristan understood the significance of what that meant. He had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming even as he said it.

  “I’m really happy for you Bullet. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.” He appreciated the sentiment from her, but couldn’t help but wonder if he still wouldn’t be good enough for Lost Cowboy, even after a week with Buck.

  “Can I watch?”

  “Of course you can. But if Buck catches me flirtin’ with you, don’t be surprised if he chases you off.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll watch from the dining hall porch. I won’t be in flirting distance.”

  “You’ll be in viewing distance though, which means my body radar will be registerin’ the whole time you’re there.”

  “If you’d rather I didn’t—”

  “I didn’t say that. You watchin’ will just make me try harder to be the best damn bull rider you’ve ever seen.” He pulled her close and kissed her hard. “I hate to say this, but I gotta run.”

  Bullet went out her door and into his cabin. A few minutes later she heard the other door close and couldn’t help but look out the window. He was a sight to behold, unclothed and clothed. He wore the same chaps he had yesterday, and this time, a crisp white shirt with his wranglers. Tristan watched him walk away, and counted the hours on her fingers until he’d be done training.

  Part way down the trail he stopped and looked in the direction of her cabin. Before she had a chance to move away from the window, he tipped his hat to let her know he knew she was watching.

  She checked the time on her phone. She had a half hour to get to the dining hall if she wanted breakfast. While she was there she’d pick up a few things for lunch, and extra for Bullet, who hadn’t had time to eat. She wondered if Buck would give him a break, and felt guilty that she’d kept him occupied so long this morning.

  After breakfast she sat at a table on the porch of the dining hall, and pulled out her sketch books. She had two. One for Lost Cowboy designs, and the other for her own collection. Along with sketching, Tristan wanted to jot down notes for Bullet’s Lost Cowboy story. She needed to remember to thank Lyric for the idea, and tell her daddy about it.

  She hoped the story would culminate with Bullet making it to the annual National Finals Rodeo.

  ***

  1968

  Bill walked from the house down to the corral after Clancy gave him the news. It wasn’t that he was upset by it necessarily, it was just a lot to get used to.

  Clancy had dated his mama in high school, he told Bill. After they broke up, and she started dating Bill’s daddy, the three remained friends. Clancy visited his friend when he heard of his illness, and that was when Gene Flynn asked Clancy to look out for his family after he died.

  Nothing happened between them while his mama was married to Mr. Snyder, but when she told Clancy she was divorcing him, Clancy took the opportunity to confess his true feelings for her.

  “Your mama is fine woman,” he said to Bill. “I reckon that’s why I never married anyone else. No one came close to holdin’ a candle to Jane.” Bill’s daddy always called her Janie. He was glad Clancy hadn’t.

  Clancy told Bill he had two questions for him. The first was to ask if he wanted to ride down with him tomorrow to pick up his mama and sister. The other thing Clancy asked Bill was for permission to ask his mama to marry him.

  Clancy didn’t need his permission, and neither did his mama. If needing his permission had been the case before, he would’ve refused to permit her to marry Mr. Snyder, that was for damn sure. But now, things were very different. This was Clancy.

  He had to admit it was getting harder to remember much about his daddy. He still missed him. But Clancy was more than a friend, he was like a second father to him.

  He had no doubt Clancy would love his mother, and care for her and his sister. If Clancy hadn’t stepped in these last few years, Bill didn’t know what might’ve happened to them.

  When he asked about leaving the Double-P-Bar, Clancy assured him he felt ready to leave. “In addition to the house, Russ Snyder owned a lot of land. It belongs to your mama now too.” No matter how much land there was, Bill doubted it could match what Clancy had at the Double-P-Bar.

  “You sure about this?” he’d asked him. Clancy assured him he was, and then asked Bill to go down to the barn and check on the horses. The horses didn’t need checking on, Bill knew that as well as Clancy knew he needed time to process what he’d just been told.

  When he got back to the house Clancy was waiting for him on the front porch.

  “I’d like to talk to my mama tomorrow, if that’s okay with you. And my sister.”

  Clancy nodded his head.

  Bill felt as though he hadn’t been a very good son or a very good brother these last few years. He wanted that to change.

  “And I want to look into colleges closer to Colorado Springs.”

  Clancy didn’t protest or argue, and Bill was relieved. As much as he had his heart set on going to Western State, where Dottie would be attending college, he knew in his gut it was time for him to put his family before other things in his life.

  When they got back from picking up his mama, Dottie would be at the ranch. She had asked her Aunt Sadie if she could stay with her while she was in town for Bill’s graduation. As soon as he could, he’d let her know he was changing his plans. He couldn’t allow himself to hope that she’d understand, or be willing to continue their long distance relationship. She’d given up a lot in high school, like going to the prom, or dating local fellas in order to be his girl. He couldn’t ask her to wait for him any longer than she already had.

  Now that he was graduating from high school, it was time for him to give up rodeo too. Clancy needed help with the land that now belonged to his mama. Between working the ranch and going to college, he wouldn’t have time to travel the rodeo circuit.

  He rubbed his chest, knowing doing so wouldn’t ease the pain he felt. He was about to let go of the only two dreams he’d had in life. One was to an all-around rodeo cowboy champion, and the other was to marry Dottie. These were things he’d never speak of again. If only not thinking of them were as easy.

  Chapter 14

  Bullet could sense Buck’s frustration with him, and he felt terrible wasting the man’s time. Heck, he wasn’t just a man, he was a legend. Instead of doing the work Buck asked him to do, Bullet got lost in Tristan McCullough.

  He had every intention of waking up early, and getting his workout done this morning, but
the lure of Tristan’s naked body in the bath was more than he could resist.

  When Buck offered to let him break for lunch, he said he’d go get his workout done instead. Buck told him that wasn’t a good idea, and to wait until they were done. He offered to wrap up early so Bullet would have time to work out and get to dinner, but Bullet asked him not to do that.

  As hard as it was going to be, he wasn’t here to court Tristan, he was here to practice bull riding. A lot of people made sacrifices both personally and financially to get him here. He wouldn’t feel right wasting their money or their time.

  “Give me a minute?” he asked after he dismounted the last practice bull. It had been a good ride, which only reminded him again why he was here. Buck nodded, waved, and went back to his conversation with the guys pulling gates.

  Tristan appeared lost in whatever she was working on, and didn’t raise her head as he approached. If he had the time, he’d stand right where he was and watch her. He could watch her for hours. She tilted her head as she studied what was in front of her. At that angle, the way her neck rounded open, he could sink his teeth into her, run his tongue—what was he doing? He came up here to tell her he wouldn’t be joining her for dinner tonight, not fantasize about what he wanted to do to her neck or any other part of her body.

  “Hi,” she said as he walked closer and she noticed him. “The last ride was your best so far.”

  “Thanks.” He didn’t think she had been paying that much attention. “Uh, listen…”

  “Buck wants you to focus less on me and more on bulls. Is that what you’re trying to figure out how to tell me?”

  Damn, she rattled him. “I guess. But not entirely. There are workouts he wants me to do after we’re done each day. I didn’t get one in last night, or this morning.” He regretted his words as soon as he spoke them. He made it sound as though it was her fault, and it wasn’t. The responsibility rested solely on his shoulders, and in his usual fashion, he’d shirked it.

  “What did he say about ‘post-workout activities’? Anything?”

  “Hmm, let me think about that,” he smiled. “He did mention something about getting in the hot tub when I finished.”

  “I see. And what about meals? I doubt Buck would be happy if he knew you skipped both breakfast and lunch today. What about after your workout? Think Buck would care if you ate then?”

  Oh man, the visuals she was giving him with her questions. How the hell was he supposed to concentrate on bulls now? He might as well tell Buck he was done for the day.

  Tristan closed the book in front of her and stood. “Come here cowboy,” she motioned him closer. “If you promise to do everything Buck tells you, I’ll deliver supper to the hot tub later. Sound good?”

  Hell yeah it did. “Uh huh,” were the only words he could think to say out loud.

  “And if you’re a really, really good boy, I’ll join you.”

  Bullet almost bit his tongue as he watched her walk away. He never rode shotgun, but there was no question, Tristan had taken control of the wheel.

  ***

  On the walk back to her cabin, Tristan stopped herself from looking back at Bullet at least a dozen times. She opened her door, and quickly closed it behind her, resting her back against it. Who was she? She barely recognized herself. Exactly when had she become so brazen? And she wasn’t the only one surprised by her behavior. Poor Bullet had been tongue-tied.

  The thought of it made her giggle. Bullet was clearly used to being the seducer, not the other way around. Warmth spread over her when she thought about the effect her words had on him. She only hoped that once he got back to the practice pen, he’d be able to focus. At least she’d given him incentive to.

  After rinsing her face with cold water, she took her sketchbook and walked outside, going in the opposite direction from where Bullet and Buck were working. She saw a large boulder a little higher up that would make a perfect place for her to sit in the sun and sketch.

  She settled on the rock and opened the sketchbook containing the Lost Cowboy designs. She turned page after page, and studied the chaps she’d worked on most of the morning.

  She usually sketched just the clothing, as opposed to the clothing on a model or mannequin. But this time, she’d drawn the chaps on a faceless cowboy. Face or not, her model was Bullet.

  It hadn’t been necessary to sketch the upper half of the body, the chaps were for the lower half. But she hadn’t been able to stop herself. She added detail to the shirts the cowboy wore, so when she showed the designs to her daddy, he wouldn’t wonder. She really didn’t care about the shirts though, just what was under them. She’d drawn them snug, so the outline of the cowboy’s pecs, flat six-pack abs, and powerful arms were evident. She even took the time to draw hands. In every sketch, she’d drawn Bullet’s hands.

  She fanned her face. Perhaps she should’ve considered taking a cold shower before she left her cabin. She slammed the book closed and set it on the rock. This afternoon she’d focus on the women’s collection, and try to keep the sexy-as-all-get-out cowboy off her mind.

  Piper had outdone herself with the picnic supper she packed for Tristan and Bullet. Grapes, strawberries, different types of cheese, and dry salami were tucked in the basket with a baguette, and a terrine of foie gras drizzled with a port wine sauce. She even included a bottle of Pinot Noir and two glasses. For dessert she gave them chocolate truffles covered in raspberry dust.

  Tristan hadn’t felt hungry until Piper began describing the basket’s contents. Now she was famished. She ran into Buck earlier, after he finished with Bullet, who told her Bullet’s workout would take approximately ninety minutes.

  Piper promised they’d have complete privacy. The spa staff was gone for the day, and the ranch employees weren’t allowed to use the spa if guests were in residence.

  “Here,” she said, handing Tristan a key. “It locks from the inside too,” she winked.

  ***

  Bullet closed his eyes and did the final set on the glute machine. Imagining Tristan naked and waiting for him in the hot tub was all the incentive he needed to keep going. Rather than feeling tired, each set he finished only energized him. One step closer to his goal. And tonight, his goal was Tristan.

  He’d done as she told him, and listened to every word Buck said. At the end of the day he was rewarded with “great work today,” and a pat on the back from the cowboy.

  As tempting as it was to let the shower’s hot water beat down on his sore shoulders, something, someone more tempting was waiting on him. He scrubbed away the sweat and grime from his day’s work as quickly as he could, wrapped a towel around his waist, and walked through the locker room door that led to the hot tub.

  The sight before him made him stop short. Tristan placed lit candles all around the water’s perimeter. The table behind her was laden with food, glasses filled with wine, and more candles. But that feast had nothing on the one that waited near the in-ground spa.

  Tristan was seated on the edge, leaning back and propped on her elbows. Only her toes touched the water. Otherwise, his eyes rested on nothing but her skin and the curves of her body.

  Bullet entered the spa from the opposite side and sunk into the water. He reached out and grasped her ankles, pulling her to him until her naked body straddled his lap. The chill of the air outside of the warm water made her nipples pucker tight. Holding her still he bent to lick first one, and then the other. He went back to the first and closed his mouth around her.

  The groan emanating from somewhere deep set him on fire. He brought his mouth back on to hers, easing her into a kiss intended to soften her, help her relax. Her body was coiled tight, as though she was ready to strike.

  He explored her body with his fingers, finding her flesh hotter than the warm water, with a slick and heavy dampness. He stroked her open and slipped his fingers inside her.

  Tristan responded by gripping his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh, and kissing him with starving hunger. He deepe
ned his finger into her, she cried out, and clamped down hard around him.

  Within minutes he was rewarded with that look, the one he craved. She shuddered and he felt the wet warmth spill out on his hand. He continued to watch as she came down from her climax, the sensation fading quickly, she went limp against him.

  Bullet gathered her close, and held her tight. No matter her bravado today, she’d told him what he needed to know yesterday. “I don’t do this,” she’d warned. Allowing herself to give in, in this open, public place regardless that no one else was here, had to rattle her.

  “Bullet?” her insecurity was a siren in her voice.

  He gave her a tongue-twining kiss of reassurance, and lifted her from the water. His hands supporting her bottom, he brought her to the table and sat her nakedness in a chair.

  “Time to eat.”

  “But what about—”

  He had to interrupt her. As much as she thought she was ready, the idea of taking her on the cold concrete of the spa left him as chilled as she’d be. When he took her again, it would be in the warmth of her bed, where he could hold her against him, and get lost in her lusciousness.

  ***

  1968

  Dottie was perched on the fence rail when Bill got out of the truck. Her long, blonde hair waved in the wind, and her smile dimmed the sun.

  “Who’s that?” asked his sister, who rode with him while Clancy and his mama followed in the car that had belonged to Mr. Snyder. Bill hadn’t wanted them to drive it here, but there wasn’t any choice. The four of them wouldn’t fit in the truck, and Bill was insistent he ride down with Clancy rather than wait until they returned to talk to his mama.

  “That’s Dottie,” Bill answered, unused to having someone around who asked so many questions. The entire ride from Colorado Springs had been an endless Q&A. At first he wanted to tell her his life was none of her business, as he would’ve anyone else, but his determination to be a better son and brother, made him answer her questions as honestly as he could.