by Em Petrova
“This looks…fun.” She couldn’t help but smile at the upside down face and the googly eyes the little girl was making.
He swung the child down and set her on her little pink cowgirl boots. A short tutu stuck straight out from her hips and her unicorn T-shirt had a red blot down it that looked suspiciously like she’d had a cherry snow cone.
Ryder’s intense gaze was on hers. Unsmiling. Joy sobered too.
“We need to talk.”
Both girls watched them.
With a noise in the back of his throat that sounded like tearing, Ryder drew the older child off his shoulders and set her on her feet too. They leaned against Ryder’s legs.
“This is Maddie, and this is Montana.” He pointed from younger to older.
Joy smiled at them. “Nice to meet you. I’m Joy.”
“We know who you are. Uncle Ryder’s been talking about you,” Montana piped up.
Joy blinked.
“Like I said, we need to talk.” He looked around. The fairgrounds weren’t remotely empty yet. People were enjoying the carnival food and a few rides. He twitched his head toward the carousel that Joy had passed earlier, thinking the faces of the animals on the ride were something off a creepy movie.
“Do you girls want to ride the carousel?”
“Yes, yes!” Maddie jumped up and down and Montana bobbed her head so violently that her ponytail, which had slipped to the side, flicked like a horse’s tail.
Ryder’s gaze smoldered beneath the brim of his hat. “Will you come along?” he asked Joy.
Her stomach hollowed out. A stampede of bison couldn’t stand in her way. She nodded, and Ryder rounded up the girls and herded them in the direction of the carousel.
When they passed a booth with balloons and darts, Montana asked if they could play that too. He responded with a “maybe later.” With every step they took and every word he said to the girls, Joy fell more and more for Ryder. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.
Except make her father happy. At least not as her boyfriend.
Not boyfriend—lover.
Her errant thought sent a ripple of heat through her. They reached the ride and Ryder bought not one ticket but four for each girl. He and Joy helped them choose which animal they wanted to sit on. Maddie chose a defunct-looking horse, kicking her little boots into the bloated sides, and Montana picked a cross-eyed seal balancing a ball on its nose.
As they stepped away and the goofy music began, Ryder passed a hand over his face. “God, how do parents do it?”
She gave a small laugh. “I suppose it’s easier if they belong to you.”
“Do you want kids?” He suddenly turned to her.
“Well yeah. I guess. I’m far from that point, though.” She thought of that Buckle Bunny and how she’d obviously put the cart before the horse with some cowboy. Not that there was anything wrong with it—Joy just wanted the ring and the picket fence first.
“I do. Or I did.” Redness worked upward from his throat.
She put a hand on his arm. Beneath her fingers, his muscles flexed, his flesh warm from the sun. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s Buck. Channing’s expecting, and he told me today something might be wrong with the baby. Numbers coming back wrong or something.”
She knew little of things like that but her heart went out to them. All of them. Such a problem would hurt the entire family.
“Don’t say anything to anybody.”
She drew her brows together. “Surely you don’t think I said that about Wynonna.”
“No,” he said at once. “Deep down my family doesn’t think so either.”
“What was going on earlier, after your ride? You seemed…tense.”
He threw her a look and then waved at a squealing Maddie as she circled by.
“Is there something going on between you and Gonzales?”
Ah, she’d known that moment would get under his skin. She shook her head. “No. I have no idea what possessed him to hug me after his ride. Daddy didn’t like it at all.”
Ryder’s mouth had brackets around each corner. “I didn’t either,” he said quietly.
“Ryder—”
The ride slowed. Kids got off but the girls remained on, Maddie bucking on her horse like a mad child.
He turned suddenly and trapped Joy’s hands in his. “Do you care what my family thinks about you?”
Staring into his dark eyes, she thought hard. “I do care. I like your family and respect them a lot. I don’t want them to dislike me.”
“Same goes for your father. But we can’t live for either of them. Only for ourselves. Joy, I haven’t known you long but damn, you drive me crazy. I think about you while we’re apart, and I’ve never looked forward to the next rodeo so much.”
Something sweet and small broke open inside her, flooding her with so much want that she could barely restrain herself. She inched closer, squeezing his fingers. “We have one more night here.”
He shook his head. “That’s just it—I have the girls tonight. Buck asked me to give Channing a break. And they don’t behave at all for Asher. They stay up till all hours and he’s too exhausted to give his all at the next event.”
Joy pushed out a breath. “They’ll be staying in your room?”
“Yes. I wish it were you.”
Uncaring of the camera guy that swooped in from the side and zoomed in on her, she lifted her hand to Ryder’s square jaw. The rasp of hair under her knuckles turned her inside out.
“If I come by and help out, will it torment you more?”
“Hell yes. But I want you to.” Some of the worry around his mouth and eyes trickled away, leaving a gleam in his stare. He leaned into her stroking fingers.
“Then I’ll be there. We’ll get the girls off this ride, give them a minute to stop being dizzy and then take them for dinner,” she suggested.
“Or a nice dose of Benadryl.”
She burst out laughing and waved at Montana as she went past on her seal.
“You think I’m joking.”
She pinched his jaw between her thumb and forefinger, leaning on tiptoe to brush her lips over his, uncaring who saw. When a smile formed under her mouth, Joy couldn’t stop the happiness from flooding each corner of her heart. She loved that she could do that to him.
“The worst will be keeping my hands off you,” he told her.
“They have to sleep sometime, right? Maybe we can steal a kiss or two.”
* * * * *
“Turns out Asher Franklin’s kids don’t need sleep. Ever. They’re weapons of mass destruction. If the government clones them, they could create a child army that could destroy everything in their path, living solely on Doritos.”
Joy doubled over laughing at Ryder’s words, but he wasn’t kidding. When were they going to sleep? It was past midnight. At one point Montana had nearly fallen asleep on his lap and he’d tucked her into bed, heavy with fatigue, where she’d lain for all of two minutes before bouncing up.
“What do you think about the outcome of the bull ridin’?” Yeah, he was fishing for compliments. He wanted everything he could get from her.
She smiled, her teeth flashing white in the golden tan of her face. “You did great and you know it.”
He brushed his knuckles on his shirt front. “Yeah, I did.”
“I’m glad I got to see it.”
“I’m glad you’re glad, Princess. I’ve never done so well here in Cheyenne.”
“Are you suggesting it’s due to my presence?” Her eyes danced.
But he was dead serious when he nodded. “I’m a better man all around with you here, Joy.”
Their gazes locked, and warmth wove through his system. That look she was giving him—it was all he needed for the rest of his days.
“What happens once your father has Gonzales and that Tucker kid ready for the big-time?” Ryder hardly wanted to hear it, but he had to know what to expect.
She glanced down, picking at a thread on
the cheap hotel comforter. “I’ll be going on with them.”
He pushed out a breath. “Don’t you do anything for yourself?”
Her gaze flashed to his. “I’m doing it right now.”
A squeal sounded, and they both looked toward the corner of the room. Joy had both girls settled at the table with their coloring books. The pair chattered about silly things—the color of a real unicorn’s hair and who could burp louder. But when Maddie mentioned her mother, Joy’s gaze flew to his.
“Where is she?” she asked him softly.
Ryder was settled on the bed, legs crossed, leaning against the headboard with Joy stretched at the bottom, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. He wanted to bring her up and get things started.
He maneuvered to lie at the bottom of the bed next to her. Her body heat lured him like nothing else. If the girls would at least fall asleep, he could have Joy in the bathroom with the door closed, balls-deep in her.
“She’s an addict and she took off.” Spilling all the family—and non-family—secrets only made his heart that much closer to hers. He brushed the hair off her temple. She rested her head on the crook of her arm, staring at him through half-lidded eyes. Chances were they’d both fall asleep long before the girls did. He’d dead-bolted and chained the hotel door, though. They weren’t going anywhere.
“Such a sad story. Sort of like my own, except my mother just took off with a cowboy.”
“And that’s why you aren’t supposed to be with one.”
She gave a small nod and curled closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her middle, loving the feel of her body. “I kind of made that call on my own too. Daddy wasn’t completely responsible.”
“What do you mean?” He couldn’t stop touching her. Hair, waist, running the pad of his thumb across her lower lip.
“I had a fling with a rodeo guy once. I swore them off.”
“Not all of them.” Their gazes connected, held.
“Not all.” She inched forward until her forehead rested against his. The intimacy of the moment struck him. This could be their room and their kids keeping them up till all hours. And dammit, tomorrow she’d be gone, driving off with her father and Cody Fucking Gonzales while Ryder headed home with the film crew and his insane family.
“Stay with me an extra day in Cheyenne. We’ll let them all go home and steal a day for just us.”
She moved back to search his gaze. “You’re serious?”
“Dead.”
“I don’t know, Ryder. How will I get home?”
“I’ll drive you.”
At that, she laughed. Montana raised her head from her coloring and looked their way before resuming with a bright orange crayon.
“I’m not joking, Joy. I want you all to myself. And I want to take you home to see how you live.”
Her eyes fluttered shut and then she opened them again. “I don’t know, Ryder.”
He kneaded her waist, obsessed with the dip. He wanted to kiss and lick it for hours before moving on to her sweet pussy. Tongue-fucking her until she couldn’t support her own body weight and then lying her down and sinking into her tight body.
“Stop giving me that look,” she said.
“What look?” He arched a brow.
“That I’m-going-to-eat-you-and-spank-you look.”
His lips twisted upward. “You know me pretty well.”
“I’m starting to.”
She flicked her eyes upward, almost rolling them, indicating the girls were still a roadblock.
“At least think about staying another day with me, Princess.” He pulled her tighter in his hold.
“I won’t make any promises.”
“It’s all I can ask for. Besides, there’s always Bryce Canyon.” The next venue was too far off. He couldn’t last a minute let alone a week.
She snuggled closer with her head on his chest, right over his heart.
When he woke his arms were empty but both little girls were smashed against him, dead to the world.
Dammit, she left me. Guess I’ve got my answer about that extra day.
Chapter Six
Dealing with the fallout of a night spent in Ryder’s arms doing nothing more than sleeping and cuddling was worse than being kicked by a mule. Joy’s whole body felt bruised and sensitive.
She ached for him in ways she didn’t know possible. And he wouldn’t leave her head. If she was eating breakfast, she wondered if he liked eggs. When she saddled her horse for a long ride, she thought about his preferences in saddles and tack.
She knew a lot about Ryder but not nearly enough.
“Joy.” Her father’s call drew her out of the seventh episode of the Rope ‘n Ride series. She hurriedly switched off the TV and looked up.
“Did you need me?”
“I was going to have you help me with Cody’s grip. No matter what I do, he won’t keep his pinky next to the bull’s backbone.”
She shifted to her feet and pulled her tank top down over her middle. It had ridden up while lounging on the sofa. She’d also imagined what the gorgeous bull rider on TV would have done with that exposed skin.
“I’ll gladly help. I’ve been lazy long enough.”
Her father gave her a sharp look. “You seem distracted lately. Everything okay?”
She stepped up to her father with a smile and a hug. “Everything’s great.” Except I want Ryder with everything in my being and you would never accept him as anything but an apprentice.
As if hearing her thoughts, Daddy shot a glance at the black TV screen. “Were you watching that show of the Calhouns?”
“Yes. They’re funny.” In this episode, Wynonna and Ridge had been making a cake from scratch for their mother’s birthday. Which had ended in a mess in the kitchen and a flat cake. But Ryder had saved the day with a big tub of ice cream, bought from their local shop.
He seemed to do that a lot—save the day. With Buck by giving up his time and money to help him and his family. And with Asher Franklin’s girls.
“Damn good stock, they are too. The Calhouns,” Daddy added when she gave him a puzzled look.
“You think so?” She didn’t want to get her hopes up, because there was no point. Her father wouldn’t change his mind. He was hell-bent on her marrying anybody but someone in a hat and boots. He always said she could love a business tycoon just as easily as a man with callused hands.
But she liked those callused hands.
She started out the door. “Let’s see what we can do about Cody’s grip.”
“I was thinking I’d try one last time to get Ryder to train with me.” Her father’s words stopped her in her tracks. She tossed a look over her shoulder.
“Really? He seems set on staying where he is.”
“Yeah, but he has so much potential. I haven’t seen talent like his in a decade.”
She smiled at that. When Ryder heard, she imagined he’d puff out his chest and preen like a peacock.
Her father leveled his stare at her. The smile fell from her face. She didn’t like that look. It was the old where-have-you-been-why-are-you-late-who-were-you-with look.
Exactly why she couldn’t have stayed in Cheyenne with Ryder. She wasn’t ready for the inquisition—or the aftermath it would cause for her. She’d be worse off after spending a whole day and night in his arms.
“I thought you’d spoken to him about training with me,” her father said, halting her thoughts.
“Uhh, no.”
“But you have been speaking to him.”
Damn, did the man ever stop being as sharp as a tack? Surely at his age, he should start slipping a bit.
“A little but not about apprenticing.”
“What about then?”
She wished for some distraction. Where was Cody when she needed him? Or one of the ranch hands needing Daddy’s advice on some problem? Anything to get his attention off her.
She was old enough to make her own decisions, so why was she so worried about his opinion
anyway? Ryder’s smart, witty and a great lover. I’m falling in love with him.
If the words in her mind hadn’t snapped her attention back, nothing could. She gave a light shake of her head. “Ryder asked my help and advice with Asher Franklin’s kids.”
Her father’s eyebrows went up. “Franklin’s?”
“Yeah, he’s raising them alone and the Calhouns take turns helping out with them. So we took them into the fair for rides and food until we wore them out.”
Which had been halfway through the night. She’d awakened to find both little ones flattened next to Ryder or draped on top of him. Joy’s heart had nearly burst with affection for all of them. To keep from letting those feelings run rampant, she’d made her escape.
“I see.” Her father didn’t sound as though he really did, but he didn’t ask why Ryder would ask her for advice on handling children.
Thankfully, at that moment Cody did come to her rescue. He appeared at the screen door, smiling widely. And she and her father walked out of the house and down to the paddock where Cody worked on a bucking bronco instead of a bull, trying to get his grip down.
He wasn’t good with his hands, but she’d seen Ryder’s grip while on that bull back in Cheyenne, and his was perfection.
Damn, she had it bad.
* * * * *
Ryder cursed as his shovel handle busted. He’d broken plenty in his lifetime, but today he’d hit his snapping point. He raised the handle over his head, swung it like a samurai and hurled it.
It flipped end-over-end and stuck in the ground twenty feet away. A chicken squawked, even though it was nowhere near the object, and skittered away.
Ryder stared down at the blade still stuck deep in the manure. Damn it all, he wasn’t in the mood.
Reaching into the thick crap, he yanked the blade free and threw it too.
Of course all of this was caught on film. Adrianna made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, and he leveled his glare at her, silencing her.