Renegade Cowboy

by Sara Richardson

  Levi eased out a breath, grateful for even the minimal show of support.

  “There’s still more work to do. But I’m thrilled to be here today to dedicate phase one of the project. And I will keep working until we expand the stables and add the educational spaces we’ve promised.”

  This time Jessa started to clap. She elbowed Lance, and he joined her, rolling his eyes. The rest of his family started in on the applause too—his father, Luis, and Evie…Levi still wasn’t sure exactly what to label her. Girlfriend, probably, though neither one of them would admit it. And then there were his brother Lucas and sister-in-law Naomi, who stood off to the side. She had only a month until her due date and was fanning herself with the flyer they’d passed out earlier.

  Levi scanned the crowd again. More people had started to clap. That was a good sign, right? The tension that had pulled at his neck dissolved. “I’m proud to officially welcome you all to the Cash Greer Memorial Arena.” A tremor ran through his voice, but he didn’t care. Cash had been his best friend, and everyone knew it.

  As they’d rehearsed, Hank Green walked forward and handed him a pair of giant scissors. Levi cut the large red ribbon that Jessa had made. Then he gritted his teeth and shook Hank’s hand. They both walked back to the podium, and Levi stood to the side while Hank launched into one of the monologues he was famous for. The man loved to hear himself talk.

  “I would like to thank Mr. Cortez for his contributions to ensuring that our town will…”

  Levi gazed out at the blur of faces. No one seemed to be listening. Most people were either staring at their phones or chatting. He squinted to see the back row. A punch of air hit him in the lungs.

  Cassidy Greer stood next to her friend Darla. Shock rolled through him, rooting his boots to the ground. She’d come. And she looked good—like she was dressed to go out. The sleeveless sundress she wore showed off her tanned shoulders. Her mid-length blond hair was wavy, shining in the evening sun.

  Daaammmnnn. His body heated. He shouldn’t be looking. He knew that. She was Cash’s little sister, and she’d always been off limits. That was how she seemed to want things anyway. Ever since he’d come back to Topaz Falls, she’d blown him off. If she wasn’t glaring at him, she was ignoring him. And he got it. He knew she blamed him for what had happened to her brother. She seemed to blame all bull riders.

  But she’d still come…

  “We’d like to invite everyone far and wide to our first rodeo event in twelve years,” Hank said dramatically into the crackling microphone. “Mr. Cortez has put together a benefit rodeo featuring some of his famous friends to raise money for the completion of the facility. You should have received a schedule of events when you arrived. We hope to see you all tomorrow.”

  Another round of applause rose, louder this time, actually bordering on enthusiastic. A newspaper reporter stepped forward and snapped a quick picture, but Levi wasn’t looking.

  He held his gaze on Cassidy as the crowd started to scatter. She’d already made it to the edge of the dirt parking lot when he finally caught up with her. “You came,” he said behind her.

  She stopped but didn’t turn around. “I didn’t have a choice. Darla made me.” Her tone could’ve formed icicles in his eyebrows.

  He moved in front of her so she’d have to look at him. Hadn’t she punished him long enough? Everyone else in town had forgiven him for his past sins. Hell, they’d actually cheered him on up there. Everyone except for Cassidy Greer.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, wondering how things could be so awkward with this woman he’d once been so close to.

  “I can’t stay.” She looked past him. “My mother’s waiting in the car.”

  Lulu had come? Wow. He hadn’t seen much of her since he’d been back either. “You should go get her. I’m sure she’d love to see the sign with Cash’s name on it.”

  Cassidy’s striking blue eyes dulled. “She’s not feeling well.”

  She went to walk around him, but he reached out and snagged her shoulder. He couldn’t let her walk away again. Not this time. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, emotion mucking up his throat. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it from happening. I’m sorry I couldn’t save him.”

  Her full lips parted in surprise as she stared up at him. “Seriously?” A lengthy sigh condemned his ignorance. “I don’t blame you for Cash’s death, Levi.”

  “Well, you obviously blame me for something,” he shot back before she walked away. This was the closest thing they’d had to a real conversation in years. “You’ve been giving me shit ever since I came back, so I just assumed…”

  “Cash’s death was an accident.” Her voice had softened. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t wish I could go back.” It had been only him and Cash out in the corral that day. Training, trying to one-up each other like always. They’d done it so many times. But his friend had lost his grip and slid off the back of the bull, getting trampled before Levi could save him.

  “None of us can go back.” Her gaze targeted his. “We all had to move on. It wasn’t as easy for some of us as it was for others.”

  The insinuation jabbed him. Yeah. He’d walked away. He hadn’t been able to face everything in Topaz Falls after Cash’s death, so he’d left as soon as he could. Was that why she couldn’t stand him?

  “I need to get Mom home.” Without a goodbye, she hurried across the parking lot and got into her car.

  “Wow, you sure know what to say to a woman,” Lance said as he walked over. Levi’s eldest brother never missed an opportunity to give him a hard time. “I think she was actually jogging to get away from you.”

  “Not in the mood right now.” He turned to walk away, but Lance followed on his heels.

  “Why does it bother you so much? So she doesn’t like you. Who cares?”

  He paused. Why indeed. “Cass is…” Special. There. He said it. Okay, he thought it. She was special to him. They’d grown up together. He’d been a part of her family. And there was a time when she’d liked him a whole lot.

  His brother’s eyes narrowed. “Cass is what?” he asked suspiciously.

  He and his brothers had come a long way in the last year and a half, but Lance didn’t need to know what he thought of Cass. If Levi told him how he really felt, he’d never hear the end of it. “She’s a friend. She was a friend,” he clarified. Once. They’d been close. They shared a history and a deep grief. Instead of bringing them together, that’s what stood between them.

  But maybe it didn’t have to.

  Chapter Two

  The gang was back together, but something told Levi they weren’t thrilled about it.

  He sauntered to the bar and ordered drinks for Ty Forrester, Mateo Torres, and Charity Stone. Beer for the two men and a straight-up scotch for the woman. She’d always been able to outdrink the lot of them.

  “Drinks are on me,” he called, carting over the booze on a tray like their own personal waiter. Usually he preferred to be waited on, but he owed it to these three. Without them, the rodeo wouldn’t be sold out.

  Years ago, the four of them had trained together under Gunner Raines, famed all-around cowboy champion, and each had become a champion in his or her own right. Ty as a bull rider, Mateo as a bronc rider, and Charity as a barrel racer. They’d lived on Gunner’s ranch, training and competing and gaining notoriety, thanks to their mentor. He’d become a master at publicity, and in no time, he’d secured them a sponsorship with Renegade Jeans Company.

  “When is this thing supposed to start, anyway?” Charity demanded. She might look like a sweet Midwestern farm girl with that long blond hair and dimpled smile, but the woman was a force.

  “Fifteen minutes before our fans start showing up.” He slid her scotch across the table, where he’d set up for the pre-rodeo party at the Tumble Inn, which was the town’s only country western bar. “Which means you’d best use up the attitude now.” This was supposed to be an autographi
ng party for the kids, so she needed to be on her best behavior.

  “No one I’d rather use it up on.” She raised her glass in a mock toast and threw back a shot. She might’ve given him attitude, but underneath it all she loved him like a brother.

  Ty and Mateo sauntered over to collect their free beers. “Gotta hand it to ya, Cortez. Looks like you pulled it off.” Ty straddled a stool, resting his elbows and meaty forearms on the pub table. He was taller than most riders and built like an MLB star with a stocky upper body.

  “Didn’t think you had it in you,” Mateo added, taking a seat on the other side of the table. He was shorter than both Ty and Levi, which was what made him such a good bronc rider. With his longer dark hair and light gray eyes, he was popular with the ladies. Gave Levi some serious competition. He’d emigrated from Mexico with Gunner’s help, which apparently made him exotic too. “Raising the money, rebuilding the facility, and launching an all-star event.” Mateo nodded at him and took a swig of beer. “Impressive.”

  “Yeah, well I couldn’t have done it without you.” Not that these three weren’t taking full advantage of that fact. They were getting star treatment at the Hidden Gem Inn, which happened to belong to Lucas and Naomi.

  The door crashed open across the room, and Cassidy Greer stormed into the bar so fast that her wavy blond hair sailed over her shoulders.

  Levi bit back a smile. Right on time.

  Sure enough, she marched straight to him. Even all fired up the way she was right now, everything about her seemed soft…from those curved hips to her plump lips to her smooth cheeks. Her eyes too, the same color blue as the early morning sky. Now though, they blazed with indignation. “We need to talk,” she said as she reached him.

  “I expect we do.” He was actually surprised it’d taken her this long to track him down. Earlier that morning, he’d called her boss and specifically requested that she cover the rodeo this weekend. Not that he expected anything to go wrong but he figured, if it did, Cass was the best. The best-looking EMT in the county too. Besides all of that, this would give them a chance to spend a little time together.

  He turned to his friends. “Guys, this is Cassidy Greer, EMT extraordinaire. She’ll be stationed at the rodeo tomorrow in case anyone needs medical attention.”

  Mateo and Ty both stood so fast their stools knocked into the tables.

  “Nice to meet you.” Cassidy’s smile was as stiff as the leather on her tall boots. Which went up to the knees of her tight jeans, he couldn’t help but notice. Which led him to notice her shapely thighs…

  “Levi?” She turned to him without giving any of them a chance to return the greeting. “A word.”

  Mateo whistled low and elbowed Ty.

  “Let me know if you want me to kick his ass for you,” Charity called as Cass hustled him to a corner. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  Cass stopped and turned back to Charity, sporting the only real grin he’d seen on her face since she’d come with Jessa to pick him up at the police station last year. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Charity caught me off guard once,” he explained when they were out of earshot. “And it wasn’t like I could hit back. I’d never hit a girl.”

  “That why you’re whispering?” Cass had always been too perceptive for her own good.

  And he’d always known when to change the subject. “So, I assume you heard the news.”

  “Yeah.” She crossed her arms and stuck out that sexy hip. “I don’t do rodeos.”

  She obviously didn’t want to be anywhere near him, given the way she inched back every time he moved closer to her. But he wouldn’t let her escape this time. “I need the best for this event,” he said, locking his gaze with hers. “And you’re the best. Which means I want you.” The words hung between them with an awkward vulnerability.

  She looked away. “And I need you to call up Walsh and tell him you’re fine with Molly and Brady working the rodeo instead.”

  “But I’m not.” He could be just as stubborn as she could.

  Her low growl ended in a sigh. “Look, I can’t be there all day.”

  “Why?” He leaned a shoulder against the wall, inching closer to her. She smelled good. Like lemon drops.

  Cass hesitated and stepped back from him, her blue eyes flitting everywhere but toward his face. “I don’t want to leave Mom alone that long. I’ve already worked overtime this week.”

  “Bring her,” he suggested. “I’d love to see Lulu.” It’d been too long. Far as he could tell, the woman didn’t get out much. “It’d probably be good for her.”

  “I don’t want to bring her.” Cass’s teeth had clenched, reminding him of the way she used to sass him when he would pull on her braid years ago. “You don’t want me to bring her. Trust me.”

  Over her shoulder, he saw the doors open. People started to stream in. He took her shoulders in his hands and looked into her eyes again. The touch seemed to rattle her.

  “I need you there, Cass. Okay? Bring your mom if you want. Hang out by the food trucks outside. You don’t have to watch the events. Just make sure you’re there.”

  * * *

  Well, wasn’t that typical? Cassidy gave Levi a serious stink eye as he swaggered over to his fans before she could argue with him. After five seconds of staring at his nice ass in those jeans though, she forced herself to look away. He was one damn fine-looking cowboy, and he knew it. The last thing she wanted was for him to catch her taking a peek. Lord knew the man didn’t need her fueling his ego.

  Keeping her head down, she marched to the main doors of the Tumble Inn, still fuming. He had no idea what she was dealing with. Her mom had gotten so much worse during the last couple of months. Didn’t help that the anniversary of Cash’s death was coming up. Cassidy already had her hands full dragging her mom out of bed every day and trying to find productive activities to keep her occupied. She didn’t need extra hours at work.

  “Whoa.” A hand reached for her arm. Looking up, she noticed Darla and Jessa waiting in the line to greet the illustrious Raines’s Renegades.

  “What are you two doing here?” she demanded, as though it was their fault Levi was such a jerk. “Isn’t this a kids’ event?” She swept a gaze over the line of people—mostly parents with their kids, but yes, there also seemed to be a few eligible bachelorettes there too.

  “What are we doing here?” Darla repeated. “Are you kidding? The first rodeo back in Topaz Falls. Have you seen pictures of Mateo Torres, honey? There’s a reason he was one of the poster boys for Renegade Jeans.”

  Cassidy glanced over to where the cowboys, and one cowgirl, all stood in a line behind the table, signing autographs and posing for pictures with their fans. Yes, Mateo was good looking—dark and exotic—but her eyes drifted to Levi again, to that all-American grin complete with a shallow dimple in his right cheek. He kept his brown, sun-tinged hair short and spiked, more clean-cut than he used to wear it, but the sexy stubble across his jaw still gave him a rugged appearance.

  Ugh. She rolled her eyes. Stop. Looking.

  “I’m just here because Darla promised me chocolate,” Jessa informed her. “I have all the cowboy I need at home.”

  Yeah. Lucky her. Jessa’s husband had been a renowned bull rider until his retirement last year.

  “Not all of us have the luxury of staring at a hot cowboy every day,” Darla said sharply, her eyes never breaking focus from Mateo.

  “What are you doing here?” Jessa asked Cassidy. “This is the last place I ever thought we’d run into you. Given your distaste for a certain Cortez brother.”

  “I had to come down here because of said Cortez brother.” She shot Levi a glare. At that same moment, he happened to glance up and grin at her from across the room. She quickly turned back to Jessa and Darla. “Levi is demanding that I work the rodeo tomorrow.”

  “But you hate rodeos.” Jessa’s eyes crinkled with concern.

  “Exactly.” See? Everyone knew that. Everyone e
xcept for Levi, apparently. “Not to mention, Mom has been having a hard time lately. I hate to leave her alone.”

  “I’m not surprised, with the anniversary coming up.” Darla finally looked away from Mateo. “Anything we can do to help?”

  “Maybe swing by tomorrow and take her out to lunch?” If she knew someone was coming over, maybe Lulu wouldn’t drink and start wandering around naked again.

  “I’m on it,” Jessa offered. “I wasn’t planning to be at the rodeo all day anyway.”

  Even though that was likely a lie, Cassidy accepted. “Thanks,” she said, squeezing her friend’s hand. There was nothing she hated more than being needy, than asking for help, but whenever she had no choice, her friends had her back.

  “So, is there a reason Levi keeps looking at you?” Darla’s suggestive expression made Cassidy squirm.

  “No.” The word came out garbled. “No,” she said again, stronger. “Why?”

  “Maybe his summoning you to the rodeo has more to do with your sex appeal than your EMT skills,” her friend suggested, nudging Jessa.

  “Ohhhhh,” Jessa crooned. “I could totally see that!”

  Cassidy shut them down with a glare. “That’s crazy.”

  “Not really,” Jessa argued. “I mean we all know how smooth Levi is.”

  Cassidy snuck a glance toward the table again. The man in question was hugging a middle-aged woman who happened to be fawning over him. “That’s an understatement.”

  “But he’s totally awkward around you.” Jessa tapped a finger against her lips as though drawing a conclusion.

  “That’s because he’s afraid of me.” Cassidy would be the first to admit she hadn’t exactly been nice to him since he’d returned to Topaz Falls. But she’d figured what was the point? He’d be gone again soon anyway.

  “Or because he thinks you’re hot,” Darla put in. “I’d appreciate it if you would use that to my advantage and introduce me.” Before Cassidy could object, her friend linked their arms together and dragged her over to the table of cowboys, where she cut in front of the line.