Her Rodeo Hero (Cowboys in Uniform)

by Pamela Britton

  She leaned back as he stood up. “Time for what?”

  The question seemed to take him by surprise, almost as if he’d been thinking one thing while saying another. He’d been focused on Adam, about what the future held. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did.

  “To help you,” he said instead.

  “I know.”

  “You know?”

  She took his hand then, gently pulling him back down. He didn’t pull away, his warm fingers once again reminding her of that other time. The time in the feed room...

  Focus.

  She took a deep breath. “Colt, I didn’t orchestrate the whole deal with Randy just so you would go back to helping me again.” Okay, so maybe it had crossed her mind. Maybe she’d been hoping to replace Sam because no matter how much she liked the woman, as a trainer she was nowhere near the level of Colt. And hippotherapy could only help so much, especially since it didn’t involve trotting and loping. “I did it as a way to thank you and to cheer up Adam, because I know how scared the poor kid must be. Remember, I spent months in a hospital, too. And Claire, too. You’re all under a tremendous amount of stress and I hope my friend’s visit helped you forget that for a minute.”

  “Your friend?”

  She almost smiled. “Yes, my friend.” Golly, he almost seemed jealous. “I’ve known Randy for a long time.” She quickly repeated everything she’d told Colt’s sister, only at the end she said, “I told him I needed a favor. Randy was only too happy to help. He’s a nice guy.”

  He was trying to assess the truth of her words. She could tell by the way his eyes darted over her face, as if looking for a fatal flaw—a nervous tick. A guilty expression in her eyes. Although why he should care was beyond her.

  Unless...

  “He’s always after me to go out on a date with him, but that whole Hollywood lifestyle’s not for me.”

  Bull’s-eye. Colt’s eyes narrowed. His knuckles around the cup turned white. He didn’t like it. Didn’t like her talking about another man. Didn’t like the idea that she might be romantically interested in him.

  Because Colt liked her.

  He didn’t want to admit it. He’d closed himself off from his emotions for so long he probably wouldn’t know his own feelings if they walked up and slapped him in the face.

  “Just remember what happened to Jillian if you ever change your mind.”

  Jillian’s long-ago romance with a movie star had left her with a broken heart. “Randy’s different. He really cares about kids. One of these days he’s going to be a great father.”

  She didn’t know why she egged Colt on, but she was rewarded by the sharp jerk of his arms as he gulped down the last of his coffee. When he slammed the cup back down he said, “Well, if they ever remake Robin Hood: Men in Tights, I’m sure they’ll give him a call.”

  She almost laughed. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt giddy. Happy. So very, very tickled pink.

  “I’ll introduce you,” she said. “You’ll like him.”

  He didn’t say anything, just sat there staring at the people sitting nearby. When he abruptly stood up, it startled her.

  “One lesson a week. That’s all I can swing.”

  Wait. A lesson?

  “You can bring Playboy by in the evenings. We can feed and water Claire’s dogs together afterward.”

  “You’re going to help me?”

  “Yeah. ’Cause I don’t trust Sam not to kill you.”

  She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do. Actually, she did. She stood up, too, slid her arms around him before he could close himself off to her yet again. “Thank you, Colt.”

  Their gazes connected and she saw the way his pupils constricted and then flared, his nostrils doing the same. The way he softened for a moment before he tried to move away. She wouldn’t let him.

  “I promise not to kill myself.”

  Something about her words must have caught his attention because he froze. She thought he might try to pull away again, but then she felt his thumb begin to move. He gently caressed her back.

  “That’s the point,” he said softly. “I’m not going to let you die.”

  Oh, dear God in heaven. He really did like her. And she liked him, too. It was a moment of revelation, one that took her breath away. For an instant she contemplated reaching up on tiptoe and kissing him again, but she didn’t want to push her luck.

  Soon.

  She’d have to take it slow. Or maybe she’d have to push Colt hard and fast. Or maybe she should leave him out of her life because if she fell off...

  No.

  She wouldn’t think that way. She was ready to live life to the fullest. Lord knew she deserved a break. She didn’t know what the future would hold for her and Colt. Would have to play it by ear. All she knew was that Colt Reynolds was the most amazing man she’d ever met.

  She wanted to know that man.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Stupid, ridiculous, son of a—

  Days later Colt still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to help her again.

  Actually, yes, he could. When she’d been talking about Randy, explaining what a “great guy” he was, he’d lost his sanity. He was the one who’d been helping her, not Randy. And so he’d volunteered.

  He swiped his palms over his face.

  Again.

  Not far from where he stood the roar of the crowd signaled the end of a barrel-racing run at the Redding rodeo grounds. Though it was evening, it was bright as day thanks to sodium lighting, and still eighty degrees. The crowd cheered again and Teddy pricked his ears forward and glanced back in the direction they’d just come from—the arena. Judging by the decibel level, the rider had finished with a good time, whoever she was. The drone of the announcer’s voice was blocked by the stadium-style seating, so Colt glanced toward the stands, hoping to catch a glimpse of the score board...

  He did a double take.

  There beneath the scoreboard. Natalie. And walking with her was none other than the star of the big screen and the DC Comics universe, Hawkman—sans the wings. Thank goodness.

  “There he is,” Colt heard Natalie say when she spotted him, a big smile on her face. “Surprise!”

  She showed up hundreds of miles away from home with a Hollywood star and all she had to say was surprise?

  He didn’t like her one-word greeting because what he wanted her to do... No, what he wanted to do to her was walk up to her and kiss her so hard she wouldn’t be able to breathe.

  Lord help him.

  “Hey, Colt,” Rand said, smiling his Hollywood grin and waving.

  Not for nothing was Rand’s face plastered all over every billboard and magazine cover in the country. More than a few people gave the star a double take.

  “Oh, my God,” Colt heard someone say. He stood on the passenger side of his four-horse trailer, and there were dozens of other rigs parked around him, so he couldn’t tell who’d spoken. “Is that Rand Jefferson?”

  Ah. Mystery solved. A cowgirl dressed in a short skirt and boots that would never get near a Western saddle slipped from between the rigs straight ahead.

  “It is Rand Jefferson,” he heard her friend say, another buckle bunny with an equally silly pair of boots on her feet. To give them credit, they kept on walking, but they were gawking so hard they nearly decapitated themselves on the gooseneck portion of a six-horse that’d been detached from its ride.

  “I think he’s in shock,” Natalie said as she and Rand approached on the dirt road that circled the rodeo grounds.

  Colt had managed to forget that he hadn’t liked seeing Natalie smiling up at the six-foot-six actor. But watching her walk toward him with the blond movie star towering over her in a very masculine way, made Colt grit his teeth.

  Yup. No doubt about it. Jealousy had reared its ugly head.

  “I’m not in shock,” he forced himself to say, as he plastered a smile on his face and thrust a hand out to shake mano a mano. “I’m just wond
ering why he’s not wearing his green tights.”

  The massive man with the light-colored eyes smiled, and it was no wonder he made women swoon, because that grin of his oozed friendliness.

  “Please,” Rand said. “Don’t remind me of those tights. I hate the things.”

  Yeah, but they matched the color of his eyes, Colt noticed. He released the man’s hand, reminding himself he needed to be nice, especially since Rand had put such a huge smile on his nephew’s face. The celebrity visit had made Adam the darling of Children’s Hospital. He’d still been floating on air when Colt had left his bedside two days ago.

  “Natalie tells me you hate the wings, too,” Colt remarked.

  He didn’t like having to look up at a man, though. Didn’t like the way Natalie stared up at the man, either. Didn’t like the way seeing the two of them standing there together made him feel.

  “The strap that holds them itches like the dickens.”

  “Excuse me...”

  They all turned. A young girl stood there. Colt recognized the black shirt and jeans she wore as belonging to the local drill team. “Can I get your autograph?”

  “Sure,” Rand said, smiling.

  From nowhere the girl produced a pen and a piece of paper. Natalie and Colt watched as Rand performed his PR duties. When he’d finished, the girl slipped away with a silly grin on her face.

  Colt asked the question that’d been hovering near the edge of his lips since he’d spotted them. “What are you doing here?”

  The words hadn’t come out sounding exactly sociable-like. Colt took a deep breath wondering how he’d let his feelings slip so completely out of his control. He and Natalie were friends. That was it.

  “It was Randy’s idea,” she answered.

  He forced himself to smile. “A romantic getaway?”

  Damn. What was with him?

  “It’s not like that.” Her eyes were so blue they reminded him of the tail feathers of wild birds, the kind that lived on tropical islands. She wore a simple denim shirt that buttoned part way down and showed a hint of cleavage, large hoop earring and black pants with cowboy boots—and she couldn’t have looked sexier if she’d tried. “There’s nothing between Randy and me.”

  Not yet. That’s all Colt could think about. The sick feeling in his stomach, the one that had appeared upon admitting to himself he liked Natalie far more than he should, worsened.

  “I told him what you did for a living and he seemed fascinated. He’s in between films right now, so when he offered to fly us north to watch you perform, I said sure. The upside is we’ll fly back tonight.”

  Fly? “You mean you took a plane?”

  Of course they had, stupid idiot. They couldn’t exactly ride brooms.

  “Sure. A jet, actually,” said Rand in his ultra-masculine voice, forcing Colt to look up once again to meet his gaze. Damn, he hated that. Another young fan approached, this one dressed all in black, too. It was like seagulls on a beach. Once one had been fed, it opened the floodgates. Rand deftly signed autograph after autograph, each young girl saying a quick, gushing thank you, then walking away, only to be replaced by another. One by one he signed autographs for the entire drill team. Rand took it in stride, looking up and saying, “The Redding Airport has a jet center. And the crazy thing is we ran into some of the rodeo performers there.”

  He’d flown her north in his personal jet. Probably had a limo drop them off at the airport back in Santa Barbara. No doubt he’d paid for everything, too. Colt glanced at Natalie, knowing she’d read the unspoken words in his eyes. Not a romantic getaway, my ass.

  “A lot of PRCA cowboys hire jets.” Natalie glared back at Colt and so he knew she’d understood his silent comment. But far from appearing chagrined, she seemed delighted.

  “When you’re trying to make big money you need to hit as many rodeos as possible. It makes sense to take a jet,” she commented.

  “Wow.” It was Rand who’d spoken. He’d finished signing autographs, the girls all walking off, giggling and clearly delighted with their prizes. “Who knew?”

  “Who knew what?”

  They were interrupted by another newcomer, who drew up short when she caught sight of the man next to Natalie.

  “Oh. My. Gosh.” Sam’s mouth hung open. “It’s Rand Jefferson.”

  Colt just stared because with each word Sam’s voice had risen half an octave. The Jefferson had come out sounding like a squeak. And then she screamed, so loudly Teddy jerked his head up and spun to face her.

  “Easy there,” Colt soothed his horse, walking toward where he was tied near the end of the trailer. “It’s okay.” He rested a hand on Teddy’s taut neck.

  When he glanced back at his long-time friend, she was bouncing from foot to foot, looking ridiculous, especially given her attire. She’d changed out of the red spandex bodysuit that she used for performing and wore what Colt liked to call her Toy Story Jessie outfit. Oversize red cowboy hat with white lacing and a stampede string that dangled down the sides of her face. Long-sleeved white shirt with red piping above the pocket. She’d even done her hair in pigtails, except hers were black. She’d told him it was a fashion statement. Colt wasn’t so sure.

  “Calm down,” Natalie said with a laugh. “You’re upsetting Teddy.”

  “Easy there, horsey,” Rand said.

  Okay, bonus points to Rand for caring about his horse. Minus points for calling Teddy a horsey.

  “He’ll be okay,” Colt said. “Just as soon as Sam knocks it off.”

  Sam got the message. Colt shook his head, catching a glimpse of Natalie’s face. She was laughing inside. Howling, actually.

  “I’m just such a huge fan.” Sam came forward and clutched Rand’s hand as if he were Jesus come to take away her sins. “I’ve seen all your movies.”

  That would be impressive, Colt thought, if there’d been more than one.

  “When you played that waiter in Aftershock, I just knew you’d be a big star.”

  Natalie and Colt exchanged glances. Aftershock? What the hell movie was that?”

  Natalie just shook her head before asking, “You’ve seen Aftershock? Wow. I’m impressed.”

  “She’s the only one,” Rand said, trying to disentangle his hand. Sam wouldn’t let him go.

  “You were great.” Sam’s voice was full of reverence. “When you said, ‘Can I take your plate,’ you used just the right amount of sarcasm.”

  Stalker Sam. It’d be Colt’s new nickname for his friend.

  “Wait a second.” Rand’s voice had gone from nervous to curious. “Didn’t you ride with Colt today?”

  “I did.” Sam bounced up and down on her toes. “Of course, my portion of the act wasn’t half as exciting as it’s going to be once Natalie teaches Roger how to jump.” She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and let go of Rand’s hand. “I’m Samantha and I’m part of the Galloping Girlz, except my girls aren’t here today. We, Colt and I, were just trying a portion of our new act on for size. The girls and I will be joining him next week.” Sam’s face lost its enthusiasm. “That is, unless he’s needed back at home. You know. For other things.”

  The other things being Adam and his illness. As a dampener, it worked like a charm. Sam stared down at her toes.

  “How is Adam?” Rand asked.

  Colt didn’t want to like the man. He really didn’t, but it was hard when he so clearly cared. Colt had convinced himself the actor had arrived at Adam’s bedside as part of a publicity stunt, no matter that Natalie told him otherwise. He realized in that moment, though, that Rand’s visit had come from the heart. Just as Natalie had said.

  “He’s doing okay, but the chemo’s really starting to hit him hard.” Colt took a big swallow of his own pride. “Your visit really helped his spirits.”

  Rand’s eyes had grown sad. “Let me know when I can come by again. I’d like to keep track of his progress.”

  Nice guy. No denying it. “I’ll do that,” Colt agreed.

&n
bsp; “Wait.” Sam crossed her arms and Colt was glad to see she’d regained some of her self-respect. “Rand visited Adam in the hospital?”

  “We’re old friends,” Natalie explained. “I asked Randy if he’d mind dropping by.”

  “And he did?” Sam asked.

  “A couple of days ago,” Natalie said. “And before you ask, I didn’t mention it to you because we haven’t worked together since then. Plus, I didn’t know you were such a huge fan.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?” Sam said, turning to Colt with a look of insulted dignity. “You know how much I love this man.”

  He did? “Given the way you just reacted I’m glad I didn’t tell you. You probably would have caused a wreck while I was driving.”

  Sam had the grace to look abashed. “I know.” She smiled up at Rand. “I’m sorry for acting like such an idiot.”

  She still wore her performance makeup and on some women it might have been too much, but on Sam it looked good. Colt could tell Rand thought so, too.

  “That’s okay,” the actor said gently. “Call me Randy. And you can make it up to me by introducing me to your horse. It was amazing the way you hung upside down on him out there in the arena.”

  Sam’s face lit up. “Sure. Randy.”

  And off they went. Sam didn’t even say goodbye. Rand didn’t, either.

  “A match made in heaven,” Natalie observed.

  Colt couldn’t hide his surprise. “You think?”

  Natalie nodded. “They both crave the spotlight. They both look like they were sculpted by a doll maker at Mattel. They both think of physical fitness as a religion. Perfect.”

  She meant it. He could see that. And she didn’t care. Any lingering thoughts that Natalie might have the hots for her friend disappeared when Colt spotted her sunny smile.

  “To tell you the truth it was part of the reason I agreed to come today,” Natalie confessed, her smile growing. “I’ve been wanting to introduce the two of them, I just wasn’t sure how to approach it. Of course, Sam nearly blew it there at the beginning. I had no idea she was such a huge fan.”

  “Neither did I.”

  They looked at each other and laughed and it was the first time he’d laughed in, well, in a long, long while. Weeks, in fact. It felt good. It felt...right.