Barreling Through Christmas: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 4)

by Shanna Hatfield

  With exaggerated movements, Randi fluttered her eyelashes and placed her hands beneath her chin in a winsome pose. “That’d be me. I’m older, wiser, and way more entertaining, but I’m also happily married to the best guy in the world.”

  Both men laughed, then Shaun pointed to Paige. “Your sister has almost talked us into being models for her client’s new clothing line.”

  “Oh, that’s fantastic.” Randi offered them pleased looks. “It’s a great opportunity and Paige is the best at what she does.”

  “I can imagine,” Shaun said, admiring the view as Paige bent over to pick up a toy a little boy in line beside them dropped as his father held him in his arms.

  “It looks like we can eat,” Randi said, stepping forward to collect their order. “You boys have a great evening.”

  “We will,” Shaun said, watching them walk away.

  Randi giggled when they were out of earshot and bumped Paige with her elbow. “My gracious, girl, that cowboy was checking you out like you were the last piece of pie at Christmas dinner.”

  Paige gaped at her sister. “He was not! You’re being completely ridiculous.”

  “He totally was checking you out. In fact, he’s still watching you,” Randi said, leaning close to Paige.

  When Paige started to turn around to look, Randi gave her another not-so-subtle nudge. “You can’t let him see you looking at him. That goes against all the rules of flirtatious behavior.”

  Exasperated, Paige rolled her eyes. “Who makes all these rules and where are they written down? I want a copy of the rulebook. Highlights and marked pages would be great.”

  Randi laughed. “There isn’t a rule book. That’s what keeps things exciting.”

  A sigh puffed out of Paige. “I could do without the added excitement of trying to figure out the unspoken rules. Besides, it isn’t like I’m available anyway.”

  Randi frowned as they sat down in their seats. “If you’re referring to your sissified, hypochondriac-plagued, man bun-wearing, purse-packing loser boyfriend, then yes, you are available. You aren’t in love with him. There are days I’m not even sure you like him. He’s just convenient.”

  Paige would have argued with her sister, but the words she spoke rang with truth. However, she’d been dating Dexter for a while and wasn’t sure she was ready to walk away from the time and effort she’d invested into their relationship.

  Rather than get into a lengthy discussion about her relationship with Dexter, Paige changed the subject, asking her sister questions about plans for the coming day. They only had two more days in town before it would be time to leave and she wanted to make the most of their time in Las Vegas.

  Now that she’d finally calmed down and decided to have a little fun, she didn’t want to miss out on anything Randi particularly wanted to do.

  “I think we should line up a few more backup models while we’re here, then if we don’t find the guy with the best buns ever, you’ll still go home with a list of cowboys who will do a good job.” Randi drenched a fry in ketchup and popped it in her mouth.

  “With a little effort, I think Shaun and his friend would be willing to do some modeling for Elliott’s line. He said they are usually in the Portland area in July for a rodeo anyway, so it would be a perfect time to do a big photo shoot. In addition to our main model, I envision three or four others who are secondary. I hope Elliott decides to keep the line strictly for men because I really don’t want to try to find women to model for him, too.”

  “I think you can nudge Elliott in that direction. There are so many more clothing options for women than men, he’d be smart to focus on doing the line for guys, at least initially.” Randi ate another fry then motioned to Paige’s rapidly disappearing hamburger. “I can’t believe they have such good burgers here, of all places.”

  Paige grinned. “I assume many of the people here probably raise their own beef. To stay in business, I would think the food vendors would have to bring their A game.”

  Randi smirked. “Listen to you. I love it, Paige. I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen you so relaxed and enjoying yourself.”

  “Well, thanks to your nonstop badgering, I didn’t have much choice in the matter.” Paige winked at her sister and ate the rest of her hamburger.

  The rodeo soon started and Paige enjoyed the performance. She did notice Cooper staring her direction multiple times throughout the evening.

  Once, when a bull hit the barrel he was in and sent it careening through the dirt, she held her breath, concerned for his safety. The pickup men worked to chase the bull out of the arena and away from the barrel while two of the bullfighters set it upright.

  Cooper stood and waved his hat in the air to let everyone know he was okay.

  “You all right in there, Super Cooper?” the announcer asked.

  “Me and all the purdy lil’ birdies tweeting around my head are just dandy,” Cooper said in a drunken-sounding slur.

  Paige released her breath as the crowd laughed and clapped.

  “Let’s hear it for our bullfighters and ol’ Cooper, one of the best barrelmen in the business,” the announcer said.

  Randi squeezed Paige’s hand several times as they watched the bull riding event. Both of them flinched every time a cowboy got bucked off. Twice, Paige gasped and placed her hand to her throat when it appeared the bull would trample the cowboy. The excellent bullfighters hustled in and drew the bull away from the cowboy.

  At one point, even Cooper jumped out of the barrel, drawing the bull’s attention to him as a bullfighter took a particularly nasty horn to the side. Cooper dodged and twisted as the bull chased him then somehow managed to dive over the bull’s lowered head and roll to his feet with a smile.

  “Good grief, Paige! Did you see that?” Randi asked, grasping her arm in excitement. “How does he do that? All of the guys down there are so limber and have such control of their movements. It’s almost like watching some sort of artistic dance.”

  Paige nodded, too distracted by the range of emotions flooding through her as Cooper leaped on top of the barrel and danced to “Another One Bites the Dust.”

  Not that she had any experience with rural life, rodeos, or rodeo clowns, but even she could tell Cooper was exceptionally good at his job. He seemed to be entirely focused on the crowd, making sure they enjoyed every moment of the event and making the evening special for all of them.

  In spite of her intentions to ignore him, she’d seen him talking to several children, signing autographs, and passing out yoyos. Kids absolutely lit up in his presence and she knew it took a special person to pull off that type of reaction.

  Cooper might be a royal pain and entirely too eager to humiliate her, but he was great with people, particularly children.

  “That was awesome,” Randi said, drawing Paige from her thoughts.

  Paige glanced up and realized she’d been so thoroughly focused on Cooper that she missed the last ride of the evening.

  Her sister didn’t seem to notice as she stood and they joined the sea of people making their way out of the stands. “I can’t believe we only have one more night to do this. It’s been so fun.”

  “It has been fun,” Paige agreed. Even though she’d been mortified on more than one occasion, all thanks to Cooper, she’d also enjoyed herself, too.

  They’d just made it out of the arena and moved at a snail’s pace with the crowd toward the exit doors when Paige saw a hand reach out and clasp her sister’s shoulder.

  Randi turned around and smiled at Cooper. “Hey, Cooper! You were awesome out there! What’s going on?”

  “Well, since I’m not allowed to have any contact with your sister, I hoped you could tell her that I think she looks amazing. I had no idea a sexy cowgirl lingered behind those business clothes. She is one hot tamale.”

  Paige blushed and refused to make eye contact with her sister or the man causing yet another scene, even if he didn’t realize it. People stopped just to listen to what he would say, s
tanding a few feet away.

  Randi grinned at Paige. “Did you get all that or must I repeat the whole thing?”

  “I believe I got the gist of the message. Please tell Mr. James I appreciate his comments and wish him well.”

  Randi looked at Cooper and shrugged. “I guess she’s still not ready to talk to you.” She leaned closer to him and dropped her voice. “Try again tomorrow.”

  Cooper winked at her then waded into the crowd, smiling at people and signing more autographs.

  Paige watched him go wondering why, of all the people she’d encountered, he was the one she couldn’t stop thinking about.

  Chapter Eight

  Cooper smiled at the little boy who’d arrived in a costume that closely mimicked one he often wore. The miniature cowboy even had face paint that matched Cooper’s as he stood on tiptoe to see over the top of the table.

  “Hey, pardner! You look awesome! What’s your name?” Cooper asked, taking a photograph from the stack beside him and holding his pen, ready to write.

  “J.J.,” the boy said, grasping the edge of the table with tiny fingers.

  “Do you want to be a rodeo clown when you grow up?” Cooper asked, writing the child’s name and a brief message on the photo.

  The boy nodded and grinned when Cooper handed him the photo, along with a yoyo.

  “What do you say, J.J.?” the little one’s mother prompted.

  “Thank you!” The boy backed into his mother’s legs, holding the photo in one hand and the yoyo in the other.

  “You are welcome, J.J. Have a great time, buddy!” Cooper waved as the boy and his mother walked away then greeted the next child in line.

  His heart pinched when he looked up and saw a cowboy carrying a little girl in his arms. The child looked to be about five or so. Her bald head and pale face made him wonder if she had cancer.

  As they approached his table, Cooper stepped around it and greeted her with a big smile. “My goodness! What’s your name, sweetheart? You have the prettiest green eyes I think I’ve ever seen.”

  The little girl smiled and ducked her head against her father’s neck, but whispered, “Mallory.”

  “Mallory? That’s your name? Well, shoot, honey, that’s as pretty as those green peepers of yours.” Cooper looked to the child’s father who smiled and nodded his head. “Hey, Mallory, would you like one of my pictures?”

  The child nodded, although she kept her face partially hidden from him.

  Cooper quickly wrote a sweet note to the child and signed his name with a flourish. He grabbed a bandana-printed gift bag from beneath the table and stuck the photo inside it.

  Occasionally, he encountered a child who yanked on his heartstrings. When he did, he kept special bags of goodies for them. A rodeo-themed coloring book with crayons, one of his signature yoyos, a stuffed horse with a tiny bandana tied around its neck, and a sticker featuring a cartoon drawing of his face were tucked inside the bag.

  “Here you go, Mallory, a Super Cooper bag just for you.” Cooper held the gift bag out to the child.

  Her mother, who’d just walked up, took the bag with a grateful smile and held it out so her daughter could glance inside. “Wow, Mallory, look at all the great stuff in here.”

  The little girl zeroed in on the stuffed horse and pulled it out of the bag, holding it in her arms. She kissed it on the nose, and then leaned toward Cooper. He took her in his arms and gave her a gentle hug. The child barely weighed anything. The feel of her thin little arms around his neck made him swallow hard to choke back the emotion threatening to swamp him.

  He handed the child back to her father and gave the man a sympathetic glance. The cowboy tipped his head in acknowledgement.

  “Thank you, Cooper. I love you.” Mallory squeezed the stuffed horse while unwittingly squeezing Cooper’s heart with her words.

  “Love you, too, sweetheart. You have fun today, okay.”

  “I will,” she said, turning a brilliant smile to her father as she showed him the stuffed toy.

  Cooper waved as her father carried her off to visit another booth.

  The mother lingered behind a moment and placed a hand on Cooper’s arm. “Thank you, so much, for making her feel special, Mr. James. She always gets so excited when she sees you at a rodeo on television. We weren’t sure we should bring her to this, but she begged to come when we found out you’d be signing autographs today.”

  “It’s my pleasure, ma’am. She’s a beautiful girl.” Another hard swallow dislodged the lump in his throat. “Cancer?” he asked.

  The woman nodded. “Leukemia. She’s been in and out of the hospital for the past year, but she’s a fighter.”

  “I’m so sorry she has to go through this. I’ll keep her in my prayers.”

  The woman gave him a watery smile and squeezed his hand. “Thank you.” After she walked off, Cooper needed a minute to gather his composure and get his head back into the persona of happy-go-lucky rodeo clown and barrelman.

  He left the table where he’d been signing autographs and hustled out the back door of the venue. Grateful no one was around, he sank down on a step leading away from the building and let the fresh air and sunshine revive him.

  Vague memories of another child who suffered from cancer made his chest ache with such force he took a gasping breath. Shoving the recollections back into a dark corner of his mind where he preferred they remain, he stood and bounced on the balls of his feet a few times, forcing energy into his body.

  He returned to the vendor show with a smile in place, even if it wasn’t quite as big as it had been earlier.

  After his shift of signing autographs, he gathered his things to leave. He happened to notice Paige and Randi walking his way, admiring a booth of paintings across the aisle from him.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t the two prettiest sisters in town,” he said, drawing their attention.

  “Hi, Cooper!” Randi said, greeting him with a warm smile. “Signing more autographs?”

  “Just finished up. In fact,” — he gave her a sly glance — “if you aren’t in a hurry, how would you like to help me with something?”

  “I’d love it! What do you need?” The look she gave him held both expectation and enthusiasm.

  “I’m about to hold a little contest and need two more participants. Will you both do it?”

  “Absolutely!” Randi chirped.

  “Now, wait just a minute,” Paige said, scowling at her sister. “You can’t blindly agree to do something with this madman. For all you know, he might make you push pennies across the floor of the restroom with your nose.”

  Randi wrinkled her nose in revulsion and turned to Cooper. “That’s not the contest, is it?”

  He chuckled and picked up his box of autograph signing supplies. “No, that isn’t it. It’s actually going to be really cool and involves riding a horse, of sorts.”

  “We’re in!”

  “We are not in!” Paige glared at Randi. “And I’ll thank you to cease speaking for me, especially where Mr. James is concerned.”

  “Oh, don’t be such a party pooper,” Randi said, looping her arm around Paige’s. “Please? Will you do whatever it is with me? Pretty please?”

  Paige rolled her eyes then turned her frown toward Cooper. “This isn’t going to involve anything dirty, smelly, sweaty, or disgusting is it? There are no dancing men or anything that will cause undue degradation?”

  He held up one hand, as though he offered a pledge of honor. “No, ma’am, not at all. I promise it’ll be fun.”

  “What do we need to do?” Randi asked, clearly excited.

  “Follow me,” Cooper said, leading them to the far side of the vendor show. At the end of an aisle in an open space, lanes had been established with strips of duct tape. On one end of the lanes, six stuffed horses almost the height of real ponies awaited their riders. The life-sized mechanical horses featured wheels on the bottom of the feet that made the toys mobile. Small saddles, designed for children, attached
to the backs and wooden handles stuck out of the sides of the horse heads, offering a place to hang on.

  Randi clapped her hands together and squealed. “Oh, my gosh! These are incredible!”

  Cooper laughed. “They are pretty cool.” He set down the box he carried behind the horses and grinned. “What I’d like you to do is ride in the race I’m putting together.”

  “Of course!” Randi agreed, despite the frown on Paige’s face. “We’d love to.”

  “You’d love to, I would not,” Paige said, clarifying her thoughts aloud, as if the daggers she shot at Cooper didn’t clearly express her opinions on the matter.

  “Aw, come on, PP. Where is your sense of fun? Are you always a big ol’ stick in the mud?”

  Affronted by his words, she stiffened. “I’m not a stick in the mud. I just don’t know how many public humiliations I can endure in a week and maintain any degree of self-esteem.”

  Cooper laughed. “Sugar, you don’t need to worry about a thing, especially looking like that.”

  It had been all he could do to keep his hands to himself at the rodeo the previous evening when he looked up and saw Paige dressed like a cowgirl. He’d barely been able to sleep as thoughts of how she looked with that tousled head of tempting hair and smoky bedroom eyes haunted his dreams.

  Pleased to see she again wore jeans and boots with her hair loose, he wondered how Randi had talked her into abandoning her business attire. No matter the reason, he enjoyed seeing her with her hair down in a literal sense. He hoped, if she’d join in the silly competition, he’d also get to witness her figurative hair down, too.

  Pink color blossomed in Paige’s cheeks, drawing a smile from Cooper as he watched her reaction to his words.

  “If you two ladies wait right here, I’ll have them announce the contest is about to start and round up your competition. Go ahead and pick which horse you want.” Cooper pointed to the six stuffed animals before he jogged off.

  “Which one do you want to ride?” Paige asked, already knowing the answer before her sister wrapped her arms around a white unicorn. The other five toys were brown or black horses. “Why did I bother to ask?”