The Bull Rider Wears Pink

by Jeanine McAdam

  “Ahhh,” Rachel moaned her body shifting toward her husband. “You are so sweet.” She pushed the hair off his forehead. Then she wrapped her hands around his face, thumbs caressing his chin. “That is the nicest thing I’ve heard you say all day.”

  Logan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He seemed to think he was off the hook. But not yet...with her hands still on his cheeks Rachel swung his chin back and forth. “Even though you're concerned, you're still being discriminatory toward Cassidy because of her sex.” Rachel continued to look lovingly into her husband's eyes.

  “I care about her,” Logan moaned. “Bull riding is a brutal sport. If she took up tennis or rock climbing or even freaking Frisbee football, then I'd be able to support it.” He glanced at Cassidy. “You understand, don't you?”

  Cassidy shook her head. So did Kevin. Which was a nice show of solidarity.

  “That's very kind,” Rachel conceded as she touched her lips lightly to her husband's mouth. Both Kevin and Cassidy waited for another rebuttal from Rachel, maybe something about Logan still being sexist.

  However, it didn’t come and Cassidy was confused. Did Rachel just switch teams after that kiss? Maybe she did, because now she was digging her fingers into Logan's shoulders while he was tipping his head to deepen their kiss.

  “What happened to him being a chauvinist?” Cassidy asked Kevin. “I thought she was on my side.” Cassidy was feeling a bit sold out.

  “They should get a room,” Kevin commented after what seemed like a lifetime of watching their epic lip lock but was probably only fifteen seconds. “It's disgusting,” he added. The guys who made the bad jokes about Logan's masculinity started hooting and coming up with even more creative insults.

  But that didn’t stop Logan and Rachel. Cassidy couldn't leave because she didn't want to lose her place in line. Pike's Peak registration wasn't as efficient as Tulsa. No iPads. So all she could do was stand there and realize she had a similar, all encompassing, heart pounding hunger for John back in L.A.

  “Are they always like this?” Cassidy asked Kevin trying to cover up the longing she was sure appeared on her face. Okay, there was probably jealously present too. Cassidy wondered if John stopped working undercover, found a hobby that had nothing to do with his job and made a commitment to his cat, would she want to renew their relationship? Her loins, for lack of a better word, were screaming yes while her heart tried to remind her of how deeply the man had hurt her.

  After another ten seconds, Kevin closed his computer and muttered, “Caleb tells them all the time it makes the rest of us uncomfortable.” His eyes shifted between Logan and Rachel again. “Especially Carrie. Asian people don't like public displays of affection.”

  “Isn't that stereotyping?” Cassidy asked.

  He shrugged. “She doesn't mind.” He glanced at his wrist even though it was empty of a watch. “They should be coming up for air soon.” He seemed resigned to the situation which was completely out of character for him.

  “So, you're embarrassed by me when I get on a bull but when they do this…” Cassidy gestured toward her brother. She didn't have a chance to finish her inquiry because Logan finally broke it off. It seemed while he was kissing his wife he had a chance to shore up his argument because he started talking immediately. Maybe the man could multitask after all.

  “I'm also worried about the cowboys harassing you.” He took his hands off Rachel's hips. “Just ask Rachel and Carrie, they've both had problems with an asshole named

  L.T. Lane.” Rachel stuck her head out from around Logan's shoulder. “He's manageable,” she explained to Cassidy. She wiped her mouth with the tips of her fingers. “He told Carrie” she continued, “she'd ruin the rodeo if she made the cowboys wear helmets and he told me to not run naked.” Rachel shrugged. “The rodeo isn't ruined and most of the bull riders wear helmets.”

  “What happened with you running naked?” Cassidy asked.

  “I don't run naked anymore.” She winked at her husband. There was a panache to this woman that Cassidy had to respect. She never winked at John. Maybe that was something she should try, then again, didn't she just decide she was maintaining their status as broken up no matter how hot he looked. Yes, fringe shirts and flood jeans were starting to grow on her.

  Logan muttered, “Thank God, you listened to the idiot.”

  “But Carrie didn’t listened,” Rachel countered. “She's still fighting to make helmets mandatory.” Rachel looked proud of Caleb's neuroscientist wife. Cassidy wondered if her sister-in-laws were close and felt a pang of jealously. She would like to be a part of that bond even though Rachel was two timing her with Logan.

  “I can handle a cocky cowboy,” Cassidy replied lamely. Too bad she couldn't back up her words with a few comments about her time with the Highwaymen. She added in a much stronger voice. “And, I can ride a bull.” She poked her brother again. “I'll try not to steal your thunder but thunder goes where thunder goes.”

  * * * *

  “Every bull rider eats dirt,” Logan announced while waving a bread stick at Cassidy. He was still trying to talk her out of riding in the men's division. “And a part of your body that you really like gets broken.” After they registered, but before Cassidy was told by Mrs. Goodwin, the registration lady, that she firmly disapproved of women riding with men, the Cooper family decided they needed lunch. Sitting in an Italian restaurant across from the hotel, Logan was imparting his wisdom, Rachel was trying to get the baby to take her breast, while Kevin typed on his laptop.

  “It's just a matter of when,” Logan said, leaning closer to his sister. He tapped her on the nose with the bread stick. “You have to be ready for it financially, physically, and emotionally. Let me tell you,” he continued, “it sucks hanging around the house all day watching Caleb vacuum.”

  “I know,” Cassidy agreed. She'd seen Caleb vacuum, he was obsessed with the dog hair or maybe Carrie was obsessed. Either way, Cassidy knocked on the wooden table. “But I haven't gotten hurt yet,” she told her brother as she wished Logan would stop talking about broken bones. She poured salt from the shaker into her hand and tossed it over her shoulder.

  “Don't get too cocky,” Logan warned. “Sooner or later you'll find yourself sitting on the couch, ice packs all over your body with a flicker balancing on your belly.” He took a bite of the bread stick, crumbs rolled down his chin. “Now that Oprah is gone everything on in the afternoon sucks.”

  “I know how to fall,” Cassidy explained. She glanced at Kevin. He was smiling at his computer screen. “Remember,” she reminded Logan, “I was a gymnast.” She looked at Kevin again. He was still smiling. She wished she knew what was entertaining him. Maybe they could share a laugh, particularly one that wasn’t at her expense.

  Then the casual atmosphere changed in the dark restaurant. The red walls got redder, the violin player got softer and the hostess talking on the phone stopped. Cassidy looked around to see what happened just as John Risk walked through the door. John smiled sheepishly at the hostess as he asked for a table for one, his index finger awkwardly in the air. Then he looked around the room. His eyes settled on Cassidy.

  Logan noticed John too. “Why is the preacher man looking at you?” Logan asked. Cassidy was surprised he noticed. Observant was also a word Cassidy wouldn’t use to describe her brother. Maybe all that Oprah viewing had turned him into a new man. Then again, it probably had something to do with Rachel entering his life.

  Cassidy shrugged. Self-conscious, she leaned over and studied Kevin's computer screen. Was she hiding—probably? She leaned in a little further. John really needed to get those baby blues of his off of her. Even with all her denials, the man was still her personal kryptonite. Now that he looked and acted like an extra from the television show “Freaks and Geeks” the pull was worse. Who would have thought?

  “Look at him, Rachel,” Logan told his wife while pointing that half eaten bread stick in John's direction. “I've never seen a woman catch the nerdy pastor's e
ye but he's enthralled with my little sister.” Logan held the bread stick like a cigar in the corner of his mouth. “Honestly, I thought the guy had gotten himself castrated when he took his vows.”

  “Logan, please tone it down?” Rachel suggested as she shifted the baby in her lap.

  Rachel was right. Cassidy shook her head at her brother while pointing at Kevin. But Logan wasn't done with John as he watched the man follow the hostess to his table. John was still looking at Cassidy, even turning his head while he walked across the green, leaf carpet.

  Logan laughed after John sat down. “I don't know what the good pastor is thinking looking at you like that,” Logan told Cassidy. “You two are mismatched—it's the lion and the lamb, the gladiator and the water boy, the badass and the dork.”

  Badass, Cassidy sort of liked that one, but she wasn't going to compliment her brother’s clever analogy. It would only encourage him. Instead, she continued to hide behind Kevin's computer screen. Her son figured out what she was doing. “Mom,” he moaned. He slammed it shut. “This isn't your business.”

  “I didn't read any—” Cassidy started.

  “Woo-wee, it's getting hot in here,” Logan interrupted while pulling on the front of his shirt. “The preacher man is moving his seat so he can get a better look at my sister.” They all watched John grip the arms of his chair and hobble it to the left. When he was done, he returned his attention to Cassidy.

  If Logan knew John and Cassidy’s history both personally and professionally he'd be doing a lot more than tugging on his shirt, he'd probably be calling John out and challenging the man to a duel. But Cassidy didn't say anything, instead she commented, “Do you think he's a real preacher or just one of those online certified phonies?” Maybe if she put doubt in the minds of the cowboys about John's credentials he'd pack up his bags and go.

  “As far as I know,” her brother replied.

  “Maybe John is—” Cassidy started. She wasn't going to blow John's cover but it'd probably be better for her if he wasn't around. No more skipping heart when he walked by or sweaty palms when he talked to her. Yes, she was trying to get rid of him at the same time she was thinking passionate thoughts about him. Ugh!

  “John,” Logan shouted. “You're on a first name basis with that Bible thumper.” Logan shook his head. “Everyone calls him Pastor John or no balls,” he added under his breath. Then he chuckled as he glanced at Rachel.

  “No balls,” Kevin said. He opened his computer. “I've got to write that down.”

  Before Cassidy had a chance to tell him his uncle was being crude again, John appeared at their table. He held a stack of fliers. Kevin lifted his head out of his computer. “Hey, Pastor John,” he said with a giggle while Rachel eyed John suspiciously.

  “We're having a prayer meeting tomorrow morning,” John told them in a voice that was a little too loud and a little too high. Plus he wouldn't look at Rachel. With hands scarred by road burn and a knife fight, he placed the flier on the table.

  It was printed on blue paper with white clouds at the top. Nicer than the one he'd done back in Tulsa. Cassidy wondered if John had gone to a print shop that morning and picked out the paper himself. Even the font was cursive. The title said, “Redemption.” In smaller print was information about the place and time of the service.

  “Re-redemption,” Cassidy sputtered. “Who's redemption?” So okay. Maybe she was a little protective of the word. But right now it was hers. She was in the middle of her own eight second redemption. John could have salvation or deliverance. Yes, those words appeared on the bottom of the flier along with information about donuts and coffee being served.

  “Anyone's redemption,” John replied. “It's personal,” he explained with a quick nod of his head. He still wouldn't look at Rachel, which was interesting. Back in LA, when taking a five minute break from fighting the bad guys, John always admired a beautiful woman. “It's about assuming responsibility for something bad you’ve done and making amends.”

  “What if you did something bad to one person, for example a loved one, but your actions helped the greater good?” Kevin asked, his words coming from the mouths of babes. “Do you still get redemption?” He scratched his arm pit.

  Cassidy stared at her son for a moment. When in the world did he become so perceptive? Did he know instinctively Cassidy left him because she was trying to do something for the greater good? After eight months of undercover work Cassidy and John had given their colleagues in uniform enough information to intercept two hundred illegal firearms and seize twelve million dollars’ worth of cocaine.

  John glanced at Cassidy with wide eyes. She shook her head. She hadn't told Kevin anything about her life in L.A. and she would talk to her son later about the greater good. She just needed to figure out what she was going to say first.

  However, it seemed John wanted to dive head first into this parenting quagmire. Cassidy had to give him credit for not being afraid. “Sometimes,” the cop turned preacher said slowly, “families hurt each other trying to protect people they don't even know.” He looked at Cassidy with a nod.

  “Sort of like River on Firefly,” Kevin started. “She had to protect her geeky brother Simon because he was pathetic and unable to protect himself and occasionally she had to lie to him for his own good.” Kevin leaned back and smiled. “I hope you folks appreciate the excellent character study I just gave you.”

  Wow, on top of being impressed by her son's ability to grasp the situation, Cassidy was also unnerved. The kid could have been talking about her life. Did he know something that she didn't want him to know? It wasn’t possible because Logan and Caleb had no idea what she was doing in Los Angeles so Kevin wouldn't have an opportunity to figure it out.

  “Right,” John said. He looked a little bewildered too. “And tomorrow I'm going to talk about Battlestar Galactic during my sermon.” He pushed a flier toward Kevin. “You may want to show up.” It seemed John had given up on addressing the meaning of the greater good with Cassidy's son.

  Kevin glanced at the flier. “Not Firefly?” he asked.

  “Haven’t seen the show,” John replied.

  Kevin closed his laptop and stood up. “Okay,” he said to John. He looked again at the nonexistent watch on his wrist. “Got to go,” he told the rest of them. “A previous engagement.”

  “Where are you going so fast?” Logan asked.

  Kevin shook his head. “No place. Just meeting someone.” He shoved his laptop into his backpack.

  “Who the hell do you know around here?” Logan continued to interrogate while Kevin bristled and the baby cried.

  Cassidy didn't know much about parenting but she did know Logan's style wasn't working. She turned to Rachel, the woman had already put her hand on Logan's arm. “That's great, you are meeting people here.” Rachel said evenly to Kevin. The woman was quick thinking. “Do you have a new friend?” she asked gently. Cassidy needed to watch and learn.

  “Maybe,” Kevin replied.

  “Do you mind telling us who?” Rachel asked. She glanced at both Cassidy and Logan but wouldn't look at John. Hmm, that was interesting as well because Cassidy thought Rachel would notice a good looking man. Then again maybe John wasn't her type with the ponytail.

  Kevin's eyes shifted back and forth. “That rodeo clown, Mike Shannon said he would let me interview him.” The boy shrugged. “I thought maybe I could write an article for my school newspaper about him.”

  Cassidy was relieved to hear he wasn't meeting a girl. Kevin was too young for that sort of stuff. Wasn't he? However, she didn't like that Mike Shannon fellow much either. But she didn't have a concrete reason why, except the man was even cruder than Logan.

  Then again, writing the article was a good idea. It kept Kevin out of trouble.

  Both Rachel and Cassidy looked to Logan for guidance. “The guy's fine,” Logan said. “Have fun.” he told Kevin with a nod of his head.

  “Are you sure Mike is—” John started.

  “He's fi
ne,” Logan interrupted. Then he called to Kevin. “You’re meeting him in a public place—right?”

  As soon as Kevin was gone. John stared at the door. Then he fidgeted with his fliers. “I've got to go,” he said to nobody in particular after a minute. “I think I left the television on in my room.” He glanced at the door again. “But congratulations on making it into the men's division,” he told Cassidy. “Can't wait to see you ride tomorrow.”

  As Cassidy watched him rush out the door she got a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart. It was really nice of John to congratulate her. She knew he remembered how much riding in the men's division meant to her. She was starting to really like this user friendly version of John Risk.

  Then she remembered why he was at the rodeo—breaking up a prescription drug ring. Dammit, she needed to get her head in the game and out of the clouds. John was probably following Kevin because Kevin was meeting Mike Shannon. Now, Cassidy understood. John’s hairs were on end after her bull ride back in Tulsa because he had the same fishy feeling she had about the rodeo clown.

  Cassidy started to gather her stuff. The plan was to follow both John and Kevin. Her eight ounce burger would have to wait. Logan stopped her with a hand on her forearm. He held up John's flier.

  “How well do you know this guy?” he asked. Both Logan and Rachel sat across the table with their mouths in thin, tight lines. Oh no, John must have offended them in some way at some point. That was why Rachel wouldn't look at him. Couldn’t they focus their indignation on the real source of the problem—Mike Shannon?

  But maybe it was more than just being offended? Cassidy tried to play it casual as alarms were going off all over in her head. Did Logan know about John's work? Was John's cover already blown? If so, John needed to know before he went after Mike Shannon. Kevin could get hurt if he got caught in the middle of that take down. “Not well,” Cassidy lied. She pushed her arm through the sleeve of her jean jacket.