Choose Me, Cowboy

by Barbara Ankrum

Three seconds. Four.

  More twists and back-jamming jolts. Stay up!

  Five.

  Damn, you’re getting too old for this!

  The bull ducked its head and kissed the ground, kicking high with its hind legs. He felt himself being thrown forward and shoved his boots toward the neck to keep his balance. Hell, no!

  Six.

  He threw his arm straight up to straighten himself out.

  Seven.

  Pain jolted through his left arm. Focus!

  Chile Pepper spun toward the right as the buzzer sounded and he leaned backward, released the rope and threw his left leg over the neck of the bull. He flung himself off, landing in a crouch on all fours. Or, rather, all threes as he tried, unsuccessfully, to protect his left arm from the blow. But pain shot up his arm all the same.

  Time blurred the next few seconds as the bullfighters moved in to keep Chile Pepper from trampling him and a heartbeat later, Finn was jumping out of the way and onto a steel railing as the bull snorted past him and back through the gate.

  He exhaled a breath and glanced over at the stands where the kids were sitting. Cutter and Caylee were clinging to Kate’s side like they’d been stuck there with glue but they were both cheering. Kate was smiling at him and he lifted his chin in acknowledgement of her smile. As he climbed over the fence, he heard the mike sputter.

  “A fantastic eight-second ride for our own Finn Scott on Chile Pepper! That bull sure gave him a run for his money. He tried everything to get Scott off his back but that just speaks to Scott’s bull-riding experience that he managed to hang on for the full eight seconds. For those of you who don’t know this bull-athlete, Chile Pepper’s ranked up there in the top twenty PBR bulls this year and his owner, Lee Greenfield of Greenfield Farms, is hoping to take him to the Las Vegas Finals in December. After that performance, we can see why. Okay now. Let’s see the score.”

  When Kate and the kids reached him, he was grinning from ear to ear.

  “Wow!” Kate said, hugging him. “You did great.” But in a whisper against his ear, she said, “But that ride scared me to death.”

  “I wasn’t scared,” Cutter said bravely, but with his arm locked around his dad’s leg like a flag in a windstorm, Finn had to laugh.

  “There you go, Snip. I knew you could handle it.”

  “Me, too,” Caylee piped up. “I wasn’t scared either. Not even when you fell off.”

  “I jumped off,” he corrected with a grin. “Which is a heck of lot better than falling off.”

  The scoreboard flickered to life and the announcer said, “Ninety-one point four! Finn Scott takes the lead in this go-round with that sweet ride on Chile Pepper!”

  “Did you win?” Cutter asked. In the background, another rider burst out of the chute and the crowd cheered, making conversation difficult.

  “For now. A few more riders to go,” he shouted to Caylee, as the next rider got bucked off, almost immediately, landing hard in the dirt. “This was just the first go round. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow, okay?”

  He glanced at Kate. She looked flushed with excitement and so damned pretty. Not even the anticipation of seeing if his score stood could equal the full body rush of picturing her in his arms again tonight. He felt a like a teenager when he was around her.

  Until much later, he’d have to settle for dancing with her this evening, in front of everyone and not giving a damn what anyone thought of it. He wanted to make an honest woman of her. Or let her make an honest man of him. Either way, he was ready to be done with the charade. Tonight might just be the perfect time to put this fake marriage behind them and commit to something real. Especially tonight, with the hearing coming up in a few days.

  That flicker of dread entered his mind when he least expected it, but he pushed his fear aside, unwilling to allow the possibility of failure on Wednesday to take hold. He needed Kate to know that his wanting her was not based on her agreement to help him, but because he couldn’t imagine his life without her anymore.

  “Why don’t you guys head home and get ready for the dinner dance? This might go a little long and the dinner starts in less than an hour. I can drive my truck back home and join you at the dinner after I get cleaned up.”

  “But we should go together,” Kate protested. “We’ll just wait for you.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll catch up with you there. I need to wait for all the scores to come in. Besides, as we all know, these two need a head start whenever you’re trying to get out the door.”

  “Okay. If you insist. But you’d better not leave me there, all dressed up and no one to dance with.”

  “Don’t worry about that, darlin’. I’ll be there. And we will definitely be dancing.”

  “Me too?” Caylee asked.

  “You first, of course!” he said with a smile and a kiss on the crown of her head. “Now go on you three, get, so I can properly obsess about my rankings.”

  Kate grinned and winked at him in lieu of a kiss on the cheek. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. See you later?”

  She winked, correctly guessing he meant, later-later. Oh, he’d see her then, too.

  ***

  After cleaning the fragrance of the rodeo grounds from the children with a quick bath and shower for herself, she managed to chase them down long enough to make them look presentable for the dinner dance. Caylee spun around the living room in her twirly dress, a pink confection that made her feel—in her words—princess-y, and Cutter wore his best blue jeans—namely the ones without holes in the knees and a little color left in them—and a plaid shirt that was a version of what his dad had worn today.

  As for Kate, she donned the Vince Camuto jumpsuit and heels with trepidation. The outfit felt a little ‘big city’ for this small town event, but she couldn’t back down now. At least she knew Olivia would approve.

  They were practically out the door again when her cell rang. The caller ID had a Los Angeles area code.

  “This is Kate,” she answered, holding her breath.

  “It’s me.”

  In only a few phone conversations, she recognized the sexy baritone voice as belonging to Trey Reyes.

  “Oh. Hello.” She swallowed hard, still uncertain whether whoever had hacked her had access to anything besides her email, so she followed his cryptic lead by not saying his name. “Um...anything?”

  “Maybe,” was his succinct reply.

  She inhaled sharply. A spark of hope was better than none. “What does that mean?”

  “It means...so far, nothing usable. But I’m following up on a lead which may go nowhere. Don’t get your hopes up.”

  “Can’t we go?” Cutter complained from the door. “We’re gonna miss the barbeque!”

  “This will just take a second, Cutter. You two wait over there.” Turning her attention back to the phone, she said, “When will you know?”

  “As soon as I know,” he replied, “you’ll know.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  He clicked off without saying good-bye. She took a deep breath. What could he have found? She prayed he’d uncover something, anything they could use that would help Finn keep the kids. She hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up, so she hadn’t told him about Trey yet. Maybe he needed some hopeful news. Or maybe that would just make the lie all the worse when Trey’s lead turned out to be nothing. She knew better than to hope that Melissa’s past, alone, would be enough to keep the custody agreement intact. The court wanted mothers involved in their children’s lives. Kate had nothing against that, in principle, but in her humble—if inconsequential—opinion, if Melissa deserved anything after abandoning her children for the last four years, she should have visitation, not partial custody. But if the judge in Missoula was pro-mothers, the key to their winning would have to be something else.

  One thing she knew. If there was any dirt to be turned up on Melissa—and how could there not be?—Trey Reyes would find it.

  Chapter Ten

  M
arietta’s Main Street had been turned into a twinkling fantasy garden with mini-lights strung from lamp post to lamp post and wrapped around the branches of trees that fronted the red-brick, Western-style storefronts. This town, whose charm already drew visitors looking for a taste of the West, had never looked prettier.

  The long, gold-sateen-draped tables, already crowded with neighbors and friends, were strewn with mason jars full of summer flowers and candles that illuminated the sparkles tossed along the tablecloths for an extra bit of shine. The mouth-watering scent of barbeque wafted across the street as people piled food on their plates from the buffet set up on one side, where catering pans full of grilled steak, chicken, grilled vegetables, and potatoes sat nestled beside a colorful palette of salads.

  Up at the end of Main Street, in the light-strung Crawford Park, there was a band already set up and playing. Lonnie Black was a rising country star who’d gone to Nashville from right here in Marietta. He was a few years younger than Kate, but even back then, she’d heard of him. And he was good. The music wasn’t too loud for conversation down this way, but just right for dancing later. She sent up a prayer of thanks that they hadn’t chosen Cree Malone to play tonight. God knew, that would be uncomfortable.

  Wowed by the sight of the twinkling setting, Caylee spun in little circles while attached to Kate’s hand, while her brother tugged her toward the delicious aroma coming from the buffet line.

  “Kate!” Holding her arms out, Jaycee Canaday pulled her into a hug and directed them to the places she’d saved for them. “Well, it’s about time we saw you! We thought maybe you’d dropped off the planet! Where have you been? You look gorgeous, as always. That color is so pretty on you. Here. Olivia told me to save four seats with us, but—” she grinned down at the twins—“she didn’t exactly explain why. Now I see.” She reached down to greet the twins. “Hello.”

  “Thanks, Mom. This is Cutter and Caylee Scott. Guys? This is my mom.”

  Cutter stuck his chubby hand out politely. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Well! It’s very nice to meet you, too, Cutter. And Caylee. What a pretty dress you have on.”

  She nodded shyly. “Kate bought me it.”

  Jaycee winked at Kate. “She did, did she?”

  “I’ll explain later. Right now, everyone’s starved. Is...um, everyone here?” Kate asked, dreading the bunch of them firing questions at her.

  “They’re in line at the buffet. Go get some food. I can’t wait to see who the fourth chair is for.” With a private wink at Kate she sent them on their way.

  Note to self: Next time you decide to keep a secret, do so far, far, far from Marietta.

  The buffet was crowded and Kate caught a glimpse of the family far up ahead. She spotted Olivia and Jake and her father, filling their plates. Behind them, several barbeques were still cooking up steaks and the fragrant smoke rose in the night air.

  And...was that Cody Hoffman standing beside those two children a few people up? That had to be him. A wave of sadness passed through her. She’d known Cody growing up, but he’d left years ago, after high school, to become an architect. Word was that he’d come back to Marietta to his parents’ ranch with his young son and daughter after he’d lost his wife. His daughter looked to be only a little older than Caylee. Maybe they could be friends?

  Just as she thought to tuck that thought away for later, she caught herself making plans she had no business making. She probably wouldn’t be here long enough to introduce Caylee or Cutter to local friends, or help them really settle into this town. Had she already allowed herself to become too invested in them? To imagine herself raising them?

  Probably. Somehow she would protect them from it. Somehow she would make things all right for them when she left.

  But the thought of leaving at all scraped against her every nerve and tied her stomach into knots. Tomorrow she would have to come clean to Finn and she had to be prepared for his reaction. But she’d think about that tomorrow. Tonight, they would enjoy the night and have fun.

  She fixed plates for the children, Caylee’s strictly veggies, and she fixed one for herself, though her stomach was knotted and she wasn’t sure she could eat.

  At the table, everyone was seated, digging into their food, but they all jumped up to hug her as she returned. Olivia and Jake, Eve, her dad, Reed Canaday, and Ken, Lane’s End’s favorite foreman. She made introductions all around and the kids settled in to eat.

  Eve leaned close to Kate’s ear. “So, can we assume I’ve won the bet? Mind you, I’m not as happy about that as I appear. Though I do like the winning part.”

  “I’m sorry to disappoint, but no, in fact, you’ve lost piteously. You see, I’m not dating. This is a job. I’m their nanny.”

  Jaycee eyed her while slicing up Cutter’s steak for him. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with what we discussed a few weeks back, would it, regarding a particular...someone?”

  “Someone, who?” Cutter asked.

  Kate felt heat climb to her cheeks. Naturally Jaycee wouldn’t miss that connection. But just as she was about to bumble her way into an explanation, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. That ‘particular someone’ was standing behind her smiling.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said.

  Another flash of flustered heat hit her as she jumped up and introduced him. Finn shook hands all around, drawing wide-eyed looks from everyone but Olivia and Jake, who worked hard at feigning innocence. Finn didn’t look nervous at all. In fact, he looked downright happy.

  “You must be starving. Will you all excuse us for a minute?” she asked and steered him to the buffet. He had a hard time pulling his gaze from her.

  “You look...fantastic.” A sexy smile pulled at his mouth, and he slid an arm around her to touch the small of her back. “I love what you’re wearing.”

  She felt his touch like a buzz of electricity, a current of lust that had strung itself between them lately whenever they were within arm’s length of each other. His compliment pleased her, not only because the only thing he’d seen her in lately had been her dirty designer jeans and sweaty, pulled-back hair, but because he’d actually noticed she’d made an effort.

  “Thanks,” she said, as her gaze fell to the way his white linen shirt skimmed his muscled chest, and his tight-fitting denims revealed just the tips of his saddle-leather colored cowboy boots. All she could think was, ‘Gah!’ because there wasn’t a better-looking man in the crowd. But it was the smile full of promises he flashed at her that sped up her heartbeat. “You look great, too.”

  He gave her a little squeeze against her hip with the palm of his hand. “So, I like your family,” he said, as if meeting them wasn’t something he should have done years ago.

  “We have to sit with them. Sorry. It’s going to be...tricky.” Did she just imagine he winced a little? “Are you okay? Don’t keep me in suspense! What happened?”

  “I’m in first place going into the finals,” he admitted with a grin.

  “Oh, Finn! Of course, you are!” Without thinking, she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his slim waist. He returned the favor, pulling her up against him. After a moment, she stepped awkwardly back, embarrassed, and looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

  He gave a knowing smile, but leaned close to her ear. “I want to kiss you right now.”

  She blinked up at him, feeling a sharp tug of hunger that had nothing to do with the nearby food. “No, you don’t.”

  “Oh, yeah, I do.” His fingers secretly fondled the back of her neck, then slid down her back to just a little south of propriety.

  She shrugged his touch away with a private smile. A smile that promised more intimate touches later. “The gauntlet of my family might be safer than standing next to you in this crowd.”

  “Your family looks pretty harmless to me.”

  “Don’t be fooled by all that fuzzy wool. They’re waiting to pounce on you like wolves.”

  “I think I can handle it.”

&nb
sp; “That’s what everyone thinks. But they show no mercy if they sniff potential.”

  The line crept forward. “Well, in that case,” he said, with a grin, “we’re definitely in for it.”

  Once they got back to the table, the family was laughing at something Cutter had said, while the boy blushed, pleased to be the center of attention. Caylee seemed to be watching the big family with quiet awe.

  “I hear congratulations are in order, Finn,” Jaycee said, warmly. “We hear you won your round today.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “We’ll see how the finals shake out tomorrow.”

  “That was some ride, man,” Jake said.

  The others jumped in, ooh-ing and ahh-ing about Finn’s eight seconds and the other scary bull rides today.

  “Give me a helicopter in a dust storm any day over getting on the back of one of those monsters,” Jake said, to which everyone laughingly agreed.

  “I’ve never ridden in one,” Finn told Jake. “I guess they’re a twitch more predictable than a bull.”

  “Hey, I’ll take you up sometime, if you want a ride.”

  His eyes widened. “Really? Man, I’d love to.”

  Olivia sent Kate a private smile.

  “How long have you been bull riding?” Eve asked, all wide-eyed innocence. “And how exactly do you know my sister?”

  Kate clucked her tongue with a warning. “Eve!”

  “What? I’m just asking.”

  “Been riding since I was nineteen or so,” he answered. “Though, I took a break for a few years. But I’ve known Kate almost that long.”

  Eve slid a disbelieving look at Kate. “Reeeal-ly.”

  “So,” Jaycee said, “you and Kate have...known each other since...college, hmm?”

  “University of Montana. We met there.”

  Kate found a fascinating piece of chopped broccoli on her plate to study.

  “So, Cutter and Caylee tell us you’re their nanny, Kate,” her father said as she played with her food.

  Here we go. “That’s true,” she said. “Did you tell them about the new treehouse, kids? They’re helping Finn build one in a big cottonwood tree in the backyard. It’s nearly done isn’t it, Caylee?”