Gray swiveled his wheelchair as he approached. “Hey, Tyler! Good to see you.”
They shook hands. “Thank you for meeting me here,” Tyler said.
“It worked out since I’ve got a race here in Mammoth this weekend.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that? You’re doing some kind of trail race?”
“You bet.” Gray’s face lit up. “You’ve got to see my off-road wheelchair. It’s awesome. The thing flies down the hills.”
“You’re an adrenaline junkie, man.”
“Aren’t we all? Not being able to walk doesn’t change who I am.”
Tyler laughed. “I’m glad nothing will change your kind of crazy. So you’re doing okay?”
“I am, actually. Getting used to it, at least. I’ll be all right. Now let’s get that dinner you promised me. And tell me about this business of yours that you want help with.”
Tyler figured it was best to be honest. “Need help, is more like it. I’m kind of desperate to have someone deal with all the finances, at least for a while.” He was making progress under Sheila’s tutelage. His reading had come further than he’d ever thought possible. But numbers were still tricky, and Kit checked all of his records for him. That’s where he hoped Gray would help out once Kit left.
He and Gray headed out the door toward a restaurant Tyler liked. Over dinner he told Gray about his reading and writing problems and his struggles to run the bar. It felt good to let someone else in on his private issues. And to share with Gray that he had a disability, too. It wasn’t nearly as serious as Gray’s, certainly not as life-altering, but his friend understood how frustrated he felt.
At the end of the meal, when Gray offered to take on the work, and said he might even consider moving to Mammoth—but not to that cow town Tyler called home—Tyler knew he had a friend he could trust. Gray would have his back, always. And he’d make sure Tyler didn’t mess up everything he and Kit had created together at the Dusty Saddle.
* * *
BY SOME MIRACLE, Kit had Friday night off. Despite craving a quiet night with a hot bath and a good book, she decided to invite her father for dinner. She still hadn’t told him about her travel plans, and with her departure date a month away, it was time to have the conversation she’d been dreading.
She made spaghetti and meatballs, a dish he liked enough to motivate him to come over to her house. She prepared garlic bread and salad, and put a candle in the middle of her little kitchen table. The house she rented was small, but she liked to think she’d made it cozy and comfortable.
She waited until they were finished eating before she brought up the subject. “Dad, I have a deal with Tyler that I want to tell you about.”
Her father brightened, as he always did, at the mention of Tyler’s name. “He’s turned into a fine man, hasn’t he?”
“He certainly has.” Kit steeled herself. “I’ve been helping him with the renovations to the bar, so he’s giving me a bonus. A lot of money...and I want to use part of it to help you out.”
He shot her a suspicious glance. “What do you mean, help me out?”
“I want to pay off that loan you took against your pension.”
He leaned back in his chair. “You use that money for yourself. I’m not your responsibility. Don’t worry about me.”
“Of course I worry about you. You’re my dad.”
“Nope.” He shook his head emphatically. “I got myself into this pension mess and I’ll get myself out.”
Frustration at his misplaced pride rose. “You aren’t getting out of it. You’re stuck under it. And I already do help you. I’ve been covering your mortgage. I pay your utility bills.”
He stared at his plate. This wasn’t going well at all. “I don’t mind helping out.” Kit gentled her voice, needing him to hear her. “Please let me. Once it’s paid off, your pension from the ranch and your paychecks from Tyler will be plenty for you to cover all of your own bills again. Doesn’t that seem like a good solution?”
He was silent for a long time. “All right. If it will make you happy.”
“It will. Thanks, Dad. And there’s one more thing.” She took a deep breath and blurted out the news on the exhale. “I want to take a big trip.”
Garth looked relieved to be talking about something other than his financial troubles. “It’s about time you had a vacation.” This from the man who’d never gone farther than a camping trip in the Sierras, which were in his backyard.
“I want to do more than take a vacation. I want to travel. For months. Maybe longer.”
His gaze darted to hers, then flickered away. “You want to live somewhere else?”
“Maybe. I need a change. I really do.”
When he finally spoke, his voice was more gruff than usual. “Where are you heading?”
“I’m thinking about Mexico. Then Central America. I’m not sure which countries yet, exactly. I want to learn to speak Spanish. And see the rain forest and the ruins. I want to sit on tropical beaches.”
“You’re that unhappy here? In Benson?”
The concern in his voice had her placating him. “Not totally. I just want to see something different.”
“You can see different things right here in the United States. They speak English and it’s a hell of a lot safer.”
“I want to go farther than that.”
He sat up straighter. “This is about Arch, isn’t it? I’ve seen how unhappy you’ve been ever since he showed up last year.”
She stared at him in surprise. She’d never told him about Arch coming home. Or about him leaving again. “It’s not, really. It’s about me.”
“You think I haven’t noticed how unhappy you were? And how much happier you’ve been since Tyler came back?”
She thought she’d hid it all from him.
“I can understand you wanting to see the world. I just hope you’re not making this choice because of Arch. He’s controlled too much of your life already. Don’t let him influence this next chapter, too.”
His words stunned her. “I’m not,” she said with a lot more certainty than she felt. “This is what I want.”
His lips pressed together. “Just as long as you’re not running from your memories. Because the problem with you and Arch is down in your heart. Until you solve it, you’ll just take it with you wherever you go.”
The truth of that settled on her shoulders. “When did you get so wise?”
His smile, so unused lately, creaked into place. “I had some extra time on my hands recently. I got to sit around and think.”
They both laughed, relieved that his sitting-around-and-thinking days were over, thanks to his new job. She didn’t want him to worry about her travels anymore, so she brought up the one topic she could count on to make him happy. “Tell me more about your and Tyler’s plans for the rodeo school.”
As she listened to his ideas and saw how his eyes lit up as he spoke, she realized that the very thing she’d resented all these years was what was saving them both now. His love of Tyler, his pride in his protégé’s rodeo success, had lifted him from the depression of the past few months.
And Kit would never be okay leaving Benson if her father was unhappy. She’d never be able to leave if he didn’t have this new job he loved so much.
It was ironic, really, that her father’s love of Tyler, and of the rodeo—a love she’d resented so much, for so long—was the very thing that was setting her free.
CHAPTER TWELVE
IT HAD BEEN a long, hot Saturday, followed by a long, hot night. Word must have gotten out that this was their final night before they closed to finish the renovations. People had packed the bar, even spilling outside to sit at the tables Kit had set up.
They were closed now. Everyone had gone home, the bar blissfully empty. Kit
looked around for Tyler to say goodbye. He’d been such a flirt tonight. Ever since Lila’s show in Mammoth, he’d seemed a little different. Maybe she was imagining it, but it seemed like he was looking for reasons to be around her. To stand a little closer to her behind the bar. Which was torture, since she was already so aware of him; of his spiced scent; of the way his voice, low and full of laughter, would murmur some joke close to her ear, just for her.
She wished she didn’t like it so much.
He came out of the office. He must have been putting tonight’s earnings in the safe. “Hey, has everyone else left?”
“Yeah.” His T-shirt was tight, black and it clung to him in the heat. Suddenly she wasn’t ready to go home.
“You want some ice water?”
He slid onto a stool and took the glass she offered. “That was a fun night.”
“Fun and crazy,” she agreed. “And a little sad for me. Our last night as the Dusty Saddle I’ve known and loved. When we open again, it will be different.”
“Better, though. I promise.” He grinned at her. “You’re not going to miss all the beer stains on the floor, right? Or the way the sink behind the bar always clogs?”
“No. I won’t miss those things.” She paused, remembering something she’d seen earlier. “What were you laughing about with Crater and Stan? You were doubled over.”
“Those guys are a kick. Did you know how Crater got his name?”
Kit smiled at the memory. “You mean when he accidentally set off those explosives at that big mine in Nevada? Yes, I’ve heard that story many times.”
Tyler shook his head as if he still couldn’t believe it. “Stan said the crater is still there. That it’s legendary.”
“It’s how Crater became a prospector. No one will hire him. Though he doesn’t seem to mind that much. I’d get lonely, working out in the desert all by myself.”
“It seems to suit Crater okay. I think when you really love what you do, maybe you don’t mind the loneliness so much.”
Kit studied him, sensing he was speaking from experience. “Were you lonely when you were on the rodeo circuit?”
He studied the ice in his glass. “Sometimes, sure. But bull riders are a community. You see the same guys at all the competitions and get to know one another pretty well. You’re not really competing against one another, you know? It’s you against that bull, and no one wants to see anyone get hurt—even though the odds are high. You stick together.”
“Sounds like you had some good friends.” She wanted to ask about the other way of keeping loneliness away. About women. There must have been hundreds wanting to ease his solitary lifestyle. But it wasn’t her business. Just like this mystery woman he was supposedly dating wasn’t her business. Still, she was dying to ask.
“I did have friends. I lost a few, too. Lost my best friend about six years ago. A bull cut him clean through.”
“Jeez.” Kit almost choked on her drink. “That’s horrible.”
“It was hard. And then my friend Gray got paralyzed. That’s what made me think about quitting. I promised myself I’d finish the season, go for the world title one more time, then get out. So that’s how I ended up here.”
The thought of Tyler in a wheelchair brought a lump to Kit’s throat. He was so vibrant and alive. The kind of guy who was meant to be behind the bar, bringing people together. “Your friend, how’s he doing now?”
“Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you about him. He was at Lila’s show—I wanted to introduce you, but you disappeared on me.”
She flushed, remembering how shy she’d felt when he was looking at her photos. She’d actually gone to hide in the restroom. “Yeah...sorry about that.”
“Well, his name’s Grayson—Gray for short. He went back to school. Became an accountant of all things. He’s thinking of moving to Mammoth, which would be great. I’ll hire him to keep the books, do payroll and all the accounts. He could also help with the rodeo school if he wants to. I think he’s going to say yes.”
“That’s great.” It was a relief to know that Tyler would have assistance with the books. He seemed to be doing better with his reading and writing, but she liked knowing he’d have someone to double-check everything once she was gone. Then she thought about what he’d just said. “Not to be rude, but won’t he make the rodeo students lose their nerve?”
His grin was classic Tyler. Unapologetic. Infectious. “If they lose their nerve, then they never had it in the first place. If you are getting into bull riding, you’ve got to get in it with your eyes wide open. Gray would be a great example to the students. If bull riding teaches you anything, it’s that life is short. And we’re all here by the grace of God and that grace can leave at any time. So you’ve got to grab on to every minute and make the most of it.”
His words went straight into her soul and she took a gulp of water to dull the impact. She was thirty-two years old and she’d only recently learned this lesson—mostly thanks to Tyler and his attempts to get her out on adventures. Because of him, these past few months had been the fullest and happiest she could remember. It scared her how many years she’d let slip on by, unappreciated, unlived, barely noticed.
Suddenly the need to live, to feel alive, was overwhelming. “Hey, you want to do something crazy?”
His eyes went wide. He set his glass down carefully. “Right now? What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. Swimming? We could head over to one of the lakes.”
“Are you sure? The water’s pure snowmelt.”
“That makes it even more exciting.” Cold water waking her up, bringing her alive again, was exactly what she needed after this hot day...after all these hot, uncomfortable feelings sparked by being near Tyler.
His smile was one she remembered from their youth. A smile that said he was ready for anything. He grabbed his keys off the bar. “Okay then, let’s go swimming.”
* * *
RIDING IN TYLER’S TRUCK, the night sky whirling by her window, Kit felt like she was sixteen again. The town was asleep, and they were zipping down dark roads, hell-bent on mischief.
The road wound up toward the rise of the Sierras, the twists and turns illuminated only by Tyler’s headlights. “Turn here,” Kit ordered, spying the sign for the lake.
“It’s closed for the night.”
“It’s a county park. It’s not like they can afford a night watchman or anything.”
“Your powers of persuasion haven’t changed a bit.” He parked in the gravel parking lot and glanced at the dashboard. “It’s cooler up here. Sixty degrees outside. You still sure you want to do this?”
“Absolutely.” Kit shoved open her door. “You don’t have to, though. If it’s too cold for you.”
Tyler grabbed his door handle. “You bait me and I fall for it, every time. I’ll race you.” He was out of the truck, slamming the door shut behind him, running through the headlights’ glare to the shoreline beyond.
Kit shut her door and bolted after him, letting the chilled air rush over her tired skin, shedding her shirt as she ran. She pulled up next to Tyler and kicked off her boots as he did the same. In a fluid motion he had his shirt off. They stood, panting from their efforts, looking out at the black and icy water. “Jeans?” he challenged, and reached for his belt buckle.
Suddenly she was aware of what they were doing. Two adults in their thirties shedding their clothes for each other. But that wasn’t what this was about. This was about embracing life the way Tyler described, knowing that tomorrow was never guaranteed.
“Jeans.” She yanked hers down, kicking them off. Her bare feet sank into the sandy shore; the night chill raced over her skin, enlivening and awakening each nerve.
She lunged toward the lake, knowing if she stopped for an instant she’d never have the nerve. The frigid water for
ced a screech from her lungs and numbed her toes, but she threw herself forward and went under anyway, letting the icy silence close over her head and steal a few moments of her breath. She pushed off the bottom with a whoop, sailing up into the night air in time to see Tyler, clad only in briefs, muscles carved in the headlights’ glow, dive into the water and disappear under.
She stumbled toward shore, gasping for air, all the heat and sweat of the day obliterated. She turned as Tyler shot up out of the water like a jack-in-the-box shouting, “Holy hell, that is so damn cold!” He jogged in her direction, and she couldn’t pull her gaze away from his muscular frame.
He grabbed her hand and held it tight as they navigated their way to the beach again. On shore, he pushed her sodden hair behind her ear. “That was invigorating,” he said with a slow smile.
“It was.” He was stealing her breath the way the cold water had. Standing so close, water beading off his body, no clothing to hide the power of his frame. She couldn’t stop her hand from going to his shoulder, her fingers from tracing his biceps. She saw the desire she’d been feeling for weeks, the want she’d been trying to ignore, reflected in his eyes.
“Kit.” His fingertips traced her jaw, stopped at her chin and gently tilted her face up to his. “You’re so damn beautiful.” And he brought his lips to hers, the warmth of his mouth a haven from the cold night. He was strong and so soft and she’d been trying not to kiss him for so long but she had no willpower left. Her hands slid behind his neck and she pulled him down to deepen the kiss. His arms circled her back to support her, to crush her to his bare chest. His wet skin against hers drew a moan from her throat that he caught with his next kiss.
It was perfect. Beyond anything she’d imagined, and she’d thought about kissing him way too much.
The chirp of a siren sliced through the quiet night, and they jumped apart. The blue-and-red lights of a sheriff’s car joined Tyler’s headlights to brighten the scene.
His Last Rodeo Page 17