It wasn't like Nate had all of a sudden been gripped with a burning desire to return to the place where he grew up. It was business that brought him home; business and nothing more. Nate was there in order to solidify a major new sponsor, someone who would surely change the course of Nate's career if he played his cards right.
It wasn’t just his career that would change, either. It was his life. If he could land this sponsor, he’d have someone he could keep on working with long after his rodeo days were over. When he was just starting out, still practically a baby and full of piss and vinegar, he had hardly looked past the next hour, let alone the next year. Now, though, the future was exactly the kind of thing he thought about. He wasn’t old at only twenty-seven, but his job wasn’t the kind that came with a whole lot of security. Injuries were inevitable, and while they’d been minor so far, they still added up. He wasn’t going to get away with his fly-by-night, bad boy thing forever, and if he happened to get seriously injured before he had plans laid out for the future, well, he’d be screwed. If him getting a security blanket for himself meant cultivating an image that was more family-friendly, he was good with that.
“Right, which won’t happen if you decide to bang the hometown sweetheart,” he mumbled to himself disgruntledly, “no matter how hot she is.”
And Athena most definitely was the town's sweetheart. It extended well beyond her skills in the rodeo, too. After his first confrontation with her in the practice barn, Nate had gone home and done some digging on Athena. It didn't take much time for him to get a picture of her. There were plenty of local articles about Athena Moore, the athlete with the heart of gold. Plenty of them were about her physical prowess, but there were a lot more that had little to do with her athletic abilities. From what Nate could gather, Athena had spent more hours volunteering and helping her community in the last month then he had spent in at least the last year. Definitely not the kind of chick you wanted to mess around with on a casual level if you were trying to transition to a good boy image with the public.
“Just got to do your bit and then keep away from her till you can get the hell out of here again.”
“Shit, little brother, you talking to yourself again? I thought we cured you of that crazy habit years ago.”
The comment was followed by a bout of raucous laughter. Nate bristled at the sound and was already rolling his eyes as he turned to greet his brothers. It should have occurred to him that they'd show up, even though Ian had assured him at the house last night that they had no plans for coming out today. Anything and everything having to do with the Strawberry Fest drew the attention of most of the town. He should have been keeping his eyes peeled for them, but he hadn't, and consequently, they'd gotten the jump on him.
“What are you two bums doing here?” he replied genially, stepping forward to meet them.
“What are you talking about, boy?” Ian laughed, “We live here, or did you forget?”
“He definitely forgot,” Jonah said, his face deadpan despite the humor shining through his words.
"Very funny, assholes. I know where you live. Ian, I’m sleeping in your guest room, for Christ’s sake. Only thing is, some of us don’t show up to a place after saying we’re not going to," Nate answered, punching first Ian, then Jonah in the shoulder good-naturedly. Then it was Ian and Jonah's turn to roll their eyes and just like that, it was like the three of them had never been apart.
It was always that way with the three brothers—natural and relaxed, no matter how long it had been since the last time they were all together. Not that they were together that often, with all the time Nate spent far away in pursuit of his career. He loved his brothers—he did. What he didn't love was being the youngest of three in a well-known family that had produced well-known sons. Maybe it was simply the lot of the youngest child, or at least the youngest son, this feeling of displacement. He didn't know about everyone else, but it was something he had felt for as long as he could remember. It wasn't his elder brothers' faults exactly, but that didn't make the matter any less difficult to contend with. Difficult and, at times, downright painful.
Ian had always been the steadfast one, the eldest son forever doing his best to live up to the legacy of the Grant men who had come before him. It had always been known amongst the Grant clan that Ian would inherit the family land once the time came. The only surprise in the matter was how quickly that time came when they lost their parents. Nate had a feeling that Ian had gone through his own shit coming to terms with having his future so steadfastly decided for him and to have that followed by the tragedy of losing his high school sweetheart-turned-first-wife. But when he’d agreed to take on a nanny to help out with his young son, he’d found a second chance at love. Ian had Katie now, Katie and Andy and a new baby to boot. Their little family was thriving on the land, and Nate knew their parents would have been proud.
Then there was Jonah, who was a little harder for most people to figure out. Jonah had grown up like Nate in that he knew from the start that he was never going to have any land coming his way. Neither their father nor their grandfather had believed in dividing family land between siblings. They'd been honest about it, though, and Jonah and Nate had spoken from time to time about what they would do with themselves once they were grown with no land to inherit.
Except that it didn't take long to see what kind of thing Jonah was made for. Jonah had a way with animals since they were boys, a gentleness that most people couldn't muster. It made him something of a savant when it came to training horses. Nate didn't think Jonah had always given himself the credit he deserved, but Nate himself had never doubted Jonah's place in the world. Now Jonah knew it, too. He had his life with his wife, Virginia, and a baby of their own on the way, too. Both of his brothers were living the lives they were meant to live, and he was happy for them. It just didn't change the fact that his place had never been anything near so clear, especially to himself.
"Yo!" Ian barked, "Earth to Nate. We're over here talking about you, and you're a million miles away. I'd have thought your ears would be burning, at the very least."
“Sorry, brother. Got a lot on my mind. You know I’m here for business, not pleasure.”
“We do,” Jonah chimed in, “but what we’re talking about may wind up having to do with your business. Can’t rightly say just yet.”
“Alright, I’ll bite. What the hell are you talking about?” Nate asked, the first seeds of discomfort blooming in his chest.
“We were only talking about the winner of the competition. You know, the one you’ll be going up against?”
“Why’s that, you think I can’t take him on?” Nate countered with his patented, ever-so-slightly cocky laughter, “I’m hurt, big brother. I thought you had more faith in me than that.”
"Definitely have faith in you, Nate," Ian answered, smiling and holding up both hands in a mea culpa gesture, "don't go thinking we don't. And I'd be willing to bet good money that you could beat any man who came out of that competition."
“Okay then, that’s more like it. So what’s there to talk about?”
“We were just saying how it might not be a man,” Jonah said, raising one cryptic eyebrow and waiting for Nate’s reaction. As much as he didn’t want to give him one, Nate couldn’t help but take the bait.
“All right, enough of the vagary. Just go on and tell me what you’re getting at, okay? This ain’t just a piece of gossip you’re dealing with here. This is my career we’re talking about.”
“Christ, baby brother,” Ian said, rolling his eyes, “don’t get yourself all riled up. We were just talking about Athena. We reckon there’s a good chance she’ll take that thing down handily.”
“Hold on a minute,” Nate said, feeling stupid and sure he looked stupider, “Athena? You’re telling me that Athena Moore was a part of that competition?”
“Well, sure. She’s the best there is in these parts when it comes to rodeos. Now that you’re not around here anymore. I would’ve thought you�
�d figure on her being a part of the show.”
Jonah was right, of course. He was so right that Nate had half a mind to sock him in the face for it. Nate knew how important Athena was on the local rodeo circuit. Hadn’t he been thinking about it before Ian and Jonah had shown up? It was idiotic of him not to assume she would want to throw her hat in for the opportunity to go up against the prodigal son “rodeo god” if she had half a chance. If she ever wanted a rodeo career outside of their hometown, she’d need a boost to get started—and the competition around this match could be just the ticket for her.
“Oh, Nate, sorry, man,” Jonah said, looking at him with that speculative way that always made Nate feel like his mind was being read, “we weren’t trying to mess with your head. We were just playing.”
“No need to be sorry,” Nate said with false carelessness, “doesn’t make any difference to me who I go up against. I wish her luck. I’m still gonna kick her ass.”
"I don't know, Nate, you might not want to count her out so easily. Everyone around here loves her. She's really got that something, you know? I don't know how to say it, but you know what I mean," Ian said, his brow furrowed a little with the frustration of not being able to pick out exactly the words he was looking for.
Nate just waved his oldest brother off, but if he'd wanted to, he could have told Ian what he was trying to say. Athena had that elusive "it" factor, the thing that made one person a star while another struggled to get anyone to give him the time of day. Ian mentioned it in an offhand manner like it was no big deal. And why not? He'd never lived or died off of the public's opinion of him. Nate, though, knew all about it, and listening to the way Jonah and Nate talked about Athena, he was almost jealous.
They made it sound so effortless, Athena's charm and sway over the people. They made it sound like maintaining a flawless public image was an easy thing to do and not a skill in its own right. Even if this was just in a little obscure Texas town, Nate understood that easy had nothing to do with it, at least not for him. Maybe it was different for Athena. It made him wonder if she might be ready to make a play for genuine stardom and he couldn't help it; it made him a little uneasy. Here he'd been, thinking the only thing he needed to worry about when it came to Athena Moore was the way her ass looked in her jeans. Now, it was looking like there might be more to the story.
“What’s on your mind, Nate?” Ian asked, his voice a touch gentler than it had been before, “You look a little rattled.”
“Rattled? Me? Please,” Nate shrugged him off with the bravado he was so well known for, “I was just thinking that I hope Athena’s got a good mentor to help her wade through all the PR. You know, if she really does wind up being the one I go up against.”
“A good mentor, huh?” Jonah said with a slow, sardonic smile, “So you’re just worried about her well-being, then.”
“I’m serious, man,” Nate insisted, “things are different once you get to a certain level. It’s one thing being a big fish in a little pond. It’s a whole other animal when you’re a little fish in a great big ocean. Not to toot my own horn—”
“No,” Ian interrupted, shaking his head and laughing, “you would never do that.”
"But if she wins that competition and goes up against me, the ocean is where she'll be headed. I just wonder if she's up for the challenge," Nate continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. He was aware that he was starting to sound dangerously close to pompous, but he couldn't help it. He was still trying the idea of going up against Athena on for size. And, besides, he might sound arrogant, but that didn't mean he wasn't right.
“Come on, little brother, don’t you think you’re selling her a little short?” Jonah asked, his face registering genuine interest now, “I mean, you did it, right?”
“That’s true, I did, but—”
“And she’s sure to come out of the gate with good publicity behind her if she wins against you—and while I’m really not trying to be a dick here, between the two of you, Athena was always the better rider. You know I’m right about that,” Jonah continued, watching him with a level, measured gaze.
“Okay,” Nate answered, trying not to let the comment get to him, “I’ll give you that. She’s got skills, I never said she didn’t. But it takes more than that, man. It takes more than skills alone to get to the top of the rodeo game.”
“And you don’t think she’s got the rest?” Ian asked.
"Look, all I'm saying is that not everyone wins all of the time. Somebody's got to lose, and I don't plan on doing that anytime soon. Don't want to see her get hurt, is all."
The three of them were approaching the bandstand now, and Nate felt his stomach do an uncomfortable little somersault. That was the mayor up on the stage, and standing beside him was the man who had run the competition that would decide who he was to go up against next. Nate hadn't been nervous about it when his competitor was only a nameless, faceless someone, but he was nervous as hell now. Ian seemed to sense it, too, because he slung an arm around Nate's shoulders and pulled him in closer.
“Hey, brother, you could always work with her some. Maybe level out the playing field a little? If it really bothers you.”
“This is probably a useless conversation,” Nate started to say, doing his best to convince himself that he was getting bothered for no reason at all. Then the mayor tapped on the microphone awkwardly and looked around at the steadily growing crowd with a goofy, excited grin.
"Welcome, folks!" he cried, his voice so loud that it sent out a burst of painful feedback before he got his volume under control. "Welcome! I'm sure we're all excited about kicking off the Strawberry Fest, so I won’t be keeping you long. I'd just like to start off with an announcement. We've all been waiting with bated breath for the outcome of that little competition we had last week."
“Here it is,” Jonah said as the crowd around sent up a rousing cheer. Nate sucked in his breath and held it.
"And here it is, folks! The rider to go up against the one and only Nate Grant. Our very own rodeo darling, the one, and only Athena Moore!"
The crowd went wild with cheers and a swell of excited talk. It seemed that everyone and their mother was over the moon about the pairing. Everyone, that was, except Nate. Nate shared not one iota of the excitement of his fellow men. Instead, he was angry. Because now staying away from her wasn't going to be enough. Now, he was going to have to beat her.
4
“No. Way.”
It was a stupid response, one Athena knew she would look back on with irritation. She had always wanted to be one of those people who was capable of coming up with the perfect response to any given situation, but that just wasn't her. She was quick to reply, never tongue-tied, but she was also quick-tempered, which meant she was more likely than not to say something she would regret before her mind caught up with the fire in her. When it came to perfectly-placed, quote-worthy responses to victories, she'd never been able to nail it. Although, apparently, that was something she was going to have to work on now. Now that she was going to be thrown into the limelight with the "big boys."
“Oh my God!” a shrill voice rang out, loud enough to sail above the din of the excited crowd around her. Athena just had time to look up before her mother launched herself across the few feet remaining between them and threw her arms around Athena’s neck.
“Whoa!” she laughed uncomfortably, “Careful, Mom. If you don’t watch it, you’re going to strangle me right here.”
“Well, we certainly can’t have that, now can we?” Nancy Moore exclaimed without bothering to loosen her hold, “You’re way too important for me to mess with. You’re moving into the big leagues now!”
“Mom, come on, I—”
"Nope!" her mother kept right on going, heedless to the stress she was causing her one and only daughter, "Don't even try it! I know what you're going to say, and don't bother. You're going to be a star, baby girl! You're going to be a bona fide star!"
“Okay, Nancy, maybe let go of her
now,” Laura, Athena’s best friend, said, “you may not realize it, but you’re smothering her.”
“Laura Mayweather!” Athena’s mother exclaimed, her hands flying to her heart, which had the benefit of freeing Athena up from her mama bear embrace, “Why on earth would you say a thing like that?”
“Um, because she’s too nice to tell you herself?” Laura answered with a smirk. Athena’s mother began fanning herself, a sure sign that she was preparing for a real show of just how offended she was. Over the top of her head, Athena shot Laura an appreciative glance and mouthed the words “thank you.”
“I don’t know about your mother—” Nancy, which was how Athena thought of her half of the time, started to say with a haughty pout. Laura held up a hand to stop her and snorted laughter.
“But you do know about my mother, Mrs. M. You guys play bridge together every week.”
“I’m just saying, there’s not a damn thing wrong with a mother being excited for her only daughter. Look at her, will you? Just look at her! My baby girl is going to be a star!”
Athena opened her mouth, fully prepared to protest. When her eyes met with Laura’s again, though, she saw a strange look there and stopped. Her gaze followed the trajectory of both her mother and Laura’s gaze as their eyes fanned out over the still growing crowd. She didn’t think she had ever seen this many people together all at one time.
That was when it hit her. Athena looked at the people she had spent all of her life around and noticed them looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. If the local papers were right about the feelings of the town at large, she had been one of the leaders of the local rodeo scene for a while now, but that was all she had been, and Athena suspected that most of them figured that was all she was ever going to be. To see her in a position to go up against one of the only locals ever to really attain something akin to stardom changed things.
The Cowboy’s Rodeo Rival: Grant Brothers Series Book Three Page 3