A Bull Rider to Depend On

by Jeannie Watt

  “Tonight was fun.” She seemed sincere, but still distant.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She glanced down ever so briefly before raising her gaze first to his mouth, then to his eyes. She moistened her lips. “As we spoke about before...a lot of firsts.”

  Tyler tipped his chin up and looked down at her. “Have you ever heard of fear fantasies, Skye?”

  She gave her head a slow shake.

  “It’s when you think about all the things that could go wrong and worry about them, just as if they had gone wrong. Your body reacts accordingly.”

  “But...isn’t it a good thing to anticipate problems? Be prepared?”

  “Yes. But it isn’t a good idea to obsess over things that could happen, but haven’t.”

  Her eyebrows drew together and he abandoned his intention of keeping his hands off her. Gripping her lightly by the shoulders, he moved a step closer, bringing her close enough to feel the heat of her body, breathe in her wonderful scent, but not close enough for their bodies to touch. “Skye,” he said patiently, “you can be prepared, but you also need to understand that you can’t control the future. You can kind of control the moment you’re in...unless, of course, you’re on a bull. Then it’s a totally different thing.”

  She bit her lip, fought the smile. He smiled at her and it broke through. She shook her head one more time and then leaned it on his chest.

  “You drive me crazy.”

  “In a good way?”

  “For the most part.”

  He reached down and tipped up her chin, then took her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. It was all he would allow himself, because he was not going to mess this up. Skye’s lips clung to his, making it all the more difficult to pull away. Somehow he did.

  “I will not push things, Skye. Slow and steady. No fast moves.”

  “You make me sound like a green colt.”

  He smiled a little. “No. Just someone who needs some practice living in the moment without imagining awful consequences in the future.”

  * * *

  LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

  The words had become Skye’s mantra, and now, as she put the finishing touches on the lasagna she was making for dinner—hopefully to be shared with Tyler, if she could find him to invite him—she repeated them again. She could control the moment. She couldn’t control the future.

  She went to the window and peered out across the field where Tyler had taken the four-wheeler to check on cattle in a far pasture. No sign of him. She picked up the heavy pan and put it into the oven.

  They’d fallen into a routine of sorts after their date at the Shamrock. During the day, they kept things businesslike. Tyler did his thing—the fencing and the maintenance—and she did hers—the feeding and the cow management. They didn’t spend that much time together—they were at work, after all—but in the evening, Tyler would knock on her door, invite her out for a walk. Or a drive to town. And sometimes she invited him to dinner, as she was doing tonight.

  They moved forward cautiously, both ultra-aware of the fact that Tyler would be leaving soon, and sometimes he would kiss her good-night before leaving her to go to his trailer. A gentle kiss that left her wanting more.

  Part of his plan? She thought not. He was honestly trying not to spook her. To allow her time to come to terms with the fact that attraction didn’t mean disaster...and that she could trust him.

  Skye was going a little crazy with it all. She wanted more. She was afraid of more. She didn’t want a fling, but she didn’t want commitment. But she wanted Tyler.

  And that seemed like a good way to totally screw up her life.

  Live in the moment.

  A truck pulled into the driveway, and Skye wiped her hands on a towel as she walked to the door. The guy was already halfway up the walk, carrying a vase of daisies and small rosebuds.

  “Who’re they from?” she asked, even though she could think of only one person who would send her flowers.

  The guy shrugged. “Read the card.”

  She did and smiled. Flowers. Other than for her proms, she’d never received flowers. Mason hadn’t been a flowers type of guy, but apparently Tyler was.

  Who would have thought?

  And what did she do about it?

  Say thank you, and continue as usual. The only problem was that she wasn’t certain about what usual entailed. They couldn’t continue as they were indefinitely—but Tyler was leaving, so they could continue until then...unless she gave in and did what she really wanted to do. With him.

  She was afraid—not of him, but of herself. Of needing someone and losing them.

  But she couldn’t stop thinking about the guy and...well...possibilities.

  * * *

  AT SIX O’CLOCK, after the lasagna had been out of the oven for almost half an hour, she started to suspect that something was wrong. Tyler was rarely this late getting back to the ranch when he worked the perimeters. At six thirty, as it was growing dark, she kicked off her heels and slipped into her barn boots. She grabbed the flashlight off the charger on the wall, pulled a hoodie on over her dress and headed outside, wishing she’d acted earlier. Something wasn’t right.

  She was tired of things not being right and she was tired of knee-jerk fear reactions, but if something had happened to him...

  When she reached the middle of the driveway, she stopped as a flash of light in the middle of the pasture caught her eye and relief slammed into her. The light came bobbing closer and Skye realized it was from a cell phone. Tyler was almost to the pasture gate by the time she reached it.

  “Did you get my flowers?” he asked as she undid the latch. His crooked smile almost did her in.

  “I did. What happened?”

  “The four-wheeler ran out of gas.”

  Her eyes widened, more out of anger than relief now that she knew he was safe. Out of gas? “Damn it, Ty, I was scared to death—”

  He reached for her and pulled her closer, bringing his hands up to frame her face before leaning down to touch his forehead to hers. She let out a ragged sigh as she felt the reassuring contact. He was close and he was okay. She took hold of his upper arms, felt the tightly bunched muscles beneath her palms. “Sorry,” she murmured.

  “The last thing I ever want to do is scare you, Skye. It was a stupid mistake. I was in a hurry this morning... I’m sorry.”

  Skye nodded against his forehead. “It’s okay. I’m...easily triggered.” But then, when she thought he was going to kiss her, he stepped back, dropped his hands.

  She hated losing the connection.

  Hated that she was afraid to move forward with anything. Really, Skye? You can’t go after what you want...what you need?

  He took her hand, and together they crossed the driveway to her porch, where he stopped. “I’m a mess,” he said.

  He was pretty muddy. Skye looked him over, then gave her head a shake. “I guess you need a shower.”

  “Yeah.” He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, before turning to start down the steps.

  “Where are you going?” Her voice didn’t sound like her own.

  He shot her a frowning look over his shoulder. “To shower?”

  She sucked up her courage, then gestured toward her front door with her head. “Would you like to use mine?”

  The emotions that chased across Tyler’s face would have been comical under other circumstances, but Skye didn’t feel like laughing. She waited, her heart beating too hard, too fast, until he said, “Are you sure, Skye?”

  She gave a small nod. “I’ve never been surer.”

  * * *

  SKYE WAS SURE, but she was also nervous. Tyler could feel her pulse racing beneath his fingers as he took her hands and ran his thumb over her wrists. Too soon? He didn’t want to push things.
>
  She pulled a breath in over her teeth before pulling her hands out of his and Tyler felt a swell of disappointment, coupled with acceptance. Half a heartbeat later her arms were around his neck and her lips were on his, demanding what he’d been holding back for so long.

  Tyler met her kiss, asking for more. Skye was where she belonged, in his arms, her soft curves pressing into him. He pushed one hand up into her soft hair as his other slid lower, over her firm bottom. Perfect. Utterly perfect. He deepened the kiss, bringing her even more tightly against him. He wanted her and now she was aware of just how much.

  “I really do need a shower,” he murmured against her mouth.

  “So do I.”

  “How big is your shower?” he asked in a low voice, his hands running gently up and down over her back.

  She smiled slowly. “Big enough.”

  And it was—big enough to allow the two of them to get wet, soap up, slowly explore one another’s bodies. Before things got out of hand—just barely—Tyler cranked the water off and opened the glass door, allowing Skye to exit before him. Then he took a towel and slowly dried her off.

  Her eyes went closed and her breath caught, but he continued to wipe away the moisture that clung to her perfect body.

  He sensed that she was still nervous...but so was he.

  Skye opened her eyes and held out her hand for the towel. “My turn.”

  “I...”

  “Shh.” She put the towel on his head and briskly dried his hair, smiling a little as she did so, but the smile faded as she began working the towel over his shoulders, his chest, his stomach...

  Tyler was barely aware of moving, but the towel dropped to the floor as he swung Skye up into his arms, cradling her against his chest. There was so much he wanted to say, but more than that he wanted to act. To show Skye exactly how much he cared for her.

  Skye gave a gasp at the intimate contact, then wound her arms more tightly around his neck. She touched his lips with hers before whispering, “My room is straight across the hall.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  In less than forty-eight hours, Tyler would be on the road again. His shoulder felt good, probably because Skye had been nuts about not letting him use it over the past several weeks, and he hoped that he could finish the season, bring in some more money.

  The ranch buildings were roofed. The cattle moved. The fence was fixed as well as he could fix it, and it was definitely good enough to keep the cattle—and a donkey—in until he got back, unless of course the cattle decided they really wanted out. Then there would probably be no stopping them. Blaine had already agreed to be on call if Skye needed help on the ranch, although he pointed out that she’d run the ranch just fine without him or Tyler until a few weeks ago. Tyler agreed, but he felt better knowing that someone was there when he and his brother were not around.

  For the first time in his life, he wasn’t practically jumping out of his skin in anticipation of getting back out onto the circuit. Yes, he wanted to ride, but he didn’t like leaving Skye behind.

  It was only for a matter of a few weeks, and then he’d have a break and be able to come home for a few days.

  Home. Wow.

  Things were moving rapidly, but he was good with that. He’d cared for Skye forever, and now it seemed as if she was allowing herself to care for him. They now shared her bed, and more and more of his belongings had made their way into her house.

  They lived together and worked together and it seemed to be working. They didn’t talk about the future, but Tyler had faith they were on the same page...that they were working toward a commitment.

  She came out of the house and crossed the driveway to where he waited in the truck, looking great in slim-fitting jeans and a scoop-neck blue T-shirt, carrying a covered bowl for the potluck they were attending. The Founders Day picnic was a big community event, but he hadn’t been to one in years, since he was usually on the road during the weekend it was held. Skye had told him she’d missed only one—last year’s.

  The parking lot was packed when they pulled in, and after he found parking, Skye hurried across the lot to put her pasta salad on the table with the other side dishes. Trace hailed Tyler from a table at the edge of the park, and as soon as Skye rejoined him, he took her hand and they crossed over to join the group at the same time that Grady Owen and his bride, Lex, approached from the opposite direction.

  Lex had always scared Tyler a little. She was about as no-nonsense as a woman came and called things the way she saw them. Grady was smitten by her, which was funny, since for the longest time he’d considered her a sworn enemy. Very much as Skye had considered him to be the enemy. Funny how things worked out sometimes, even though he and Skye were still in the very early stages of nailing something down between them.

  Trace and Annie’s twins raced by with several kids in hot pursuit, one of them swinging a small lariat. Tyler gathered from the twins’ laughs and whinnies that they were wild horses and the other kids were trying to capture them. Good game. He remembered playing it a time or two himself back in the day.

  “Be careful!” Trace yelled to the kids as the boy swinging the rope tripped over the end and went down. He jumped back to his feet, and the chase continued.

  “I wish I could bottle that energy,” Annie said as the kids circled the swing set.

  “You’d be rich,” Skye agreed, taking a seat beside her.

  Tyler sat next to Grady, and they discussed the standings in the tour as well as Tyler’s chances of gaining enough points to make the finals.

  “I’d like to final,” he admitted, “but I think that’s unlikely. Mostly I’d like to earn enough to cover my road expenses and the surgery, so I can start fresh next year.”

  “You mean fresh in April,” Grady said.

  It would take that long to recover, so yes, that was what he meant. And while he was recovering, he’d work the ranch. Not exactly a win-win, since surgery was involved, but close. He glanced over at Skye, who was deep in conversation with Lex and Annie, and smiled to himself. She was more relaxed than he’d ever seen her, and when she glanced up unexpectedly and caught him studying her, she smiled a little, then focused back on Lex.

  Things were good. He hoped they stayed good.

  * * *

  SKYE HAD RARELY ever stayed at the Founders Day celebration after the cleanup, but this year there was a dance and fireworks and she wanted to stay. Tyler would be gone in less than two days, and she was going to indulge in her fantasy world for a little longer.

  Was it really fantasy?

  More like idyllic, and that would change as real life happened. If she and Tyler continued their slow process toward a relationship, they would eventually argue and learn to work out compromises. Life wouldn’t be all roses...but it was all roses at the moment, and there wasn’t one thing wrong with enjoying the present without worrying about the future.

  Lex and Annie worked with her to clear the tables, placing the bowls on a long table in the kitchen facility where the owners could claim them before they left. When Skye came out of the kitchen with a bucket of warm water and a sponge to wash the tables, she caught sight of Tyler close to where the band was setting up, talking to Paige.

  “I don’t like her,” Lex said as she came to join Skye in table-washing detail. There was no question whom she was talking about, since she gestured in the direction of Paige and Tyler with her chin.

  Skye gave her a surprised look, but maybe it wasn’t all that surprising. Lex didn’t make friends easily. “Why’s that?”

  “Gut instinct.”

  Tyler smiled briefly at Paige then and turned and walked back to where Trace and his twins were sitting.

  “She wants our ranch account for her new business.”

  “Just the account?” Lex asked.

  “Well,
no,” Skye confessed. “But it’s a small town and exes have to see one another, and I don’t think Ty’s in the market.” The important thing was that no matter where they were in their relationship, she trusted Tyler. He’d never lied to her—if anything he told her more truth than she wanted to hear. She needed to improve her breeding program—her fields were in rotten shape—and Vanessa was not the sweet goose Skye thought she was.

  “Yeah. I think you’re right there.” Lex shot a look at Tyler. “He’s as nailed down as I’ve ever seen him. Good work.”

  “Thanks,” she said drily. She and Tyler had agreed to keep their budding relationship under wraps, but Cody had talked to Angie, who’d talked to the world, and there was now no such thing as being under wraps.

  “No problem.”

  Skye and Lex finished the tables and then dumped the water. “I’m heading back out,” she said as two guys came in with fresh black trash bags to reline the kitchen garbage cans.

  “Tell Grady I’ll be out shortly.”

  “Will do.”

  But when Skye started toward the table where Trace and Grady sat with Cody and Angie, who’d driven down from Missoula for the weekend, Tyler was gone.

  “He’s in the parking lot,” Angie said before Skye could ask his whereabouts. “Talking to Paige.” She gave Cody a tight-lipped sidelong look that made Skye’s insides shift uneasily.

  Things suddenly felt awkward at the table, as all eyes shifted toward Angie and then away again, and it appeared as if everyone was in on a deep, dark secret. What the heck?

  Skye forced a smile and turned to head back to the kitchen, thinking she’d find Tyler later, when he was done talking to Paige in the parking lot. She’d only gone a couple of steps when she heard Cody ask Angie why she hadn’t keep her mouth shut.

  “I don’t want that...thing...to happen to her again,” Angie muttered in her quietest voice, which wasn’t quiet at all.

  It was all Skye could do not to turn on her heel and march back to the small group to discover what that “thing” was, but she continued her forward path. She’d talk to Angie later. Or better yet, she’d talk to Tyler, who was coming toward her from the direction of the parking lot. Paige’s brand-new car backed out of a parking space and roared past them, out of the lot.