Tanner (American Extreme Bull Riders Tour Book 1)

by Sarah Mayberry

  “God, are you all right?” Evie asked, twisting to check on him, her first thought—as always—for someone else.

  “I’m fine,” he assured her.

  Evie turned back to the foal, scrambling to her knees as she checked for a pulse below the animal’s jawbone. The foal was limp and still, and a tense silence fell as they waited for Evie’s verdict.

  “I’ve got a pulse,” she said, a delighted smile on her lips as she looked up.

  “Oh, thank God,” Helen said.

  “Amen,” Johnny seconded.

  “Pass me a towel,” Evie said, hand held out imperatively, her gaze only for her patient.

  Tanner snatched one up from the stack near the gate, pressing it into her hand. Gently she rubbed the foal’s face, clearing its nose, then she attacked its chest more vigorously, trying to stimulate it into breathing. After ten seconds of brisk rubbing, the foal’s head lifted, then it kicked out feebly.

  “That’s right, little dude, you fight for it,” Evie encouraged, still rubbing away.

  The foal stirred again, his head wavering in the air.

  Evie examined the foal quickly, then nodded with satisfaction.

  “Okay, the umbilical cord broke during the delivery. Let’s move him around to where Clementine can see and smell him. We don’t want to get in the way of them bonding.”

  Johnny came forward, laying some towels down on the straw, and Evie worked with him to shift the spindly-legged foal so he was closer to his mother’s head.

  Clementine had been very still since the delivery, but she lifted her head now she could smell her baby, nosing forward to snuffle him. After a few exploratory sniffs, she started licking his damp coat, and Tanner released the breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding.

  “Evie, you’re amazing,” Helen said. “Thank God you were here.”

  Evie shook her head as she peeled off the gloves. “Rubbish. You guys would have just done the same thing.”

  “Are you kidding? You’re super woman,” Johnny said, reaching out to pat her on the back.

  Evie’s cheeks got pink, and her brow wrinkled with discomfort as she gazed at her boots. Tanner was reminded of her self-consciousness when they’d first started sharing his hotel room. She was freaking adorable, and he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss on her surprised lips.

  “Johnny’s right—you’re amazing,” he told her.

  She rolled her eyes, so he kissed her again and she huffed out a laugh against his mouth.

  “You’ve got horse goo all over your hands, haven’t you?” she said.

  “Not anymore,” he said, not bothering to hide his smile. “Pretty sure it’s all over your shirt now.”

  The vet arrived twenty minutes later and heaped more praise on Evie after inspecting the foal. Helen disappeared to make coffee, returning with a big thermos and a jar stuffed with oatmeal cookies. Together they stood and watched as Clementine’s foal took his first shaky steps on legs that seemed far too long and slender for his body.

  Evie laughed, fingertips pressed to her lips, and he smiled when he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. It was tempting to tease her, but he had a lump in his throat, too. It was hard not to, watching Clementine nudge her long nose under her foal’s belly, doing her bit to help him balance on his spindly legs.

  It was nearly four thirty by the time the vet left and they went back into the house. They had a quick shower to wash off the horse goo, as Evie called it, then crawled into bed and turned out the light.

  Evie curled against his side and let out a little contented sigh. “That was so freaking cool. I love watching deliveries. It reminds me that us humans are not the only miracles on this planet.”

  You’re the miracle.

  The words were on his lips, but he bit them back. There was no point taking this to a place neither of them could realistically go. In four more days, she was leaving. Only an asshole would start making declarations now.

  It didn’t stop him from staying awake long after Evie had fallen into a deep sleep, however. His bad eye was gritty with tiredness, but his mind was too busy trying to find a way to keep Evie in his life to let him rest.

  But there was no getting around the fact that Evie’s life was in Australia. Yes, people moved countries all the time, but not when they were about to embark on the final year of a grueling and demanding education. He couldn’t ask Evie to walk away from something she was so patently passionate about just to be with him, and his life was here, running the ranch. With his riding career over, more so than ever.

  After an hour, his head was so full he eased away from Evie and went into his study to do some research. It was hard to find a lot of detail online, but it looked as though it would take time and a lot of money to transfer Evie to a US-based program to complete her degree. It was likely she’d have to repeat some subjects, too. He had the money, but he was pretty sure Evie wouldn’t let him pay for her education. There was also the small matter that he’d be asking her to add further years to her training just for the dubious pleasure of being with him.

  He went back to bed feeling more weighed down than ever. It wasn’t until he was drifting off to sleep that it hit him that he didn’t actually have any idea if Evie even wanted to turn what they had into something more permanent.

  She was twenty-five years old, on the verge of launching into her career. She had family in Australia, and no doubt she had big plans post graduation. For all he knew, she even had a job lined up. Why on earth would she trade any of that for a washed-up bull rider who was trying to make a go of things outside of the arena?

  Crazy-good sex didn’t seem like a compelling enough argument. They’d spent less than two weeks together. What mad person would make life-altering decisions based on so little?

  Me. I would, if it meant having Evie.

  He’d always been reckless in the arena and careful out of it. He’d saved his winnings, invested them wisely, planned for the future. He’d never fallen hard for a woman the way he’d fallen for Evie. From the moment he met her he’d been drawn to her, and once he’d tasted her, been inside her, held her in his arms, he’d been gone.

  But none of that answered his original question—did Evie even want there to be more between them?

  Turning his head, he studied her in the soft dawn light. She was on her side, one hand drawn up near her chin, her face relaxed in sleep.

  She’d never said a word about her feelings for him. She responded ardently in bed. Out of bed, she was warm and affectionate, trading jokes and caresses with him.

  But she’d never talked about a future for them. She’d never so much as hinted at trying to maintain a long-distance relationship, for example, or coming back to Colorado to visit, or him coming to visit her.

  Would she welcome more from him? Was he a holiday fling for her? The rebound guy to help her get over Troy?

  He had no idea, and combined with the uncertainty about his own future and the complication of her ongoing study, he was right back where he’d started—with no idea about anything and a growing ache in his chest as he faced the prospect of saying goodbye to her.

  Stirring, Evie made a small sound in her sleep before rolling onto her side, away from him. Because he could, he closed the distance between them and snaked his arm around her waist, fitting his body to hers. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the scent of her shampoo.

  Three more nights.

  It would never be enough.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Evie woke late, the familiar weight of Tanner’s arm around her waist. For a moment she lay in the peaceful place between sleep and wakefulness, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers and the comfort of the big bed. Then she remembered what had happened last night and tensed with excitement.

  Clementine had a foal.

  She smiled and twisted in Tanner’s arms, ready to wake him, only to find he was profoundly asleep. The bruising around his eye had faded a few more degrees—t
he predominant color a pale gray and yellow now. Soon, the bruising and swelling would be gone altogether and he’d be able to open his eye properly.

  Deciding to leave him to catch up on his sleep, she slipped from the bed and went down the hallway to dress in her old room. She carried her shoes outside to avoid disturbing Tanner, the smell of fresh bread drawing her gaze to the kitchen counter as she passed through. Helen had left fruit loaf for them, and when Evie rested her hand on it she discovered it was still warm from the oven.

  “Helen, you are a goddess,” she muttered to herself, cutting off a slice and taking it with her as she left the house. She sat on the front steps to tug on her shoes, the bread balanced on her knee, then munched into it as she crossed to the barn.

  She smiled contentedly when she reached the furthermost stall and saw Clementine’s foal securely attached to his mother’s udder. An excellent sign. Clementine herself seemed lively enough, despite the big night she’d had. The vet had checked to make sure all her placenta had been delivered last night, so there was no reason the mare should have any complications. Tanner and Johnny would have to keep an eye on her next pregnancy, though, in case she red bagged again.

  Evie’s chest hollowed out as it hit her that she wouldn’t know what Clementine’s future foals looked like. Soon, she’d be home, up to her neck in textbooks, prac work and exams. Her life would spool out as planned—graduation, finding a job, settling into what would hopefully be her new home for a while. Ideally somewhere in Queensland, not a million miles from Forrester’s Landing.

  Meanwhile, Tanner would be here, breeding more Colorado Rangers, furthering his plans for the accommodation side of the business. Working with Helen and Johnny to build things and grow.

  Evie closed her eyes for a moment, aware she was seconds away from disgracing herself with tears. She wasn’t going to waste what little time they had left pre-grieving Tanner’s loss. Only an idiot would do that.

  So when Tanner joined her in the barn twenty minutes later, she gave him a bright smile and talked about the foal with him. She went on a slow rambling circuit of the buildings at his side and finally had her curiosity regarding the pavilion satisfied when he led her inside. She inspected the kitchen where Helen made amazing things for everyone and the charming dining area with a shared farm table and a stone fireplace, then walked with Tanner to check out one of the cabins, which had been vacated just that morning.

  She stored every word, every moment away, so she could take it out and polish the memories later. She did the same when they went into town to pick up supplies, and later, when Tanner made her pizza for dinner, complete with homemade dough. For the next three days and nights she did everything in her power to live in the now, to suck every moment of joy and love and desire and life from her time with the tough, resilient, gentle cowboy she’d fallen in love with.

  And then there were no days left, and it was time to go.

  She woke on her last morning with a sense of foreboding hanging over her. As usual, Tanner had his arm snaked around her middle, his body spooning hers from behind. She blinked in the early morning light, trying to work out why she felt so flat.

  And then she remembered.

  Her belly started to churn, and emotion burned at the back of her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling for control.

  “Morning,” Tanner said behind her, his voice rough from sleep.

  He tightened his arm around her, his legs tucking up tighter against hers. He was hard against her backside, and suddenly she needed him inside her, his weight on top of her, more than she need air. Twisting to face him, she kissed him, one hand pulling him close, the other slipping between them to find his erection. She stroked him up and down, then gave a little sobbing sigh as he broke their kiss to lavish attention on her breasts.

  The thought that this would be the last time she was with him almost triggered the tears she’d been holding on to for days now. She channeled her grief into every stroke of her hands on his body, every kiss, every murmured encouragement. When he rolled on top of her and took her in one smooth, powerful thrust, she wrapped her legs around his hips and gave herself up to him, body and soul, lifting her hips to take every stroke.

  Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed to her that there was an intensity, a desperation in his touch, too, and the tension built between them quickly as they found a demanding rhythm.

  “Yes, please, Tanner,” she begged him.

  Tension wound tight within her, arching her back. She forgot to breathe as she came, her body tightening around his delicious invasion. She was just coming down to earth when he shuddered into his own climax, and she held on to him tightly, sharing his moment of oblivion.

  He collapsed on top of her, his forehead pressed to her shoulder, his belly rising and falling against hers as he labored for breath. She couldn’t seem to make herself let him go, her arms welded tight around him, and she had to consciously tell herself to release him when he finally stirred.

  He kissed her briefly, his morning whiskers a rasp on her face, then withdrew and rolled to the side. Somehow she managed to swallow her objection at his loss.

  That was the last time. He’ll never be inside me again. We’ll never be this close again.

  She marked the moment deliberately, like pressing a flower between the pages of a book.

  “What time is your flight again?” he asked quietly.

  They’d talked about it just yesterday. It was unlikely he’d forgotten, but she told him again anyway.

  “Midday. Which means I should probably get moving.”

  He came with her into the shower, and they washed each other before simply standing beneath the water, her head resting on his chest. He didn’t say anything, and neither did she, even though her heart was so full it hurt.

  Please ask me to stay, she begged him silently, even though she knew she wasn’t really in a position to say yes.

  He was the one who eventually stirred and reached out to turn off the water, and she forced a smile as they both stepped out and started to towel themselves dry.

  She’d long since brought her suitcase into his room, and she dressed in clean jeans and a tank top, then shrugged into a long-sleeved T-shirt, because layers were always good for traveling. She spent the next half hour doing a tour of the house, picking up the many belongings that had somehow found their way out of her case and into his home—her iPod earbuds, a tube of frangipani hand cream, the earrings she’d left on the coffee table one night, the pair of shoes tucked under the couch.

  Even though she’d bought nothing but her cowboy boots during her visit, her case didn’t want to zip shut and she had to wrestle with it to try to get the lid to sit flat.

  “Let me,” Tanner said, gently nudging her out of the way and zipping the suitcase shut in one smooth, competent move.

  There were savory and sweet muffins for breakfast, courtesy of Helen, and she and Tanner ate them sitting on the front step. Evie tried to imagine what the ranch would be like in summer as she choked down her food.

  “Does it get really hot here in summer?” she asked. “I’m trying to picture it, but it’s so green here.”

  “We might top ninety. Not sure what that is in your money,” he said. “Mostly the mountains keep things under control for us here.”

  Evie did a rough calculation. “Around thirty. Respectable. I don’t want to brag, but we top out in the high forties in our summer.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t get snow, so we win the weather extreme Olympics, I think,” he said.

  She gazed out over the land, trying to imagine it blanketed with snow. “It must be so pretty at Christmas.”

  He opened his mouth as though he was about to say something, then seemed to think the better of it. The silence stretched between them. Evie set down the remainder of her muffin and dusted off her fingers.

  “I’ve had a great time. I’m glad I let you talk me into getting into your truck and leaving that horrible motel,” she sai
d.

  She couldn’t look at him while she said it, knew her courage wasn’t stronger than his regard.

  “Evie…” His voice was gruff with emotion, and Evie turned to him at the same time that he reached for her.

  His arms were tight around her, but she hugged him back just as hard, to the point where she heard her shoulders pop and her arms ached.

  “I’ll never forget you,” she told him.

  He didn’t say anything, simply turned his face into the hollow where her shoulder became her neck and pressed a kiss to her skin. His chest rose and fell, and she couldn’t tell if she was one the one who was trembling or if it was him. Maybe they both were.

  The crunch of gravel underfoot alerted her to the fact they weren’t alone, and she released Tanner and slipped free of his embrace. Sure enough, Helen was there, a small, gift-wrapped box in hand.

  “Just a little something from me and Johnny to remember Colorado by, since you didn’t get a chance to see much of the state,” she said.

  Evie felt her chin wobble and sucked in a shaky breath. “Thank you. You didn’t have to, but thank you.”

  She unwrapped the box and opened it to find a pair of silver earrings shaped like aspen leaves, replicas of a pair she’d admired on Helen a couple of days ago.

  “They’re beautiful,” Evie said. “Thank you.”

  She gave Helen a big hug and they both laughed and sniffed a little afterward.

  “It’s been great getting to know you, Evie. And please know that the legend of the night Evie Forrester saved Clementine’s foal will live long in our memories.”

  Evie blinked away tears and laughs. “Make sure I’m a little taller in the retelling, not so much of a pipsqueak.”