Rebecca gave her a playful shove. “Quit trying to play matchmaker here. I already told you romance is the last thing I want this summer.”
“He’s so nice, though.”
“Sure he is. But that doesn’t mean I want to date him.”
To Rebecca’s surprise, a flush spread across her roommate’s cheeks. “No!” she gasped, leaning forward eagerly. “You and Tommy? I can’t picture that.”
“Don’t worry, neither could we,” Allison replied. “It was our first summer here. It only took us ‘til August to figure out that we had nothing in common except the same summer job.”
She giggled. “Isn’t it weird to work with him?”
“Heck no. It’s ancient history. Now he’s like my big brother. How I ever could’ve kissed him is just beyond me.”
Rebecca loved her friend’s candor. “Well, I have to agree with you there. He’s sweet, but he’s not really my type.”
“Ah, so what exactly is your type?”
Drug dealing, heavy drinking, foul mouthed, hardened criminal? Somehow she didn’t think that would be the appropriate response.
“I don’t know that I have one.”
“Oh, you’re no fun, Bec. Humor me. So Tommy’s out, and thankfully you have a brain, which means Kevin is out, too.”
“I almost feel bad for Kevin, though. He is good-looking, but he’s so full of himself. I don’t see how any girl could get past his ego.”
Allison turned her head and pretended to vomit, eliciting another laugh from Rebecca. “Please don’t feel bad enough for him that you take him up on his offer. I would be so disappointed if you became yet another roommate of mine to hook up with him. It’s happened every summer, and even worse, I’ve had to hear all the gory details afterwards.”
“Don’t worry, Alli. I don’t have the slightest interest in Kevin.”
“Glad to hear it,” she said, emphatically wiping her brow. “But anyway, quit trying to change the subject. We’re talking about a rite of passage here. Your first summer on this ranch isn’t complete without a little romance.”
“Well, then, my summer will have to be incomplete,” Rebecca replied, propping her boots up on the railing. “Because romance is the last thing on my mind right now.”
Her friend groaned. “Could you be any more boring? I have to live vicariously through somebody!”
She rolled her eyes. “Even if it was on my mind, you said it yourself–Tommy and Kevin are both out. So who’s left?”
“Well, if you’re into tall, dark, and handsome, there is one bachelor we haven’t considered yet…”
Rebecca glared at her. “You’re insane. I don’t have the slightest clue what you see in him.”
“Oh, come on. Like it or not, even you can’t deny that he’s drop-dead gorgeous. And don’t even pretend like you haven’t noticed how amazing his eyes are.”
“Amazing is not the word I would choose. And the only thing I’d like to do with his eyes is claw them out of his head. He infuriates me.”
Allison gave a dreamy sigh. “He can infuriate me any day. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know I’m alive. I’m just a name on his payroll.”
“I wish I was just a name on his payroll. It beats the heck out of being on his hit list.”
After a while, her roommate leaned forward. “I’ve been thinking, Bec. It won’t be enough for Alec that you can go through your paces and stay in the saddle. You need to do something really spectacular, something most people could never learn with only six days’ practice.”
Immediately she caught her drift. “What do you have in mind?”
“A sliding stop.”
Rebecca gulped. A sliding stop was a reining maneuver that involved a full gallop across the arena and a literal slide to an instant stop. It was beautiful to watch and virtually impossible to perform, for all but the most skilled horses and riders.
“I know exactly what you’re talking about, Alli, and there’s no way I could learn something like that in the next two days.”
“I bet you could. I rode Pumpkin my first summer here. She’s a great reining horse. She does a fantastic sliding stop, smooth as glass. I’m surprised Tommy hasn’t thought of it yet.”
“Tommy is teaching me to ride, not do tricks.”
“I’m not talking about an entire reining routine. What you need is something to prove that you can handle any challenge he throws at you. I know you’re doing a fantastic job, but anyone could canter around the corral with six days’ practice. And I’m telling you…it won’t be enough. Alec will expect more. A sliding stop would blow him away and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you belong here with us.”
Rebecca hesitated. “Even if I agreed to try and learn it–which I’m not, by the way–how could you convince Tommy to teach me?”
Allison had that mischievous glint in her eye. “Who said anything about Tommy?”
*
Memorial Day wasn’t officially until Monday, but the celebration was scheduled for Saturday evening. Alec and Roger had taken all the guests out on a half-day ride and weren’t due back until dinnertime. Rebecca and the rest of the wranglers pitched in with the kitchen staff to prepare the lodge and outdoor patio for the event.
“You’re gonna save me a slow-dance, aren’t you, Becky?” Kevin asked as they hauled a picnic table across the patio.
She rolled her eyes. “My name is not Becky.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Ugh. You’re hopeless.” She could hear Kevin laughing to himself as she entered the lodge to help set up the buffet line.
Rebecca shuddered when she glanced out the window and saw Alec and Onyx leading the guests back from the trails. It was the first time she’d seen him since Monday. She’d almost managed to forget that tomorrow she would have to ride under his scrutiny to see if she would remain an employee of the Flying W Ranch. After more than twenty hours’ worth of riding crammed into the past six days, she felt confident enough. But any confidence she possessed was shot to bits the second Alec was near her.
“Looks terrific,” Allison declared, bringing her back to the present. “Come on, let’s go get changed.”
“Changed?”
“Yeah. We’re not wearing these ratty old T-shirts to the barbecue. It is a party, after all!”
Rebecca shrugged. “All I have are T-shirts.”
Allison cast an eye over her frame. “I think I have something you can borrow.”
Back in their cabin, she dug through her side of the closet and produced a black broom-style skirt and turquoise tank top. “Try these,” she said, tossing them over to Rebecca.
She gasped as she caught them and felt the delicate material. “Alli, I couldn’t. They’re gorgeous.”
“And they’ll look gorgeous on you,” her roommate replied, already retrieving another skirt for herself. “Go try them on.”
She didn’t want to admit that she owned exactly one dress back home and the only time she’d ever worn it was to her uncle’s funeral. After a quick shower, she slipped into the skirt and shimmery top, pleased to see that both were a near-perfect fit. Then she let her hair down and borrowed her roommate’s mascara and lip gloss, studying the results in the mirror.
“Well?” she asked as she reemerged into the bedroom.
Allison clapped in approval. “The big city girl goes country.” She handed Rebecca a pair of black boots with turquoise stitching. “The finishing touch.”
“It’s a barbecue, Alli. Not a date.”
“But the barbecue is for us, too. We can mingle with the guests, have a few drinks, line dance–”
“Line dance?” Rebecca screeched. “People actually do that?”
“Heck yeah we do, Boston! I’ll show you. It’s so much fun.”
The country band was playing a warm-up number as the girls approached the lodge. Twenty or so guests had already gathered on the porch, chatting and munching on chips and guacamole. Chef Ryan was behind the grill, turning out burgers,
hot dogs, and sausages in massive quantities. It was a far cry from the parties she was used to–not a joint or a fistfight or a police cruiser in sight.
Allison headed straight to the cooler and produced two cold beers. “Here’s to a great summer!”
Rebecca glanced anxiously at the bottle. “I shouldn’t, Alli. I’m underage.”
“Trust me, no one will care. Me, Tommy, and Kevin have all been drinking on this ranch since we were eighteen.”
As much as she felt like she could use a drink after the week she’d endured, she set it back in the cooler. “The last thing I need is a reason for Alec to get pissed off at me. Once I have a permanent job, we’ll pop one open and celebrate.”
“Deal,” Allison said, handing her a soda instead.
“Well, you two sure clean up good,” Tommy greeted as he strolled up beside them. He, too, had traded his usual barn attire for a collared shirt and a bolo of a bucking horse.
Rebecca spent the first half hour trying to help the waiters, but they all shooed her away and insisted that she relax. There was no way she could relax as she fretted over if–no, when–Alec would appear to discuss her riding test. She was standing at the end of the patio, staring out at the mountains, when Allison cheerfully looped her arm through hers.
“Come on, cowgirl. It’s time to teach the guests some line dances.”
“How about you teach, and I’ll watch?”
“Now where’s the fun in that?”
The band started an upbeat tune as the guests lined up side-by-side on the dance floor. She watched as Allison broke down the steps of something called the electric slide. Most of the guests nodded like they’d seen the dance before, but it was totally foreign to Rebecca. Against all odds, she found that she easily picked up the steps, laughing in spite of herself.
If the kids back home could see me now.
Over the next twenty minutes, Allison taught and led three more line dances. Then she and Tommy paired up to demonstrate some basic western dance moves for couples. Rebecca was surprised at how effortlessly Tommy moved across the dance floor, twirling Allison around in perfect time to the music. She clapped and stomped along with the guests, finally shoving her anxiety out of her mind.
While Allison invited the couples onto the dance floor for a spin, Tommy strolled over to Rebecca. “Wanna give it a try? You already know I’m a good teacher.”
She took his outstretched hand. “Let the culture shock continue.”
She felt as awkward as she had the first time in the saddle as she tried to coordinate her feet with the fast-paced country song. They both burst out laughing every time she stepped on his boots and screeched “Sorry!” over the music. As terrible of a dancer as she was, though, she was having a blast. Tommy was ever patient with her, and by the end of the song, she could almost keep up with him.
The band announced a short break, and Tommy sent an amused grin in Rebecca’s direction. “Well, Bec, I must admit you are a better rider than dancer.”
Her cheeks flushed, because she knew it was true. “I’ll try to take that as a compliment.”
“You should.” He paused. “So I was thinkin’…once you blow everyone away tomorrow with your new riding skills, how about I take you into Jackson for a celebration dinner?”
The smiled dropped off her face. “You mean, like…a date?”
All of a sudden, Tommy looked very shy. “Yeah. Like a date.”
Rebecca glanced down at her boots, struggling to think of a response. “That’s really sweet, Tommy, but…”
“Aw, don’t worry about it,” he assured her with a wave of his hand. “It was just an idea.”
She felt like a royal jerk as she watched him turn and disappear inside the lodge. The last thing she wanted was to get involved with someone new–no matter how endearing that prospective someone was.
Rebecca was so lost in thought that she jumped when a deep voice sounded over the speakers. “Hello, everyone.”
Her heart plummeted when she saw Alec standing behind the microphone, his eyes illuminated against his black shirt. “I hope y’all are enjoying yourselves this evening. Let’s give a big hand to the band for their great music so far.”
Applause broke out amongst guests and staff, but Rebecca stood frozen in place. She’d never seen him act civil, much less cheerful. It was terrifying.
“We have a very special treat in store,” he announced. “There’s a new wrangler on staff this summer all the way from Boston who has offered to do a riding exhibition before lunch tomorrow.”
The blood drained from her face as she sank into the chair beside her.
No. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t.
“This will be a great opportunity for those of you who haven’t had much experience in the saddle to watch a skilled rider perform. Miss Sheehan will put her horse through the paces and demonstrate basic riding techniques for you. It’ll give our newcomers a chance to see what they’ll be learning over the next week as they work with our wranglers.” Through the crowd, his eyes found hers. “Don’t be shy, Rebecca. Come on up here and introduce yourself.”
She stood from her chair, fuming as Alec led the guests in another round of applause. She shot him a menacing glare as she marched right up to him and touched his shoulder, leaning close to his ear.
“Just for the record,” she whispered, “I hate you.”
For the first time, a smile appeared on his handsome face. “I know.”
Chapter 6
“You’ll be fine.”
“No, I won’t. There’s no way.”
“Yes, there is. You’re ready. You can do this.”
“Absolutely not. Riding in front of Alec was going to be bad enough. But riding in front of him and every guest on the entire ranch for some freak-show exhibition…”
Allison sat perched on the arm of the couch, watching Rebecca pace wildly around their cabin. “I’ll admit–that was a really slimy move for him to pull.”
Rebecca glared at her. “A really slimy move? That’s an understatement, don’t you think? Who the hell does he think he is?”
“Um…the boss. And that was his way of reminding you.”
“Did you know he was going to do that?”
“Of course not! Don’t you think I would have told you if I’d known? Even Roger looked surprised.”
She sighed and plopped on her bunk. “Maybe I should just quit. Why should I give him the satisfaction of humiliating me?”
“After how hard you’ve worked this week? That’s crazy talk!” Allison said, taking a seat beside her. “He’s not going to humiliate you. You’re going to go out there, you’re going to ride beautifully, and he’s going to owe you a big fat apology.”
“Yeah, that’s going to happen.” She groaned and dropped her head in her hands. “What a mess. First Tommy, now this.”
“What happened with Tommy?”
Rebecca gave her a sheepish look. “He asked me out.”
“And what did you say?”
“I didn’t know what to say. He tried to brush it off as nothing, but I can tell I hurt his feelings.”
“Aw, Bec,” Allison replied, giving her a big hug. “You can’t help it if you don’t like him in that way. He just probably really got to like you, with all the time you’ve been spending together.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She still felt rotten about it. “Do you really think I can ride tomorrow, Alli? It’s okay to tell me the truth.”
“You really want the truth?”
“I really do.”
“Stop doubting yourself. You’re ready.”
*
After a restless night filled with nightmares of horrific falls and people laughing at her, Rebecca was relieved when the alarm sounded. She sat up and kicked off her sheets as Allison climbed down from the top bunk.
“Where are you going?” her roommate asked in confusion.
“With you. I can’t lay here for one more second.”
She forced food down her throa
t and threw herself into morning chores with Allison and Kevin. Every few minutes she checked her watch, terrified to see that her wishes for time to stand still didn’t seem to be working. By ten-thirty, she could put it off no longer.
“Do you need help with Pumpkin?” Allison asked.
“No, thanks. I’ll be alright.”
Her friend gave a sly wink. “I’ll be cheering you on.”
She crossed the grass and was startled to see Tommy in the staff barn, brushing Pumpkin’s coat with a currycomb. He looked up when she entered and tossed her a soft brush.
“Thought I’d give you a hand.”
“Thanks,” she said, running the brush down the mare’s nose. “Listen, Tommy, about yesterday…”
“Aw, don’t even worry about it, Bec,” he replied, peeking at her under the brim of his hat. “You don’t have to explain a thing. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Rebecca laughed before she could stop herself, but to her relief, Tommy did, too. “On a different note,” he added, “I think Alec is a real prick for doing this to you.”
She nodded as she brushed Pumpkin’s neck. “Yeah, he is.”
“You’ll be fine. He’s not gonna ask you to do anything crazy.”
She glanced at him doubtfully. “Wanna bet?”
Just as she’d feared, a crowd of staff members and guests turned out for her exhibition ride. She led Pumpkin into the corral and tried to pretend she was invisible as she triple-checked the cinch. Despite the cool breeze ruffling through the aspens, nervous sweat trickled down her back.
Alec hopped the corral fence and sauntered towards her. “Still hate me?”
“You have no idea.”
Again, there was a glimmer of a smile on his face as he patted Pumpkin’s neck. “Tommy said you’ve been working hard this week. I promise I won’t ask you to do anything beyond what he’s taught you.”
Rebecca looked at the crowd of people, wishing she could believe him. “Why are you doing this to me, Alec? I could have ridden in front of you and you’d have been just as satisfied. Why the added pressure?”
He gave a little smirk. “Because you can handle it.”
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