Roses and Rodeo (Rough and Ready)

by Cheyenne McCray

  While she sat next to Creed, Danica wondered what it would be like to be pregnant with his child. The thought came out of nowhere and her cheeks warmed when Creed asked her what she was thinking about because she’d gone quiet.

  “Thinking about how I’m going to kick butt at this game tonight,” she said.

  Her brothers laughed. “Danica is a force to be reckoned with in just about everything, including poker,” Wyatt said. “You’ve got to watch out for her.”

  Creed smiled at Danica. “Oh, believe me, I am.”

  Chapter 16

  Danica cringed as a raging bull trampled on the last bull rider of the day. A “wreck” the announcers called them each time something happened like this. She wanted to cover her eyes but she made herself watch. If she was going to be with Creed, she had to come to terms with the fact that he could be the next one beneath the bull’s hooves.

  She shifted on the wooden seat where she sat between a man whose belly was spilling over the top of his big gold and silver belt buckle, and a pair of giddy teenagers who looked like they were buckle bunnies in the making.

  As the bullfighters managed to get the bull out of the ring, the cowboy was helped to his feet. He let the men assisting him know that he was all right and then got out of the ring on his own power. The crowd cheered and the bull rider waved his hat at everyone.

  Her phone rang and she dug it out of her jeans pocket and answered it almost absently.

  “Danica,” Barry said the moment she answered. “I need to talk with you.”

  Damn it. Why didn’t she look at the caller ID?

  She blew out a breath. “Barry, I really don’t have time—”

  “Your cowboy is cheating on you,” Barry said. “I have proof.”

  Heat flooded Danica. A combination of shock at what Barry had said, and anger that he was somehow spying on Creed.

  Creed wouldn’t cheat on her. There had to be a simple explanation.

  “I don’t believe you, Barry.” Danica shook her head. “As a matter of fact, I want you to stay out of my life. Don’t call me, don’t stop by, don’t contact me in any way.”

  “Dani—” he started but she pressed the off button and severed the connection.

  “Bastard,” she mumbled under her breath. She was sick and tired of him. She’d tried to break it off gently, then had been direct but still friendly on more than one occasion. Then she’d started ignoring his calls and wouldn’t answer the door when he stopped by.

  Obviously he didn’t get it and likely never would.

  The wrap up of the event seemed to take a while, but maybe that was because her mind kept turning over what Barry had said. And she continued to tell herself that Barry was wrong. She knew in her heart that Creed would never do that to her.

  When it was over, she got up from the wooden bench seat, brushed off her bottom with her palms, then headed down the steps and out of the stands.

  After moving with the crowd leaving the arena, she paused mid-step, trying to remember where she was supposed to meet Creed. She continued on and walked toward the bullpens.

  She came to a full stop when she caught sight of Creed. He was with the same blonde woman who’d been in the bar in Las Vegas, the same one he’d talked to in Prescott.

  The heat that had flooded her earlier returned. Was Barry right? Could Creed be having an affair?

  No. Creed wouldn’t do that to her.

  Would he?

  She hated the doubt now in her mind, but she couldn’t shake it as she watched Creed with the blonde. They were walking together and talking and then they disappeared around the side of a building.

  A light breeze stirred Danica’s hair and she pushed wisps of it out of her face. She had never been an insecure woman who jumped to conclusions. There had to be a reason why he was talking with the blonde.

  She waited for Creed to come back outside. A few people she knew came by and she gave each one a wave and one stopped to chat with her for a moment.

  When Creed finally came out, carrying his gear, she went up to him. He kissed her hard then drew back and grinned. His grin lessened a bit as he asked, “Is something wrong?”

  She shook her head and smiled. “Not at all.”

  With a nod he indicated the direction where the Mustang was parked. “Ready to go?”

  “Ready when you are.”

  As they walked, a part of her wanted to ask him about the woman, but she didn’t want to come off as jealous or demanding. She needed to continue trusting him.

  He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked and she leaned into him. “Nice ride today,” she said.

  “Wasn’t enough to take first,” he said, “but the points were still a boost to my overall total.” He took her hand with his free one and squeezed it. “Ready to head on home?”

  She shrugged as she realized she wasn’t ready. She wanted to spend time with Creed. A weekend here and there just wasn’t enough.

  “Hey.” He released her hand and put an arm around her shoulders. “I can head to San Diego after this weekend in New Mexico. Do you have time in the middle of the week? That way I can come out between events.”

  She met his gaze. “Evenings are free but days I have to work. I’ve already taken off time and don’t have much left.” She couldn’t find it in herself to smile. “This is hard, Creed. Never knowing when I’ll see you again and always worrying about you.”

  He looked thoughtful. “We’ll figure out something.”

  She rested her head against his shoulder as they walked. “I hope so.”

  * * * * *

  Danica sat at a small table in Starbucks as she reviewed a project for work on her iPad. She stopped at the coffee shop most mornings before she went to work and had a caramel macchiato, her favorite.

  It was the Thursday following her weekend in Sonoita with her family and Creed. She missed him more than she wanted to admit. A lot more.

  She was lost in thought when someone sat across from her. She looked up and saw that it was Barry.

  “We need to talk,” he said as he set a manila envelope on the table between them.

  She let out a sigh of frustration. “The only thing I’m interested in is you agreeing that we’re just friends. If not, then we have nothing to talk about.”

  “I know you are angry with me,” Barry said with a sincere expression. “But I care about you and I don’t want you with the wrong man.”

  “I’ve heard enough.” She got to her feet as he pulled an eight by ten black and white photo out of the envelope. She went still.

  It was a photograph of Creed with the blonde woman that she’d been seeing him with. He had his forehead to hers and it looked like an intimate moment.

  Her face started to burn and her skin prickled as Barry laid one photograph down after another of Creed and the woman.

  As Barry laid them down, he pointed to dates and times on each photo of Creed and the blonde. Her knees nearly gave out and she sat in her seat again. She wanted to deny what she was seeing, what she was hearing, but nothing made sense anymore.

  “How did you get these?” Her words came out in a near whisper.

  “Something about the guy made me worry about you.” Barry sounded sincere. “I hired a PI to follow him and this is what he saw.” He pointed to each photograph. “This one shows them at dinner, and this one shows them going into her hotel.” He gestured to the next one. “If you look at the timestamps, you’ll see that he leaves about two hours after he goes in with her.”

  Danica’s mind spun. This couldn’t be right, Creed wouldn’t do that to her.

  But there it was in black and white. He was with another woman on dates that were the same as his last event.

  She sat back in her chair, her chest aching, a lump in her throat. Pain like she’d never before experienced tore at her.

  Then anger began to rise, anger so great that she shook with it. “I want the photos,” she said as she looked at one of the pictures. Her stomach churne
d as she reached for them.

  Barry didn’t stop her. “I’m sorry,” he said. When she met his gaze, he did look apologetic and she wondered if that was real emotion, or just for her benefit.

  “I need to go.” She grabbed her iPad along with the pictures, and shoved them all into her purse. She didn’t know if she should thank him or yell at him, so she said nothing. She picked up her mostly full cup of macchiato then strode from the table and threw it in the garbage.

  Tears bit at the backs of her eyes as she shoved open the door to the coffee shop and a single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away with a rough, jerky motion as she walked to her car.

  Damn him. Damn him.

  He’d taken her heart and all along he’d been playing her.

  She unlocked her car door and jerked it open before climbing behind the wheel and starting the car. She wondered if she should even be driving as angry as she was.

  The tires squealed as she spun the car into traffic and headed to work when she’d rather hunt down Creed and let him have it.

  Chapter 17

  Danica had always been a strong woman, but it felt like her world was falling apart. She tried to focus on her anger but she couldn’t help the overwhelming thoughts of sadness. It was like someone had died. She’d thought she knew Creed but he wasn’t the person she’d thought he was. That person was gone.

  Almost as soon as she walked through the door after work, Creed called. She bit the inside of her lip and tried to hold back tears. She knew she had to talk to him sooner or later, but it would have to be later. She wasn’t ready to have a conversation with him so she sent his call to voice mail.

  Her heart squeezed and teardrops rolled down her cheeks. She had managed to hold back the tears while at work but now they wouldn’t stop. She was furious while at the same time she felt totally crushed. Her body felt heavy and she collapsed onto the couch and didn’t want to get up.

  Teardrops continued to roll down her cheeks. She needed to talk with someone, to get it all out. But Kelsey wasn’t talking to her and if she discussed it with any of her brothers they would likely go after Creed and end up in jail.

  Danica’s phone rang again and she glanced at the caller ID, ready to send Creed or Barry to voice mail if either one of them was calling. It was a San Diego number she didn’t recognize.

  When she answered the call, a woman on the other end said, “Is this Danica Cameron?”

  “Yes.” Danica wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, suddenly feeling like something was very wrong. “Who is this?”

  “I’m Sarah, a nurse at San Diego General,” the woman said. Danica’s gut twisted as the woman continued. “Kelsey Richards was admitted an hour ago and she listed you as next of kin.”

  Shock went through Danica. “What happened? Is she all right?”

  “She was physically abused by her boyfriend,” the nurse said. “She needs someone to pick her up when we’re finished treating her.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Danica got instructions on where to go as she grabbed her purse and headed back out the front door, locking it behind her. Her tears dried, her focus solely on Kelsey.

  She’d kill Darryl. First chance she got she was going to hurt the bastard right where it counted.

  When she finally got to the room at the hospital where Kelsey was being treated, her heart squeezed at the sight of her friend and she almost started crying again. Kelsey’s pale face was bruised even more than it had been, her eye was swollen shut, a bandage was on her forehead, and her arm was in a sling.

  “Oh, my God.” Danica rushed to Kelsey who was in a hospital gown and sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. “Where is Darryl? When I get a hold of him—”

  “He’s in jail.” Kelsey’s voice sounded a little scratchy. “I picked him up from the airport and we went to my apartment. Before we were even inside, he slammed me up against the wall beside my front door in the stairwell, yelling at me for telling you about the last time he’d attacked me. When he started hitting me, the neighbor looked out her window and saw it. She dialed 9-1-1 and the cops came and arrested him.”

  “He’s so lucky he’s in jail.” Danica stroked the side of Kelsey’s face that wasn’t bruised. “I swear I’d hurt him.”

  “I’m lucky the neighbor saw it.” Kelsey sighed. “You were right all along. I just cared about him so much that the first time he hit me I convinced myself it was an accident. I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that he’d abused me. I almost felt like I’d deserved it.”

  Danica frowned. “You’d better get that thought right out of your head.”

  “Believe me, it’s gone.” Kelsey adjusted herself on the edge of the bed and winced when she moved her arm. “I’m pressing charges.”

  “It’s a good thing you are.” Danica squeezed Kelsey’s good shoulder. “You and I would be having a serious talk if you didn’t.”

  “I’m not going to be a doormat for anyone, anymore.” Kelsey set her mouth in a firm line as Danica sat beside her on the edge of the bed. “It finally hit me that I don’t deserve this. I don’t know why it took me so long.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to see things about ourselves and about the people we care about.” Danica’s stomach churned as she thought about Creed. “Sometimes those people aren’t who we thought they were after all.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Kelsey gave a rueful smile. “I think I’ve finally learned my lesson.”

  You and me both, Danica thought. You and me both.

  * * * * *

  After she got Kelsey safely home, Danica went home to her townhouse. She got ready for bed, her heart heavy after all that had happened.

  When she sat on her bed in her long nightshirt, she made herself look at the photos of Creed and the woman again. There was no brushing this off as nothing. It was clear by the dates and timestamps that he’d spent time with her in her hotel room as well as going out with her to various places.

  Fresh anger rushed through her body. How could he do this to her?

  When it came down to it, it was her fault for trusting him. She’d seen the evidence on the Internet and in the magazine. She’d just wanted to believe in him so badly.

  Her phone rang and she picked it up off the nightstand. It was Creed, his third call since she’d first walked into her home earlier in the afternoon.

  She took all the anger, hurt, and sadness inside her and held onto it as she answered the call.

  “What’s wrong, Danica?” he said when he obviously heard the edge in her tone.

  “I know you’re having an affair.” Her voice was hard as she spoke. “You and I are through.”

  “What are you talking about?” He sounded genuinely puzzled. “I’m not having any kind of affair.”

  Great actor, she thought.

  “I’ve been given proof.” She picked up one of the pictures and almost crumpled it in her hand. “You and the blonde I’ve been seeing you with. It’s here in black and white.”

  “Are you talking about Teri?” he said. “I can explain—”

  “No, you can’t.” Danica clenched her cell phone tighter as she cut through his words. “Don’t ever call me again. Don’t email me. Don’t come to my house. Stay. Away. From. Me.”

  “Danica, wait—”

  She disconnected the call then turned her phone off.

  The moment her phone was off, tears began rolling down her cheeks and she sobbed so hard that she hiccupped. She held the back of her hand to her mouth to hold back more. An ache so great, like she’d never felt before, sat hard in her chest.

  Tears wouldn’t stop rolling down her cheeks and she couldn’t stop sobbing. Teardrops landed on the photographs of Creed with the blonde. She almost shredded the pictures but she would need them to remind herself of what a bastard he was.

  And then, once the tears stopped for good, it would be time to burn them.

  Chapter 18

  On the following day, Frida
y, Danica stood in her living room, in front of her TV. Creed was in New Mexico for his next event and competing sometime during the next hour or so.

  She picked up her remote control as she stared at the TV.

  He had called no less than six times. She kept her phone on vibrate while she was at work and it kept going off in her pocket. It had stopped about an hour ago, probably because he was getting ready for his ride tonight.

  The only call she’s answered that day had been Kelsey’s, who was feeling better but still shaken. Danica had wanted to tell her friend about Creed’s betrayal, but Kelsey didn’t need to have to face anymore negativity than she was already experiencing after yesterday’s assault. The discussion about Creed could wait.

  She looked at the remote in her hand. What was she doing? Was she seriously considering watching him ride?

  It was like she couldn’t stop herself. She clicked the TV on then went to the channel the event would be shown on. Two announcers were giving a sort of “pre-game” talk while at the same time cameras went to a bull rider preparing to ride.

  She took a deep breath. She needed to do this. Needed to remind herself of every single reason why it was good that she was no longer seeing Creed. At least that was what she told herself.

  Still holding the remote, she sank onto the couch as the first bull of the night shot out of the chute, the rider on its back.

  She caught her breath as the rider was bucked off of the bull. It never ceased to affect her when the riders were tossed or ended up near the bull’s hooves. The bull rider jogged safely out of the arena as the bull headed down a chute.

  One after another she watched the riders battle with their bulls until it was Creed’s turn. The announcers said that he was to ride a bull by the name of The Machine.

  Her belly clenched as her gaze was glued to Creed. She couldn’t have taken her eyes off of him if she tried.