Western Hearts: A sweet, cowboy romance (Cowboys of Aspen Valley Book 1)

by Carolyne Aarsen

“I can watch the boys too.” She added a crooked smile which made him wonder if she was teasing him just a bit.

  He couldn’t help but smile back. A relaxed Nicole was, he had to admit, fun to be around. “Okay. I guess it’ll be fine.”

  “Goody.” Justin grabbed Tristan’s hand.

  Kip let them go to stand in line while he and Nicole moved in closer. People walked around them and gathered ahead of them, yet Kip felt so aware of Nicole it was as if no one else existed.

  “Do you mind telling me a bit about your chuck-wagon racing? Do you miss it?” Though her questions were quiet, he sensed her sympathy.

  “Yeah. I do.” He let his mind slip back, pulling up memories and he smiled.

  “What do you miss the most?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, shrugging her question aside.

  “You must miss something,” she pressed.

  Kip shot her a puzzled look. “Why does it matter?”

  Nicole held his gaze for a moment, then looked away. “Because I’m guessing you gave it up for the boys, and…I think that’s admirable and, well, I’d just like to know.”

  “Okay. Let’s see.” He scratched the side of his nose with his forefinger, trying to formulate his answer. No one had ever asked him what he missed, so he had to think a bit.

  “I guess I miss the challenge and the thrill. The sound of the horn and then trying to jockey for first place after running the figure eight. The feel of those hooves thundering on the packed dirt and how you sense every shift of the horse in the reins, trying to read them and keep them working as a team.” He stopped, feeling a touch of embarrassment at his enthusiasm. “That’s in the past now.”

  “Still, it must have been hard to give up your dreams,” Nicole said quietly.

  “Yeah. It was,” he admitted. “Hanging around on the circuit gets expensive, and I need to think about the boys’ financial future.”

  “I take it Scott had no life insurance?”

  “Or a will.” Something Nicole and her father did have granting them custody of the boys. Hayes may have been irresponsible in some areas but not in that one.

  “I’m surprised Scott didn’t ask your married sister to take Justin and Tristan,” she said quietly.

  “Scott wanted the boys on the ranch, and my sister was expecting a baby and already has a lot of responsibility. I was too attached to them to let the boys go anywhere else.” He gave her a careful smile, surprised to feel his reaction to the softening of her features. A wayward breeze tossed her hair, and a strand got caught in her lip gloss.

  Before he could stop himself, he reached over and loosened her hair, his fingers lingering on her cheek.

  His heart gave a little thrum and he wondered, just for a moment—

  “We’re going to race now,” Tristan shouted out.

  Kip dragged his way emotions back to reality. This was crazy. He had to keep his focus on the boys.

  The boys she was planning to take away, he reminded himself.

  Nicole followed Kip down the concrete stairs of the arena to their seats, clinging to Tristan’s hand. The excited voices of people echoed in the yawning space.

  This was supposed to have been a time alone with her and the boys, she thought, trying to work up her resentment. Kip wasn’t supposed to be along.

  The trouble was, the more time she spent with Kip, the more confused she grew. The more attracted she became to him.

  Which complicated her life. The purpose that had brought her here grew foggier with each day that she saw the boys with Kip and his family on the ranch.

  This was the only life the boys had known. Could she really take them away from that?

  She closed her eyes willing her mind to stop its ceaseless whirling and circling back. She was here with an attractive man experiencing something she could talk to her friends back home about once it was all over.

  A date. Something she hadn’t gone on for a while. So just enjoy it, she told herself.

  “We’re up in the nosebleed area, but we’ll be able to see the whole track this way too,” Kip said as they followed him to their seats. Below them lay a large open area surrounded by other bleachers and ringed by a racing track.

  “I will sit with Uncle Kip and Tristan will sit with Auntie Nicole,” Justin announced.

  Auntie Nicole would have preferred to keep the boys between her and Kip, but the boys were already in their seats, leaving two seats between them.

  Just go with it, Nicole thought. Stop overthinking.

  “So how does this race work?” she asked, determined to be casual about the situation as she settled into the seat beside Kip.

  “You see this space below us where the barrels are laid out?” Kip swept his hand over the large open area ringed by other, smaller bleachers. “That’s where the first part of the race is. There’s eight barrels, two for each team. The teams line up at a designated spot marked with chalk in the dirt, do a figure eight around each barrel in the open space, and then they have to head around the half mile track and come back to the finish line right below us.”

  “Looks complicated,” Nicole said, trying to imagine what would happen.

  “Then there are the four outriders,” Kip added.

  “What do they do?”

  “They have to stay with the chuck wagons,” Tristan said, clutching the teddy bear Kip had won for him in a shooting gallery.

  “They have to go real fast,” Justin put in, leaning forward to talk to Nicole.

  “They sure do,” Kip said, tousling Justin’s hair, grinning. He looked happy and Nicole could tell he was looking forward to the event.

  The smile on his face tugged at her heart, created a flicker of attraction.

  She stopped fighting it. Just for now, she promised herself.

  “Each chuck wagon is assigned four outriders,” Kip continued. “One rider is at the front, holding the team in place. When the horn goes, the riders have to throw a stove and a couple of sticks into the back of the wagon, mount up and follow the chuck wagons through the pattern.” Kip grew animated as he spoke, and he was grinning, leaning forward in his seat as if he could hardly wait for the races to start. “If they’re too far behind their chuck wagon when he crosses the finish line, the team gets a penalty. Those outriders really give ’er to keep up.”

  Nicole was struggling as well to keep up, but she simply smiled and nodded, surprised at the excitement in Kip’s voice.

  “Here they come,” he said, pointing to the track. Four teams of horses pulling what looked like a small, covered wagon with wooden wheels came trotting down the track toward the place where other men were putting up the barrels.

  “What’s on the covers of the wagons?” Nicole asked.

  “Sponsors’ names. Costs a lot to keep a team of horses and a wagon racing in the circuit. Specially to get to Stampede. Technically the chuck-wagon races are called the Rangeland Derby, but it’s always part of Stampede.” Kip clasped and unclasped his hands, his eyes tracking the movement of the chuck wagons. “Nick is here. Awesome.” Kip shot her a quick grin. “Every time we competed, he said he would quit, but he didn’t and now he’s here.” He laughed, turning his attention back to the teams. “And Pete Nellisher. Huh. I never thought his team had it in them to get this far.” The hunger in his voice was reflected in the expression on his face as he leaned forward.

  He misses this more than he lets on, Nicole realized.

  She remembered the smile of contentment on his face when he had come back from fixing the fences the day the cows got out.

  He’d given up a lot to take care of the boys. She thought of the parked wagons and the dozens of horses the boys were supposed to stay away from. Kip made sacrifices that never came up in any conversation they’d ever had. From the way the boys talked, she knew they had no inkling of what he relinquished so he could be there for them. Kip could have easily left them with his mother every weekend. Could easily have carried on racing.

  But he didn’t. He gave
all this up for the boys.

  “See, each team has their starting position marked out,” Kip said, leaning closer to her as he pointed to the teams moving into position. “This is one of the trickiest parts. See how antsy those horses are? They know what they have to do, but you have to make sure you get them to the starting position at exactly the right time. You get too close, and they jump the horn. Too far and you lose valuable real estate.” Kip’s voice grew more intense, his full attention, like a laser, on the action below.

  He leaned closer to her, laying one hand on her shoulder, pointing with his other hand. “See how hard the guy at the head of the team has to work to keep the team back? The driver can’t pull up too hard or the horses won’t be ready.”

  A horn blared, Nicole startled and Kip’s hand dropped from her shoulder. He jerked forward as if the sound itself triggered an automatic reaction.

  The outriders let go of the lead horses and jumped on their own, and soon the area around the barrels was a confusion of wagons and horses as four teams wove a figure eight.

  “C’mon, Nick, not too tight. Ease up. Ease up.” Kip bit his lip, watching. “Yeah. Like that. Like that.” He nodded his approval of his friend’s work, inching to the edge of his seat. “See, Nicole, he’s got to lean way over the side of the wagon to help the wagon move sideways. You’ve got to get into that inside lane right off the mark.” He clasped his hands, nodding his approval of his friend’s tactics. “Now lean left. Get those horses over to the inside. Lean. Lean,” he yelled as his friend did exactly what Kip urged him to do. “Like that.” He turned to Nicole, catching her hand in his. “He’s doing it, he got the lead.”

  Nicole’s attention was torn between the race and Kip’s undivided attention to what was going on. He was more animated and alive than she’d ever seen him.

  And his hand still clutched hers.

  Then, when the racing wagons thundered around the last bend, outriders trailing behind the wagons, madly trying to keep up to their wagon, Kip jumped to his feet. “C’mon, Nick. C’mon.”

  Nick was standing up, leaning way ahead, urging the team on. He shot a glance over his shoulder as if to check where his outriders were, then he gave the horses another slap with the reins and they sailed across the finish line.

  Kip hollered, waving his hat. “Yeah. Nick. Way to go.”

  Then Kip turned to her, grabbed her and gave her a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. “He won. Nick won.” He pulled back, grinning, and to her surprise and shock, planted a kiss on her mouth.

  When he drew back, the astonishment Nicole felt was mirrored on Kip’s face. For a moment they stared at each other, as if unsure of how to react or what to think.

  Kip blew out his breath, then bent over to pick up his hat. “I’m…I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I got carried away.”

  Nicole wished she could make a casual joke, but she was still trying to catch her breath. Trying to reorient herself.

  Kip’s kiss was unexpected but, to her surprise, not unwelcome.

  “I was excited for your friend too.” She drew in a quick breath, willing her heart to stop pounding.

  “Did you just give Auntie Nicole a kiss?” Tristan asked, his voice holding a teasing note.

  “Shame, shame, double shame, now I know your girlfriend’s name,” Justin chanted in the sing-songy voice of the schoolyard.

  Nicole ignored them as she sat down, her cheeks flushed and her heart beating erratically against her ribs.

  It was the excitement of the moment, she reminded herself as the competitors trotted away, passing the next set of teams heading toward the starting position. The kiss was spontaneous and spur-of-the-moment…

  And nothing like she’d ever experienced before.

  Nicole folded her trembling hands together. She kept her eyes on the horses, but for the rest of the races, her attention was distracted by the man beside her.

  Chapter Eleven

  That wasn’t the dumbest thing he’d ever done, but it ranked right up there, Kip thought as he sat down. What had come over him, grabbing Nicole’s hand like that? Kissing her like that?

  It was the excitement of seeing his friend compete. Seeing him grab the lead, then win. That was all.

  An awkwardness fell between him and Nicole. Kip knew his feelings and awareness of her were tied in with other factors. Her love for the boys even though she had just met them. The way she helped his mother, the way she handled herself with Isabelle.

  He could see family was important to her. She was willing to do whatever it took to make her adoptive father happy and to bring her sister’s boys back. Though this put her in opposition to him, her affection for the twins showed him a side of her that he respected and appreciated.

  Justin poked Kip in the side. “Does kissing Auntie Nicole mean you love her?”

  It means I’m an idiot, Kip thought.

  “I was just excited to see Nick win,” Kip said, shooting his nephew a warning glance. The teenager sitting beside Justin gave Kip a smirk as if he didn’t believe him either.

  “Why are you frowning?” Tristan asked. “Kissing should make you smile.”

  It made him confused.

  “Kiss her again. Kiss her again.” Justin slapped his knees in time to his chanting.

  Kip wasn’t even going to look his way because that meant looking at Nicole.

  “Look, the next group is getting ready to run. Why don’t we watch them? After all, that’s what I bought the tickets for.” He clasped his hands together, leaning forward and away from Nicole. He tried to focus on the riders, but he could smell her perfume, hear her talking quietly to Tristan. In his peripheral vision he saw her tuck her hair behind her ears, pull her jacket closer against the gathering chill of the evening.

  Then the horn blew and he was drawn into the race.

  They watched the races until the sun went down. When the last wagon crossed the finish line, followed by the last of the outriders, Kip stood up. “Let’s try to beat the crowd out of here,” he said, wishing he felt as casual as he hoped he sounded.

  Nicole got up and caught Tristan by the hand. Without a backward glance, she headed toward the exit.

  “We didn’t have a ride on the Ferris wheel like you promised,” Justin said, trotting alongside him.

  “I never promised you a ride,” Kip contradicted him.

  Tristan looked back, leaning past Nicole. “Yes, you did. You said that when we go to Stampede you would take us on the Ferris wheel.”

  He might have at one time. He couldn’t remember. But it was getting late, and he wanted to get back to the ranch and away from Nicole. She was spinning him around in circles.

  His messy life had no space for a woman.

  Especially not a woman like Nicole who was leaving, and leaving with his boys, if she had her way.

  “We need to get back to the ranch,” he said firmly.

  “But you promised,” Tristan wailed.

  “If Uncle Kip says we have to go back, then that’s what we have to do,” Nicole said quietly, backing him up.

  He wasn’t surprised that she did. She probably didn’t want a repeat performance of that kiss.

  Thankfully, there was no more opportunity for conversation as they made their way down the noisy concrete stairwell to ground level.

  When they stepped outside, the cool evening air had eased away the heat of the day. In the gathering dusk, the lights of the rides sparkled and beckoned in time to the raucous beat of rock music. People were laughing, screaming, having fun.

  He paused by the midway, unable to ignore the longing look on his nephews’ faces.

  Justin, ever looking for the tiniest chink in his uncle’s armor, homed in on Kip’s hesitation. “Please, Uncle Kip. We’ve never been on a Ferris wheel. Never.”

  Tristan added his pleas to his brother’s. “Our dad always said he would take us and now he can’t.”

  Kip sighed. They were really pulling out the heavy artillery by bringing up Scott. He
couldn’t help a glance Nicole’s way, as if to get her take on the situation.

  She gave him a quick smile. “If you don’t mind, I don’t mind. I’m not in any rush to bring the boys back.”

  Of course she wouldn’t be. When they got to the ranch, she knew that would be the end of her visit with the boys.

  “We can take another walk along the midway,” Kip said.

  “And we can find the Ferris wheel?” Justin asked.

  Like a terrier with a toy, just like Scott used to be. “We’ll just walk for now,” he said.

  The mixture of smells made him realize they hadn’t had anything to eat since the hot dog when they first arrived. “Anyone for something to eat?”

  “Can I have a pretzel?” Justin asked in a fakely innocent voice.

  Kip shot him a warning look. Did the little guy know the only pretzel stand was clear across the fairgrounds?

  “How about a piece of pizza?” Nicole suggested.

  “Mini donuts,” Tristan shouted, pulling away from Nicole. Kip was about to call him back when Nicole managed to grab his hand and pull him back.

  “We stay together,” she said sternly. “Don’t take off like that again.”

  Tristan looked down, suitably chastened.

  “I’d love some mini donuts,” Kip said. “Nicole? You game?”

  “I think so. I don’t think I’ve ever had mini donuts.”

  “And the Ferris wheel?” Justin pressed. “Have you ever been on the Ferris wheel?”

  “Actually, no,” Nicole said.

  “Really? Don’t they have fairs in Toronto?” Kip asked.

  “I’m sure they do, but I’ve never been to one.”

  He glanced at her, surprised but then, as their eyes met and held, he thought of a comment she had made. About having been in foster homes before moving to the Williams family.

  In some fancy part of Toronto.

  Sympathy flickered through him.

  His parents weren’t wealthy but every summer they would go to the fair in Aspen Valley, and often to Stampede. And he and his brother and sisters were always allowed to choose a ride or two they wanted to go on. One was always the Ferris wheel.