by Roni Adams
She narrowed her gorgeous blue eyes.
He waited. Memories of their last conversation washed over him. It hadn’t been good. In fact, the more he remembered the words she’d spewed at him, the less patient he became with her. “I’ve got to get back in there, so you might want to speed this up.”
“I told you, I don’t want to talk anymore. I thought I did, but not now.”
“You aren’t going to ruin my ride and then walk away, so spill it.”
She swallowed hard and lifted her hands as if to appeal to him. “I don’t want to talk here. Can’t we go somewhere after the show tonight?”
“No.”
She stepped back, looking as if he slapped her.
He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think your husband would approve. Where is Mr. Wonderful by the way?”
“I’m not married.”
He hated that the news lightened the weight on his chest. He hated that a flicker of hope flashed through his body. All this time he’d been torturing himself with images of her in her new married life with her “not a cowboy” husband. He grabbed her left hand and pulled it up in front of his face. “Engaged?”
She shook her head. “No.”
He realized he was holding her hand and he dropped it as if it burned him. The scent that haunted his dreams drifted to his nostrils. He struggled to maintain his fury with her. “What happened with the moron?”
She crossed her arms over her ample chest, drawing his attention to the way her breasts surged to the scooped neckline of her T-shirt. “His name was Robert.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. So, is that why you’re here? You grew bored and came looking for me again?” A sudden thought occurred to him. He wagged his finger in front of her face. “He dumped you, didn’t he? Pretty boy with the smooth hands and the executive job wouldn’t take you back. Now you’ve decided that maybe old ‘not good enough’ Dusty wasn’t so bad after all.” He twisted his mouth in distaste. “Fat chance, Princess. I was over you before I hit the town line.” He turned his back on her. What a head case she was, thinking he’d take her back after all she’d said and done.
“Dusty!” she called, but he kept on walking. “I came all this way to talk to you. To explain...”
He stopped and moved back toward her. He tucked his hand into his front pocket and then grabbed her hand. Her eyes widened. Opening her fingers, he dropped the quarter in her palm and dropped her hand. “Call someone who cares, babe.” He saw the flicker of pain in her eyes before he strode away without looking back.
Once inside the rodeo arena, he kept on walking until he reached the area where the public wasn’t allowed. He entered the gate and only then did he pause and look back, assuring himself she wasn’t following him. He strode over to the brick wall, pulled back his fist, and swung. Fortunately, a large hand clasped around his before it made contact.
“I thought that was her.” Grey kept his hand wrapped around his fist until Dusty stopped struggling. “You break your hand, you’re done for the season. Don’t be an ass. She’s not worth it. What’s she doing here anyway?”
Dusty glared at his brother. “She said she wanted to talk to me.”
“Seems to me she said enough the last time she talked to you. She here with her husband?”
“She’s not married.” Dusty said the words out loud.
Grey raised an eyebrow. “She came all the way to Wayback to tell you she’s not married?”
Dusty shrugged and walked away. “I guess.”
He stood in the back, watching the next event. A glance at the overall scores showed he was still in the competition, but he was in last place and would have to have near-perfect rides tomorrow to move back up. Damn. Talk about pressure. He needed the big pot that two weeks of first place scores would earn him. He wanted to make this season his last. Which was really ironic. Carrie had left him because she wanted him to quit the circuit and get a “real job.”
He’d had too much pride to tell her he’d already made the decision to retire. Until the day she’d given him her ultimatum, he fully intended to settle down on a ranch with her. But as she stood there telling him that she was going to marry a “normal” guy, his dreams of having her share that life with him disappeared. He was damned if he’d keep her by his side knowing that being a bull rider wasn’t good enough for her.
She had some nerve following him to Wayback. He imagined after his less-than-pleasant reception, she’d pack up her designer luggage, climb back into her little sports car, and speed out of town. He rubbed a hand over his face, her words repeating over and over in his head. “I’m not married.”
All these months, he’d tormented himself with images of her and the other man. That’s what had spurred him so hard—his anger at her leaving him for the other guy. His brother had been right when he said she was merely slumming. Why on earth would a country club princess like that want to make a life with a rodeo cowboy? She wouldn’t. It was a lark for her, a diversion from her bored little rich life, but when reality hit, she’d taken off. All the energy he used to spend on her, he now spent on riding bulls.
He heard the final rounds begin and headed back in to greet his fans and ride in the closing parade.
****
Carrie didn’t know what she was going to do when she ran out of the arena. She was simply intent on escaping Dusty. After their confrontation, however, the reality was she didn’t have a car with her, and it was too dark to walk back to her apartment. She couldn’t ruin the night for her friends by making them leave. She’d have to go back inside and act like everything was fine. Later, when she was home, she could cry her heart out over Dusty again. Then tomorrow she’d figure out her next step.
“Carrie?”
Damn. It was BobbiJo coming to find her. She brushed her eyes with her fingers and drew a deep breath.
“Yeah, over here,” her voice cracked and she cleared her throat.
Her friend showed up a few seconds later. “What’s wrong? Why are you in the parking lot?”
Carrie tried to smile. “I can’t find my cell phone. I thought maybe I dropped it by the car.” It was a complete lie. Her cell phone was home on her dresser.
“Oh no, that’s terrible. Do you think it’s in the car? Here, I’ll unlock it.” Her friend pushed the button and unlocked the doors to her small compact car.
Carrie felt like a fraud for wasting her time, but went through the motions of pretending to look for her phone. “I don’t think it’s in here,” she finally said.
“What if you lost it in the stands? I think you should tell one of the security guards in case they find it.” BobbiJo looked worried.
Carrie bit her bottom lip and couldn’t stop the tears that leaked out. “I didn’t lose my cell phone,” she whispered.
The dark-haired woman closed the car door and walked over to her side. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
Carrie leaned her back against the car and looked toward the rodeo arena where fans were clapping and cheering. Judging by the time, the bronc riders were probably out there, and Dusty’s brother would be competing. “Remember the blond bull rider you met the other night?”
BobbiJo frowned and stared at her. “Yeah?”
Carrie shook her head. “He and I, well, we...” She brushed furiously at the wetness on her face. “He’s my ex.”
BobbiJo’s eyes widened. “You were married?”
“No, my ex—oh, I don’t know. Lover, boyfriend, man of my dreams, whatever. I love him and he… he hates me.” She cried a bit harder, and BobbiJo wrapped her arms around her.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Did you know he was going to be here? I mean, how bad a coincidence is that that you’d both be here at the same time.”
Carrie swallowed hard and pulled out of her friend’s embrace. “I knew he’d be here. He’s the reason I moved to Wayback. I knew he’d end up here, with the circuit.”
“I’m confused. You knew he’d be here, and you wanted to run into him?”<
br />
She nodded. “I wanted to talk to him, try to work things out, but he won’t listen to me.”
“I’m not trying to be mean or anything, honey, you know I’m not, but the guy’s a bull rider. I mean, they go through women like we go through napkins at the restaurant, and we’re a barbecue place. I mean, that’s a whole lot of napkins!”
Carrie leaned back against the car again. “I know, but it’s not like that. And I know that sounds corny, but we were serious about one another and then I…” She bit her lip unable to say anything else.
“You what? Come on, it’s going to do you good to talk about it. Maybe I can help. I do have a million brothers and male cousins, you know. I know something about men.”
“I followed him all over the country last year, going to every rodeo, living with him in his trailer. Late in the season, he was hurt, not bad or anything, but it shook me up. I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t stand to watch if some day he got badly injured. I wanted him to quit the rodeo and get a real job and settle down with me.”
“You wanted a rodeo bull rider to quit?” Even BobbiJo seemed to know how insane she was.
“They have to quit sometime; they can’t ride bulls forever. I was scared, and I said things that were awful to him to try to convince him. I told him it was me or the rodeo.”
BobbiJo winced. “And he chose the rodeo?”
“Yes and no. He wanted both.” She covered her face with her hands and shook her head. “I told him I was going to marry someone else, a normal guy, if he didn’t quit.”
“Yowza.”
Carried nodded. “When I met Dusty, I was dating Robert. He was a successful businessman with a nice car and a solid job. I told Dusty that I was going back to Robert unless he was willing to stop riding bulls.”
“What did he do?”
“He told me to have a good life and walked away.”
“Oh, God, Carrie. What did you do?”
“I told him that I was serious. I told him if he followed the circuit to the next rodeo, I was marrying Robert.”
“I take it he left.”
“Yes.” She cried again, hating that her new friend was seeing her weakness.
“What happened to the other guy?”
Carrie ducked her head. “I was bluffing. I hadn’t had any contact with him since I laid eyes on that ornery cowboy. I wanted Dusty and I wanted him to know I was serious. For a while I told myself that if he loved me, really loved me, he’d have quit the rodeo.”
BobbiJo tipped her head. “So, why are you here?”
“I don’t want to live without him. I was so wrong to push him. I know Dusty loves me, but this is in his blood. It’s what he has to do.” She pushed her hair back and drew a shaky breath. “I knew he’d end up in Wayback. He’d talked about this area and the local rodeo all last year. I sold my sports car, packed up my things, and moved here to wait for him. I figured that would give him some time to think about what we had, and maybe if he saw me face to face, he’d…”
BobbiJo smirked. “That was kind of drastic, wasn’t it? You couldn’t have just driven up here when he was in town?”
She closed her eyes. “I was being dramatic. I thought he’d realize how serious I was if I had given up everything and moved here to be near him. But he didn’t even give me the chance to tell him. He won’t talk to me.”
“So you saw him after his ride?”
“He saw me in the stands, and he followed me out here. He was furious that I’d ruined his ride and wanted to know why I was here. I tried to talk to him, but he said he didn’t want to hear it. He told me to take a hike.”
“What are you going to do now?”
Carrie drew a deep breath and lifted her chin. “He’ll be here for two weeks. I’ve got two weeks to figure out a way to convince him to give me a second chance.”
BobbiJo took her arm and led her back through the parking lot. “You know I’ll do whatever I can to help. We’ll figure this out. Right now, we better go find Sally. She probably thinks we got lost.”
Carrie definitely didn’t want to go back inside, but she knew she wouldn’t run into Dusty again. He’d be in his trailer right after his brother’s ride as was his habit. Or maybe he was in someone else’s trailer. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to her because he’d replaced her long ago.
****
Dusty pulled open the door to the Wayback Diner, and the sound of dishes clanging and conversation washed over him. It was high noon and the small restaurant bustled with activity. All the booths and tables were filled with a variety of people, from businessmen in suits to young families. Spying an empty seat at the counter, he swept his hat from his head and made his way through the crowd. A waitress spun around and they collided.
“Whoa.” His hands shot out to grasp her by the waist and steady her.
“Hey, good hands there, cowboy. Thanks.” The older woman smiled appreciatively.
“You’re welcome.” He released her and continued on toward the counter.
The waitress walked next to him. “In town for the rodeo?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He slid onto the round, blue vinyl stool.
The waitress’s nametag read CoraBeth, and she slipped behind the counter. “Coke or coffee?” She pocketed the pile of change the last customer had left behind.
“Coke would be great. Thanks.” He picked up the plastic-covered menu. He craved a good cheeseburger and fries, but figured he’d glance at the other choices just in case.
CoraBeth set a frosty mug in front of him. “I’ll be right back to get your order.”
She pushed through a door that he assumed led to the kitchen, and he heard voices coming from the back. A second later the door opened again. A waitress carrying a large tray of food pushed through the swinging door. Dusty froze in the same instant that Carrie noticed him. The tray slipped and a plate of lunch slid to the floor.
“Damn it,” she cussed, but managed to steady the tray before anything else fell. Her gaze darted to his face again before she walked around the counter to deliver her meals.
Dusty’s heart pounded. What the hell was she doing here? Was she working here, as a waitress? He spun on the stool and watched her deliver the orders to the table. She wore a pale blue uniform with a white apron tied in front. On her feet were white—well, dirty white—tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that swished against her back as she set food on the table. She laughed with the customers. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but it was evident she knew these people. What the hell was going on? How did they all know her?
He continued to stare as she walked back with an empty tray. She looked at him, but then looked away and a red flush crept into her cheeks. Her hand quivered as she brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
CoraBeth pushed back through the swinging door just as Carrie bent to pick up the spilled lunch.
“Oh, yuck. What was it? The special?”
Dusty watched Carrie nod. “Yeah, it’s for table four.”
The other waitress took the messy plate from Carrie’s hands. “I’ll get them another one. Take the cutie’s order at the counter, would you? I’ll get this cleaned up.”
Dusty saw her stiffen, and for a second, he thought she’d refuse. But she straightened her spine and pulled the pad out of her apron pocket. Only when she was directly in front of him did she look at him.
“What can I get you?” she asked as if they had never met.
“What the hell is going on?” He didn’t try to disguise his anger or his shock.
Carrie lifted her chin. “It’s called the lunchtime rush and we’re backed up. Now what can I get you to eat?”
“Why the hell are you still in town? You’re working here?” The socialite he’d met and fallen in love with was a far cry from this ponytailed, fresh-faced girl. Where were her perfect manicure and the designer jeans that cost a couple hundred bucks a pair?
“Cheeseburger and fries it is. Medium rare, right? Comi
ng right up.” But before she could move away, Dusty grabbed her wrist.
Carrie tugged and glanced around. He let her go. It wouldn’t do the rodeo any good if one of its riders was causing a scene in town. He released her and she pulled her hand back.
She glared. “I tried to talk to you on Saturday night, and you made it more than clear you didn’t want to hear what I had to say.”
Carrie scooted back out of his reach and slipped through the doors to the kitchen. When the doors swung open again, CoraBeth came through. She picked up his empty glass and shoved it under the beverage tap. “So, what event do you ride in?” An overflowing cold Coke was set in front of him.
Dusty glanced behind her, expecting to see Carrie come back out. “Bull riding.”
“Ohhh, no wonder you have such quick hands. That’s a rough sport, honey.”
He grinned. “So I’ve been told.”
Carrie came back through the door again.
“Hey, this cowboy is a bull rider. Ever meet a real life bull rider?”
Her eyes flashed and he cringed, wondering how she’d answer.
“Actually, I have.”
CoraBeth raised one eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”
Carrie moved closer and her gaze met his and then looked away again. “Actually, up until last fall I lived with one.”
The other waitress’s mouth dropped open. “You never told me that. You did? What happened? Where’s he now?” She swatted Carrie lightly on the arm. “You little devil, I always knew you had a story in you somewhere.”
Carrie shrugged. “No story. A chapter maybe, but no story.”
Dusty tipped his head. “Most buckle bunnies don’t last too long on the circuit.”
Her eyes widened at his direct attack. “Most cowboys know the difference between a buckle bunny and someone who truly loves them.”
“I’ve never been able to tell the two apart.”
“Maybe you’ve been dropped on your head one too many times.”
CoraBeth whistled. “Okay, well, suffice it to say you both hit some nerves, huh.” She pushed the coffeepot toward Carrie. “Take this over to table five, and I’ll get our bull rider’s lunch from the back.”