“This sweetie pie is Hellion.” She growled over the name with an easy laugh.
Ellie approached, amazed she could be so close to the animal Brody bested last night.
“Go on. He won’t gore you or nothin’.”
Ellie touched his flank and the bull snorted, making her jump and Janie snicker.
“Is he going out again tonight?”
“Oh yeah. And he’s pissed off and ready to buck for mama, aren’t you fella?”
“I got it from here, babe.” An older cowboy in a tan hat and Wranglers approached and took the flank strap from Janie, kissing her cheek. “You look too pretty to be mucking around back here. Why don’t you gals go on up to the Sky Box?”
“Elsie, meet Josh, my husband and partner in Musgrave’s Bucking Bulls.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand. “So you’re stock contractors?”
“That we are.” Janie motioned for her to follow and, not knowing anyone else around here, Ellie did.
They found seats on the raised deck behind the chutes, which overlooked all the action, and within five minutes Ellie went from knowing no one to shaking hands with everyone, thanks to Janie. Apparently she had fallen in with one of the more popular regulars on the circuit. Over the course of the introductions, Ellie explained she was there to learn about the sport for a leather boot maker who might want to sponsor a couple of American bull riders.
“Sounds like a great excuse for a young woman to get up close and personal with a whole lotta sexy cowboys.” Janie rubbed shoulders with Ellie.
“I think I danced with every single one last night at the bar.”
A man leaned in from the row behind them, and tipped his hat. “You missed one, but we can correct that tonight.”
“Git out of here, Ty Tanner,” Janie pushed him back. “Can’t you see this girl’s a ten? She doesn’t want any part of you.”
Ty made a crude joke as he stood and dug in his pockets. He handed a bunch of coins to Janie and headed for the stairs to the holding pens. Ellie sat back in her seat, plucked her lip gloss from her purse and scanned the stands, full to the brim with eager fans. Soon the lights went out and the fireworks began. Below them, on the dirt floor, the cowboys were introduced, strutting out of the center chute. Ellie, Janie and the others tipped their heads in unison to watch the introductions on the jumbo screen.
Ellie steadied herself, listening for Brody’s name. She tried not to react, but sucked in a breath when he jogged into view and the camera zoomed in on a beatific smile that lit the whole damn place.
And then he did something which rocked her to her core and dampened her panties all over again.
Brody lifted his hat to the crowd, turned in an arc to face the deck above the chutes and stopped as he caught sight of Ellie. He lowered his hat to his heart, licked his lips and winked.
Janie’s riotous clapping ceased and she was now staring at Ellie’s profile as the next cowboy’s name was read and cheering exploded from the stands again.
“Keep clapping, hon.”
“What? Why?”
“There are ten other girls around here about to figure out that wink wasn’t for them. And they’re not going to like it.”
“How do you know it wasn’t?”
“Because I’ve known Brody Cameron since he was six years old and no girl here ever got so much attention from him. He’ll give her enough to know she’s caught his eye, but never enough to think he wanted more. For their own good, of course.”
And a wink was his idea of giving more?
Ellie didn’t respond, and Janie left it alone. The silence stretched as she inched forward on her seat, watching the fanfare and pyrotechnics below, though hardly seeing it. She was trying hard not to fantasize about why she’d been singled out for such uncharacteristic attention.
Cooper said she should get to know the stock contractors, and this seemed like the perfect time to distract herself.
“How many bulls do you have here tonight?”
“Here at the arena, four,” Janie said proudly. “At a ranch about three miles from here we have six more waiting.”
Another rider approached them and, without a word, emptied his pockets of a few coins and handed them to Janie.
“What’s that all about?”
“Cowboy superstition. Not supposed to ride with change in your pockets or that’s all the money you’ll walk away with. The guys know if they forget, they can give it to me and I’ll donate it. Over the years it’s become known I do that. Seeing me before they ride is like a reminder to empty their pockets,” she laughed.
“Are there other superstitions?”
“There are some traditional ones like the change, and not wearing yellow. Then there are some who insist on doing the same thing over and over if they think it’s helping them win.”
Ellie’s eyes grew wide and her lips parted.
And there it was.
… … …
Ellie found herself once again flipping through the outfits hanging in her closet. Should she wear the same dress, or would that be taking it too far? Was she enabling some unhealthy cowboy neurosis?
Don’t think about it like that.
If she had to sacrifice herself to several rounds of seven minutes in heaven with a cowboy for the sake of a story, so be it. If Brody wins, he’ll owe you an interview and maybe even exclusive photos of his fancy ranch, wherever he’s from. She imagined her ass perched on the high stool, powerful hands snaking up the backs of her thighs, knees slung over the crook of gloriously muscled arms as he fucked her slippery pussy, cowgirl boots still on. Panting and moaning he’d lose himself in her, his face in shadow.
Ellie bit her lip and her eyes fell shut as she forced the vision to a screeching halt. In her imagination he had it bad for her, but she’d have to be careful not to fill in the blanks with unsubstantiated feelings rather than facts. He had it bad for the prize money, not for her.
Well, their game would serve the same purpose for Ellie too. She’d get a great come–back story out of it if he made it to the top. And maybe even get to see where and how he lives and what he does with the money–screech. Stop. This. Is. Business.
Ellie scraped each hanger across the rod in the closet and finally decided on an easy–access crocheted mini dress paired with sandals rather than cowgirl boots. She felt more herself, and the choice of a completely different outfit had the added benefit of showing him it was her decision to be there and she had her limits.
Chapter Four
“Well, at least you ain’t celibate no more,” Rico shrugged, standing in the open door of Brody’s hotel room.
Brody grumbled at him, then crumpled another sheet of paper and threw it in the trash. He sure as hell was celibate. His cock ached merely thinking about it. He could get himself off, but it didn’t seem right somehow. He was locked into this situation and as much as it tried his patience, it was helping him to focus.
“Love letters?”
“Of a kind, I guess. I’m trying to explain to Elsie but everything I write makes her sound like a prostitute.”
“Lemme see.”
Rico picked up a crumpled paper from the floor and flattened it on the table. “Naw. That ain’t right.” He poked the words on the page and pulled out a chair. “Tell her you need her help. Tell her about your family needing to replenish the bank account after your Dad’s accident.”
Brody grimaced. He didn’t want to talk about money with a stranger. He didn’t even want his family to know that’s what he was doing this for. “I thought I’d tell her about the wreck and how bad it was and how bad it shook my confidence. I want her to know everything started getting better when I met her. But if I tell a girl that–”
“You’ll never get rid of her.”
Brody narrowed his eyes and tightened his lips. He didn’t want to get rid of her. He wanted to get to know her, all of her. He even liked the silence and how it opened him up, but he needed to know she lik
ed it too. He had no idea who this woman was–she could be another buckle bunny looking to be whatever he wanted her to be, which was exactly what he didn’t want. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Elsie. The taste of her in his mouth before the last two rides was the best secret he ever kept with anybody.
“Did you find out anything else?”
“Yeah. She represents some leather outfit in Eastern Europe that wants to maybe sponsor a couple top tier bull riders. Start getting their name known over here.”
“Has she met with anybody yet? Is she gonna be in Billings?”
Rico shrugged. “Sorry, man, I don’t know. Just asks a lot of questions.”
“Has she asked about me?”
Rico gave Brody a look from under his brows.
“Cowboy, you got it bad.”
Yeah. I know.
… … …
Brody Cameron picked up over thirty thousand dollars in Idaho. It wasn’t football or baseball money but Ellie was beginning to understand bull riding was grit and hard–earned gain, unlike anything she’d seen in other professional sports. The athletes were almost completely on their own–they had to pay for their medical care and insurance, pay their way into the competitions out of their own pocket, deal with losses and disappointments on their own.
He couldn’t be bringing home much after all that. Ellie wondered why these guys would bother if they’re not at the top.
It was all so American. Gorgeous cowboys, waving to crowds, signing autographs. Then the arena lights are shut and reality closes in. Living hand–to–mouth, bunking with as many guys as you could tolerate in one shitty motel room in order to stay on the circuit. It was as much of a gamble as it was an illusion of glamour.
Ellie was packing her car to head east to the next event in Montana, though she had a whole week to travel there. And, of course, Cooper wouldn’t let her come home in between.
“Hey, glad I caught you,” Janie approached. “I want to welcome you to visit our ranch and see how our operation works. It’d be a bit of a detour, but worth your while. Come out on Wednesday and we’ll put you up for the night.”
“Oh, I would love that!”
Janie scratched her name and address on a piece of notepaper and handed it to Ellie.
“Actually, if you want to make it tonight or Tuesday, that’d be fine. Save you the cost of a hotel. And possibly the bedbug bites too.”
Ellie blanched. Would she only find flea bag motels along the way?
“That’s very kind of you, but I couldn’t impose.”
Janie laughed.
“It’s not an imposition. We’re well equipped for guests, you could say.”
… … …
Ellie drove east across Idaho into Montana. She had the week to explore, though she had her regular column to write and a few pieces Cooper wanted her to edit. Before coming out she had been hoping to return to New York in between, but Cooper maintained he wanted her to get a feel for the rhythm of rodeo life, find the grit beneath the romantic cowboy mystique. On the way to Montana, she stopped for food and gas and saw familiar faces from the previous weekend. It made her feel like a genuine part of it all, despite the false pretenses under which she was there.
Ellie was expecting rustic accommodations until she drove up to the intercom at the gates of Musgrave’s Bucking Bulls and felt like she was at some movie star’s closely guarded estate. Now here’s something the readers of Modern Luxury would like to know about, Ellie thought as she announced herself. A few moments later, the automatic gates peeled back behind a stone wall to let her through.
… … …
Rico drove and Brody propped his feet up on the dash with a notebook in his lap and tapped the empty page with his pen. He was relieved the next stop was his home state. He’d check in on his dad and Cameron Ranch, and pitch in where he could.
“Don’t tell me,” said Rico, pointing at the notebook, then flicking his eyes back to the road.
“I’m going into Billings with enough of a lead that I want to test the waters.”
“Aw, man. Why? She’s obviously willing to keep doing this with you. Why mess with it?”
Because the gold buckle isn’t all I’m going for here.
“She deserves it.”
“It ain’t like she’s suffering,” Rico laughed. “If you’re going to edge things forward, why not take some more of what she’s offering?”
Brody looked at him as if he had three bull horns.
“What’d I say?”
“It’s not like that with her.”
Rico shook his head in disbelief. “That’s all it is with her. You don’t know nothin’ more about her than her body.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Life moves so fast these days. It’s all about instant gratification. There’s nothing instant about this woman. I guess I’m getting off on exploring one small corner of her world and getting to know it like I’ve never done with anybody else. I feel connected to her. More than any of the buckle bunnies I’ve actually talked to. It feels like I’m honoring her.”
“Excuse me?”
Brody had whispered the last bit and didn’t intend to repeat it. He hardly understood it himself.
Chapter Five
Missoula, Montana
Sunlight streamed across the plaid wool blankets on the guest bed and Ellie groaned, curling into the warmth. What time was it anyway? The house was perfectly quiet. Either log cabin walls were able to deaden sound, or no one was up yet.
Or I’m the only lazy ass person on this farm who isn’t already awake and working, she thought, seeing it was after ten in the morning.
Ellie pulled on her softest jeans and t–shirt and wrapped her sweater with the long grey fringe around herself as she headed downstairs toward the smell of roasted coffee and freshly baked goodness. Her gracious hostess was nowhere to be found, though the table had a single place setting with a cloth–covered basket and coffee mug waiting for her. On the plate was an envelope with her name on it. Well, it said Elsie, anyway.
She filled her mug, smiling as she nosed into the steam before taking her first sip. Ellie chose a blueberry muffin–still warm–from the basket and leaning against the counter, slowly savored the taste on her tongue and the quiet of the space. Rather than sitting at the rustic kitchen table, she shoved the envelope in her back pocket, grabbed her coffee and muffin, and pushed the screen door open with her hip.
At the far end of the porch, Ellie climbed into a wide, deep–seated swing, her entire body relaxing into the easy sway, tucking back against overstuffed canvas pillows. Had she ever had a moment like this? A week ago she’d been racing along a multi–lane highway to get to Newark airport, and now the closest single–lane was five miles up the gravel drive. Soon she’d have to open her laptop and work but for now the peace of Janie and Josh’s ranch reigned.
Ellie raised her hip and slid the envelope out. As soon as she opened it she wished she hadn’t shoved it so carelessly into her ass–pocket and sat down. Inside was a shadowy picture of Brody, eyes a smoky caramel. She turned it over.
Missing you already.
Brody Cameron.
Ellie took in a stuttering breath, closed her eyes and pressed the photo to her heart. Curling a corner away from her chest, she peeked again and laughed, noticing he’d signed his last name. Of all the things she didn’t know about him, his last name wasn’t one of them.
… … …
After staring at his picture a little too long, Ellie became aware her other hand was clutching the warmth between her legs, and she had been stroking herself over her jeans with her thumb. It was one of his moves. The way he liked to do it. She could almost feel his fingers on her, spreading her as he gave her small, soft licks. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but apparently the way to hers was her pussy. Her heart pinched with fear that she had developed feelings for Brody based on nothing more than the physical. She knew better.
Had he been here?
She sat up fast.
Was he still here? Had he seen her touching herself while staring at his picture?
Ellie’s cheeks burned as laughter and the sound of horses approaching the house startled her again and she scrambled off the swing.
Janie approached on horseback with another woman, the two of them looking like a couple of proud rodeo queens. She couldn’t put her finger on it yet but Janie, and now her friend, had an air of confidence that must come from working the land, building and surviving on your own.
Ellie snaked the envelope behind her back then, as they got off their horses, she stuffed the picture back in and into her pocket. She’d have to remember not to sit on it again.
Janie came up the steps, grinning at her. Ellie knew exactly why. She exchanged a quick look with the other woman, as if they’d been talking about her, as if to say, ’yep, she’s the one I told you about’.
“Elsie, I brought a former city girl to meet you. This is Holly.”
“Seattle,” Holly offered. She beamed at Ellie for no good reason Ellie could think of other than pure friendliness.
“New York,” Ellie replied. “Do you raise bucking bulls too?”
“No, my husband’s family are cattle ranchers. My brother–in–law rides them though.” The woman blushed visibly and Janie spoke up almost immediately, drawing the attention away from Holly.
“We’re gonna have a girls’ night out tonight. You wanna come?”
… … …
It was long and slow and one of the best days Ellie could remember. She’d set up on the porch with a small antique table and chair Josh brought outside for her, looking out over green pastures and into the mountains while she worked, going over her notes, editing a story for Cooper and getting some of her own writing done. By the time the sun had set, she’d had a week’s worth of work completed. She showered, put on a clean dress and boots and was ready to go when Janie whistled down the hall for her.
Brought to His Knees-Tough Guys Laid Low By Love Page 48