Hardly a scrap of food remained. When had she eaten that much food?
Shaking his head, he continued on to the bedroom and threw the clothes in his suitcase and then went to the bathroom for the stuff in there. As he was dropping his toiletry bag into his suitcase his cell rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he picked up the phone.
“Pronto.”
“Va bene?” His brother Paolo asked.
Marco wasn’t quite sure how to answer his brother’s inquiry, since at the moment he was feeling anything but good, so he simply replied, “Si.”
Paolo switched to English. They were both trying to improve speaking the language and had made a promise to use it even in conversation between the two of them. “Ready to go?”
“Yes. Meet you downstairs.”
A few moments later they had stashed everything in their Range Rover and got on the road to the next event in Houston, a seven-hour drive from their present location in Oklahoma City. At least it was a straight shot. Unfortunately, that straight shot went right through Dallas, a city Marco knew was a bitch to drive through from prior, and nearly deadly, experience. He prayed they wouldn’t hit rush-hour traffic so they’d make it to the event with time to spare before registration closed.
He and his brother battled through the Dallas-area traffic, which they hit as the morning rush hour was ending. Paolo was thankfully driving, leaving Marco plenty of free time to white-knuckle the “Oh Shit” handle. After grabbing a quick lunch on the go they arrived in Houston around midafternoon, going straight to the arena to register and then to a hotel not far from there to check in. As he handed over his credit card, Marco’s thoughts strayed to Natalie. Where was she staying? Another dump? He was surprised by how angry the thought made him.
They hadn’t eaten much for lunch since neither was a fan of fast food, so after stowing their luggage, he and Paolo went down to the hotel’s restaurant. Each ordered a pasta dish that was on special that evening, and Marco decided he’d better let his brother in on this… affair he seemed to be starting with Natalie.
He couldn’t forget Natalie’s taste, or the way her body had melted into his as he’d kissed her. It had been a risk to kiss her, but once again, his gut had proven correct.
Marco cleared his throat and his brother looked over at him.
“What is wrong?” Paolo’s face betrayed his worry and Marco felt badly he’d apparently misled his brother.
Marco said, “Nothing’s wrong. I, um, met someone.”
“Where? When?”
“Yesterday, after I rode. Remember how I told you I was going to dinner? I went with her. But it’s weird.”
“Oh?”
“She is unlike any woman I’ve ever met.” Marco sat back in his chair, unsure of how to describe Natalie to his brother. “Her father is passed,” both of them made a quick Sign of the Cross just like they had their entire lives when speaking of the dead, “and she thinks she’s the reason he died. But then when she’s not thinking about him, she has this enjoyment of life that makes you want to be around her.”
“Who is she? What does she look like?”
“Her name is Natalie. She’s actually on tour to study us.”
“Us? You and me?” That wouldn’t be all that unusual. Marco especially was the subject of conjecture and interest from the Italian tabloids, but they’d largely left him alone since he’d come to the United States.
“Well, bull riders. She wants to try out for the women’s tour.”
Paolo’s mouth fell open. “A female bull rider?”
“She said it was what her father did before he worked on their ranch and what he would’ve wanted her to do.”
Paolo’s mouth formed an O and Marco had to laugh. “What father would want his daughter to do something so dangerous?”
“Remember, America is not like Italy. The women here are much more forward and independent.”
“I know, but…”
Marco smiled. “It’s a lot to get used to. And when I saw where she was staying last night—”
“You move fast.”
“We didn’t sleep together,” Marco grumbled, wondering why it bothered him Paolo had leapt to that conclusion. “I dropped her off after dinner, and when I saw the motel I insisted she let me in to check out the room. It was horrible, fratello piccolo. I have never seen anything like it. I convinced her to come back and stay with me at our hotel.”
“Where is she now?”
“I don’t know,” Marco replied, rubbing his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose. “She doesn’t have a cell phone and she’s driving this horrible old little car.”
Paolo reached across the table to squeeze his shoulder. “I’m sure she’s all right.”
“I’ll feel better after I see her.”
“Describe her to me.”
Marco was grateful for the subject change. “She has very long blonde hair,” Marco began, indicating a spot on his back, and Paolo snorted. Both men had a thing for blondes since they were in such short supply back in Italy. “And blue eyes. Her skin is very pale and she’s thin. Too thin.”
“You always did prefer them with curves.” Paolo demonstrated with his hands and Marco chuckled.
“Yes, I do. Once she was in the room with me, though, it felt as if…” He struggled to find the correct English word and gave up. He reverted back to their native language. “It felt as if she should be there. Like it was destino.”
Paolo’s eyes widened. “Is my brother falling in love?”
“No, no. But she is different from the buckle bunnies. And I want her.”
“Guard your heart carefully. There are many women who only see our money when they look at us.”
“She isn’t like that.”
“I never said she was, but it would serve you well to remember that.”
Marco changed the subject again, but kept coming back to Natalie. He knew he wouldn’t rest until she made it to the event safely, but also knew he needed to concentrate on his upcoming ride. Even the slightest bit of inattention could be disastrous when on top of a bull.
* * * * *
For about the thousandth time that day Natalie swore and slowed down. Every time she tried to push her car a little, hell, even to break fifty miles an hour, the damn thing started to shake as if there were an earthquake. She’d only stopped to gas up, choosing to make her way through the pastries she’d swiped from Marco’s room rather than buying yet more fast food. Hopefully she could find a microwave somewhere tonight or she’d be eating cold pancakes and eggs for dinner before the event and hoping like hell not to get food poisoning. If she even made it to the event.
Checking her watch since the clock in the car had long since broken, she shook her head. The event began at six and it was already almost midafternoon. She still had, by her rough calculation, at least five more hours of driving. It had taken forever to maneuver her way through Dallas in midday traffic, but she finally made it to the south end and was heading toward Houston.
If she was lucky she would be in her seat before the second group of riders started. At least the lesser-known riders would go first, and she didn’t want to study them as much as she wanted to see guys such as Marco, along with the other top riders like Brady Parrish and Conner Raub. Maybe Marco would introduce her to them. She bit her lip, remembering the kiss he’d given her that morning. Natalie needed to be careful how much she asked of him lest he expect something in return, something she had no time to fool around with. She was here to learn from the best how to ride a bull and that was it. If she repeated that often enough maybe she would even start to believe it.
By the time she reached the arena she was exhausted, dirty and cranky. The event had begun a while ago, but Natalie stopped in the bathroom on her way to the seating area to try to wash as best she could and at least brush her hair into a nicer ponytail. She might not be looking for a man, but she had some pride. Natalie made a face at herself in the mirror and skedaddled to her seat. Thankful
ly she had purchased tickets to the next several events before selling her laptop, so she had a decent spot.
Her seat had a good view of the arena itself, but not of the chutes off to one side where the riders got settled on the bulls. She looked for Marco and then cursed herself for her weakness. Taking a small notepad and pen out of her purse, she prepared to take notes, but then remembered she hadn’t grabbed a program.
Sighing, she waited until the present rider was done and excused herself all along her row as she made her way back out to the main concourse area. Luckily she was able to find a program and had just turned to go back to the stands when she was grabbed. The impulse to scream was there, but no sound came out. Large hands spun her around and then pulled her into a hug.
“Cara, cara, you’re here.” It was Marco.
Natalie pushed away from him. “You scared the hell out of me, Marco.”
“I did not mean to scare you, but I was so worried.”
“Why?”
Before Marco could answer, another man Natalie recognized as Marco’s little brother Paolo materialized seemingly out of thin air. “Hello, pretty lady. I am Paolo.”
Did all Italians flirt like this? “Um, hello.” She spun back to Marco. “Why were you so worried?”
“I’ve been looking for you ever since we arrived today. I don’t think your car is safe.”
“Well, you found me, and I’m fine. My car is fine too.” As long as you don’t mind driving like an eighty-year-old grandmother with cataracts…
“Hey,” Paolo cut in, “you need to go get ready, amico.”
Marco glared briefly at him and said, “I will be there soon. By the way, this is Natalie.”
“I gathered,” Paolo answered with a wink. “Don’t take too long.”
As soon as Paolo walked away Marco was on her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her as if his life depended on it. A bevy of emotions warred for supremacy in her tired brain, but Marco’s kiss demanded a response and she gave it, pushing her hands into his hair and knocking his cowboy hat off his head.
He didn’t seem to mind, though, as he moved in closer, tightening his arms around her. She had a fleeting thought that they were in public and she should probably pull away, but her brain couldn’t convince the rest of her body to deny itself of the racking sensations zinging through her. Already her self-control was nearly annihilated and he’d hardly touched her.
This time it was Marco who pulled away. Running a hand through his hair and then bending down to retrieve his hat, he said, “I do need to get ready to ride.” He sighed and his facial expression betrayed his frustration. “If I am not concentrating that bull will kill me.” It sounded as if he was apologizing, and Natalie’s eyebrows drew down as she frowned.
“You’re right, you should prepare.”
“Ah yes, you know all about this from the bronc riding, don’t you?”
Natalie nodded, remembering well how she’d get into a zone and probably wouldn’t hear a hurricane approaching. “I do. So go.”
“I will if you agree to meet me later.”
Rolling her eyes, she reached into her purse to stow the program. As she did, one of the cloth napkins from the pastries popped out and floated down to the ground. Natalie closed her eyes in mortification as evidence of her theft that morning came in the form of a wrinkled white napkin.
Marco, to his credit, grabbed it and handed it back to her without a word, but Natalie saw the tenseness on his face. Was he angry?
“Look, I just didn’t want to waste food,” she said.
He shook his head. “I don’t care about the food. I’m happy you took it. Say you’ll meet me.”
“I’ll meet you.”
Marco offered a brief salute before trotting away and Natalie returned to her seat. She’d missed several riders, but the top ones were still forthcoming. Thanking her lucky stars she hadn’t gotten so distracted she’d missed the very reason for coming here, she strengthened her resolve not to let Marco put her purpose for this scouting trip on the back burner.
She watched a few more riders and then they took a quick break before the last group. Paolo had been in the group right before the intermission and it was obvious his brother was the better of the two riders. He didn’t have the natural grace of Marco, and even though he managed to stay on for almost six seconds before being bucked, he didn’t look in control at any point.
Marco was scheduled to ride second in the last group of ten and Natalie hoped he’d been able to relax and get his equipment in order. She didn’t want to distract him with her problems. Things happened so fast in bull riding that even under optimum conditions there were a million things that could go wrong.
The first rider and Marco both began to get set up in the chutes and Natalie wished she could see better. Her mind was changed, though, when Marco’s bull started acting up, tossing his head and banging against the sides of the chute. The sound was clear even from her seat, and she winced as she realized there was a good chance Marco’s legs were caught on the sides of the bull.
Conner and a few other guys jumped up onto the platform in back of the chute and hauled Marco off the bull. Thankfully, he appeared to be all right, and more men stepped in to try to calm the animal. After a few minutes, the first rider’s chute door opened and he and the bull careened out of it, with the bull making a quick turn to his left, nearly unseating the rider. But the man held on through several more spins until the buzzer sounded, and Natalie returned her attention to Marco.
He was about to drop down in the chute once more and the crowd let out a collective gasp as the bull jumped again. Marco waited him out and then tried a third time. “Is that boy nuts?” Natalie heard from behind her, and she had to agree with the man. She knew Marco could ask for a different bull, but it probably wouldn’t be ranked as high and thus wouldn’t get as big a score as the others in Marco’s group. Natalie shivered as the thought of her doing this ran through her mind. Was she nuts?
Almost as soon as Marco was in the chute the door opened and Natalie leaned forward in her seat. She knew Marco had to give a signal before they opened the door and wondered if he had or if a horrific event was unfolding before her eyes. The bull shot straight up in the air right by the walls of the chute and the arena, all four legs leaving the dirt. He landed and Natalie could swear his body was at a forty-five-degree angle to the ground as he spun.
Marco stayed with him and Natalie felt her chest swell. Why she was proud of someone she’d only met yesterday was a mystery, but as the buzzer sounded and Marco made a none-too-graceful dismount, Natalie couldn’t help it. She knew the bull would score very highly with the antics he’d forced Marco to endure, and not getting bucked would really help Marco’s half of the score.
His score came up and was lower than she’d expected. He’d scored an 85, which meant the judges had seen something she hadn’t. She wasn’t an expert by any means, and she made a note to ask Marco what happened. The other riders took their turns and all but one stayed on his bull, which put Marco in ninth place going into the second day.
Natalie made her way toward the riders’ prep area, hoping to meet some of the other riders, and a few moments later she was standing outside the locker room waiting for him to come out.
He did, walking beside his brother and Conner. Stopping in front of her, he turned so they were both facing Conner and Paolo and introduced her. Natalie looked up and up since Conner was easily a foot taller than she was.
“Pleasure to meet you, Natalie,” Conner said, holding out a huge hand and giving her a smile Natalie was sure got him whatever he wanted.
“Nice to meet you, too.” She cleared her throat and continued, hoping he wouldn’t think she was being too forward. “I’d love to talk to you some time about bull riding.”
“Oh?”
“I’m following you guys around for a couple of weeks. I want to try out for the women’s tour,” she explained and he smiled again. It was an encouraging smile,
not one of condescension or ridicule, and she liked Conner immediately.
“Of course you can talk to me. Just not right before I ride.” His gaze shifted to Marco for a moment before returning to hers. “But afterward or on an off-day would be fine.”
A woman appeared at Conner’s side and what was a nice smile turned into an indulgent one. “Jessie girl,” he murmured as he brushed his lips with hers. The woman patted the side of his face, and Natalie saw both an engagement ring and a wedding band. Lucky girl if she landed Conner. He turned her toward Natalie and said, “Natalie, this is my wife, Jessica. Jess, this is Natalie. She’s Marco’s…friend.”
Jessica glanced at Marco and then held out her hand. “Really nice to meet you.”
Conner put his arm around Jessica. “Natalie is following the tour around for a few weeks. She wants to become a female bull rider.”
Jessica’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
“Darlin’, you’re gonna catch flies,” Conner told her and she snapped it shut again.
Natalie laughed. These two were a trip. “Yeah, seriously.”
“You’ve got more of a sense of adventure than I do.”
“Oh, now, I wouldn’t say that,” Conner replied and Jessica blushed.
Marco spoke up then. “How about we all go to dinner?”
“That sounds good to me,” Conner said. “Jess?”
“Fine with me.”
Paolo excused himself, mumbling something about needing a woman of his own.
Natalie figured she could kill two birds with one stone—get herself a full belly and quiz the guys on their bull-riding techniques.
“Cara?”
“Sure, I can go.”
Natalie heard Jessica murmur, “I thought her name was Natalie” to Conner.
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