Midnight Ride

by Cat Johnson

  “You never did tell me why you’re here.” He was pretty sure Tuck hadn’t driven all those miles just to drink Tyler’s last beer.

  “Emma and Logan had to come to make plans for the baby’s christening, so Becca decided we should come along and help them.”

  Tyler laughed. “You? Help plan the christening? Do you know how?”

  “No. When Becca says we, she means she wants to do something and I’ll keep my mouth shut and go along if I know what’s good for me. You’ll see when you’re married.”

  “Um, yeah. Great. Thanks. Sounds real enticing.”

  Tuck tipped his head to the side. “There are fringe benefits to the deal.”

  Tyler knew exactly what Tuck was referring to. His brother always had been easily swayed by the promise of sex, one reason he’d ended up in a bad first marriage. At least he’d chosen better this second time around in marrying Becca.

  “So, anyway,” Tuck continued, “while Becca and Emma and Logan are meeting with the pastor tomorrow after the service at church and meeting with the manager at the restaurant to plan some brunch for after the thing, I’m free.”

  “Are you? You sure you don’t have to go—oh, I don’t know—sample christening cakes or choose party favors?”

  “No, I already asked. I’ve been exempted from the party-planning stuff because I gave up fishing at the lake to come here with Becca instead.”

  It was funny seeing his big brother so totally and completely whipped. “There’s a rodeo tomorrow. Wanna come?”

  Tuck’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Yup.” Tyler dipped his head. “Rohn’s supplying the bucking horses and bulls. One of the guys is still out hurt, so we’re down a man. We’re bringing a lot of animals and taking the big double-decker trailer. There’s room in the cab for a third, and Colton and I wouldn’t mind the company on the drive.”

  “A’ight. I’m in.”

  Tyler glanced at the cow clock on the wall of the kitchen. “You know, there’s still time to call in if you wanna ride.”

  “You riding?”

  “I am.” Tyler nodded.

  Tuck looked clearly tempted. “Nah. I better not.”

  “Why not?”

  “I didn’t bring my gear bag. I don’t have my rope or any of my shit.”

  “So?” Tyler shrugged. “I’ve got spare chaps, spurs, a vest, a rope, and a glove. You can borrow it all.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “But what?” Tyler leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, leveling his gaze on his brother. “Tuck, when I was little and you were just starting out riding pro, I remember times you couldn’t afford what you needed. You’d ride with borrowed equipment all the time.”

  Tuck rolled his eyes. “It’s not that.”

  “Oh, wait.” Tyler held up one hand. “The wife thing, right? You didn’t get permission.”

  The frown that creased Tuck’s brow was so deep, it was comical. “I don’t need permission.”

  Tyler wasn’t sure he believed that. “Then what are you waiting for?” He pushed off the counter and dug into his pocket for his cell. He scrolled through the recent numbers until he found the one he needed. He thrust the phone at Tuck. “There you go. That’s the call-in number.”

  Tuck hesitated for way longer than any bull rider should when presented with a chance to ride before he finally nodded. “A’ight.” He punched the final button to connect the call and raised the cell to his ear, while eyeing Tyler. “If she pitches a fit over this—”

  “I’ll take the heat. Blame it all on me, the bad influence who twisted your arm and made you ride when you didn’t want to.” Tyler already took the blame for most things, anyway.

  He could deal with his sister-in-law. He’d talked his way around pissed-off women before, and he was sure he’d do it again. With Emma, Logan, and their three-month old baby right next door as a distraction, Becca might not even notice Tuck was gone for the day.

  As Tuck entered the event, Tyler could only hope, because Becca could be one tough chick. Finally, Tuck hit to disconnect the call and tossed the cell onto the kitchen table. Tyler walked over to retrieve it.

  “So, how you been?” Tuck asked, taking another sip out of Tyler’s last bottle of beer.

  Tyler couldn’t help but think that an ice-cold brew would have gone down real nice and smooth right about now after a long hot day of working at both Rohn’s and Janie’s places. He’d have to go out and buy more if he wanted one, but he wasn’t sure it was worth the effort.

  Tyler pulled out a kitchen chair and sat instead. “I’m good.”

  “You’re home early for a Saturday night. No plans?”

  Tyler raised a brow. “Why are you so interested? Living vicariously through me now that you’re an old married man?”

  He wasn’t about to tell Tuck he was waiting for Janie to go out with him, and until she consented, he wasn’t going to waste his time, or ruin his chances with her, by seeing anyone else.

  “Hey, I might be married, but I’m not old.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Tuck. You are very old. At least, you’re older than me.” Tyler grinned.

  “Pfft, since you’re twenty-four, that’s not saying much.” Tuck let out a snort. “And being your age is nothing I look back at and long for. I was young and dumb back then, just like you are now.”

  “Thanks a lot. Real nice way to talk to your only brother.”

  Tuck rolled his eyes. “You’ll live.”

  “Yes, I will. Now excuse me. I need a shower.”

  “You’re not eating?”

  “I ate. Besides, you said there’s only crap in the fridge.”

  “Yeah, I was just hoping you were going out and bringing something back.”

  Tyler shook his head at his brother’s laziness. The man would run ten miles before breakfast, but he wanted Tyler to deliver dinner to him? Not gonna happen. “Where’s your lovely wife? It’s Becca’s job to feed you. Not mine.”

  “Don’t let her hear you saying that. And she’s over next door with Emma doing christening shit. Invitations or something.” Tuck waved the detail off.

  “Then go get Logan. The two of you should hang out.”

  Tuck screwed up his mouth. “Logan’s on babysitting duty while the girls work.”

  Tyler laughed at the image of Logan, a forty-year-old career army officer, being stuck home on babysitting duty. “You know, a real friend would be over there keeping him company.”

  “Then I guess I’m a failure in the friend department. When it’s my baby, I’m sure I’ll be fine, but the kid barfed all over Logan the other day and I swear, I nearly lost it myself just seeing it. Ugh, and the smell. I don’t know what the hell they’re feeding that boy, but damn, it reeked coming back up.”

  That image, combined with the expression on Tuck’s face as he told the story, was enough to have Tyler laughing until his stomach hurt.

  When he finally got himself together enough to talk, he said, “I’m sorry, bro, but you’re on your own for food. I ate, I’m beat, and I need a shower. I’m fixin’ to watch a little TV and then hit the sack early. We gotta leave for Rohn’s at six to load the stock and then get on the road for Elk City.”

  “A’ight.” Tucker sighed and stood. “Guess I might as well do the same. Ain’t nothing better to do.”

  “Okay.” It wasn’t his job to entertain his brother, so Tyler started down the hall. He paused and turned back. “Don’t forget to tell your wife you’ll be gone all day tomorrow with me.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about me.”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about, bro. It’s her.” He didn’t need Tuck getting phone calls all day and being in a piss-poor mood because he was hours from home with no wheels of his own and had an angry wife waiting for him. “Remember, 6 A.M.”

  “I heard you the first time. Don’t worry about me. You know damn well I’ve usually run ten miles, showered, and eaten by 0600, so you wor
ry about yourself.” Tuck turned left down the hall toward the TV room while Tyler turned right toward his bedroom.

  Just like old times, bickering with Tuck, Logan next door at his parents’ house—if Tara came home this weekend, it would really be like the old days, and they weren’t always the good old days, either. Things could get a little crowded around this house, not to mention hostile, when all the siblings were in residence. One more reason he didn’t mind working late at Janie’s. Not that Tyler needed another reason. She was enough inspiration.

  He decided he was going to think about that inspiration the whole time he was in the shower. Maybe longer.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Janie’s butt had barely hit the wood of the church pew when Rene whispered, “You’re late.”

  “I know. Thanks for noticing,” she answered even though she had to think her late arrival would have been less disruptive to the rest of the congregation if she and Rene weren’t talking.

  She only had a moment to listen to the preacher before Rene leaned in close again and hissed, “So that’s him, sitting next to Tim.”

  Apparently this was not going to be a peaceful service. Janie played dumb and asked, “Him, who?”

  “Clyde. The guy I told you about.”

  “You mean the man you promised you wouldn’t force on me?”

  “I’m not forcing him on you. I’m just going to introduce you.”

  “Mommy. Shh.” Khriste, eyes open wide, leaned forward to shoot a frown at her mother.

  Rene pressed her lips together into a tight, unhappy-looking line. On the other side of their daughter, Tim smiled.

  Janie had to fight a smile herself. There was a modicum of satisfaction that Rene had gotten reprimanded by her nine-year-old daughter for talking in church. It didn’t make up for her friend breaking her promise by trying to fix Janie up with some random single guy. That’d annoy her any day. On the day after Tyler’s strange and enticing kiss, Rene’s effort to fix her up had Janie even more agitated than it normally would have.

  Khriste’s shaming of her mother worked. Rene was quiet for the remainder of the service, much to Janie’s relief. Of course, the one time she didn’t want the sermon to end, the service seemed to fly by. Maybe it seemed to go so fast because Janie’s mind kept wandering to the cowboy she shouldn’t be thinking of.

  More likely it was because she was dreading the end of this particular sermon because she knew what was coming—the big introduction when she’d have to formally meet Clyde.

  When the preacher was done and everyone stood, Janie had to admit that, like it or not, church was over. Unable to avoid it, Janie stood, too, as the pews around her emptied. She was about to turn for the aisle to make a quick exit from the building when Rene grabbed her arm.

  So close. Her friend knew she was about to run and hide, and now had a death grip on her arm.

  “Janie, hang on for a second. Before you rush away, I wanted to introduce you to Clyde.” Rene leaned back a bit to include the man standing on the other side of Khriste and Tim. “Clyde, this is my best friend in the world, Janie.”

  For the first time, Janie got a good look at her potential mate. At least that was what he’d be if Rene had her way. What the hell had her friend been thinking? This guy looked two decades older than Janie.

  Or maybe it was his gray hair and pastel plaid button-down shirt and gray trousers pulled up much too high making him look more like a grandfather than dating material. The reality was, beneath the salt-and-pepper hair and old-man clothes, he might only be ten or so years her senior. He could have the same number of years on her that she had on Tyler.

  That, in a nutshell, was why it was absolutely insane that thoughts of Tyler had kept her up half the night. Why she’d overslept and had to rush through the morning chores, all the while keeping one eye on the driveway in case he pulled in to do some work.

  Outwardly, she forced a smile and gave a little wave in his direction, while inwardly, she cursed her friend. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”

  He smiled, his eyes lighting up as they dropped to take her in from head to toe. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His voice sounded low and held a familiarity in its tone that made her feel as uncomfortable as his intense stare.

  “Sorry, I’m blocking us all in.” She gestured to the pew; she was standing at the end and had them all trapped between the wooden benches. “I’m just going to head outside.”

  She turned before anyone could stop her. Rene followed her out, as Janie knew she would. There was really nowhere else to go but out the front door and down the steps onto the walkway. Her only hope was to claim she was busy and get to her truck.

  “So, Janie . . .” Rene’s voice quashed that plan. “You and Clyde have something in common.”

  Besides Rene’s nosiness affecting both of them? Janie turned. “Oh? Do we?”

  “You do. His daughter is at Northeastern Oklahoma and rides for the rodeo team.”

  Not quite getting the connection, and not really wanting to, Janie said, “I didn’t go to NEO. I graduated from OSU.”

  “I know, but you were a barrel racer back in the day and you used to rodeo.”

  “Yes, that’s true.” Janie nodded, thinking Rene’s connection was a bit thin, and also calculating that Clyde had to be older than she was if he had a daughter in college.

  “She loves it. Myself, I never saw the use. Costs me a fortune in lessons and costumes and to board that horse of hers, and for what?” Clyde shrugged. “She’ll never get anything out of it.”

  “It can get expensive.” Janie shot Rene a wide-eyed glance that she hoped expressed everything she hadn’t said. Her best friend had fixed her up with a man who thought horses were a waste of time and money, knowing that Janie lived and breathed horses.

  Maybe Janie did ride for pleasure much less now than she had in the past, but riding and horses were a way of life, as well as her livelihood now that Tom was gone. Rene should have known better, and Janie intended to tell her so as soon as she got her alone.

  But first, Janie had to get herself away from this guy. “Well, on that note, I really have to get home and take care of some things for my own horses.”

  “You have horses on your property?” Clyde visibly perked up at that information. “Do you take in boarders? We should talk. Maybe I could bring my daughter’s—”

  “Um, no. Sorry.” She cut him off, desperate to nip any further association with this man in the bud. “I don’t board. I only keep my own.”

  “But you’re planning to start taking in boarders, right? Didn’t you tell me that?” Rene asked. She was apparently a little slow on the uptake if she didn’t notice how unhappy Janie was with Clyde and this whole situation. How desperately Janie was trying to get out of this delicately.

  “Uh, yeah, I did say that, but I don’t think I can.”

  “Why not?” Rene continued questioning her, driving Janie deeper and deeper into the lie.

  “Um, insurance and, uh, zoning issues.” Janie came up with the only excuses she could think of on the fly. “Anyway, I’d better go. It was nice meeting you.”

  “You, too, Janie. I hope to see you again real soon.” Clyde looked far more interested in Janie, and her curves as the breeze blew her dress around her, than she was in him.

  It was an uncomfortable situation to be in, and she owed it all to Rene. Janie narrowed her eyes at her friend. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Rene’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. She knew she was in trouble, and so she should. That gave Janie some satisfaction, at least.

  Meanwhile, she noticed Tim had kept well out of the whole fix-up debacle, taking Khriste to the table where the kids were being served cookies. Good man. He knew when to stay out of her business and her love life. If only she could get Rene to do the same. Janie had enough on her plate already.

  In her truck, she’d barely hit the road for home when her cell phone rang. No surprise there. She’d been expecting i
t to. So much so she’d put her hands-free earpiece in before she’d even pulled out of the church.

  “Rene Marie Morris, if you ever, ever try to fix me up with a man again, I swear—”

  “What’s the matter? I think he’s a handsome man.”

  “I don’t care what he looks like. He’s a . . . a . . . horse-hating letch.” It was the best Janie could come up with for her rant, but it was pretty accurate, in her opinion.

  “A what?” A hint of laughter colored Rene’s question.

  “He thinks his daughter’s riding is ridiculous and a waste of money. What kind of a father is that?”

  “He didn’t say that. He’s just tired of paying for boarding the horse. Which is why you should help him out—”

  “Oh, no. No way.” Janie shook her head, even if Rene couldn’t see her doing it.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t have a good feeling about him, Rene. He kept looking me up and down as if he was picturing me without my clothes on. It made me feel, I don’t know, dirty. Or like I wanted to hide myself from him.” Didn’t it figure the morning had been so warm that Janie hadn’t taken a sweater and she’d chosen a cool cotton sundress that revealed her bare neck and arms.

  “I didn’t see him doing that. If it was true, and he was eyeballing you, I would have noticed. Besides, you should be flattered. He finds you attractive.”

  Some attention was flattering. Some was not. Tyler obviously found her attractive, too, judging by that kiss, but he didn’t make her feel dirty. She didn’t have the impulse to cover up when he looked at her.

  “I don’t want to date him, Rene. That’s it. Case closed.”

  Though this really wasn’t over and wouldn’t be as long as Clyde continued to attend her church. She’d been going there since she was a child, when she used to go with her grandfather. She’d be damned if she would abandon it because of one man. Rene had to fix the mess she’d created. If Clyde asked about her, Rene would have to lie. Tell him Janie had a boyfriend or something. How Rene got her out of this was not Janie’s problem. Making sure her friend knew how she felt so this never happened again, was.