“I understand.” He let out a sigh as they announced bull riding directly after barrel racing. “I’ve got to go.”
“I’ll find a place to sit.”
“Soph—” he stepped close because he couldn’t just walk away “—she looks good in your arms.”
Before she could protest or call him a choice name, he walked away. But he couldn’t stop smiling. Not even when they told him which bull he’d be riding. He’d drawn one of the meanest bulls the Coopers owned.
* * *
Jackson Cooper grinned, and then laughed. “You sure you don’t want to take a sick day, Keet?”
“I can ride this bull with my eyes closed.”
“I think you’ll want your eyes closed and some serious prayers before you ride him.” Jackson walked away from the fence he’d been leaning against. His smile disappeared. Great.
“I can handle him, Jackson.”
“I know you can. But tell me this. What are you doing with Sophie?”
“She’s watching Lucy for me. That’s all.”
“Mind a little advice?”
Keeton shrugged and pretended this conversation meant nothing. But Jackson had a pretty serious look on his face that warned him to tread easy. “Sure.”
“Don’t hurt her.”
“I’m not planning on it. She’s always been a friend.”
“I think we both know that isn’t true.”
“Jackson, there’s been a lot of years lived since Kade passed. There’s been a lot of time and distance.”
“I know. And here you both are, still stuck in the past.”
“I’m not stuck in the past.”
“You’re here because you can’t let go.”
“I’m here to get back what I lost.”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Sophie’s on the list of things you lost?”
“No, Sophie was never on the list of things I had to lose.”
At thirty-six, he was too stinking old for this conversation. He pushed his hat back and looked Jackson Cooper straight in the eye. “Jackson, with all due respect, back off.”
“She’s my sister.”
“We’re not teenagers. She’s not a kid you have to watch over. I don’t have to declare my intentions like this is some Old West drama.”
Jackson laughed. “You have intentions?”
“I have to ride a bull. And then I plan on ignoring you.”
He walked past Jackson and climbed the steps to the platform where he would wait to get on his bull. The old Holstein bull the Coopers owned bellowed in his chute, raising off his front legs in an attempt to climb out of the metal enclosure.
It kind of made a guy wonder why he did this for a living. It also kept him praying. But his attention strayed to the stands, looking for Sophie with his little girl. He spotted them. Sophie sat near the bottom of the bleachers, next to a woman he didn’t know. She had a cola in one hand and his baby in her arms.
Things had definitely changed. For the better? Yeah, he thought so.
* * *
Sophie hadn’t attended a rodeo in years. She never watched bull riding. Tonight she had to. She’d tried cuddling up with Lucy, pretending she didn’t care. But after thirty minutes at home, thinking about Keeton on a bull, she couldn’t take it. She had to be here, to watch. As if being here would stop something bad from happening.
She knew whatever would happen would happen with or without her presence. She knew that God really could take care of things without her help.
But logic had obviously flown out the window, along with common sense and a few other personal strengths. At this point, emotion seemed to be in control. And when had that ever happened to her?
Okay, not a question she wanted to answer.
She resituated herself on the wooden bench and pretended she really didn’t care what happened in the arena. She didn’t care that Dylan, her little brother, had just settled onto the back of a bull.
Travis, older than Dylan by a couple of years, stood in the arena, ready to rescue their little brother if need be. Jackson had the role of pick-up guy, sitting on his big chestnut gelding, reins loose in his hands, but the horse in control.
Sophie’s new sister-in-law Elizabeth leaned close. “It really will be okay.”
Sophie nodded but she couldn’t ask Elizabeth what she knew. Elizabeth was sweet. She was kind; she wanted to comfort Sophie. And she knew very little of the turmoil inside Sophie at that moment.
“I know.”
Elizabeth reached for her hand. “I’ll pray, too.”
Sophie nodded again and this time she couldn’t answer. The gate flew open. Sophie had always thought of herself as a strong person. She knew how to work past her pain, how to get things done.
She closed her eyes as her little brother came spinning out of the chute on the back of a bull. She squeezed them tighter when she heard the crowd scream. Elizabeth’s hand on hers held tight.
Two seconds into the ride, she opened her eyes and watched as Dylan slid to the side of the mammoth bull and then righted himself with his free arm, getting himself back in place. Her heart thudded hard and she held her breath. The buzzer sounded.
Dylan flew through the air, landing hard on his back. He shook his head, and then jumped, running from the bull that had decided playtime wasn’t over. Travis distracted the animal, tossing his hat to get its attention and giving Dylan a precious few seconds to jump over the gate.
“That cowboy gets a score.” The announcer spoke over the old PA system that crackled and cut a syllable or two from the announcement. “Dylan Cooper, 85.4.”
Sophie would have clapped but she had Lucy in her arms and the baby had fallen asleep. Next to her, Elizabeth clapped quietly, smiling at the sleeping infant.
The next rider up, Keeton West. The emcee gave a brief rundown of Keeton’s standings in the bid for a world title. He talked about Keeton’s past. He didn’t mention Kade. She looked up at the announcer’s box and smiled at Mike Farrows, a longtime resident of Dawson and often emcee of the rodeo. He tipped his hat and smiled back.
A commotion in the chute caught her attention. She watched as Keeton settled onto the back of his bull, one owned by her family. The old animal had seen better days, some said, but he could still put a guy on the ground. And make it hard for him to get settled and get his hand tight before the gate even opened.
“I can’t watch.” She stood up, ignoring the look Elizabeth gave her. “I have to go.”
“I’ll go with…” Elizabeth stood to follow her.
“Stay.” Sophie smiled, letting Elizabeth off the hook. “I’m fine. I just can’t watch.”
But the chute opened and she didn’t have a choice. Behind her, people wanted to see the action. She sat back down and waited, reminding herself that God could handle this. Of course He could. “Who, by worrying, can add a cubit to his stature,” she reminded herself. What good did worry do? It didn’t solve problems, cure illness, fix pain. Worry just added to troubles, made them bigger, more difficult.
She could… The buzzer sounded. Keeton jumped. He landed funny, going down on one knee. The bull charged. She held her breath, waiting. One of the bull fighters pulled Keeton back, and then Travis jumped in the way, somehow going airborne and flying over the back of the bull. The second bull fighter pulled the bull’s horns and distracted the animal from going after Travis. Keeton had already made it safely through the gate.
And of course Travis didn’t get hurt. He rarely did. Next to Sophie, Elizabeth exhaled and slumped a little. “He scares me when he does that.”
“I know.” Sophie reached for Elizabeth’s hand but she watched Keeton limp from the arena. “I know.”
She let go of Elizabeth’
s hand and excused herself. With Lucy held tight she picked her way through the crowd, and then headed for the back of the arena where cowboys stood talking in small groups, laughing, acting as if nothing had happened.
Keeton sat on the tailgate of a truck, his jean leg pulled up to expose a swollen knee. He grinned when she walked up, but something on her face must have warned him. His smile faded.
“Just a bruise,” he explained with a little bit of his smile back.
“Right. Idiot.”
“I guess I deserve that. For whatever reason.”
“You’re thirty-six and still riding bulls. Figure it out.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s about time to retire.” He eased himself down from the truck. “But I think I won first place tonight. So maybe I’ll wait another day or two.”
“Good idea.”
He winked and slid an arm around her waist. “I’m surprised you care so much.”
“I care because you have a daughter and what if something happens to you?”
“So this isn’t about you and me?”
“Stop joking around.” Sophie pulled away from him, Lucy still in her arms. The baby slept through everything.
Keeton didn’t smile. He didn’t grin. He didn’t wink. Instead he tilted his head to the side and stared at her, as if he had just seen her for the first time. “Soph, I’m not sure I’m teasing. Maybe I want this to be about you and me. What would you say to that?”
“I’d say you hit your head when you fell off that bull.”
He did grin after that. “I didn’t hit my head.”
“You’re losing your mind.”
He stepped close to her side and leaned in a little. “I’m thinking very clearly.”
“Keeton, stop.”
“I’m not sure if I can. Sophie, you know I’ve always…”
She put a hand up to stop him. But instead of doing what she intended, he slipped his fingers through hers and pulled her hand down to his side, pulling her close. “Keeton.”
“Give me a chance to be the man you need. I’m not a boy. We’re not kids.” He didn’t smile now, and she knew this would be tough. “This has to be said, Sophie. Kade’s gone. This isn’t about him, it’s about us.”
“I loved him.”
“I know you did. He was my kid brother and I loved him, too. But all of these years, loving someone who is gone.”
“Making his dreams yours?” she added.
“Maybe. But us, that’s something different. This is different.”
“I can’t.” She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t let him have space in her heart. No vacancy.
“I’m not giving up.”
She put Lucy in his arms. “I’m leaving. I can’t do this.”
“You can’t run from it.”
“Yes, I can.” She could be a coward if it meant protecting her heart from a cowboy who wouldn’t stay in her life. “See you around.”
“You have the infant seat.”
“Come and get it.” She kept walking, her back to him.
“Soph, come on.”
She turned back and he stood in the same spot, a cowboy in a dusty shirt, worn chaps, and his hat pushed back. The baby curled in his arms seemed out of place, and yet, not. “What.”
“I think I can’t walk that fast on this knee.” He grinned. “And that isn’t easy to admit.”
“Fine.” She walked back and took Lucy from his arms. “I’ll carry her. You’re on your own.”
“Thanks.” He limped next to her as they walked across the parking area to her car.
Sophie slowed to match his uneven gait. “Do you need to go to the emergency room?”
“No, I’m fine. It’s an old wound that I keep hoping will fix itself. Torn ACL.”
“Brilliant. Did you think of maybe having surgery?”
“Not this season. Not when I’m this high up in the standings.”
“So you’ll…” She shook her head and let it go. “Never mind. Do what you want.”
“Thank you, I will.” He leaned against her car as she held Lucy in one arm and pulled the seat out with the other. “I can take her.”
Sophie handed him the seat. “I’ll get her in the truck for you.”
“This hurts a little more than it used to,” he admitted as they walked to his truck.
“I’m sure it does. That’s because you’re old.”
“Do you have to keep reminding me of that?”
“Someone should.” She opened the truck door and he put the seat in. “But you’re still pretty easy to look at.”
And she really had just said that. She wanted to groan as the words slipped out, bringing his head up as he fastened the seat into the truck. Of course he smiled an easy smile, his dark eyes locking with hers.
“You’re pretty easy on the eyes, too.” He took the baby from her arms. “As a matter of fact, you’re pretty easy to hold.”
“Don’t make me sorry I said that.” She already was.
He laughed as he buckled Lucy into her seat. “Soph, you’re sorry without me helping.”
The baby woke up, fussed a little and went back to sleep. Keeton closed the truck door and Sophie found herself still standing there. She should walk away. She should mean what she said about not wanting him in her life.
But she hadn’t meant it and they both knew it.
“I’m going.” She hadn’t meant that, either.
Keeton touched her hand and then he held it, using the touch to draw her to him. One step and they were face-to-face. One motion and she was in his arms. One heartbeat, two. His lips on hers. Her arms around his waist. His arms holding her tight. Years melted. She remembered being seventeen and knowing that no one else would ever make her feel what Keeton West made her feel. She remembered the guilt in that moment.
He whispered her name close to her ear. Sophie opened her eyes, shaking her head in response and to clear her thoughts.
“I have to go.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.”
“I have to go.” She walked away and she didn’t look back, because looking back was never a good idea. The cowboy Cupid seemed to be on the loose again. She would not get struck by his arrow.
Chapter Five
The alarm clock went off way too soon. Keeton groaned and rolled over to slap the snooze button. Lucy whimpered. He hit the button fast. She’d been awake twice in the night. He couldn’t make it through the day if he didn’t get a little sleep.
A few minutes later it went off again. He opened one eye and glanced at the time. Nearly eight in the morning. He had to get up and get busy. He’d figured on going to church today. That’s what a guy did when he moved back home to Dawson. He moved into his old home, renewed old friendships, maybe found his old faith.
Renewed old friendships. That thought brought another and he covered his face with his arm. Sophie. He moved his arm and looked out the window, wondering what in the world he’d been thinking the night before. He shouldn’t have kissed her. He definitely shouldn’t have held her.
Holding her had been the biggest mistake. A kiss could almost be nothing. Holding Sophie, that changed everything. Holding her was personal. It connected them. Or at least connected him. She might take more convincing.
The phone rang. He reached for it, drawing it to his ear.
“Yeah.”
“It’s Mom.”
“Oh. Hi.”
“Why in the world are you doing this?”
He sighed and wished he could just go back to sleep.
“Doing what?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m buying back what shouldn’t have
been sold. You thought selling this place and moving would fix us. How’d that work out for you?”
He’d been angry when his parents made the decision without talking it over with him. He’d been a kid in their eyes, a man in his own. After all these years he was righting their wrong. Maybe he shouldn’t go that far in his accusations or explanation.
“Keeton, that isn’t fair. You know why I had to get away from Dawson.”
Yeah, memories. She’d been running from memories. She’d said that everywhere she looked she saw something that reminded her of Kade. And most especially, she couldn’t look at Sophie. She’d said looking at Sophie Cooper broke her heart. Everything had broken her heart. So she’d given up on family and buried herself in a job at the bank.
“Mom, selling out and moving didn’t fix your family.”
No need to remind her that his father, her ex-husband, now lived in subsidized housing and couldn’t stay clean and sober for more than a month at a time. She’d taken a guy that had always been a rancher and turned him into a nine-to-five guy.
Would things have been better or worse if they’d stayed here?
No one would ever know the answer. But Keeton had a plan to bring his dad back here, to the land his parents and grandparents had owned. He wanted to give his dad the opportunity to be the person he’d been.
If he could just get back the land that had already been bought. Sophie’s share didn’t bother him. The biggest portion now belonged to a corporation. He meant to do some digging and find out who the owners were and what they planned on doing with it.
His mom reminded him she was on the other end of the phone. He’d managed to push himself out of bed and limp across the room to the crib. Lucy slept soundly, her little cheeks pink and her thumb in her mouth.
Yeah, he guessed he should tell his mother she had a granddaughter. Deep breath, wait until she got finished with the lecture about buying the land and holding tight to the past.
“Mom, I have something to tell you.”
“That you’ve come to your senses?”
He smiled at that. “No, I actually wanted to tell you that you’re a grandmother.”
“I’m what?” Her voice went quiet. “What?”
The Bull Rider's Baby Page 5