Enchanted by the Rodeo Queen--A Clean Romance

by Melinda Curtis

  “We’ll see in a minute.” Emily climbed up to sit on the arena’s top rail, hooking the heels of her boots on a lower rail. “Tina, don’t forget to smile.”

  Jonah clambered up to join her. “A test. I love it.”

  The teen stopped in the middle of the ring. The sound of her voice reached Emily but the words were spoken so low that she couldn’t distinguish them. Tina’s hands moved across Deadly’s long neck, around his chest, along the base of his mane and back. She was loving on him the way Kyle used to, the way no one had much time to do anymore.

  Emily’s heart ached.

  “This isn’t exactly what I expected,” Jonah said.

  Emily shushed him. Admittedly, she was a bit worried that Tina wouldn’t be able to connect with the powerful gelding. But what if she could? What if Tina was the kind of stubborn that Deadly needed? It might give her the boost she could use to win the rodeo competition. More than a ride on the mellow Button.

  Emily snuck a glance at Jonah, wishing she had the courage to steal a kiss for luck from the complicated man.

  If Tina can ride Deadly, it might give me the confidence I need to go for it with Jonah.

  Emily gave in to impulse and covered Jonah’s hand on the rail with her own, needing the reassurance of his touch, even if it was only her palm on the back of his hand. “No one but me and Bo have ridden him since my brother died. He’s a bit of a wild hair.”

  “Now you’re scaring me.” He wasn’t looking at Tina and the gelding. He stared at their hands.

  “You should try smiling when you say that,” Emily teased. “And toning down the sarcasm. You’ll earn more points.”

  “I hadn’t realized points were up for grabs,” he murmured.

  Tina kept talking to the gelding, kept touching him, feet firmly planted on the ground. Deadly pawed the dirt near her boots, but not like an angry mount ready to rebel. It was more a reminder that he was saddled and ready to ride.

  Jonah noticed, too. “I thought you told me that horse would chew me up and spit me out on the trail. Did you get her father to sign a permission slip?”

  “Deadly loves her.” Emily squeezed Jonah’s hand, consumed by guilt that she hadn’t given her brother’s horse the attention he deserved. “I hadn’t realized... I didn’t know...”

  “That he was just a misunderstood cream puff waiting for the right female to come along?”

  “Yeah.” Emily looked at Jonah, more than aware of the metaphor. Jonah was prickly and didn’t want to be tamed. And she was the unlikely female who might just be able to win his heart.

  “Is this a one-day thing?” Jonah stared at their hands once more. “Are you going to loan her the horse for the competition? Or sell him to her?”

  The conversation continued on two levels. “That is yet to be determined.” Emily could only hope for happy endings on both fronts.

  “Good morning.” Bo appeared at the corner of the arena, looking sly when he noted their joined hands.

  Jonah pulled back.

  Bo gave her an unrepentant grin. “Emily, I brought back the drill press. Do you want to show me where to put it?”

  “Put it back where you found it,” Jonah growled.

  “I’ll show you in a second,” Emily said. “I’m kind of busy right now.”

  Tina swung into Deadly’s saddle.

  For a moment, everyone seemed to hold their breath, even Tina and Deadly.

  And then the black gelding tried to bolt.

  Tina sat back and worked a gentle rein and heel, holding him in check. She kept talking to him in that low voice meant only for Deadly to hear.

  The gelding shifted his weight and pawed the ground but obeyed her commands.

  “What’s she waiting for?” Jonah asked.

  “He’s spooked her.” Bo leaned his arms on the rail next to Emily.

  “She’s doing a preflight check,” Emily said, hoping it was true. “She’s making sure she’s where she wants to be before she lets him run through the routine.”

  Tina gave Deadly a bit of slack on the reins.

  The gelding tried to run. Again, Tina held him back.

  “I’m familiar with that routine.” Bo had ridden Deadly a few times. “Sly dog.”

  But he wasn’t too sly for the teenager. She turned him in a tight circle at a walk and then controlled him at a slow pace around the perimeter of the ring, talking the whole time.

  “She has skills,” Bo noted.

  Emily’s chest swelled with pride.

  Halfway around the arena, Tina eased him into a trot.

  Deadly tossed his head, testing her control of the reins, trying to angle the bit in his mouth to a point where Tina’s signals would have no effect.

  “Watch him.” Emily shouldn’t have worried.

  “I’m okay. I used to have a pony like this.” Tina reined him in, slowing him back to a walk as she turned him in a tight circle.

  “I don’t think Deadly would appreciate being compared to a pony,” Jonah said with a soft chuckle, squeezing Emily’s hand.

  She hadn’t realized he’d taken it.

  “Clearly, you haven’t known a lot of ponies.” Emily drew a deep breath and released it, relieved because her protégé was smiling the way rodeo queens were supposed to—as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Ponies may be small, but they can be so stubborn if not properly or consistently trained.”

  “Much like people,” Jonah murmured. “Can’t always trust them to do the right thing.”

  Tina put Deadly into a trot. She had a good seat, moving with the horse instead of bouncing in the saddle. Halfway around the ring, she sent the gelding into a slow gallop. Deadly continued to ply his tricks. Head toss. Neck stretch. Trying to drop into a trot and trying to steer. His hindquarters swung sideways.

  Tina kept talking to him, working the reins conservatively but with authority.

  “She’s good,” Bo repeated.

  “She is,” Emily agreed. With a horse like Deadly, her horsemanship skills were on full display. “Put him through the pattern, Tina.”

  The teen shook her head. “He needs a little more shaking out.”

  “You can’t always get a horse completely ready in a competition.” Emily leaned forward. “He’ll look crisper, even if he’s misbehaving.”

  “He’ll break the pattern.” Tina was a careful horsewoman.

  “Try him. You might be surprised.”

  “Look at that smile,” Jonah marveled.

  Once more, Em swelled with pride. Less than two weeks ago, Tina had been rushing into a competition with no experience. Today she’d looked like a veteran competitor.

  Tina brought Deadly to the center ring and made him stand still. And then she began her pattern. Tight circles alternating with ever-increasing figure eights, moving at a controlled gallop, switching leads, pacing herself.

  Deadly’s ears swiveled forward and back. He held his head high. He’d always been a horse that appreciated a challenge.

  “They’d make a great contender if he didn’t have that scar on his chest,” Bo said.

  “That scar makes him interesting.” Jonah gestured toward the pair. “It makes you wonder how he can look so good and move so easily. It gives you a sense of awe.”

  “That’s how you want the judges to see you,” Em said. “That scar makes them memorable.” More so than Tina on her beautiful, tame palomino.

  “Was this your idea all along? To make her choose Deadly?” Jonah studied the look on Emily’s face. “Of course it was. You are scary brilliant.”

  “That she is,” Bo agreed, earning him a frown from Jonah.

  “You know what? I can’t visualize him and all his scars with glitter.” Jonah put both hands on his thighs.

  “He’ll be the most handsome horse of the bunch.” Emily was conv
inced it was true.

  Tina brought Deadly to a stop in the center ring. She backed him up in a straight line and then walked him forward. She brought him to a stop again, but Deadly had other ideas. He reared up. Not high, but high enough that Tina had to shift her weight.

  “That’s a deal-breaker,” Bo predicted.

  “I don’t know.” Emily admired how the teen had controlled the big black horse. “She smiled through the entire ride, as if she enjoyed the challenge as much as he enjoyed giving it to her.”

  Tina patted Deadly’s neck and trotted him over to her audience. “He’s a handful. I had to stay on my toes.”

  “You did a great job.” Emily hopped down to the ground and took hold of Deadly’s reins. “You did a good job, too, you big stinker.” Deadly shoved Emily’s shoulder with his nose. “How did that feel, Tina?”

  Tina dismounted, glowing. “It was fun.”

  Em kept on stroking Deadly’s neck, not looking at her student. “I think you should ride him in the general competition instead of Button. I think you should dress all in black and play off the fact that you are a proverbial dark horse. After all, he’s the dark horse who cheated death.”

  “I don’t know.” Tina didn’t immediately reject the idea. “Everyone would—”

  “Look at you,” Em said firmly. “They’d notice you and admire your skill. They’d remember you, too, for not just applying a coat of Worship Me lipstick and expecting to win.”

  “Touché,” Jonah said from behind them.

  “What would my dad say?” Tina’s brow furrowed. “And my mom...”

  “It’s your choice.” But Em tried to seal the deal. “If you want to win and you aren’t a conventional beauty, you have to think out of the box. Embrace your uniqueness—who you truly are.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t want to win badly enough,” Jonah added fuel to Emily’s motivational fire.

  The teen stuck out her chin. “I want to prove everyone wrong.”

  Me, too.

  Emily turned, smiling at Jonah.

  * * *

  “HEY, I’M THINKING about taking a hike up to Merciless Mike’s hideout today,” Jonah said to Emily when Bo and Tina had left.

  They stood in the barn’s breezeway, close enough to share secrets, far enough apart to avoid kisses.

  “A hike?” Em looked incredulous. “You hike?”

  “Walking helps me think.” And Jonah desperately wanted to tie up loose ends in his head. Not just about Mike Moody, which had been percolating for days, but about Emily. Did he want to tell Bo to back off where Em was concerned? Was that fair to his rodeo queen?

  “It’ll take you at least an hour to get up there.” Emily’s gaze dropped to his running shoes. “And an hour to get back. If you leave now, that allows you time to ponder Moody Mike and get home before the sun starts setting.”

  “Moody Mike?” Jonah quirked his brows. “Not Letty?”

  She shrugged and gave him a half smile. “I’d take you up there myself, but I’ve got to pick up groceries and clean out the chicken coop, not to mention call Tina’s dad about the change in horse and wardrobe plans. Why don’t you take the ATV down to the gate and up the fire road?”

  “I can hike through the woods,” Jonah insisted, feeling like his man-card was being challenged.

  “I can’t guarantee you won’t run into feral stock.” Emily frowned. “It can be dangerous on foot.”

  “I’ll be fine.” But Jonah thought about Emily’s brother, the scar Deadly bore, and remembered the sound of crunching metal when the big bull had rammed Shane’s Hummer. He revised his statement. “I’ll be careful.”

  Emily came closer, almost as if she was going to hug him. Instead, she touched his arm softly as she passed. “See you soon.”

  Jonah returned to the bunkhouse, where he’d used his portable printer earlier to print out both romance scripts for polishing, even though the rom-com script had no ending. Editing was relaxing. Improving his work made him feel better about himself. And right now, that was what he needed—a better self-image.

  He’d been tense the past few days. Out of sorts. Restless. Emily’s kisses hadn’t helped, even though he wouldn’t mind kissing her again to figure out why.

  He put an apple, a protein bar and a couple bottles of water in his backpack and was about to leave when Maury texted him.

  Two offers on those scripts, you lucky man. More later. No stink on you.

  Maury was wrong. There would be stink if he made those deals. It wouldn’t be clinging to his career. But it would solidify and repel Bo and Emily, two people he cared about. Two people he didn’t want to push away.

  Jonah stood, staring at Maury’s text message, knowing he should respond right away, knowing he had to tell his agent the projects weren’t really for sale. He’d give him an excuse—they weren’t ready, more work was needed, I don’t want to be a romance guy. He’d risk the professional stink a gap in sold projects implied.

  Sometimes a man has to draw the line. Grandpa Harlan’s words. But he’d been right.

  The only way to career success that gave Jonah the status he wanted was to write the story of Mike and Letty Moody.

  * * *

  JONAH REACHED MIKE MOODY’S hideout and sat on a boulder near the entrance.

  It’d been a long walk, a consistent climb. With each step and each breath of crisp mountain air, Jonah had felt his head clear. Doubts. Indecision. Cowgirls. Conflicted feelings. They all drifted away.

  This ridge had been used for a hundred years or more as a place to look east and west, sunrise and sunset, forward and back.

  He took out his phone and reviewed his notes on Mike and Letty.

  Born in Philadelphia, the siblings traveled in a wagon train until they’d been left behind somewhere south of Second Chance, accused of theft. They’d spent a year in Second Chance before the robberies began. Letty was courted by Old Jeb Clark, Emily’s ancestor. The Moodys turned to a life of theft and murder, and when they tried to rob Jeb, he’d fired back, possibly killing Letty. After that, Mike was still a greedy thief, but not such a murderous blackheart.

  Had the loss of his sister reformed him? Jonah didn’t think so.

  He washed a hand over his face, certain he was missing something.

  There was nothing remarkable about Mike, other than him hiding the gold up here.

  There was nothing remarkable about Jeb, other than he’d been sweet on Letty.

  There was nothing remarkable about Letty...

  Oh, there was a lot remarkable about Letty. There was the theft from the wagon train—a silver teaspoon, a gilded hair comb, a music box. Those weren’t items someone could sell for a lot of money. Those were things a woman coveted.

  There was Mike’s accomplice. A short, slight man who didn’t speak but stayed far back in the woods. Oh, that had to be Letty. And then Jeb had come across the siblings as they waited for a stage to pass through. He’d fired into the woods at the most dangerous figure of the despicable pair. He’d fired at Letty. He’d been distraught when people from town had found him.

  There was a reason Jonah had been unable to put the pieces together. Mike wasn’t merciless. Letty was.

  Scenes came to him—too fast to keep track of. Jonah couldn’t type fast enough into his phone. But he didn’t want to lose the story thread. He didn’t want to lose anything.

  There’s no stink on me.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  EXTERIOR. A WAGON TRAIN DISAPPEARING IN THE DISTANCE. Mike and Letty headed the other way in a wagon. Mike is wearing thick glasses.

  MIKE: You shouldn’t have taken Mrs. Granville’s music box.

  LETTY: Or Miss Hilliard’s hair comb.

  MIKE (softening): Or Miss Jenkin’s silver spoon.

  Their expressions lighten and they begin to laugh.

  EXTERI
OR. SECOND CHANCE MAIN STREET. Mike and Letty driving the wagon through town as a snowstorm blows in. They stare at the Mercantile and Trading Post with interest.

  MIKE: They sell gentlemen’s clothes in there.

  LETTY (smiling coyly at the blacksmith): Your eyesight’s growing weak, Mike. How much longer do you think you can support us selling suits? And who in the frontier will buy them? We need a stake and another wagon train if we want to get to San Francisco.

  INTERIOR. THE SMITHY DURING A SNOWSTORM. Letty flirting with Jeb, who is busy making her a new frying pan.

  JEB: I know I don’t have much, Letty, but—

  LETTY: I don’t need nice things. (She laughs.) Except maybe a bigger frying pan now that I’m cooking for you and my brother. I’m afraid he’s going blind.

  JEB: I can take care of you, Letty. Both of you.

  LETTY: I’m not the kind of woman who makes a good wife.

  EXTERIOR. THE STAGE ROAD NORTH OF TOWN. A TREE HAS FALLEN ACROSS THE ROAD. Letty and Mike are both wearing fancy suits. At the sound of a stage approaching, they both pull flour sacks with eyeholes over their heads. Letty moves deeper into the trees and raises her shotgun.

  LETTY: Stare at whoever’s speaking. They won’t know you can barely see.

  Letty cocks her shotgun. Mike steps onto the road behind the tree, raises his arm and draws the hammer back on his six-shooter as the stage rounds the bend.

  MIKE: This is a holdup. Throw down the cash box and everyone lives.

  The guard begins to raise his rifle, but Letty shoots him first. He falls, dead before he hits the ground.

  DRIVER: Who are you?

  MIKE: The Merciless gang. Now throw down the cash box and no one else dies.

  INTERIOR. THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE IN SECOND CHANCE. Mike’s eyes are being examined.

  DOCTOR: His vision is failing, miss. In a year, maybe two, he’ll be completely blind.

  Mike closes his eyes, visibly shaken. Letty presses her lips together, angry that with all their loot they can’t buy back Mike’s vision. She knows she can’t pull off the robberies alone.

  The mayor enters, visibly shaken. Letty covers the stolen ring on her hand.