Racing Christmas

by Shanna Hatfield

  “So, did things go okay with you and the Price boys?” Frank asked as they drove south of town.

  “They did. Jason is just awesome. In some ways, he reminds me of my dad.” Brylee glanced over at Frank. “Although he can snore like nobody’s business.”

  Frank chuckled. “I can’t comment since Kash and Ransom swear I sound like fighting bears have taken up residence under my bed.”

  Brylee grinned. “It was far, far worse than that.”

  “How about Shaun. You do okay with him?”

  “Yes, sir.” Truthfully, Brylee had done okay with Shaun. If the fluttering in her stomach every time he called her Bitsy was any indication, she’d done better than okay. But those thoughts were only going to get her in trouble, so she packed them away.

  “You and Shaun have a little history, don’t you?”

  Slowly, Brylee nodded. That was putting it mildly. “We do, indeed.”

  “Well, it’s none of my business, but you both kind of look like you’re maybe moving beyond whatever is in the past. It’s always a good thing when you can do that because you can’t ever get to the future and where you’re supposed to be if you keep looking back at where you’ve already been.”

  Brylee smiled and placed a hand on Frank’s arm. “That sounds exactly like something my dad would have said.”

  Frank nodded. “I met your dad a few times when he was roping partners with Myles Smith. He really was a good guy. Sure am sorry to hear about what happened to him. Those unexpected accidents are sometimes the hardest to move past.”

  “Yeah, they are.” Brylee sighed and looked out the window. “Sometimes I’ll be in the barn or out working in the fields and expect to turn around and see Dad there.”

  “He’s there with ya’, honey. He’ll always be there in your heart.” Frank gave her a warm, fatherly look. “I bet he’s smiling at you, proud as punch over how hard you work to be successful.”

  Emotion clogged Brylee’s throat, so she nodded her head and forced back the tears as Frank pulled up at the house. He let her out before he drove the supplies down to the barn.

  That night, as the family and all the employees gathered in the shade of the backyard trees for a barbecue dinner, everyone congratulated Brylee on getting rid of her cast.

  “I suppose you’ll be burning up the road now that you can drive,” Jason said, smiling at her as he took a seat beside her.

  Brylee shook her head. “No, I won’t be. The doctor said I still can’t drive. Not until the brace comes off.”

  “Brylee, I’m sorry,” Celia said, leaning around Jason to squeeze her hand. “You know you’re more than welcome to continue traveling with us.”

  “Thank you. I truly appreciate the offer and will most likely take you up on it. I’m just trying to figure out how to get my pickup and trailer back home. It would be great if I have them there when I get the okay to take off my brace, but I’m not sure how to make that happen.” Brylee toyed with the glass of lemonade in her hand. She didn’t want to ask anyone to drive it for her. She already felt like she’d been a huge imposition to them all.

  “I’ll drive it home for you,” Shaun volunteered. “After the rodeo next week, we’ll come back here to switch out stock. Dad can drive the truck without me for a day and I’ll drive your pickup. We can leave it at your mom’s place then head on to the rodeo in Kennewick before we come back to Walla Walla.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Jason said, bumping shoulders with Brylee. “I’d hate to lose our great cook.”

  Brylee shook her head. “I’m far from great, but I’m glad I can do something to be helpful.”

  “Are you kidding?” Kash asked from across the picnic table. “You’ve helped the guys with their horses, you worked the stock pens with us, and you even helped us load at the last rodeo. You’ve more than earned a place with us.”

  Brylee blushed at his praise and ducked her head.

  Jason patted her on the shoulder then looked down the table at Frank. “Did I hear you say you had your eye on a new bull?”

  Grateful the conversation shifted away from her, Brylee finished eating then helped Barb and Celia carry the food inside. The guys set the yard to rights and cleaned up the garbage from the paper plates and cups they’d used.

  She was on her way into the house with a bowl that held only a few crumbs of chips when she turned the corner to go into the house and smacked into Shaun.

  “Oh!” She would have fallen if he hadn’t reached out and caught her. Even with the bowl between them, she felt too close to him. Too intimately near with the night shrouding them in darkness and the murmur of voices creating a soft background serenade on the breeze.

  “Sorry. I was looking for you,” Shaun said, releasing her and stepping back. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at her. She didn’t remember him being someone who went around with his hands in his pockets all the time, but he sure seemed to be doing it a lot lately.

  “What can I do for you?” she asked, taking another step away from him. Away from the decadent fragrance of him that smelled like leather and winter mountains and all man.

  “I just wanted to check and make sure you were okay with my suggestion. I really don’t mind driving your rig for you.” Shaun stepped to one side, as though he just realized he blocked her path to the house.

  “No, I’m fine with the plan and very grateful for the help, Shaun. I… um… I really do appreciate it, and all that you’ve done the past few weeks. Thank you.”

  He smiled, his teeth glowing white in the evening darkness. “My pleasure, Bitsy. See you in the morning.”

  Before she could say another word, he strolled off, whistling a tune she thought she recognized but didn’t want to. If she wasn’t mistaken it was the song that had been playing the first time he kissed her.

  Maybe she would let him take her to a pet store to touch a snake. She’d vowed she’d be poised on the edge of oblivion before she ever forgave Shaun for what he’d done. Either the world was about to end, or she was finally letting go of the past.

  The next morning, Brylee packed her bag, including a pair of cowboy boots with short shafts that fit over her brace. She carried her things down to the kitchen and hugged Barb then Frank before she went out to stow her things in Shaun’s trailer.

  Distracted by thoughts of Shaun and the upcoming rodeos, she stepped inside. When she turned to stow her bag on her bed, she dropped it as a snake’s head poked out from beneath the mattress by her head.

  Badly startled, she gasped for breath and spun around to leave. It was then she noticed a second snake coiled around the faucet of the sink.

  Brylee screamed and raced out of the trailer, stomping the ground a few times, as though the snakes had slithered beneath her feet. The sound of laughter finally penetrated her panic as Shaun and some of the other guys watched her from nearby.

  “What is so funny?” she shouted, pointing toward the trailer door. “There are two snakes in there. How did they get…?” Her panic gave way to fury. “You put them in there, didn’t you, Shaun?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe they slithered in on their own.” He stepped into the trailer and retrieved the two rubber snakes that looked entirely realistic, especially to a girl with a great fear of reptiles. “They aren’t even real, Bits. Just made of recycled tires.”

  Shaun held the head of one between his thumb and index finger and wiggled it toward her face. “Totally harmless.”

  Brylee grabbed it out of his hand. “The snakes might be, but I’m not!” She smacked him across the arm three times with the snake while the guys around them hooted with laughter. “Do not ever play a snake prank on me again. Ever!” She hit him once more as he pretended to crouch from her in fear of dire injury. Exasperated, she tossed the snake in his face and limped off with her leg aching from the abuse she’d given it after jumping out of the trailer and stamping her feet.

  “Reckon you best leave those snakes at home, Shaun,” she heard Billy tell him as s
he walked around the pickup.

  “I reckon Billy is right,” she muttered, hurrying away before the guys caught her smile. As angry as she was at Shaun, she knew she’d most likely looked like she was trying to invent a few new dance moves in her reaction to the rubber snakes.

  At least with Shaun around things were never dull.

  And revenge was going to be so sweet.

  Chapter Eight

  Brylee quietly opened the trailer door and stepped inside. She knew Shaun had hurried in to take a shower before the rodeo began. All three of them had spent what seemed like half the day sorting stock in the heat. While Jason showered and changed, Brylee helped Shaun saddle the horses they planned to use during the bareback riding then went to brush down Rocket.

  She glanced at her watch, figuring how long it would take Shaun to shower. She wanted to be in the trailer when he finished because she’d figured out a way to finally get back at him for his little prank with the snakes.

  It had taken her a week to come up with an idea and a few more days to implement the plan, but she could barely contain her giggles as she thought about Shaun’s face when he figured out what she’d done.

  When a giggle threatened to roll out her lips, she pressed her hand to her mouth and waited. Shaun was singing to himself. She could just picture him belting out one of his favorite songs while toweling dry.

  Then the picture shifted in focus from him singing to the toweling dry part. Rats. Why couldn’t she just focus on being ornery to him instead of his incredible body? Since she’d moved into the trailer with him and his dad he’d run around in front of her without a shirt enough times that she should be used to seeing him that way. But each time she saw those muscles on display, it made her want things she would never, ever have.

  The first time Shaun had yanked off his shirt in front of her, she’d gaped at the scars he bore on his sides, back, and chest. He looked like he’d battled a knife-wielding madman and barely survived the experience. He’d had two scars when she’d been dating him, but he’d added quite a collection in the ensuing years.

  As though he sensed her perusal, he pointed to a red gash on his side that appeared to be the newest. “Occupational hazard. It’s a good idea to avoid getting a spur in the side,” he said, then left her gaping after him as he made his way into the bathroom to shower.

  Today, though, she tried not to think how enticing he looked without his shirt and center her attention on his reaction to her joke. She shifted a step closer and a floorboard squeaked.

  The bathroom door opened and moist air rolled into the rest of the trailer. Shaun stuck his head out and smiled at her. “I thought I heard someone out here. I’ll be finished in a minute.”

  “No hurry,” Brylee said, leaning against the counter in the tiny kitchen. “I just came in to get out of the heat.”

  “It’s like being in a broiler out there today. I hope it cools down before the rodeo gets started,” he said. Shaun stepped back into the bathroom then reappeared with his toothbrush in his hand. “Is Rocket ready to win tonight?”

  Brylee smiled. “Of course. He’s always ready to win, whether we do or not.”

  Shaun nodded as he brushed his teeth then disappeared into the bathroom again. He returned with a can of aerosol deodorant in his hand. He gave the can a hearty shake then lifted the opposite arm over his head and sprayed his armpit.

  Brylee bit her lip to keep from laughing as he switched hands and sprayed the other pit. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he glanced from one armpit to the other, then at the can in his hands.

  “Hey, this isn’t my deo,” he said, looking from the can back to his armpits. The hair stood out all stiff and sticky. “It’s hairspray!”

  Brylee could no longer contain her laughter. When it burst out of her, Shawn offered her a sharp scowl, making her laugh all the more. Tears rolled out of her eyes and she held on to the counter to remain upright. “Need a little mousse to go with that?” she wheezed between snickers.

  Shaun took a step toward her, pointing the can her direction. “You did this, didn’t you?”

  Before he sprayed her with the hairspray, she took the can from him. She’d had to wait until she could catch a ride with Billy to the nearest superstore to find a can of hairspray that so closely resembled Shaun’s deodorant he wouldn’t notice the difference at a quick glance.

  She giggled again, unable to stop herself. “Guilty as charged. The next time you think about scaring me half to death with snakes, remember this moment.”

  “I’ll remember it all right, Bitsy.” His menacing glower did nothing to dampen the humor she found in the situation.

  One second Shaun was pouting at the bathroom door and the next he’d picked her up with one arm and held her against his damp, solid chest. Shaun yanked the hairspray out of her hand and sprayed it all over her head. He tossed the can behind him, out of her reach, and then ran his fingers into her hair, making it stand up all over.

  “Maybe you better remember who got the last laugh, darlin’.”

  “Oh, I will,” she said, squirming against him. Both of them were laughing as he tried to tickle her sides. The more she wiggled to get away, the closer he held her until their lips were nearly touching.

  His eyes looked like a summer sky right before a lightning storm, a mixture of swirling grays and blues. The sparks dancing in them ignited. She braced herself, sure the wildfire about to explode between the two of them would set the trailer ablaze.

  Unable to fight whatever insane force drew her to him, she half-heartedly pushed at him to let her go. He tossed her over his shoulder and popped her on the backside, but at that moment the towel he had wrapped around his waist started to slip. Left with the choice of setting her down or baring all his assets, he clutched at the towel and bent down to let her slide onto her feet.

  “I’ll go check on the horses,” she said, and raced out the door before she did something stupid, like kiss that smug cowboy.

  Jason walked up and mounted Jingo, giving Brylee a strange look. “Shaun ready to go?”

  She shook her head. “He’s having a technical issue.” Giggles erupted again as she told Jason about switching the deodorant with hairspray.

  He hooted with laughter.

  “Oh, honey, I wish I’d seen his face when he figured it out. He doesn’t have time to take another shower, so he’s just going to have to work with sticky pits.” Jason rode around the trailer and leaned down from the horse enough he could open the door. “Shaun, get a move on. Time to get to work.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” he hollered. “And if Brylee’s out there, tell her we are a long, long way from being done with this.”

  She snickered and Jason laughed again as he shut the door.

  He gave her a high five. “Does him good to have his cage rattled once in a while.” Jason was still chuckling as he rode off toward the arena.

  An hour and a half later, Brylee had showered and changed. She sat on the back of Coal outside the gate near the bucking chutes as Shaun and Jason waited for the saddle bronc riding to begin.

  Cooper strutted into the arena wearing a rainbow-colored foam fifty-gallon cowboy hat that sported a smattering of gold glitter across the crown.

  “What is that thing on your head, Cooper?” the announcer asked.

  “A hat. Have you lost your spidey-vision?” Cooper made his way over to Shaun and Jason then struck a pose. “I look pretty cool, don’t I?”

  “You look…” the announcer’s voice trailed off, obviously distracted by something going on in the announcer’s box.

  Cooper swung up behind Shaun and swept off the hat, fanning it back and forth beside him. “Don’t you think my hat’s something, Shaun?”

  Shaun chuckled. “Absolutely, Coop. You better hang onto that hat with both hands. If you don’t, one of the barrel racers might wrestle it away from you. It’s just colorful enough with the right amount of gaudy flair one of them might want to wear it.”

  The
crowd laughed and Brylee joined in their amusement. Shaun wasn’t wrong in saying some of the barrel racers got pretty wild with their outfits, hats included. She didn’t have the time or money to invest in flashy outfits, even if she’d wanted to, which she didn’t. Her black hat and favorite navy shirt were good enough for her.

  Over the course of the past few months, she’d picked up a few sponsorships which made a huge difference. Although when she started out this year with a dream and determination, it seemed like a long shot to make enough money to pay off the debt and save the ranch. Now, with sponsors on board, and more than a hundred thousand dollars in earnings, she could see a light glimmering at the end of what had been a pitch-black tunnel. If she could just make it through another six weeks of competing and stay on top, she’d have a solid chance at the finals in December.

  “Say, Shaun, I heard from the fellas that you’ve come up with a new way to beat the heat.” Cooper’s voice took on the tone he used when he was about to completely humiliate someone.

  Shaun gave him a cautious glance over his shoulder. “I have?”

  “Way I heard it,” Cooper said as he slid off the horse and plopped the hat back on his head, “was that you discovered hairspray works great as an under arm barrier to sweat. Did Miss Clairol spray that on your pits for you or did you go for Aqua Net?”

  The crowd laughed while Shaun tossed a dark scowl at Cooper then whipped around to glare at Brylee. She was as horrified as he appeared. She hadn’t told anyone other than Jason. Her gaze flicked to his. He was laughing so hard, he was about to fall right off his horse.

  Cooper held his arms stretched out with his pinky fingers in the air then made an exaggerated pirouette in the arena.

  Before anyone else could share any comments, the first rider charged out of the chute.

  Brylee watched Shaun and Jason work. It always amazed her how attuned they were to each other and to everything going on around them. While Shaun rode up on the left side of the rider, Jason closed in on the right and loosened the cinch strap. Shaun took the bronc rein and snubbed it around his saddle horn while holding out an arm for the rider to grab hold of and launch himself off the bucking horse. The rider whipped over the back of Shaun’s horse and landed on the other side of him. Shaun looked to make sure the rider was fine before he turned and headed toward the gate with the horse.