Racing Christmas

by Shanna Hatfield

  Then again, he knew what Cooper said was true. Women followed after him, begged for his autograph, propositioned him everywhere he went. Did it bother Brylee at all?

  “I don’t think she cares, Coop. She’d have to consider me more than a friend for that to be an issue.”

  Cooper guffawed as they entered the hotel and stepped onto the elevator. “Surely you aren’t as dumb as you sound right now. You are the only person on the planet who doesn’t know how much she likes you, Shaun. Get your head on straight and your eyeballs examined. If Brylee isn’t completely in love with you, I will eat my big, rainbow-colored foam hat.”

  Shaun grinned. “I’d like to see that, but I hope I lose this bet.”

  “I hope you do, too.” Cooper got off on his floor when the elevator doors opened. “Make sure you all are at the fashion show by eleven or my wife will have a meltdown and no one wants that to happen.”

  “We’ll be there.” Shaun went to his room then sent Brylee a text that he had coffee and pastries.

  Before she could reply, Jason and Birch walked in. The boy was so excited he could barely contain his enthusiasm or energy.

  “Did you get a good photo with the sign?” Shaun asked, glancing at Birch’s phone as he held it out. The teen was pointing to the sign with a big grin on his face in the image. “That’s great.”

  “Did you bring back plenty of food? I’m starving,” Jason said as he sat on a barstool at the counter in the kitchen and took a cup of coffee from the box.

  “There’s milk and juice in there, too.” Shaun slid the box toward Birch.

  Brylee arrived and the four of them shared breakfast.

  “Okay, guys, it’s the last day in town. What one thing does everyone want to do today before we run out of time?” Jason asked as he helped himself to a croissant filled with ham, eggs, and cheese.

  “We’ve done some fun things since I got here,” Birch said, wiping his mouth on a paper napkin. “But I’d really like to see the M&M store.”

  “Not a problem. Totally doable,” Brylee said, smiling at her brother then looking to Jason. “Don’t laugh at me, but I’d love to see the Titanic exhibit.”

  Birch snickered and jumped up from the barstool. He held his hands out from his sides, as though he stood on the end of the ship’s deck and needed to maintain balance. Shaun moved behind him, recreating a famous pose from the Titanic movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Together, the two goofballs sang the chorus to “My Heart Will Go On.”

  Jason glared at both of them then patted Brylee on the back. “We’ll make that happen, darlin.’” He glanced at Shaun. “What about you, son?”

  “I’m game to go wherever you guys want to go, but if we head down to the Titanic exhibit, I wouldn’t mind popping by the Christmas vendor show on that end of town.” Shaun grinned at Birch. “Then you’ll get to see the granddaddy of them all this afternoon when your sister makes an appearance at the Lasso Eight booth.”

  “Great! When do we leave?” Birch asked, glugging the last of his milk and taking a step toward the door.

  “Let us finish our coffee first, Birch,” Brylee said, taking a sip of hers and flipping her hair over her shoulder.

  Shaun grabbed a maple bar just to keep from reaching out and burying his hands in the fragrant profusion of curls she’d fashioned that morning. Each one taunted and tempted him to touch the silken ribbons of her hair.

  He took a savage bite out of the doughnut then shifted his attention to his father. “What about you, Dad? Anywhere you want to go?”

  “Nope, I’m happy just to hang out with you kids, but we should get going soon if we want to see everything before the fashion show. If we’re late, Paige is likely to string you two up by your thumbs.”

  Brylee nodded. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready to go.” She left with Birch tagging along behind her.

  Shaun released a sigh and sank down on the barstool she’d vacated. “I’m out of time, Dad, and out of ideas.”

  Jason offered him a sympathetic thump on the back. “The opportunity hasn’t ended yet, son. You’ve got until midnight to turn her head. If that doesn’t happen, you do know where she lives.”

  “Midnight?” Shaun asked, taking a drink of coffee that had grown lukewarm. His dad grinned and Shaun shook his head. “I know, nothing good happens after midnight. It might if she’d marry me again.”

  “Then give her a reason to want to marry you, Shaun. You can figure this out, and I know you will.”

  Jason disappeared into his room while Shaun cleaned up their breakfast mess, left a tip for the housekeeper on the counter, then went to grab a few things he needed before they met Brylee and Birch in the hall.

  Hours later, he was no closer to figuring out how to capture Brylee’s heart. In awe of her, he stood behind the curtain of the stage and watched her strut down the runway at the Lasso Eight fashion show. She executed a sassy turn before she made her way back to the other models, including Jessie Jarrett and Celia Kressley, standing across the stage.

  Shaun studied the navy blue halter dress Brylee wore. The dress style was simple, but looked fancy with a spray of pink and red roses embroidered along the bodice and down to the high slits on both sides of the skirt. Absently, he hoped Paige let her keep that particular dress because he’d sure love to see her wear it again. At home. With just the two of them.

  Nervous, he shifted from one foot to the other as Kenzie Morgan and Kaley McGraw walked out on the stage with their youngsters followed by Tate and Cort. The two families earned more than their share of applause from the crowd, especially when little Grace pranced out front and dipped into a dramatic bow.

  “That kid is gonna give her dad a run for his money,” Cooper observed as he watched Cort pick up Grace. He carried her back down the runway and behind the curtain.

  “I’d feel sorry for him, but he probably deserves it,” Shaun said, making Cooper, and Chase Jarrett, who’d joined them, snort with laughter as the show ended.

  Brylee left the stage and disappeared with the other women. A few minutes later, she emerged in yet another western dress that made Shaun take a moment to appreciate her curves, her smooth skin, and the long curls of her golden hair.

  “When are you gonna marry that girl, again?” Chase asked with a teasing grin.

  “I’m working on convincing her, I just don’t want to distract her before the end of the rodeo.”

  “Good plan. Distractions aren’t a good thing. I think…” Chase lost his train of thought. He grinned from ear to ear as his lovely wife beamed at him and hurried his way.

  “So says the man who can’t even finish a sentence when his wife smiles at him,” Shaun said, waving at the couple as they left. He knew he’d see them at the Lasso Eight booth soon.

  While he and Brylee hung out at the booth, signing autographs, Jason and Birch wandered through the huge cowboy Christmas vendor show. By the time they’d finished their shift at the booth, Birch had accumulated several bags of purchases. Jason volunteered to carry everything out to Brylee’s pickup while the rest of them kept shopping.

  “Are you spending all your money in one place, kid?” Brylee asked with a teasing smile.

  “Aw, don’t give me a hard time,” Birch said, looping an arm around her shoulders. “I might have even bought you a Christmas present.”

  “Really?” she perked up at that statement and stretched to see if she could see Jason in the crowd. “Maybe I’ll peek in the bags.”

  “No, you won’t,” Shaun said, moving to her other side, blocking her in between him and Birch. He looked at the teenager over Brylee’s head. “What else do you want to see, Birch?”

  The boy pointed to a booth selling cowboy hats. After Birch bought a new straw hat, Jason reappeared and pointed to his watch. “We better get going if Brylee’s going to change and get to the rodeo grounds on time.”

  “Okay,” Birch said, staring with longing at the rest of the show he hadn’t yet had time to exp
lore.

  Shaun gave Brylee an imploring look. “Why don’t Birch and I hang out here a while? We can catch up with you later.”

  Brylee stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I hate to pull him away when he’s having fun and he’ll be bored waiting around for the rodeo to start. I’ll catch up with you guys later. Are you staying or going, Jason?”

  “I’ll keep an eye on these two,” Jason said, smirking at Brylee. “We’ll see you later.”

  “You can count on it.” Brylee waved then hurried toward the exit.

  “Birch, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” Shaun said as he and Jason walked with the boy down another aisle.

  “What’s that?” Birch asked, stopping to look over a booth selling hand-forged knives.

  “Do you think you could hang out with Dad for a while after the rodeo? I’d sure like to take your sister on a real date, but I’ll postpone it if you have something you want to do with Brylee later.”

  Birch grinned. “Man, it’s about time you took her out. Are you thinking dinner and flowers and the whole thing?”

  Shaun smiled. “The whole thing.”

  “Then go for it,” the boy said, turning his attention back to the display of knives.

  Jason gave Shaun a meaningful glance before softly chuckling. “Kid is right. It’s about time.”

  When Shaun, Jason, and Birch arrived at the rodeo, they bought barbecue beef sandwiches and strolled through the booths there. They listened to a concert for a while before wandering toward their seats. Shaun didn’t plan to stay. He’d go hang out with Brylee as soon as the steer wrestling started. They visited with the Morgan and McGraw families when they filled the row behind them. Cooper and Paige sat down next to Birch while Jessie Jarrett and Chase’s aunt and uncle along with his cousin Ashley filed in and occupied seats in the row in front of them.

  “The gang’s all here. Let’s get this party started!” Cooper said, causing Paige to roll her eyes and shake her head at him.

  Once the rodeo got underway, Shaun joined in the good-natured teasing going on between his friends. As soon as the steer wrestling began, he hustled out of the stands and made his way to where he knew he’d find Brylee getting ready to ride.

  She wore the navy blue shirt he’d bought her the day she’d slid in the mud in Pendleton. Sponsor patches had been sewn along the sleeves and on the pockets. It was a good thing it happened to be a Lasso Eight brand or she might have been in trouble with Paige and the company’s owner.

  “Hey, Bitsy. Need any help,” he asked as she bent down to put on Rocket’s boots.

  She glanced up and handed him a boot. “I’d love some help.”

  As he slipped on Rocket’s boots, he watched her, watched the way she worked with easy, graceful movements. Watched the way her hair slid over one shoulder, leaving a little portion of her neck exposed. A spot that would be perfect to kiss if he wasn’t determined to keep his emotions and yearnings in check, at least until after the rodeo.

  “Finished?” Brylee asked, drawing his thoughts back to the moment instead of his plans for later.

  “Yep. What else do you need me to do?” Shaun asked as she checked the cinch on the saddle for what he knew was probably the third, or maybe fifth, time.

  “Just keep me company, Copperhead.” Brylee smiled at him in a way that gave him hope he might have a shot at winning her back. The few times she’d called him Copperhead made him so happy his heart had galloped in his chest. That endearment, such as it was, carried a wealth of sweet, wonderful memories from the days when he knew she loved him.

  As they walked Rocket over to the warm-up arena, he measured his steps to her shorter stride. The air held a cool bite to it, but Brylee didn’t seem to notice. She appeared deep in thought as they made a lap around the arena in silence. Finally, she glanced over at him and took a deep breath.

  “Shaun, there’s something I need to tell you, actually several things. I, um… can we meet after the rodeo? Hopefully, I’ll need to attend the awards ceremony, but after that, would you make time for the two of us to talk?”

  He grinned and placed his hand at the small of her back, wondering if that light connection affected her like it did him anytime they touched. “You must have read my mind, because I was prepared to beg you for a little of your time later. Dad said he’d keep Birch out of trouble if we want to have dinner and talk. I thought maybe we could order room service so we could speak in private. Would that work for you?”

  “Yes, that will be great.” Relieved, she nodded and looked as though a weight had lifted off her shoulders as she stopped and turned to face him. “I’m about one step away from being an emotional mess right now, so I’ll make this quick. Shaun Price, you’ve been an amazing friend to me the last few months, and especially the last two weeks. Truly, you are the best friend I’ve ever had and I appreciate you more than I can ever adequately express.”

  “Right back at ya’, Bitsy. I’ve got more friends than I know what do to with some days, but you are my best friend. As your best friend, I’m telling you right now to let go of whatever is worrying you and relax. You need to shake off the tension before you climb on Rocket. He’ll feel it and it’s going to mess up your ride. I want you to win tonight, not just be a champion, because it’s your goal, your dream.” He grinned and kissed her cheek. “And because I think you’re the best and have earned that title.”

  She gave him a brief hug then shook her arms and legs. “Tension shaken off. Now, what do you say we go win this thing?”

  Shaun grinned and walked with her to the alleyway where the barrel racers started lining up. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, then hurried over to the Rockin’ K trailer where he’d stashed a little something for Brylee.

  When he returned, she was laughing at something one of the other girls said. He stepped beside her and held up three roses, stems already cut short.

  “What’s this?” Brylee asked in surprise.

  “For the head,” he said, handing her a yellow rose. She sniffed the blossom then tucked it in the band of her hat.

  Next, he handed her a red rose. “For the heart.”

  Brylee’s cheeks turned a deep pink hue as she took the blossom and held it to her nose. She glanced around for somewhere to put it.

  “Here, take this,” one of the mothers standing with a young contestant handed Brylee a safety pin.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking the pin and fastening the rose to the front of her shirt, next to the Lasso Eight logo right above her heart. She looked down at Shaun with such love, he almost let out a whoop of victory.

  “What’s the last one for?” she asked.

  “For the spirit.” He held up a rose that was orange at the base and faded to a soft shade of coral around the tips of the petals. The woman at the flower shop had told him the meaning behind every shade of rose she had. Pink for admiration, sweetness, and joy. That was the color he’d given Brylee all week.

  Tonight he wanted to do something more. The yellow rose meant friendship and new beginnings, or so the florist told him. He thought it was an appropriate symbol of what he hoped would happen when he spoke with Brylee tonight — a new beginning for them, a second chance at love. The red rose he knew signified love and passion. The orange-hued blossom, according to the florist, meant desire. It seemed wildly appropriate, too, considering the direction his thoughts continued to travel.

  He wanted Brylee with every breath he took, but it was so much more than a physical longing. Love for the stubborn, tough, tender girl filled his heart so full there were moments he thought he might drown in the emotion. Instead of running away from it this time, like he had six years ago, he wanted to run into it, to fall into it, and never find his way out of it.

  Brylee challenged him, teased him, forced him to think, made him laugh, made him want to be a better version of himself. When he was with her, anything seemed possible. He just hoped the possibility of her opening her heart to him a second time
existed.

  In a few hours, he’d know.

  Brylee took the orange rose and gave him a look so full of yearning, he wanted to pull her off Rocket and lose himself in her arms.

  “Thank you, Shaun,” she whispered and tucked the rose into the braid she’d fashioned in Rocket’s mane. The orange color stood out in bright contrast to the horse’s black mane and gray coat. “Now Rocket and I both can have a little reminder of you with us when we ride tonight.”

  Shaun placed a hand on her knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Just go out there and ride for the pure pleasure of it. Win or lose, you’re still the best.”

  She leaned down and grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him up until their lips met in a hard, demanding kiss. When she pulled back, the girls around them were gawking and giggling. One of the cheekier girls shouted. “What took you so long to do that, Brylee?”

  Although her face was nearly as red as the rose pinned to her shirt, she gave Shaun a parting glance then rode Rocket forward.

  Shaun watched her impressive, skillful ride with a broad smile.

  “She’s shooting out of the pocket like a rocket on Rocket, folks,” the announcer said, clearly amused with his clever turn of phrase.

  Shaun held his breath as she flew across the arena and came close to breaking the finals standing record. Even though she didn’t quite make it, she did end the night with a ride that she could be proud of. He was certainly proud of her.

  As she left the arena amid ear-splitting cheers, Shaun jogged to catch up with her where she stopped at the end of the alley.

  Her face glowed from excitement as he reached up and gave her a high-five. “That was awesome!”

  “It was awesome, Shaun. Thank you for telling me to do it just for the pleasure of it. I sometimes forget I need to be having fun, not just competing.”

  He scratched Rocket in that spot behind his ears that the horse loved. “You both did great. I’m so, so proud of you, Bitsy.”

  She grinned, then they held their breaths and listened as the winner was announced. Shaun wasn’t the least bit surprised that Brylee had won.