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She crouched to check under her desk and found them next to a protein bar she’d misplaced yesterday. Grabbing them both, she pushed to her feet.
“Will you at least hear me out?” Her cousin’s dark eyes weren’t just worried but annoyed.
“Go ahead.” Sophie unwrapped the bar and stuck half of it in her mouth, since she wouldn’t have time to eat anything else. She had to get on the road fast. No telling how much of a head start Ethan had... “When did he leave for Montana, do you know?”
“Are you going to listen to me at all?”
“Probably not.”
“Goddammit, Sophie.” Lola paused and lowered her voice. “We can’t afford for you to get all goo-goo-eyed over him. He’ll sweet-talk you into letting him go and we’ll be screwed.”
Sophie chewed a bit, then said, “Wow, your faith in me is really touching.”
“It’s not that. The money’s important, but I hate to think of you getting all twisted up over him again.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, I was never twisted up.”
“Yes, you were.” Lola smiled. “Don’t forget, I was there. Anyway, that was high school, so you were allowed.”
“Exactly. It was high school. I was fifteen. We had a fleeting encounter. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“He was your hero,” Lola said, her voice softening.
Sophie turned away to pick up her gym bag. “You’re only twenty-eight. I’m sure you still remember what it was like to be fifteen.”
At the beginning of her freshman year, Sophie and her mom had moved to Wyoming. Lola had been a junior and the only person Sophie knew in her new school. They hadn’t become friends quickly. Her cousin had had her own clique, and back then, Sophie had entered a nerdy phase, trying to balance her high IQ and an awkward social life.
That alone hadn’t made her the target of bullies. Having had the audacity to wear the wrong dress was the line she’d crossed. She found out later that the most popular girl in school had worn the same sundress the week before Sophie even started at Wattsville High. The whole thing was ridiculous, considering that Ashley had huge boobs and Sophie had little more than two mosquito bites. So of course Ashley had looked so much better in the spaghetti-strap dress.
God, Sophie still remembered what it had felt like to have those girls come after her with scissors. They’d cut her dress to ribbons before Ethan had stopped them and put his jacket over her shoulders.
Turned out Ashley was Ethan’s girlfriend. But he’d been furious when he stepped in and warned them off. After that, the girls still gave her evil looks, but they kept their distance.
Damn straight he’d been her hero.
“Are you still following his career?” Lola asked.
“No.” Sophie set the gym bag on her chair and shut down her laptop, refusing to look up. “I know you saw me at my worst, sneaking around, following him, trying to stay on his radar. Frankly it embarrasses me to even think about it.” All while he’d acted as if she hadn’t existed. That part she left out, and met Lola’s gaze. “Did you and Hawk have a fight?”
Lola’s brows went up. “Why?”
“I saw the look you gave him.”
“No, it’s just...” Lola waved dismissively. “I’d already told him he shouldn’t be hanging around here.”
Sophie tucked her tablet under her arm. “Look, the thing with Ethan happened a long time ago. I was a kid.” She smiled. “I can do this.”
Lola studied her for a moment. “Okay,” she said with a resigned sigh. “I just don’t understand why you’d want to.”
“I know,” Sophie said softly. She didn’t quite get it herself. It wasn’t as if she needed closure, but in a weird way, that was exactly how it felt. She stopped halfway to the door. “Don’t you think it’s odd he jumped bail? Ethan has a reputation for being a stand-up guy.”
“I don’t know what he’s thinking. He certainly doesn’t have a low profile.”
“Nope. The National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas starts in about a week. He’s going for his second championship title—” She saw the concern in Lola’s eyes. “I read something about it online the other day,” she murmured. “Try not to worry, okay? I’ve got this.”
She hoped.
* * *
THE WATERING HOLE was noisy, crowded with cowboys drinking beer and gorgeous accommodating women dressed to kill. Ethan Styles had frequented hundreds of bars just like this one in the nine years since he turned pro. He knew what it was like the night before a rodeo, especially in a small town like Blackfoot Falls. So why in the hell had he suggested meeting his friend Matt here?
Somehow Ethan had gotten the dumb idea that this rodeo would be different. No prize money was involved or qualifying points. The event was a fund-raiser for Safe Haven, a large animal sanctuary, so all the ticket and concession money went directly to them. But he should’ve known better. Rodeo fans were a loyal bunch, and having to travel to this remote Montana town obviously hadn’t bothered them.
Normally he was up for signing autographs and getting hit on by hot women. But with the finals a week away he’d been on edge since he hit Montana late this morning. After that bogus arrest in Wyoming and then hearing how fellow bull rider Tommy Lunt had busted his knee, foreboding had prickled the back of his neck.
He’d missed the finals himself because of injuries. Twice. Last year broken ribs and a punctured lung had sidelined him. Two seasons before that, it had been an elbow injury. So he had cause to be jumpy.
“Hey, Styles, ’bout time you showed up.” Kenny Horton stood at the bar with another bronc rider and three women, who all turned to eyeball Ethan.
He shook his head when Kenny motioned for him to join them. “Maybe later. I’m meeting someone.”
“Right behind you.”
At the sound of Matt Gunderson’s voice, Ethan grinned and turned around to shake his hand. “Glad to see you, buddy.”
“Same here. What’s it been...a year?”
“About that.” Ethan moved aside for a short, curvy blonde who’d just entered the bar. Their gazes met briefly, surprise flickering in her brown eyes. But then she brushed past him. “So, how’s retirement?” he asked Matt and shifted so he could watch the blonde walk up to the bar.
The seats were all taken. A cowboy jumped to his feet and offered her his stool. Shaking her head, she dug into her pocket. Her tight jeans didn’t leave room for much, but she managed to pull out a cell phone. She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. He always checked, though it hadn’t done him any good last week.
Wendy hadn’t been wearing one when he met her at the Ponderosa Saloon last Saturday, or when she invited him to her ranch that night. That hadn’t made her any less married, and to a mean, rich son of a bitch on top of everything.
“Retirement? Shit, I work twice as hard for half the money,” Matt said with a laugh. “But yeah, it was time.”
That part Ethan didn’t understand. Matt had been the one to beat. Yet out of the blue he’d just quit competing. Talk around the tour was that his new wife might’ve had something to do with it. “So, no regrets?”
“Not a one.” Matt frowned. “You can’t be thinking of getting out—”
“Hell no. Now that you’re off the circuit, maybe I can finally win another title.”
“Right.” Matt laughed. “I seem to remember you leaving me in the dust more than a few times.”
“Never when it counted.”
“Man, you’ve had some bad luck right before the finals. I should’ve convinced you to drop out when we changed the date. You’re the main draw this weekend. A lot of people are coming to see you ride Twister, but I should’ve thought this through.”
“Come on, you probably figured I wouldn’t make it to the finals.”
Matt reared his head back, eyes narrowed. “What the hell’s the matter with you, Styles?”
Ethan grinned. “Just joking.” No way he’d admit that he had considered bailing because he couldn’t risk injury. But then he’d only be superstitious about bad karma or some other bullshit. “It’s a worthy cause. I’m glad to do it.”
Just before Ethan turned to check on the blonde, he caught his friend’s sympathetic look. Most rodeo cowboys started young and came from families of die-hard fans. Matt had been a casual fan who’d climbed onto his first bull at a late age, and yet he understood the pressure coming at Ethan from all sides. Winning another gold buckle wasn’t just about ego or satisfying a lifelong dream. He came from rodeo royalty. Both his parents held multiple world champion titles. Most of their fans were also his fans. A lot of expectations drove him to succeed.
The woman was still standing at the bar, guys on either side of her vying for her attention, but she didn’t seem interested. She slowly sipped a drink, checked her phone and then leaned over the bar to talk to the older woman filling pitchers of beer.
Ethan smirked to himself. Bending over like that sure wouldn’t discourage guys from hitting on her. She knew how to wear a pair of plain faded jeans. Her boots were brown, low-heeled, scuffed. And the long-sleeve blue T-shirt was nothing fancy. No, she sure wasn’t dressed to be noticed like the other women circling the room. Maybe she lived on a nearby ranch and had just quit work.
Damn, she was hot.
And familiar. Yeah, women were plentiful for a bull rider, and he was no saint. He also wasn’t the type to forget a name or face. It sure felt as though he’d run into her before. More than that, he felt this odd pull... The kind of pull that could get him into trouble. Which he did not need, especially not now.
Someone called out to Matt and he waved in acknowledgment. “We’re not gonna find a table or a place at the bar. Maybe we should head over to the diner. Unless you’re looking to hook up with that blonde.”
“What blonde?” Ethan asked, and Matt smiled. “That describes half the women in here.”
“I’m talking about the one at the bar you’ve been eyeing.”
“Nah, I’m not looking for company. I’m keeping my nose clean until the finals.”
“A whole week? You’ll never make it.”
“Probably not.” Ethan laughed and glanced back at the bar. “Is she local?”
Matt studied her for a moment. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, I’ll be damned if it isn’t the twins,” a voice boomed from the back room.
Ethan and Matt exchanged glances. They both knew it was Tex, a bronc rider from Dallas. Though he wasn’t the only one who called them the twins. They’d joined the pro tour within months of each other, and in the beginning they’d often been mistaken for brothers. Ethan figured it wasn’t so much because they shared similar builds, or even because they both had light brown hair and blue eyes. It was their height. Six feet was tall for a bull rider.
“What are you boys doing standing there talking like two old women?” Tex yelled, a pool stick in one hand, an empty mug in the other. “Grab yourselves a pitcher and get on back here.”
“Guess he’s had a few,” Ethan said. Tex was quiet by nature. But after a couple of beers...
“He’d better be able to ride tomorrow,” Matt muttered, then turned when someone else shouted his name.
More people had poured into the bar. Ethan was willing to bet the place had reached capacity before the last ten customers had squeezed inside. And now that big-mouthed Tex had called attention to them, fans were approaching him and Matt for autographs.
They each accepted a pen and began scrawling their names. “You check in at The Boarding House yet?” Matt asked under his breath.
“An hour ago.”
“It’s not too late. You can stay out at the Lone Wolf. We’ve got a big house, trailer hookups. The inn’s overbooked, so the owner won’t have any trouble renting out your room. And my wife’s dying to meet you.”
“Hey, that’s right. You’re a married man now. Sorry I missed your wedding.”
“No problem. I warned Rachel there’d be conflicts no matter which weekend she chose.”
Ethan smiled as he passed the Safe Haven flyer he’d just signed to a middle-aged woman wearing a promotional Professional Bull Riders T-shirt from the 2010 finals, the year he wanted wiped from his memory forever. To be kept from the finals because of an injury was one thing, but to make it that far and then get hurt in the third round? Talk about fate landing a sucker punch.
This year nothing was going to keep him from the finals. Or from winning another gold buckle.
Nothing. Period.
2 (#ulink_8dd6f817-253d-5a22-95bd-d50f3dca7818)
SOPHIE SURE WISHED she’d known he was here in Blackfoot Falls for a rodeo before she’d left Wyoming. The event was a fund-raiser, so of course it wasn’t listed on the PBR tour. The whole town, which wasn’t saying much, since it was so small they had no traffic lights, was busting at the seams with rodeo fans. There was only one inn, a dude ranch twenty minutes away and a number of impromptu bed-and-breakfasts scattered around the area, all of which were booked. So was the large trailer park over thirty minutes away, not that a vacancy there would do her any good.
Somehow she had to get him alone. No clue how she was going to do it with so many fans clamoring for his attention. Those crazy people would string her up if they knew she planned to drag their favorite bull rider back to Wyoming.
The buckle bunnies worried her the most. Turning completely around so that her back was against the bar, she sipped her tonic water and watched the women practically line up, just waiting their turns to hit on Ethan.
She didn’t care one bit. If he had enough stamina to screw every last one of them, then God bless him. She was twenty-six, not a silly teenager anymore, and he no longer haunted her dreams. Though if he took one of those eager young ladies back to his room for the night, Sophie could have a problem.
It might mean she’d have to wait till morning to bag him. That left her a very narrow window before the rodeo started at noon.
Maybe she’d have to seduce him herself.
The thought sent a bolt of heat zinging through her body. A hurried sip of tonic water barely made it down her throat. He was still hot as hell. She’d be fooling herself if she couldn’t admit that much. Tall and lean with the perfect proportion of muscle, and those dreamy blue eyes... Good Lord.
Bumping into him when she first entered the bar had thrown her. She hadn’t been prepared at all. But the wig had done its job. Even up close he hadn’t recognized her, and now she was ready for him.
In the middle of signing an autograph, he swung a look at her and she shifted her weight to her other foot. Okay, maybe his gaze hadn’t landed on her but vaguely in her direction. Unfortunately her female parts couldn’t tell the difference.
Seducing him? That might have to take a few steps back to plan Z.
“Now, why are you sittin’ here drinkin’ alone, darlin’?” The same husky and very tipsy cowboy who’d offered her a beer earlier wove too close, nearly unseating the guy on her left.
She steadied Romeo with a brief hand on his shoulder. Boy, she sure didn’t need either of the men making a scene. “Are you here for the rodeo tomorrow?” she asked.
“You bet.”
“Fan or rider?”
He frowned, clearly affronted.
Sophie smiled, despite the wave of beer breath that reached her. “Better go easy on the booze if you’re competing.”
The younger cowboy sitting on the stool twisted around and grinned. “Yeah, Brady, you don’t wanna give those calves a leg up.”
Ah, they knew each other. Made sense, since they were both probably here for the rodeo. Sophie relaxed a bit, and while the two men traded barbs, she slid a glance at Ethan, who was still surrounded by women.
Oddly he didn’t seem all that interested in any of them. Not even the blondes. According to the articles and blogs she’d read earlier, his past three girlfriends had been blondes. Although it seemed he hadn’t stayed with any of them for more than a few months. Probably thought he was too hot for any one woman to handle. Or decided it was his duty to spread the hotness around.
The cowboy, whose name was apparently Brady and who continued to stand too close, said something she didn’t catch. Shifting her attention to him, she wondered if a well-placed knee could seem accidental. “Excuse me?”
He turned his head to look at Ethan. “Okay, now I see why you’re being so uppity. You’ve already got your sights set on Styles. Figures.” Lifting his beer, he mumbled, “Damn bull riders,” before taking a gulp.
