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“We knew it would be.”
“I’ve already spread several bags of soft shavings in all three stalls. Andy filled the buckets with water and is measuring their intake. When the vet comes around tomorrow, he’ll want to check them.”
“There’s nothing you haven’t thought of. Thanks, Santos. I couldn’t do any of this without you guys.” She got to her feet. “I’ll freshen up here, then be over.”
“In that case, I’ll saddle Duchess and put a soft bit on her.”
“Terrific. See you soon.”
Nikki hung up, realizing she’d be running into the drop-dead gorgeous Toly Clayton before long. Knowing how he felt about her, it was the last thing she wanted, but being around him was inevitable.
After a year of seeing him coming and going, both on the circuit and at the ranch, she’d thought they were all good friends. But just the thought of him now cut her to the quick.
The other night, on the way to her bedroom after coming home from the Ford dealership, she’d passed by the den, surprised anyone was still up. Toly’s words had drifted through the crack in the door.
The last thing you ever want to do is get hung up on one of those rodeo beauty queen types. They’re in love with their own image and probably have been all their lives. The dude who’s hooked and can’t see through it is doomed to be an afterthought, if that.
Stung by words she would never forget, Nikki had run down the hallway to her bedroom so they wouldn’t know she’d been in hearing distance. She’d lost sleep that night wondering what that conversation had all been about. But she’d had enough time since Friday to believe that what Toly had said was probably his general opinion of rodeo queens.
In this business he’d met and dated any number of them over the years. After apparently finding all of them wanting since he was still single, it might explain why he’d never tried to get to know Nikki better.
She’d known pain when she and Ted Bayliss realized their relationship couldn’t go anywhere. He was a big advertising executive from Laguna Beach, California, who’d asked her to marry him. But he wanted her to move there where they would lead a different lifestyle with his friends that had nothing to do with horses. As he’d said, she could always go back to her ranch on vacations and ride her horses with Mills.
When she told him about the elaborate plans she and Mills had talked about once they’d both retired from the rodeo, Ted recognized that marriage wouldn’t have worked for them no matter how attracted they’d been to each other. He had a business rooted in Southern California he couldn’t leave. It would mean Nikki would have to uproot herself, something she couldn’t do. At that point they stopped seeing each other.
For a time it was hard to accept that there could be no future for them, but she’d finally gotten over it. That’s why it surprised her how much she was still hurting over Toly’s comments to her brother. It didn’t make sense. She’d never been on a date with him or spent hours of time alone in his company, let alone had a relationship with him like she’d had with Ted.
She would love to get into a discussion with Mills about how he felt over his friend’s blanket repudiation of women like Nikki who’d been steeped in the rodeo world all their lives.
But in order to bring up the subject with her brother, she would have to admit that she’d overheard the two men talking. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. After a few seconds she’d fled the scene, but her good intentions didn’t matter because Mills would have seen it as an intrusion on his privacy.
After mulling it all over, Nikki wasn’t sorry it had happened. What she’d learned had removed the blinders. Toly might be Montana’s favorite rodeo champion and a bona fide heartthrob, but his insensitive remarks had ensured she would never be one of his worshippers. She didn’t care how many gold buckles he’d garnered, or the fame he’d won before he’d ever asked her brother to team rope with him.
Too bad Toly had been her brother’s idol for years. The fact that he’d chosen Mills to be his team roping partner for the current year had been a dream come true for him. Though Nikki had every desire to see them win the national finals championship, she would avoid Toly as much as possible.
Nikki wished the side-by-side reservations for their rigs hadn’t been made eleven months ago. She couldn’t do anything about that. But fortunately she’d be staying at the hotel and not in her rig where she usually slept. The rest of the time she’d be putting her horses through the paces at the park, keeping her distance.
In ten days’ time Toly Clayton would be long gone and she’d never have to see the Sapphire Cowboy again. According to Mills, that was the nickname Toly had been given by a journalist at the Billings Gazette years ago when he’d performed as Montana’s champion tie-down roper. She’d seen pictures on the billboards driving in from the airport that featured the Sapphire Cowboy on several of them.
Somehow, some way, she had to put him out of her mind. The fact that she was having such difficulty had to mean that on some subconscious level she’d thought a lot more about him than she would have admitted.
Clearly the negative indictment of rodeo queens had been the last thing she would ever have expected to hear on the eve of her hoping to win the national barrel racing championship. That’s what you got for listening to something you shouldn’t have. It’s your own fault, Nikki. Learn from it.
On that note Nikki finished the diet soda she’d grabbed from the minifridge and changed into well-worn jeans and a white, long-sleeved cotton pullover. Once she’d stashed her riding gloves in her tote bag along with a bag of peanuts for herself, she put on her white cowboy hat and left the room to get her rental car.
After she’d picked up the Honda Civic held for her, she left the hotel and headed to the RV equestrian park on Flamingo Road. Las Vegas was packed year-round, but during the pro rodeo finals, the traffic was beastly and it could be a nightmare if you hadn’t made reservations for everything months ahead of time.
She found the park and wound her way through to their black-and-gold rig parked near one of the barns. The long white Clayton rig lined up on one side of it had always been Toly’s hotel. When she’d first met him, she’d heard him say he was allergic to hotels.
Nikki pulled behind the Dobson rig and got out. So far she didn’t see anyone around. Good! She walked around the side and unlocked the door to the trailer section. Before she visited her horses, she needed to load up on some treats for them. They’d been separated three days and needed her love and attention in order to perform at their peak.
A few minutes later with her pockets stuffed with goodies, she walked the short distance to the barn where her horses had been stalled. She greeted Bombshell and Sassy with treats. Tomorrow her three horses would be moved to the stalls at the Thomas and Mack Center for some practice runs.
“There’s my Duchess,” she crooned to her red roan quarter horse and received a volley of nickers and nudges that made her chuckle. “I missed you too.” She fed her some apple-flavored Pony Pops and untied the lead rope to back her out of her stall.
“That’s the kind of welcome that makes me jealous,” sounded a deep male voice behind her.
Nikki knew who it was. No surprise here when his horses were stalled in the same barn. After taking a deep breath she mounted Duchess, then reached in her jeans pocket for another Pony Pop and turned toward him.
Toly Clayton stood there at six foot three in his boots wearing his signature black cowboy hat that covered a head of dark blond hair. His light green eyes almost blinded her with their intensity.
Damn and blast if her heart didn’t rap out a double beat without her permission despite her pain. “I have an idea that will fix all your problems. Why don’t you give Snapper one of these on me?”
She tossed the treat to him. To his credit he caught it neatly. They didn’t call Toly the greatest header of all the team ropers on this year’s circuit for nothing. He was the one who roped the head of the steer. Mills had won the same distinction for being the greatest heeler. His job was to rope the hindquarters. They were both experts. “See you later, Toly.”
Nikki rode away, unable to believe he could act like nothing was wrong after what he’d told Mills about her in private. How could he have looked at her just now like she was someone special?
Where did he get the gall to let her think he wanted to be with her and talk to her when deep down he’d mocked her in a particularly cruel way that had cut deep? Now that they were here, she’d be giving him wide berth!
* * *
TOLY HAD SEEN her enter the barn while he was tending to Snapper and wanted to say hello to her, hoping to talk to her for a minute alone. But after tossing him the treat he put in his pocket, she didn’t give him a chance to invite her to eat dinner with him and Mills later in his rig.
Though he knew how anxious she was to exercise her horses after being separated from them for three days, he sensed that something else had prompted her to ride off without a normal exchange of conversation. That wasn’t like her usual friendly self. Probably nerves had caught up to her this close to the first night of competition coming up the day after tomorrow.
He couldn’t help but admire her expertise as she rode Duchess out of the barn. Nikki used a barrel racing saddle with a taller horn and rounded skirt for more stability and control. She had a natural seat that made her look like she’d been born in the saddle. It caused her to stand out when she rode. The fact that she was incredibly beautiful only amplified that picture.
Toly had copped one of her signed posters at the dealership and had folded it inside his jacket so neither Nikki nor Mills could see what he’d done. The photographer had caught her rounding the third barrel at lightning speed during a circuit performance. He planned to put it up in the tack room of the barn at home where he kept some of his favorite mementos.
As soon as she disappeared, he went back to Snapper’s stall. After breaking the treat in half, he gave part to him and the other half to Chaz in the next stall. He’d already put both quarter horses through their paces. The two had speed and instincts that made them invaluable.
Once he’d made sure they were watered and had enough hay in their nets, he left the barn. The crew would check on them later. It was four thirty and the sun had just gone down over the horizon. It would be dark before long. Tomorrow the vet would meet him and Mills at the barn to give their horses a thorough exam.
He looked in the direction of the arena. Nikki would be over there putting her horse through a series of backup and turning drills. He would love to watch her, but didn’t obey the impulse. She would be back soon.
Toly headed for his rig, but noticed Mills hadn’t returned yet. They’d arranged for a rental car and he’d gone to do errands and pick up some steaks to cook. That gave Toly time to let himself inside for a shower and shave before dinner.
A half hour later he got to work on a salad and baked potatoes. He’d learned a long time ago that cooking helped him to relax. As he was whipping up biscuits, Mills came in with the steaks for their dinner and put them on the counter.
“Thanks.”
“Sure.” He removed his parka. “I saw Nikki’s rental car in back. I didn’t know she’d texted me until a minute ago. Did she say she’d come to dinner?”
Nope, but Mills didn’t need to know what had happened. Toly was still trying to figure out the reason for her unusual behavior. He took the wrapping off the meat to throw them on the kitchen grill.
“I only saw her in passing and didn’t get the chance to ask her to dinner. She was in too big a hurry to exercise Duchess. Why don’t you call her and tell her it’s ready if she wants to join us.”
Mills pulled out his cell phone. “That horse has emotional problems. I’m afraid Nikki has taken them on.”
“She’s a true horse lover.”
“Dad used to say the same thing. Sometimes she takes it too far.”
“Why do you say that?” Toly put the pan of biscuits in the oven.
“Because she treats them like they’re her children.”
Toly had noticed that for a long time. It was one of her traits he most admired. “Maybe that’s why she’s going to win the national championship this time round. There’s nothing wrong with those horses knowing they’re loved. She’s ranked second in winnings and is depending on them to bring her to number one.”
“What I’d give to see that happen! No one deserves it more than she does.”
Toly couldn’t agree more. Both brother and sister deserved that honor. He’d spent a lot of time on their ranch training with Mills, hoping to see as much of Nikki as possible. When she was there, she worked harder to perfect her circles and figure eights than anyone he’d ever seen. The self-discipline she imposed on herself was the reason she was a champion.
Whatever disappointment she’d suffered in love, she hadn’t let it affect her standings or work ethic. Toly would like to know a lot more about her personal feelings, but Mills hadn’t shared that information with him. Being Nikki’s twin, the two of them were careful to protect the other’s privacy.
Though it was commendable, Toly was finding it more and more aggravating because his desire to get closer to her had met with a setback earlier in the barn. Something had gone on that hadn’t felt right to him and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Mills disappeared to talk to her. Toly was forced to live in suspense until his friend came back to the kitchen. “She’ll be right over.” He started to set the table.
Surprised at the relief he felt to hear that news, Toly turned the steaks and checked on the biscuits that were almost done.
“Later on she has to attend a WPRA party at the MGM Grand,” Mills added, “so she won’t be able to stay long.”
Toly ground his teeth in frustration because after she left, it meant he wouldn’t see her again until tomorrow. Throughout the next ten days she’d be staying at the Cyclades Hotel every night. Damn.
* * *
THE WRANGLER PARTY for the finalists Nikki had to attend at the MGM Grand would be one of the big highlights during her stay in Las Vegas. For one particular reason tonight that had everything to do with the man in the rig next door, it would be her pleasure to dress the part of rodeo queen to the hilt. She’d brought an overnight bag with her in the car that contained her outfit.
After exercising her horses, she showered in the rig and put on her new Wrangler cream scoop-neck dress with the elaborate crochet back. It fell to the knees. She paired it with ankle-high Italian leather boots in a sand color.
After Mills told her that he and Toly had invited her to come for dinner, she went overboard on her makeup. A rodeo queen’s whole purpose in life was meant to knock a man’s eyes out, right? She’d do her best to live up to Toly Clayton’s preconceived notions, maybe even surpass them. That would be a novel idea. Nikki brushed her hair, leaving it long and flowing. After fastening her new lacy gold chandelier earrings, she put on her dressy cream felt cowboy hat. She’d bought a new handbag to go with her dress and put her wallet and keys inside. One more look in the mirror. The result made her smile. She was ready to do her worst.
She left her rig and walked around to Toly’s. They knew she was coming so she let herself in without knocking. Something smelled good. Since her brother wasn’t known for his cooking, she had to assume Toly was the chef. Unless they’d bought takeout.
Nikki found them in the kitchen putting food on the table. “Good evening, gentlemen.” She put her bag down on the end of the counter. They both turned their heads toward her.
A tangible silence filled the trailer’s interior.
“Well, don’t all speak at the same time,” she teased. “Wasn’t I supposed to come for dinner?”
Mills’s eyebrows lifted. His face wore the most comical expression she’d ever seen. “Good grief, Nikki.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said quietly. “You look...nice.” He had a hard time getting that word out, making her want to laugh.
“Thanks. Where do you want me to sit?”
“Right here.” Toly galvanized into action and pulled out a chair for her. She felt his eyes taking inventory of her face and figure as she sat down. Maybe she had accomplished her objective and dazzled him just enough to make him choke a little on his own words.
Mmm. Steak and potatoes. Biscuits too? “Isn’t this exciting? All three of us here in Las Vegas at last?” Nikki glanced at Toly. “By the way, did my Pony Pop do the trick?” she asked after they’d started to eat.
He passed her the tossed salad. “I had to split it two ways, but they both seemed happy enough.”
“Next time give them their own packets and see what happens. I’ve got a ton of them in my rig. You’re welcome to help yourself to as many as you want to sweeten things up.”
“I’ll remember that. Thanks.”
Mills eyed both of them. “What are you two talking about?”
“Duchess was overjoyed to see your sister earlier. She gave me a Pony Pop and told me to feed it to Snapper. Maybe he’d be more excited to see me.”
Nikki could tell her brother was bewildered, but she was quite enjoying herself and continued to eat. “This dinner is delicious.”
“Thanks,” Toly said. The man didn’t sound happy and she couldn’t have been more thrilled. “Would you like a homemade biscuit?”
So he had done all the cooking. “Much as I’m tempted, I don’t dare. You cowboys don’t know how hard we cowgirls and rodeo queens have to work to watch our figures. After trying for so long year after year to stand out in order to be noticed, I’m afraid I’ll always be worrying about how I look. It’s kind of what we live for, you know? But this steak and salad were perfect for me and have hit the spot.”
Mills had stopped eating. He looked sick.
She smiled at Toly. “My congratulations to the cook who’s a team roper too. Imagine me thinking you only knew how to make coffee when we were at the ranch.”
Delighted to have delivered that last salvo, she pushed away from the table and got to her feet. “Now I’m afraid I have to go. Sorry I won’t be able to help you clean up, but I’m sure you understand I can’t be late for the photographers. This party is important because they’re setting up a special photo shoot that could open doors for me. You have no idea how eager I am to explore all my new possibilities. Good night, guys. Thanks again for inviting me.”
With her cheeks hot from being so worked up, Nikki reached for her purse and left the trailer. She hurried behind her rig and got in the rental car. On her way to the MGM, Nikki relived the last half hour in her mind and was shocked by the way she’d acted. It was like another person had emerged and taken over.
Obviously Toly’s conversation with her brother had gotten under her skin and tonight her anger had spilled over. She was incensed for all the women she’d competed with who loved the rodeo and wanted to enjoy every part and aspect of it.
The men who lived and died for the rodeo were no different. They just didn’t line up on stage and get chosen as the best or the worst by a committee. Toly Clayton had been strutting his stuff around the country for a long time. His huge fan base fed his ego and was his judge. Who was he to put labels on the women who loved the rodeo and found fulfillment in their own way?
But on the drive to the MGM Grand, her thoughts always came back to the Toly she’d gotten to know over the last year. That Toly had been so fun to talk to. Between rodeos, they’d come back to the ranch and sat around the table in the kitchen to eat after working out.
He was a fascinating conversationalist. They’d exchanged stories about what had gone on while they’d traveled the circuit. He knew everyone’s scores and who to watch. So did she. She’d loved the times when the three of them could be together and share their lives. Nikki had grown to look forward to every meeting with him.
But no longer...
She blinked away the tears threatening and pressed on the gas, anxious to get tonight over with.
Chapter Three (#uae922a2e-462b-58ef-b6f6-ecb169d4e5f1)
Toly could no longer enjoy his meal while he was trying to put two and two together.
Mills had stopped eating and threw his head back. “What in the hell was all that about? I could swear that wasn’t my sister who was eating dinner with us a few minutes ago.”
“I hate to say it, but I think I know.”
“Then you’re a prophet.”
