Beauty and the Bull Rider

by Victoria Vane

  He slid his hand under her chin and tipped her head until her gaze met his. “I’m sayin’ that Ty wasn’t the only one who had his eye on you that night we met, but I didn’t think either of us had a snowball’s chance in hell. But while I stood back all chickenshit, Ty two-stepped you right out the door. After that, it was too late. You were with him.”

  She stared speechless as his words sank in. Zac had a thing for her? Had it always been there, simmering deep beneath the surface all these years? How could she not have known? Then again, he was hardly a man to wear his heart on his sleeve.

  “If it had been any other man, I might have still tried,” he answered her unspoken question, “but Ty was my best friend so I walked away. That was another mistake. I’ve never met any other woman that made me think about settling down. You made me think about it, and I’m still thinking.” His intense deep green gaze swept slowly upward to hold hers for several long and breathless heartbeats.

  “I don’t get it, Zac. Ty and I have been apart for eight years. Why now?”

  “Because I never make promises I can’t keep. But I’m done bull riding. I want to settle down. In life, as in bull riding, timing is everything and the timing was never right—until now. Eight years ago you were with Ty. Now you’re not. I was riding bulls. Now I’m not. You want a baby and I’m willing to give you one, but frankly, I don’t see how you can do it all alone. I also don’t understand why you’d want to. A child is a huge responsibility, especially if you intend to keep running the ranch by yourself. I’d like to lighten your load if you let me.”

  “I won’t be alone. I’ll have Rosa to help me. She practically raised me. I don’t want another relationship, Zac. I only want a baby. I’m doing just fine on my own,” she insisted again, but her words felt as hollow as the empty place in her chest. Part of her longed to have someone to talk to, someone to share the load. She knew there was only one way to get over a heartache, but she didn’t know if she could ever trust enough to take another chance. She’d married her one and only lover, and Ty had hurt her deeply. She still wasn’t over it. Maybe she never would be.

  “You might be doing fine,” he said, reading her mind, “but that doesn’t mean you’re happy.”

  “And you think you could make me happy?” she asked.

  “Dunno, but I’d sure like to try. If having a baby is what it takes to make you happy, I don’t want it to be someone else’s. I’d want it to be mine.”

  “But I only want a baby, Zac. I’m not looking for a romantic relationship.”

  “All I want is a chance to change your mind, a chance to prove myself to you.” He leaned in close. Her pulse raced with anticipation as his gaze locked on her mouth.

  “Prove what?” she asked. “What do you think you need to prove?”

  “That I could be what you need.” The pad of his thumb traced the path of his gaze. His touch was feather soft and tantalizing as her traced her lower lip. Dear God, was he going to kiss her? Her stomach did a flip. “And I’m not just talking about being your baby daddy.”

  Unlike Ty, Zac wasn’t flirty. In fact, he never seemed to put himself out for a woman, but tonight he’d gone well out of his way for her. Both his tenderness and his confession had taken her by surprise. She’d always thought of him as rough and hard, but there was nothing rough or hard about the way he looked at her, or the gentle, almost reverent way he touched her. Her body tensed, but she didn’t move away. What would his kiss be like? What kind of lover would he be? She shut her eyes, indulging her senses as well as the fantasy. She realized that’s all it was when his hand dropped away.

  He reached behind her for her door. “Just sleep on it, okay?”

  She released the lungful of air she was holding, feeling too much like a deflating balloon.

  “You gonna be around tomorrow morning?” he asked.

  “Yes. Why?” she asked, feeling almost dizzy with the desire he’d stirred within her.

  “I’ll bring your heifer around.” He gave a curt nod and then turned toward his truck.

  She watched him depart, appreciating his broad shoulders and purposeful, long-legged stride. Her gaze lingered indecently on his tight, round butt. If she’d thought she could deny her attraction before, Zac had given her a rude awakening. She couldn’t ignore the ache in her belly or her long-suppressed desire to be held and kissed and touched. Did she really want him? The whole situation had her flustered, and confused.

  “Zac?” His named slipped thoughtlessly from her unkissed lips.

  He swiveled his head. “Yeah?”

  “See you in the morning.”

  He nodded again, but this time with a half smile softening the line of his mouth.

  Rosa had urged her countless times to get back on the horse, but until Zac had come along offering to take her for a ride, Delaney couldn’t even fathom putting her foot back in the stirrup. She knew Rosa was right, but she didn’t know if she had enough courage to take another chance. She’d already been through one train wreck of a marriage, and Zac, by all accounts, was wilder with women than Ty had ever been. He’d offered to father her baby and also made it clear he wanted more. But how could she ever trust him with her heart?

  Zac left the restaurant feeling far too much like a loaded gun. He’d come back to Oklahoma with visions of sweeping Delaney into his arms and making her his. It had never occurred to him that she might not fall in with his plans when he offered to father her child. He realized now what a delusional jackass he’d been.

  Years ago he’d thought her well out of his league. He’d stood dumbly in the background, looking on and cursing himself the moment Ty’d asked her to dance. He’d burned with envy the moment he’d seen them out on the dance floor. He never would have believed she’d settle for a cowboy when she could’ve probably married a millionaire, but she had.

  They’d both changed a lot in the years that had passed. They were both older and wiser, disillusioned, and a little jaded. He was a lot more busted up now, but she was every bit as beautiful. Maybe even more so. The blingy clothes and heavy makeup were gone. She’d put on a few pounds, but her soft womanly curves only enhanced her appeal. He’d ached to taste her sweet, wine-scented lips. His body had screamed out to take her into his arms and kiss some damned common sense into her, or better yet, kiss out every lick of sense altogether, but his gut told him he’d only scare her off. He hadn’t expected her to be so wary of him. At the same time, he understood her struggle with trust.

  If he was to get anywhere with Delaney, he had to approach her like he would a skittish filly, with gentleness and patience. Problem was, patience had never been his strong suit. That was partly why he rode bulls. Unlike horses, you didn’t have to win a bull over, or convince them to let you ride. The bull’s job was to buck you off regardless. He’d almost blown it with her right out of the chute, but when he left her, he felt like he’d made some headway. Now all he had to do was keep his head in the game and his dick in his jeans.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Delaney woke an hour earlier than usual, her mind in such turmoil that she’d hardly slept a wink. Zac had said he’d be coming by this morning, but she hadn’t even thought to ask him what time. Should she text him? She realized with a pang of dismay that she didn’t have his number. And he hadn’t asked for hers. Damn. She hated surprises.

  And rain.

  It was pouring like a cow pissing on a flat rock.

  Would he show? She didn’t know if he would or not, but the cows still had to be fed. Heaving herself out of bed, she threw on her rattiest jeans and a baggy tee and trudged out to the rain-soaked pastures, where her scattered herd greeted her with a chorus of dissonant moos. Although she experienced periods of isolation and loneliness, she loved the earthy ranching life. Even the mud, muck, and rain filled her with a surprising sense of peace. She couldn’t imagine ever going back to her old life in Houston.

  An hour later, she kicked off her mud-and-manure-caked boots at the kitchen door and then sta
rted the coffeepot. She peeled off her wet shirt in the kitchen with a sniff followed by a grimace. She hoped she’d have time to catch a quick shower before Zac showed up. She was heading upstairs to do just that when her canine trio announced an arrival.

  Damn! Was it Zac? She really needed that shower! She peered through the blinds. Sure enough, a black dually was coming up the drive pulling a stock trailer. Shit! Shit! Double shit.

  Racing upstairs, she struggled out of her wet jeans and grabbed a dry pair from her closet. She wriggled into them and then applied two coats of deodorant before pulling on a black V-neck tee. She twisted her tangle of wet hair into a messy bun, then applied a light touch of makeup, topping it all off with a generous spritz of perfume in desperate hope of masking the hint of cow that still clung to her. She doubted the appeal of Eau de Bovine, even to a cowboy.

  On the one hand, she didn’t want to look like she was trying, but on the other, she’d be damned if she’d be caught looking like an extra from The Walking Dead. She barely had time to inspect herself before the doorbell chimed.

  Her heart raced as she descended the stairs. Was he just going to drop off the heifer and go? Or did he plan to stay a while? Was he going to bring up their discussion from last night? She hoped he wouldn’t. He’d asked her to sleep on his offer, but she still didn’t know what she should say or do. Her palms were sweating by the time she reached the front door. Forcing a calming breath, she flung it open with a pasted on smile.

  Her gaze met a wall of solid muscular chest. Zac’s wet shirt clung to his body like a second skin, revealing nicely developed pecs and abs. She’d known he was in decent shape, but Zachary McDaniel soaking wet was nothing short of mouthwatering. Her gaze tracked even lower, taking in his powerful thighs, visually enhanced by the wet denim, before she guiltily dragged it back up to his face.

  “Morning.” Zac tipped his hat in greeting. Water dripped from the brim, splashing her bare feet.

  “Morning,” she replied. “I can’t believe you came out in this rain.”

  “You didn’t give me your number last night.”

  “You didn’t ask,” she said.

  “It was an unfortunate oversight that I need to correct,” he said, plucking his phone from his back pocket and offering it to her.

  Given little choice, Delaney accepted the phone and programmed her number. “Please come in.” She stepped back, beckoning him inside. “I have some fresh coffee brewing.”

  “Coffee would be great, but I’d just as soon unload Diamond first.”

  “Diamond?” Delaney repeated.

  “The heifer,” he said. “P280 didn’t seem like much of a name to me. ’Course you can call her whatever you like, but I kinda think of her as a diamond in the rough.”

  “Diamond is cute, Zac.” Delaney grinned. “I like it.”

  “Glad you approve. You want me to go ahead and put her somewhere for you?”

  “No. I’ll come with you,” she said. “Just give me a sec to pull my boots on. You want a slicker or something?”

  “Nah. I think the damage is done. I can’t get much wetter.”

  “Why didn’t you just wait until later?” she asked.

  “’Cause I said I’d be here this morning.” His deep green gaze held hers. “I’m a man of my word. I’ve never broken a promise.”

  “Even at the expense of good sense?” she asked.

  “Maybe too often,” he replied with a chuckle.

  “Just give me a sec,” Delaney said. She grabbed her wet drover off the peg by the door, and then stomped her bare feet back into her rubber muck boots. She then led Zac out to the small pasture she’d dedicated to the new arrival. “I thought I’d keep her in this one for easier access.”

  “For breeding?” he asked.

  “Nope. For loading. I’ll be hauling her to the vet for breeding. I don’t have a herd stud.”

  “’Scuse me? I thought you already had a coupla calf crops.”

  “I do, but I bred them all artificially.”

  He shook his head. “Kinda takes all the fun out of it, don’t you think?”

  “But it doesn’t limit me to a single bull. I have the freedom to experiment with different ones. They’ve been using AI in beef and dairy cattle for decades, Zac. It’s why we have the best milk producers in the entire world. Now the same science is making better bucking stock.”

  “I understand,” he said. “I guess I’m just old-fashioned in my thinking. I’ll go ahead and back my trailer up if you can get the gate.”

  “Sure,” Delaney replied, once more watching him a little too intently as he walked back to his truck. She didn’t understand what was happening. She’d known the man for over eight years. Why this sudden surge of attraction?

  Zac maneuvered his rig with ease, backing flush with the gate. Once he gave her the nod in the mirror, Delaney released the heifer from the trailer into her new corral. The heifer looked around in confusion. It seemed like she’d panic, but then she spotted several cows in the adjacent pasture. She bawled a few times. A few of them answered her call. A moment later she noticed the pile of new hay, and headed straight to it. Oblivious to the rain, Delaney climbed the corral panel, where she sat on the top rail watching the young cow contentedly munching.

  Delaney exhaled a happy sigh. “Thank you for bringing her to me,” she said.

  “No problem,” Zac replied and climbed up beside her. He was close enough that their thighs almost touched. Her gaze drifted once more over those powerful thighs. Everything about Zac exuded strength and confidence. She was assaulted by conflicting urges—the desire to touch him and the urge to shift farther away. She willed herself to do neither.

  They sat for several minutes, stealing occasional glances, until Zac broke the silence. “I gotta ask you something. . . .”

  “What’s that?” she replied.

  “I can’t figure out why you stay out here all by yourself—no family, few friends.”

  “I have Rosa,” she said. “She’s all the companionship I need. And the ranch keeps me busy. Eight years ago, when I got half ownership of the ranch, my first thought was to sell it back to Ty and return to my family in Houston. I was already packed up to do just that when I realized what I’d be returning to—the very same life I was so desperate to escape that I eloped with the most ineligible man I could find. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to go back.”

  “Doesn’t it get lonesome?”

  “I suppose it does sometimes,” she replied wistfully. “But I like it here, Zac. This place has become my home. Maybe it didn’t happen the way I’d wanted it to, but there was no good reason for me to give it up. Lots of women successfully run their own ranches.”

  “But why mess with bulls?” he asked. “I can’t figure out why you chose to do something so difficult.”

  “Why not?” she said. “Every bull was once a calf, right? That’s mostly what I’m dealing with anyway, the cows and calves. I don’t keep a herd sire and my oldest bulls are only two years old. If they get too hard for me to manage on my own, I’ll sell them. I’m just hoping to keep them long enough to prove their worth before I do that.”

  “Guess I can’t fault your logic,” he said. He then nodded to the heifer. “Looks like she’s doing fine. Is that offer for coffee still open?”

  “Absolutely,” she replied, glad for the excuse to create some distance. “Let’s go back to the house and dry you off. I’ll write you a check.”

  He jumped off the corral panel and reached up for her. Delaney sucked in a breath as he lifted her down and held it even after her feet touched the ground. She released it only when he released her, but he didn’t step out of her space. “Told you I didn’t want your money,” he said. “I’ll take a calf, but I won’t take a check.”

  “Then maybe we can work something out with one of my open cows. If you could provide the bull semen, I could maybe give you that calf in a few weeks.”

  He cocked his head. “Come again? Last I kn
ew, gestation took a good nine months.”

  “Two hundred eighty-three days, give or take,” Delaney corrected.

  Zac rubbed his chin. “Then tell me exactly how you propose to give me a calf.”

  “Embryo transfer,” she replied. “Once I get Diamond settled, I’ve got a dozen surrogate cows out in that pasture lined up for ET. I figured I’d let her settle in for a few days and then call the vet. I’ll need to get all the cows’ cycles synchronized with hers before I can breed her.”

  “’Fraid I’m still not following you.”

  “Don’t you know anything about bovine reproduction, Zac?”

  “’Course I do,” he replied. “I’ve raised hundreds of calves in my life, but we always did things the natural way—put the bull out there and let him do his job. I never had enough interest in artificial methods to ask how it actually works.”

  “Okay. It’s pretty simple actually,” Delaney began. “The donor cow is given hormones to boost her egg production and then she’s bred, either naturally or artificially. Seven days later, the embryos are flushed out of her and implanted in the surrogate cows.”

  “Let me get this straight. You’re saying that heifer of yours isn’t even going to birth her own calves?”

  “Nope.” Delaney shook her head. “I’ll breed her to my pick of bulls and then implant the embryos in another cow. Letting her carry to term would be a huge waste, Zac. I could only get ten to fourteen calves during her entire lifetime, but with ET, I could get dozens out of her.” She grinned. “I’ve spent several years studying this stuff. Now it’s time for me to put the knowledge into practice.”

  Zac shook his head. “I understand the benefits of what you want to do, but somehow it don’t seem right to screw with nature like that. Speaking of which . . . have you given any more thought to what we discussed last night?”

  “Your lips are blue,” she murmured, pulling back. “Let’s go back to the house. There’s no point in talking in the rain.”