Wrangling Cupid's Cowboy

by Amanda Renee

  Garrett understood how much freedom meant to a cancer patient regardless of their prognosis. He’d met many survivors during Rebecca’s chemo treatments. Some had resigned to the disease and were tired of fighting, while others sought that freedom as if it were the last drop of water on earth. Delta was a fighter. He realized that more and more every day. Not just in her will to beat cancer, but in her fearless demeanor. He saw a renewed fire in her. When she had first come back from Missoula, it hadn’t been there. That had scared him and had probably contributed to his panic over the situation.

  The third anniversary of Rebecca’s death had come and gone without any fanfare, mostly due to the launch of the Valentine’s retreat. He had been aware of the day from the moment he opened his eyes that morning, but though it still hurt to remember her, this year the weight that had sat on his chest was no longer there. It had also given him the strength and courage to remove his wedding ring. It had been time.

  “I read your letter.”

  “What?” Garrett’s gaze met hers. “I thought you asked a nurse to destroy it.”

  “I did, but she slipped it in my bag and I found it last night. I guess she didn’t have the heart to do it.”

  “Delta, I love you and I never should have reacted that way.” Garrett reached for her hand only for her to pull away.

  “Believe it or not, I love you, too.” The pain reflecting in her eyes betrayed the sweet smile that graced her lips. “And despite my anger, I understood why you did it. After reading your letter I understand it even more. It doesn’t make it hurt any less. A part of me forgives you. You lived through a terrible tragedy and our night together triggered horrible memories. I get all of that. But I’m sorry, Garrett. I can’t risk those memories returning every time we share a tender moment or you see me without my hair. My body can’t handle that stress right now.”

  Garrett’s heart froze midbeat. He wanted to shout from the top of a mountain that she loved him. Those three words meant the world to him. But it wasn’t enough for her to take him back. That ache was so deep and so raw he couldn’t see the other side. Delta was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. And it was over. It was truly over.

  * * *

  DELTA ALLOWED GARRETT to drive her home and then she spent the next four hours curled up with a tissue box in one hand and Jake in the other. Her father was still working, allowing her the time to grieve for the relationship she hadn’t thought she wanted.

  Garrett had told her he loved her. It was the most magical phrase on earth and he’d said it to her...her! As light as it made her feel, she was terrified to trust her heart to him again. But she wanted to. She wanted to be the strong woman that he deserved...that the kids deserved. She just didn’t know how.

  Her phone rang and she was grateful for the distraction from her thoughts. The number was unfamiliar.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Delta. It’s Emma. I hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”

  Delta forced a laugh. “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect.”

  “I never had the opportunity to thank you for all the work you did on the Valentine’s retreat.”

  “You’re welcome. I wish I could have done more. I got a little sidelined.”

  “I heard. That’s one of the reasons why I’m calling.”

  “One of?” A part of her wished she was calling on Garrett’s behalf because if he asked her to give him a second chance again, she might be tempted to say yes.

  “I’m calling for several reasons. To thank you and to tell you that regardless of how things end up between you and Garrett, if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me. I know you have Dylan’s number, but I wanted you to have mine. I know how difficult it is living away from family.”

  “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.” Delta sniffled. “I wish things had been different.”

  “Maybe sometime down the road you two can try again.”

  “Maybe.” Delta choked back a sob.

  “Before I almost forget, we have a full crew coming in tonight around midnight to help us set up for Valentine’s Day tomorrow. I know it’s a late hour, but I wondered if you’d want to stop in and see what all your hard work looks like. Unless you want to come over now and see half of it. At midnight, you’ll actually get to sample some of the food.”

  “Um.” Delta chewed on her bottom lip. She was curious to see if her ideas looked as beautiful in person as they had on paper. And maybe she would run into Garrett and they could talk again. “I’d like that. I’ll see you at midnight.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then.”

  Delta dried her eyes and hopped off the couch. Midnight was only six hours away and she needed to de-snot and de-puff herself by then.

  * * *

  DELTA PULLED IN front of the Silver Bells Lodge at five minutes to twelve. She had expected to see trucks or more cars in the parking lot, but instead she was shrouded in silence. Then again, maybe the crews had parked around back closer to the kitchen. It made more sense.

  She pushed open the doors and stepped onto a red runner strewn with white rose petals. The two-story entrance glistened in delicate twinkling lights, giving it an ethereal, fairy-tale feeling.

  “Hello?” she called out, careful not to wake the guests. Guests she expected to be milling around. It was midnight and this was a couples-only retreat. She figured they would be partying into the early hours of the morning. Where was everyone?

  She followed the red runner toward the great room, stopping to admire the floral arrangements she had chosen along the way. She wondered whose idea the runner had been, because it was very romantic and wedding chapel-like.

  And that was when she saw them, standing at the end of the runner. Garrett, Kacey and Bryce, each holding a white long-stem rose. Tears sprang to her eyes as she quickly walked toward them. She had never been happier to see anyone in her life. This was what she wanted. They were what she wanted. She’d been a fool for ever denying herself that love.

  “Did you do all this?” she asked Garrett.

  “I had a little help from, well, quite a few people.” He nervously laughed.

  “There aren’t any crews coming in tonight, are there?”

  “Nope.” He shook his head. “And Dylan took all the guests on a midnight snowcat tour, giving us the place to ourselves for a little while. I needed to get your attention somehow.”

  “You definitely have it.”

  “We brought you flowers.” Kacey handed Delta her rose.

  “Thank you, sweetie.” She ran the back of her hand over Kacey’s cheek. “You look so beautiful in your red dress.” She turned to Bryce and accepted his rose. “And you are so handsome, little man.”

  “Delta?” Kacey began. “Will you ever forgive me for what happened at your house the other day?”

  Delta knelt on the floor and pulled the girl into her embrace. “There is nothing to forgive, sweetheart. I know you were scared.”

  Garrett offered her his hand and helped her stand. “Delta, I love you. The three of us love you. Our lives are happier and fuller with you in them. We’d like to know if—”

  “You’ll marry us.” Bryce squeezed between Kacey and Delta.

  “What?” Delta looked to Garrett for confirmation.

  “I was supposed to ask that question, but yes, Delta, will you marry us?”

  “Please say yes.” Kacey clasped her hands in front of her. “It’s my birthday next week and having you for my mommy would be the best gift ever.”

  “How could I possibly say no to an offer like that?” Delta enveloped the girl in a hug. “I would love to be your mommy.” She lifted her gaze to Garrett’s. “And I would love to be your wife.”

  * * * * *

  If you loved this novel, don’t miss the next book in Amanda Renee’s SADDLE RIDGE, MONTANA, series, available May 2018!
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br />   And check out the previous books in the miniseries:

  THE LAWMAN’S REBEL BRIDE

  A SNOWBOUND COWBOY CHRISTMAS

  Available now from Harlequin Western Romance!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE BULL RIDER’S TWIN TROUBLE by Ali Olson.

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  The Bull Rider’s Twin Trouble

  by Ali Olson

  Chapter One

  Brock McNeal breathed deeply, moving his body in time with the jumping, twisting animal beneath him, and counted the seconds. Six...seven...eight.

  The whistle sounded and he jumped off the bucking bull as bullfighters surrounded them, rolling to his feet and away from the large animal.

  Brock soaked in the roar of the crowd. It hadn’t been a great ride, he knew, but he’d hung on to Big Tex, one of the wildest bulls he had ever faced, and the audience was showing their appreciation. He tipped his hat to them and slid a wink over to a group of buckle bunnies holding signs, their skintight clothing leaving little to the imagination.

  He almost didn’t hear the shouts behind him as he basked in the glow of the crowd, but eventually he registered that something was wrong in the ring. Before he could turn around, two thousand pounds of animal flesh and muscle slammed into Brock, pushing him to the ground.

  A hoof slammed into the ground inches from his face, kicking dirt into his eyes. Brock lay still, waiting for the next hoof, the one that would break his arm, puncture a lung or crack his skull.

  After another few seconds, he opened his eyes to see the sky above him. The bullfighters had pulled the stomping, twisting bull away and out of the ring. The audience was silent, waiting to see how injured he was.

  Brock jumped to his feet, tossed another smile to the people noisily showing their approval and walked out of the ring to join the other riders, enjoying the feeling of adrenaline pounding through his veins.

  After receiving congratulations from the pack of men, Brock set off toward his truck.

  “You trying to get yourself killed?” a gruff voice demanded the moment Brock was alone.

  He turned to find his uncle standing behind him, hands on his hips. He looked angrier than Brock had seen him in a long while.

  Brock gave him what he hoped was a calming smile. “I’m fine, Uncle Joe. Not a scratch,” he said, raising his hands for inspection, or possibly in surrender to his uncle’s fury.

  “That was dangerous, and stupid, Brock. You know not to hang around in the ring like that, especially not with a bull like Big Tex in there with you,” Joe said, shaking his head. “Jeannie must be rolling in her grave right now. And what would Sarah say if she knew you were putting yourself at risk like that? My sisters would never forgive me if something happened to you. I’d be hounded in this world and the next.”

  Brock winced at the verbal assault. His mother had been dead for twenty years, since he was just a little boy, but it still bothered him to hear his uncle talk about her like that. And Brock knew that if his uncle said anything to Sarah, his ma, the woman who had raised him since his parents died, she would worry herself sick.

  Uncle Joe seemed to realize he’d been harsh, and his expression softened. “You’re lucky you survived today, you know.”

  Brock nodded, not saying anything. His uncle had been one of the best bull riders in his day, and it was only through his coaching that Brock had managed to turn it into a career.

  “I don’t know why I put up with you and your recklessness,” Uncle Joe groused.

  Brock stayed silent. His uncle always said things like that when he was angry, and Brock had learned it was best not to respond. Joe would keep coaching Brock as long as Brock wanted to ride, so there was no point fighting with the old man.

  Joe seemed to have grumbled himself out on the matter, and he changed topics, to Brock’s relief. “You’re headin’ home tonight, right? Sarah’s been on my case about you going for a visit.”

  Brock nodded. “Ma’s been especially persistent lately, so I’ll be there for two weeks, until the next rodeo. Amy, Jose and Diego will be coming into town in the next couple of days, too.”

  It had been a long while since Brock had seen his adopted brothers and sister, and he was sure Ma was in a tizzy waiting for her kids to come home. Sarah and her husband, Howard, had treated Brock like their own child since he was eight years old, and his adopted siblings even longer. Even though they were technically his aunt and uncle, he never thought of them as anything but his parents.

  Joe nodded. “Keep your nose clean and I’ll see you at the rodeo.”

  Brock couldn’t help but smile. He was pretty sure it would be impossible to get into any trouble in a one-stoplight town like Spring Valley, Texas.

  His uncle seemed to know what he was thinking, because he pointed his finger at Brock’s chest. “Don’t give me any guff, boy. I don’t know how you manage to get yourself in the scrapes you do, smart as you are.”

  Brock considered saying that what Uncle Joe considered “scrapes” usually involved other men from the rodeo, whom he’d met through Joe himself, but he kept his mouth shut. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be there all night listening to a lecture.

  Brock tipped his hat in silent promise to keep his nose clean, then he turned back to the parking lot. “I better get on the road. I’ll tell Ma you said hi.”

  The older man nodded. “Take care of yourself and don’t do anything foolish,” he said before heading back toward the large arena, from which sound erupted as another cowboy tried for his chance at the purse.

  Brock turned toward his truck, the silver behemoth glinting in the afternoon sun, just one of many in the parking lot, waves of heat floating above the sea of metal. It was still early enough that most of the audience and competitors wouldn’t be leaving for another hour or more.

  Normally he would have stayed to talk to the other cowboys, watch the last few rides, the closing ceremonies and possibly even the musical performance scheduled after the rodeo ended—and maybe get to know a few buckle bunnies while he was at it—then top the whole thing off with late-night drinks and planning the next big adventure with his friends. But he had a long drive ahead of him and he wanted to get to his parents’ house before it was too late for a good meal, so he took one last look at the stadium behind him and opened the door to his tr
uck, allowing the wave of pent-up heat to pass over him.

  He wished he had his motorcycle with him so he could enjoy the sweeping curves of the mountain roads at top speeds, feel the rush of adrenaline and the wind at the same time. When he was on the circuit, though, it stayed in storage back in Dallas, so his truck would have to do. Anyway, if he rode up to Spring Valley on his bike, he’d get an earful from his ma, and he’d already had enough of that for one day.

  He couldn’t say he was happy about spending the weeks before his next rodeo in his tiny hometown, without much of a chance to prepare. He wanted to earn a spot at the NFR in Las Vegas, one of the toughest rodeos around, and Brock knew he couldn’t take time off without hurting his chances.

  But at least he was sure to get big servings of his ma’s delicious country cooking, and he’d manage to find some way to keep himself sharp. Also, he could spend time helping Pop with the small riding school he ran on their property, though Brock knew that any insinuation that his dad was too old to do the work would earn him more than a stern talking-to.

  Brock cranked the AC, steered out of the crowded parking lot and turned south toward Spring Valley.

  * * *

  AS THE SUN disappeared behind the mountains surrounding the small town and ranches of Spring Valley, Brock turned off his truck’s engine and stretched. The sprawling house in front of him looked cool and welcoming against the heat of the evening, and the unmistakable smell of horses and jasmine was so familiar that he would have known he was home even with his eyes closed. It was a smell that filled him with nostalgia and even a little longing. He’d always loved working on the ranch.

  But that wasn’t the life for him, he knew, though at times he wished it was. Rodeo life took a toll on a man, not just physically, but mentally. Moving from city to city, following the rodeo circuit, left Brock weary and glad for the short respite of a visit home, even if it made him itch for something more challenging, more dangerous, at the same time.