And Then You Dare (Crested Butte Cowboys Series Book 5)

by Heather A Buchman

  Tristan hated horror shows anyway, which was the main reason she’d downed the three cocktails. But the fact that whoever had come in the back door, still hadn’t shown him- or herself, was giving her the quivers. And not the good kind.

  “Oh for goodness sake,” said Lyric’s grandmother. “I’ll go look.” Tristan wanted to beg her not to, but then again, maybe she’d turn some lights on.

  Grey, who had been in the bedroom with Willow, Caden, and Hannah Pearl, supposedly sound asleep, came padding through the living room and followed his great-grandmother. When he turned the corner into the kitchen, he let out a shriek that almost had Tristan peeing her pants.

  “Dada,” he screamed. Tristan froze. Bullet was here.

  “Well, well, well. Look at all the lovely ladies. What’s goin’ on tonight?” Bullet picked up a glass on the kitchen counter and sniffed. “Smells like one of Lyric’s five ingredient cocktails, where all five ingredients are alcohol.”

  “Girls’ night. Except for Grey,” Liv giggled.

  Tristan was sitting furthest away from where he stood. She had no idea whether he’d noticed her yet.

  “Billy asked me to drop this off,” he said to Renie, placing a duffle bag on her kitchen counter.

  Tristan watched him walk around Renie’s gourmet kitchen, tasting the hors d’oeurves spread out on the marble-topped island. “I am downright famished. You ladies wouldn’t mind if I crashed your party, would ya?”

  Half of Tristan hoped they’d protest, the other half hoped he’d be invited to stay.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said when no one answered. “Tristan, you don’t mind do ya?”

  She had her answer. He’d noticed her, and he, along with everyone else, was waiting for her to reply. The room was silent; the TV still on mute.

  “Tristan, you don’t mind, right?” teased Lyric. “I heard a rumor you two were at Black Mountain Ranch together recently. How did that go?”

  Inwardly Tristan rolled her eyes at Lyric. Outwardly, she hadn’t moved a muscle, or answered Bullet. She was afraid to speak, and when she tried, her voice was hoarse.

  “What was that?” Bullet was walking toward her. “I couldn’t hear you.”

  Tristan cleared her throat. “Of course I don’t mind. Why would I?”

  “Just checkin’.” Bullet sat down next to her, and pulled Grey on his lap. “Grey, you wanna sit by the prettiest lady in the room?”

  Grey moved from Bullet’s lap toward Tristan and plunked down right next to her, resting his head on her leg.

  “He shares my good taste,” Bullet whispered and leaned forward to kiss her.

  Tristan jerked away from him so quickly, Grey’s head hit the floor with a thud. The baby burst into tears, rubbed his head, and wailed.

  “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled to Bullet. “I—”

  “Save it,” he growled. He stood and took Grey in the direction of the bedroom.

  “Is my Pearl in there?” he asked Liv.

  “She is.” Liv put her finger in front of her lips to tell Bullet to be quiet. The girls were asleep. Instead, he barged into the room, turned on the light, and picked his little girl up with one arm as he held the still-crying Grey in the other.

  “We’ll see y’all later,” he said to no one in particular, and walked out the kitchen door, leaving it open behind him.

  Tristan jumped up to follow him, but Lyric stopped her. “Let him go,” she warned.

  “I need to apologize,” she pressed.

  “Sometimes words aren’t enough to make up for actions.” Lyric’s jaw was set. Tristan knew better than try to argue with her.

  I’m sorry, she texted him. He didn’t answer. She told herself he was probably busy getting Grey and Pearl to bed, but she knew better. He was mad. And he had every right to be. Her reaction to him even baffled her. Although she knew she wasn’t ready for everyone to know she and Bullet were…what? A couple? No, they weren’t a couple. That they’d had a fling? Jeez. A fling? What would her father think?

  “I’m mad at you too.” Lyric stood next to her on Billy and Renie’s deck.

  “It really isn’t any of your business Lyric. I’m sorry I hurt your brother’s feelings, but his actions were—”

  Lyric walked back in the house before Tristan finished her sentence. A minute later, Liv came outside.

  “If you’re going to scold me too, don’t waste your time.”

  “My, my, aren’t you in a tizzy?”

  “He shouldn’t have done that.” Tristan waited, but Liv didn’t respond. “Especially in front of everyone.” Still nothing from Liv.

  Finally, she spoke. “Did you know this used to be my house?”

  Tristan hadn’t put it all together, but yes, Liv had told her Billy bought her ranch before he married Renie.

  “I love this house. My parents built it when I was a teenager. My father was a retired Air Force colonel, and prior to this house, there wasn’t one I lived in longer than four years.”

  “It’s a very nice house,” Tristan murmured. “Especially the kitchen.” She hadn’t seen much more of the house than that and the family room, but just those two areas were beautifully designed.

  “I was out here on the deck late one afternoon, and I saw a black bear, over there near the forest.” Liv pointed to the edge of the clearing. “I believed it was a sign that I was meant to be alone.” Liv paused, and shook her head. “I can’t tell you how many times I almost lost Ben because of my fear. And my stubbornness.”

  Tristan didn’t know what to say, so she listened.

  “I was watching you. All evening you were wondering about him, but too stubborn to ask. When he came in, your eyes lit up like Christmas lights.”

  She was happy to see him, but then he took it too far. He toyed with her, and he did it in front of everyone. They hadn’t spoken since Bullet dropped her off at the airport. They hadn’t even texted. Did he really expect her to fall into his arms like some lovesick cowgirl? She’d done that once before in her life, and vowed never to be that naive again.

  “Is it really so hard for you to give him a chance?”

  “A chance at what? A chance to make a fool of me?” Tristan’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Oh honey. I don’t know who hurt you so badly that you’ve closed your heart at such a young age. But please listen to me. It’s time to open it again.” Liv wrapped her arms around Tristan and hugged her tight. “If there’s anything I know, it’s love is worth it.”

  “I think you’re overstating it. What makes you think Bullet and I are headed in that direction? He’s a cowboy, a bull rider, for God’s sake.”

  “I’m confused. Do you think bull riders are incapable of loving someone?”

  That wasn’t the point. Of course they were. But both she and Bullet had a lot of living to do before they’d be ready to look for that kind of relationship. Maybe he didn’t think so now, but time would prove her right. He was barely out of high school when he had his first child. Since, he’d been married, and had another child.

  “You make him want to be a better man.”

  Tristan hadn’t heard Lyric come back outside. “I don’t know.” She doubted it was for the long term. Maybe because he liked the challenge of winning her over. Maybe because he thought he still wanted the Lost Cowboy sponsorship, even though he didn’t need it. Buck Bishop wasn’t the type to give false praise. He meant the words he said to Bullet, and to Bill.

  That was the other thing. Bullet was on the fast track to championship bull riding. Between now and October, he wouldn’t have time to think about anything else. If he did as well as Buck predicted, he wouldn’t get a break until December.

  She had her own dreams to chase, to use Lyric’s expression. Tomorrow’s meeting would determine how much money she’d have to produce her line. The more she had, the faster she could do it.

  “I’m sorry to keep repeating myself, but you’re both making too much of this. You want to know what happened? We had a gr
eat time at the ranch. I did some of my best work, and so did he. We had amazing sex. Is that what you were really after?”

  “I can’t speak for Liv, but that was way more than I wanted to know.”

  Tristan couldn’t help but laugh. Leave it to Lyric to say something to diffuse her anger.

  “Not me,” Liv shook her head. “I want details.”

  “Ew. You’re talkin’ about my twin brother. Come on.” Lyric covered her ears. “No details, please.”

  Liv put her arm around Tristan’s shoulders. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow. Let’s call it a night.”

  Tristan followed Liv inside. Other than Lyric’s mother and grandmother, who were waiting for Lyric to take them back to Bullet’s, everyone but Renie was gone. Liv led Tristan downstairs to the guest rooms.

  “Get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  She’d see Liv in the morning, but she doubted she’d get any rest.

  ***

  1968

  “If you aren’t going to Western State, neither am I.”

  “But Dottie, you have to. You can’t give up a chance to go to college on account of me. I won’t hear of it.”

  “Listen to you Mr. Bossy. You won’t hear of it. Well I won’t hear of waiting another minute for you. And I’m not giving you up either.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yes. That’s right.”

  “What do you propose we do?”

  “I’m not the one doing any proposing Bill Flynn, but you better be.”

  Just a couple days ago his mama had given Bill the ring his daddy gave to her. Now that she was marrying Clancy, she didn’t feel right having Gene Flynn’s ring. He’d carried it with him in his pocket, but sure hadn’t planned what he was about to do.

  Bill pulled it out, and got down on one knee.

  “Bill-—”

  “Now don’t interrupt me Dorothea. I have somethin’ important to ask you.”

  Dottie grinned, and put her hands on her hips. Bill reached out and brought her left hand closer to him.

  “I’ve loved you since the day I met you. Will you marry me Dottie?”

  Chapter 16

  Tristan was a nervous wreck, and it wasn’t because of the meeting planned for that afternoon. Bullet called and asked if they could talk. He wouldn’t elaborate over the phone, but she could guess how the conversation would go.

  She’d hurt his feelings last night, and while it was unintentional, there was something to be said for the way she pulled away from him. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, and once again she was faced with the realization that when it came to Bullet, even she didn’t understand her feelings or the way she reacted to him.

  He invited her to join him for breakfast. There was a place in historic downtown Monument, the town located northwest of Black Forest, called Cup of Coffee, that he liked. He thought she might too.

  In fifteen minutes he would be picking her up. In the meantime, she couldn’t sit still.

  ***

  “What are you gonna say to her?” Lyric spent the night at Bullet’s. Her mother drove them back the night before and told her she was in no condition to drive to Palmer Lake. After having three of her five-ingredient cocktails, Lyric agreed. Her mama had never been much of drinker, so it didn’t surprise Lyric when her mother opted for tea the night before.

  “I haven’t figured that out yet.”

  “Why’d you invite her to breakfast then?”

  Bullet wasn’t sure why he had other than knowing the time they had together was short, and he didn’t want to waste it being mad at her. He didn’t know when she was scheduled to go back to New York, but beginning next month, he’d be busier than he ever had been in his life.

  Flying R had hired another hand to travel with Bullet, Bill and Dottie. Bill and Dottie were going on the road to help, but not in the way Bullet would need it most, with the broncs.

  Slade Weston, the guy they hired, was a bulldogger, which meant he was strong and tough as all get out. Steer wrestling took timing, speed, and strength. The cowboy needed to be a damn good rider to chase a steer, dismount his horse, mount the steer and wrestle it to the ground. Good bulldoggers could do it all in three or four seconds.

  There were no historical records that connected this event with every day ranch life. Bullet remembered Dottie saying it was the timed events in rodeo that Bill had the most trouble with. Had Billy or the other Flying R partners consulted Bill before hiring Slade? Bullet sure hoped so, since Slade would be traveling with them pretty near non-stop the next six months.

  Bullet shook his head and looked at his phone for the hundredth time that morning. He had five minutes before he had to leave. Instead of thinking about the new hand, he should be thinking about what he planned to say to Tristan.

  He parked the truck, and before he could get out and knock on the back door of the house, Tristan was walking toward him. He got out anyway, to open the passenger door for her.

  “Good morning.” He couldn’t really understand why he was feeling sheepish this morning; it had been Tristan who pulled away from him. There had to have been a reason though, and it had to have been his fault. It seemed almost everything was, one way or another.

  She nodded, but didn’t answer. When he opened the door for her, she wouldn’t look at him. So Bullet did the thing that came natural to him, he spun her around and kissed the daylights out of her. The tension he felt in every part of her body quickly released. Her arms went around his neck, and she kissed him back.

  “I’m sorry,” they pulled back and said simultaneously. Then they both laughed.

  “I’m the one who should be sorry Bullet. I don’t know why I reacted the way I did last night.”

  “Wasn’t fair of me to put you on the spot the way I did. I understand if I embarrassed you.”

  They were still standing next to the truck. Tristan looked in the direction of the house. “Let’s go, okay? We can talk about this better over breakfast.”

  There was a part of him that wondered if Tristan was still trying to hide being with him. Did she look toward the house to see if anyone was watching? He leaned down and kissed her again. When her mouth opened to him, he knew he’d won this battle, if there was a war.

  ***

  Tristan looked around the restaurant. There wasn’t anyone here she knew, not that she expected there to be. Things had been so much easier when they were at Black Mountain Ranch. She supposed Piper could’ve ratted her out to her father, but why would she have? She seemed like more of a conspirator than an adversary.

  “How’s Grey this morning?”

  “He’s fine. I think he was startled more than hurt last night.”

  “I felt terrible. I still do.”

  “The thing that upsets me the most is I left in such a huff that you didn’t get to meet my daughter.”

  Tristan looked away, and hoped what she was thinking wasn’t showing on her face. She was still having a hard time accepting Bullet had another child with a woman who wasn’t Grey’s mother. She couldn’t comprehend the complete lack of responsibility in having unprotected sex. Especially with someone he doubted so much that he questioned being the child’s father.

  “I know what you’re thinkin’.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I do. And neither of us needs to say it out loud.”

  “We’ve led very different lives—”

  “I know we have, and believe me, there isn’t anybody who knows I’m not good enough for you better than I do.”

  Is that what he thought? Is that what she was leading him to believe? It wasn’t about him being good enough for her, was it? Of all the things she could do that would shame her father, her thinking she was better than anyone else would shame him the most. He had raised her with compassion, and the belief that anyone who was willing to work hard and do the right thing, could make anything they wanted of themselves.

  Having a child out of wedlock wasn’t choosing not to do the righ
t thing. He supported the child, and was involved in her life. Turning his back on the baby would have been something her daddy disapproved of.

  “You’re wrong Bullet. The better I get to know you, the more I think I’m the one who isn’t good enough for you.”

  He smiled. And she melted. Bullet was meant to smile. Frowning didn’t suit him.

  “God you’re beautiful.”

  Tristan dipped her head and felt her cheeks heat. Not only wasn’t she good enough for him, she didn’t deserve him. He had every right to be mad at her, or even dislike her. Instead, he told her she was beautiful.

  “Thank you.”

  “Come on now, give me one of your sweet smiles.”

  What choice did she have? When he talked to her that way, she was powerless to do anything but what he asked of her.

  Bullet stood and came to her side of the booth. When she slid over to give him room, he smiled again.

  “Now that’s much better.” Bullet reached around the back of the booth and put his arm around her shoulder. “I like you close as I can get you.”

  Tristan looked at her phone, it was almost noon. She couldn’t believe she and Bullet had been talking for over two hours.

  “I have to get back. I’m sorry.”

  “You gotta stop sayin’ you’re sorry all the time. I know you have a meeting. It isn’t something you should be sorry for.”

  “I know. I can’t help it. I never realized how much I say it.”

  “Wasn’t there some old time movie that had a line in it about love meaning you never say you’re sorry?”

  That took the smile off her face. “Bullet—”

  “Now don’t go gettin’ all in a snit. I was just teasin’ you.”

  “Oh. Okay. I’m—”

  Bullet put his hand over her mouth. “Nope, I’m not lettin’ you say it. Every time I think you’re about to, I’m gonna do this.” He leaned forward and covered her mouth with his kiss.