by Em Petrova
“It’s your pocket square for your tux, big brother.” She leaned down to hug his neck, spreading the small square on his empty plate.
He stared down at it, and suddenly his throat closed off. He couldn’t swallow or breathe. Channing had chosen this color and it was utterly perfect. A hue that would complement her eyes and make them glow bluer than any sky.
Wynonna released him and moved to plop down in her seat. Buck blinked at the emotion welling inside him and snatched the silk off his plate. He stuffed it in his pocket just as his phone vibrated.
He shot to his feet, sending his chair shooting across the kitchen.
“Where’s the fire, Buck?” Lane asked around a dinner roll he’d stolen without their ma seeing.
Maybe it was Channing. Without replying to his brother, Buck went outside to take the call. But it wasn’t his fiancée. It was his ropin’ partner.
“Hey, Ash. What’s up?”
“I hope you’re not in the middle of supper. But I had to call.” Asher’s voice was strained.
Buck’s internal alarms sounded. “Is everything okay?”
“Not really. Reese is back in rehab. Last night she…” Asher struggled for a moment. “Well things aren’t good. I know we’ve got two events coming this week and…”
Please don’t say you need time off. Especially since I need that money.
He felt like an ass for even thinking of himself but if Asher wasn’t earning money, he couldn’t keep his family fed anyway. They were both stuck between a rocky cliff and an ocean of despair. Either way they turned, they had a hard path.
Buck rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know we’ll do anything we can to help you. Channing’s ready for the girls at any time and Wynonna will help. Hell, even the crew adores your little ones.”
“I know. Everybody’s been great. It’s just that…I don’t know if my head’s on straight.”
Buck stared out at the land that might not be theirs anymore. “We both need the money, Ash. Let’s have some practice when we get to Sioux City.”
There was a pause and then Asher sighed. “That sounds like a good plan, Buck.”
“Call me if you need anything. I promise I’ll be there for you.”
“I know, buddy. Talk to you soon.”
When Buck turned to go back inside he found Ryder and Wynonna standing in his way. “What’s going on?” Buck asked.
“Ennis just called.” Ryder’s face was chiseled stone.
“And?” Buck’s chest felt about to explode.
“Turns out our case that ma has squatting rights because she’s a widow won’t hold up in court. Our roads are all blocked. Now we’ve gotta come up with the money.”
As if things weren’t slowly crumbling already.
At least that’s what Buck thought until he got to Sioux City and he and Asher fell to the bottom of the standings.
* * * * *
The whole Calhoun family was edgy as hell. Channing did what she could to try to keep them positive but with the cameras recording their every grimace, it was difficult. Nobody seemed in the mood to show the world how they pulled together in times of stress.
Ridge had gotten ripping drunk and riding broncs with a hangover didn’t turn out the best. Ryder took third riding bulls but he’d been in a bad temper, saying he’d pulled one of the worst animals in the whole bull riders association. And Ryder wasn’t one to point fingers. Normally, he took what was given to him and made the most of it.
West and Lane were holding their own but they were grumpier than ever. Judging by the surly expression he wore, Lane was one moment away from his snapping point.
And Wynonna…
Channing worried most about her because she seemed to be putting herself in the worst situation possible by sleeping with one of the hunky older guys in production. Relations between the crew and family were strictly prohibited, according to the contract. But that didn’t worry Channing as much as what her brothers might do when they found out.
And Asher… He was wrecked. After he’d come to collect his little girls, he’d quietly told Channing that his wife had demanded a divorce. Channing had done all she could do—hugged him and assured him she’d be here for him and the girls whenever he needed her. But her words were hollow in comparison to the hugeness of his situation.
She stretched out on a lounge chair by the hotel pool and tipped her face up to the sun. At least they’d gotten better accommodations for this event. Hopping from seedy motel to motel left her feeling like a flea. This establishment wasn’t five-star but at least it had a pool that didn’t look like swamp water.
She breathed a sigh and let the sun draw spots behind her eyes. Her skin prickled and she wouldn’t be able to stay out here long without sunscreen, but a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.
Her mind wandered over the last and most important Calhoun. At least to her thinking. Buck. He’d been more intense lately, and in bed his seriousness had only ratcheted up their experience. But he’d lost his event and she’d taken all his money to save her brother.
Not for the first time she thought about staying back in Oklahoma and getting a full-time job. But every time she brought it up, he gave her that dark look and shook his head. “You stay with me,” he said more than once.
Which meant she couldn’t add money to the pot. Until the checks came through for the Rope ‘n Ride show, she was stuck.
At least she had the sun, right? She melted into the chair.
Suddenly a shadow fell over her. She opened her eyes, her body instantly humming at the broad form standing beside her.
She opened her arms and Buck sank to the edge of the lounger, tipping into her hold. He rested his head on her breasts, his hat tumbling to the cracked cement surrounding the pool.
“You found the best spot in all of Sioux City.”
“Share it with me.” She scooted over a bit but there was no way he’d fit in the chair with her. Besides, the flimsy plastic legs would probably snap under his muscled bulk.
He shook his head, rubbing his nose and lips over the tops of her breasts that peeked from her tank top. “Just stay like this with me for a minute.”
She didn’t like the desperation in his voice. What else had happened?
Ruffling her fingers through his hair, she said, “Is everything okay?”
Again, he shook his head. “No, it’s all wrong.”
“Tell me what’s going on. Share the burden, babe.” Somehow they seemed more in this together than ever.
He flexed his fingers, grasping her waist tighter. “Lane punched one of the cameramen.”
She gasped.
He cuddled closer. “I know. It’s bad. There’s a clause in the contract about acts of violence.”
“I know. What the hell happened?”
“I guess he just lost his cool. He’s chilling out in his room right now and then I plan to talk to him.”
“I’ll come along if you want me to.”
He nodded, and she jumped as the tip of his wet tongue slid into her cleavage. She barely had time to react before he pushed into an upright position. “I’d like that. I need you there, darlin’.”
Warmth threaded through her at his words. More and more they were inseparable—a true partnership, which was all she could ever ask for. Smiling, she nodded.
“I admit I’ve been so wrapped up in my own life that I don’t have my nose in the business of my brothers and sister.”
Channing thought of Wynonna sleeping with the production member but said nothing. It wasn’t her story to tell.
“I know you can kick Lane’s ass into shape too. You have a way with my family. C’mon, let’s go talk to him.” His voice was resigned but he extended a hand to her. She placed her palm in his and he stood, pulling her to her feet too.
All at once she realized she and Buck had the ingredients to be the best couple ever. They just hadn’t cooked them right. But the elements were still in the pot—they only needed to stir them a different w
ay.
Maybe they’d added the right flavoring this time and she really could put on that wedding gown and believe in the happily ever after.
Buck brushed a tendril of her hair off her cheekbone, looking deep into her eyes as he did. “Channing, I know—”
“Buck!” The holler coming from the doors to the hotel was unmistakably a Calhoun’s.
She and Buck turned as one to see Ryder motioning frantically for them to get inside. Heart jolting, she started running when a whole group of men fell out the doors.
Lane being restrained by Ridge, West with his finger jabbing the production manager’s chest and several cameramen immortalizing the events.
“Fuck, stop those cameras,” Buck said to Channing. She nodded and ran from man to man, asking them to stop filming. But her attention was on the argument between Lane, West and the crew.
“They’re threatening to kick me off the show,” Lane spat toward Buck.
“Get hold of yourself,” Buck barked at his brother before swinging toward West and knocking his hand away from the production manager’s chest. The brothers stood puffing with anger.
“We aren’t uncivilized Oklahoma rednecks. Our parents raised us better.” Buck’s words made them all still. The Calhoun circle undulated until each sibling automatically gathered with the crew in the center. For now, this was their family.
Heads bowed. Channing noted several cameras flicking back on.
Buck looked to the production manager. “Is this too far gone to continue? Is Lane out? Or West?”
The man with the salt and pepper at his temples didn’t respond at first. Then he glanced up—at Wynonna?—and shook his head. “I’ll accept an apology and we’ll forget all about it.”
They all turned to the brothers who’d lost their cool. Lane’s lips tightened as if holding back the words but in the end he said, “I apologize for my actions.”
“So do I,” West added, scuffing his boot on the cracked cement surrounding the pool. At least they hadn’t gotten into one of those brawls often seen on reality TV where everybody falls into the swimming pool.
Channing bit her lips to keep a giggle from rising up at an inopportune time. She’d always believed those TV moments were staged, but now she wasn’t so sure. Tempers ran high when living in the middle of filming.
“Family meeting,” Buck ordered, his deep voice echoing off the building.
The Calhouns began to file back into the hotel. Channing hung back, uncertain. But Buck glanced back at her and gave her that jaw lift that she’d once thought of as a brush-off.
Her throat thickened and she hurried to his side—where she belonged.
* * * * *
Buck herded his family into the restaurant and commanded them to sit at a big table in the back. Luckily the production crew hadn’t followed and he might be able to get real answers from his siblings.
He took a moment to wave away a waitress before seating himself next to Channing. He rested his elbows on the table and swiped his hands through his hair, realizing his hat was still out by the pool. Which only reminded him of how peaceful he’d felt nuzzling Channing’s fragrant, sun-warmed skin.
All he wanted was peace. He’d been about to tell Channing he didn’t want their engagement to be fake when Ryder had called his name.
He pushed out a sigh and lifted his head to look at each one of his siblings. “If Ma were here, she’d give you all a tongue-lashing.”
They all started talking at once. Wynonna sassing that she was a grown woman, Ryder that he was fine with everything and didn’t know why he was lumped into the mess. And Ridge adding his two cents about how he’d broken up the fights and held back his wild brothers, Lane and West.
Buck raised his hands for silence but it was Channing’s shrill whistle that brought them to a screeching halt.
Everybody blinked at her, and Buck grinned. That’s my cowgirl.
“I didn’t know you could whistle like that,” Wynonna said with a hint of pride as if she’d taught Channing herself. Such a cocky little shit, his sister was. Buck would have to knock her down a peg or two before she got too big for her boots. Being confident was one thing—but cocky was another.
Placing his hands flat on the table, he said, “Here’s how it’s gonna be, guys. Lane, I don’t give a damn if the cameraman was fucking your latest Buckle Bunny.”
Lane’s gaze darkened and bullets shot from his eyes. Buck swallowed his surprise—maybe he wasn’t far off.
“West, I’m not sure what skin you have in this but I know you’re loyal to a fault and you were probably just standing up for Lane.”
West nodded, his gaze locked on the salt and pepper shakers.
“All I know is we need this show. We need these people. If we piss them off and they cancel us, we don’t have the money. Which means we lose the ranch—to Ennis.”
Several brothers groaned and Lane leaned back abruptly, folding his arms over his chest as if to say Ennis would need to go through him to get the land.
“Can’t even take a piss without someone following me into the bathroom. And they’re nosy fuckers, always in our business,” West said.
“I know.” Buck shot Channing a look, catching a twinkle in her eyes and a tilt to the corner of her pouty lips. His cock stirred and he planted a hand on her thigh beneath the table. She shifted into his touch.
“It’s their business to dig deep into our lives. Nobody wants to see what we do on the surface. They can get that off ESPN. They want to know what drives us, what makes us tick,” Channing said.
Again, she silenced them. Buck’s chest swelled with pride. She was definitely handling them better than he ever had.
“If you just feel what you need to feel and live your lives to the fullest, you’ll forget the cameras are even there. The other day when we went shopping for a wedding dress, I never noticed the cameraman.”
“Not even when he was in the fitting room with you, Channing?” Wynonna asked.
Buck growled.
“Kidding! Just kidding, big brotha.” Wynonna offered her sweetest smile.
Channing looked into Buck’s eyes and then glanced around the table. “I only cared about how I looked and felt when I found the right dress. And sharing the experience with Wynonna and your ma.”
“Does that mean you’re actually marrying Buck? He said you were on the outs.” Ridge scuffed his knuckles across his jaw thoughtfully.
Channing blinked. And Buck felt her pulling away from him. She could only move a fraction away from his hand, but her soul was flying off at lightning speed.
Dammit. He needed to talk to her right now, before his dumb-ass siblings fucked anything else up for him.
He groped under the table for her hand and squeezed it. Her fingers felt icy in his, and he didn’t think the air conditioning had caused it.
“We’re definitely getting married.” Buck’s throat clogged with emotion as he spoke to his family. “I’m in love with Channing, and I need her by me. I can’t imagine living without her.” He stared into her eyes.
The only response she gave was a stretching of her lips over her teeth in a mock smile.
Best thing to do right now was change the subject. He cleared his throat. “All I ask is that you try your hardest to get along with production. Our ranch is on the line.”
“As soon as we get home I say we hire a different lawyer. One who can find a way to get the land without us paying Ennis his balloon rate,” Ryder said matter-of-factly.
Everyone agreed. Channing remained silent. Worried more than he had been for weeks, Buck pushed away from the table. “Ryder, you hire the lawyer. Everyone else? Behave your asses.”
With that, Buck led Channing out of the restaurant. She made no protest but a bit of her glow had faded. She’d left some of her faith in him back at that table.
Chapter Twelve
Five wins turned into six. Team Calhoun-Franklin was back—and they were on fire. Channing had gotten the hang of caring for Mad
die and Montana—they hadn’t tried to escape at all lately.
Luke was even all right now that she’d bailed him out. He was working steadily and didn’t seem to have fallen back into his gambling habit.
But Channing wasn’t feeling as hopeful as she had weeks before. They traveled so much she had no idea what city she awakened in. And when she was on the ranch, there was a whirlwind of wedding plans and shopping trips to supply stores. She had crates full of mason jars to fill with candles and set on tables, but she had no idea what to do about her groom.
Twisting her hands, she watched him seated atop Havoc, his hat tipped so low she wondered how he’d see the cattle to rope it. She leaned into the rail. Asher’s girls bounced up and down beside her, cheering for their daddy. What a rough road they had. It seemed Reese had skipped town, abandoning the girls to their father to raise. Asher was up to the task—but he was broken too.
All of these troubles crushed Channing, and she realized none of them were actually hers. She was only responsible for paying Buck back and getting herself out of the wedding. The fact that Buck had slipped to his family that they were on the outs told her that he was still uncertain.
But he didn’t sound uncertain back in that restaurant.
Their horses held utterly still, prepared to lunge out when the steer was loosed. Her heart counted down in time to the clock.
The animal burst forward, and Buck followed with a perfect lasso. The crowd went crazy and Channing screamed. The girls jumped up and down like Mexican beans. “Daddeeeeee! Daddeeeeeee!”
Asher snagged the back legs, and Buck fist-punched the air. Channing’s heart soared, knowing they had the fastest time. They were moving on to the next round. Which meant more highways and new cities to wake up in.
When Buck came in, he grasped her hand and looked into her eyes with a huge smile. But everything he did now made her suspicious. Was anything real anymore?
“C’mon, girls. Let’s go find your daddy and congratulate him.” Channing ushered the little dark-haired girls out of the arena. The camera crew was two steps behind her. They recorded the moment when Buck swept her off her feet and whirled her. And him crushing his lips down on hers, stealing her breath.
