Learning the Ropes

by T. J. Kline

  “She’s still working for them too, running their house. I’m sure she’d love for you to stop by to say hi before you head out of town.”

  “I’m sure we could do that.” Chris sat up and glanced at David. “Matter of fact, we’re finished. If you want to wait for us, we can load our rig and head over to the house to help your dad feed.” He didn’t wait for David to agree, avoiding the pointed look he shot at Chris.

  David sighed and shook his head, clenching his jaw. He refrained from commenting but it didn’t hide his irritation. Chris glared at him in warning. What did David have to complain about? Chris was setting him up with a beautiful woman—unless David didn’t realize what Chris was doing and thought Chris was trying to hook up with her. The thought almost made him laugh out loud. David would know by now that Chris liked women without strings attached. No commitments, ever. Alicia was the opposite. She was the girl you built forever with and Chris had no interest in forever. But, David? He was a different story.

  Chris wasn’t worried that Alicia might not be interested in his partner. He was the type of guy every girl wanted to settle down with—sturdy, dependable, ambitious—and for some reason, women were drawn to his “Aw shucks” demeanor. Chris had enough of them ask him about his friend to know the air of dependable, quiet strength surrounding him was what women sought in marriage material. They weren’t looking for a fun-loving, irresponsible husband. They wanted a guy they could count on and, of the two of them, that was definitely David.

  Alicia glanced at David again cautiously. “I’m sure Mama and Daddy would love for you guys to come have dinner with us but I’m not sure David wants to.”

  Chris shot David a warning look and cocked his head, smiling at Alicia’s forthright comment. “Who cares what this guy wants.” Chris jerked a thumb at David. “I’d love a home cooked meal. I’m sick of his ironed grilled cheese and cold French fries.” He grimaced and she laughed.

  “It can’t be that bad.”

  “It is,” David agreed, barely cracking a smile. Chris wished his friend would just lighten up for a few minutes. “I guess I’ll get started loading the horses then. Sounds like I’ll see you in just a bit, Alicia.” David spun the horse and headed past several large stock trailers on his way to the one he shared with Chris.

  Alicia watched him leave, curiously, before raising her brows and turning to Chris. “Wow, he’s kinda intense.”

  Chris stifled a chuckle, glad she wasn’t judging him by their first encounter. “Yeah, but he’s a good guy and I know he’s got my back no matter what.”

  “You mean he’d bail you out of any kind of trouble you get yourself into,” she said, jingling her keys, trying to hide the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

  “I mean, he has. Several times,” he clarified before giving her a guilty smile. “Probably will again before this weekend is over.” Chris glanced back in the direction David had gone. “I better go help him. If you want to head out, we’ll just be a few minutes behind you. I think, after all these years, I can still remember the way,” he said before winking at her and watching her pull out of the arena before nudging his gelding toward his trailer.

  As he rode closer, he could see the fury in David’s face and wondered at the wisdom of their dinner plans.

  “What the hell was that?” David tossed the saddle blanket into the trailer. “I thought we were going to go to the barbecue before we headed out tonight. We were leaving remember?”

  Chris shrugged off his friend’s anger. “So? We have a change in plans. It’s not a big deal.” He loosened his gelding’s cinch. “Since when do you complain about a meal you don’t have to pay for?”

  “I’m not complaining about the meal. I’m complaining about you being so obvious.” He leaned over his gelding’s back and crossed his wrists. “If I want a date, I’ll get one myself. I don’t need your help.”

  “Yeah, because it’s happened so often over the past three months.”

  David shook his head and sighed as he brushed the horse. “Have you ever stopped to think that not everyone is like you? You have more notches on your bed than I have trophy buckles.”

  Chris laughed out loud. He wasn’t offended by David’s comment. He knew he had the reputation of being a playboy and he’d never tried to correct the rumors that he slept with the women he flirted with. He’d assumed they would get cleared up eventually. The truth was, when they were on the road, he gave most women a ride home only when they were too drunk to drive, and then he slept in his truck or a spare bedroom if they were generous. He’d seen the devastation drunk driving created after losing a friend on her way home from a rodeo. After that night, he vowed to do his best to see any woman home safely. He’d never thought it might make him look like a dog.

  Then there were the women he took home because he was afraid if they were left to their own devices, they’d be taken advantage of by some of the less than gentlemanly cowboys who preyed on “buckle bunnies.” Sure, he was a red-blooded man and there were nights he didn’t go to bed alone, but not nearly as many as people suspected. But only Sydney knew the truth. These rumors following him were getting out of hand and he was going to need to clear all of it up before it bit him in the ass.

  “Walk a mile in these boots, my friend, and you might find it’s not all you think it is.” He shook his head. “I’m sick of listening to women trying figure out how to get your attention. Alicia is a pretty, sweet woman who can cowboy with the best of them. I just thought you two have a lot in common and you’re not the type of guy to love ’em and leave ’em so I know you won’t hurt her. Besides, you’d better settle down and start having that family you talk about soon or you’re gonna be too old to have kids.”

  “Whatever, Chris.” David rolled his eyes and tossed the brush into the shelf on the door. “You’ve already roped me into this. It’s not like I can back out now. It just would’ve been nice to have some warning.”

  “It’s feeding some horses. We have to do the same with our own.”

  David untied his horse’s lead rope and loaded him into the trailer. “Just do me a favor and ask first next time.”

  “Sure.” Chris chuckled quietly, congratulating himself on a match well-made. Tonight they’d have dinner and, hopefully, he’d convince the pair to go to the dance. Tomorrow, they’d head out and, if all went according to plan, David would be so busy watching for Alicia at the next rodeo that Chris might get ten minutes all to himself.

  Chapter Two

  * * *

  ALICIA PULLED THE truck into the circular drive, hoping there was enough room for both rigs to fit in front of her parents’ tiny modular home. She was worried about Chris and David coming over. She wasn’t blind. She knew Chris was trying to set her up with David, which was embarrassing enough, but she didn’t really want him to see where she lived. Her parents worked hard but she wasn’t exactly proud of the fact her mother was a glorified housekeeper and her father cleaned stalls for a living. She sighed, guilt sweeping over her. She hated feeling ashamed of her upbringing but the emotions wouldn’t stay buried.

  Face it, you’re poor, she scolded herself. That’s not going to change anytime soon.

  She’d always been the poor kid growing up. When she was young, she’d worn clothes that smelled like moth balls and musty books, never owning anything new or firsthand. What she wouldn’t have given for a trip to the mall, just once. Even when they’d moved into West Hills and she’d gone to high school, everything had been second hand. She’d been grateful for even the little she had, but it wasn’t easy when she saw girls coming to school in every new fad, while she was wearing the same jeans she’d had for four years. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know so she learned to sew, managing to refurbish thrift store deals into Western couture, and made all of her own riding shirts for rodeos. She’d even sold a few of her designs to other queen contestants to make ends meet and help her parents out. Chris knew because he’d seen it firsthand over the many years she and Sydney
had been friends, but what would David Greenly think when he saw what little they had?

  You saw the look on his face. He’ll think you’re not worth his time.

  She sighed as her mother came onto the porch. Alicia had already called her from the rodeo grounds to let her know Chris and David were coming to dinner. Of course, her mother was thrilled. Both of her parents adored Chris since meeting him. Who could blame them? Everyone loved Chris. He was one of those people who excelled at everything with minimal effort. His easygoing nature drew others to him like a magnet and he never seemed to lack people vying for his attention, especially women. Not that he ever turned them away. In all the years she’d known him, she couldn’t believe he’d never realized she had a crush on him, too. Maybe, like David, he didn’t think she was worth his time and attention.

  Alicia unloaded her horses and turned them loose into the small pasture beside their home. Both geldings took off at a run, kicking their hooves into the air as she hung the halters on the hook beside the gate.

  “Where’s Dad?” she called to her mother.

  “He’s out in the mare barn, feeding.” Her mother looked toward the gate. “Where are Chris and his friend?”

  “They’re loading up and will be here in a few minutes. Does Dad need my help?”

  Her mother waved her off. “The boys can help him. I’m going to head over to the house and get dinner on the table for Mrs. Langdon. I’ll be back in a few minutes but can you take the lasagna out and put the garlic bread into the oven in ten minutes?”

  “Sure, Mom.” Alicia headed into the house, plugging her phone into the charger on the counter. “Anything else you need me to do?” She took a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

  “Nope, Dad will be in after he checks on the yearlings.”

  Alicia sighed as she watched her mother walk down the pathway leading to the main house. She’d been the Langdons’ housekeeper and cook throughout her pregnancy while Alicia’s father ran the entire stable of champion cutting horses. For years, the Langdon family had been trying to get Alicia to work for them, showing their horses and training, but she couldn’t give up on rodeo and settle for the same life her parents had. The Langdons were wonderful people who had taken care of both of her parents over the many years in their employ but Alicia refused to quit rodeo until she reached the pinnacle—the National Finals Rodeo. She had to prove to herself and everyone else that she wasn’t just some poor kid the Langdons helped. Reaching her goal would also help her do the one thing she wanted most: help her father train his own horses instead of someone else’s. Watching her mother head over to the Langdons when she should be having dinner with her family made Alicia realize that nothing short of the Finals would be enough.

  She sighed, rising from the chair as the buzzer sounded, and reached for the oven mitts her mother left on the counter. This year she was closer than ever to making the Finals. She might not win every rodeo but the second place purses were adding up. If her luck and her geldings continued to hold out, she’d place in the top ten this season and be in Las Vegas competing this December. The mere thought caused flutters of nervousness in her stomach.

  Her parents didn’t have any idea what she was planning but she already had her eyes on a ranch on the outskirts of town. Nothing as large as the property the Langdons owned, but it was plenty of room for the three of them to build a house and enough space for her father to finally raise his own horses, the way he’d always talked about doing. Adding this season’s winnings to what she’d already saved over the past two years should give her enough for a nice down payment. But she didn’t want to get her parents’ hopes up until she put an offer on the place. She couldn’t bear to get their hopes up only to have it fall apart later.

  DAVID PARKED THE truck behind Alicia’s trailer and looked around at the tiny house. “Not much to the place, huh?”

  “We can’t all have parents who own cattle ranches or were world champions,” Chris pointed out, wondering if David realized he sounded like a snob.

  His friend arched a brow at him in indignation. “I wasn’t criticizing, just stating a fact. Sensitive much?” David climbed from the driver’s seat and Chris followed.

  Maybe he was being a bit oversensitive but he knew how Alicia hated being judged for her parents’ lack of money and he didn’t want to see David get off on the wrong foot from the start. Noah Kanani had come from Hawaii and worked hard to earn the respect of Bradley Langdon, one of the largest cutting horse breeders in the nation. Jessenia was one of the sweetest women he’d ever known and he’d thought of her like a second mother when he was younger. As much as he hated to see how hard she worked as both housekeeper and cook for the Langdon family, he could only imagine how it troubled Alicia.

  “Hey,” Alicia called from the front porch. “You can either tie your horses to the trailer or turn them out in the pasture behind the house. We don’t have any broodmares out there right now.”

  David glanced at Chris, letting him make the decision. “Pasture?”

  “Might as well. You want me to do it and you can head inside?” Chris wagged his brows at his friend suggestively.

  “Why don’t I handle the horses?” David muttered, opening the back of the trailer.

  “Chicken,” Chris chuckled and shrugged. “Whatever. More food for me.” He hurried up the porch steps and followed Alicia into the house, immediately hit with a whiff of Italian spices and garlic. His stomach rumbled loudly and Alicia glanced at him over her shoulder, laughing.

  “Dinner is just about ready, if you want to wash up in the bathroom at the end of the hall. Towels are in the bottom cabinet.”

  “I remember,” he said, winking at her. “David should be in shortly. Does your dad need any help?”

  She bent over and checked the bread in the oven. “No, Mom just left for the main house but she’ll be right back.” She shot him a sideways glance and the corner of his mouth curved up. “I think she’s pretty excited to see you.”

  “I’ve missed your mom. I know I should stop by more often when I’m home. But you know how it is.” He shrugged by way of apology. “I’m on the road most of the time and when I do come back, Dad needs my help at the ranch. Time flies and I never realize it’s gone.”

  “I know.”

  Chris narrowed his eyes, wondering if she really did know. She’d never travelled as much as he and David did, staying close to her parents and helping them whenever she could. Even at that, she was still sitting pretty in the standings.

  He watched her adjust the tray of bread in the oven, trying not to notice the rounded curve of her rear, although parts of him were making the task extremely difficult. She’d always been a pretty girl but she was his sister’s skinny best friend, smart enough to be a year ahead of him in school even though they were the same age. Back in high school he’d almost asked her to the prom but hadn’t been brave enough. When she told him she was going to a rodeo instead, he insisted on driving her and was there to celebrate her first professional win. In the end, he never did ask her out, for fear of jeopardizing their friendship. Instead, he’d forced himself to back off, admiring Alicia from a distance. He arched a brow. He didn’t remember her having these curves back then, or even at his sister’s wedding.

  The front door slammed and Chris tore his gaze, and wandering thoughts, from Alicia’s backside, poking his head around the corner to see Jessenia come inside.

  “Cristobel!” She hurried forward and enveloped him in a hug, squeezing him impressively for such a tiny woman.

  “Jessie!” He laughed at the Spanish nickname she’d given him in high school, as he lifted her from the ground and swung her around once. He placed her back on the floor. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by sooner.”

  She gave him a frown. “I should hope so. I don’t even know how long it’s been since I’ve seen you,” she scolded in her thick Spanish accent.

  Chris tried to look sheepish when he heard the clomping of boots on the steps of the fr
ont porch. The door opened as Noah came inside, making sure not to track dirt into Jessie’s immaculate house. “I sure hope that cowboy putting horses in the back is with you, young man.”

  Chris laughed and thrust out a hand to Alicia’s father. “He’s my roping partner. It’s good to see you again, sir.”

  “Alicia, why don’t you go see if that young man outside needs anything else?” Jessie suggested.

  Chris wondered if she wasn’t already having the same thoughts as he was about the pair and looked over at Alicia, leaning against the side of the doorway, watching their interaction.

  “Sure, Mom.” Alicia sighed and pushed away from the wall, rolling her eyes as she moved past them to head outside.

  “Don’t mind her,” Noah said as she closed the door. “She’s just mad about quitting rodeo.”

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE I let him get me involved in this,” David muttered as he threw two flakes of hay to the geldings.

  It wasn’t as if they didn’t have plenty they needed to work on. What they really should have done was head to Chris’s parents’ ranch to practice before their second go-round tomorrow. If they didn’t get some better times, there was no way they were going to stay in the top ten and get to Vegas. It pissed him off that Chris would rather spend precious practice time flirting with girls from his past, and trying to get him to do the same.

  “You know, some people think talking to your horse is a sign of insanity.”

  The quiet laughter at the pasture gate made him clench his jaw. She might be a great girl but he wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone nor did he have time for a relationship, contrary to what Chris seemed to think.

  “Yeah, well, that tends to happen anyway when Chris Thomas is your roping partner.”