Barreling Through Christmas: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 4)

by Shanna Hatfield

  “It’s a date,” Celia said, then laughed when Kash shook his head and rolled his eyes.

  Cooper hurried through the vendor show to the room where he’d changed into his clown costume earlier. He hadn’t planned on getting into his makeup and outfit in the middle of the day, but when one of the organizers asked if he’d be willing to do a little story time that afternoon, he quickly agreed. He loved entertaining crowds, but his favorite thing was making children smile.

  It didn’t take him anytime to change and stow his gear. He lifted the duffle bag and headed back to meet Kash and Celia. He’d just walked past a vendor booth he visited every year to purchase special roasted nuts for his grandpa when the booth owner waved him over.

  Cooper took a few steps back. “What’s up, Steve?”

  “The funniest thing happened this afternoon.”

  Cooper gave his friend a long look. “Don’t keep it a secret, man! What happened?”

  “Two women were walking around with a photo of a cowboy’s behind on their cell phone, trying to find him. Have you ever heard of something so crazy?” Steve asked.

  “No.” Cooper chuckled. “What kind of desperate women do that?”

  “I don’t know, Coop. They both were real pretty, but one of them was wearing a wedding ring. Wonder what her husband would think if he knew what she was doing.”

  Cooper grinned. “It’s that ol’ ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ saying at work again.”

  Steve nodded and handed Cooper a small sack of nuts. “Have a great evening.”

  “Thanks, man.” Cooper took the nuts and rushed off to meet Kash and Celia, amused by the story Steve shared. What kind of crazy women went around taking pictures of a guy’s hindquarters?

  After he ate a hurried meal with his friends, the three of them drove to the rodeo arena. Cooper thanked them for the ride and rushed to his trailer to change into his rodeo gear.

  He tugged off his jeans and western shirt, pulling on an undershirt followed by a protective vest. A pair of padded bullfighter shorts went on next, followed by long athletic socks and shin guards. He pulled on a pair of black basketball-style shorts sporting electric blue trim. The athletic elbow-length jersey he wore looked like a motocross shirt, although his sponsors’ logos emblazoned the front, back and sleeves. Also in black, the shirt featured the words “Super Cooper” on the back in electric blue, with two stripes of the eye-catching blue down the sides.

  He finished his outfit with a pair of football cleats and a cowboy hat. It didn’t take him long to apply his makeup: a big oval of white around his mouth, outlined in black, white and black around his eyes, and a bright pink circle on his nose.

  “Ready to rock and roll!” he said to his image in the mirror before he hustled outside and made his way over to an area where rodeo fans could stroll among a few booths before the rodeo began.

  Cooper agreed to sign autographs at one of the booths and carried a large stack of photos with him.

  He smiled and chatted with those who stopped by to see him, signing dozens of autographs. A group of scantily clad women stopped by and one of them made a point of attempting to get him to sign an autograph on the bared skin of her midriff.

  “Shoot, honey, what fun would that be? First time you showered, you’d forget all about ol’ Cooper.” He handed her a signed photo with a broad grin. “Take this instead.”

  Thankfully, two of the children who’d listened to him read a story early that afternoon showed up, providing a welcome distraction as they asked him questions about being a rodeo clown.

  He gave each of them a glow in the dark yoyo, emblazoned with his name, before he gathered up his things. The scent of something soft and feminine tickled his nose and he glanced up, staring at the two sisters he’d seen earlier.

  “Hey, ladies! How ya doing?” he asked, leaning forward and giving them an engaging smile. The more laid-back appearing sister wore a pair of bright red boots with a sparkly red blouse. The career-oriented sister wore a pair of dark dress slacks with a muted silk blouse and ballerina flats. Her hair remained pulled back in an updo that made her look like a stern schoolteacher. She’d definitely stand out in the crowd of rodeo-goers, most of whom wore jeans with blingy pockets and a variety of casual tops.

  The sister with the mass of long, unruly hair leaned forward and smiled. “Were you at the Christmas show earlier, reading a book to some kids?”

  Cooper grinned. “Guilty as charged. Did you enjoy story time?”

  “I did,” the friendly woman said, holding out her hand. “I’m Miranda Martin, but everyone calls me Randi.”

  “Cooper James, also known as Super Cooper, rodeo clown and barrelman extraordinaire.” He executed an exaggerated bow, sweeping the hat off his head and revealing his cropped dark brown hair.

  Randi laughed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You did an incredible job reading to the kids. They were completely caught up in the story.”

  “Thank you.” Cooper smiled, accepting her compliment with genuine humbleness. “I really enjoy kids, you know? There’s something so honest and innocent about them.”

  “I know what you mean. I love drawing the earnest expressions on their faces.”

  “Are you an artist?” Cooper asked, trying to focus on the sister that spoke to him while the other fastened her gaze on the cell phone in her hands.

  “I am. I do a lot of portraits and landscapes.”

  “That’s awesome,” Cooper said, then turned his attention to the uptight sister. When she continued ignoring him, he moved out of the booth and close to her, bending down and looking up into her face. She gasped and almost dropped her phone as he invaded her personal space. “How about you? Are you an artist, too?”

  “Good heavens!” she said, taking a hasty step back from him, bumping into a group of people walking by the booth. She ricocheted off them and into Cooper’s chest. He inhaled a deep breath of her beguiling fragrance and placed his hands on her arms, steadying her before he took a step back. “Careful there, sugar.”

  She cast a startled glance at him, then one at her sister.

  “Are you an artist, too?” he asked again.

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

  Although her words sounded clipped and agitated, she had a mellow voice that did something to Cooper. Something he struggled to disregard.

  “This is Paige Porter, my sister,” Randi said, giving Cooper a warm smile. “She’s in advertising.”

  “Advertising, huh?” Cooper leaned back against the booth and studied Paige Porter. If she weren’t so tightly laced, she’d be quite pretty. He imagined she’d look a lot like her sister. He’d already noted the diamond glittering from Randi’s ring finger and assumed she was married. Paige, though, wore no rings on any of her fingers. That didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t spoken for, but in general terms, he could assume she was single. “What brings you two ladies to the rodeo?”

  “Work,” Paige said, nervously twisting the straps of her purse in her hands.

  A part of Cooper that liked to rattle people’s cages experienced an odd thrill that he left the woman unsettled. Suddenly, he wanted to know more about her, find out how to get under her skin. “Are you planning an ad campaign with some of the horses, or maybe it’s the bulls that have captured your interest?”

  Paige turned those toffee-colored eyes on him with a narrowed look of irritation. “I’m doing research for a clothing line my client plans to debut here next year.”

  “Oh, I see. I didn’t realize rodeos and business suits mixed so well,” he said, goading her. “Will your client add a little Aztec design to his designer ties, or is it buckskin fringe to a pocket square?”

  Randi coughed to hide her laugh while Paige glared at him. “Neither, if you must know. Clearly, we’re disturbing you, Mr. James. Goodbye.”

  “Don’t run off just yet.” Cooper grabbed two photos he’d already autographed and handed them each one. “Now you can take me with you whereve
r you go, especially you, pretty Paige Porter.” He winked at Randi. “That’s quite a mouthful, isn’t it? I think I’ll just call you PP.”

  Randi snorted and had to turn away when Paige shot her an icy glower.

  Amused by her sister’s sense of humor, Cooper dropped an arm around Paige and hugged her up against his side. The more affronted she acted, the more he felt the need to push her buttons. “I can call you PP, can’t I? We are friends now, aren’t we? If you need me to take things to a more personal level before you’re comfortable being friends, I’d be happy to meet you later.”

  Cooper turned and pointed to his trailer where a bright blue logo shouted that it belonged to Super Cooper. “If you want me to autograph any of that beautiful skin of yours, just show up over there when the rodeo is over, darlin’. I’d be happy to add my autograph to that cute little…”

  Paige huffed, grabbed her sister’s hand, and stalked off.

  Cooper laughed and turned back to the vendor who’d witnessed the exchange. Although Randi seemed aware he was only teasing, Paige had taken everything he’d said at face value.

  “I don’t think she likes you, Coop.” The vendor handed him the remainder of his photographs and a box with his yoyos and other supplies. “Not even a little bit.”

  “I know. That’s why I invited her to my trailer. A woman like that would rather be tarred and feathered than show up at my door after the rodeo.” Cooper grinned and tipped his head to his friend. “I’ll catch you later, Eli. Have a great evening.”

  “You, too, Cooper. Try not to harass any other women this evening.”

  “Aw, now you’re trying to spoil all my fun!”

  Cooper put away the photographs and yoyos then jogged inside the back entrance of the arena where the rodeo would soon begin. Briefly, he met with the rodeo announcer and went over their plans for the evening.

  In the ten years he’d worked as a rodeo clown, the one thing Cooper had learned to expect from each performance was to anticipate the unexpected. With both human and animal athletes in the mix, sometimes he had to fill lapses between rides or events when things went awry. Other times, the rodeo moved along at such a rapid pace, he didn’t get off more than one or two jokes the entire evening.

  Cooper tried to be prepared for whatever might come, and that was one of the things that helped him succeed in his career.

  Standing behind the chutes with the cowboys who prepared to ride in the grand entry, Cooper bounced on the balls of his feet and shook out his arms, getting himself energized for the two hours ahead of him.

  An hour into the rodeo, an unexpected lull arrived. The announcer called on Cooper to fill it.

  “Hey, Super Cooper!” the announcer boomed.

  “Hey, what, super duper announcer?”

  “I heard you have a new girlfriend. Is that true? I thought you’d sworn off women for at least a week,” the announcer said.

  Cooper laughed into the wireless mic he wore and rubbed his hands together, giving those watching him the idea that he knew a juicy secret. “I do have a new girlfriend. And is she a looker. You ought to see her.” He released a long wolf whistle. “She will make your eyeballs pop right out of your head.”

  “Really? I don’t know, Cooper. You told me that about your last girlfriend, but when she exploded, it really scared my horse. This isn’t another inflatable girlfriend, is it?”

  Cooper fisted has hands at his waist, as though he suffered great indignation and looked in the direction of the announcer’s booth. “Heck, no! I’m all through with inflatable girlfriends. One misplaced spur, and ‘Boom!’ I’m single again.”

  The crowd laughed, as Cooper knew they would.

  “Is your girlfriend here tonight?” the announcer asked, playing along with Cooper’s off-the-cuff jokes.

  “She sure is. In fact, I’ll introduce you.” Cooper ran across the arena and out a gate. The camera followed him as he reappeared in a section of seats near the bucking chutes, making his way up the steps to two seats on the end of a row about halfway up.

  When he’d entered the arena, Cooper had looked around, in hopes of seeing Paige Porter and her sister. Much to his delight, he spied them sitting in one of the sections close to the arena floor, seats that were generally very expensive and often hard to come by. Maybe Paige really was there for work. He hadn’t entirely swallowed her story about doing research for a client. Something about the way she said it made him think she wasn’t telling him the whole truth.

  Regardless, he’d kept an eye on the two women during the rodeo. Because he knew it would completely unsettle Paige Porter for him to approach her, he made a beeline for her seat.

  As he drew nearer to the two sisters, Randi’s grin broadened while Paige’s eyes widened in appalled terror. His wild race up the steps ended when he reached Paige’s seat. He reached down and pulled her up beside him sooner than she could protest or escape.

  “Ain’t she a looker? This is PP, my new girlfriend. She’s a little sensitive about her name, but suffice it to say, she knows where all the restrooms are located.”

  The crowd roared with laughter. A few cheered and whistled when Cooper removed his hat and gave her a big slobbery kiss, smearing his makeup across her cheek and chin.

  Before she could shove him down the steps, he jogged back down them and jumped over the fence back into the arena.

  He glanced back once to see her scrubbing at her face with a tissue her sister handed to her while angry sparks shot from her incredible eyes.

  At the rate he was going, he’d soon be wishing Paige Porter was really his girlfriend.

  Chapter Five

  Horrified the idiot clown had singled her out and embarrassed her in front of the nearly twenty-thousand fans at the rodeo, Paige couldn’t get back to the hotel room fast enough.

  Randi had to jog to keep up with her anger-fueled pace as she marched out of the arena and made a beeline for the waiting cabs.

  “Paige, wait!” Randi grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “What are you doing?”

  “Leaving!” Paige shook free of her sister’s grasp and continued down the steps toward the street. Not only was she outraged and incensed about being the butt of the clown’s joke, but his amazing blue eyes left her completely unsettled. When he’d touched her before the rodeo began, and then again when he humiliated her, she’d felt something zing from the point of contact to her head and travel all the way to her toes.

  Sensations she’d never before experienced, ones she didn’t know existed and preferred to disregard, made her question if she’d lost all her good sense the moment she set foot in Las Vegas.

  Never, in her entire life, had she been so mortified, livid, vexed… or exhilarated.

  It was that last emotion that bothered her the most. Something about that boorish clown made her feel more alive than anything else she’d ever experienced.

  Conflicted and confused, she continued marching toward the taxi line.

  “For gosh sakes, Paige! Just stop!” Randi ran in front of her, attempting to force her to stop.

  Paige halted and glared at her sister. “There isn’t a single thing you can say that will make me go back in there. In fact, as soon as we reach the hotel, I’m packing my bag and catching the first flight to Portland.”

  “Oh, no, you aren’t,” Randi said, looping their arms together and casually strolling toward the cabs. “I will concede, the clown did put a rather um… challenging spotlight on you. However, you can’t let that derail your plans, sis. You are here on a mission and I’m not letting you quit until we find that cowboy with the unbelievable backside. Come on, Paige. It wasn’t that bad. By the time the next cowboy got bucked off, everyone had forgotten about Cooper’s joke at your expense. No one knows who you are or cares. Let’s go back to the hotel, indulge in some divine dessert, and prepare to turn this city upside down tomorrow. We will find that cowboy and convince him to be your model. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  Paige’s st
iff posture relaxed. “Dessert does sound good.”

  Randi hid a knowing smile. “Of course it does. Just focus on the big picture. That’s you in a big cushy office of your own in your dream job in L.A. Right? Don’t let some goofy rodeo clown take that away from you.”

  “He is goofy. And obnoxious. And rude.” Paige ticked off his shortcomings. “And full of himself.”

  Randi merely nodded.

  “And his makeup is weird. Did you see the way it doesn’t go over his eyelids? I wonder why he does that.”

  “Maybe so the makeup won’t run into his eyes if he sweats.”

  Paige wrinkled her nose in disgust. Sweaty men were right up there with stinky airplane bathrooms on her list of top odors she hated. “Do you think he wears contacts?”

  Curious about what inspired the question, Randi shrugged. “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

  “Typically, that striking shade of blue isn’t a natural color for eyes.”

  “Hmm,” Randi said, fighting back the urge to clap her hands and squeal in excitement. Paige may claim to hate the rodeo clown, but she’d been more animated and excited after meeting him that afternoon than she’d been since before their parents died.

  Determined to see her sister happy, Randi vowed to do her best to orchestrate more encounters with the teasing rodeo clown. She had no idea what the man looked like beneath his makeup, but he had a nice smile. Regardless of the color of his eyes, the kindness and mirth mingling in their depths made her think he was a good person.

  The following morning, the two sisters enjoyed a leisurely breakfast then decided to head back to the vendor show where they’d seen the cowboy the previous afternoon.

  “Maybe he’ll be there, or someone will recognize him,” Paige said, slipping on a pair of flats with her dress slacks and another silk blouse.

  “Do you even own a pair of jeans, Paige?” Randi asked as she adjusted a belt around the waist of the long silver and black tunic she wore with a pair of black tights. She tugged on a pair of black boots and grabbed her purse.