“If you don’t mind...”
“Sure. Go.” Before she ruined Krista’s makeup and started bawling right here, right now.
She waited until he disappeared through the doorway before beelining for the bar.
On her way across the floor, she spied Will and Krista slipping back in. Krista spotted her, waved and started toward her. But Will caught her arm. Good move. Right now, as unfair as it was, she couldn’t stand the sight of pretty Krista. Or Keith’s brother, for that matter.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Where are you?
WILL’S TEXT CHIRPED as Krista turned into the long driveway of the Claverley Ranch. She was supposed to have been at the ranch an hour ago but a chatty client proved hard to shoo out, and then she’d had to dash to her apartment, throw on something a girlfriend of a rodeo champion would wear before hustling out there.
The suspension on her low-riding car took a beating as she bounced along the freshly mowed land between the arena and road, now functioning as a parking lot for a hundred or so vehicles. Friday night and Spirit Lake’s top-ranking outdoor summer show was set to get underway. Top-ranking according to Alyssa’s buzz, anyway, which glossed over the town’s jazz festival, youth festival, sailing festival, beach volleyball playoffs—all of which Krista had attended instead of the rodeo when she’d lived in Spirit Lake. A rodeo featured wild horses and mean bulls and rocks-for-brains cowboys.
Yet here she was, picking her way across a mosquito-thick pasture to be with one of those cowboys. And kind of excited. She’d not seen much of Will in the past two weeks. They’d made their plans via text or quick calls. She’d seen him only once when he’d dropped off boots Laura had wanted her to have. White and studded silver with intricate rainbow threading, they were on her feet right now as she texted: I’m here. Where are you?
East end of arena by the gates.
Wherever that was. She’d walk to the arena and ask someone.
Families with blankets and lawn chairs were forming a settlement on the sunny grass slope opposite the covered bleachers. It might make a decent weekend outing for Jack, Bridget and the girls. She sent Bridget a photo, as Keith came along on a horse big as a hill with Austin tucked in front of him on the saddle.
And this, Krista thought, is why farms ranked high for accidents. Though she couldn’t deny that Austin seemed totally at ease up there in the curve of his dad’s arm.
Keith slowed to a stop. “Here to meet Will?”
“On my way to him now. Uh, which end of the arena is east? Asking for a friend.”
To his credit, he kept a straight face as he pointed to the other end. “He’s there in the big white hat.”
So he was, and she noticed there were already a couple of pretty little things within arm’s reach of him. She also noticed Alyssa on his other side.
“I better beetle on over there.”
“Ready to be Will’s girl?” Keith didn’t crack a smile. In fact, he sounded as if she were lowering herself onto a bull.
“Sure. How hard can it be?”
“Not bad. Saturday’s the peak period.” As if buckle bunnies were an infestation.
“I’ll slap them down.”
He grinned, the wide Claverley smile that came straight from Dave and the four generation of Claverleys that had called this land theirs. It was a living Claverley heirloom, and while Krista thought Will wore it better, Keith was a contender. “That’s what Dana used to say.”
“She here?” Krista kept it casual, unsure if Keith knew she’d encouraged Dana to reveal her feelings.
“Not yet.” He adjusted Austin’s baseball cap against the sun. “She usually comes for the barrel racing. Dana won every year before she retired a couple of years ago.” His pride in her was unmistakable. You didn’t feel pride for someone you didn’t care about. Maybe there was still hope, if Keith shaped up.
Austin pushed up on his cap, twisted to gaze up at his dad. “Dana?”
Keith couldn’t have looked more surprised than if his horse had talked. “He said, ‘Dana,’ didn’t he?”
“Loud and clear.”
Keith’s arm tightened around Austin. “Good work, son. Your first word.”
“First word? Wow. That’s something to celebrate.” Krista felt an upwelling of pride herself, and she hardly knew the little guy. “You’ll have to tell Dana.”
Keith played with the reins. “I guess.”
“It will make her day.” It would also give Keith a reason to contact Dana. If he was searching for one.
Krista’s phone chimed. Can you see me?
“I better go. Will’s antsy.”
She left Keith frowning at his phone. Tell her, she silently urged.
* * *
THE TWO BUCKLE BUNNIES had edged alongside Will as Krista arrived, their skirts high and their tops low. They looked like twins, or else they shopped at the same place and shared the same makeup. Alyssa glared at them.
Time for her to step up. She skimmed her hand across his lower back, lifted his arm and ducked underneath. “Hey there.”
He grimaced. Had she played it up too much? They hadn’t talked specifics but some physical contact made sense. He squeezed her shoulder and tucked her closer to his side. Ha! Krista flashed a smile at the girls.
But then Will’s arm slipped down to her waist in a loose hold. Very loose. Well, his choice. Out in the arena, a performer was defying gravity on her horse. She was extended sideways from the saddle, long golden hair streaming out as her horse galloped around the perimeter of the arena. The crowd in the stands and on the grassy slope opposite whistled and clapped. As horse and rider passed in a rush of muscle, pounding hooves and sequins, Krista joined in the applause.
She was about to remark on the act when she noticed tension around Will’s mouth and eyes, like a horse had backed onto his foot and he was determined not to react. “What’s up?”
He rested his boot on the bottom rail. “I’m good.” He added, his lips grazing her cheek, “Glad you’re here.”
Nobody could’ve heard him, so why say it? His attention pivoted to the equine goddess who was now standing on one leg atop her cantering horse. “Will. Do you know the main difference between her and me?”
“What?”
“Everything.”
There, his mouth softened. “I’m up next on the stage,” he said. “They’re about to make an announcement about the ride I’m doing tomorrow.” He patted his pocket. “I’m supposed to say something.”
“Ah. And you’d rather ride a bull that throws you into a pit of hungry boars while under attack from murder hornets.”
“Something like that.”
“What are you supposed to talk about?”
“The reason for the ride, and then to ask people to open their wallets. ‘Call to action’ it’s called. Alyssa’s written something up for me.”
Of course Alyssa would’ve micromanaged Will’s every step. “Hold on to the mic like you would the leather strap thingy and read right to the end.”
Will’s lips were twitching like an invisible butterfly kept landing there. His hand on her waist tightened. She leaned in. All part of the act. “You’ll rock this. Just be—”
“Yourself. Speak from the heart, right?”
“Speaking of speaking, Austin said his first word. I heard it myself.”
Will finally broke into a full smile. “Is that right? What was it?”
“Dana.”
His smile faded. “How did that go over?”
“I left Keith staring at his phone, deciding whether or not to text Dana with the news.”
“And let me guess. You suggested to him that he should.”
“It’s big news! Wouldn’t you want to know if Austin had said your name?”
She wouldn’t get her answer because Alyssa tapped his arm. “
Time to go.”
Will did that lip-grazing-cheek thing again. “You’ll wait here?”
Krista was sure her cheek had scorch marks. “I might move around an inch or two, maybe go to the dance later.”
She could feel his full smile against her cheek, a reward for her sass. Yep, Will’s smile took top honors. His hand fell away from her waist and he reached up to adjust his hat. Tension tightened his features.
Krista finally connected the dots. He wasn’t sending mixed signals. He was in pain. “Will. Your shoulder. You’ve hurt it.”
“It’s fine. It’s stiff from the work I’ve done this week setting up fence panels and moving stock in. I’ve got a physio appointment next week. All’s good.”
“But it was hurting last week, too. At the wedding. You acted as if it was nothing. And now you’ve pushed it too far. You could seriously reinjure yourself, if you’re not careful. Are you sure you should be doing the ride?”
“Krista. I’m not going to cancel the ride. Too many people are counting on me. Alyssa, Jacob, the hospital kids...no.”
“I’m not saying you should cancel...just postpone it.”
He shook his head. “Krista, I’ll see you later.” He headed for the announcer’s booth.
He was being stubborn. Krista had to go directly to the source. She caught up to Alyssa as she was about to follow Will.
“Look,” Krista said, “I don’t know if you’re aware, but Will’s shoulder is not good.”
Alyssa stepped well within Krista’s space. Clear intimidation. “It’s been ‘not good’ for a year now. I’ve been aware of that longer than you.”
Krista took a step back. “I understand. Only it seems to have gotten worse.”
“Is that what he’s told you?”
“In not so many words. Janet’s also worried.”
“She loves to worry. What’s your point?”
“He’s doing the ride because he doesn’t want to let you down. But if you assured him he could postpone the ride if necessary, he might do it.”
Alyssa’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me that I should throw the charity ride because Will has a sore shoulder?”
“It’s serious—”
“What happens to the kids in the hospital is serious, Krista. Life-or-death serious. The money the sponsors paid is serious. Your opinion is not. Unless Will comes to me and says he’s pulling out, nobody will stop it from happening. Not even you, Krista Montgomery. Now I’ve got a show, a serious show, to run.”
Alyssa disappeared up the stairs. Krista finally understood Janet’s fear for her son. It was squeezing her own heart, and there was nothing she could do.
* * *
“AND NOW I’LL turn it over to the star, two-time rodeo champion and Spirit Lake’s number one cowboy, Will Claverley!”
Amid hoots and hollers, Alyssa handed Will the mic. “Your speech is in your pocket,” she ground out through a plastered smile.
Shoot, he’d forgotten to have it ready. He fumbled in his shirt.
“Sorry about this,” he muttered into the mic. “I guess I figured I had to give the nod first.”
The Friday night crowd—off work and with beers in hand—laughed.
Alyssa’s script in hand, he scanned the lines again. When he’d read it earlier, it had sounded like someone trying to imitate him. Which, given it was written by Alyssa, made sense. He probably couldn’t have done better on his own.
Settling his focus on the stands where all the major donors of the ride were seated in the VIP section, he caught sight of Krista on a platform at the bottom.
Speak from the heart, she’d said.
No. He’d stop and start like an old truck. Best to stick to the script.
“First, on behalf of the Claverley Family, I want to thank you for coming to the Fifty-eighth Annual Spirit Lake Pro Rodeo. We start planning the next rodeo the day the last one ends—” not literally true but close enough “—and we’re always looking to make it bigger and better.”
Actually, there’d been a fair amount of family discussion about how it had gotten too big already. His shoulder was acting up because they’d had to erect far more temporary pens for the stock than they’d capacity for.
“This year it’s my great honor to be doing a special celebrity ride.” Some celebrity he was when Krista probably didn’t even know what he was champion in. And hadn’t seemed interested in knowing.
He searched the stands for her again. She wasn’t listening to his speech. Instead, she was taking a picture of a family, trying to squeeze in everyone from the grandparents down to the babies. She took a step backward. If she didn’t watch, she’d fall right off the platform, a good ten-foot drop. Weren’t there supposed to be portable benches underneath? He was sure he’d asked to have them in place. How had that slipped inspection?
He focused on his page. “I first heard about the Calgary Children’s Hospital when Alyssa told me about her nephew’s harrowing journey with cancer. I—” Krista was right on the edge. Nobody seemed to have warned her. He lowered his sheet. “Krista Montgomery. Please step away from the edge.”
Krista lowered her phone, registered the drop and stepped forward. She waved at him and grinned. He felt a lift, that same lightness as when she’d hung his arm around her shoulders and the stress and scramble of the week had fallen away. “We’ll have to deal with that drop. Someone else might be as oblivious to danger as my girlfriend.”
He stopped. He’d said Krista was his girlfriend, not to whomever they happened to bump into, but to the whole crowd. Hundreds.
From the distance of sixty, seventy yards away, Krista cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Honey, those someone elses are called cowboys!”
The crowd roared.
Alyssa edged up to him. “Just finish the speech,” she hissed.
It was impossible now. He’d gone so far off track, it didn’t make any sense to continue. He’d spent all day looking forward to being with Krista. Since Caris’s wedding, he’d counted the days to when he’d see her next. He had missed her bright chatter, the way she walked with so much bounce her hair lifted off her shoulders, the way her hands felt on his aching shoulder. The anticipation had carried him through the worsening pain in his arm.
He’d made plans for what they’d do when they were together again, what he’d say. He’d started to wonder if Krista might not make the lousy wife she’d claimed at the wedding. They’d both grown in the past ten years, including, it appeared, his feelings for her.
And today, when she’d slipped up beside him, fitted herself to his length and smiled up at him as if there was no place she’d rather be...well, he was sure it wasn’t all one-sided on his part. Her as his fake girlfriend was now an excuse until he found a way to convince her to be his real one.
The crowd had quieted, waiting for him to finish.
Be honest.
Speak from the heart.
“Krista just told me some great news. My nephew, Austin—some of you might’ve met him already. He said his first word today. I won’t share what it was because it was somebody’s name and we’re hoping to connect with her first. But I gotta say, my nephew’s one smart kid. Because he said the name of someone who isn’t technically family, but Austin has already figured out that family’s more than people with the same last name. And that’s how I see us all here tonight, and the way I see those kids dealing with illness head-on at the hospital. Here’s to hoping we can help all of us, and all of them take a step away from the edge.”
The crowd broke into applause and after a hasty thanks he happily relinquished the mic to the rodeo announcer.
He didn’t stick around. He had bleachers to move into place and then—Krista.
* * *
FROM WHERE SHE was handing out her business cards in the VIP section, Krista glimpsed Will and his crew
do a final check on the portable bleachers. She’d have to motor through her spiel faster to get back to him so she could play the part that he’d announced to the entire audience.
His broadcast of their personal relationship had made it way more real, something she couldn’t escape from. She sensed people’s inspection, scrutinizing her every move and word. A kind of rodeo reprise of her social media debacle.
“Hi there,” she said to a woman in denim and diamond earrings, a glass of wine in hand. “I’m Krista Montgomery, offering Speed Spa Saturday over by the food trucks tomorrow. A ten minute pedicure for ten bucks. All proceeds go into the same bucket as Will’s charity ride.”
The woman winked, tucked the card inside her purse. “I like your game. You better hurry along. Your guy’s waiting.”
So he was at the bottom of the stairs. He gave a little chin lift. She was tempted to drop the cards and rush to him, but what then of her business? She held up ten fingers to indicate how much longer she’d be. He took out his phone and sat on the bleachers. He’d wait but she was on his clock.
She was done in eight minutes. Will watched her descend, his gaze fastened to her, not unlike how Ryan had bound his attention to Laura coming down the outdoor wedding aisle. Krista felt the betraying heat of a blush and when Will reached out his hand and she took it before everyone gathered here today—Stop: he’s playing to the crowd. That’s all.
“Come,” Will said, “I’ve got something to show you.”
He led her around the arena to the horse pens. “If you’re taking me to a horse,” she said, “you know I’ll say that it’s big and beautiful and please, please, don’t make me come any closer.”
“No,” Will said, “not a horse. At least, not today.”
At the top of a dirt access lane by the dance hall, the food trucks were lined up to sell burgers, ice creams and jerky. Krista scanned the area for a likely spot for her to set up her spa booth. Nothing. It would all be noisy, smelly or both. She looked over her shoulder as Will pulled her along. That stretch of grass by the fence might work.
“Will, what about—”
“Here,” he said at the same time, “what do you think?”
Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set Page 82
