One Night With a Cowboy

by Cat Johnson

  “Mmm, hmm.” Becca thought that plan seemed simple enough. She and her sister always went to the ladies’ room together anyway. Didn’t all women?

  “Then when we come back, I’ll say I’m tired and I’m going to turn in for the night, but you should feel free to stay out with Tucker and enjoy yourself.”

  “Okay.” Becca nodded. “But wait. What about Jace?”

  “I’ll ask him if he’ll walk me out to the car, and then once we’re away from you two, I’ll tell him you want to be alone with Tucker.”

  “Oh, my God. No. Emma, you can’t say that.” Appalled at the thought, Becca felt her face heat with shame. This was a bad idea.

  “Will you stop, please?”

  “I can’t. This is too embarrassing. I don’t even know Jace.” Or Tucker, for that matter.

  “Fine. I won’t tell him that.”

  “Then what will you do?” She had a bad feeling Emma was humoring her and would end up saying exactly what she wanted anyway.

  “I guess I’ll just have to come up with another creative way to occupy him so he doesn’t want to go back inside and hang out with Tucker.” Emma shrugged, but there was a sly and very suggestive smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes.

  Becca let out a loud breath filled with frustration. Now not only were her own morals plummeting, she’d dragged her sister right down along with her. She leaned closer to Emma, aware they weren’t alone. “I can’t ask you to sleep with him just so I can be alone with the other one.”

  “I don’t have to sleep with him.” Emma mimicked Becca’s hissed whisper, but exaggerated it. “I haven’t had a nice long make-out session in a while. I bet he can really kiss.”

  “You’re right.” She liked this idea. “I don’t have to . . . you know . . . go all the way with Tucker, either. We could just kiss.” That would be nice, and far less out of her comfort zone than having sex with a stranger.

  Emma spun toward her, eyes wide. “Oh, no. You’re going all the way.”

  “Why?” She took a step back from Emma’s intensity.

  “Because you need it. Desperately. And besides, don’t tell me you don’t want to.”

  Becca pursed her lips. She did want to, but she still hated when Emma was right. “We’ll see how it goes.”

  “Yes, we will.” Emma sealed the pack with one definitive nod. “Did you stay on the pill after you broke up with Jerry?”

  Discussing birth control for her one-night stand in the middle of a rodeo—could this be any more embarrassing? Blood rushed to her cheeks. “I can’t believe you asked me that. And keep your voice down.”

  “What? It’s a valid question. Even as cute as he is, I’m not sure I’m ready to be an aunt to a tiny Tucker quite yet. Though I could buy lil’ Tuck one of those adorable cowboy outfits they make for babies. Oh, he’d be so cute.”

  Becca couldn’t believe the direction this conversation was headed. And she wished Emma would lower her voice and be a little more discreet. She eyed the people milling around near them and tried to judge whether they’d heard the whole appalling discussion.

  “Yes, for your information I did stay on them. But I’d still prefer to use . . . other protection, too. I barely know him. We need to stop talking about this now.” Becca glanced around them again.

  This topic was embarrassing enough, but to be having it in public was making it even worse. No matter how low she tried to keep her voice, she was still convinced the people moving around behind the chutes could hear.

  Emma smiled. “Okay fine, but I know you. You’re still thinking about it.”

  Unfortunately, yet one more time, Emma was completely right. Even worse, the cowboy in question, the subject of all of their conversation for the past five minutes, was on his way over. “Shh. He’s coming. Not another word.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Emma smirked but Becca couldn’t deal with her smart attitude now.

  Instead she planted a smile on her face and aimed it at the cowboy heading her way. “Hey. Almost your turn?”

  Tucker grinned. “Yup, almost my turn. I just wanted to check and make sure you were good before I got too busy to come over. I’m gonna have to help Jace pull his rope. He’s up before I am. Unless they change the lineup, I’m a few riders after he goes.”

  She pushed aside naughty thoughts of what she’d like to pull on Tucker. Jeez, apparently months without sex, mixed with a hot cowboy and a couple of beers, brought out the bad girl in her. She’d have to remember to avoid that combination in the future. “We’re fine here. Thanks.”

  “Good.” He hooked a thumb in the direction of the chutes, where Jace was already climbing up. “I’m gonna go help.”

  “Sure. Of course. Do what you have to.” He turned to go and she called after him, “Tucker?”

  “Yeah?” He glanced back at her.

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. See you after.” His smile lit his face and warmed her heart.

  Becca nodded and watched him head for where Jace had just climbed inside a really small-looking metal enclosure. She frowned and looked closer. “Holy cow. Emma. He’s in there with the bull.”

  Actually on top of the bull. She hadn’t been paying much attention to what had been happening around her. She’d been too distracted by watching Tucker and then talking with Emma about her crazy ideas of what was going to happen later. But now Becca looked closer, she noticed every one of the teeny tiny metal cagelike areas contained a bull, and cowboys were straddling the railings right above them.

  “Of course he is.” Emma laughed. “Haven’t you ever seen bull riding on television?”

  “No.” If bull riding was on television, it wasn’t on the stations she watched. Though she supposed Masterpiece Theater and BBC had a different demographic from the audience interested in extreme sports.

  There were so many cowboys surrounding Jace, Tucker included, Becca couldn’t see much more than the top of his hat every once in a while. The sound of metal clashing had her eyes opening wide, just as the bull reared up and tried to climb out of the chute. Its front legs were actually on top of the metal railing, all while Jace clung to its back.

  Tucker grabbed the back of Jace’s vest and held him while another cowboy waved a hat in front of the bull’s face and tried to get him to back down into the chute.

  “Oh, my God. Emma, this is really dangerous.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the action.

  “I know. What did you think it would be like?”

  “I don’t know.” She didn’t have the mental capacity to defend herself to Emma.

  All she could think about was that Tucker was going to be the one inside what amounted to a metal prison with a deadly bull any minute. Meanwhile, Jace’s bull’s front legs were still hooked over the top rail. The animal was going to get hurt. Jace could possibly get crushed. And this was a sport?

  The bull finally dropped all four feet back onto the ground again. Another cowboy tied a string above its head to keep it from trying to jump its way out of the chute again. But the single length of thin rope tied between the two top railings of the chute didn’t look nearly strong enough to keep down a crazed beast. They couldn’t expect Jace to ride this bull now. They should get him a different one. A better trained one.

  “Why aren’t they pulling Jace out of there?” she asked Emma, not that her sister would know the answer.

  “When they act up in the chute like that, it’s best to just nod and go. The less time they spend in there, the better for both of them.” A woman stepped up next to Becca, leaning her baby’s feet on the railing both she and Emma were pressed against in an attempt to see better.

  Becca turned to the stranger. “But can’t he request a different bull?”

  “Doubtful. They have a few extra on site for re-rides, but an animal has to really act up pretty badly in the chute for the stock manager to replace him. Jace will be fine. I’ve seen him weather worse.”

  At that, Becca’s brows rose with interest. “You know
these guys?”

  “Oh, sure. I’m married to one of them.”

  Married. That announcement had her throat closing to the choking point. Surely neither Jace nor Tucker would spend the night flirting with them if they were married. And with a new baby, too. But she hadn’t noticed this woman here before. Maybe they hadn’t expected her to come.

  She glanced at Emma to find her sister looking as shocked as she did. Becca forced herself to be calm as she asked, “Which one is your husband?”

  “Dillon McMann. He’s the one in the pink shirt.”

  “Oh. Mmm, hmm. I can see him. Nice shirt.” Becca finally let herself breathe.

  “I’m Cassie, by the way, and this is our daughter Cheyenne.” The girl, who looked young enough to still be in college, if not high school, just like the rest of the females back behind the chutes, jostled the baby. “Can you see Daddy? He’s going to be up soon, baby girl.”

  After shooting Emma a glance filled with relief, Becca drew in a long breath and tried to slow her speeding heart, which only kicked up again as the clash of metal hitting metal made her jump. Then Jace and the bull were out from behind the confines of the chute and spinning into the middle of the dirt-covered arena.

  The ride went so fast, Becca felt as if she’d blinked and missed it. One minute Jace was being flung around like a ragdoll, and the next he was on the ground and running for the fence with a bull hot on his heels.

  “Way to go, Jace!” Next to her, Cassie yelled above the cheers of the crowd. It seemed no one but Becca was disturbed that Jace was clinging to a railing six feet high while a horned bull circled the ground below him, as if waiting for him to get down so he could charge.

  “What just happened with Jace?” Becca asked, not sure if it was a good ride or a bad ride. “I’m Becca, by the way.”

  “He covered his ride.” Cassie frowned. “You’re here with Jace tonight?”

  What to say to that?

  “Um, no. Well not really.” She glanced at Emma for help.

  “Jace and Tucker saw how bad our seats were, so they invited us down here to watch with them. I’m Emma, Becca’s sister.”

  “Hi, there.” Cassie nodded. “So, you’re out-of-towners and first time at a rodeo?”

  “Yes.” Apparently that was obvious to everyone. If she did get this job, she was probably going to have to work to look more like she fit in.

  “Good score for Jace. Eighty-six.” Cassie got a faraway look in her eyes as she listened to the announcer’s babble, most of which went right over Becca’s head.

  “Oh, that’s good.” Not that Becca would know a good score from a bad one. “So, uh, Tucker should be up soon.”

  Another gate clanged open and she jumped once again at the sound. As one more cowboy and bull charged out of the chute and into the arena, her gaze swept the group of men. She was looking for one in particular and was having trouble finding him.

  “Yeah, he’s climbing into the chute now.”

  She had been so busy worrying and talking, she’d missed that. The cowboys were once again all clustered around one chute, and it was impossible to make out what was happening inside it. “This is nerve-racking. I don’t know how you can be married to one of them and watch him do this.”

  Cassie laughed. “You get used to it. It’s in their blood. Most of these guys would rather go without food than not ride. And believe me, during the lean years when he was hurt a lot or having a bad streak, it’s actually been a choice between paying an entrance fee or eating that night.”

  “Wow.” Becca had had no idea. And here she’d been letting them buy her and Emma drinks and food all night. Not that she was much better off financially since her unfortunate termination, but still. She leaned toward Emma. “We’re paying for drinks at the bar later.”

  Emma nodded. “Definitely.” She must have been listening to the conversation, too.

  Sexy but poor. Becca knew that no man—not cowboys in general, or Tucker in particular—could be totally perfect. There had to be something wrong and now she knew what. Cowboys, and most likely Tucker as well, had no money . . . but at least he wasn’t married to Cassie. So that was good.

  Her gaze stayed on the chute where all the action was taking place. She didn’t realize she’d clamped on to the rail until Cassie’s hand patted hers. She glanced down and saw her own white knuckles wrapped in a death grip around the metal.

  “Don’t worry. Tuck’s a veteran rider. One of the best, and this bull is nothing compared to the one he drew last night.” For a young girl, Cassie had a very wise look in her eyes. Or maybe it just seemed that way because Becca really wanted her to be right.

  Becca nodded, trying not to overanalyze why she was so concerned over the well-being of a man she’d only met a few hours ago. The truth was, she could barely breathe as she watched and waited for this ride to be over.

  She was about to thank Cassie and ask her more about the bull when the sound of the gate crashing open had her attention snapping back to the chute, just as Tucker’s bull charged into the arena.

  “Go, go, go! That’s it, Tuck!” Cassie cheered the man on the bull while Becca watched silently and wide-eyed.

  Unlike Jace’s ride, which was over in the blink of an eye, this one seemed to go on forever. Like it was happening in slow motion. The bull spun and bucked. Tucker, with one arm held high in the air, absorbed the shock of every one of the bull’s moves with a counteraction of his own.

  The sound of a buzzer had her jumping, startled by the loud noise that broke through her attention when she’d been solely focused on Tucker. Then she breathed a sigh of relief. She knew enough about the sport after her tutorial to know the ride was over.

  Yet Tucker was still on the bull’s back. He held on for what seemed like forever, though it was probably only a few more seconds before he reached down and yanked the end of the rope tied around his gloved hand. He leaped off even as the bull continued to spin and buck away from him.

  The other men in the arena scrambled. It took a while to get the bull out the gate, but Tucker was off and out of danger. That was all Becca could focus on. She let out a shaky breath.

  The announcer’s voice reverberated through the air, and Becca looked to Cassie for interpretation. “What did he say?”

  “Eighty-seven-point-five. Decent score. It probably should have been higher, but his bull wasn’t a great bucker. The bull score was probably low, and Tuck is such a good rider technically, sometimes he makes it seem too easy so the judges don’t score him as high as they should.”

  “I’ll never learn all this.” Bull scores? Judges? She shook her head and sighed.

  This sport was far more complicated than she’d assumed. She’d thought the rider just got on and tried not to fall off before the buzzer. Apparently there was more to it than that. Just like how there was much more to cowboys—and Tuck—than she’d ever imagined.

  “That’s a funny thing to say.” Emma shot Becca a sideways glance. “Especially for a person who didn’t want to come in the first place.”

  Becca scanned the cowboys again and found Tucker. He’d just bent to retrieve his bull rope from where it had fallen to the ground. After receiving a slap on the back from one of the bullfighters, he turned. She saw his gaze sweep the area. When it hit on her, he grinned and began striding directly toward where she stood. With a wide smile, she waited for him to arrive.

  “Emma, save your I-told-you-so for later, please. I have a bull rider to congratulate.”

  When he reached them, he initially focused on Becca, but then turned the brilliance of his smile toward Cassie and Cheyenne. She missed the attention immediately. It was as if someone had turned off the sun. She watched as he leaned low and gave the baby a kiss on her blond curls.

  “Look at you, getting so big. And how is Mamma doing?” He straightened up and gave Cassie a kiss on the cheek, and Becca found herself inexplicably jealous of the attention he was lavishing on both mother and child.

  “We
’re doing good, Tuck. Great ride. Perfect, as usual.” Cassie beamed up at Tucker, and Becca’s frown got a bit deeper.

  He laughed. “Not exactly, but thanks.”

  “The judges were blind. You should have scored higher.”

  “Nah, I could feel his spin was kind of flat and even. I dressed it up the best I could, but I knew it wasn’t going to be a winning score on that bull. He wasn’t getting any height in the rear with his bucks.” Even though Tucker was still mostly talking to Cassie, he reached out and ran his hand up and down Becca’s arm before turning his attention back to her.

  They stood so close, she could absorb all the changes in him since the ride. There was a bright, almost manic look to his eyes and a tension that radiated from every muscle in his body. His hand trembled just a bit as he’d reached out to touch her. If she’d seen these symptoms in a student, she would have assumed it was from drugs. Seeing them in Tucker, she knew—he was on an adrenaline high. Suddenly she understood the appeal of this crazy sport. Why the riders got so addicted to it. Why a young guy like Dillon would risk life and limb and use the money he needed for food just to ride.

  “Cassie, did you meet Becca and her sister Emma? They’re from New York.” Tucker smiled at Becca.

  “I sure did.” Cassie produced a knowing smile, and Becca couldn’t help wondering how many of Tucker’s women Cassie had stood next to during these kinds of events.

  She tried to push that thought aside and be cordial. “Cassie was kind enough to explain things to me.”

  “Good. I’m glad. Sorry I couldn’t be here—” His steel blue gaze was focused on her, chasing away any suspicions or doubts.

  “Don’t be silly. You had to ride. We were fine here.”

  “Good.” Tucker glanced over his shoulder to where Jace perched on the railing next to where Dillon straddled the top of the chute, about to climb in. “I should go help.”

  “Of course. Go.”

  With a parting smile, Tucker ruffled Cheyenne’s hair and spun away. Becca watched him go and then realized Cassie was watching her watch Tucker. She couldn’t help herself, she had to know. Becca glanced at Cassie. “So, uh, Tucker. He’s uh . . .” Once she’d started, she didn’t quite know how to finish.