A Cowboy's Heart (Hitting Rocks Cowboys)

by Rebecca Winters

Connor opened the door and they headed for the den where they found his grandfather at his desk. The blaze from the fireplace gave out delicious warmth. The older man looked up with a smile and got to his feet. “Well, Liz.”

  “Hi again, Ralph.” She hurried across the room to give him a hug. Liz had been here many times over the years.

  “Connor told me you agreed to drive with him. Is he taking good care of you?”

  “Of course. I’m a very lucky girl.”

  “It pleases me that my two favorite champions will be together. I have a little gift for the two of you.” He pulled a small leather pouch out of his shirt pocket. “Avery picked it up for me on her way home from work yesterday.”

  Avery was Connor’s sister. Liz couldn’t imagine what the pouch could hold.

  Connor’s gaze shot to hers. “Go ahead and open it.”

  From inside the pouch she pulled out what looked like a silver charm bracelet. “You hang it on the rearview mirror of the truck to bring you luck. I chose the charms myself for this red-letter moment in your lives. See that horseshoe? Both of you have beaten me at the game any number of times. The next charm is a boot for riding. There’s a cowboy hat. The others are a horse in motion, a bulldogger on his horse, a cowgirl barrel racing, and a heart with wings for love of country.”

  Liz was so touched that, once again, her throat swelled. “This gift is priceless, Ralph.”

  She noticed that Connor’s eyes took on a haunted look when he glanced at his grandfather. Why?

  “We’ll treasure it.”

  “If Addie and your parents were here, son, they’d tell you and Liz to take it with our prayers and blessings. We’ve always been proud of both of you and know you’ll do your best at the competition. We’ll all be watching the Great American Country broadcast on cable. Whatever happens, come back safe. That’s all I ask.”

  Full of emotion, Liz clutched the bracelet in her hand before reaching for him once more. “All we ask is that you stay well. I promised my folks we’d stay in close touch. We’ll make the same promise to you. Without your help, I would never have made it this far. Whenever I got discouraged, you would never let me stay down.”

  “Ditto,” Connor said in a husky tone of voice, and gave his grandfather a bear hug.

  The older man whispered, “Good luck,” to him, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

  She waved to Ralph from the doorway. “See you soon.” Without waiting for Connor, she hurried out of the house to the truck. He needed a minute with his grandfather, and she needed to treasure this special moment in private. Both she and Sadie had always loved Ralph and Addie. Like her own parents, she thought they were just about perfect.

  Carefully she undid the chain clasp so she could hang the bracelet. To make certain it was visible, she draped it over the mirror. The little charms tinkled as they dangled.

  A minute later Connor strode toward the truck and climbed in behind the wheel. He fingered one of the charms, and then flicked his gaze to hers. “Grandpa thinks the world of you to have given you this.”

  “Didn’t you notice it’s for both of us? Whenever he talks about you, his eyes light up.”

  An odd silence followed her remark. She didn’t understand and wondered what he was thinking as he started the engine.

  “Before we leave, is there anything you’ve forgotten?”

  “If I have, it’s not important.”

  “Bless you.” Spoken like a man. She chuckled before he said, “Let’s go.”

  They drove away from the ranch to the highway, cleared of snow since the storm the other night. “I’d like to reach North Salt Lake by evening. I made a reservation at the RV park on the outskirts with easy access.”

  “Sounds good to me. In case of more snow, I’d planned to drive as far as I could through Wyoming before finding a motel. I’m really grateful you asked me to come with you.”

  “Did you have someone to drive with you if I hadn’t asked you?”

  A vision of Kyle passed through her mind. She looked out the passenger window. “Yes. I had several offers from friends and family, but this is one trip I wanted to take alone. Knowing it’s my last one, I didn’t feel like sharing the experience with anyone else.”

  He sat back in the seat. “So how come you came with me?”

  “Honestly?” she answered with another question.

  “Shoot.”

  “Because you’re not anyone else. When I told Dad I was driving with you, he said we were the best kind of company for each other since we already know what it’s like to be in each other’s skin.”

  “He was right.”

  “You’ve been to nationals and have won back-to-back world championships five times. Now you’re trying for your sixth! This is my first time and you know exactly how vulnerable I’m feeling on the inside. I’m full of doubts and ambitions no else could understand, no one but someone like you, who’s already experienced all those emotions and triumphed.”

  “That’s the problem,” he muttered. “No matter how many triumphs, you’re only as good as your last one.”

  “I know. I find that out every time I compete at another rodeo.”

  “If you know that already, then you know a hell of a lot more than ninety-nine percent of your competition who believe their own hype.”

  His unexpected burst of emotion showed he felt as vulnerable as she did. Maybe more, because this would be his last competition. The need to prove himself one more time had to be testing his mettle in ways she couldn’t fathom. No one would ever suspect that of Connor Bannock, the picture of confidence personified.

  “In all honesty, I’m afraid, Connor,” she admitted under her breath.

  “Of failure?”

  “A lot more than that. No matter what happens, I don’t know what the future’s going to be like without having a goal. I’ve been pursuing this dream for so long, it’s taken up the hours of my world, consciously and subconsciously for years. Of course, I have my career, but that’s different. I can’t imagine what it will be like to wake up on December 15, knowing it’s truly over...and the rest of my life is still ahead of me,” she whispered.

  “Lady, you just said a mouthful.”

  Liz turned her head toward him in surprise. “You too?”

  “In spades.”

  * * *

  SO FAR, NO snow had fallen, but it was coming. Connor felt the icy wind from a bleak sky while he and Liz walked their horses at their first roadside park stop. Two hours at a time was as much as their animals could handle riding in the trailer. Their muscles got tired of trying to maintain their footing and needed the rest.

  With them tied up outside, he and Liz ate sandwiches and drank hot coffee in the trailer. Her earlier admission about thinking she’d be at a loss once the competition was over was so in tune with his own feelings, they seemed to have achieved a level of understanding that didn’t require a lot of conversation. He didn’t feel the need to fill the gaps of silence. Neither did she.

  By late afternoon, they’d made their fourth stop to exercise the horses. Inside the trailer they both made calls. He checked with Ben, the ranch foreman. Connor had hired a new hand to keep all the equipment on the ranch in top shape. That had been Ned’s job. Ben sounded hopeful this new guy would work out. As they talked, Connor could hear Liz talking to Dr. Rafferty about a sick horse.

  Once their phone business was done, they cleaned up the stall floor before watering the horses and replenishing their hay nets. Soon they’d brought the horses back inside and were on their way again.

  Since his quickie divorce from Reva Stevens two years ago in Reno, he’d dated women, but he’d never taken any of them on the road with him. This was a first since the disastrous marriage in Las Vegas that had only lasted a year. His grandfather had never said anything, but Connor knew
the older man hadn’t been happy about his impulsive marriage to the L.A. TV anchor.

  They’d made their base at her condo in L.A. When he wasn’t spending time with her, he traveled the rodeo circuit and worked on the ranch. She stayed on the ranch with him for a week after their honeymoon, but ranch life didn’t hold her long. Both of them were too driven by ambition to put the other person first. The long separations took their toll, and divorce had seemed the only solution.

  Though they hadn’t been able to make it work, Reva called him from time to time. He kept their conversations short. He missed her in his bed. That had never changed, but it was everything else.

  Liz’s comment about being afraid of the future had resonated with him big-time.

  Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her reading something on her iPad. “Anything interesting?”

  “Yes. I’ve been checking stats. Dustine Hoffman just won the barrel-racing event at the Tom Thumb Texas Stampede in 13.71 seconds. She’s everyone’s competition.”

  He whistled. “That arena gives you faster time than the one in Las Vegas with its special soil.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. Between the dark lashes, they were as green as lime zest. He’d never seen eyes that exact color. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better. The truth is, she’s a great athlete.”

  “So are you.” Connor discovered that Liz had a great mouth, too. Soft and full, not too wide, but he couldn’t afford to take his eyes off the road. “Didn’t you do a 13.70 at Bakersfield?”

  “I doubt I’ll see a number that low again, but I can dream.”

  He knew all about that. “Did you read anything else interesting?”

  A sly smile broke the corner of her mouth. “There must be a hundred blogs devoted to Connor Bannock. Your fans stretch around the country and back. Jocko Mendez from the Southeastern circuit in Arkansas is your closest competition, but word is out that Las Vegas is betting on you. Have you ever read any of them?”

  She tried to get him off the subject of her.

  “I don’t have time.” He let out a sigh. “Do yourself a favor and forget about Dustine Hoffman’s stats. Concentrate on your routine with Sunflower. I watched you working with her the other morning. I’m impressed how well she body rates and changes leads between the first and second barrel.”

  “But I hear a but. What aren’t you telling me?”

  Liz was such a quick study, he needed to stay on his toes. “Am I that transparent?”

  “Yes!”

  He laughed. It was refreshing to be with someone who was too guileless to be anything but honest...unlike Reva, who’d harbored hurts and suspicions, then exploded at an unexpected moment.

  “I notice you were working with wax reins, but they can be sticky. You have to really watch your hands with those. When they stick, you’re pulling your horse around the barrel when you should be guiding her.”

  “Was that what I was doing the other morning?”

  “No. I happened to notice it at your competition in Great Falls.”

  “You did?”

  “Liz—we’re not always at the same rodeos, but when we are, I make it a priority to watch my neighbor’s performance.”

  She stirred in the seat. “I had no idea.”

  “When we get to Las Vegas, try using a knot rein at practice. They still slide when needed, but you might like the feel of them better. It’s just a thought.”

  “But valuable input, coming from you. I’ll try it.”

  One eyebrow lifted. “You’re not offended?”

  “By advice from you? What else did you see I can improve on?”

  Connor decided she was like her dad, who didn’t have a resentful, paranoid bone in his body. “Not a thing.”

  “Liar,” she said with a smile, but it soon faded when stronger than usual gusts of wind buffeted the trailer. “Whoa—”

  “Another storm front is moving in, but we’re making good time so far. I’m glad we’ve reached Kemmerer. There’s an RV park a mile away where I made a reservation, just in case. We may have to spend the night in Wyoming after all. I don’t want to take chances with priceless cargo.”

  “You’re right, of course. Our horses are precious.”

  “I was referring to you,” he murmured.

  Though she didn’t dare take him seriously, her heart jumped anyway. “You sounded like your grandfather just then. Between your father and Ralph, you’ve had remarkable role models in them and it shows.”

  She saw his hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter. “You don’t know my history. I’m afraid Grandpa has about given up on me.”

  There he went again. Something was going on where his grandfather was concerned, and she was curious. “Why would you say that? While he was hugging you, he had tears in his eyes, he’s so proud.”

  “Those were tears of disappointment. I should have quit the circuit several years ago in order to help him and Jarod.”

  Liz decided to take a risk. “Don’t tell me your cousin Ned got to you, too, before he was put in that mental health facility—”

  She heard his breath catch and knew she’d hit a nerve. “Sadie told me he about destroyed Jarod’s confidence before they got back together. It sounds like he did a pretty good job on you, too. What did he tell you? That you didn’t have what it took to run the Bannock ranch? Or did he make digs that you were running away from your responsibilities by letting the rodeo take over your life since your father’s death?”

  Connor stiffened. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “You need to talk about it! Don’t forget your grandfather was a rodeo champion in his day. He’s in heaven watching you rack up the gold buckles.”

  Snow started to pelt the windshield, but she hardly noticed. “No doubt Ned accused you of leaving the work to your brother. Ned Bannock caused more trouble than Sadie’s father ever did. Don’t you know how jealous he was of you?”

  Liz was all wound up and couldn’t stop. “Ned never had your horsemanship and couldn’t keep up with you. You were given a special gift. After you won your first buckle, why do you think he quit competing in rodeos so quickly? All he could do was undermine you, so you would feel guilty. He probably had a coronary when you married Reva Stevens, who looks like a movie star.”

  The windshield wipers were going full force while she kept on talking. “I’ll bet he loved baiting you when you were divorced. Ned always did like to kick a man when he was already down. Well, I’d say he did a pretty fantastic job on you to make you feel like your grandfather is disappointed in you. But you would be wrong!

  “Ralph adores you! I ought to know. I’ve been friends with him for years. If he’s disappointed, then it’s because he’s afraid you’ve believed Ned. Shame on you, Connor!” Her rebuke rang in the cab.

  By now, he’d turned into the RV campground and drove to the first place where they could stop. They were in a whiteout. But for the din of her voice, there was an eerie quiet. When she dared to look at him, his shoulders were shaking in silent laughter.

  He turned in the seat, resting his head against the window where the snow was piling up and stared at her. “And here I thought you were a quiet little thing. But I should have known better after watching you on a horse. There’s a spitfire inside of you. Feel better now that you’ve gotten it off your chest?”

  Heat washed over her body in waves. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

  His eyes played over her. “I don’t think you left a thing unsaid. In fact, you mentioned a few things I hadn’t even thought of that went straight to the gut.” She wanted to crawl in a hole. “Who would have thought Liz Henson from the Corkin ranch, who’s always in her own world, had so much insight?”

  Always in her own world?

  “I’m afraid Sadie and I spent
a lot of time on the backs of our horses discussing Ned, who never left her alone. Worse, he never wasted a chance to berate his cousins in front of us and any audience who happened to be around. It wasn’t just Jarod he hated. He had plenty to say about you.

  “When you trained Firebrand, a feral no one else could handle, he was furious at your success. Worse, every girl on the Montana circuit would have given her eyeteeth to go out with you and he knew it.”

  “Not every girl,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “You mean Sadie, but we both know why.”

  “I meant you, Liz.”

  “Me—?”

  Connor cocked his head. “Don’t you remember the time I asked you if you wanted to celebrate with me after you won at the Missoula Stampede?”

  Liz blinked. “I figured you asked me for Wade’s sake in order to set us up.”

  “He has a girlfriend now.”

  “I’m glad. He’s kind of shy. Though I’ve always liked him, I was never interested in him that way.”

  “Ouch. Now you’ve wounded him and me.”

  “What do you mean you? You were married.”

  “Nope. Divorced. If you’d agreed, I would have told you I was single again, but you didn’t give me the time of day. Before you shut me down cold, I figured we were far enough away from home that old man Corkin wouldn’t find out the off-limits neighbors were getting friendly.”

  Her heart thudded. “Even if I had known the change in your marital status, I wouldn’t have said yes. Being in love with the woman you married doesn’t go away because of a piece of paper. Jarod and Sadie were still head over heels in love after eight years, even after she wrote him that awful goodbye letter he actually believed, and all because of Ned!”

  “That’s a fact.” Connor reached to shut off the engine. “I think your explanation for rejecting me has helped a little.”

  “Give it up, Connor,” she teased with a chuckle.

  “I’ll keep everything you told me in mind and cogitate on it.”

  “You do that.”

  “What do you say we go back to the trailer and enjoy some of your mom’s chili while we see how long this storm is going to last.”