brides for brothers 03 - cowboy groom

by Christenberry, Judy

  “Hi, Roy. We’re going to work out some of Pete’s stock this afternoon. Why don’t you help us out? We could turn it into our own little rodeo.”

  Brett glared at his brother. He didn’t want to compete in front of Anna, especially with Roy, who had a reputation as a tough rider. The cowboy had been on the rodeo circuit a year or two with Pete.

  “Great,” Roy said. “You’ll watch, won’t you, Anna?”

  “Of course. It’ll be fun.”

  “You can even join us for lunch if you want,” Jake added.

  Brett stared at his brother, openmouthed. What was wrong with him? Brett had told him last night how much he loved Anna. Now he was inviting the competition home with them!

  “I’ll go home and change and be right over,” Roy said, a grin on his face. “Want to ride with me, Anna?”

  “I’d better go straight back to the ranch. I’ll see you there.”

  Anna smiled and waved goodbye to the cowboy, and Brett wanted to put his arms around her and hold her tight against him. She was his. Why didn’t she know it?

  When they started back to the ranch, Brett was even more depressed. Anna wouldn’t even ride in Jake’s truck with him. She’d chosen to ride with Megan and Chad.

  “Cheer up, boy,” Jake said. “You haven’t lost her.”

  “Well, if I haven’t, it’s no thanks to you. Why’d you invite Roy over?”

  “To prove a point. Anna may have sat with him in church, but she paid a lot of attention to you. Probably because you were staring at her,” Jake added with a chuckle, “but maybe because she’s more interested in you than in Roy.”

  “So why do we need him there?” Brett growled, but he was encouraged by Jake’s words.

  “So she’ll know which one she’s interested in. How can she be sure unless the two of you are both there?”

  “But Roy’s much better at the rodeo stuff than I am.

  “Anna’s not a prize you win for riding a bucking bronco, Brett. She’s a woman who can make her own choice. If she cares about you, it won’t be because you’re the best cowboy.”

  Jake’s logic was all well and good, but Brett didn’t want to look bad in Anna’s eyes.

  “Besides, it was obvious the man wasn’t going to quit until he arranged something with Anna. Did you want him getting her all to himself? He can’t cuddle up to her when he’s riding a mad bull.”

  Good point. A picture of Anna and Roy next to each other on the sofa watching a movie made the rodeo idea look good. “You’re right.”

  “Uh, Brett? Don’t offer to ride too quickly,” Jake advised. “You can do some watching with Anna.”

  Another good point.

  WHEN ANNA REACHED the outdoor corral the cowboys were using after lunch, one of the Randall cowboys was already on the back of a big Brahman bull, one arm in the air as the bull bucked his way around the arena. Another cowboy on the rail blew a whistle, and the rider slid from the bull’s back, landing on his feet at a run, heading in the opposite direction.

  “That always scares me,” Anna said, standing next to Megan.

  “What scares you, Anna?” a deep voice asked from behind her.

  She whirled around to discover Brett right behind her. Her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn’t speak. After what had happened last night on the dance floor, she was determined to avoid him at all costs. She’d even gone to the trouble of encouraging Roy.

  Megan came to her rescue. “I think Anna was referring to the dismount from an angry bull. And I agree. I was at a rodeo in Denver and saw a man get gored.”

  “Must not’ve had a good clown,” Brett said casually, as if the danger were nonexistent.

  “There isn’t a clown here at all,” Anna stated. She turned back to face the corral. It was easier to maintain her composure when she didn’t have to look at him. And yearn for his kiss.

  “Nope, but Jerry’s on his horse in the arena. And he’s good at handling the bulls,” Brett explained.

  One of his big hands reached out for the corral rail on each side of Anna, and she felt surrounded by him. A shuddering breath swept through her body. To know that she could turn and find her lips only inches from his was a torment difficult to bear.

  If he’d never kissed her, she was sure the ache to feel his lips on hers wouldn’t be so great. But he had. Twice now. And she could scarcely bear to be in the same room with him without longing for that closeness again.

  But she was just as determined to resist. She was not going to have an affair with Brett Randall.

  Roy was the next cowboy to burst out of the chute on the back of a bull. Brett leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Worried?”

  “Of—of course. I worry every time.” At least she could still breathe as long as the cowboy wasn’t Brett. She didn’t think she could bear to watch if he decided to take a turn.

  Roy successfully completed his ride. After he’d made it to the corral rail across from them, he turned to wave to Anna. She waved back, but she could feel Brett’s scowl behind her. “He rode well,” she said in justification.

  “Yeah. He’s good for something,” Brett muttered.

  Anna looked at Brett out of the corner of her eye. What if Brett decided to ride? Surely he wouldn’t. He’d stayed beside her since the beginning.

  Roy rode another bull triumphantly.

  Then he, too, crossed the corral to visit.

  “All you Randall men staying over here with the ladies?” he said, glaring at Brett, who still stood behind Anna, practically embracing her. “What about you, Brett? You gonna ride, or are you afraid?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Anna protested.

  But Brett pushed away from the corral fence and answered at the same time. “I’m riding.”

  “Brett, don’t,” Anna pleaded, trying to hide her distress.

  “Let him go, Anna. He needs to do some hard work. He’ll get soft if all he pushes around is a bunch of numbers,” Roy said, grinning at her.

  “Give me a kiss for luck, sugar,” Brett said, spinning her around.

  She couldn’t have denied him, whatever the reason, but she threw her arms around his neck and fervently met him more than halfway. This kiss was brief, unlike the other two, and left Anna wanting more. Her fingers trailed down his chest as he turned away from her.

  “Be careful,” she called softly, and he turned to give her a cocky grin before he walked away.

  “Don’t worry. He probably won’t last long,” Roy said, an arrogant air on his face. “He’s soft. He does all the book work, you know.”

  Anna whirled to glare at him. “He’s just as strong as any of you. But he has brains, too. Which makes him twice as good as you!”

  “Good for you, Anna,” said Pete, who was standing nearby, and Megan clapped her hands.

  Roy turned and stomped off toward the chutes without saying anything else.

  Anna turned to Pete. “Can’t you talk him out of this insanity? It’s crazy for him to put his life in danger. I mean, don’t you have cowboys who are supposed to do that sort of thing?”

  “I thought you believed in him,” Pete said in surprise.

  “I believe he can do it, but I don’t want him to,” she explained, sure she was being completely logical.

  “Don’t worry, Anna. Brett’s been riding bulls since he was a kid.” Pete nonchalantly turned back to the ring.

  At that moment, the chute burst open, drawing their attention. Anna grabbed the rail so tightly, her hands ached with the pressure.

  To Anna’s eyes, the bull seemed meaner than all the others put together, bucking twice as high. When the huge animal completely reversed himself in the air and landed in the dust with an earthshaking jolt, she just knew Brett was going to come flying off.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, fear shattering her. The men gathered around the corral cheered, and she opened her eyes, thrilled to discover Brett still seated on the enraged animal.

  Why hadn’t the man blown the whistle? She
wanted to run around the corral and grab the whistle from him. Roy must’ve paid him to make Brett ride longer. This had to be longer than eight seconds. A man could paint the Mona Lisa in this length of time!

  “Oh, God, please let him be safe,” she prayed under her breath. Brett didn’t deserve to be hurt. He didn’t—

  The men around the corral cheered as the whistle was blown, and Anna sank against the rails, overwhelmed with relief. When Brett continued to cling to the bull’s back, she looked around her, bewildered. “Why doesn’t the bull stop?”

  Even she realized the idiocy of her question. She’d seen the others dismount. It looked even more dangerous than the ride. But she hadn’t worried about them.

  “Can’t he get off?” she gasped, her heart tripling its beat. She held her breath as she noticed him loosening his grip and preparing to slip off the animal. At the same time, the bull gave his biggest jump, and Brett flipped in the air, landing on his back, his head slapping the dirt.

  “Brett!” Anna screamed, and immediately clambered over the railing with no thought to her own safety.

  Brett didn’t move.

  The bull came perilously close to his head as the man on horseback maneuvered him away. Anna ignored the bull and the rider and made a beeline to Brett.

  She heard other footsteps, but she was the first to reach Brett’s side. She fell to her knees and lifted his head to her lap, breathing a sigh of relief when his eyes fluttered and she felt his pulse.

  “Brett, are you all right?” she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.

  “Anna!” Jake yelled as he reached her. “You almost got run over by the bull, you crazy girl. What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Trying to take care of my m—patient!” she snapped. His brother could at least have some concern for Brett.

  “He’s okay, aren’t you, Brett?” Chad asked, suddenly appearing beside Jake.

  As if answering a wake-up call, Brett’s eyelids opened all the way and he stared at them. Anna gave a silent prayer of gratitude and stroked his face.

  “Sure, I’m okay. I banged my head, that’s all.” He made an effort to lift his head, but Anna firmly held it against her. He smiled up at her. “But I rode him, Anna. You did hear the whistle, didn’t you?”

  She glared at the man she loved, wanting to drop his head onto the dirt and walk away, but she couldn’t. He might already have a concussion. “Yes, I heard the stupid whistle. What difference does that make?”

  “I wanted you to know I can ride as well as Roy,” Brett explained, a wounded look on his face.

  Men! How could Brett worry about such a silly thing when he’d put his life in danger? “Can you get up?”

  “Of course.”

  But she noticed he didn’t refuse the help his brothers gave him. As soon as he was upright, Anna shoved the much larger Chad out of the way and wrapped her arm around Brett’s waist.

  “Maybe we’d better call that a wrap for today,” Jake said as she and Brett started back toward the chutes.

  “Not on my account,” Brett said nonchalantly. “I’m fine.”

  “Brett Randall, don’t you dare get on a bull again!” Anna ordered, her free hand on her hip. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her actions. She didn’t want to live through another agonizing ride.

  “You lettin’ a woman tell you what to do?” Roy called from across the corral.

  Anna didn’t know what to expect from Brett. She hadn’t intended to embarrass him. She held her breath when he stopped to look down at her.

  A slow smile spread across his handsome face. “If it’s Anna, I sure am,” he called over his shoulder. Then, standing under his own power, he lifted her against him and kissed her.

  AFTER THE EXCITEMENT of the afternoon, everyone seemed interested in an early night. Anna was glad. She and Red had helped Brett to bed, and she’d given him some headache medicine. Then, every hour she got to go into his room to rouse him just in case he’d suffered a concussion.

  The sight of his big body spread out on the mattress was almost more than she could resist. It grew more and more difficult to remember why she shouldn’t give in to the attraction they felt.

  Oh, she knew he didn’t love her. Not the way she wanted to be loved. If he did, he’d be interested in more than sleeping with her. But maybe she could convince him.

  You idiot, Anna. You know better.

  Yeah, she did. But her hands trembled, her heart thumped and her mouth went dry every time she went into his bedroom.

  She was going to have to face the embarrassment of her behavior today, too. Fortunately none of the family had mentioned the kiss they’d shared, or her ordering Brett not to ride again, when she went down to supper.

  She had no right to order him to do anything.

  She knew better than to take his kisses seriously. Men liked to show off for a woman. But showing off didn’t mean anything.

  Certainly not what she wanted it to mean.

  She’d have to stay in control until she could leave, she reminded herself after her next visit to his room. Otherwise, she might let her feelings for Brett overpower her good sense. Once Janie’s babies were born, she could move back to her apartment and gain some perspective. Not seeing Brett every day would help.

  “You going on up, Anna?” Jake asked as she started to leave the television room.

  “Yes, I’m a little tired. But I’ll continue to check on Brett.”

  “Thanks for caring about—I mean, for—Brett,” Jake said, grinning.

  “It’s my job. I’m a nurse,” she muttered, and hurried out the door. Did Jake know about her feelings for Brett? She hoped not. She was embarrassed enough as it was.

  She dressed for bed, then slipped on her robe. Time to check on Brett again.

  Slipping into the dimly lit room, she sat down on the edge of his big bed and lightly shook his shoulder.

  “Brett? Brett, can you wake up?”

  Earlier he’d barely roused and then fallen back asleep. This time, however, he opened his eyes wide. “I guess I can, since you’re so determined.”

  She sat up straight. Her visit suddenly took on the aura of a much more dangerous event. He was wideawake. “Do you still have a headache?”

  “Nope. I don’t have a headache, and I don’t need to go back to sleep. How about you?” He gave her that endearing grin she found so hard to resist.

  “I believe I do need to sleep, so—”

  He swung back the covers. “Come on in. I’ve got plenty of room.”

  The brief glimpse of his long, muscular legs, his briefs, his broad chest, was almost more than her poor heart could bear. “Brett!” She pulled the covers back in place.

  “Ah, don’t get upset, Anna. I was just trying to take care of you.”

  “Don’t expect me to fall for that line.”

  “Well, maybe I was looking for a little congratulations for riding the bull,” he added, a twinkle in his eye.

  Definitely no concussion.

  “I believe I, uh, congratulated you in the corral.”

  “That puny kiss? It didn’t even last as long as my ride. I think I deserve another.”

  She thought he did, too. Forget her sage advice to avoid the man, to keep her self-respect, to move away at once. All she could think about was Brett.

  “All right,” she calmly agreed.

  He stared at her, almost in shock, and she lowered her lips to his before he could move. It didn’t take him any time to come around, however. His arms went around her like a vise, hauling her against the entire length of his body as his mouth consumed hers.

  Anna poured all the fears of the afternoon, all the longings of the night, into her kisses, opening her lips, her tongue dueling with his.

  She stroked his body, running her fingers through the dark hairs on his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath the warm skin. Exploring his back, the nape of his neck, she wondered if she could ever get enough of touching him.

  To her su
rprise, Brett broke off the kiss.

  “Listen, sugar, we have to talk.”

  He still held her against him. When Anna, realizing he now didn’t even want her, tried to pull away, he refused to let her go.

  “You want to talk?” she demanded, regretting that she sounded like a tragic heroine. But she was upset. She’d just decided to settle for his lovemaking if she couldn’t have his love, and he’d changed his mind.

  “Yeah. I wanted to tell you Sylvia didn’t mean anything to me.”

  “I know.” That was it? He thought she didn’t know that, by the time Sylvia left, he’d almost hated her?

  “I didn’t want you to worry about her.”

  “No,” she agreed even as her lips were descending to his again. She was relieved when he met her more than halfway. And maybe their brief conversation was beneficial. It made her long for his touch, his taste, more than ever.

  There was nothing tentative in Brett’s response. Somehow Anna ended up under the covers with him, and he’d rolled them over until he was on top of her. She wasn’t sure how because she’d been distracted.

  Then he lifted his lips from hers…to talk again.

  “Anna, I can’t wait,” he whispered, his breathing ragged.

  Anna’s lips sought his, willing to accommodate him. After all, she hadn’t put up any resistance the past few minutes. In fact, she’d been encouraging him. When he resisted, she tugged on his shoulders.

  “No, wait, you don’t understand,” Brett whispered.

  Before she could figure out what he meant, someone knocked on the door.

  “Anna? Are you in there?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Anna couldn’t believe it. She’d finally decided to sleep with Brett, but first he wanted to talk. Then Jake arrived at the door.

  In spite of Brett’s reluctance to release her, Anna scrambled out of the bed, pulling her robe around her. “I’m coming, Jake,” she called as she rushed to the door.

  “Gabe’s on the phone. He says it’s an emergency.” There was an unspoken apology in Jake’s voice, as if he knew he’d interrupted something.

  Anna hoped her embarrassment didn’t show on her face.