Cowboy Six Pack

by Kari Lynn Dell

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” The look in his eyes was warm. “I’d like to see you wear it sometime.”

  Was he asking her out? She blushed. “That would be nice.”

  Rafe appeared, carrying several pairs of jeans. He held up two. “These fit.”

  Luke took them. “Let’s get you shirts and a belt.”

  When the teen moved toward the racks of western shirts, Rayanne said, “You’re doing so much. I can help—”

  “I got it, honey. It’s not a problem.”

  “If you’re sure—”

  “Positive.”

  “It’s nice of you to do so much.”

  “He needs clothes.” Luke shrugged. “I can give them to him. No big deal.”

  “It’s a big deal to Rafe.” She laid her hand on his muscled arm. Heat seeped through his shirtsleeve onto her palm. “And to me.”

  He ducked his head. “Awe shucks, ma’am.”

  Seeing she was making him uncomfortable, she dropped the subject along with her hand. “Do we have everything?”

  “I bet the kid needs socks and underwear, too.”

  “Probably, but that might embarrass him.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Luke looked around. “I think we’ll save a hat for next time. They’ll be wearing a helmet when riding, so he doesn’t need one now.”

  “He might not wear one after this anyway,” Rayanne said.

  “I bet this kid will fall in love with the sport. I think we’re setting him up for with a mistress for life.”

  “He’s a little young for that,” Rayanne said dryly.

  “Love then,” Luke said. “You strap yourself on a bull, you either fall in love, or you hate it. There’s no in between. I’m betting Rafe will love it.”

  “I hope so,” she said. “Because he’s struggling between right and wrong right now. He’s too good of a kid to end up behind bars.”

  “I’m not going to let that happen,” Luke vowed. “Not if I can help it.”

  “Me either.” Rayanne closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.

  Rafe came from the dressing room with two shirts. “These fit.”

  “Only two?” Rayanne arched a brow. “You took in at least ten.”

  “I don’t need that many. And I like these two best.”

  “Get all that fit.” Luke winked at Rayanne. “Saves on doing laundry.” When Rafe hesitated, he said, “Go on now. Get what you want.”

  “Thanks, Luke.” The boy turned away with a happy smile.

  “You’re wonderful with him. You’ll be a great dad someday,” Rayanne said.

  Luke’s grin froze and then slipped away like a mountain sunset. “I don’t want kids.”

  Rayanne fought to breathe. She felt as if he’d just kicked her in the solar plexus. She’d wanted nothing more than a houseful of her own children. “What? Why not?”

  “I’m not looking to be tied down by a family,” Luke said. “My lifestyle doesn’t include marriage and kids. I’m happy the way I am, footloose and fancy free.”

  “I see.” She didn’t, but she was too stunned to focus right then. He’d been so good with Rafe she just assumed he’d eventually want kids of his own. Why did it matter? It wasn’t like they were in a relationship. “I better pay for my dress.” Dazed, she walked toward the cash registers.

  ~*~

  Shit!

  That went well.

  Luke watched Rayanne walk away with his heart pounding. She’d taken him by surprise with her father comment, and he’d blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Hell, it wasn’t as if he’d practiced what to say when the topic of kids came up with a woman. Standing in the middle of a western store wasn’t where he’d imagined the first time for it to go down.

  They weren’t even dating, yet she was obviously distressed by his declaration. What would happen if he were in a relationship with someone and he told them he was unable to father a child? If Rayanne’s reaction was any indication, it wouldn’t go well. With a deep sigh, he followed her to the counter.

  The ride to Laney’s house was made in silence.

  When they reached Laney’s place, Luke crutched with Rayanne to the door. She stopped and turned toward him. “Thank you. I had a nice time.”

  “Me, too,” he said truthfully. The idea that he wouldn’t see her again hit him like a punch. Although not his usual type, he liked her a lot. “Would you like to come watch Rafe ride this week? Justin, too?”

  She bit her bottom lip, then nodded. “Yes.”

  “I’ll call,” he promised. As soon as Laney let her in, he turned away with a lighter heart. If he hadn’t been on crutches, he would have danced a little.

  He backed his truck around and headed up the dirt road toward Cody’s house. “Almost home.”

  “Justin will be there?” Rafe asked.

  “Yeah.” Luke glanced at him. “He’s your buddy?”

  Rafe shrugged. “Used to be.”

  “Cody’s been my best friend since we weren’t much older than you,” Luke told him. “We’ve been through a lot together.”

  Staring out the window, Rafe only nodded.

  Luke lapsed into his own silence. He and Cody had met on the rodeo circuit and hit it off immediately, although Cody was quiet and reserved, while Luke was the life of the party. Their differences cemented their bond instead of breaking it. He wondered at Rafe’s unspoken words—what had come between him and his buddy?

  Maybe Luke could help mend fences.

  He parked in front of Cody’s house and opened the door. “Here we are.”

  Rafe gathered his ragged duffle bag and bags of new clothes and boots. “Fancy.”

  Luke looked at the two-story farmhouse and surrounding outbuildings, all carefully refurbished, and concluded Rafe was right. Cody had put a lot of his savings into his dream of a school for aspiring bull riders. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  “Your place like this?”

  “I don’t have one, unless you call my truck my place. I move around all the time, following the circuit. No time to set down roots.” Suddenly, he wished he had a place to call his own. He had plenty of money if he chose to do so. His winnings, endorsements and careful investing made him a wealthy man. “Maybe I’ll buy something local. I like it here.”

  “I can’t wait to get away,” Rafe said.

  “I felt that way, too, when I was your age.” Luke opened the wrought iron gate leading into Cody’s yard. “Wickenburg, Arizona, is a mighty small place when you have big dreams. Now, I can see myself settling down there someday.”

  “I want to live anywhere but here,” Rafe said. “Where no one knows me, or my dad.”

  Luke led him into the house. “Code-man? Justin? You here?”

  They appeared from the living room.

  “Hi, guys,” Cody said.

  Justin lifted a hand.

  Luke put a hand on Rafe’s shoulder. “This is my buddy, Rafe. You know Justin. This is Cody Utah.”

  “Good to meet you, Rafe.” Cody held out his hand and Rafe took it.

  “You too, sir.”

  “Call me Cody, okay?”

  “Okay…Cody.”

  “Justin, could you show Rafe his room?” Luke asked.

  “Sure. Come on. We’ve been getting it ready.” Justin headed for the stairs leading out of the kitchen, chattering as they vanished.

  Cody sat on one of the barstools. “Nice kid.”

  “And an angry one.” Luke hopped to the fridge and grabbed a beer. “His old man took off on him and he’s pissed off about it.”

  “I know how that feels.” Cody never knew his father. His mother had been an alcoholic and used men to keep herself in alcohol. It was doubtful she knew who fathered Cody. A friend had turned him onto bull riding where he’d found a hidden talent and excelled at it. He’d retired as the reigning world champion.

  Luke held up the beer. “Want one?”

  “Yeah.”

  The friends shared a moment of silenc
e as they enjoyed their beer. Then Cody spoke. “His mother okay with him riding bulls?”

  “Yeah.” Luke reached in his shirt pocket and withdrew a sheaf of papers. “Here is his signed release.”

  “Thanks.” Cody took them and placed them next to his hand on the bar top. “I wish Laney would relax a little about Justin riding, but she’s a wreck.” He lifted his bottle. “Though I guess if I were her I’d be a little nervous, too.” Cody had shared how Laney’s husband had been killed by a bull and she was now terrified of them.

  “We’ll keep Justin safe,” Luke said. “Rafe, too. Start them on steers.”

  “I can protect these kids, but I think I need to hire a bullfighter,” Cody said. “I think we need one on board before the regular school starts.”

  Luke sipped his beer, his thoughts flashing back to the night he’d been hurt. It was one of the bullfighter’s fault he’d been stomped. He’d been slow and not on his game If not for the other one, Drugstore Cowboy likely would have killed him, grinding him into the arena sand like a gnat. The idea of one of the young boys being in that position made him shudder. “Not a bad idea.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A week had gone by and Rayanne hadn’t heard from Luke. She’d hoped he’d call, even though she knew in her heart he wouldn’t.

  She sighed and applied more yellow paint to her kitchen wall.

  Her cell buzzed, and although tempted to ignore it, curiosity got the better of her. “Hello.”

  “Rayanne, honey, it’s Luke. How are you?” Her stomach turned topsy-turvy at the sound of his voice.

  “Fine.” She stuck her paintbrush into the can of turpentine a little harder than necessary.

  “I’ve been busier than a one-legged man at a butt-kickin’ contest, or I would have called sooner.” He sounded apologetic and she softened.

  “How’s Rafe?”

  “Taking to bulls like a frog to a lily pad.”

  Rayanne laughed in spite of her ire. “That sounds good.”

  “The boy’s a natural. He’s gonna have a long career ahead of him.”

  “That’s great news.” Rayanne dipped her brush into a tray of pale yellow paint. Why had Luke called? It was good about Rafe, but she doubted Luke wanted to update her.

  As if he’d read her mind he said, “Laney’s coming up tomorrow to watch Justin ride. I thought you might like to join us? The boys are going to buck out a bull or two. Afterwards, we’re going to grill up some hamburgers.”

  “What time?”

  “Around three work for you?”

  “Yes, that’s fine.” Rayanne ran another stripe of paint over her wall. “Can I bring anything?”

  “Just your cute self.”

  Rayanne smothered a giggle. “I’ll be there. And I’ll bring potato salad.”

  “See you then.” He disconnected.

  Rayanne ran her paintbrush across the beige wall. The color reminded her of her life—dull and boring. Luke brought some color into her existence, but it wasn’t as if he’d asked her to get married.

  She heaved a sigh.

  Story of her life—single and destined to stay that way. Time to sign up for another class. Maybe one on stained glass this time. She’d always wanted to learn how to make it.

  ~*~

  Rayanne had debated on whether to wear her new dress and boots or not, finally deciding it was too fancy for a day on the ranch, and settled on a dark green T-shirt, along with her usual Bermuda shorts and sandals.

  As she made the sharp turn into the ranch’s driveway, she wondered if she should have worn jeans. The spring sun was hard on her skin, bringing out freckles by the million. She’d slathered on sunscreen, but it was little defense against the onslaught of pesky freckles headed her way. At least her curls were under control today.

  She parked in front of the house, and carrying her potato salad, headed for the door. Before she got there, it burst open and Rafe charged out, followed by Justin. “Hi, Miss Whitfield.”

  “Good afternoon, boys. How are you?”

  Rafe beamed from ear-to-ear. “Great.”

  “You guys having fun?” she asked needlessly.

  “The best,” Rafe said.

  Justin nodded. “Sure are.”

  “Good. Where’s Luke?”

  He appeared in the doorway. “Right here.” He took the covered bowl from her. “We’ll be down to the arena in a few minutes, boys.”

  “Okay,” they chorused as they sprinted for the arena.

  Rayanne laughed. “They seem happy.”

  “They’re having a great time. Come in.” He stepped aside and she walked into the house. He hobbled into the kitchen, where Laney and Cody sat at the kitchen island, drinking lemonade.

  “Hi,” Laney said.

  Cody stood when he saw her. “Glad you made it.”

  “Thank you. I am, too.”

  Luke pulled out a chair. “Would you like lemonade?”

  “Sounds good. Thank you.”

  He poured her a glass, then took the seat next to hers. “We’re just shooting the breeze before the boys ride.”

  “What have you been doing with your vacation?” Laney asked.

  “Nothing much. Painting my kitchen.” God, she sounded dull.

  “I should do that,” Laney said. “But we’ve got some late calves coming, and they’ve kept me busy.”

  “I can imagine.” Actually, she couldn’t. She had no clue about Laney’s life. Whatever she did, it was no doubt nothing like wrangling a bunch of seven-year-olds around all day. “Is Rafe behaving himself?”

  “Both boys have been really good.” Cody smiled at Laney. Envy pinched Rayanne. What would it feel like to have a man look at you like that? She glanced at Luke, but his attention was on something outside.

  “Looks like the kids have the bulls loaded.”

  Cody reached for his hat laying on one of the stools. “We better go before they die of impatience.”

  The four adults walked to the arena in companionable silence.

  Cody pointed to bleachers near the arena. “Ladies, if you’ll sit there you’ll be able to see everything.”

  They climbed mid-way up and sat. Luke used his crutches to boost himself on the catwalk behind the chutes. Cody climbed next to him and leaned over to say something to Justin. The teen nodded and straddled a small, brindle bull.

  Laney clenched her hands together in her lap. Her face was pale and she gnawed her bottom lip. Rayanne touched her elbow. A shudder ran through her body. “Are you okay?”

  “Bulls scare me since Wyatt died—”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you.” Laney glanced at her with wide, frightened eyes. “I hate this so much, but Justin is determined to follow in his father’s footsteps, no matter how hard I try to discourage him.”

  “Have you shared your concerns with Cody?”

  “Yes, but he insists Justin will be fine. I pray he’s right. I couldn’t bear to lose my son, too.” A sob caught on her last word.

  Rayanne linked her arm through Laney’s. She shook like a leaf. Anger at both Justin and Cody for putting her through this agony rocked Rayanne. Males were selfish, no matter what their age.

  Her attention was drawn to the arena when the bull lunged out of the chute into the arena, twisting and jumping. Justin held his right arm high, waving wildly. As he began to tip to the right, Laney gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

  “Stay on, Justin,” Rayanne shouted. “Ride, ride!”

  In spite of her encouragement, he fell into the deep sand covering the arena floor. The bull turned toward him and snorted. Laney gasped. As Cody ushered the bull away, Justin stood, unbuckled his helmet and slid it from his head. “Whoot! I want to go again.”

  Laney sagged against Rayanne. “Damn it.”

  “He’s okay,” Rayanne assured her.

  “My heart almost stopped when the bull turned back,” Laney said. “I had a flashback—”

  “Of Wyatt?”

/>   Laney nodded. “Yeah.”

  Rayanne didn’t know what to say. Wyatt had been stomped to death by a ranch bull. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you. I am, too. I hoped to spend the rest of my life with him.” Bitterness seeped into Laney’s voice. “Instead, I was robbed of my husband and my son lost his dad because of a damn bull.”

  Giving Laney’s hand a squeeze because words seemed inadequate, Rayanne wondered what she’d do in the other woman’s boots. Would she be able to overcome her grief to let her son pursue his dreams?

  Still mulling it over, she turned her attention back to the arena. Rafe had just straddled a small black and white bull, and the animal was clearly unhappy, lunging against the bars of the chute. Both Cody and Luke had their hands on Rafe, steadying him until the animal settled.

  Rayanne didn’t realize she was holding her breath until Rafe nodded and Cody opened the gate. Coming to her feet, she exhaled in a rush. “Stay on, Rafe.”

  Her wish was not to be granted. He fell off almost immediately. But he stood, a wide grin across his face. Like Justin, he immediately removed his helmet. “That was great.”

  Cody moved beside him, and by his hand gestures, it was obvious that he was giving pointers. Rafe listened intently, nodding occasionally.

  It didn’t take a genius to see the teen was soaking in the knowledge Cody was freely giving him.

  Gratitude toward both men filled Rayanne. For a boy with no father in the picture, an adult male role model meant so much. His influence could mean the difference between the right path, or the wrong one.

  The boys rode several more bulls, improving each time. When Cody called a halt, they both groaned in disappointment. Laney breathed an audible sigh of relief. Rayanne realized she’d enjoyed herself immensely.

  Luke swung down from his perch on the catwalk. “I’m starving.”

  The boys sprinted for the house as the adults kept pace with Luke. “The kids did great,” he said.

  “You’re an excellent teacher,” Rayanne told him with an admiring look.

  “Just sharing what little I know.” He stopped and pointed to his cast. “And hopefully how to not get one of these.”

  “From your mouth to His ears.” Laney pointed toward the sky.