Her Rodeo Rancher

by M. K. Stelmack

“Jacob up to riding yet?”

  “Are you kidding? My sister can’t keep him down.” Alyssa wrapped her overdone lips around a forkful of cheesecake.

  “Maybe after the rodeo.”

  Alyssa frowned. “No point doing it after. Trust me, I’m the professional.”

  Will pushed around his melting ice cream. “I don’t doubt your professionalism. Except I saw the picture of us you posted on my Facebook page. I think it gives the wrong impression about us.”

  Alyssa cut off a thin delicate sliver of her cheesecake. “And what impression would that be?”

  She was not going to make this easy for him. “That we’re dating.”

  She gazed pointedly at their table, their surroundings. “Isn’t that what this is?”

  “I didn’t intend it that way,” he said carefully. “Though I can see how you might have assumed that. I’m sorry,” he added for good measure.

  She twirled her fork. “You don’t want everybody to believe we’re dating when we’re not, and you especially don’t want me posting pictures of us together when we’re not.”

  Relief rolled in like breeze through a hot truck cab. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Thank you for understanding.”

  “No problem,” she said. She cut off another fine slice of cheesecake. He shoveled crisp into his mouth.

  “Good crisp,” he said. “How’s the cheesecake?” Look at him making small talk.

  “A little dry but okay,” Alyssa said. “Dana tells me that she’s not your fake girlfriend this year.”

  Will slowed his fork. Had Dana also mentioned that Krista was filling in? “Yeah, she has something else going on.”

  “Well, then,” Alyssa said, “given that everybody already thinks I’m your girlfriend, how about we just continue on?”

  Will’s crisp stuck in his throat. “You want to be my fake girlfriend?”

  “Yes.” Her foot brushed against his leg, glided away. Maybe accidently, but he was beginning to realize that not much about Alyssa was accidental.

  “Did you purposely post that picture to set us up as a fake couple?”

  “Will,” Alyssa said, “we danced together at the wedding. That’s all the picture says. A picture doesn’t lie.”

  Images rose in his mind—of him reaching up for Krista like a man with his bride. Him staring at Krista like a shmuck in love.

  “We are good friends, aren’t we?” Alyssa persisted.

  “I guess.”

  “Then what’s the harm?”

  Will fixed his gaze on the shared wall between Penny’s and Krista’s Place. Was Krista there right now serving up another pedicure to some other unsuspecting guy? Melting another rancher’s wife with her massage? He swore he could smell her fresh hay and grassy lotions from where he sat.

  Riding on the calming memory of Krista’s scents, he said, “The harm is that I’ve already got a fake girlfriend.”

  Alyssa’s gold-brown eyes drilled into his. “Who?”

  Better she heard it from him. “Krista. Krista Montgomery,” he added unnecessarily. But saying her full name made it sound more like a formal arrangement between two partners. Not the fun-filled, close experience it was.

  Alyssa mashed a slice of cheesecake under her fork. He hadn’t fooled her. “When did you plan this?”

  “Can’t say the exact day. Couple of weeks at least before Laura’s wedding. Maybe three.”

  “Maybe three? Was I still Laura’s maid of honor when you two decided?”

  “I think so. Listen, Alyssa, the two aren’t connected.”

  Her fork clattered to her plate. A couple glanced over. So did Jack. “Are you really that stupid, Will?” she hissed. Hissing was good. She was keeping her voice under control. “Krista set you up.”

  Exactly what he’d wanted to avoid—dragging Krista into this.

  “How do you figure that?” Will said. “I’m the one who brought the idea to her.”

  “That’s what you think. But did you decide on your own that you wanted Krista to be your fake girlfriend, or were you talking with her and suddenly it came up?”

  He couldn’t remember. He knew that at some point he wanted to have a reason to see Krista again. “I guess,” he admitted, “it came up.”

  “And then she plays up her problems with the horse at Laura’s wedding and you are happy to help. Isn’t it obvious that she’s using you?”

  “I have my own brain.”

  “I really wonder.” Her expression became eerily calm. “Tell me, Will, what made you decide to have this little talk with me?”

  “As I said, it was the picture on Facebook. And to be honest, others noticed it, too.”

  “Others? Krista, by chance?”

  He was tired of her innuendoes. “As a matter of fact, yes. She wanted me to be honest with you because she believed the longer I put off telling you, the more I was going to end up hurting you.”

  Alyssa’s eyes brightened with tears. “You’re a little late for that.”

  Will felt horrible. He was humiliating her in a public place. “Do you want to go?” he whispered. “We can leave together. Go for a walk. Finish talking.”

  She shook her head. “Why drag this out?” She hooked her purse over her shoulder. “But I feel sorry for you. Krista will promise to work with you, be there for you. She’ll build you up and make you believe you two can take on the world. And then she’ll move on. Leave you wondering what went wrong. That’s our sweet little Krista Montgomery.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  DANA HAD TO admit she’d never looked more beautiful than she did for the wedding of her sister, Caris. Not without a good deal of backup in the form of a sensational maid of honor dress, and hair and makeup by Krista.

  “I don’t recognize myself,” she whispered to her own reflection in the spa mirror. She touched one of her many curls cultivated into full plumpness from her usual bed of natural waves.

  “Don’t you dare put a baseball cap on it,” Krista warned.

  Dana leaned closer. “Is it my imagination or do I see a bit of blonde?”

  Krista squinted. “Definitely a light brown.”

  Oh well. Nothing was perfect. Dana pulled at her strapless dress front. Krista tutted. “And none of that, either. You’ve got enough to hold it up, trust me.” Krista tilted her head. “You’re not used to so many eyes on you.”

  Dana breathed out, shot a look at her bodice to make sure nothing became dislodged. “Hate being under a microscope. Should I ever get married, it’s elopement or whoever can fit into the living room on a Tuesday afternoon.”

  “You know,” Krista whispered so the rest of the bridal party couldn’t hear, “today might be the perfect time to clue that future husband in about your plans.”

  Dana fiddled with the carnation on her wrist corsage. “I couldn’t.”

  “Why not? Love is in the air.”

  “He’ll think—he’s not ready.”

  “Isn’t that for him to decide?”

  “I suppose—but I don’t want to lose what I already have.”

  “But what if you gain something more?”

  There was that. And lately, maybe because of all the weddings, or seeing the way Will and Krista were together, something important was building inside her, something close to an overwhelming obligation to take a risk. “I will try.”

  But as the events of the day unrolled, there was precious little time to think, much less talk to Keith. During a pause in photos, he searched her out to coordinate the next item in the itinerary, and she liked how he lingered by her side longer than necessary. They’d stood together at the edge of the lawn in an unusually awkward silence. At least on her part. Speak from the heart, she reminded herself. But how to say, “Keith, I love you. Will you marry me and be the father of my kids?” She didn’t have Krista’s moxi
e.

  Keith himself broke the silence. “Will tells me you—”

  Right then, Caris called for them to rejoin the others for group shots. Keith slipped his suit jacket on again. “The show continues.”

  Walking back together, Dana forced herself to say, “When I get married, it’ll be fast and small.”

  Keith gave her a sidelong look. “When? You got someone in mind already?”

  Now was her chance, closing fast as they were steps away from the rest of the wedding party. “Yes, actually. I do.”

  He looked at the wedding party, tightened his tie. “Good, good. Anyway, duty calls.”

  She could believe that he didn’t care about her love life, period. She could also believe that he just didn’t care about her love life with someone other than him. When she spotted him alone at a reception table scrolling on his phone—her hair, makeup and dress still good to go—she chose the latter possibility. She armed herself with a vodka cooler from the bar and ordered her feet to cross the dance floor to him, brushing past Will and Krista, neither of them noticing her or for that matter, anyone else.

  Maybe she could have a little of what they had.

  * * *

  KRISTA HAD NOT intended to dance with Will. They weren’t expected to. And after the traditional initial dances, he disappeared. She had hoped to touch base with him about the Claverley Rodeo, but that was almost two weeks away. Plenty of time yet.

  She ducked into the hall foyer for a quiet place to send pics to Sofia. Her niece shared Krista’s passion for fashion and she’d promised to forward a few pictures before the girl’s nine o’clock bedtime. Except she wanted to bling the pics with effects. She was tapping a spray of stars above Will’s hair when the DJ let go with the same song she and Will had performed with the others at Laura’s wedding. Her feet instinctively shuffled in time.

  “You remember the steps.” Janet had stepped into the foyer. She wore a pale gray dress inlaid with a giant pink peony that spread from a side seam around to the front. Striking, as was everything about Will’s mother.

  Krista felt childish in her yellow sundress. “Will’s a good teacher.”

  Janet fixed Krista with a steady look. “Always there to give a helping hand.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more,” Krista said. Okay, that came out a little strong. Janet made her nervous, had since she was a teen. Janet had always been a mother bear around her family, and seemed to believe Krista was out for her cubs.

  Janet waved her hand at the coat closet. A very nicely manicured hand. Janet had come in this past week for a touch up to her manicure, completely separate from Will’s Mother’s Day package she’d yet to book. “Are you leaving?”

  Krista hadn’t any intention but then again, what was she staying for?

  “Yeah, been a long day.”

  “I bet.” Janet paused. “You did a wonderful job with the hair and makeup. You have a real talent for making people feel good.”

  That was unexpected. “Thank you so much.”

  “A skill set completely different from mine as a co-owner of a ranch. And a rancher’s wife.”

  Pieces fell into place. Janet must’ve seen the photo of her and Will with the horse and assumed that Krista was crushing on Will again. “I couldn’t agree more. You saw me at Laura’s wedding. I’m totally useless around horses. I don’t even know what a bloated cow is. The country is something that I just drive through.” How else to say she had no designs on Will?

  As luck would not have it, the son in question entered the foyer and came immediately over. He’d done away with his suit jacket and tie, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up to reveal tanned, muscled arms. She felt that old tug of attraction, rather inconvenient, given Janet was studying them both. “Mom. Krista. I finished loading up a few of the extra tables. I thought you two would be dancing.”

  “No,” Janet said. “I’m stepping out for a bit of fresh air. Krista said she was leaving.”

  Will frowned. “Really? I was hoping we could sort out things about the rodeo.”

  Janet’s mouth thinned. “And that stupid ride you insist on doing.”

  “Mom—”

  “Your shoulder is still damaged, and you’re acting like nothing ever happened.”

  “I’ve got it under control.”

  Janet flipped up her hand. “You’re not going to listen to me. I’ll leave you two to talk.”

  When Janet exited, Krista turned to Will. “What’s this about your shoulder?”

  “It’s been acting up a bit.”

  “Translation from cowboy talk—it feels as if a car ran over it.”

  “I’m good.”

  She stepped in close, looked right up into his face. He stood his ground. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

  He switched on the slow-burning Claverley smile. You could roast marshmallows over that smile. “You concerned about me?”

  She didn’t want to be. Ever since her sisters had disputed her honesty about her feelings, she’d deliberately not contacted Will all week. It proved harder than she’d expected, and now that he was right in front of her, she had to fight the urge not to cling to him like a buckle bunny. “You haven’t answered my question.”

  “I did. You chose not to believe me. It’s my question you haven’t answered.”

  He was evading her, but she didn’t have the right to demand a medical update from him. “Of course, I’m concerned. But I won’t pry. Let me finish sending this pic to my niece and I’m at your service.”

  “What picture?” His voice had sharpened.

  She held up her screen showing the bridal party.

  He peered at it and straightened. “That’s fine.”

  “What did you think I was going to send?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just curious. I didn’t realize there were fireworks going off above my head when you took the picture.”

  “They’re always going off with you around.” Whoa. That came off more like an innuendo than a joke. She hurriedly sent the picture. “You wanted to talk about the rodeo.”

  She looked up to find him studying her. He eerily reminded her of his mother. “We can talk about the rodeo another time.”

  Nice one, Krista. She had come on too strong, and he was wisely distancing himself from her. “I guess I’ll go.”

  “Dance with me instead.”

  Krista’s heart missed a beat, as her feet no doubt would. “Don’t you have tables to haul out?”

  Will took her hand. “If they need me, they can just look for the fireworks.”

  * * *

  KEITH SET ASIDE his phone as Dana approached. “Hey. Austin only went down a half hour ago, the babysitter said.”

  Dana took a seat beside him, her bare shoulder grazing his shirted arm. It was natural that they would sit close to hear each other above the music. “Yikes. Remember back when I covered for you in March?” He’d had a rare overnight haul, and she’d stepped in when Janet and Dave were vacationing in Mexico. It was eleven before she could convince Austin to sleep and then he’d been raring to go at five in the morning.

  “I know. The later to bed, the earlier to rise. I might head out. Try to get a few hours of sleep in before the Austin alarm goes off.”

  Now or never. Start anywhere.

  “So earlier today, before we were interrupted, you were saying something about Will talking about me...?”

  Keith pulled on his already loosened tie. “Nothing important. Not my business.”

  But her business. He was curious about her. She reined in her jolt of hope, took a swig of her cooler. “Go for it. I want to hear what Will has been saying about me.”

  Keith pushed aside a paper plate smeared with the chocolate remains of the wedding cake. “He said you refused to run interference for him at this year’s rodeo.”

&
nbsp; “Yeah, the gig got old.” Dana kept her voice casual. He wouldn’t bring that up unless he was interested in her private life. “I decided to maybe try becoming a girlfriend for real. Not his,” she added quickly, in case there was any doubt.

  Keith glanced at her, more at her hair, and then away. It probably looked strange, not like Krista’s blond, bouncy curls. Dana gazed out at the dance floor where she spotted Krista and Will. They might’ve sensed being watched because Krista waved and Will grinned. Both knew her deepest secret. Krista went on tippy-toe and whispered into Will’s ear.

  “One of the rodeo contestants?” Keith broke into her thoughts.

  What? How did he figure that? “No!”

  “Will said it was somebody who came to the rodeo.”

  What was Will up to? “What else did Will say about me?”

  Keith looked at his brother. Will and Krista were edging off the dance floor and out the side exit, hand in hand. Keith gave a snort of disgust. “He better watch himself.”

  “Why? He and Krista are good together.”

  “They might look good, but there’s more to a relationship than that.”

  A reference to his irresponsible ex. “Krista’s different than Macey.”

  “I’m not so sure. She has the same talent for making a grown man stupid. Will was smart enough to step away from Krista when he was twenty, but now—”

  “What? He never told me about that.”

  “I don’t think he told anybody else. I noticed the two of them started avoiding each other way more than necessary, and asked him. He neither confirmed, nor denied. But now, he seems to have changed his mind.”

  “Or maybe,” Dana tried to steer the conversation back to them, “maybe he realized that he’d passed up something really good and now that he has the chance to make it right, he isn’t going to make the same mistake twice.”

  “Talking about him or yourself?” He blew out his breath. “Sorry, Dana. None of my business. You can get involved with whoever you want.”

  What to say to that? He clearly wasn’t offering to fill the position.

  “Though,” he added, “you’ve already got a particular somebody in mind.”