The Bull Rider's Redemption

by Heidi Hormel

  While Danny was still doing whatever, Clover strolled to the pile of puppies. The fluffy white baby dog gnawed on her finger as the others fought over positions for the best milk.

  “You’d better get back in there or you’ll be hungry,” she said softly as she nudged the puppy toward its mother.

  “Hulk is the littlest. His brothers and sister push him out of the way,” Danny said from behind her.

  “He’s very cute. I’m sure he’ll be the first to be adopted.” She turned around to tell Danny his lunch was ready and burst out laughing. His face and head were covered in green aloe vera gel. He looked like a swamp monster who’d been in the sun too long.

  In addition to his scalp and nose, Danny’s cheeks reddened. “I don’t have any of the clear stuff.”

  She really did try to not laugh. “Now I know why they sell the clear stuff. You’re sporting a facial-gone-wrong vibe now.” She laughed again as a blob of the gel fell to his shirt and he frowned.

  “Great. I’m going to have to change.” He stomped off.

  A well-timed retreat was called for. “I’m going, Danny. Food’s on the table and let me know about the puppies.”

  “Wait,” he yelled from his bedroom, which was just a few feet from the kitchen. Actually, everything in the apartment was just a few feet away.

  He came back pulling on a T-shirt, his body revealed from his taut abs to his well-muscled chest and arms. That was certainly different from when they’d been young. He’d been teen-boy skinny. No more.

  “The puppies and Maggie May will need to go to the vet. I can’t take time away from my projects. Would you be able to take them?”

  “Absolutely. Just let me know when. My schedule is fairly flexible.”

  “Other than when you’re outbidding legitimate businessmen.”

  “My offer was legitimate and so is VCW’s proposal.”

  “The town council will decide that,” he said. Looking down at her, his gaze was stern and stubborn.

  “You’re right. I want the same thing for Angel Crossing as you do. It’s just that VCW and I are going about it from a different avenue.”

  “More like a major highway.”

  There was no use going over the argument. “The food is on the table. You said you didn’t have a lot of time.”

  “Crap. Maggie May needs to go out.”

  “I already did that. She did her business and everything.”

  “Thanks,” he said, and it sounded like he meant it. Why did that little word start a glow in her? This stubborn cowboy—who currently looked like an extra in a horror film—could make her hot one second and mad as anything the next.

  “Happy to help. Let me know about the appointment.” She fled the apartment, not liking that she no longer wanted to laugh or hit him. Instead, she wanted to kiss him. The spark between them was still there.

  Clover might have learned early on how to put on a good face for the world, but she’d also learned over the years how to be completely honest with herself. The honest-to-God truth was that she had the hots for Danforth Clayton Leigh. Wasn’t that just a kick in the head?

  Chapter Seven

  Of course Clover was at Jim’s. Danny just wanted to sit on a bar stool, enjoy his brew and stumble home. But, no, Miss Steer Princess had to be in his bar. To be fair, there was only one bar in Angel Crossing, but she could have gone to Tucson. In fact, she was the kind of woman who looked like she’d never stepped foot outside of a big city.

  He ordered his beer and glared at Clover and Pepper. They were probably plotting the downfall of every man in town.

  “What’s got you in a mood, Mayor?” asked Rita, Anita’s twin sister. “That woman here to buy up the whole town? Would think you’d like that, seeing as how you own properties that she just might want to buy.”

  “Maybe I’m not selling. I’ve got plans.”

  “Yep?”

  He took a gulp of beer. “She wants to change everything. She and her father and Van Camp Worldwide. What kind of name is that?”

  Rita shrugged. “Heard council might say yes to her proposition.”

  “They’re still deciding. Irvin and Loretta are fighting about it. It might mean a lot of people will end up being bought out or pushed out. I read through what was submitted by Clo...Van Camp Worldwide. The community gardens will go, which is why I can’t imagine why Pepper is over there talking with her.”

  “Keep your enemies closer,” Rita said cryptically.

  He’d like to get close with this particular enemy. Although he was pretty sure that was his lackluster love life talking. Look at his friend Darren. He’d gotten married two years ago, just as Danny “retired,” and now his first baby was on the way. The numbness in Danny’s hand and arm had been why he’d quit, but could it be he left bull riding for another reason, like one having to do with settling down?

  Except he was spending all of his time and money buying properties and fixing them up for other people. Exactly how was any of that getting him closer to being a family man? The pressure from his mom had even eased now that she had a grandbaby. He was sure Lavonda would soon announce that she and Jones, her Scotsman, were expecting. Lavonda had even told him Clover’s plan might be good for her fledgling trail and guide business, appealing to people looking for the treasure that her archaeologist husband insisted was still out there.

  He signaled for a refill. He had thinking to do. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t been accosted by a resident. Usually when he was out, people stopped by to say hi, complain or pass along tidbits of gossip.

  “Looks like that lady is stealing your thunder,” Rita said as she gave him the refilled mug.

  He shrugged.

  “Are the two of you an item?”

  “When we were teenagers.”

  “Heard you were canoodling on her porch.”

  “I wouldn’t call it canoodling.” What the hell did that even mean?

  Rita pushed at her 1970s bleached blond hair. “Necking, then? Swapping spit? Playing tonsil hockey?”

  He hoped the bar’s dimness hid his blush. He tried a nonchalant shrug.

  “She’d have to have a lot of intestinal fortitude to neck with you now. No offense, Mayor, but you’re missing a tooth, half of your hair is gone and your face is peeling like a molting snake.”

  Danny wasn’t vain. At least he hadn’t thought he was until he’d looked in the mirror the last two mornings. “All temporary.”

  Rita nodded. “She looks high maintenance. Check out the purse and those boots. Still, she does drink beer and even ate deep-fried jalapeños.”

  “Her mama’s a Texan. Daddy’s from New York City.”

  “Really? Now, that’s interesting.” Rita turned from Danny. “Hold on. I’m coming,” she said to someone over her shoulder. “You were too pretty before. You’re finally starting to look like a real man. Clover seems like a woman who can appreciate that.”

  Clover’s auburn hair tumbled down her back in big snaky curls and he could imagine the curve of her hips and breasts, just what a man would want next to him in bed. Soft enough for comfort, but strong, too. Clover turned suddenly, like she’d read his thoughts, and smiled with a devilish curl that heated him up. Pepper turned to see where Clover was looking. Damn. Pepper waved him over.

  “Hey,” he said to Pepper. “Clover.” He tipped his head, missing his hat, which was still too heavy to rest on the stitches.

  “We were just talking about you,” Pepper said with a gleam.

  “You were?”

  “I explained to Clover how you helped me and AJ and that you worked miracles with those state agencies. I think you’re wasting your talent here in Angel Crossing. You could run for state office. Maybe not now, but when you get your tooth fixed and your hair grows back.”

&nb
sp; “I like Angel Crossing,” he said automatically.

  “I know you do,” Pepper said, “but you’re still young. You don’t want to be stuck here.”

  “You’re no older than I am.” He tried to not notice how well Clover’s shirt fit. “I think going back to bull riding would be better for me than politics.”

  Pepper laughed. Clover looked both surprised and like she cared.

  “I’d say the majority of people coming to SAC are coming to see you ride,” Pepper said. “I bet if you ran for office, you’d win because everyone would remember your name and your bull riding.”

  “Is that why you’re opposing my plan? Because it’ll look good when you run for office?” Clover asked.

  Was she serious? “I told you that I was a write-in for mayor and only won after a card draw. I don’t have any political ambitions.”

  “Whether you do or not,” Pepper said, “you should think about it. You could make a difference. Now that Clover has company, I’m heading home before my daughter and husband think I’ve gotten lost.”

  Neither he nor Clover had a chance to stop her. Danny stood for a moment, not sure what he should do. He sat. Clover took a sip of beer. “You want another one?” he asked.

  “Not yet,” she said, giving him a look he couldn’t read. “Why wouldn’t you want to run for state office?”

  “Because I have a business here and a commitment. I take both of those seriously.” Now, of course, he might not have much of a business if Van Camp Worldwide got its way. Under Clover’s plan, his properties couldn’t be converted into homes or even apartments. Even if he got out of his project, he doubted he could go back on the road with bull riding. He couldn’t do what he’d done for years with an arm and hand that weren’t 100 percent.

  “So why did you retire from bull riding? You still haven’t told me.”

  And I won’t, he thought to himself, although it would be easy to tell Clover the whole story. He’d always been able to talk to her. “It was time.”

  “That’s what you said to the reporters. But what was the real reason? Your sister Lavonda is a PR genius. I bet she told you to say that.”

  “I didn’t talk to Lavonda or anyone in the family about it.” He took a long drink. “I’m getting another. You sure I can’t get you a refill?” She shook her head.

  He was supposed to be here to forget everything, not to examine his life choices. He pushed his mug forward for Rita. Why was he beginning to feel like he was at another crossroads, like the night he’d flipped the card and become mayor? He shook his head. He was getting as fanciful as Pepper’s mother, Faye, who believed in astrological signs and energy vortices.

  Rita started to draw his draft and talked over her shoulder to him. “I see you’re getting reacquainted. You two look real good together, you know.”

  “That so. She’s a good-looking woman.”

  “More than that,” Rita said. “She’s got more than cotton candy between her ears.”

  “She’s got an MBA.” That little fact still stunned him. The Clover he’d known had been all about the clothes and the hair.

  Rita set down his mug but didn’t let it go. “You’re not the kind of cowboy who should be alone.”

  “Not much choice in Angel Crossing.”

  “Seems like you’ve got a good chance right there.” She nodded to the table. “She watched you walk up here. You know women like to look, too. Why she’d want you now, who knows?” Rita pushed the beer at him.

  Should he be taking dating advice from the woman who served him drinks? Why the hell not? Ending his dry spell with an old lover just made sense now that he thought about it. He might not be the smartest cowboy, but even he knew that she’d enjoyed kissing him. She’d not be staying in Angel Crossing for very long. That would mean no chance of a messy breakup where he had to see her every day like he would with anyone else in town. He smiled without showing off his missing tooth. Dang. Why couldn’t he have come to this decision before his disasters or a week from now when they’d all be healed or replaced?

  “Danny, I know you just got a drink,” Clover said as he sat down and took his first sip, “but let’s go back to my place.”

  He dropped the mug to the table, splashing himself with beer. “Damn it.”

  * * *

  CLOVER SWALLOWED HER laughter and nervousness. It wasn’t that she was a shy, retiring wallflower. She was a grown woman who’d traveled the world and was the next in line to run her father’s business. She’d decided that she wanted closure on her relationship with Danny. For her, that meant sleeping with him again and proving she was good at it. She might have been older than Danny when they’d first hooked up, but he’d had a lot of make-out experience.

  Danny looked down at his wet crotch. She laughed. He gave her the half smile that had always gotten her hot and bothered. “Go back to your house to talk about Angel Crossing?” he asked.

  “Maybe.” The longer he took to leave with her, the more nerve she lost. If they didn’t leave in the next five minutes, she’d totally chicken out.

  “What else could be between us?” he asked, his gaze steady on hers.

  She stood and moved closer so the entire bar wouldn’t hear her. There’d be enough talk when they left together. “Bad sex.”

  “Bad?”

  “Really bad. The worst. Is that how you want me to remember you?” She’d play to his ego, not that her own didn’t need stroking. She smiled at her double entendre. She must really be losing it if that amused her.

  “I have learned a lot since then,” he said softly, leaning into her so his lips just brushed her ear. “And I’m still the Boy Scout and I always make sure I’m ‘prepared.’”

  She shivered. Oh, my. “Me, too,” she said, turning her head to brush her lips along the cords of his neck, where she could feel the quiver that raced through him. Good to know she wasn’t the only one who was affected. She was doing this. She would prove to him she’d grown up and was a woman through and through. More important, she’d prove to herself that she could get over this old flame. “So, what are we waiting for?”

  His blue gaze stayed locked on hers, searching. Then he smiled, covering his missing tooth but still looking sexy, dangerous and strangely familiar. “Ladies first—as it always should be.”

  “Can’t argue with that, can I?” she asked softly, starting out of the bar, knowing that Danny would follow her. She turned off the numbers part of her brain, the part that would tell her being with Danny might be a mistake. This wasn’t about her brain. This was about getting emotional closure.

  The night was cool at this elevation, even if the days were warm. Danny wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled into his warmth, drinking in the comfort of his nearness. An awful lot for one hug.

  “You haven’t seen any ghosts?” he asked as they walked along the quiet streets.

  “Not even an odd noise.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “A little. Who wouldn’t want to see at least one ghost in her life?”

  “I almost thought that’s what you were when I saw you again.”

  “Not very flattering.” She wasn’t sure where this was going or how it was making her feel.

  “I’d been thinking about that summer recently, and then there you were. Maybe surreal is the better word.”

  “What about now? What does this feel like?”

  “This,” he said into her hair as she felt his light kiss, “is where I need to be.”

  “I agree. Come on—let’s get moving.” She rolled out of his hug, took his hand and tugged him toward her house. No more thinking, no more worrying.

  She pulled him inside, closed the door and pushed him up against it so she could kiss him with everything that had been pent up inside her. She slipped her tongue into his mouth. He op
ened to her, allowing her to explore before he delved into her mouth. Then his hands cupped her buttocks, pulling her up against him. She dug her fingers into his shoulders to hold herself steady and to make sure that he stayed right where he was. They fit together even better than she remembered. She started to melt. She wanted him, but she also wanted this to last, wanted to drag out the pleasure to make sure he wouldn’t forget her and walk away.

  She paused. This was supposed to be about closure, not convincing him to stick around. She kissed him long and deep, forcing herself not to think, losing herself in the pleasure of his calloused fingers caressing her sides and slipping into the top of her jeans.

  “This way,” she finally said. They would be doing more than necking, and they weren’t going to do it against the front door. She made it three steps before he pulled her back to him, snuggling her butt into his crotch and wrapping her in his arms so he could gently cup her breasts. Her head fell back onto his shoulder with pleasure. He took advantage of her vulnerable neck, nibbling at the sensitive skin. From the tips of her breasts to the place just behind her ear, Clover had become one exposed nerve ending. She wrenched away to lead him to the bedroom. She wanted him, but in her own way. He followed, taking time to stroke her shoulder, his breath coming in deep gusts.

  The bedroom was tiny with just a double bed. She hadn’t had much choice and hadn’t planned to share it. At least it would mean getting close. “Come here,” she said. “I want to undress you.”

  “Undress me?” Danny asked, his hands loose at his sides. The rest of his body was as a taut as a bow.

  She didn’t say more, but approached him and started with the snaps on his shirt, opening one, kissing him and then putting her hands under the fabric to feel every inch of his skin. She stopped on the ridge of a scar.

  He turned his darkened gaze on her. “Few stitches when I got pinned while moving cattle for a friend.” She nodded. Another button, more skin. Warm with the tough muscle underneath that made her feel at once protected and on edge. He was so strong. She had to give him her complete trust. This man who was nearly a stranger, except he wasn’t.