The Bull Rider’s Return

by Joan Kilby

  “Don’t,” Kelly protested. “He’s not worth it.”

  Cody twisted the fistful of shirt, squeezing Dean’s windpipe. “Apologize!”

  The other man turned red and his eyes popped. He made gurgling sounds.

  Heads turned at the other tables. An uneasy hush fell. Dean’s girlfriend grabbed Cody’s arm and tried to pull him off. “Let him go. He’s choking.”

  Cody shook Dean once hard and then threw him down. “Goddamn it, you apologize!”

  The other man gasped in a breath. “You’re frigging crazy.”

  “What seems to be the trouble?” A middle-aged police officer strode over. His hat was pushed back and he dabbed at a smudge of ketchup on his double chin. “Crying out loud, Cody. Are you causing trouble again?”

  “He tried to choke me.” Dean glared at Cody, rubbing his neck. “I want him charged with assault.”

  “Dean had it coming,” Cody said. “He sexually harassed and verbally assaulted my friend here.” He put his arm around Kelly, trying not to let his anger make him grip her too tightly. He wanted her to feel protected, not besieged.

  The police officer looked at Kelly. “Do you want to press charges?”

  Kelly’s pale face was framed by curling tendrils of long blonde hair. She might look like the stereotypical blonde babe but there was far more to her than met the eye. But no matter what kind of woman she was, she shouldn’t have to put up with assholes. Cody doubted a charge of harassment would stick for an isolated incident but Dean was a jerk and needed to be taught a lesson. As for Cody, if he was charged, that could put him out of the rodeo. Rodeo was his livelihood. He didn’t have a rich rancher daddy like Dean to turn to. He wanted the points and he was risking much-needed prize money to put Dean in his place. He would risk it all and gladly if only so Kelly knew that not all men were like Dean.

  “Do what you need to do,” Cody said to Kelly. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “That man’s comments and behavior were extremely offensive,” she told the officer, her eyes as cool as blue steel. “I won’t press charges if he drops his charges against Cody. Cody was only defending me.”

  “Well?” The cop turned back to Dean. “You boys know PRCA rules state that assault is strictly forbidden. You could be out of the rodeo.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Never mind then.” Glowering, Dean mumbled, “But if he attacks me again all bets are off.”

  “Apologize,” Cody insisted stubbornly.

  Kelly pressed his hand, warning him not to push it.

  “This weekend is a family-friendly event,” the officer said sternly to them both. “Women are entitled to feel safe. Kids look up to you cowboys. Act like adults and not brawling miscreants.” He pointed at Dean. “I’ll be watching you.” Then he turned to Cody. “You. Move to another table.”

  “We were here first,” Cody began.

  “Let’s go.” Kelly rose and picked up their plates. “Quit while you’re ahead,” she murmured to Cody.

  She found empty spots at a table across the way occupied by one other couple. “Are these seats taken?” When they shook their heads and gestured for her to join them, she put the plates down.

  Cody sat beside her, averting his gaze. Now that his blood was cooling he could kick himself for getting into a dustup with Dean and almost ruining Kelly’s evening. “Sorry about that. Trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. You would have been better off with Trish and her husband.”

  “No, I wouldn’t.” Kelly put a hand on his jaw to bring his face around so she could look him in the eye.

  Kissing range. He put that thought firmly out of his head and concentrated on what she was saying.

  “You didn’t cause the trouble; he did,” she went on. “You create goodness wherever you go.”

  Startled, Cody laughed. “That’s a new one on me.”

  “It’s true.” She ticked off his actions on her fingers. “Ricky’s operation. Being so nice to him even though us showing up is inconvenient for you. Standing up for me just now.”

  “Ah, that’s nothing. Maybe it’s because you’re such a good person yourself,” he said. “It rubs off.”

  She shook her head. “I’m just an ordinary mom.”

  “You’re more than a mom.” She was a woman and a highly desirable one at that. He brushed her lips with his mouth and felt warmth bloom inside him. Her cheeks turned pink. He breathed in, filling his senses with her sweetly seductive scent and he had a powerful craving to take her in his arms.

  When he’d set out to meet her tonight he’d hoped that the evening would end with her coming to his trailer. But to pursue that now might look as if he was the womanizer Dean had accused him of being. Reluctantly he drew back.

  Kelly let out a tiny sigh. “Something wrong?”

  “Our steaks are getting cold.” He picked up his knife and fork and began to saw off a chunk of tender, juicy meat.

  *

  Kelly ate mechanically. She’d lost her appetite. Prostitute. She wasn’t, of course not. That was stupid and wrong. But if Dean Maynard had jumped to that conclusion how many other people might think the same thing only less openly? The prospect of having sexy times with Cody was tarnished.

  One minute she and Cody had been enjoying verbal foreplay in a mutually respectful manner. Now, thanks to Dean Maynard, their connection was tainted. If she did sleep with Cody tonight then people would assume she was paying him back.

  It was so unfair. Guys who slept with lots of women were considered studs. A woman couldn’t hook up with a man on short acquaintance without being labeled a slut.

  Sure she’d only known Cody briefly but to her he’d only ever been honorable, kind and generous. Not to mention good-looking and sexy. How often did those two sets of attributes combine? Not that often in her experience.

  Why had he pulled back from the kiss just now? Did he think she was capable of sleeping with him as payback?

  “What’s wrong?” Cody asked.

  She realized she’d put down her fork and was staring at her plate. “Nothing.”

  Her thinking suddenly crystallized. There was a huge power imbalance between them, that’s what was wrong. Although he’d said the money was a gift, free and clear, Cody had done something so huge for her and Ricky that she could never repay it. Nor would she ever be able to forget how much she owed him. If she brought up the subject he would only deny it because he was a decent man, no matter what he thought about himself.

  “Steak no good?” he probed.

  She glanced at the other couple on their table and saw they were completely wrapped up in each other and not paying her and Cody any attention. Still she couldn’t voice her real fears so she deflected.

  “Seriously, what’s wrong with that Dean character?” she asked. “He seems to have an ax to grind.”

  “I don’t know what his problem is,” Cody said. “He’s a good rough rider, no question. He’s got money, looks, everything. But he always acts entitled. Women seem to like him but he’s a player. There’s no loyalty; he’s only out for himself.”

  “Charming.”

  “He thinks so.” Cody reached for a glass of iced tea and took a sip. “His daddy is a rich rancher, has a big spread outside town. He’s a lot older than Dean’s mother. Guess you could say she’s a trophy bride. Dean’s an only child and he pretty much gets whatever he wants.”

  “Spoiled, in other words.”

  “Dean is giving CJ, the female saddle bronc rider, a hard time, saying she shouldn’t be in the competition,” Cody went on. “The officials shot him down when he tried to get her kicked out and now he’s pissed. Probably thought you were a soft target to vent his spleen on.”

  “That doesn’t excuse his behavior.”

  “Not for a second,” Cody agreed. They ate in silence for a few moments then he added in a very low voice, “I hope you don’t think that if I were to hit on you, that you have to give in because I paid for Ricky’s operation.”

  Her head came up swiftl
y. “I don’t think that.”

  Another beat passed while he regarded her with an inscrutable gaze. “Maybe you think that no woman would want me unless I gave her a large sum of money?”

  “No, of course not. That’s ridiculous.” She eyed his faint beard scruff, tousled black hair and his melted-dark-chocolate eyes. “You’re passably attractive.”

  “Yeah?” An irresistible gleam lit his face and crinkled his eyes and the laughter lines around his mouth.

  He was like one of those hot fudge sundaes with a donut and candies and whipped cream on top. Tempting and delicious and an indulgence she would no doubt come to regret, but one she would give in to, anyway. And love every decadent mouthful.

  “Are you planning on hitting on me?” she asked.

  “Do you want me to?” He tapped her forearm with a fingertip in mock attack, making her smile. His humor and tenderness were gradually neutralizing the poison of Dean’s insinuation.

  She narrowed her eyes, thinking. “We don’t want to give Dean any ammunition.”

  “Dean has no power over what we do, or don’t do.”

  “Fair enough but this is a small town and we’ve seen how people talk.” The power imbalance was never going to go away. Not unless she won the lottery or inherited a fortune from a wealthy relative that didn’t exist.

  “I don’t pay heed to what people say,” Cody said. “If I did, I’d have changed my ways long ago.”

  Devil or angel, she wasn’t quite sure. She was half afraid to find out, and one hundred percent looking forward to it. If she kept gazing into his eyes she would be a puddle at the table so she went back to her cooling dinner. Flo’s potato salad was every bit as delicious as Cody had promised.

  “So you do what you please even if it hurts others?” she asked a moment later.

  “No, not deliberately.” He laughed. “My grandfather Nate calls me a grasshopper because I live for the moment.”

  “And that’s working for you?”

  His mouth turned down and he glanced away.

  Shoot. She’d touched a nerve and spoiled their playful mood. A second later he shrugged it off and made another flippant remark. She couldn’t figure him out. He’d carried out that selfless act of generosity, he was really good at rodeo—Ricky had cited his stats all the way from Reno—and people liked him despite his faults. Yet he didn’t seem to think much of himself. Beneath the sunny surface ran a streak of something dark.

  She still wanted to break her man drought with him. Basically he’d be doing her another favor. Maybe that would be okay with him as long as she didn’t expect an ongoing relationship. He’d said himself that he didn’t like people having expectations about him. And that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. At least he was honest. Ricky’s father had seemed like a stand-up guy, responsible and trustworthy, then he’d abandoned her when she got pregnant and needed him the most. Lesson learned. Since then, she’d relied on herself.

  “What about you?” he asked. “What’s your family like?”

  “Pretty much nonexistent.” Kelly shrugged. “My mom was a soldier and she was killed in Iraq years ago. She never got to see Ricky. I was an only child. My father remarried shortly after I graduated high school. I don’t see him often.”

  “Has he been able to help you with Ricky?” Cody asked.

  “No, he and his new wife live in Arizona. They’re more involved with her children from a previous marriage.” Kelly smiled, covering the hurt that she mostly tried to ignore. “I’m not totally alone. I have fantastic neighbors in Reno. Buck and Shawna are like surrogate parents.”

  “And Ricky’s father?”

  “Not in the picture. Hasn’t been from the beginning.” She’d gotten over her anger but she didn’t like talking about him. That only brought back painful memories of those early difficult years with a new baby on her own. “So no girlfriend? I thought cowboys were like sailors, a girl in every rodeo town.”

  “A cowboy doesn’t kiss and tell.” The humor was back.

  “Have you ever had a serious girlfriend?” she probed. “Or are you one of those Peter Pan types who never grow up?”

  There it was again, that shadow crossing his eyes, taking the light away, the way the night turned darker when the moon went down. “Peter Pan, yeah, that’s me.”

  So maybe once upon a time there had been someone. And maybe it had damaged him.

  “Enough of the twenty questions,” she said, squeezing his hand. “We’re here to have fun, right?”

  She didn’t need to know everything about him, she decided. The most important thing was, she was confident he would treat her right as long as they were together. Ricky’s father had made her wary of getting involved but she could fling caution to the wind with Cody for one weekend.

  She liked the way he smiled at her not just with his mouth but with his eyes, as if he liked what he saw very much. The evening air was balmy for September and the slight breeze made the leaves on the trees overhead rustle. Over at the stage, a country band started to tune up with the twang of a guitar and the snare drum took up a catchy beat.

  Cody rose and held out a hand. “Let’s dance.”

  Kelly took his hand, needing no more urging.

  Chapter Seven

  Cody held tightly to Kelly’s hand as they wove their way through the tables to the dance area in front of the bandstand. Half a dozen couples were milling around while the country and western band warmed up.

  The MC for the evening came onstage and delivered his patter. Apparently there were three bands on tonight, all local. The first band, headed by Lyle Tate, a local boy with a big voice. After a few words of welcome Lyle was belting out a boot-scootin’ song that had folk scrambling to line up on the dance floor.

  Cody tucked his thumbs into his belt and grinned down at Kelly as they sashayed to the right, spun around, and then moved to the left. Seeing her hips swing and her breasts strain against her close-fitting bodice had his blood pumping even more than the fast dance steps. As they twirled around, he linked his arm around her waist and her flying hair tickled his neck.

  To think that when she’d first arrived at the rodeo he’d wished she hadn’t come. Now he couldn’t imagine enjoying this weekend without her.

  The song segued into a ballad and Cody had barely taken Kelly in his arms before he almost tripped over a stunned Boone who was standing stock still in the middle of the floor, staring after a retreating Piper. Cody adroitly maneuvered Kelly around the stricken cowboy but Boone still didn’t move out of the way of the dancers. Concerned by his friend’s miserable demeanor, Cody stopped to find out what was the matter and got a tale of woe. He eventually convinced Boone that he should go after his girl and talk things out.

  Cody was about to gather Kelly in his arms again when through the bobbing heads, he saw his brother Garret, watching him from the sidelines. It was like a pitcher of cold water poured over his head. Garret hadn’t said he was coming to Marietta and he wouldn’t come just to watch the rodeo. Had something happened to someone in the family? Had his dad had another heart attack?

  “Excuse me, Kelly, my brother is over there. I need to see what he wants.” Cody eased himself out of her embrace.

  “Is something wrong?” Kelly asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. The music segued back to a line dance. “Stay there. I’ll find you shortly.”

  Garret, when he saw Cody coming, moved away from the crowd to wait for Cody beneath a tree whose leaves glowed in the light from a streetlamp.

  Cody gave his older brother a brief man-hug and then cut to the chase. “What’s up? Anything wrong?”

  “You tell me.” Garret’s mouth was set in a grim line. “How come you’re not answering your phone? Mom’s frantic.”

  “I’ve been busy,” Cody said, guiltily remembering all the unanswered calls.

  “Your name has been all over Twitter for the past two days,” Garret went on accusingly. “Is it true? Did you really give away sixty-five thousan
d dollars?”

  Oh, so that’s what this was about. Wasn’t it enough that Emma had told them he was fine? Now Garret had been deputized by the family to grill him. Cody was relieved there was no emergency at home but coming after him to call him to account over giving Kelly his winnings? Come on.

  “Yes, I did. So what?”

  “So what?” Garret paced away and back. “It’s irresponsible. We hoped you were starting to settle down. Mom said you’d even been talking about buying your own place.”

  “I never said anything like that,” Cody protested. “Just the opposite in fact.”

  His brother peered into his eyes. “Are you on drugs?”

  “No! As if!” Goddamn it, how could Garret even ask?

  “Well, I didn’t really think so.” Garret seemed partly mollified but he wasn’t finished with the twenty questions. “Did this woman have something on you? Is this a payoff? Is that boy your son?”

  “Again, no! If he was my son—” Cody suddenly couldn’t breathe. His chest was tight, so tight.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Garret put a hand on his shoulder.

  The warmth of contact helped Cody relax a little. He let out a small puff of air, just enough to get some back in. And again. Finally he breathed more easily.

  “If he was my son I wouldn’t have abandoned him,” he said hotly, still angry that Garret would even ask these questions. Sure he had a reputation for being wild but he had a conscience and he had morals. “If he was my son you would have known about him six years ago. I would have been looking after him, would have got him that heart operation when he was a baby—”

  “Okay, okay, sorry. Calm down. I had to ask. It’s so…” Garret shrugged. “Out of character. You’ve always been so hedonistic. Playing around, partying hard.”

  “Yeah well, I’m just as capable of doing something nice for someone as anyone else,” Cody said grumpily. “I know the rest of the family doesn’t think much of me but surely you don’t believe I’m as bad as all that.”

  “It’s not that. We were worried about you. The fact that we were all there, talking about your prize money and you let us think you’d lost it at the casino. We thought you were hiding something bad.” Garret let out a chuckle. “Little did we know you were hiding an unexpected streak of goodness. Did you really give her all the money?”