How to Lasso a Cowboy

by Christine Wenger

  He moved as if in a dream, a dream that Jenna had starred in for so many years.

  That reminded him of his promise to Tom.

  Tom.

  He’d forgotten to tell her that Tom wanted her to call him. That’s why he’d followed her, he told himself. It was because of Tom.

  He moved away, smiling down at her. She raised an eyebrow as if to question why he’d broken the kiss. “I forgot to tell you that your brother wants you to call him.”

  She remained silent.

  “It’s nothing important. He just wants to talk to you about Andy’s progress,” Dustin explained.

  “Okay,” she said, scrambling to get up and dusting off her clothes. She didn’t look at him.

  Sparky was grazing nearby. Jenna gave a whistle, and the horse came walking to her.

  He wished he could get up and not lie in the dirt like a snake, but his crutches were bungeed to the back of the ATV.

  “Jenna, my crutches are…”

  “On the ATV.” Brushing off her clothes as she walked to the vehicle, she unhooked his crutches. Then she held them in place as he gripped them to boost himself up.

  “Hold them tight.”

  “Dustin, I know the drill by now.”

  “Sorry,” he said sheepishly.

  With several grunts, he was able to stand up. She handed him the crutches and he slid them under his arms. Then he doubled over in pain.

  “Dustin! Are you okay?”

  “I’m all right. I just landed at the wrong angle.”

  “Maybe I should take you to the emergency room. Or at least to your doctor.”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “Don’t be so damn stubborn!”

  “Thanks, Jenna, but I’ll be fine. I’ll take it easy for a while.” Sweat broke out on his forehead and upper lip. His ankle had bothered him before, but instead of changing its position, he’d kept kissing her. “It seems like I’m always thanking you.”

  “We’ve made progress, at least,” she said. “Before, you wanted to do everything yourself. Remember?”

  His eyes dropped to her lips. “There’s some things that you just can’t do yourself.”

  She smiled, knowing exactly what he meant, then climbed back on Sparky.

  “I’ll be back in a while,” she said, then smiled even wider. “Then I’ll make that important call to Tom, the one that you came all the way out here to tell me about.”

  She knew.

  She knew that the forgotten phone call wasn’t the only thing that had gotten him out here. He’d wanted to be with her.

  The kisses were a bonus.

  When he got back to the house, he hobbled up the porch, then collapsed into his usual rocking chair. He dialed Tom’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, partner. I have a question for you. Remember way back in high school, freshman year, you made me promise to stay away from Jenna?”

  “Yeah. I remember it clearly. Why?”

  “I was just wondering if you’re going to hold me to that promise.” Dustin found himself holding his breath.

  Tom was silent for a moment. “What the hell’s been going on between you and my sister?”

  “Nothing. Nothing. Just answer the question,” Dustin said impatiently.

  “Don’t touch her, Dustin. This is my sister we’re talking about. She’s not one of your buckle bunnies.”

  “When was the last time you’ve seen me with a buckle bunny, Tom? Tell me.”

  Silence. “It’s just that…well, Jenna’s my sister. I don’t want her to be another notch on your belt.”

  “Jenna’s a grown woman with a mind of her own.”

  “I’m still holding you to that promise, cowboy. Jenna’s something special.”

  “Damn it. I know that.”

  Tom clicked off the phone, and Dustin gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt.

  What should he do now?

  Should he go against his best friend’s wishes and finally go after the girl of his dreams?

  Jenna slowly paged through Dustin’s sketch pad, not able to put it down. It wasn’t as if she was invading his privacy, she told herself. She was just admiring his talent.

  If he ever decided to stop riding bulls, there would certainly be a market for his paintings. His well-known name and legion of fans certainly wouldn’t hurt, either.

  He was also talented in other areas—the cowboy sure could kiss.

  But why had he broken off their kisses so suddenly?

  She knew his ankle was bothering him. She could understand that. He shouldn’t have slid off the ATV to come to her assistance.

  One thing she was sure of—now that she’d dumped the magazine and was back to herself, she didn’t want to wait another sixteen years for Dustin to make another move.

  The kitchen phone rang, and she picked it up.

  “Hey.”

  “Tom! I was just about to call you. I hear you’re winning event after event.”

  “I’m doing good. How’s Andy doing?”

  “Fabulous. I spoke with his teacher, and he’s making progress. We have to work on his reading a little more.”

  “I can’t thank you enough, Jenna.”

  “You’d better thank Dustin, too. He had a lot to do with teaching Andy.”

  “He did?”

  “Absolutely.”

  There was silence, and Jenna wondered why. Her brother was never at a loss for words.

  “Tom?”

  “How is everything else going?”

  “Everything’s fine. Your ranch is running smoothly.”

  “Um… What about Dustin?”

  Her cheeks heated. “What about him?”

  “Everything okay?”

  I want him, but he doesn’t seem to want me.

  She flushed if her brother could read her mind. “Oh, he’s just impatient to get his cast off.”

  “Anything else I ought to know…uh…about Dustin?”

  What was Tom fishing for?

  “Not a thing.”

  “And you? Are you okay?”

  “Tom, what are you trying not to ask?”

  “Can’t a brother just ask if you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine. We’re all fine. If you’re trying to ask me if you can stay on the road longer and hit more events, it’s okay with me. Andy misses you, but I think he understands.”

  “Jenna, I’ll be in Wickenburg for a bull riding on Saturday night. Do you think that Andy might want to attend? And Dustin, of course. Bring Dustin. I need to talk to him, get caught up.”

  “I’m sure they’d love to go.”

  “Great!” Tom said. “I’ll call Andy about it later. And call me if you need me.”

  “I will.”

  “And Jenna?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Take care of yourself.”

  “I always do.”

  Jenna hung up the phone. Her brother was acting a bit strange. But for sure Andy would love to see his father and watch him ride, and Dustin was bored out of his mind.

  Wickenburg was a little over three hours away, an easy drive, mostly on Interstate 10 West. Going to a bull-riding event was a win-win all the way around.

  An extra bonus would be the fact that she’d be able to spend the day with Dustin.

  Chapter Eight

  Jenna drove the ranch’s big red pickup down I-10 West.

  Andy was so excited that he was ready to jump out of his jeans and boots. He’d been talking bull-riding stats nonstop, and about all the bull riders he would see. It would be the icing on the cake if his father won the event.

  Dustin was mostly quiet, answering Andy with even more stats and riding percentages of the bulls.

  Jenna had printed off the draw sheet and was aghast that Tom had drawn Dustin’s nemesis, Cowabunga, in the long-go round.

  “I hope my dad rides Cowabunga. He’ll show that bull,” Andy said.

  “He sure will, partner. He sure will,” Dustin said.

  E
ven though Dustin carried on a lively conversation with Andy, he answered Jenna in short, terse sentences. It was as if he’d rather be anywhere else than in a tight truck cab with her.

  Jenna pulled into a rest area for a bathroom break and for Dustin to stretch as much as he could. At the rest stop, Native Americans were selling jewelry and baskets, and Jenna paused to admire a green turquoise necklace that had caught her eye.

  Soon Dustin was peeling off bills and handing them to the woman.

  “What are you doing?” Jenna asked.

  “I’m buying you a necklace,” he said, waving off his change, and motioning to Jenna. “Turn around.”

  A rush of heat settled on her cheeks. “Dustin, you don’t have to buy me—”

  “It’s my pleasure.”

  “But—”

  “Jenna, it’s nothing,” he said tersely. “Turn around.”

  Tears pricked at her eyes. It had meant something to her. Dutifully, she turned around and lifted her hair up.

  She heard him mumble, “This darn thing.”

  She turned and took it from his hands, unfastening the clasp for him. Handing it back, his hand closed around hers and lingered. Turning around, she tried to catch her breath.

  She felt his knuckles skim the back of her neck.

  “Lift your hair up again,” he whispered, and she could feel the warmth of his breath.

  The cool stones rested against her skin as he fumbled trying to fasten the necklace.

  “Got it,” he said.

  She turned toward him. “What do you think?”

  He gazed into her eyes. “Beautiful.”

  Her heart pounded wildly because he wasn’t even looking at the necklace. He was looking at her.

  Time didn’t move. They didn’t move. Until finally Dustin’s eyes dropped to the green-blue stones.

  He cleared his throat. “Beautiful,” he said again, then turned and went to the truck, leaving her standing there. Suddenly, he stopped, and she waited for him to turn back. She wondered, hoped that he’d say something, anything.

  But he didn’t. He shook his head, then continued on.

  “Thank you, Dustin,” she whispered, fingering the necklace.

  It didn’t matter if it didn’t mean anything to him—it meant everything to her.

  Dustin longed to tell Jenna how he felt about her.

  But he couldn’t. Tom still stood between them.

  It was getting harder and harder to keep his promise, though. So maybe it was time to move back to his apartment in Tubac.

  But how could he leave Jenna?

  In spite of his injury, this summer had been the best time of his life. He didn’t want to cut his time short. After more than sixteen years of longing for Jenna, didn’t he owe it to himself?

  He swore under his breath. He was tired of psychoanalyzing everything from a dozen different angles.

  He’d promised Tom that he’d oversee his ranch. But he’d also promised Tom that he’d stay away from Jenna.

  Jenna walked toward the car with Andy, her blond hair shimmering in the sunlight. If it wasn’t for Andy’s chatter, there would have been complete silence on the rest of the ride, but the boy didn’t seem to notice.

  “There’s a fair going on!” Andy explained as they caught sight of the rodeo grounds.

  Dustin checked his watch. They had time to grab a bite to eat, let Andy hit some rides and visit Tom behind the chutes.

  Dustin wasn’t particularly looking forward to meeting up with Tom. He hoped that he and his friend could remain civil to one another.

  “How about some barbecue?” Dustin asked, pointing with his crutch to a stand.

  “Sounds great,” Jenna said. “How about it, Andy?”

  “Can I just have a cheeseburger?”

  Dustin laid a hand on the little boy’s shoulder. “Sure. They have those, too. And nachos with cheese sauce.”

  “Awesome.”

  They sat at a picnic table under the shade of a tent complete with ceiling fans.

  “Will you go on some rides with me, Aunt Jenna?”

  “How about the merry-go-round?” she asked, then chuckled.

  “That’s for sissies,” Andy replied.

  Jenna shrugged and made a sad face. “Then I’ll have to go alone.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Dustin said quickly, shocking himself with the intensity of his statement. Jenna even looked at him strangely.

  “I mean, that’s about the biggest ride I can handle with this cast,” he said, trying to look less eager.

  They waited as Andy rode on every ride that plunged, pivoted and did a free fall to earth. While they were waiting, he noticed that Jenna sometimes touched the necklace he’d given her or fingered the silver chain. She seemed to be thinking.

  He hoped that she was thinking about how pleased she was with the necklace.

  Andy ran into a friend, Kyle, from school, and the boys went off with Kyle’s parents to ride the roller coaster for the fifth time.

  “How about that ride on the merry-go-round, Jenna?”

  She looked at him and shook her head. “I’m sure you’re just dying to go.”

  “I’m game,” he said.

  He handed the attendant two tickets and hopped up on the platform.

  “I like the pink one with the flowing black mane,” she said, mounting the intricately carved wooden horse.

  Dustin mounted the horse next to her—a lime-green one with a light blue mane—with his good leg.

  Please don’t let any of the guys see me.

  Thankfully, no one did…with the exception of the biggest mouth in the Professional Bull Riders, Cord Fetters.

  “Well, Dustin Morgan,” Fetters said, stopping at the fence that ran around the ride. “Be careful you don’t fall off.”

  Fetters would have it all over the arena within five minutes that he was riding a green-and-blue horse on the merry-go-ground.

  Dustin closed his eyes. The flack from the guys was going to be hell, but it would be worth it to see Jenna enjoying herself.

  “Fetters, would it do me any good to ask you to keep your mouth shut about this?” Dustin asked.

  “Not a chance. This is good stuff. This is what legends are made of.”

  Fetters scurried off as the organ music began.

  “I’m sorry, Dustin,” Jenna said. “I didn’t mean to make you a laughingstock of the PBR.”

  “Don’t give it another thought.”

  “But you’re never going to live this down.”

  “Yes, I will,” he said quietly. “I’ve lived down other things that were more serious.”

  “But—”

  “Shush.” He put a finger over her lips. “Don’t worry about me, Jenna. I’m doing exactly what I want to do, and this is where I want to be—with you.”

  He could swear that her eyes looked moist.

  What was he doing? He had to stop telling her what was on his mind and what was in his heart.

  He was only leading her on, and he wasn’t that much of a cad.

  So from now on, he needed to keep his mouth and heart lassoed tightly and not let those lovesick comments escape.

  That’d be about as easy as riding a short-go bull for a full minute.

  Dustin stood close behind Jenna as she pitched plastic rings around milk bottles at one of the game stands.

  She could feel the warmth of his every breath on her cheek, the low timbre of his voice hypnotizing her.

  He gripped her wrist and moved it back and forth. “Aim for one on the end. Not in the middle. Take it nice and slow, nice and slow.”

  She missed. The ring bounced off the bottle and hit the floor.

  “Three more tries,” said the game worker.

  “How many rings do I need to get to win that stuffed tiger?” Jenna asked.

  “Two,” he said.

  “You can do it, Jenna. Easy now. Let it go when you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready, Dustin.” That little phrase had more tha
n one meaning for her. She really didn’t care about the orange-and-black tiger, she just enjoyed being this close to him.

  Dustin continued to murmur encouraging words. She let the ring fly and got the bottle. Then an other.

  She clapped her hands and turned to Dustin. He hugged her to him, then quickly released her as if she carried the plague.

  Taking her prize, she studied it. It was just a cheap carnival prize, but it would always remind her of today.

  “I think you need some cotton candy,” Dustin said, moving slowly on his crutches. “I see a stand straight ahead.”

  “I haven’t had cotton candy in years.” Jenna’s mouth was already watering.

  “Well, it’s a mandatory item at a country fair, so let’s go.”

  She picked out pink, and as Dustin was paying, she looked at the Ferris wheel. And suddenly, she had the urge to go on the ride with him.

  “Ride the Ferris wheel with me, Dustin,” she blurted.

  “Sure.” He pushed his hat back with his thumb. “Let’s do it.”

  The wait in line was brief, and he gave his crutches to the ticket taker to hold. Hopping on one foot to the ride, he flopped into the seat. Steadying it, Jenna slipped in next to him and locked the safety bar in place.

  She was going to ride on a Ferris wheel with Dustin.

  Would he kiss her?

  She rolled her eyes. She was acting like a high school girl!

  She plucked at her cotton candy as the ride jerked them back to allow other passengers to board.

  They went around, stopping and going, until finally they made complete circles. Then the Ferris wheel paused about three-quarters around.

  Dustin leaned over and pointed to the corner of her lips. “You have cotton candy there.”

  “Would you hold this?” she asked, handing him what was left of the spun sugar so she could look for a tissue in her purse.

  Instead of taking it from her, he stared at her, his blue eyes not blinking.

  “Dustin?”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him, closer still.

  Studying her face, he seemed to be thinking. Funny, she’d always thought Dustin was a man of action.

  She waited, wondered. Should she make a move?

  But she didn’t have to wait long as his warm, full lips touched hers. His tongue teased the corner of her lip, and she opened her mouth for him.