The Rodeo Rider (Harlequin American Romance)
Page 18
Jules handed her the three-month-old Wyoming and stood. “We’re in the front row,” she said, laughing. “You just want an excuse to hold him.”
Rowdy leaned over to frown at all of them. “Hush, he’s going to say something. And give me that boy.” He took Wyoming from Bridey, cooing at him, and then glared at the two women. “I swear, you women coddle this little fella too much.” He turned the baby in his arms to face the arena. “Now you watch, Wyoming. Don’t pay any attention to your mama and Aunt Bridey.”
Laughing, Jules turned to focus her attention on her husband, who now stood with the mayor.
But it was the mayor who stepped up to the microphone, while Tanner stood next to him on the raised platform at the fifty-yard line, looking only a little uncomfortable.
“Seeing as how we’ve never had a National Finals Rodeo champion here in Desperation, the city council put their heads together and decided to do something never done before.” He turned to take something from Councilman Mike Stacy and then turned back again. “Tanner O’Brien, the City of Desperation, Oklahoma, would like to present you with the first key to the city.”
While the crowd cheered, Tanner accepted the large gold key, turning it over lovingly in his hands. The crowd quieted when he stepped up to the microphone, and when he cleared his throat, the sound amplified through the speaker system. Ducking his head, he chuckled. “I’m not used to public speaking. I’m more at home on the back of a bronc or rounding up cattle on the Rocking O.”
Grinning, he looked down at the key in his hands and shook his head. “It’s been a big year for me. Last year I went to Las Vegas for the first time, a single cowboy, footloose and fancy-free. Well, not exactly. A very special lady joined me there, and when I left, not only did I take home fourth place, but a new wife. Now that’s something to brag about.
“This year, I went with my darlin’ wife, our three-month-old son and high hopes of doing better.”
The crowd applauded the announcement, and Shawn grinned at Jules. “Let’s see, nine months and three months. Seems to me he left Vegas last year with more than a new wife.”
“Shawnee O’Brien!” Jules scolded. “Watch it, young man, or when you graduate, you’ll be working your way through college on the back of a bucking bronc.”
His grin widened. “Sounds good to me.”
She shushed him, and when the crowd grew quiet again, Tanner continued, “This year, my dream came true, and now I’d like to fulfill my wife’s dream. My dad told me once that a smart man steps down while he’s ridin’ high. And since I like to think I’m a smart man, this has been my last rodeo. I’ve decided to retire.”
Stunned, Jules couldn’t move. The crowd around her let out a collective groan, but her heart soared. She’d expected him to continue riding. They’d even discussed what it would be like when Wyoming was old enough to walk. Nothing Tanner could have said would have meant more to her.
“Thank you, all,” Tanner finished. With his gaze on his wife, he walked up to the front of the platform, removed his hat and sailed it through the air in her direction.
Jules watched the hat float until it hit the railing in front of her and fell at her feet. Bending over, she picked it up, blinded by the tears in her eyes.
“My hat, darlin’.”
She looked down into a pair of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Leaning over the railing, she placed the hat on Tanner’s head. Caring little for the people around them, she pulled him to her and wrapped her arms around his neck, rewarding him with a long kiss. “Thank you, Tanner,” she whispered.
He hauled her over the railing and into his arms. “Anytime, darlin’.”
Cheers and whistles rocked the arena, but she never noticed. The only thing that mattered was the man holding her. “That was some surprise.”
Tanner pushed his hat back on his head and looked down at her. “No more bronc riding, darlin’,” he told her, a twinkle in his eye. “At least not for me. We will have to get you used to Shawn’s, though.”
Jules groaned, but had to smile at how far they’d come. “And here I thought my worries were all taken care of.”
“Not quite,” he said, chuckling. “And then, of course, there’s Wyoming. We’ll start him out on sheep in a year or two, then go on to calves and ponies. How does that sound?”
She laughed and kissed him again. “I’ll deal with it then. Maybe I’ll learn to like it, after all.” She lost herself in the depths of his clear blue eyes. “But I’ll always love you.”
“That’s all that matters, darlin’.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3830-9
THE RODEO RIDER
Copyright © 2009 by Roxann Farmer.
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