Turn and Burn

by Lorelei James

  sister as far as her scheduling preferences, I cannot play favorites with you. But this is a timely issue since I’ll be hiring permanent staff to pick up the slack after Labor Day. I’m reducing my hours due to my increased responsibilities at home with a second child. So Harlow will be staying on at Wild West Clothiers until that is finalized and you . . . are being let go. As of today.”

  “What? I have three weeks left.”

  That’s when Tanna noticed that Harper wasn’t looking at her. In fact, Harper hadn’t made eye contact once during this bogus firing. “This is crap. I deserve to know what’s really goin’ on here, boss.”

  Harper looked up, a tremulous smile on her lips. “Shoot. I suck at being the big bad boss lady and firing you for your own good like Celia and I agreed—”

  “What does Celia have to do with me losing my job?”

  “She came over yesterday and told me what was going on with you and why I had to let you go immediately.”

  That little brat.

  “While I admire your intent to finish out your commitment to us, I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. So I’m . . . um . . . firing you.”

  “Firing me,” Tanna repeated. “Because I won’t leave you shorthanded for the rest of the summer season?”

  “That does sound ridiculous. But yes. You are being relieved of your positions at the Split Rock and Wild West Clothiers effective immediately.”

  What the hell? This was beyond bizarre. “But . . .”

  Harper’s eyes were soft, but determined. “Tanna. Are you really arguing with me? This is your golden opportunity to return to the career you love—or at least loved at one time—or figure out if you’re done with it on your own terms. As good as you are at this job . . . for you it is just a job.”

  “Celia didn’t badger you into this?”

  Harper raised a brow. “Not hardly.”

  “You have staff to cover—”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “Who else besides Harlow? Is your sister Liberty returning to Muddy Gap? Because I understand if you want to give her a job since she’s a veteran injured in the line of duty.”

  Harper laughed. “My sister takes tomboy to the extreme. She’d be horrified if she had to actually wear something besides camouflage. Her idea of hell isn’t Afghanistan. It’s being forced to fix her hair, wear makeup and a dress, trying to sell clothing and accessories to women who love all that insipid frilly girl shit—as she calls it. I’d be too afraid to hire her because she’d pull out her sidearm and shoot customers who annoyed her.”

  Yikes. Liberty sounded nothing like sweet, fashionable Harper.

  “Liberty will find her place after her short recovery time—it’s just not here.” Harper slid a manila envelope across the table. “Your last paycheck. Also letters of recommendation.”

  “Really?”

  Harper gave Tanna a smirking smile that was so unlike her. “Really. You were a great employee and I am thankful you were able to fill in. I certainly hope you won’t disappear out of our lives forever.”

  There was an opening. “How did things end up with the cattle yesterday?”

  Sadness crossed her face. “We lost twenty cows and twelve calves. Bran is just sick about it. We would’ve lost twice that if not for Fletch. He was there until after midnight.” Her gaze met Tanna’s. “Are you and he still . . . ?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “He’s a good man, Tanna. One of the best I know. He deserves a woman who’ll be there when he gets home at midnight. But he also needs to know when to say when with his job.”

  That shocked her.

  It must’ve shown because Harper laughed. “Get going before I change my mind and make you tear down that hideous display.”

  Another exhausting day and night. So exhausting that Fletch had overslept.

  So when Cora called to check on him at ten a.m., he’d mumbled something about being sick and told her to direct his emergency calls to Jet Eriksen for the entire day.

  Fletch hadn’t been lying, exactly. He was sick. Heartsick.

  He dragged himself out of bed and showered. Halfway to Muddy Gap he wondered if he should’ve brought her flowers or something. During the remainder of the drive he hadn’t come up with any great speech to give Tanna; he just hoped she’d give him a chance to speak.

  His stomach lurched seeing Tanna’s horse trailer stretched along the back fence—especially when he saw the living quarters’ door open and odds and ends littering the ground. He parked behind her, essentially blocking her in.

  He was not letting this woman go without a fight.

  Fletch marched up to the door. He didn’t bother to knock; he just barged right in. “Tanna?”

  She whirled around. “Fletch? What are you doin’ here?”

  His heart gave one last thump before it rolled over and dropped at her booted feet. This beautiful woman owned him. Heart and soul. Blood and bone.

  “I came to apologize.”

  “Okay. But it’s the middle of a workday. Are you on lunch break or something?”

  “No. I called in sick.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What? You never call in sick.”

  “I know.” He erased the distance between them and cradled her face in his hands. “This couldn’t wait another day. I know I should’ve told you sooner, but I am saying it now. Tanna. I love you.” Then he kissed her.

  The kiss wasn’t dueling tongues and unrestrained lust, although it simmered just beneath the surface like it always did with them. But more an affirmation of how he felt.

  Question was: did she feel the same?

  They reluctantly broke apart. She rested the side of her face against his heart. “Apology accepted. I missed you so much. I hate fighting. Especially with someone I love.”

  He tipped her face up. “Can you look at me when you say that?”

  “I love you.”

  “Aw, sugar twang, that’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.”

  She smiled at him. “Felt good to finally say it. Almost as good as it felt to hear it.”

  Fletch kissed her again. “We need to talk.”

  “I know.” She stepped back. “Have a seat.”

  He’d never fit in the bench seat with the foldout table. Damn thing had to’ve been made for midgets. Another bench ran along the opposite short wall. He sat and tugged her onto his lap so she faced him.

  “Fletch. We’re supposed to be talking.”

  “We are. But we’re gonna stay close like this while we’re talking as a reminder to each of us how right it is when we are close like this.”

  “You are such a sweet, wonderful man.”

  “But you’re still leaving me. You’re moving to Colorado.”

  “I don’t know if it’s moving,” she said in a soothing tone. “I called the Gradskys this morning after Harper talked to me and accepted their offer. So I’m goin’ there to train. We’re bein’ fluid with plans because with all the unknowns, things can change in a helluva hurry.”

  “I don’t want you to go,” Fletch said softly.

  Tanna froze. “You don’t want me to go, or you’re asking me to stay?”

  “Both.” He sighed and shoved his hand through his hair before meeting her eyes again. “I know what this opportunity means to you. A chance to get back doin’ what you love, what you’re meant to do. I’d never ask you not to live your dream, Tanna.”

  “But?”

  “But there’s already a big hole in my life from you leaving and you ain’t even gone yet. That’s why I stayed away from you. I thought it’d be easy to get used to you bein’ gone. But it wasn’t. Not by a long goddamn shot.”

  She blinked at him, wordlessly urging him to continue.

  He couldn’t maintain eye contact when he confessed this next part. He stared at an ugly cow figurine, wearing a grass skirt that sat on the opposite counter. “Want to know why I didn’t come to watch you Saturday?”

  “Why?”

  “Becau
se I’d’ve been happy if you’d sucked. Christ. What kind of man does that make me?”

  “An honest man.” A pause. “Would you’ve been happy if I’d succeeded?”

  “Beyond happy because I know how hard you’ve struggled. So see? I was screwed either way. God, Tanna, I love you and it’s killing me to watch you pack up even when I won’t try and stop you.”

  Silence.

  Tanna framed his face in her hands and tipped his head back. “You love me, right?”

  “I’ve been in love with you since the night we first met.” He smiled slightly. “In fact, I believe I told you I loved you that night at the bar.”

  “You were joking.”

  “Was I? When I saw you at the branding I had the feeling we were meant to be. As we got to know each other I had this hope that you’d fall in love with me. That you’d walk away from barrel racing and we’d live happily ever after. I’d even had this secret fantasy that you came to work for me as my vet assistant. But at some point, I understood that as perfect as that scenario would be for me, it wouldn’t be perfect for you. You’d always wonder if you’d settled for me because you couldn’t have what you really wanted.”

  “But you never said . . . you never encouraged me to quit. Exactly the opposite in fact. You forced me to get on a horse that day.”

  “It’s not what I wanted but it’s what you needed. I did it knowing I was helping you get one step closer to walking away from me.”

  Tears pooled in Tanna’s eyes.

  “So in the past day and a half since our fight on the phone, I had to ask myself what you saw in me and why you’d stay with me. I work crazy hours. I’ve broken more plans than I’ve made. I’ve put the care of animals above most human relationships. Oh, and I’m not getting rich doin’ it, so there’s that extra incentive for you. When I listed all the reasons why you shouldn’t be with me, heck, I didn’t even wanna get with myself.”

  She released a sniffling laugh. “I always wanna get with you. As for what I see in you?” Her eyes softened. “Fletch. You’re gentle and kind, but you’re rough and raunchy too. You make me laugh, you make me think, but mostly, you make me happy. In my mind that makes you damn close to perfect.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she put her fingers across his lips. “Shut up and listen to me. August Fletcher. I love you. The crazy I-wanted-to-beat-the-fuck-outta-that-blonde at the Cattleman’s Club with you Saturday night kind of forever love.”

  He eased back to look at her. “You were there?”

  “For a business meeting with Chuck and Berlin Gradsky. It was a little hard to concentrate.”

  “Why didn’t you come over and say something? I would’ve loved to introduce you to Tasha since we’d spent half the night talking about you.” His eyes narrowed. “Did you think something was goin’ on between us?”

  “I was teary-eyed and all how could he? At first. Then I got pissy. But then I got to thinking about my friendship with Sutton and how on the outside it might appear to be more. You believed me when I said it wasn’t. I decided if I couldn’t trust you, then I had no business bein’ with you. And make no mistake; I want to be with you for the long haul. Even when I know that we’ll be spending a lot of time apart.”

  “I’ve always avoided long-distance relationships because I knew they’d eventually end. This is different.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “Because you and me? Sugar twang, we’re never gonna end.”

  “So what do we do to make this work?”

  “Whatever it takes. You’ll train in Colorado. You’ll either come back here when you’ve got a break, or I’ll go there when I’ve got a break.”

  “Sounds . . . doable. Lonely while we’re apart, but doable.” Tanna poked him in the chest. “You will get over your issue with texting. I’ll expect to get texts from you at least a couple times a day.”

  He kissed her nose. “Anything you want. I’ll be lonely for you, cowgirl, especially these first few months when you’re training hard and I’m setting up the veterinary practice with my new partners.”

  That got her attention. Tanna frowned at him. “What did you say?”

  “Here’s my good news. In the next few months I’m combining practices with three other vets. It’ll reduce all our on-call hours during the week. And we’d only be on call one weekend a month, maybe two.”

  Her grin lit up his world. “That is so awesome for you.”

  “For us,” he corrected. “I foresee road trips to Colorado in my future on the weekends I’m not working. Or I can fly to where you’re competing.” He grinned. “It’d be a bonus for you to have a vet to help you look after your fancy new horse, don’tcha think?”

  She laughed. “Yes. But this veterinary partnership thing came about pretty suddenly.”

  Fletch pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “You came into my life suddenly and changed it completely. After being with you . . . I saw the life I wanted. The way to get it is to make some changes and this will be a good change for me.”

  “For us,” she teased. “But along those same lines, bein’ here, bein’ with you helped me see that I don’t have to be the woman who defines herself only as a barrel racer. I can guarantee I won’t be on the road any more than I have to be if I have you to come home to.”

  “You do.” Fletch placed a kiss in front of her ear. “I love thinking about you bein’ in our home and our bed.”

  “You’re gonna make me cry.”

  “No time for tears, sweetheart. We have stuff to do. When are you leaving for Colorado?”

  “The day after tomorrow.”

  He grinned. “So if we get you packed up fast, we can play hooky the rest of the day?”

  “Mmm-hmm. And tomorrow I’ll go on calls with you, because I know you’ll have a lot of catch-up to do after playing hooky with me.” Tanna draped her arms over his shoulders. “Maybe I could be a naughty vet assistant and you could come up with creative ways to punish me at the end of the day.”

  “I’m in.” He paused a little too long and a look of concern crossed her face.

  “What?”

  “Before we get too far into our plans for the day, I have to ask you something really important.”

  Shock crossed her face. “Fletch. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

  Fletch frowned. Then he realized he’d made the question sound a little ominous and he laughed. “I definitely want to marry you someday—sooner rather than later—but that wasn’t what I was gonna ask you.” Fletch swept her hair from his face. “I wanted to ask if we could stop by my dad’s sometime today so you can meet him.”

  “I’d like that. A lot.”

  “Good. Now while we get our work done, I want you to tell me all about this horse.”

  Epilogue

  Fourteen months later . . .

  “You’ll make sure she gets extra feed?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And spend a long time brushing her down.”

  “I will.”

  “And check her feet after you take her across the parking lot.”

  “I promise.”

  Tanna laid her face against Madera’s neck. “You did good, girl. Damn good. I wish I had a wreath of roses to drape around your neck because them Kentucky Derby winners ain’t got nothin’ on you.”

  Madera snorted.

  “Tanna,” Berlin hissed, “you’re up next.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome your CRA World Champion, Tanna Barker!”

  She straightened her hat, wiped her tears and took off across the soft dirt covering the floor of the MGM Grand Arena. Two cowboys offered her a hand and hoisted her onto the podium. The podium helpers, two young cowgirls, lifted up the saddle and the championship belt buckle. Tanna waved both her arms to the crowd, her heart beating madly.

  “So, Tanna Barker, how does it feel to be CRA World Champion again?”

  “Amazing. Stunning. Humbling. I’m thrilled to be here.”

  “It’s been a rough couple years
for you. Did you ever think you’d make it back? And if you did, you’d make it back on top so quickly?”

  “Hell no. I mean heck no.”

  Laughter.

  “What are the secrets to your success?”

  “Support is key. Chuck and Berlin Gradsky of Grade A Horse Farms