The Bull Rider’s Return Read online

  “I wish!” Piper laughed. “Cowboys don’t ask for remedial work unless they’re half dead. I have to practice on my boyfriend, Boone. He’s competing in bareback.”

  “That’s handy for him to have a masseuse for a girlfriend,” Kelly suggested.

  “We’ve been together on the circuit since spring,” Piper said. “It’s been great until we got to Marietta. This is Boone’s hometown and… Oh, never mind.” Piper fell silent, her expression somber.

  Kelly debated whether to probe into what was bothering Piper and decided against it. Ricky’s long illness had made her weary of questions from well-meaning people so she was reluctant to pry herself.

  “Is your son going to the kids’ campout?” Piper asked, changing the subject. “They’re taking registrations over at the rodeo grounds.”

  “I haven’t heard anything about it,” Kelly said.

  “Campout?” Ricky’s ears perked up. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a big deal for the younger children,” Piper said. “Pony rides, campfire and cookout, that sort of thing.”

  “We’ll check it out later,” Kelly promised Ricky. To Piper, she said, “Do you know where we could buy him a pair of cowboy boots?”

  “There’s a western wear store across the street, next to the saloon.” Piper cast a wistful glance at the saloon. “Boone went to Grey’s to catch up with his guy friends so if you’re heading in that direction, this is where I leave you. It was nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Boyfriend trouble, definitely, Kelly diagnosed. She touched Piper’s shoulder and smiled warmly. “Good luck with…well, just good luck. I hope we see you again.”

  She and Ricky crossed the street. Just before they entered the western clothing store, she paused at the sound of men’s laughter coming from the saloon. Then a man spoke, too indistinctly to make out the words, but she recognized Cody’s voice. At the rich timbre of his voice her pulse kicked up a notch.

  Kelly glanced at the old-fashioned swinging doors and the dim interior. She couldn’t take Ricky into the saloon. Nor did she relish putting Cody on the spot by approaching him unannounced when he was with his friends.

  “Mom, c’mon,” Ricky called, impatient to get his boots.

  “I’m coming.” Now that she knew Cody was definitely in Marietta her spirits lifted. Later this afternoon they would try again to find him at the campground. She hoped he would be as happy to see her and Ricky as they were going to be to see him.

  *

  Kelly and Ricky returned to the motel after shopping to drop off their packages and have a short rest. Around four o’clock they headed back to the rodeo grounds on the north side of town. A city of tents and trailers had mushroomed in the empty field overnight. Her heart sank a little as they wandered through the randomly scattered temporary dwellings. She could hardly knock on every tent and truck window asking for Cody.

  Ricky had no such inhibitions. “’Scuse me,” he said to a couple in jeans and western shirts sitting around a glowing brazier drinking takeout coffee. “Do you know Cody?”

  The man knuckled his cowboy hat further up his forehead. “Cody who?”

  “Cody Starr,” Ricky replied. “He’s a bull rider.”

  “Oh, that Cody.” The man shot a dryly amused glance at his girlfriend then said to Kelly, “What’s he done now?”

  Seriously, was that the first thing everyone thought when Cody’s name was mentioned—that he’d done something terrible?

  “We’re friends of his,” Kelly said, ignoring his question. “Do you know where he’s staying?”

  “I saw him pull in earlier this afternoon.” The dark-haired woman stood and pointed across the sea of tents. “Over there near the trees, toward the back.”

  “Thanks.” Kelly set off, clutching Ricky’s hand.

  They’d gone a hundred yards and rounded a dome tent when they came in view of a white and brown trailer attached to a red pickup truck. Cody stood on the trailer steps, head and shoulders above a cluster of people, mostly girls and women. His black hair was rumpled and he wore a dark gray T-shirt over Wrangler jeans. Some of the women had their backs to him, cameras high as they giggled and snapped selfies with him.

  As Kelly got closer she could hear that he was barely hanging on to his patience and politeness. “It’s seriously not a big deal,” he said, his expression thunderous. “Now if you’d all give me some privacy I have things I need to do.”

  “Why weren’t you the local celebrity riding in the parade this morning?” one man called, a notepad in his hand.

  “I’m not a celebrity,” Cody said tersely.

  Kelly put a hand to her mouth. Among the crowd were reporters. How had they got wind of Cody’s gift so quickly? She hadn’t told anyone but Carol Bingley. Then she remembered Flo’s warning.

  “What are your plans for the weekend?” A woman wearing a vest studded with bulging pockets held out a phone, apparently recording the conversation. “Are you going to hook up with Kelly and Ricky?”

  Cody, as if sensing her presence, at that moment glanced across the sea of heads. His gaze met hers and his face darkened. “No, I’m not.”

  With that he stepped back inside the trailer and slammed the door.

  Kelly stopped dead, her grip tightening on Ricky’s hand. The crowd outside Cody’s trailer murmured uncertainly among themselves then slowly started to drift away. Kelly turned around so no one would recognize her. Not that she was ashamed of her role in the story but she didn’t want to get waylaid by a reporter or curious onlooker. She had to speak to Cody.

  When the way was clear, she marched up to the trailer and knocked on the door.

  “Go away,” he called, his voice muffled.

  “It’s me, Kelly. Can Ricky and I come in?”

  “I’m busy.”

  Anxious, Ricky tugged on Kelly’s hand. “Let’s go, Mommy.”

  “Not yet.” Kelly stood her ground. They’d come all the way from Reno, spending money she could ill afford to see the man, and see him they would. “Ricky wants to say something to you.”

  “It’s okay,” Ricky muttered, straining at her arm. “He’s mad.”

  “He’s not mad at you,” Kelly whispered. An awful thought hit her. Did Cody think she was here to ask for another handout? That because he’d helped her once he’d be good for a touch anytime she was in need? If he thought that, it was because he didn’t know her. Only Ricky’s dire health situation could have induced her to take his money in the first place.

  The door opened suddenly. Cody’s feet were bare and for a moment Kelly was mesmerized by his strong arches and the tendons in his ankles.

  “Well, are you coming in?” he said ungraciously and stepped back to allow them to climb the stairs and enter.

  To the left was a kitchenette and a small table surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped settee. To the right, on a loft over the truck bed was the sleeping area with a queen-sized mattress. The trailer was compact but neat and tidy, no clothes strewn about and washed dishes stacked neatly in the draining board, contrary to her expectations of a bachelor dwelling. A quick glance around didn’t reveal any signs of a female presence.

  “Hi, Cody,” Ricky said shyly, holding tighter to Kelly’s hand.

  The cowboy’s set jaw softened. “Hey, Ricky, how are you doing?” Cody blinked as he absorbed the changes in the boy’s appearance. “You’re looking real good.” He glanced up at Kelly. “He had the operation.”

  Her throat clogged and for a moment she could only nod. “It worked really well. We wanted to thank you in person.”

  “You didn’t need to do that,” Cody said gruffly. There were shadows below his eyes as if he hadn’t had enough sleep.

  Hangover? Kelly wondered. Late date with a hot cowgirl? Were all the stories about him true? Had she made a giant mistake in coming to see him? He’d given away his money on a whim. He probably didn’t care about her and Ricky. They just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
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  But then she thought about how he’d stood up for her in front of her boss and got confused. Was he a good guy or not?

  “You shouldn’t have gone talking to the press,” he said to Kelly, his voice hardening again. “It’s all over the Internet. I don’t need the distraction when I’m trying to focus on my coming events.”

  “I didn’t talk to the press.” Kelly’s own voice heated at the unjust accusation. “I told one woman in the diner. One. And only because she was saying not very nice things about you. I was defending you. I had no idea this would happen—”

  “Okay.” Cody held up his hands. “But please, stop telling people about the money. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “It was to us,” Kelly said. “I don’t see why you object. I’ve been in Marietta less than twenty-four hours but already I’ve heard half a dozen bad stories about you.”

  “People like to gossip,” he said with a dismissive shrug.

  “I’m glad your story got out,” she insisted. “There are an awful lot of people who think you’re a sketchy character. It’s time you got some good press and folks learned what a decent, honorable man you are.”

  “I’m not the guy in the white hat, okay?” Cody growled. “I’m self-indulgent, I’ve got bad habits and too often, I act on impulse. Why else would I give away sixty-five thousand dollars to a complete stranger? I’m glad it helped you and Ricky but that’s not exactly a sane thing to do.”

  Kelly had wondered a lot over the past two months about why he would do what he’d done. That strange haunted look in his eyes had made her think he had reasons he didn’t talk about. She didn’t think she’d imagined that look but possibly she’d romanticized him because he’d changed her and Ricky’s lives so dramatically for the better.

  “I never once thought you did it because you were insane,” she said.

  “Not insane,” Cody conceded. He drew something out of his pocket, an elaborately braided cord made of fine strands of rawhide a few inches long, and flipped it through his fingers in a nervous gesture. “Just rash and stupid.”

  “I disagree,” Kelly said quietly. “Although I’m sure you could have used the money yourself.”

  “I was saving for—” He broke off. “Never mind. I’ll save the money again.”

  She had worried about what giving away that much money would mean to him. Now she knew it had set him back in his quest for something that mattered. “What were you going to do with the money?”

  The piece of leather flipped faster. “A new truck. It doesn’t matter.”

  “What’s that?” Ricky said, nodding at the braided rawhide. It was dark and shiny from repeated handling.

  “Just a leftover piece of braiding from a set of reins that I made.” Cody palmed it, his hand clenched tightly.

  It was the same style as the circle of rawhide around his wrist, Kelly noticed. It was nicer than a lot of the bracelets she’d seen on sale in the stores today.

  An awkward silence fell. She could feel Ricky wanting to ask more about the reins but afraid to provoke another dismissive comment or gesture. That made her want to pull Ricky onto her lap and cuddle him but she quelled the urge because he would hate being babied even more than feeling rejected.

  This wasn’t going at all the way Kelly had hoped. For some strange reason she’d thought Cody would be glad to see them. That he would welcome them after their long journey and spend a little time showing Ricky the horses and bulls. She understood this was a working weekend for him, but she’d never thought he would be angry at being outed as a philanthropist. She didn’t care for herself, or only a little, but she could tell by the slope of Ricky’s small shoulders that he was disappointed. As for her fantasy of making time with the cowboy, what a joke.

  “Well, we said what we came to say. You’re busy,” she said, rising. “We’ll go.”

  “I brought you a present.” Ricky dug into his bulging pocket and brought out a cowboy figurine astride a bucking bull. “It’s my favorite.”

  “Cool. That’s really nice of you. But you should keep him.” Cody made no move to take the toy.

  “No, you.” Ricky placed the figurine on the table. “For good luck. So you don’t fall like your friend in the hospital.” In a small voice, he added, “I don’t like hospitals.”

  Cody glanced at Kelly as if seeking a clue as to how to respond. She averted her gaze without comment. She’d fielded this complaint too many times. She didn’t blame Ricky for not liking hospitals. And she was too disappointed in Cody to try to smooth this over for him.

  “Here,” Cody thrust the braided rawhide at the boy. “It’s a good luck charm, too. So you never have to go in another hospital. At least not for a long time.”

  Ricky’s face lit, his blue eyes shining. “Gee, thanks, Cody. I’ve still got your lucky stone.”

  “That’s fine.” Cody nodded. “You can never have too much good luck.”

  “Come, Ricky,” Kelly said, tugging on his hand. “Let’s go.”

  Ricky resisted leaving and glanced over his shoulder at Cody. “See you tomorrow at the rodeo.”

  “Cody’s going to be very busy,” Kelly interjected quickly. She met Cody’s gaze over Ricky’s head. His reluctant expression confirmed her deduction that he didn’t want anything more to do with them. Gently, she pushed Ricky toward the door. “Bye, Cody. Thanks again.”

  Tugging her son along by the hand, she hurried away from the trailer across the dry grass. Humiliation made her cheeks burn. Three days and twelve hundred miles, just to be brushed off as a nuisance and, worse, a pest who’d brought him trouble. He’d been nice to Ricky, she conceded, but barely.

  Cody was right. He wasn’t any hero.

  She and Ricky were almost to the rodeo grandstand when Cody called her name. Pretending not to hear, she kept on going with her headlong flight. He called again and Ricky dragged on her hand. “Mom, wait.”

  Turning, she saw Cody coming across the open ground past the concession stands still in bare feet, hopping now and then when he stepped on a rock.

  “What is it?” she asked warily when he’d caught up.

  He jammed his hands in his pockets and studied the back of the bleachers intently. “There’s a town picnic this afternoon at the park. It’s pretty casual, just hot dogs and hamburgers cooked up by local groups like the 4-H club. There’s usually live music. It’s nice.”

  “I heard about it,” she replied stiffly. Was he simply informing her of where she could eat tonight, or what?

  “If you’re going…” he began.

  She lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal gesture. “Maybe.”

  He met her eyes briefly then his gaze jumped sideways like a spooked horse. “I might see you and Ricky there.”

  “Cool!” Ricky exclaimed. “Can we go, Mom?”

  Kelly stared at her son. When had he started saying cool like a much older kid? All of fifteen minutes ago, she realized, when he heard Cody say the word.

  “Thank you, no,” she said to Cody. She was beholden enough to him and she didn’t want to add to her burden of obligation, especially when he clearly wasn’t happy they were even in town. “We won’t take up any more of your valuable time. We said what we came to say and now we’ll get out of your hair.”

  “But Mom, you haven’t given him the present you brought for him,” Ricky said.

  Reflexively she closed her arm against the woven tote tucked against her side. All of a sudden she felt embarrassed by her gift. It seemed presumptuous. Too personal. Too much and too little at the same time. She didn’t know what she’d been thinking when she’d spent hours sewing the fancy western vest for him. Well, yes she did. She’d been thinking about how good he would look wearing it. It was hard not to notice those broad shoulders and wide chest tapering to narrow hips. She’d been thinking of sculpted abs and glistening biceps rippling with ink…

  Sewing had never aroused erotic thoughts in her before. No doubt about it, she was long overdue for some male attention.
If she’d had any designs on Cody, though, clearly that would now be misplaced effort.

  “It’s nothing,” she said, playing it down. Nothing but sourcing the best materials and staying up late every night for weeks to finish it. She wanted him to wear it and to love it, to think of her when he put it on. She wanted the vest to make him reflect on his amazing generosity because he seemed to be doing his level best to act as if he hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.

  A glint sparked in his dark eyes. “I’ll be the judge of that. Let me see.”

  “It’s at the motel,” she lied.

  “No, it’s not,” Ricky piped up and she squeezed his hand hard. “Ouch.”

  Cody’s glance went from Kelly’s burning cheeks to Ricky’s aggrieved expression and a corner of his mouth quirked up. It was all too obvious that she had the present with her but he pretended to weigh up the situation. “Tell you what, you go back to the motel and get it and then meet me at the park in an hour.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” she protested. “You don’t owe us any more of your time.”

  “You came all this way.”

  “We needed a vacation anyway.”

  Ricky’s anxious gaze was going back and forth between them, waiting for the outcome. A long beat passed while Kelly’s heart thudded in her chest. How easily Cody gave up would tell her if he was just being polite or not.

  “I’d like to see you both again,” he finally said gruffly.

  Her lungs seemed to collapse with exhaling breath. “All right. Just for an hour or so.”

  “It’s a date.” Cody tipped his hat. “See you soon.”

  “Oh, boy,” Ricky said, grinning.

  Kelly watched Cody pick his way back across the stony ground. The lightness buoying her heart vied with the heavy certainty that she would be ultimately disappointed. But life was all about taking risks. Just ask a bull rider.

  Oh boy was right.

  Chapter Four

  Cody strolled into the park a half an hour later carrying a backpack slung over one shoulder. The setting sun had turned Copper Mountain pink above treetops twinkling with fairy lights. Hay bales were scattered around for seating but some folks had brought blankets and folding chairs. Barbeques had been set up on one side of the park and there were tables of baked goods contributed by various community organizations to raise funds for their respective charities.