His Cowgirl Bride (17 page)

Even when his mom told him that Tina had finally been given a clean bill of health by the doctors, he'd held firm…and all the while he'd had Tacy's expression of disappointment in his thoughts.

The chestnut suddenly jerked its head and swung its hips his way—as it kicked its back feet out, aiming for Brent.

Brent sidestepped and barely missed the hit as he
refocused on the wild-eyed horse. Plain and simple, this horse had a streak of meanness in it. Brent had gone on autopilot while his thoughts had been on Tacy, and that was not a smart move when working with a wild card like the chestnut. Breaking this piece of rank horseflesh the gentle way might not be doable. Angry at himself and the horse, he tied the chestnut to the corral.

He needed to get his head on straight before continuing to work with this horse. If he didn't, one of them was going to get hurt.

Lugging her saddle, Tacy was leading the two colts back to the pen when she saw the chestnut try to kick Brent. Her heart stopped as only his quick sidestep saved him.

His mind wasn't on his work.
Join the crowd.

She eyed the chestnut. He'd tied it to the fence then stalked away out the side gate and disappeared into the barn.

Tacy had done everything short of hanging a “Do Not Disturb” sign around her neck to avoid conversations with Brent. That hadn't stopped her mind from churning with thoughts and questions about him. What was she going to do about him and her feelings?

Nothing!

As always, easier said than done. That just seemed to be the theme of her life.

Feeling ornery herself, she continued to eye the chestnut as she opened the gate to the adjoining holding pen and let the black and roan loose. Brent
hadn't told her to work the chestnut, said it was still too ornery.

Grabbing her saddle from where she'd dropped it on the ground as she'd let the colts go, she hiked it to her hip. Her adrenaline had begun strumming through her veins as she reached for the blanket and let herself in the gate. Quietly, she headed toward the chestnut.

Today was the day she took back her future. If Brent thought this chestnut was ornery, he hadn't seen nothin' yet.

“H
ey, girl,” Tacy said gently, forcing herself to remain calm though she was feeling a rush of anticipation.

The horse's ears twitched, a sign that she wasn't sure of Tacy. She held her ground, though, and didn't move away from her. That was all the encouragement Tacy needed.

Running her hands down the soft, red coat, Tacy laid the blanket across the animal's back. Then she hiked the saddle to her hip, and with soft words, took a breath and placed the saddle over the blanket. The chestnut flinched, sidestepped, but didn't kick.

Tacy's spurs jingled with her quick steps as she moved with the fearful horse. Speaking, she reached for the cinch. She needed to hurry. Brent was in the barn, but the minute he came out and saw what she was doing, he'd blow like the punkin chunkin air
cannon. Not a good thing, because with the way she was feeling she'd blow right back. It wouldn't be pretty.

With quick, expert fingers she soon had the saddle cinched and secured. Glancing around, she didn't see any sign of the cowboy and decided the smart move was to take it back out to the enclosed round pen she'd been using. With luck he wouldn't come out of the barn for a while and she'd be on its back before he heard any commotion.

Leading the way out, Tacy opened the gate and was in the middle of the open yard when she saw Brent heading her way.

One look at his face, and she knew war was about to break loose. “Tacy,” he yelled. “No!”

She had a split second to make up her mind. He weighed a good seventy pounds of hard muscle more than she did, and if he wanted to tear the reins from her grasp there wasn't much she'd be able to do about it. It was time to do this.

Whether they were contained inside a round pen or not, the time had come to take her chances on her terms.

Holding the reins tight and with one eye on Brent, Tacy reached for the saddle horn. In the same movement, her boot slid into the stirrup. Without a backward thought or glance, she lifted herself up and had just barely made it into the saddle when the chestnut kicked its hind legs and spun.

Tacy managed to secure her other boot in the stirrup
and went with the spin—felt the thrill in her gut as they whirled across the yard like a rowdy twister—and then the chestnut decided to show her true colors.
The rodeo was on!

 

Brent skidded to a halt. His heart was in his throat as he gauged his next move. The chestnut was as crazy as he'd thought, as unpredictable as any horse he'd ever seen—and it was bucking as hard as any world championship ride, determined to kill a cowboy's dream right there in the dust under the big lights.

But this was Tacy, here in the real world, riding like she knew what she was doing. She'd settled into the saddle and was right on point with her balance as she moved with the crazy horse.

There was no fear in her face, just exhilaration. And concentration. Clearly, she wasn't doing the ride on the cuff, hanging on for dear life—as Tina had been doing.

No, Tacy was working the ride.

And she was doing a great job!

But she was still in danger.

Brent yanked his head out of the clouds and focused on getting her off the horse in one piece—not on enjoying the show.

With a quick movement, he ducked into the horse's zone, intent on grabbing the reins. But Tacy shouted him off, yanked the reins to her far side, away from him. The movement forced the horse to turn its head away from Brent as Tacy drew its nose toward her
knee. Brent dove out of the way when the horse swung its hips his way. Yanking his hat off, Brent glared at the crazy woman. She'd almost run him over. On purpose.

It hit him that she'd known what she was doing. Totally and completely. And she was still working the horse. She'd forced it to stop any forward movement because she'd pulled its head so close to her knee. Now the chestnut couldn't do anything but move in the circle as she continued to control it. As Brent watched, it gave up and came to a halt.

Not satisfied, Tacy gave over a little of her control by easing up her grip—testing the horse. The colt gave a small jump, but Tacy reined it in again, the muscles in her forearms and biceps working. He'd never noticed the strength in her pretty arms. As she pulled back and forced the animal to walk backward a few steps, he wondered what else he'd missed.

She shot Brent a look of satisfaction as the chestnut settled down. Letting the colt—and Brent—know this was no fluke, she gave the colt a gentle nudge with her spurs and walked it toward the house. Nice and easy they went. Then she turned and headed back to him.

Brent's shoulders ached with tension. Anger and pride mingled together as he watched her—but mostly anger. He held his tongue, not wanting to spook the horse again.

Tacy reined the chestnut in a step in front of him. Brent grabbed the bridle. “A word with you,” he gritted through clenched teeth. Tacy swung her leg
over and hopped to the ground, her eyes glinting as she handed him the reins.

“No need—they're all yours, cowboy. I'm out of here.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and strode toward her truck.

“Not so fast,” he all but yelled.

She swung around. “Hold it right there, buckaroo. You have no right to yell at me. After I get back from visiting my family, I'll be loading up and heading out. You got your wish. I'm done here—I'm gone, just as you wanted.” She reached for her truck door, fumbled slightly, and seconds later drove away.

She didn't even look back at Brent in her sideview mirror.

He knew she didn't, because he was watching—too stunned by her revelation to move.

Had he gotten what he wanted?

 

She'd done it! And it didn't matter at all.

Gravel flying, Tacy brought her truck to a halt in the drive of Sheri's house. Men!

She was angrier than she'd ever felt and not entirely sure why. After all, she'd just experienced the most exciting ride of her life. Yet she still wanted to blow! Stalking into the house, she paused to give Birdy a gentle head rub.

“Men are impossible—and your number-one hero's the worst, Birdy. That man is as pigheaded as they come. I rode that horse like a champion. Yes, I did. You
should have seen me….” Her words trailed off as she thought of what she'd just done.

As a little cowgirl growing up, she'd watched through the slats of the corral or the top rung as each of her brothers had ridden their first unruly horse. Each time her father had been standing beside her, watching his son with pride in his eyes. But that would never happen for her. Nope. She hadn't been allowed to prove that she deserved the same opportunity to win that look.

It cut deep, despite the fact that she respected that it was her father's prerogative to make that choice.

She headed to the shower, needing the hot water to ease the knots of tension from her shoulders. There wasn't water hot enough to remove the knot in her heart….

So be it. She had work at Sam's, and she needed to tell him that she was heading out. She couldn't hang around here. She would go and find a place where cowboys didn't hold against her what she was capable of. And then she'd set her dreams back on track.

Here, with Brent to distract her, she was in danger.

She might not ever see the pride in the eyes of the men she loved, but she sure wasn't sticking around to settle for less.

Nope. Cowgirls didn't cry—they didn't settle, either.

“W
hat do ya mean yor quitting?” Sam said, slapping his dish towel to his shoulder and giving her a scowl.

“I'm leaving. That's all. I never came here to stay. I came here to learn a trade and then go find my own place.”

“But why all the sudden?” Applegate asked. He and Stanley had been on their way out of the diner. Obviously, Sam's protest had been louder than she thought.

“It's Brent, isn't it?” Stanley asked. He set the checkerboard on the bar and shook his head. “We told him he should ask you out. Not run you off.”

Tacy loved these guys. “He didn't ask me out, and he's not running me off. I'm going because it's time.”

“But what about Pace comin' back and teachin' you to break them horses?”

“I've decided to head down to Salado. I had a job offer from a ranch down there and decided to come here instead. I called and they'll still hire me.”

“You have a job. I hired ya,” Sam said, his frown dipping even deeper. “If you need more hours, I kin give 'em to ya.”

App added, “Or if ya need ranch work, then hire on around here.”

“We're partial to you,” Stanley said, his lips lifting briefly into a smile before deflating into a frown.

Tacy's heart tugged, looking at her buddies. “Guys, I can't stay.”

“Can't or won't?” Sam asked, just as the diner's heavy door swung open and the lunch crowd started pouring in. “I have half a mind to close up shop and head out thar and give Mr. Hot Shot Cowboy a piece of my mind!”

“Let's load up,” Applegate bellowed and Stanley grinned, nodding like his life depended on it.

“Fellas!” Tacy hissed, glancing at the crowd of cowboys—Jess among them—who'd just taken their seats and tuned in to the floor show. “You will do nothing of the kind. You will behave yourselves. I'm through doing what the men in my life dictate. Including you boys, so cool your jets.”

The door swung open and—as her bad timing would have it—in walked the indomitable threesome of ladies. Norma Sue led the way in front of Esther Mae and Adela. Behind them came Lacy along with several other gals who worked across the street at the
candy store. Tacy was feeling some strain as everyone began greeting each other—it only took a few seconds for all the newcomers to realize that something was going on. Tacy glanced at Sam and his cohorts and just about died. They looked like they were about to go to war. She glared at them. “Stop looking like that,” she whispered. Too late, Norma Sue stuffed her hands to her hips.

“What is going on? You boys ain't lookin good at all—not that you ever do.”

“Tacy's leavin',” Applegate announced to the entire room. Tacy groaned and plopped a hand to the top of her head, not sure whether to pull her hair out or call a time-out!

Jess stood up, unfolded was more like it, as his eyes squinted and his face tinged purple. “Is it that bronc buster? What'd he do—break your heart?”

Tacy let her hand slide off her head and drop limply at her side. Her mouth fell open, too. “Now, Jess,” she said, not exactly sure what he was thinking of doing, but it didn't look good. “You need to sit back down. If all of you must know, I'm taking a job in Salado.”

“He
did
break your heart,” Jess growled, threw his napkin to the table and stalked toward the door!

“Stop him!” Tacy exclaimed.

Esther Mae reacted by hopping in front of the door. She threw her arms against it, staring up at Jess. She looked like a ruffled duck in her bright yellow jogging suit. “Hold yer horses, cowboy!”

“That would probably be a good idea,” Lacy said, moving to stand beside Esther Mae.

Jess glanced at Tacy. “I'll go get him and bring him to you—”

“No need,” a muffled voice said as the door slowly moved forward, scooting Esther Mae gently out of the way. Brent stuck his head through the doorway. “Mind if I join the show, Esther Mae?” he asked.

“Depends on what your plans are.”

Brent swept his hat off and met Tacy's gaze across the room. “That'll depend on Tacy.”

“Then why are you standing out there?” Esther Mae grinned and stepped out of his way.

Tacy locked her arms across her waist and willed her clamoring heart to be still.
Not happening.

Brent hit Jess with serious eyes that warned him to back off. Tacy held her breath as Jess shot Brent a return warning, then stepped out of the way and let him pass. Really, Jess was just full of surprises—but it looked as if maybe Brent was, too.

Hope kindled in her heart as Brent's gaze locked and held hers.

Esther Mae sighed heavily, but other than that a pin could have been heard dropping on the old wooden floors at Sam's.

“The last thing you said to me was that I got my wish.” He arched a brow and cocked a half grin. “Your mind reading is off. Way off. I seem to remember when I first met you that you thought you were pretty hot stuff. Your record was one-for-one and you were
too afraid of losing to chance another go at me. Now I know why. You're not nearly as smart as you think.”

Tacy bit back a smile, her insides trembling. What was he doing? “How did I mess up?” she asked as he came a few more steps her way. He dropped his hat on a table.

“You didn't. You did everything right. Pushy, but right. This is one stupid meat loafer.”

“Ain't that the truth,” Sam ground out. Tacy shot him a glare and he grinned, raising a bushy brow above twinkling eyes that warmed her heart.

“You're not stupid,” she said breathlessly.

“I'll admit I'm getting smarter every minute. You were right. I have to face my fears and you helped me. Why didn't you tell me you could do what you did on that horse?”

“You didn't ask, and—”

“What'd she do?” App demanded.

“She rode a crazy horse like a pro. That's what she did. She stuck a boot in the stirrup, settled in and took control. That's what she did. If you knew how to do that, why'd you need me? Or Pace?”

Tacy bit her lip. “I needed you to teach me the gentle way. I'm not stupid. I had a good ride today. I could've just as easily bitten the dust and you know it.” Feeling more like herself, she pulled her shoulders back and strode around the counter.

He grinned. “But you didn't. You rode with no fear and with strength. But most important—you rode smart.”

“So, cowboy, what exactly are you saying?” She walked to stand in front of him.

“I'm saying you got my wish wrong. I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay.”

“No can do,” she said, lifting her chin. “I tend to let men I love ride roughshod over me. I have to stop doing that, which means if I stick around I'd have to know you're not going to have a problem with me breaking horses.”

He stepped close, his chin dipping so they were mere inches apart. “That can be arranged. You say you have this problem with the men you love?”

“That's right. If I don't love them, I can walk right over them.” Chuckles rolled across the room.

“What happens if some poor cowpoke falls in love with you?”

She smiled, her toes curled with happiness. “That's one cowboy who's headed for trouble. He might want to back up and head in the other direction. When you love someone, the rules change.”

Brent lifted his hands and cupped her face. Tacy shivered as her world stumbled then righted. Looking into his eyes, she felt it hold steady. “I love you, Tacy. I can't promise I won't be afraid for you, or that I won't try to keep you safe. But you have my word that I won't let my fear hold you back. You were meant to fly. I saw that today. You were beauty in motion. I liked it.”

Tacy laughed as happiness bubbled up like sparkling water. “My, my, cowboy, I do believe for once you knew exactly what I wanted.”

“I do love you.” Brent chuckled huskily against her lips and then he kissed her. A roar went up all around them.

Tacy beamed with happiness and embarrassment as she glanced around the room. “What is wrong with you people? You act like you've never seen two people in love before.”

“Oh, we've seen it plenty,” Applegate said. “We jest ain't never seen two as mule-headed as the two of you.”

“Boy, that's the truth,” Norma Sue said. “We thought we were going to have to hog-tie you together until y'all came to your senses.”

Tacy focused on the big picture and looked up at Brent. She was so happy she didn't want to chance messing up what she'd just found—but she had a big mouth and she knew now that she had to finish what she'd started. “Speaking of coming to your senses,” she said, “I'm still going home tonight so I can be home for Thanksgiving. What about you? Are you going home for Thanksgiving?”

“I am,” he said. “You're right—it's time. I'm going to go home, make amends to my dad and hug my sister and my mom.”

Tacy felt tears well in her eyes. “I am so happy,” she said. Brent rested his forehead against hers—then she remembered there were other people in the room. But her focus was on Brent and only Brent as his arms tightened around her. This was where she'd been longing to be from almost the first moment she'd met
him. “Nothing could make this day any better.” She sighed. “I love you so much.”

He pulled back and his lips flattened as he stared at her.

“What is it?” she asked, startled by his expression.

“I hope there is one more thing that would make you happier.”

Her heart started jumping around erratically. “And what exactly would that be, cowboy?”

He grinned. “I figured after I made my peace with my family, then it'd only take two hours for me to drive down to Willow Valley to meet your family.”

She feigned shock. “That brave, are you?”

Sam cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “Didn't you say yor brothers and yor daddy pert near run off anybody who came a courtin' you?”

Brent grinned. “She said that, all right. That's why I'm going—if she'll have me. I have a question I need to ask them.”

“I don't know,” Tacy said. “I sort of wanted to enjoy this time I have with you before the Jones brothers run you off.”

Brent shook his head and tipped her chin. “Believe me, honey. I'm not going anywhere.”

“Big talk,” she teased. “You haven't met my brothers.”

“Tacy, with you by my side I can face anything. Including the Jones brothers.”

Tacy laughed. “Then come to Willow Valley. This I have to see,” she said, and then she kissed him—
while she could. “Poor cowboy,” she whispered against his lips. “You have no idea what you're in for.”

“Now there's where you're wrong, cowgirl,” he said. “You and me together—we're in for the ride of our lives.”

Tacy smiled against Brent's smile as her heart beat against his heart, and she knew he was absolutely, one hundred percent right!