No Ordinary Cowboy (Mills & Boon American Romance) (Rodeo Rebels - Book 6) (3 page)

The tail wagged harder. Hector had found the stray dog limping on the property. Blue had been suffering from mange and the vet had confirmed he was going blind. Losing his sight made Blue more aggressive and fearful of strangers, so Hector no longer took the dog with him when he left the ranch. Blue spent most of his days under the porch in the cool dirt cavern Hector had dug for him.

“Where’s Clementine?” Lucy glanced across the porch and spotted the gray cat lounging on the chair by the door. “Hey, Clementine.” The cat’s tail twitched once. Clementine barely tolerated Blue until the nights grew cold, then she slept with him beneath the porch.

“How about some fresh water, kids?” Lucy refilled the large water bowl from the spigot connected to the side of the cabin, set it on the bottom porch step then texted her mother that she’d arrived at Hector’s.

“Hector, it’s Lucy,” she called out as she let herself inside the cabin.

“Keys are by the door.” The muffled voice came from the hall bathroom.

“Hope you feel better soon.” She placed a set of keys to her truck on the table then left the cabin. After giving Blue one more pat on the head, she drove off in the Pony Express passenger van. She’d almost made it to the highway when her cell phone rang.

“Pony Express, Lucy Durango speaking.”

“Lucy, it’s Bob out at the Saguaro Cactus Lounge.”

“It’s only eight o’clock and you have a pickup for me?”

“Not yet but I figure he’ll need a lift by ten.”

“You’re prebooking a ride?”

“Yep.”

“Is he a regular?”

“Nope.”

If the cowboy wasn’t a regular, it usually meant the guy was drinking off a heartache. “Who is he?”

“Tony Bravo.”

Tony?
At least he wasn’t on duty. “Did he say why he’s drinking?”

Bob chuckled. “Border patrol agents don’t need a reason to drink.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

She disconnected the call then turned onto the highway. Tony had never been a big drinker. Even when he and Michael celebrated their twenty-first birthdays, the guys hadn’t gone on a bender because they’d had to rodeo the following day.

There were only a handful of vehicles parked in the lot when she arrived at the bar. As soon as she entered the tavern, Bob nodded to the stool where Tony sat hunched over a beer glass. He was drinking tap beer—the cheap stuff.

Lucy passed a pair of cowboys throwing darts and four more playing cards before she slid onto the stool next to Tony. She tapped a fingernail against the bar, keeping time with the George Strait song playing on the jukebox. Tony ignored her. After a minute, she broke the silence. “I’m sorry you didn’t make it to eight last weekend.”

Keeping his gaze on his beer, he said, “Thought you’d left the rodeo before my ride.”

“I stayed.” She’d missed watching Tony and her brother tangle with bulls. “Tough draw.”

“Hardly.” He guzzled the amber liquid in the glass.

“Just so you know, I’m here on official business,” she said.

“This is my second—” he counted the glasses on the bar “—third beer.”

“Bob reserved a seat for you in the van.”

“I can handle my liquor.”

Chilled by the air conditioner mounted on the wall next to Tony, she asked, “You want to go somewhere and talk?”

His dark gaze unnerved Lucy. Did he assume she wanted to talk about the past—more specifically their past?

Tony fished his wallet from his pocket, left a ten-dollar bill on the bar then nodded to the door. “Lead the way.”

As soon as they stepped outside, Lucy said, “I haven’t had supper. Let’s head up the road to Vern’s.”

“Leave the van here.” He threw her his truck keys.

Lucy hopped behind the wheel of the black Dodge and adjusted the seat and mirrors then drove toward town. The drive-in was crowded with teenagers but she found a parking spot. When she lowered the windows, the smell of greasy hamburgers and fries filled the cab and her stomach growled.

“That wasn’t very ladylike.” Tony grinned.

“Sorry.”

A young girl with an order pad stopped at the truck. “Welcome to Vern’s. What can I get you?”

“Two cheeseburger baskets with root beers.”

“Be ready in a few minutes.” The waitress dropped off the order at the service window, then chatted with her friends sitting at the patio tables.

“I thought Hector drove the Pony Express van,” Tony said.

“He does, but he’s sick tonight.”

“You should hire a second driver. It’s not safe for a woman—”

“Don’t think you’re saying anything I haven’t heard a million times over from my parents. I know it’s risky, but I don’t do it often.” Before Tony badgered her more, she said, “Tell me about this human-trafficking ring you’re trying to bust.”

“For the past year we’ve been tracking a well-known drug cartel with routes through Arizona. After the first of the year, they switched their cargo from drugs to teenage girls.”

“Why?”

“Prostitution is a lucrative business, and from a cost perspective, the gang spends less money transporting humans across the border than growing and processing weed.”

“And you’re sure the gang is cutting through our ranch?”

“Yep.”

“That doesn’t make me feel very safe.”

“You shouldn’t feel safe. There’s no telling what these guys will do if they feel threatened or cornered.” Tony cleared his throat. “I want to set up a sting operation on your property. Put a couple of lookouts in the desert so we can mark their trail and get close enough to identify individual members of the gang.”

“Here you go.” The young girl arrived with their food and Tony got out his wallet.

“My treat,” Lucy said. She handed the girl a twenty. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks for the burger.” He devoured it in five bites.

“You must be hungry,” she said.

“I don’t know why. I had dinner at my mom’s tonight.”

Lucy hadn’t seen Maria Bravo in a long time. “I should visit her at the truck stop when I’m out that way.”

“She’d like that.”

“What did you think of Shannon Douglas last week?”

“She’s impressive.” Tony dug into his French fries. “Have you seen her compete before?”

“Last weekend was the first time.”

“I competed in the Canyon City Rodeo last summer, and after watching Shannon and her lady friends, I couldn’t figure out if the women were stupid or really brave.”

“Shannon’s got a lot of talent.”

“I won’t argue with that. She’s been a tomboy all her life, but the others—” He shook his head. “They looked like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“They’re the kind of girls who enter beauty pageants not rodeos.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Lucy’s pulse raced when Tony’s gaze momentarily dropped to her breasts.

“You’re as beautiful as I remember.”

Feeling short of breath, she said, “You’re a chauvinist, Tony Bravo. Just because a girl is pretty doesn’t mean she can’t be tough, too.”

“Hey, I’m all for women’s rights. I work with female border patrol agents and they handle the job as well as, if not better than the male agents. But bull riding is best left to men.”

If Shannon called with good news soon, Tony’s opinion would be put to the test, because Lucy intended to ask for his help in preparing for the rodeos. There was no sense bringing up the subject now and giving him an opportunity to talk her out of it.

“I was surprised you stayed in Stagecoach after you graduated,” Tony said, changing the subject.

“Really? Why?”

“Memories.” Tony balled up his burger wrapper. “I’ve been trying to get out of this place for a long time.”

Lucy wanted to ask if Tony was on the run from the memories of their brief affair or Michael’s death. She, on the other hand, preferred to smother herself in the memories. “My father said you put in for a job transfer to San Diego.”

“I’m ready for a new challenge.”

That was a bald-faced lie. Tony had told her plenty of times how much he loved Arizona, and that when he stopped rodeoing he intended to become a border patrol agent so he could stay put. Lucy’s heart ached that her mistake was forcing him to leave the home he loved. If she confessed that she was the reason Michael had driven home drunk from the bar, would Tony change his mind about leaving?

The truth won’t bring Michael back.

The thought made Lucy feel even guiltier.

“If we’re successful in shutting down this human-trafficking ring, I’m positive I’ll get my transfer.”

“I doubt your mother is happy about you transferring.”

“At least I’m not moving across the country.” He waved a hand. “Forget about my job. I want to know why you’re driving wasted cowboys home. Don’t you want to do something worthwhile with your business degree?”

She was doing something worthwhile—saving lives. But how many lives would she have to save to make up for Michael’s? “For now, I’m content running my nonprofit business.” Until she found the courage to come clean with her parents about the circumstances surrounding Michael’s death, Lucy didn’t have a whole lot of options.

“Have you ever been threatened by a passenger?”

Although she’d never admit it, there had been one passenger last year who’d made her keep her pepper spray close at hand. After that night she’d informed the bar managers where she was taking the cowboys. If she suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, the sheriff could ask a few questions and figure out her route. “Most cowboys are decent, God-fearing men who treat women with respect, whether they’re drunk or not.”

“That may be true, but a girl like you—” Tony leaned closer and his masculine scent went straight to Lucy’s head “—would test any cowboy’s morals and values.”

Chapter Three

Was he nuts?

Tony had no business kissing Lucy, but he did anyway. Emboldened by her soft moan, he thrust his tongue inside her mouth, her sweet taste reminding him of the nights they’d shared on the rodeo circuit. His body shook with need, memories fueling his desire.

On the verge of losing control, he ended the kiss—or tried to. Lucy’s mouth followed his when he pulled away, their ragged breathing filling the truck cab.
Damn.
The joke was on him. He’d kissed Lucy because he’d been trying to make a point about her safety, but the sizzling chemistry between them proved that two years of trying to put this woman behind him had been in vain. He’d better keep his guard up, or she’d make him forget his reasons for leaving Stagecoach.

Lucy pressed her fingertips to her lips and mumbled, “What did you do that for?”

“Do you want me to apologize?”

“Do you want to apologize?”

“Not really,” Tony said.

A woman like Lucy came along once in a man’s lifetime, and he’d blown his shot with her. Who was he kidding? Even if they had gone through with their plan to tell their parents about their relationship, Cal Durango would have made Tony’s life miserable until he’d broken up with Lucy. No way would the wealthy, prominent businessman have allowed Tony anywhere near his daughter.

“Tony.”

“What?”

“I’m still mad at you.”

“For what?”

“For ignoring me after Michael died.”

Tony tensed. He didn’t want to discuss this.

“Why didn’t you return my calls after his funeral?” she asked.

“I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.”

“Okay. I’ll buy that, but we were all grieving, Tony, and I really needed you.”

“I’m sorry.” The walls were closing in on him. “I couldn’t be with anyone.”

“I thought what we’d shared meant something to you.”

The wounded look on Lucy’s face squeezed his heart, but he remained silent. There wasn’t anything he could say in his defense.

“I felt so alone,” she said.

Not as alone as he had felt after he’d been banned from Michael’s funeral service. He’d gotten the message loud and clear—now that Michael was gone, Cal Durango had no use for Tony. In truth, he might have found the nerve to stand up to Durango and insist he was good enough for Lucy, but he didn’t have the right to after he’d ditched Michael in the bar. That decision had sealed Tony’s fate and convinced him that the best thing to do was to keep his distance from Lucy.

Unable to stop himself, Tony tucked a strand of blond hair behind Lucy’s ear. Maybe fate had brought them together again so he could apologize for Michael’s death—not that he expected an apology to absolve him of his sins. “I’m sorry, Lucy. Sorry Michael died.”
Sorry things ended the way they did between us.

“Michael’s death still doesn’t feel real to me.”

Memories hurled Tony back in time. Lucy had phoned at 4:00 a.m. with the devastating news that her brother’s vehicle had run off the road and he’d been pronounced dead at the scene. Lucy had told him not to bother driving out to the crash, because medics had already taken Michael’s body to the hospital.

Tony hadn’t known what to do. His mother had been working the night shift at the truck stop and he was alone in the trailer. He’d paced the floor, wishing Lucy or Mrs. Durango would insist he mourn with them at the ranch. Not until his mother walked through the door several hours later had Tony broken down. When the day of the funeral arrived, he’d driven to the church, desperate for a final glimpse of his best friend, but Cal Durango had denied him even that.

The pressure building in Tony’s chest crushed his lungs. Forcing the words past his lips, he said, “It was my fault Michael died.”

Lucy sucked in a quiet breath. “It was not your fault, Tony.”

“I shouldn’t have left your brother at the bar.”

“Why did you?” Lucy squeezed his hand.

The truth wasn’t flattering. He’d been angry that Michael’s leap to the top of the standings meant Tony had to sacrifice being with Lucy in order to travel the circuit with Michael as he made a run for the National Finals Rodeo title.
Don’t blame Michael.
Tony could have quit rodeo but he hadn’t been able to walk away from the deep bond he’d shared with his best friend since childhood.

Tony spit out a lie. “I was tired and I didn’t feel like drinking that night.” He pulled his hand from Lucy’s—he didn’t deserve sympathy or compassion.

Lucy closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the seat. Tony regretted that the conversation upset her. “If I’d known that Michael intended to drink until he was wasted, I would have stuck it out at the bar with him.” His apology failed to make Tony feel better, which reinforced his belief that he didn’t deserve to be happy after what he’d done or, in this case, hadn’t done to prevent Michael’s death.

A shrill ring startled them. Lucy answered her cell phone. “Pony Express, Lucy speaking.” She tapped the truck horn and the waitress removed the food tray. Lucy put the truck into Reverse and backed out of the spot. “Not a problem. I’ll be there in thirty minutes or less.” She disconnected the call.

“Where to now?”

“Willie’s.”

Willie’s Wet Whistle had been a favorite haunt of Michael’s.

“The Cowboy Rebels are playing to a packed house and Carter—” Lucy looked both ways before pulling onto the road and heading back to the Saguaro Cactus Lounge “—said a couple of guys have reached their limit and he wants them gone before they pick a fight.”

“Carter should call the cops if his customers are giving him trouble.”

“He’d rather I haul the cowboys away than risk the sheriff’s deputy closing him down for the night.”

Tony hated the thought of Lucy alone on the road with drunken men.

She’s not your girl. You have no say in what she does.

Lucy turned into the lounge and parked next to the Pony Express van. Before they got out of his truck, he said, “Mind if I ride along with you tonight?” What the heck else did he have to do but go home and worry about Lucy’s safety?

“Okay.” Lucy smiled. “I doubt the passengers will give me any trouble with a border patrol agent riding shotgun.”

* * *

“Y
OU
MISSED
THE
turnoff,” Tony said.

Shoot.
Lucy had been thinking about Tony’s confession that he was to blame for Michael’s death. “Sorry.” She slowed the van, checked her mirrors and made a U-turn. She hadn’t believed she could feel any guiltier than she already did, but Tony’s admission twisted the screws tighter.

Tell him it isn’t his fault. Tell him it’s your fault.

Too late. The lot at Willie’s was jammed, so Lucy parked in front of the entrance—an oversize royal-blue door that sported a silhouette of a cowboy. The dance hall reminded Lucy of an airplane hangar—a windowless aluminum building with a rusty tin roof. Giant swamp coolers circulated damp air while the metal doors at both ends of the building had been rolled up, allowing the music to spill into the desert.

“Wait here,” Lucy said.

“Are you kidding? I want to see you in action.” Tony followed her into the bar.

Lucy winced at the loud music as she wove through the maze of sweaty bodies and worked her way up to the bar, where the owner poured drinks. Carter spotted her and nodded. The former Phoenix Cardinal linebacker had retired in Yuma and opened Willie’s five years ago. When Lucy reached him, he motioned to the guys sitting at a nearby table.

“Bobby Ray and Billy John,” Carter shouted above the noise. “Good luck.” He handed Lucy a set of keys.

Tony intercepted the pass and snatched the key ring.

“You hire a new driver?” Carter glanced between Lucy and Tony.

“Carter Hawkins…Tony Bravo,” Lucy said. They shook hands.

“I remember you,” Carter said. “You rode bulls with Lucy’s brother.”

“And you had a pretty good career with the Cardinals,” Tony said.

“I did.” Carter grinned. “Still ride bulls?”

“Every now and then. Tonight I’m riding along with Lucy.”

“Good.” Carter pointed to her customers. “Billy John is harmless but Bobby Ray’s a hothead.” One of the waitresses called Carter’s name and the owner walked off.

“I’ll handle these guys,” Tony said.

Tony’s take-charge attitude didn’t offend Lucy. He wouldn’t be a good border patrol agent if he wasn’t self-assured and confident. “Let’s go,” Tony said to the men.

The cowboys stared with stony expressions. Time to pour on the charm. “Evenin’, gentlemen.” Lucy smiled sweetly. “You’ve bought yourselves a ticket on the Pony Express.” The line sounded corny but most of her customers chuckled.

Casting evil glares at Carter, the men rose to their feet and stumbled toward the exit. Once they stepped outside, Lucy asked, “Where are you fellas from?”

“Yuma,” Bobby Ray said.

She unlocked the side door on the van. “You looking for a ride into town then?”

“Unless you’re offerin’ a different kind of ride tonight?” Bobby Ray leered at Lucy, and Billy John snickered.

Tony stepped forward, but Lucy blocked his path. She’d use Tony as backup only if necessary. “Sorry, but you won’t find that kind of ride in this van.”

“Aw, c’mon, sugar.”

When Bobby Ray made a move toward Lucy, she grabbed his forearm and spun, tossing him over her shoulder and onto the ground. Before the cowboy knew what had happened, Lucy had planted her boot heel against his windpipe. “Rule number one. Don’t mess with the driver. Got that, Bobby Ray?”

Tony whistled low between his teeth. “Nice job.”

Secretly pleased she’d impressed Tony, Lucy said, “If you gentlemen mind your manners, I’ll give you a lift into Yuma. If not, you sit in the parking lot until the sheriff arrives. What’ll it be?”

Bobby Ray grimaced. “Yuma.”

“Shut up and behave, Bobby.” Billy John helped his friend off the ground. “Sue Ann will have my head if I don’t come home tonight.”

“Either of you carrying a weapon?” Lucy asked.

“No, ma’am.” Both men raised their arms in the air.

“Lift your jeans up over your boots.” Satisfied neither cowboy carried a knife or a gun, Lucy said, “Get in.”

Tony closed the van door then hopped into the front passenger seat.

“Who are you?” Billy John asked Tony after Lucy started the engine.

“Tony Bravo. Border patrol agent.”

“Someone give me an address.” Lucy input the information into the GPS as Billy John recited it.

“How often do you end up at the wrong house?” Tony asked.

“Never. But Hector’s landed in a few strange places.”

“That was pretty impressive,” Tony said. “Where’d you learn to flip a guy onto his back?”

“I took a self-defense class in college.” She left out that she’d dated her instructor, Keith, for nine months.

“I’m glad you know how to defend yourself, but you should have a partner if you’re going to drive the van.”

“Quit harassing me. You’re worse than my parents.” Lucy had thought long and hard before making the decision to start up the Pony Express. She’d weighed the pros and cons, but in the end the only thing that had mattered was saving lives.

Halfway to Yuma, Bobby Ray crawled into the third seat and fell asleep. His quiet snores served as background music to Billy John’s conversation with Tony about border security.

Lucy followed the GPS map and ended up at the Desert Sands Apartments. “Which way?” she asked, turning into the entrance.

“Third building on the right.” Billy John unbuckled his belt when the van stopped. “How much do we owe you?”

“Nothing. The Pony Express is free, but if you’re feeling generous you can leave a tip to help pay for gas.” Lucy held out a mason jar and Billy John dropped a five-dollar bill in it then roused Bobby Ray.

Tony steadied the man as he stumbled from the van.

“Stay home the rest of the night, okay?” Lucy said.

“Yes, ma’am.” Billy John lugged his friend up the sidewalk to the apartment.

Lucy waited until the men went inside before pulling away. Tony remained quiet, but she sensed he had something to say. “You might as well spit it out.”

“I underestimated you.”

“How so?”

“You’re a rich, spoiled girl.”

“Yes, I am.” Or she had been until her father cut off her inheritance.

“I never imagined you caring about what happens to lowlifes.”

“Just because a cowboy drinks a little too much doesn’t mean he’s scum. Most of the guys who catch a lift home from the Pony Express are hardworking ranch hands or down-on-their-luck rodeo cowboys.”

Lucy tuned the radio to a country station and returned to the Saguaro Cactus Lounge. Tony remained quiet during the drive and she found his silence comforting, not nerve-racking. As soon as she pulled into the parking lot of the bar her phone rang. Shannon Douglas. “Sorry, I have to take this call.”

“No problem. Thanks for the ride-along, and watch yourself tonight.” Tony hopped out and shut the door before she had a chance to hand him his truck keys. He’d probably forgotten she had them from earlier in the evening.

“Hi, Shannon, what’s up?” Lucy’s blood pumped faster through her veins as she listened to the good news.

“Great. Thanks so much. I’ll arrive at the rodeo a couple of hours before my ride.” Lucy grabbed the pen and notepad she kept in the van and scribbled down information about the Ajo rodeo the middle of May. “I promise I won’t embarrass you.”

When Shannon lectured her on the importance of being in top physical shape, Lucy said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ve found someone to help me train for the rodeo.” She crossed her fingers, hoping she hadn’t told a lie.

After disconnecting the call, she let out a whoop of joy. Shannon had persuaded Wrangler to allow Lucy to ride in three summer rodeos to raise money for the Pony Express. The two rodeos following Ajo were yet to be determined. Lucy left the van and waited for Tony to come out of the bar.

“Looking for these?” She jingled the keychain when he stepped outside. “I have a huge favor to ask, but I’m positive you’ll say no.” She handed over the keys.