The Bull Rider’s Keeper (11 page)

Jesse groaned. “I’m pretty sure I’ll need referrals. I know Barb’s having George look over the contract, but I don’t think he wants to be involved in all the day-to-day stuff. I’d rather not use the current gallery lawyer. I’d just feel better knowing I hired the guy and he has my back, you know?”

“Smart man.” Hunter grinned. “Next time I see you, you’ll probably be stuffed into a suit with a Bluetooth stuck in your ear. Jesse Sullivan, art dealer.”

“Now, don’t go crazy on me. I’m pretty sure art dealers don’t wear the monkey suit. Aren’t we supposed to dress like creative types?” Jesse thought about the one, lone suit hanging in his closet back home.

“I think those are the artists, not the gallery owners.” Hunter stood and greeted his wife as Barb joined them.

“I didn’t think I’d see the two of you chatting it up.” Barb kissed Hunter and then turned her attention to Jesse. “Don’t you have bull rider duties to perform?”

“Just waiting for Taylor, then I’ll go down and play the role,” Jesse drawled.

Barb, who had been drawing circles on her husband’s leg with her French-tipped fingernail, stopped and frowned. “Taylor’s here?”

“Don’t look like that. I invited her.”

Barb leaned forward. “I don’t think that’s the best idea you’ve ever had.”

Hunter put his hand on Barb’s back. Jesse saw the movement. Was he supporting her? Or warning her?

“Look, I’m not known for great ideas. But I think this girl may be the one.”

Barb’s eyes widened. “Jesse, slow down. You need to think about this. Taylor is your gallery manager. Having fun is one thing, but when you have to see that person daily, well, relationships like that can get complicated.”

“I’m not a kid, Barb.” Jesse’s words came out harsher than he’d wanted. “I like the girl. Maybe more. But I’m not an idiot. If she’s not interested she’ll tell me, and we can go back to whatever friendly relationship we had before. I need to know where I stand.”

“I think you’re treading on thin ice, here,” Barb warned.

“Now that doesn’t sound like the Jesse I’m beginning to know at all.”

Jesse turned his head to see Taylor standing in front of them. He took in the sight of her. Skintight stretch jeans, a silk tank in brilliant blue, her hair loose around her shoulders. He stopped at her feet and grinned—she had on cowboy boots. He was in love.

Barb stood and Hunter followed her lead. “Taylor, so nice to see you.” She made the introductions between Hunter and Taylor. “We were about to grab some dinner before the event. Do you two want to join us?”

Jesse shook his head. “You know I can’t eat before I ride.” He grinned at Taylor. “I swear the bulls can smell a cheeseburger or a T-bone steak on your breath. Riders get killed that way.”

“So most riders are vegetarians? At least on days they compete?” Taylor sat down on the sofa next to Jesse. “That’s fascinating, I’ve never heard that before.”

“Because it’s just Jesse’s theory, not reality.” Barb laughed. “Believe me, the more you hang around the guy, the easier it will be to figure out his bullcrap.”

“Ouch, that’s harsh.” Jesse pretended to be shot to the stomach.

“I have to be honest with you, it’s in our contract.” Barb gave him a sweet smile, which didn’t fool him in the least.

“Hunter, you should have run when you had the chance.” Jesse glanced over at Barb’s husband, who was listening to the verbal bantering like it was Wimbledon, each insult another ball over the net.

The man held up his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t get me in the middle of this. Taylor, sometimes the most prudent path is the one where you step aside and let the children play through.”

Jesse watched as Taylor bit back a smile. The girl would hold her own with the Shawnee group, that was for sure. He focused on her. “Do you want to go eat with Barb and Hunter?”

Taylor frowned. “I thought you were taking me to the barn?”

“I can. But if you’d rather grab some food?” He knew they were being polite with each other. After last night he didn’t want to push the girl. They needed some time alone to talk.

Taylor glanced at Barb. “Thanks for the offer, but we’ve got some things to talk about.” Taylor flushed red. “About the gallery, I mean.”

Barb and Hunter exchanged a look Jesse couldn’t read. That was the thing about couples, they all had their own secret looks. Moments where they knew what the other person was saying without using a single word. He’d like that kind of relationship someday. “Taylor flew down to hammer some things out about the sale, so I guess we shouldn’t waste her time.”

“Invitation’s always open. Maybe the four of us can get together for breakfast tomorrow before Hunter and I fly home.” Barb stood and pulled Hunter to his feet. “Take me and feed me.”

“See what happens when you’re old married folk? The food is more important than time together,” Hunter whispered loudly to Taylor.

Barb slapped his arm. “Don’t you even go there, mister. You and I were married folk before we even started dating.” When she saw Taylor’s shocked face she laughed. “Long story. I’ll set up a girl’s night with Angie and Lizzie when we get home and catch you up on all the Shawnee gossip you’re going to need if you’re dating Jesse.”

Taylor protested, “We’re not dating.”

Barb and Hunter strolled away from the couches. “Whatever you have to tell yourself.”

Jesse took Taylor’s hand. “Barb’s not known for her tact. Probably because she’s my manager, she’s learned to say what’s on her mind. Right now, she thinks we’re going down the wrong path. That someone’s going to get hurt.”

He saw Taylor’s shoulders tighten. She sighed and leaned back into the cushions. “Brit’s saying the same thing. What is this, Jesse? A drunken mistake?”

“I don’t think so.” Jesse turned and watched her. “I need to know if you feel anything for me. I know it’s early and we barely know each other. But I have to tell you, I want this to work.”

“So you don’t think this will ruin us working together?” Taylor’s gaze found his, her look was guarded.

“I don’t know. I just know I want to try. Me. You. Us.” Jesse leaned in to kiss her, but his phone rang. “Horrible timing.” He pulled the phone off its holster on his belt and glared at the display. “The rodeo commissioner. I need to take this.”

Jesse walked away, and Taylor thought about what he’d said. She’s been expecting a sorry-about-last-night-can-we-just-forget-it-ever-happened speech. Instead, she thought she’d just been asked to go steady. The man was impossible to read. He made her want to stand and do her hoppy version of a victory dance. She glanced around the elegant lobby. Probably not the place.

Jesse returned and pulled her off the couch. “Come on. They need me down at the barn. More publicity pictures that Barb forgot to tell me about. I’m meeting the mayor and his daughter, the reigning rodeo queen, for promotional stuff.”

“I could just stay here and catch up with Barb and Hunter.” Taylor glanced around the empty lobby, wondering where the couple had disappeared to.

“Believe me, we’ll have time to talk.” Jesse took her arm and they walked out of the marble lobby to the parking lot. The hotel could have been smack-dab in the middle of downtown Boise except for all the pickups and horse trailers in the parking lot.

She watched the town pass by as Jesse followed the car’s GPS toward the rodeo grounds. Franchise fast food was taking over the world. Of the last five drive-in eateries they’d passed, each one of them was available in or near Boise. The homogenization of America, one meal at a time. Taylor noticed that, even in an unfamiliar city, Jesse looked cool and in control. He had one hand on the wheel, leaning toward the open window. She would have been a mess, wondering if she’d missed a turn, or worse, couldn’t get to the correct side of the road to turn onto her exit. He seemed to know exactly where he was and where he needed to go. No different here than in his own stomping ground. Taylor wondered if that was just his style, a rolling stone, comfortable anywhere.

She relaxed and decided to let the day go where it went. When she opened her mouth to ask about traveling on the road, instead, she said, “I can’t believe you left me this morning.”

Jesse’s face turned red but he didn’t meet her eyes. “I’m an idiot, what can I say?”

“Sorry?” Taylor hadn’t wanted to talk about this until after he rode. If he was too upset and couldn’t focus the bull could kill him. She shook the thought away; as far as she could see, Jesse Sullivan didn’t get upset over anything. The man was an ice cube. Well, except for last night. She worried her own face was turning colors as she remembered their night together.

“I am sorry. I never meant for us to stay over in Ontario. I never meant for our night to go so long.” He glanced at her this time. “Of course, you’re partially to blame for that.”

“Me?” Taylor knew her face was red now. He blamed her?

Jesse turned off the main road and Taylor could see the outdoor grandstand sitting behind a large parking lot. “You wouldn’t lose. If I’d known you were that good at darts I would have demanded we play shuffleboard.”

“I played a bit in college,” Taylor admitted. “But you did win. If I remember right.”

“After we played all night.” Jesse pulled the car into a parking spot near the barns. He turned off the car and looked at her. “Actually, I expected to beat you in three straight games. I underestimated you. I won’t do that again.”

She watched him leave the car, wondering if he was already underestimating her. She pushed the thought away and climbed out of the car, hurrying to catch up. Time to find out what made this guy tick. He could say all the pretty words he wanted, but when it all shook out, they were on opposite sides of the deal. She had to protect her interest in the gallery at all costs. She put on her sales smile and called out to him, “Hold up.”

For the next two hours Jesse showed her the life of a rodeo star. He did a couple of interviews, meeting and greeting like he was a politician running for office. Then he took her to the barn where they kept the livestock. The strong smell of bull hit her nostrils. The animals were hot in the closed-in area. Fans blew air around the pens, trying to keep them cool.

She walked up to a gate, and the bull in the pen eyed her with an intense glare. “It’s like he sees me as the enemy.”

Jesse pulled her back a few steps. “He probably does. Bulls are smart. I swear there are a few that I hadn’t rode in years that still remember me just by the sound of my voice. When I’d watched their ride videos, they’d twisted right on leaving the gate with every rider. But for me, they’d twist left. Like they knew I’d figured out their pattern and had to switch it up.”

“You’re kidding me.” Taylor glanced up into Jesse’s face, looking for a trace of a smile to give his prank away.

Jesse held his hand up in a vow symbol. “I swear on my mama’s grave.” Then he smiled. “I guess that saying doesn’t work anymore, now that we know Angie is alive.”

Taylor put her hand on his forearm. “That must have been hard. When she left, I mean.”

Jesse didn’t say anything, but led her over to a straw bale where they sat together. Jesse leaned forward and put his forearms on his thighs. “I didn’t understand for a long time. James was mad at her. I just missed her. So I became the funny kid. The kid everyone wanted around, the boy every girl wanted. I thought, maybe if I was good enough, she’d come back.”

“Hard for a little kid to carry that around.”

“Cry me a river. Man, I’ve never admitted that to anyone before. I must look like a loser.” Jesse didn’t look at her.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker calling the riders to the gate.

He stood and hurried her out of the barn. Handing her a ticket, he pushed her through a door leading to the grandstands. “You’ll be sitting with Barb and Hunter. I’ll come find you afterward.”

She turned back to say good luck, but the door had already shut behind him.
Just a little boy looking for love
. Taylor felt horrible. She understood now what her betrayal and knew what the loss of the gallery would do to Jesse. But better him than her. Pain hit her gut. She liked Jesse. Hell, if the gallery weren’t in play, she’d throw caution to the wind and see where the relationship went. At least it would be fun. But she couldn’t let him in, not now. She shouldn’t have come to Wyoming.
Just get through the day
. She kept the mantra going until she reached her seat. Barb handed her a corn dog and a packet of mustard.

“We thought you might need a snack.” Barb scooted over toward Hunter, giving Taylor room to sit down and get settled.

“Thanks.” Taylor glanced around. “Anywhere I’d be able to get a beer?”

Hunter stood. “I’ll run. Barb?”

“Soda. Not diet. I hate the taste,” Barb admitted to Taylor.

“You don’t have to go; I can get my own drink,” Taylor protested.

“Let him go. It’s an excuse for him to get a second drink. He loves it when I’m playing designated driver.” Barb slapped her husband on the butt as he stepped past her.

Taylor swirled the mustard from the packet onto the still-hot corn dog. The smell of the mustard bit her senses. They must have arrived just before she had. She bit into the cornmeal-covered hot dog and groaned in pleasure. Fried heaven. In August, she’d made daily trips to the state fairgrounds for lunch to delight in the summer treat.

“Lizzie loves her corn dogs, too. Especially when she’s pregnant.” Barb’s lips curled into a smile. “You got something to tell us?”

Taylor wiped mustard off her mouth with a napkin. “Yeah, I love corn dogs.”

“You’re bad,” Barb said, teasing her. “Jesse’s been a friend for a long time. He’s kind of like a little brother. I’d hate to see his heart get broken.”

Taylor finished the corn dog before she answered. Fear clutched at her as she thought about what might have happened last night. Had she already gone too far to turn back? Had that been why he’d called? A second taste of Taylor? She pushed the thought away. “For Mr. Sullivan being such a player—and don’t deny it, I’ve heard the rumors—you sure make him sound like a softie.”

“I’ve seen him with a lot of girls; I won’t deny that. But he’s never looked at any of them the way he looks at you. I’ve been part of that family for years, even when we were kids. Jesse, his brother, and Lizzie, well, the four of us were tight. We’d be at my house or Lizzie’s if we weren’t hanging out at the river.” Barb glanced through the crowd, apparently searching for someone. “I hate to be the one who tells you, but he cares about you.”