Cowgirl Up (15 page)

Lacey
tilted her head, already pondering the question. “Probably. Trinity is well
liked and the girls would most likely chip in to help her out.”

He
stared down at her with a furrowed brow and worry in his eyes. “She needs an
exceptional barrel horse, not just a run of the mill one. The odds will be
against her to begin with because she won’t know the horse and she’ll be in a
new venue. So, she needs something that can place her high enough to get those
points.”

She
thought for another moment. “I don’t think any of the horses in our circuit
will work. Not fast enough, especially in going head-to-head with the big names
in Cheyenne.”

Cody
grimaced. “She’s so close. I hate to think she’s come this far and will fall
short at the last minute. If only she had another horse.”

“I
know. But, the truth is, she couldn’t afford another one, which is why she’s
put all her hopes and dreams on Legacy. They win or lose together.”

“Yeah,
but that doesn’t help us right now. She just needs to borrow one for a couple
of days, just to ride in the event, and place fairly high.” He shifted his
weight from foot to foot. “I wouldn’t be asking, but she needs this.”

Lacey
read between the lines. Cody cared for Trinity. Big time. Sure, she’d picked up
on it before, but his actions this morning solidified her thoughts on the
matter. Not to mention, Cody hit the nail on the head. Trinity really earned
and deserved this. With her mother’s passing, Trinity scraping by, and the
endless road of rodeos, she needed every opportunity to make it to the finals.
There, she could do her magic with Legacy and let the dice roll.

The
least she could do was help that dream along in any way she could. “I’ll ask
the girls. We’re all friends and some might know racers in other circuits that
could possibly help. I don’t have another horse or I’d offer it up in a
heartbeat.”

Cody
nodded once. “Thanks. If you find someone who can help, either call me or call
Trinity. She’s proud and hates to ask for help, but I think in this one
instance, she’ll swallow that pride and accept what’s offered.”

“Will
do.”

“Good.”
He turned to leave.

“Cody?”

He
paused and twisted to glance back at her. “Thanks for helping Trinity. For
being there for her.”

His mouth
opened, then closed once more. He jerked his head her direction and strode off.

So that’s the way the cookie
crumbles.

Lacey
smiled wickedly as she dug her phone out of her pocket. Cody and Trinity were
pairing up fast and she couldn’t be happier for them.

However,
Trinity’s dreams would soon derail unless she could give her a helping hand.
She zipped through her contact list, then punched a button. “Hi. It’s Lacey.”

The
ringing of her cell phone startled Trinity. Jumping in reaction, she nearly
lost her grip on the pitchfork. As it was, she barely managed to keep the tool
and herself upright, even as Legacy lifted his head to stare at her like she’d
lost her mind. After finding her phone, she answered just before the call went to
voicemail. “Hello?”

“Trinity?”

“Yes.”

“It’s
Shannon. Shannon Mason.”

“Oh,
hi. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize your voice. The barn makes calls sound like an
echo half the time.”

“That’s
okay.” A short pause followed. “I heard about your fall and Legacy’s required
rest.”

Trinity
sighed. She’d come up empty in trying to find a way to fulfill her dream. So
close, yet so far away. “Yeah. It sucks. But at least he’s going to be okay.
That’s all that really matters.” Depressed about the situation, she forced herself
to look at the bright side. Things could have been a hell of a lot worse in
that fall. More than one horse and rider were permanently disabled or even
killed in such accidents.

“We
were looking forward to seeing you at the finals.”

“I
know. But I don’t have a back-up horse and not enough points to guarantee a
spot.” Trinity rattled off the facts that kept marching through her mind like a
stock exchange ticker tape.

“I
think I have a solution.”

Hope
flared. “You do?”

“Yep.
Come to Cheyenne and ride my back-up mare, Tinker, at the rodeo.”

Trinity
blinked, hardly believing her ears. “You’re offering up your mare for me to
ride?”

“Yep.
We do it all the time. All part of the sorority, you know.” Shannon chuckled.
“Come on. It’s the least I can do. You’ll have a great shot on her, be able to
pick up some much needed points, then return home just in time to turn around
and head to Vegas for the finals.”

“Wow.
Shannon, I don’t know what to say.” Amazed at such a generous, sweet offer,
Trinity blinked back tears.

“Just
say yes.”

For the
first time since Legacy went down, hope surged. “Yes.”

“Great!
If you can arrive a day early, you can get some training runs in on her, learn
her ins and outs.”

“I’ll
be there.”

“Good.
Keep my number and call when you get here so I can head on over with her.”

“I
will. Thank you so much.”

“No
problem. That’s what friends are for.” She clicked off.

Trinity
saved the phone number, then stored her phone back in her jacket pocket, her
mind still whirling at this latest twist.

One
thing didn’t go unnoticed—at the beginning of the year, she felt alone,
plodding through life by herself. Now, when the chips were down, people started
cropping up all over to give her a boost.

Maybe,
just maybe, she had found a new lot in life. A happy one.

Unwilling
to dawdle and analyze the idea too much, she turned her attention back to her
task, then paused. Cody. She’d bet her bottom dollar Cody and perhaps Lacey had
something to do with this. How else would Shannon have gotten her phone number?

Soothing
warmth flowed through her at the generous actions of her friends.

Legacy
bumped her with his nose. She stroked the white blaze down his face. “With a
little help, we might just make it after all, boy.”

He
snorted and lipped at her jacket.

She
laughed and dug out a peppermint, unwrapping it quickly. “Okay. Okay. Here you
go.”

He
crunched with obvious enjoyment, then snuffled her ear.

“It’s
going to be okay. I just have to believe that.”

Legacy
rested his head against her chest.

She
soaked up the sign of affection and patted his neck. No matter what, she had
her best friend and she wasn’t about to let him down.

As soon
as she finished cleaning stalls, she returned to her apartment, grabbed a
bottle of water from the fridge, and plopped down for a short break. Sore and
still worn out, she ignored the achiness in her body. Time healed all wounds.
This would be no different.

Taking
her cell phone in hand, she found Lacey’s number and punched the button. Given
the time, Lacey should be up, done with her morning chores, and free to talk
for a bit.

Trinity
had some questions and needed answers before making her next call.

“Hello?”

“Hey
Lacey.”

“Trinity!
How are you feeling? I hear Legacy is going to be good as new with just a bit
of down time.”

“I’m
okay. Got lucky, so can’t really complain. And, yes, it’s a relief that Legacy
didn’t suffer any injury. I don’t know what I would have done if it had been
serious.” She answered truthfully, knowing her world revolved around the
stallion.

“I’m
happy to hear on both counts.” She paused for a second. “Cody stuck by your
side, I understand.”

“Yeah.”
Trinity had no doubt all of the competitors already knew that Cody went with
her to the clinic and probably figured he spent the night as well. Gossip made
the rounds at a rodeo faster than a world champion steer wrestler could throw a
steer to the ground.

“Spent
the night, huh?”

Trinity
rolled her eyes. “Yes, but we didn’t do anything.” For some ridiculous reason,
she needed to set Lacey straight on the facts right off the bat.

“Whoa.
I didn’t insinuate anything. Besides, you’re twenty-five. If you want to invite
a man into your bed, more power to you. You’re plenty old enough to make that
decision for yourself.” Lacey’s voice carried a bit of humor mixed in with
defensiveness.

“I
know. Sorry.”

“No
problem. It’s a tough problem to have, dancing with Cody and waiting to see
who’s gonna make the first move.”

“It’s
not like that.”
Or is it?

“Uh-huh.
Slow and steady is fine, girl. Just remember that he’s primo and really interested
right now. Don’t let him get bored and tired while you’re trying to figure out
what to do with him.”

Trinity
frowned. Was she doing just that? Playing hard to get too much, leaving Cody
not only guessing, but considering other options? She shook her head.
No.
They seemed to be on an identical
path. She confessed her interest, her intention to help make the relationship
work. So what if they moved at the pace of a caterpillar crossing a street.
“I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page.”

“I hope
so because he’s one hot dude, and he’s obviously sticking to you like no one’s
business. You don’t know how lucky you are.”

Odd.
She never really considered herself lucky before with all the struggles over
the past few years. Certainly this year ranked down on the bottom of the totem
pole for great experiences. However, when she considered the last few days, she
could easily see Lacey’s point. Legacy and she were fine despite a hard fall.
Cody had been a rock through the whole process and really through the entire season.
He could have just about any girl he wanted, yet he hung out with her. Not a
bad deal at all.

She
shunted the conversation away from her personal life and back to a more
professional level. “Speaking of luck, guess who called me and offered her back-up
horse for next weekend?”

“Shannon
Mason?”

Trinity’s
mouth fell open. She knew deep down that Lacey had something to do with this,
but hearing the words completely humbled her. “You knew all along.”

“Well,
yes and no. All I did was get the ball rolling. I called a couple of the other
barrel racers and word spread like wildfire about what happened. They all like
you and wanted to help. From what I understand, one of them is friends with
Shannon. Supposedly, when she heard about the fall, she immediately asked about
you and Legacy, then offered up her mare when she learned that without the
points you might not make it to the finals.”

“Wow.”
For someone who considered themselves alone in the world not too long ago, the
realization that so many people went out of their way to help touched her
tremendously. “I’m just speechless.”

“Oh, it
wasn’t just the barrel racers. The vets had gotten together and started asking
around as well.”

“The
vets?” Confused, Trinity tilted her head and stretched out her legs.

“Yep.
Didn’t you know?”

“Know
what?”

“Cody
started making calls the moment he arrived back at the fairgrounds. Got the
word going around with the rodeo vets. Then he asked me to chip in.”

Her
heart skipped a beat. Cody did all that for her. He promised everything would
work out, then took steps to ensure it.

“I
don’t know what to say.”

Lacey
chuckled. “I would think words of appreciation are in order and then some.”

“Oh,
yeah.”

“Trinity?”

“Hmmm?”

“Seriously,
you and Cody make a great pair. Hang onto him because there’s a definite
shortage of good guys out there.”

Trinity
smiled. “Words of wisdom I’ll try to live by.”

“See
that you do.” Lacey sighed heavily. “Well, time to get ready again.”

“Have a
safe ride.”

“Thanks.
See ya in a couple of weeks.”

“Definitely.”
Trinity hung up and replayed the conversation.

Cody.

She’d
never met a man like him. Granted, her experience with men fell short of what
most women considered average, but he stood heads above the rest. While she
tried to ignore the rampant sex all around the events, the impression and
expectations had sunk in, leaving her with a specific view of men. Hell, even
Cody fit the bill back in his younger years.

Now,
he’d changed. Grown up. Turned into one hell of a man.

He’s
done so much for her already, then set up connections in order to get her a
mount for next weekend. All because of him, she had a second chance at her
dream.

Actions speak louder than words
and this one shouted to the heavens.

Too bad
he was back at the rodeo. Because if he wasn’t, she’d run over, leap into his
arms, and kiss him senseless for his compassion and generosity. Lacey was
right. He was worth hanging onto.

Immediately,
she dialed up his number, then waited for him to answer.

“Yeah?”

“Cody?”

“Trin!
Now this is a surprise. How are you doing?”

She
smiled at his warm reception. “I’m fine and before you ask, Legacy is as feisty
and ornery as ever.”

“That’s
one tough stud. Most horses would have been lame afterward. He just got up and went
back to business.”

“Thank
goodness. I would have lost my mind if he were seriously injured.” She pushed a
stray hair out of her eyes. “I hear I have you to thank.”

“For
what?”

“Talking
to Lacey, spreading the word amongst the rodeo vets.”

“Oh, it
wasn’t much. You needed a hand and I did what I could.”

“Well,
your efforts netted me Shannon Mason’s back-up barrel horse.”

“That’s
wonderful. You should have a decent shot on that one.” Pride and happiness
carried in his tone.

She
grinned. “Absolutely. I’m going up a day early to meet up with Shannon and get
to know her mare.”

“Good
idea.”

She
heard a scuffling noise.

“Shit!”

Trinity
blinked. “Problem?”

“Not
funny, Harris.” Cody blew out a breath. “Just these roping calves trying to
trample me in the pen.”

“Seems
to me, you’re bigger than they are.” She tossed out, tongue-in-cheek.

“Tell
that to the little bastards.”

“Awwww.
If you were here, I’d kiss your boo-boos.”

“Really?”
His voice turned sultry.

Her
stomach flip-flopped at the low baritone sound. “Yep. Especially since you seem
to be my knight in shining armor lately.”

“All
part of the job.”

“Like
Carmen said, that’s bull crap. You went above and beyond for me. Thank you. For
everything.”

“No
problem.” He grunted. “I might have another spot for you to kiss.”

She
laughed. “I’ll tell you right now, I’m not going to kiss your hairy toes.”

“How do
you know they’re hairy?”

“A good
guess?”

“Next
time you want to give me a foot rub, we’ll go sockless. You can see for
yourself.”

“Deal.”

A long
pause followed. “Cody?”

“Huh?”

She bit
her lip, then blurted out the question on the top of her mind. “I know this is
the final rodeo for our circuit. So, do you want to go with me to Cheyenne next
weekend?”