Cowgirl Up (2 page)

Ten years later…

Trinity
plopped down in the chair directly in front of Legacy’s stall. The portable
tent and stanchions emulated a barn fairly well, considering only the hit and
miss breeze broke the stifling humidity of early summer. She much preferred to
be in a pasture full of shade trees, but at least the thick material offered
relief from the sun and the worst of the Oklahoma heat. Not much could be done
for the mugginess except a cold cloth, a bath for her horse, and the fans
blowing constantly at nearly every electrical outlet.

Finally,
after years of hard work, she’d arrived. Well, not to her peak destination, but
to the first of the large rodeos on the docket for the year. Up to this point,
she’d only attended the smaller ones close by, a single night and then done.
Made for a lot of driving in a short span of time, but she had no choice. Money
and points earned punched her ticket to the big dance at the end of the year.
Luckily, this one filled an entire weekend, giving her a bit more down time
from the driver’s seat of her truck, but also forced her to camp out overnight.
Just par for the course.

She
opened the cooler next to her and pulled out a bottle of water, resting until
time to groom and saddle Legacy for the first night of events. Even now she
could hear the announcer in the large building, muted, but still mostly
discernable despite the walls and three hundred yards separating them.

While
not the most comfortable, the lawn chair and her cot suited her for the
overnight rodeos. Since she refused to leave Legacy’s side, she made due with a
few provisions and dreamed of her own small but cozy room at home.

Legacy.
He’d grown up stout. Big for a barrel horse, brave, determined, and way too
smart for his own good. He made up his own mind and followed through, no matter
what. Most riders wouldn’t tolerate such stubbornness, but Trinity didn’t mind.
They’d been best buddies from day one and he’d do things for her that not even
her mother could make happen. Others doubted a thoroughbred could ever make for
a good barrel horse, even a cross. She knew better.

After
digging a peanut butter sandwich out of her makeshift fridge, Trinity took a
bite, not particularly hungry, but knowing she needed something in her stomach
before sliding in the saddle for a fast and furious sprint.

A tall,
dark-haired man with piercing blue eyes walked up. Recognition clicked, but for
the life of her she couldn’t put her finger on why. Her heart sped at the prime
specimen he presented dressed in her favorite outfit—jeans and cowboy boots.
“Been awhile, Trinity.”

That
unforgettable voice from her past did the trick. Soft, sure, and low, the
baritone timbre still sent shivers down her spine. He could mesmerize the most
frightened animal with such a vocal gift. Probably did so on a routine basis if
he stayed true to his roots. “Cody? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Cody
Winters rodeoed, just like she did, although he was a handful of years older
than she, they still crossed paths. Though he originated from Oklahoma and she
from Kentucky, the circuit knew no boundaries in the Midwest area of the country.
Those serious about such a career drove over several states from one event to
another, thus running into the same people over and over again.

If you
were one of the top names in the business, you could afford to skip the smaller
rodeos and focus on the largest ones held all over the continental U.S. and
into Canada. There, a person could wrack up points and prize money in a hurry,
giving them the luxury of more time off, although they balanced the luxury with
extra time on the road. Unless you were
the
names in the business. Some of those owned a plane and simply flew from
location to location.

How
they got their animals to the rodeo, Trinity didn’t know, but figured it
involved a hired hand performing all the hard legwork.

He
stepped back, met her gaze, and grinned softly. Her belly somersaulted as a
small dimple popped in his cheek. The tall frame contained more muscles than
she recalled and he’d been built way back when. Now, he resembled a sculpted,
handsome tank—tall, powerful, meaty, and unmoving unless he decided to
cooperate. She’d bet her saddle he carried no fat. Not with the way his clothes
fit. Not tight, but cut perfectly to give plenty of tempting glimpses with each
easy movement of his physique. Combined with a chiseled face, square jaw, which
reminded her of a seasoned warrior, and twinkling blue eyes sparkling with
intelligence and something more, he presented a hot tamale package. Yeah, she
appreciated the eye candy, but drew the line there.

Over
the years on the circuit, she’d seen it all. Everything from drinking, drugs,
and sex. Oh, man was there sex. In the chutes behind the scenes, in horse
trailers, stalls. She’d even caught a couple going at it in the bathroom.
Something about attending a rodeo sent people into full-fledged heat. With the
exception of her. She knew personally what happened when a woman got careless
and downright stupid. She’d lived it. Still heard the mean whispers concerning
her parentage and conception today.

“Yep.”
His attention turned to Legacy, who at that time decided to stick his head over
the stall door. “That’s a beaut of a horse, if I ever saw one.” Cody reached
out.

“I
wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she offered in warning.

Legacy
snuffled him in open curiosity for a couple of seconds before making his
displeasure known. Just as Legacy showed his teeth, pinned his ears, and made
to bite, Cody jerked his hand back.

“Damn.”
He stared at the big horse with a mixture of annoyance and awe. “Just like his
father, from the dappled hide and stocky build to the aggressive temperament.”

Trinity
cocked her head. She hadn’t seen Cody in forever, yet he seemed to know lots
about her and her horse. She couldn’t say the same since she rarely
participated in gossip and pretty much kept to herself at each stop so far.
“You know his bloodlines?”

“Who
doesn’t?”

She
shrugged. Ever since she first showed up on the huge gray stallion with the
four white stockings and a blaze, they received more than their fair share of
attention. Since she didn’t care for the spotlight, it became a prickly thorn
in her side. Not to mention Legacy didn’t play well with others. He bit, he
kicked. Basically, he judged a person by his present mood and most of the time
they came up short.

His
behavior had worsened lately. The blame rested on her shoulders. Since the
funeral, she’d been on a roller coaster of emotions, mostly heartache and
loneliness, and Legacy picked up on each and every one. As much as she lectured
herself to pull it together, she couldn’t quite shake the constant companion of
sadness.

Time heals all wounds.

How
many times had she heard that particular quote? As many times as her mother
said ‘if only.’

“Damn
lucky to get a baby out of Another Victory Gallop. I’d still love to hear that
story.”

So
would a lot of others who barraged her with questions, both media and fellow
competitors. Too bad she didn’t feel like talking.

She
took another bite and chewed slowly, refusing to give in to Cody’s curiosity.

The
click of horseshoes caught her attention. Turning her head, Trinity spotted
Lacey leading her paint mare, Candy, down the aisle before opening the door,
and placing her in the stall next to Legacy. The stud immediately plastered his
nose to the bars separating them and nickered. Candy ignored him, turned
around, and started pulling hay from the net tied in the corner.

Lacey
might be a couple of years younger than Trinity, but they meshed well. Both
were in the business for the long haul, but not at the expense of their mounts.
Their horses came first, something that most riders believed, but not all.
She’d been Legacy tested and approved at the first event, which said everything
in Trinity’s book. Add in the fact Lacey didn’t yap all the time, knew how to
keep a secret, and had a good heart, Trinity counted her as one of the few
close friends she possessed.

Cody
chuckled and nodded his head. “Spoken like a true stud.”

Lacey
stepped out of the stall and secured the door behind her. She glanced over at
them, then gave a lopsided grin. “Legacy keeps trying, but Candy isn’t the
least interested.” She chuckled and leaned back against the row of stalls.
“Haven’t seen you in a while, Cody. Whatcha been up to?”

“After
I burned out steer wrestling in high school, I decided it was time to get
serious. Went to vet school after a stint in the military first.”

Trinity
blinked. She hadn’t heard that juicy tidbit before. Especially the military
part. She eyed him in another light. He carried himself differently than she
remembered. More fluid, confident, and flowing. His gaze flicked here and there
as if constantly checking out his surroundings. Definitely not what she
remembered of his actions way back when. Oh sure, he’d always been cocky, but
this spoke of something else. More confidence and ability than just conceit
because the women flocked to him with his link to money and good looks. Pain
flashed and departed in his eyes so quickly, Trinity wasn’t sure she even saw
it. Still, she opted to avoid the whole topic of service. From what little she
knew about war, none of it made for great memories.

“Good
for you. I always thought you would go in partnership with your father.” Cody’s
family owned a large ranch where his father raised both bucking bulls and
horses to provide for the many rodeos around the country each year. Cody had
been born into the profession, although he made sure to enjoy himself along the
way. More than once she caught him flirting with a woman, then sneaking off for
some alone time after the events were finished for the night. A bona-fide
playboy, that’s for sure.

Absently
she wondered if the term still stuck.

Truth
be told, she wished she were in the lucky woman’s shoes each night, absorbing
all of Cody’s attention, as she had a crush on him almost from the first time
she laid eyes on the strapping, good looking steer wrestler. Not surprising
since every other girl appeared to feel the same way. Only she steadfastly
refused to act on her whims whereas others jumped in with both feet. Of course,
she’d been fourteen at the time so way too young for his attentions. That
didn’t stop her from daydreaming.

“I did.
Still help out around the ranch, but spend most of my time on the road treating
large animals in my practice.” His focus shifted back to Legacy. “Just be
careful with that one, Trin. He’s the last horse I want to have to work on.”

“You’re
the vet here?” Lacey asked.

“One of
a handful, yeah. I signed up to be at all the events for the circuit this
year.” He smiled at Lacey wide enough to show a hint of straight white teeth.
“My luck, they’d assign me to that stud and laugh as he kicked the shit out of
me. All part of being the new guy on the block.”

“No
worries. Legacy’s an angel.”

Cody
snorted.

“With
women,” Trinity added with a wry grin.

“Like
that helps me. A bit short in the estrogen department lately if you haven’t
noticed.” Cody shook his head. “Lacey’s been around for a while, but I haven’t
seen you, Trinity. When did you come back?”

She met
his gaze steadily. “This year.” For the life of her she really disliked this
topic of conversation which inevitably led to the question about her mother.

“Miss
the sport?” He tilted his head and met her eyes as if trying to read between
the lines.

She
didn’t give him the chance as she gestured toward Legacy. “Finally got a horse
to get me back.”

“We’re
lucky to have her,” Lacey chimed in. “She reminds the rest of us about the good
old days.”

Trinity
rolled her eyes.
Like I’m that much older
than Lacey and the other younger riders.
At twenty-five, she was hardly
ready to be put out to pasture.

“Yeah,
those were the good times.” The corners of Cody’s lips hitched up but the smile
didn’t reach his eyes.

“Yeah,
they were,” Trinity answered on a somewhat sad note. If only she could go back.

His
cell phone rang. Plucking it from his belt, he answered the call, listened for
a moment, then held up his hand. “Got to go, ladies. See you around.” He spun
on his heel and strode out of the improvised barn.

“Holy
crap. Did you see that ass?” Lacey whispered, still watching where Cody
disappeared out into the sunlight.

“Unfortunately.”
Trinity sighed. She’d always been a sucker for a man with a great rump covered
in Wrangler jeans. Cody possessed one of the finest. She drew in a breath and
committed the sight to memory. Because that’s all it would ever be.

Cody
couldn’t shake the image of Trinity out of his head as he strode back toward
the arena. She was a gawky girl the last time he’d seen her, just entering the
high school circuit. Damn if she hadn’t grown up, filled out, and turned out
pretty. More than that. Beautiful and downright sexy.

Long,
dishwater blonde hair framed an oval face with big blue eyes, the window to her
soul where he could easily lose himself. From what he could tell in her sitting
position, jeans covered a nice curve to her hips while the western shirt,
though loose, hinted at modest, yet perky breasts. The top of her head might
tickle his chin, but good things came in small packages. Trinity did.