Cowgirl Up (9 page)

“I
don’t know. Moving is always such a pain. Too much stuff to pack up. Have to
find a new home, sell the old one, pay movers to take it all across several
states.” She blew out a breath. “Besides Richard is buried there. I would miss
him.”

“You
miss him anyway, dear.” Carmen’s soft voice pointed out the obvious.

Trinity
knew from where Madeleine spoke. She longed for her mother, but reality was a
frozen tundra without the ability to thaw at times. She’d never see her mother
again and a cold slab of granite didn’t make for good company. One of the
lessons learned over the past few months. The past couldn’t be changed, only
the present and future allowed for tweaking. As hard as it was to pick up and
move on, no other option existed. She could wallow in grief or notch out a new
life for herself.

“It’s
easier to be around people that care about you,” Trinity whispered the words,
finding the situation ironic. A few minutes earlier, Madeleine had provided
comfort and reminded her of all the possible homes she could choose. Now,
Trinity returned the favor.

Carmen
grinned. “I could always use another stable attendant.”

Madeleine
chuckled. “I hear the hours are long, the pay marginal, and getting covered in
mud, muck, and horse flies are a given.”

“Well…”

“Victory
would love the extra attention.” Trinity tossed in her ace in the hole.

Madeleine
turned her way. “He’s always been my favorite. And, I love to visit in the
spring and see all his babies running around the paddocks with their mothers.”
While Madeleine no longer raced her horses, she still followed Victory’s
offspring, both on and off the track. The handful of mares she owned produced
foals as well. Most were sold as yearlings at the annual sale, but she’d held
onto a couple of fillies from last year’s crop.

“Will
you at least think about it?” Trinity asked before tossing her dirty sponge
back into the sudsy bucket.

“Please?”
Carmen chimed in.

Madeleine’s
gaze flicked between the two before she smiled softly. “I’ll
think
about it.”

“Yes!”
Trinity pumped her fist.

“That’s
no promise, young lady. It’s just an
if
.”

“It’s a
start.” Feeling a huge weight lifted from her shoulders, Trinity smiled happily
at her mentor.

Maybe,
just maybe things were looking up.

“Anyone
up to give me a lesson in pie baking?”

Both of
the older ladies blinked down at her, wry grins cropping up on their faces.

“I’m
sure we can manage.” Carmen chuckled and walked toward the exit.

Cody
watched in envy as Trinity ran a finishing cloth over Legacy’s sleek hide. To
have those same hands caressing him, teasing, leaving fires in their wake until
she opted for mercy, found his aching cock, and stroked. Then she’d drop to her
knees, and lick the end of his dick, lapping up the juices leaking from the
slit. He’d thrust inside her mouth, feel her swallow every inch, then shoot his
load straight down her throat. Or, spin her around, bend her over, and mount up
like a randy stallion taking a filly in heat. Maybe both.

His erection
twitched with the image, then swelled in record time. Biting back a groan, he
grasped for a distraction, anything to ease the hard-on he presently sported.

Shit, I need to get laid
.

Shifting
his weight, he subtly adjusted himself while Trinity had her back to him. Just
what he needed right now, red hot horniness. Not just for anyone, either. Only
the blonde currently grooming her horse just a few steps away would do.

“What
do you think?”

He
startled for a second, thinking she’d somehow eavesdropped on his heavily
sexually laden thoughts. Looking up, he found her staring at him with a bemused
expression on her face.

Which
only turned up the burner on his already rampant libido.

“Pretty.”
The form fitting jeans, her slim build, and youthful face all rolled into a
beautiful package. One he seemed unable to banish from his mind from week to
week. Hell, she’d started invading his dreams a couple days back. Wet dreams
for sure.

She
giggled. “I meant Legacy, silly.”

He joined
in the fun. “I meant you both.”

“Uh-huh.”

Exiting
the stall, she tossed the cloth in a bucket filled with grooming tools, secured
the door, and plopped down in one of the two waiting lawn chairs. She grabbed a
bottled water and tossed it Cody’s direction. “Catch.”

He
easily snared the plastic bottle out of the air, then sat down in the chair
facing Trinity, automatically opening the cap and taking a long drink.
“Thanks.”

“Welcome.”
She took a sip, then her gaze met his. “Busy day?”

“Yeah.
Pretty much anything that could go wrong, did. I ran non-stop and these new
boots sure didn’t help.” He ran a hand through his hair, worn out from constant
calls since last night. He might have managed two hours sleep during the night
before a contractor called about yet another injured animal. On top of it all,
his feet hurt from breaking in new footwear the hard way. At least his shift
ended at noon, giving him time to chill for a while.

When did I turn into such a
whiny wimp?
He
berated himself for complaining.

Pain was
a given in the life of a SEAL. Sore feet didn’t even register compared to what
he’d been through.

“Wonder
why?”

He
shrugged and focused back on the topic at hand. “Full moon? Murphy’s Law? Luck
of the draw? Who knows?”

Trinity
appraised him with such a soft expression, his breath hitched. Pride broadcast
loudly in her eyes along with a healthy dose of mischief. She set her drink
aside, stood, and grabbed onto one of his boots.

“What
are you doing?”

“Taking
off your boots, silly. Your feet won’t feel better until they get some air.”

He
waved her hands aside and performed the act himself. Sitting there in bare
socks seemed odd, but sure felt a hell of a lot better.

Trinity
scooted her seat closer, latched onto his ankle, and lifted one of his feet
into her lap.

He
arched an eyebrow her direction. “Now what are you doing?”

“Foot
rub.” Using both hands, she caressed his aching foot and sent sparks of delight
rushing through his body. Oddly enough, her actions only whetted his desire all
the more. He slouched a bit in his seat, hoping to hide the bulge in his jeans.

“Mmmm.”
He already felt better. “That’s wonderful.”

He’d
missed her last weekend since she chose to skip the circuit and head straight
to Denver. The event had proven mundane without her to visit with. He worked,
ate, and slept. Nothing more exciting than that. His restlessness returned as
well as a healthy dose of discontent.

The
realization struck him hard. Trinity soothed him with her gentle presence.
Without her, he fell back into the all too familiar pit of uneasiness, the same
feeling that followed him since his injury and refused to relent until he
started hanging out with the pretty blonde barrel racer. He wasn’t about to let
such a precious gift fall from his grasp. Thus, this week he decided to step up
the pursuit a notch and see where the road led.

“Can’t
have our favorite vet gimpy.” Her hands roamed over his skin, found more
tension, and coaxed the tired muscles into relaxation.

“Favorite
vet?”

“Yep.”

Her
admission pleased him. Patting his thigh, he encouraged her to mirror his
position. “Give me your foot.”

She
shook her head. “I’m fine. You’re the one who’s been up all night working.”

He
snorted, bent over, snagged her lower leg, and quickly pulled off her boot to
reveal a cute white anklet sock underneath. Setting the boot aside, he placed
her foot on his leg and started rubbing.

Her
eyes widened, then narrowed as pleasure coated her face. “You’ve got good
hands.”

“So I’m
told.” He longed to touch her elsewhere, cup her breasts, explore her mound,
delve into her moist well. Know her body inside and out before thrusting for
home. To feel those glorious hands of hers exploring his body and his aching
cock.

He
mentally shook his head, dispelling the erotic thoughts.
At this rate I’ll need a cold shower after a simple foot massage.
Pretty damn pitiful.

“Are
you going to get a nap this afternoon?” She peeked up at him through her
lashes.

“Don’t
need it.” He might be a bit tired, but was nowhere near the end of his rope.
SEAL training taught him to continue on without sleep. For days if needed. He
might have retired from the military, but some habits stuck with him, so
ingrained they always would.

Trinity
tilted her head. “I never asked. Do you get a room each weekend? Have an RV?
Where do you sleep and eat while on the road?”

“My
uncle has an RV. Since he likes me, I get to sleep on his couch.” He chuckled
at Trinity’s widened eyes and opened mouth. “I prefer the couch, actually.
Crawling up in bed with a man who snores like a bulldog isn’t my idea of a way
to a good night’s sleep.”

“So you
have home away from home?”

“Sort
of. While the RV has all the amenities, we really don’t cook that much. My aunt
makes sure the fridge is stocked, but that’s about the limit. We eat out a lot.
But, it saves having to pay for hotel rooms each weekend.”

“I
thought the rodeo association would cover your room and board.” She moved lower
to work on his instep.

“Wishful
thinking. Budgets are tight, so that’s one of the perks that went out the
window a couple years ago.” He molded her foot and gently stroked, finding the
mutual massage and conversation actually relaxing. He couldn’t imagine doing
this with any other woman than Trinity. It felt right, soothing.

Just
another reason he’d decided to step up to the plate. The end of the rodeo
season was fast approaching, thus he needed to find out what, if anything,
existed between them before they parted ways. Maybe forever. That meant hanging
out with her during his free time, getting to know her a bit more, and asking
her out. He’d managed two of the three so far today.

“What
about the finals. Are you going to be one of the vets there?”

He read
the hope in her expressive eyes. “Yeah. Since it’s the largest event with the
most livestock, they pull in most of the circuit vets in order to have people
available 24-7. With all the expensive animals there for a full ten days, they
don’t want to take any chances.” He paused to take another drink, then slide
the cold beverage between his legs with the hope it might cool off his heated
blood and throbbing cock. “Since you’re the points leader, you’re automatically
in, right?”

She
nodded and beamed. “Yep. Lacey too. If nothing changes this weekend, we’re both
in.”

“Well
deserved.”

“Thanks.”
Trinity indicated she needed his other foot. Cody obliged by resting his other
foot on her thigh while taking the opportunity to gather up her other foot,
remove her footwear, and set it aside.

Immediately,
they went to work on the new foot, stroking and kneading.

“Do you
ever miss steer wrestling?”

He
considered the query for only a second. “Not really. Hard on the body.
Definitely a young man’s sport.”

Trinity
offered up a soft smile. “Bet you could still go out there and win a round or
three. You were always one of the top competitors.”

The
praise sent a puff of warmth over him. “I think I’ll leave the sport to the
spring roosters. I get plenty of wrestling with those roping calves that are
full of attitude and just big enough to bowl a guy over.”

She
continued to massage his foot making it feel so much better. He’d never had a
foot rub before but quickly decided he’d line up for the service as long as
Trinity was on the giving end.

“Don’t
tell me those adorable baby calves are difficult?” Her eyes shined with unveiled
humor.

He
snorted. “Difficult? More like crafty. All innocent and sweet until you get
close then it’s all out chaos, combined with a game of trample the vet in the
process. I swear they all have it in for me. Deceptively cute but damn
uncooperative. Why do you think I have to deal with them? The other guys paid
their dues and stick to the animals you can shove into a chute these days.
They’d rather take on the biggest bulls than deal with those little ruffians.”

Trinity
laughed, the melodic sound putting a grin on his face.

Never
in his wildest dreams did he imagine sitting in the horse barn at a rodeo
shooting the bull with a pretty woman while they worked on one another’s feet.
Yet, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Not when he was secretly having a ball.
Comfortable. Content. Happy. Words he hadn’t used in a long while.

“But
they’re cute.”

“Uh-huh.
All part of their disguise.”

She
arched an eyebrow his direction. “Did you really have sex with Aubrey in the
bucking chutes?”

He kept
his lips firmly closed, but couldn’t hold back the amused smile.

“Well,
did you?” She pressed on his instep and banished the tightness with her gentle
touch.

A bit
uncomfortable, he glanced up at the ceiling before returning to meet her gaze.
“Here’s the scoop. I only did half of what people reported that I did.”

She
pursed her lips. “Which half?”

He
chuckled and ran his hands over her delicately carved arch. “Now that would be
telling.”

“Exactly.
So spill the beans.”

“Not
happening.” He shook his head.

“Why
not?”

“Because
I’m smart and smart men never talk about past exploits.”
In front of my current conquest.
He didn’t dare tack that last part
on. Not yet.

Her
face scrunched up in bafflement. “What’s all the locker room talk about then?”

“Bragging.
Boasting. Making up stories to show off in front of the other guys.”

“And
they say women are the gossips.” She snorted.

He
chuckled. “Not touching that with a pitchfork.”

“My
brother didn’t raise a dumb one.” Jared’s voice broke into their conversation.

Trinity
tensed and twisted in her seat.

Cody
watched his uncle stride toward them with a bemused grin. The old coot had been
eavesdropping. He’d been too distracted by Trinity to notice Jared’s entry into
the area. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Jared
stopped beside them both. “Anytime.”

Trinity
tried to take her feet back, but Cody held on tight. No reason to stop the
massage just because his uncle appeared. “Trinity, this is my uncle, Jared.
Jared I think you already know Trinity.”

Jared
tipped his hat in her direction. “Pleasure. I’ve been watching you run. Quite a
stud you have.”

She
smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“No,
thank you for giving this old man something to look forward to each weekend.”
The corners of his mouth hitched up. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he glanced
down at Cody’s feet on Trinity’s lap, “the foot massage clinic, but I’d heard a
rumor of some delicious pie with my name written on a piece. I don’t mean to be
beggin’ like a common street urchin, but this kid doesn’t seem to be trotting
back to the camper with a pie anytime soon and I have this hankerin’ for
something sweet.”

Cody
snorted. His uncle was pouring it on big time. Good thing he’d worn boots to
wade through all the crap Jared laid down.