Learning the Ropes (32 page)

“There is no
us,
Delilah. You know damn well nothing happened and you’re going to tell Ali.” Memories began to piece together in his mind. “I helped you last night. That cowboy . . .”

Delilah took a step closer, forgetting the pretense of lying, and sneered at him. “Was a friend of mine. I’m not clearing anything up for you. You and that tramp deserve this.” She turned to leave and stopped, throwing him a glance over her shoulder. “You know, I might be persuaded to tell her the truth if you convince her to stop competing.”

“Why? Because you can’t beat her on your own?” Chris narrowed his eyes. Ali wouldn’t quit this close to winning, and he wouldn’t ask. “You’re so far behind her right now, she’s got this average in the bag.”

Delilah laughed bitterly. “You’re really are an idiot,” she scoffed. “Or did we just hit you in the head too hard last night. I mean she quit altogether. No more rodeos. At all.”

That explained the headache that wouldn’t go away.

Ali had never been closer to competing in the National Finals. He couldn’t ask her to give that up. There had to be another way to prove himself to Ali. Delilah wasn’t that clever so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

“Sorry, Delilah, but it’s going to be far too much fun watching Ali leave you in the dust. I wouldn’t miss that for anything.” He wasn’t about to bow to her conniving ways.

She arched a perfectly waxed brow at him. “Suit yourself. It’s too bad, though. You two made a cute couple.” She pouted at him. “It’s kinda funny that you were the one who introduced her to David. I guess it’s sort of fitting that he gets the girl in the end.”

“What are you talking about?”

She pointed to David’s trailer where Boogie was tied. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was playing you two against each other.” She pressed one hand against her ample bosom in mock outrage. “What a slut!”

Chris had never hit a woman but, if he ever did, this would be the one he’d make the exception for. “You ever mention her name again and I promise you’ll be sorry, Delilah,” he growled through clenched teeth.

“Don’t you get pissy when you don’t get your way?” She laughed as if she didn’t care what he threatened. She looked around make sure she had witnesses. “Too bad you didn’t just keep it in your pants the other night. You weren’t that great anyway.”

“Well, thanks for the warning, Delilah,” he countered. “I’ll be sure to get myself checked out now that I know which STD you’re passing around.” It wasn’t going to make his case to Ali look any better but he wasn’t sure anything was going to make him look worse than he already did.

She narrowed her eyes as the girls began whispering behind their hands and one pointed at Delilah. “You’ll be sorry for that, you bastard,” she hissed.

“Trust me. I’ve never been sorrier than I am that I tried to help you last night.”

He turned on a heel, leaving her staring after him, and headed for David’s trailer. He wasn’t going to cave to Delilah’s threats. He would get the truth about this situation and his best friend was just the person to help. Even if they were barely speaking right now.

D
AVID CLEANED HIS
gelding’s hoof out again but he could see the horse was coming up lame on his front foot. He could ride his mare, it was the reason he brought two horses to every rodeo, but this gelding was the better of the two—far better. This rodeo was leaving him more frustrated every hour. First the fight with Chris, then Ali moving into his trailer, now this? What was next? Chris wasn’t going to be happy about him changing horses but he couldn’t figure out what caused the gelding to go lame for no apparent reason.

“Need help?”

David glanced up in time to see a pretty blond with a rhinestone crown on her hat looking down at him expectantly. Her rhinestone-studded, red Western shirt made him close one eye as the sun glinted off it, blinding him. The crown and sash were dead giveaways and he knew who he was looking at—the rodeo queen.

“You think
you
can help me?”

She cocked her head at him, her long, curled hair tipping to one side. “Yes. Does that seem so unheard of? Or are you usually rude enough to make people not want to help you?”

Setting his gelding’s hoof on the ground, David dusted off his hands on his pants and eyed her. “You’re kinda feisty for a queen, aren’t you?”

“And you’re awfully cocky for a roper with a lame horse.”

He swung his hand toward the horse, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. “I’m so sorry. Please, be my guest.”

She bent over and picked up the foot, pressing with her thumb against several areas of the inside, watching for the animal’s reaction. The gelding twitched as she pushed on the middle. “Looks like he bruised the frog.” She showed him a tender area and pressed against it, pointing out when the horse tried to draw his foot from her. “You’ll need to get your farrier to put some pads on him until it heals. I wouldn’t ride him today though.”

David eyed her speculatively as she carefully released the hoof and patted his horse’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine in a week or so.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the trailer. At least it wasn’t a major injury. “Not bad for a rodeo queen.”

“Yeah? Maybe that’s because I’m a vet first.” She gave him a dazzling smile. “Well, almost a vet. I still have another year to finish.”

“That explains it. So, what do I owe you, Doc?” He wasn’t sure why he was antagonizing this woman when she’d helped him but she seemed to take it in stride. Her pretty blue eyes were mischievous and filled with humor, making him relax a bit.

“I guess I can let you off with a freebie this time, especially since I don’t have my license yet.”

She started to leave and he found himself looking for a reason to keep her lingering. “You gonna be around later, Doc? Just in case he needs you to check up on him again?”

She turned around and flashed him that brilliant smile again. “Are you asking for your horse or yourself?”

“Does it matter?” The door to his trailer opened.

“Hey, David, I hope you don’t mind but I . . . oh! Sorry, I was just—”

David saw the pretty vet narrow her eyes before they clouded over with guarded irritation. “Alicia Kanani, this is . . .” David paused, realizing he didn’t even know her name.

“Summer Williams,” she finished for him, holding her hand out to Alicia. “I was just checking out his gelding’s hoof.”

Alicia looked between the two of them, obviously sensing the tension, and a broad smile spread over her lips. “Miss West Hills Rodeo, right?”

Summer nodded and wiggled the white sash over her chest. “Only until the weekend’s over. I decided to do one last queen’s run. It was nice to meet you, Alicia.” She glanced at David. “You too, David.”

David frowned as she turned to leave. He hadn’t introduced himself.

“Wait a second,” he called after her, jogging to catch up. “How’d you know who I was?”

“I’m the rodeo queen and it’s part of the gig that I stay up on rodeo standings. You and your partner are back up to number four right now.”

If she knew who he was, then she certainly knew Chris. Just the thought of her falling for Chris’s charms soured him.

Why do you even care?

The question took him by surprise and he pushed it aside, not wanting to open that can of worms right now. He had enough trouble at this rodeo for one man to handle.

She glanced back at Alicia. “You’d better get back. I don’t want to make your girlfriend mad and I’m not into flirting with another girl’s cowboy.”

His brows dropped and David shook his head. “Ali’s not my girlfriend. I mean, at one time she was,” he clarified. “But we’re just friends now.”

Summer shook her head, doubtful and laughed. “I’ve heard that one before. I’ll see you around.”

David watched her walk away, feeling disappointed and irritated with himself but unsure as to why, which only frustrated him more. He didn’t like feeling off-balance.

“David, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t worry, Ali. It was nothing. She was just taking a look at his foot for me.”

She cocked a brow and eyed him. “It didn’t look like nothing.”

He didn’t want to argue with her, or think about the situation too closely. He didn’t need any more female complications in his life right now. Between losing the family ranch, dealing with Ali and Chris, and trying to stay in the top standings, he didn’t have a second to waste on any sort of relationship. Especially with someone as high maintenance as a rodeo queen.

She gave him a half-hearted shrug and her eyes grew serious. “David, I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything.” It was an open invitation and he meant it but found his thoughts straying back to the woman who’d just walked away from his trailer.

“I want you to buy out Chris in the rodeo school.” The words spilled from her lips, as if she might take them back if she didn’t say them quickly. “Be my only partner. I can’t do this with him,” she said, her voice catching. She took a deep breath, getting her emotions under control again. “Especially now.”

The sadness in her eyes ate at him. He wanted to do something to alleviate her heartbreak but knew he was the wrong man. The realization stung a bit but he had to be honest with himself. She didn’t love him, she never had. And he hadn’t loved her, at least, not yet, although he was sure they could have headed that direction. David looked away, unable to face the need haunting her eyes. His gaze fell on Summer as she bent over and laughed with a child, tapping the front of his miniature cowboy hat, and his heart lurched at the tender moment. Could he find a way to move on while working with Ali every day?

“I don’t know if I can, Ali.” His eyes flitted back to hers before they sought out the pretty blond rodeo queen again.

She followed his gaze, placing her hands on his shoulder. “We’re friends, right?”

His brow scrunched together in confusion. “Yeah, why?”

“Please, don’t take this the wrong way, and I know you care about me, but we were never more than friends. Even when we both wanted there to be more.” She jerked her chin in Summer’s direction. “And, honestly, I’m happy to see you getting back into that saddle. You’re too great a guy to not have someone to care about you the way you deserve.”

He looked at Summer then back at Ali. He cared about Ali but she was right, they were friends and nothing more. It wouldn’t help either of them to try to force something that wasn’t there. She wasn’t ready to love anyone but Chris and, he knew she was right, he did deserve someone to love him completely. The realization seemed to lift a dark cloud from him, giving him perspective.

“What if I just buy into the rodeo school? Chris already made the offer.”

She shook her head. “I can’t work with him, David,” she whispered. “If you buy him out, you still have your ranch, or at least half of it.” She looked up at him and he could see the unshed tears shimmering in her eyes. “I can try to buy you out at the end of next year like I was going to do with Chris.”

He knew his surprise registered on his face. “Then why did he ask me to join you guys?”

“He doesn’t really believe I’ll buy him out.”

David cocked a brow at her and shook his head in disbelief. “What’s wrong with you two? How do you expect to have any sort of lasting relationship when neither of you believes the other?” His words broke the dam of her tears. “Come here.”

David pulled her into his arms and held her, pretending not to notice the warmth of her tears on his t-shirt or the way she leaned into him for strength. He looked toward the arena in time to see Summer’s questioning blue eyes meet his, curious and slightly accusing.

G
REAT,
HE THOUGHT.
There went any chance with her
. Chris watched David with Ali and the knot of jealousy in his chest tightened, threatening to choke him when she hugged him before taking Boogie to the practice arena. He’d stood by once and almost let David steal her. He wasn’t doing it again. He’d waited too long to lose Ali now.

“I need your help.”

David turned and saw him coming. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the side of the truck. “Good morning to you, too.”

“Is Ali staying with you?”

A smirk slid over David’s face and it took every bit of self-control Chris had not to punch him in the mouth. “I don’t have to answer that. If she wanted you to know, she’d have told you. She’s in the arena right now if you want to talk to her.”

Chris shook his head. “She won’t listen to me anyway. I need you to help me prove I’m telling the truth about Delilah.”

David snorted a laugh. “Why in the world would I do anything for you?”

“Because if you do, you can have my share of the ranch. I just want Ali. If I have my way, we’ll all end up partners anyway.”

David arched a brow. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

“I love her, David. I’m not going to let her go.”

A slow smile spread over David’s face. “Well, it’s about damn time. I wondered if there was anything more than a player under that skin of yours.”

Chris was tired of this reputation and was going to clear it up once and for all. “I was never a player. I dropped most of those women home and slept in my truck.”

David nodded and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because that makes total sense.” He studied Chris. “You’re serious?”

“Is this really that hard for people to believe?”

David’s laughter grated on Chris’s last nerve. “I guess you play the horny hound dog too well.” He caught Chris’s glare and sighed, growing serious. “You really love her?”

“I do.” He shook his head, throwing his hands up. “I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner. I can’t believe the mess I made of all of this.”

“I can,” David muttered, pushing himself off the truck. “You really didn’t sleep with Delilah?”

“I was angry because Ali wanted me to apologize.”

“And you should,” David interrupted.

Chris glared at him. “I drunk but then Delilah came up begging me to help her, that some guy was following her. I got her back into her trailer but I never went inside it.”

“You don’t remember anything after that?” David pointed out.