Learning the Ropes (7 page)

He almost groaned out loud when he saw her horse drop his shoulder, slowing down as they curled around the barrel. He could hear her encouraging the gelding, yelling for speed as she headed for the final turn. She sat deep into her saddle as he slid toward the final barrel, hugging it closely without touching it. As they rounded the turn, Alicia leaned forward in her saddle, urging him for more speed. David was caught up with the crowd.

“Come on, come on,” he muttered, ignoring the look Chris gave him. “Push him,” he whispered, glancing at the clock. “You got this.”

She was practically lying over the horse’s neck, one with the animal as he stretched out, his massive rump rippling with muscles, his hooves pounding in the dirt as she crossed the finish line.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. The time to beat will be 15.43. That’s gonna be tough to do no matter how easy this lovely lady makes it look.”

David could see the smile curving her full lips. She was thrilled and wasn’t even trying to hide it. It was an amazing ride. He started down the bleachers with Chris right behind when he saw his father across the stands, heading toward him. “Crap,” he muttered.

Chris followed his gaze and frowned. “When did he get here?”

“I don’t know.” David didn’t hold out much hope that his father had missed their event. While other people fawned over his father and his past rodeo fame, Chris had seen enough of Colt Greenly’s drunken tirades to dread any appearances he made these days.

“Go congratulate Ali. I’ll be there in a minute after I see what he wants.”

Chris adjusted his straw cowboy hat and looked at David from under the brim. “You sure you don’t want me to stay as a buffer?”

David shook his head. “No, I’ll take care of him. I just hope he’s not planning on hanging around.”

He made his way toward his father, noticing the way he was stumbling through the crowded stands. Chances are he was already drunk, which was going to make him antagonistic. It was easier to go to him than to let him try to navigate the bleachers with his bad leg. David knew getting around the rodeos and the ranch was becoming more difficult as the old riding injury flared up more often. It also didn’t help that his father looked like he’d gained about twenty pounds in the few months since David had gone back on the road. David talked with his brother about how they could get their dad to a doctor, but his father refused to listen, preferring to drink his pain away, which didn’t help his tendency to be vocal in his criticism.

“Hey, Dad.” He pretended to be happy to see him but he knew he’d never been good at hiding his feelings.

“You seem kinda cheery for a loser.”

David clenched his jaw and inhaled slowly, reminding himself of the people surrounding them and why he couldn’t say what he was thinking right now.

“We didn’t lose, Dad. We just didn’t place in the money.” He started back toward the trailer. At least there wasn’t an audience there.

His father looked down his nose at his much shorter son. “If you don’t get paid, you lost.” His father sighed loudly. “It wasn’t even you that lost it. I don’t understand why you and your brother can’t just rope together. Why’d you go and pick this kid for your header?”

“Stop,” David warned his father.

His father hadn’t agreed with his decision to rope with Chris instead of his brother. Even though his brother suggested the arrangement—one of the only times they’d defied their father—before buying a cattle ranch and settling down with his high school sweetheart. His father still wasn’t able to accept the decision. David wished he could put his foot down to his father the way his brother had; however, now that his brother retired from professional rodeo, their father was even more determined that David carry on the NFR torch.

David caught a glimpse of Alicia and Chris walking back toward the trailers, her reins held loosely in her hand as her gelding followed like a dog on a leash. He saw her head fall backward with laughter at something Chris said and jealousy churned in his belly. She was exactly the kind of woman he hoped to find someday and settle down with—kind, determined, ambitious, beautiful inside and out. He hadn’t known her long enough to believe she was “the one” but he sure didn’t want to miss the opportunity to find out if she might be.

Chris slid his arm around Alicia’s slim shoulder and gave her a squeeze. It was a friendly gesture but there was something in the way Chris looked at her that troubled David. There was an eagerness in his friend’s eyes he didn’t like. He’d seen the same look in Chris’s eyes last night on the dance floor. Chris couldn’t be interested in Alicia. Why would he have set them up if he were?

“Are you even listening to me?” His father’s gruff voice broke into his thoughts. He followed the direction of David’s gaze. “Tell me you aren’t getting distracted by some bunny.”

“She’s not a bunny, Dad, and no, I’m not losing focus. I know what I need to do and I’m doing it.” He didn’t want to throw Chris under his father’s scrutiny any further by pointing out that he was the one who’d lost focus this morning. “Everyone is entitled to an off day.”

“Not if you want to get to the Finals.” His father frowned at Chris and Alicia. “And he needs to remember he’s here to rope cattle not women, even if they do throw themselves at him.”

“She is not throwing herself at him.” David clenched his jaw. “They have been friends for years.”

“Yeah,” his father scoffed, “they look like
friends
.”

David had had enough and spun on his father. “Was there a reason you came? Or do you just want to criticize?”

His father narrowed his eyes, ignoring David’s question. “You’re falling for some gold-digging barrel racer?”

Colt Greenly was far too observant for his son’s liking but David wasn’t going to give him the ammunition admitting the truth would offer. He quirked a brow at his father, waiting for him to say what he wanted so he could leave.

He chuckled. “You’re a fool, boy. Leave the bunnies alone and stick to the job at hand.” He moved down the last few metal steps of the stands. “I’m moving onto your brother’s property. We’re putting a trailer on the place and I’m selling the ranch.”

“What? Why?” David couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice. Their ranch had been passed down from father to son for several generations. His father loved the ranch, raised his boys on it. In fact, he’d been furious when David’s brother had chosen to buy a ranch instead of running theirs. It might be a lot of work and, with his injury worsening, David knew it was difficult for his father to keep up, but he couldn’t picture it being sold to a stranger. “What did Christian say?”

“He knows the ranch is just sucking money at this point. It needs repairs I can’t afford. I’ll just buy a modular and put it on his property. It will be easier for everyone.” His father eyed him as if waiting for David to bite at the bait he offered.

What his father wasn’t saying was that if he sold the place, he wouldn’t have to work at all and could continue to drink his pain away in privacy. He wondered how much of that money would be used for liquor or gambling. David couldn’t help his father if he wouldn’t admit there was a problem and Colt had no desire to face his demons.

“I hate to see you sell the place, Dad. Is there something I can do to help?”

“Yeah, win.” His father looked around to see if anyone was nearby and lowered his voice. “If you paid off the mortgage I took out on it, it could stay in the family. But you’d need to find someone to run it when you’re gone. My leg . . .” He pressed his hand against his thigh, as if trying to remind David of the painful injury. Like the man ever let either of his sons forget what he’d sacrificed.

And when did his father take out a mortgage? The property had been paid in full for years. He had no idea his father had taken out a loan against it but he didn’t have the funds to pay it off nor did he know anyone who could run a ranch of that size while he was driving across the country, rodeoing.

“Dad, I . . .” David shrugged. “I would if I could.” He looked down at the ground, ashamed to turn his father down.

Colt sighed, his disgust obvious. “That’s what I figured.” He shook his head. “I thought I did better than this with you boys.”

“Dad—”

“No,” he interrupted David, holding up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. I’ll let you know when the sale goes through. Maybe between now and then you can find some sort of miracle for your old man.”

David didn’t miss the caustic tone, just one more barb his father passed along to his boys. Wasn’t it bad enough he’d antagonized their mother until she ran out, but now he seemed intent on pushing his sons away, too. David watched his father limp away, pasting on a smile when several younger cowboys stopped him, asking for his autograph. He was grateful for the sense of family loyalty his mother and brother instilled in him growing up but, right now, it was nothing more than another boulder on the mountainous pressure weighing him down.
So I’m supposed to carry on the family name and win the title while somehow saving the ranch?
David’s hand curled into a fist and he wished he could find something to punch.

Chapter Five

A
LICIA LEANED FORWARD
on the fence, watching the last of the barrel racers making their runs. So far her time was holding strong; no one had even come near it, but she wasn’t ready to celebrate yet. There were three more girls to go and one of those was Delilah and the $200,000 horse her father bought to help her win. Her stomach twisted and did a backflip when she heard Delilah’s name called over the loudspeaker. Alicia watched her charge into the arena, leather quirt between her teeth. Determination was etched on her brow and Alicia felt sorry for the horse, knowing Delilah would be whipping it for more speed in the stretch.

As Delilah came around the first turn, Alicia found herself willing the barrel to topple and her heart leapt when she saw how closely Delilah cut the second barrel, certain it would fall. She cringed when she didn’t even seem to touch it and her horse continued its furious pace toward the second and then third barrels before speeding home. Alicia glanced at the clock as Delilah’s horse stretched out, running hard, and seconds ticked past. 15.39 . . . 15.40 . . . 15.41. The buzzer sounded, signaling a finish, and Alicia’s head fell forward.

“Damn it,” she whispered.

Chris and David flanked her on either side and she hated that they witnessed her disappointment, especially considering she was still in the money and they were going home empty-handed, but did she really have to come in second to Delilah again? Maybe Delilah was right and she was just out of her league.

“That sucks.”

David’s words summed up her feelings precisely. She’d hoped she’d be able to earn enough at her hometown rodeo to finally put an offer on the property. She was dying to tell her parents she’d bought them a house and to make her father’s dream a reality but apparently it wasn’t going to happen this weekend.

“Look at it this way, Ali,” Chris said, circling his arm around her shoulders and giving a quick squeeze to cheer her up, “it took a horse that cost nearly a quarter million to beat you.”

She rolled her eyes and frowned at him. “Thanks, that helps so much.”

David chuckled at her sarcasm but she could read the sympathy in his dark eyes. She sighed. “I’m going to get the horses home.”

Alicia made her way down the bleachers, hoping to be one of the first to the rodeo secretary to collect her check and avoid Delilah altogether.

David followed her. “Why don’t you come out with us tonight and drown your sorrows in a beer at the Ole Corner,” he offered.

Alicia turned and faced the two of them. “I should probably stay home. With Beast dropping his shoulder, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me this week. I’ve got to make sure next week’s run is just as good or better.”

“Come on, Ali.” Chris bumped her arm with his elbow, playfully. “You’re the only one who won any money today. We’ll let you buy us a round.”

“Really, Chris? I can buy?” she feigned excitement, rolling her eyes skyward. “Such a gentleman.” She covered her heart with both hands before fanning her face. “Be still my heart.”

David arched a brow as she mocked Chris. “Nice to see every woman isn’t immune to your charm.”

“She wants me,” Chris countered and gave her a wink.

Alicia glared at him. His remark hit a little too close to the truth for her liking. Even as she fought the urge to melt into a puddle at his feet, she wondered, when he looked at her like that, if he didn’t suspect the truth. She might be able to joke with him and pretend she didn’t feel anything more than a casual friendship but that didn’t stop her from imagining what it would be like to be held by Chris again, or to kiss him, or have his hands . . .

Stop,
she ordered her wayward thoughts.
No sense even fantasizing since it was never going to happen.
Chris had left a string of broken hearts behind him and she wasn’t about to have hers tossed into the battered debris.

“Look out!” a voice called.

David yanked Alicia backward just as a big sorrel barreled past, nearly running her over. “Watch where you’re going,” David yelled after the rider.

Delilah circled the frantic animal and looked backward over her shoulder. “Oh, so sorry. I was just so excited about my win . . . my head must be in the clouds.” Her voice was sickeningly sweet and made Alicia want to gag. Or throw something at her as she continued running her horse through the crowd.

“I really hate her,” Alicia muttered. “Why did it have to be her?”

“That’s exactly why you need to come out with us tonight,” Chris urged. “We’ll have so much fun, you’ll forget about bleached blonds with sugar-daddy aspirations. Besides, at least you didn’t lose.”

“Just leave her alone, Chris. If she doesn’t want to go, it’s fine.” David sounded enraged and she wondered at his intensity. “And we didn’t lose.”

Chris stopped and scowled at his partner. “I didn’t mean us. Are you going to hold his over my head all night because I thought we talked about this already?”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t really change the fact that we’re barely holding on to the top ten by our fingernails now, does it?”