Roses and Rodeo (Rough and Ready) (12 page)

Danica was out of the car and hurrying toward Jessie and Zane before Creed had a chance to come around to her side and help her out. The pretty redhead had a cute grin and her body was even more curvaceous after having had a child.

“Jessie.” Danica hugged her sister-in-law. “So good to see you.” Then Zane embraced her in a tight squeeze.

“Good to have you home,” Jessie said.

Zane gave a nod. “About damned time,” he said and Danica laughed.

“Let me see Chelsea.” Danica held out her arms and took the redheaded two-year-old from Jessie.

Chelsea gave a broad smile. “Aunt Dani!”

Danica kissed the girl’s cheek then turned to Creed who had come up behind her. “Creed, this is my sis-in-law, Jessie, my brother, Zane, and my niece, Chelsea.” She looked from Jessie to Zane and gestured to Creed. “This is Creed McBride.”

Creed took Jessie’s hand and gave her a smile then shook hands with Zane who was giving him an appraising look. Danica wanted to punch her brother in the shoulder. She was a grown woman and her brothers were still on the watch for her when it came to men.

“Come on in.” Jessie made a gesture toward the house.

Danica carried Chelsea on her hip as they walked. Their boots thumped on the hardwood floor as they entered the home that was spacious and open with high-vaulted ceilings. The western artwork and décor had been their mother’s doing before she passed away, but Jessie had added her touches, too, which made the house even homier. Jessie was a photographer and everywhere there were pictures of family, especially Chelsea.

In front of a huge entertainment center and a big screen TV was a long leather L-shaped couch and another fabric couch with a western design. The views were incredible from the front and back through the big picture windows. She’d loved growing up here and missed it.

“We’ve got iced tea, lemonade, and munchies to eat for now. Zane is going to fire up the grill,” Jessie said and they followed her. “Everyone else will be here soon.”

“By everyone else I’m assuming you mean all our brothers and sisters-in-law?” Danica asked with a smile as she held Chelsea.

“Every last one of them.” Jessie went to the counter and picked up a couple of bowls of dip. “Can you grab the chips and pretzels?” she asked.

Chelsea squirmed. “I want down.”

“Say please,” Jessie said as she held the bowls.

“Please,” the two-year-old said clearly.

“There you go.” Danica set Chelsea on her feet.

Chelsea smiled as she looked up at Danica. “Thank you,” she said before running to her father and shouting, “Daddy!” Zane opened his arms and scooped his daughter then tossed her up about a foot. The little girl squealed with laughter and said, “Again, Daddy! Again!”

Creed picked up bowls of potato and corn chips and Danica grabbed the pretzels. They followed Jessie out to the back porch where two long picnic tables were already set up.

The doorbell rang and Jessie hurried to answer it. Zane set Chelsea down and she started chasing a butterfly around the spacious backyard on the lush grass.

One after another everyone arrived and Danica introduced Creed to each of them. Her twin brothers Wayne and Wyatt and their wives, Kaitlyn and Sabrina, were first. Kaitlyn was very pregnant, her and Wayne’s baby due any time.

Next came Dillon and his wife, Carly.

To a one her brothers looked Creed over. Dillon recognized him.

“It is sure nice to meet you, Creed,” Dillon said. “I’ve seen you ride a lot over the years. Winning a world championship a couple of times is an amazing feat.”

Creed nodded. “Well, thank you.”

Danica didn’t know if that would win points for him or lose them. Who knew what men had going on in their heads sometimes?

The five men all stood near the grill with her brothers asking Creed questions about bull riding, where he was from, and what else he did besides bull riding.

Danica watched Creed. He looked comfortable and at ease with being around her family. Her brothers’ scrutiny and protectiveness didn’t seem to faze him at all.

After dinner, Chelsea brought Creed a flower she’d picked. “For you,” she said.

He grinned and crouched down so that he was eyelevel with Chelsea. “Thank you.” He took the bright yellow flower that she offered him.

Danica watched as he spent time with Chelsea, listening to her chatter and talking to her. She smiled. He would make a good father some day. The thought sent queer feelings through her belly. Creed as the father to her child… She could picture him with a dark-haired little girl or a boy. Could see him teaching them to ride their bikes, play baseball, and ride a horse.

No bull, though. She couldn’t handle a bull rider son.

Her insides stirred at the thought of really having a family with Creed.

It was almost as if Creed had heard her thoughts. He raised his head and looked at her and then she couldn’t read his expression. It took her aback for a moment. He held her gaze then turned back to Chelsea and smiled at her.

What had that been all about? Had he guessed at the feelings and thoughts running through her?

Where had those thoughts come from, anyway? A father who toured the circuit wouldn’t be home long enough to be the kind of husband and father that she was looking for.

She groaned inwardly. This was all just crazy.

The afternoon went well and by that evening, it looked as though her brothers liked Creed, which was a relief to Danica. Her brothers’ approval mattered to her more than she liked to admit.

They played horseshoes in the backyard while it was still light, then went in the house and played poker well into the night after Chelsea had been put to bed. The huge dining room table fit ten, which worked out perfectly for the four Cameron brothers and their wives, along with Danica and Creed.

The exciting news of the night was that both Sabrina and Carly were pregnant and due within weeks of each other. They’d both held off waiting to announce it until the whole family was together. Carly and Sabrina had been close friends long before they met two of the Cameron brothers.

While she sat next to Creed, Danica wondered what it would be like to be pregnant with his child. The thought came out of nowhere and her cheeks warmed when Creed asked her what she was thinking about because she’d gone quiet.

“Thinking about how I’m going to kick butt at this game tonight,” she said.

Her brothers laughed. “Danica is a force to be reckoned with in just about everything, including poker,” Wyatt said. “You’ve got to watch out for her.”

Creed smiled at Danica. “Oh, believe me, I am.”

Chapter 16

Danica cringed as a raging bull trampled on the last bull rider of the day. A “wreck” the announcers called them each time something happened like this. She wanted to cover her eyes but she made herself watch. If she was going to be with Creed, she had to come to terms with the fact that he could be the next one beneath the bull’s hooves.

She shifted on the wooden seat where she sat between a man whose belly was spilling over the top of his big gold and silver belt buckle, and a pair of giddy teenagers who looked like they were buckle bunnies in the making.

As the bullfighters managed to get the bull out of the ring, the cowboy was helped to his feet. He let the men assisting him know that he was all right and then got out of the ring on his own power. The crowd cheered and the bull rider waved his hat at everyone.

Her phone rang and she dug it out of her jeans pocket and answered it almost absently.

“Danica,” Barry said the moment she answered. “I need to talk with you.”

Damn it
. Why didn’t she look at the caller ID?

She blew out a breath. “Barry, I really don’t have time—”

“Your cowboy is cheating on you,” Barry said. “I have proof.”

Heat flooded Danica. A combination of shock at what Barry had said, and anger that he was somehow spying on Creed.

Creed wouldn’t cheat on her. There had to be a simple explanation.

“I don’t believe you, Barry.” Danica shook her head. “As a matter of fact, I want you to stay out of my life. Don’t call me, don’t stop by, don’t contact me in any way.”

“Dani—” he started but she pressed the
off
button and severed the connection.

“Bastard,” she mumbled under her breath. She was sick and tired of him. She’d tried to break it off gently, then had been direct but still friendly on more than one occasion. Then she’d started ignoring his calls and wouldn’t answer the door when he stopped by.

Obviously he didn’t get it and likely never would.

The wrap up of the event seemed to take a while, but maybe that was because her mind kept turning over what Barry had said. And she continued to tell herself that Barry was wrong. She knew in her heart that Creed would never do that to her.

When it was over, she got up from the wooden bench seat, brushed off her bottom with her palms, then headed down the steps and out of the stands.

After moving with the crowd leaving the arena, she paused mid-step, trying to remember where she was supposed to meet Creed. She continued on and walked toward the bullpens.

She came to a full stop when she caught sight of Creed. He was with the same blonde woman who’d been in the bar in Las Vegas, the same one he’d talked to in Prescott.

The heat that had flooded her earlier returned. Was Barry right? Could Creed be having an affair?

No.
Creed wouldn’t do that to her.

Would he?

She hated the doubt now in her mind, but she couldn’t shake it as she watched Creed with the blonde. They were walking together and talking and then they disappeared around the side of a building.

A light breeze stirred Danica’s hair and she pushed wisps of it out of her face. She had never been an insecure woman who jumped to conclusions. There had to be a reason why he was talking with the blonde.

She waited for Creed to come back outside. A few people she knew came by and she gave each one a wave and one stopped to chat with her for a moment.

When Creed finally came out, carrying his gear, she went up to him. He kissed her hard then drew back and grinned. His grin lessened a bit as he asked, “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Not at all.”

With a nod he indicated the direction where the Mustang was parked. “Ready to go?”

“Ready when you are.”

As they walked, a part of her wanted to ask him about the woman, but she didn’t want to come off as jealous or demanding. She needed to continue trusting him.

He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked and she leaned into him. “Nice ride today,” she said.

“Wasn’t enough to take first,” he said, “but the points were still a boost to my overall total.” He took her hand with his free one and squeezed it. “Ready to head on home?”

She shrugged as she realized she wasn’t ready. She wanted to spend time with Creed. A weekend here and there just wasn’t enough.

“Hey.” He released her hand and put an arm around her shoulders. “I can head to San Diego after this weekend in New Mexico. Do you have time in the middle of the week? That way I can come out between events.”

She met his gaze. “Evenings are free but days I have to work. I’ve already taken off time and don’t have much left.” She couldn’t find it in herself to smile. “This is hard, Creed. Never knowing when I’ll see you again and always worrying about you.”

He looked thoughtful. “We’ll figure out something.”

She rested her head against his shoulder as they walked. “I hope so.”

* * * * *

Danica sat at a small table in Starbucks as she reviewed a project for work on her iPad. She stopped at the coffee shop most mornings before she went to work and had a caramel macchiato, her favorite.

It was the Thursday following her weekend in Sonoita with her family and Creed. She missed him more than she wanted to admit. A lot more.

She was lost in thought when someone sat across from her. She looked up and saw that it was Barry.

“We need to talk,” he said as he set a manila envelope on the table between them.

She let out a sigh of frustration. “The only thing I’m interested in is you agreeing that we’re just friends. If not, then we have nothing to talk about.”

“I know you are angry with me,” Barry said with a sincere expression. “But I care about you and I don’t want you with the wrong man.”

“I’ve heard enough.” She got to her feet as he pulled an eight by ten black and white photo out of the envelope. She went still.

It was a photograph of Creed with the blonde woman that she’d been seeing him with. He had his forehead to hers and it looked like an intimate moment.

Her face started to burn and her skin prickled as Barry laid one photograph down after another of Creed and the woman.

As Barry laid them down, he pointed to dates and times on each photo of Creed and the blonde. Her knees nearly gave out and she sat in her seat again. She wanted to deny what she was seeing, what she was hearing, but nothing made sense anymore.

“How did you get these?” Her words came out in a near whisper.

“Something about the guy made me worry about you.” Barry sounded sincere. “I hired a PI to follow him and this is what he saw.” He pointed to each photograph. “This one shows them at dinner, and this one shows them going into her hotel.” He gestured to the next one. “If you look at the timestamps, you’ll see that he leaves about two hours after he goes in with her.”

Danica’s mind spun. This couldn’t be right, Creed wouldn’t do that to her.

But there it was in black and white. He was with another woman on dates that were the same as his last event.

She sat back in her chair, her chest aching, a lump in her throat. Pain like she’d never before experienced tore at her.

Then anger began to rise, anger so great that she shook with it. “I want the photos,” she said as she looked at one of the pictures. Her stomach churned as she reached for them.

Barry didn’t stop her. “I’m sorry,” he said. When she met his gaze, he did look apologetic and she wondered if that was real emotion, or just for her benefit.