Ryder (Rope 'n Ride Series Book 2)

Ryder

Rope ’n Ride Series Book 2

All Rights Reserved

Ryder

Copyright Em Petrova 2016

Ebook Edition

Cover design by Bookin’ It Designs

Electronic book publication June 2016

All rights reserved. Any violation of this copyright is punishable by law.

Ryder Calhoun would rather face down an angry bull than commit to a relationship. And that’s exactly what every woman he encounters seems to be after. He’s a championship bull rider, and his family’s reality show is a big hit. He’s not into gold-diggers
or
Buckle Bunnies who are after the prize—him.

Joy Humphries is rodeo royalty—her dad is a big name in bull riding and she knows what the life’s all about. She also knows men like Ryder Calhoun. Strong, capable and reportedly dashing between the sheets, though Daddy wouldn’t let her hook up with a rodeo man even if she wanted to. But the more she’s around Ryder, the more she thinks he might be different. Or is that all an act for the cameras?

Ryder can’t complete a thought that doesn’t have Joy attached to it in some way. He doesn’t care if she’s slapping his face or letting him kiss her silly—just being around her is enough for him. Trouble is they can’t escape the camera crew, and her father seems to pop up around every turn. There’s also a not-so-little problem with her distracting him in the arena, and he needs these wins to help his family.

Maybe he should just give up on Joy, because the only thing worse than falling for a forbidden woman is doing it in front of reality TV cameras.

Chapter One

Ryder hitched himself up on the fence and watched two of his brothers work. Damn, even the hard plank of wood under his buns felt good. He hadn’t sat down in what felt like a month. Between the ranch work, riding bulls for cash and giving interviews for the family reality show, he just wanted a spot of peace.

Something brushed his calf and he jerked his head down to look between his legs. Only to see a camera poking out between his feet.

“Sorry, it’s a great shot of Buck through the fence rails and between your boots,” Adrianna said.

Ryder shook his head and let her get on with her job. If it had been anyone but the sweet, soft-spoken Adrianna, he would have shown the camera person what spurs could do.

Buck and Lane stood talking, their voices low as they threw furtive glances at Adrianna. Whatever they were saying they didn’t want to be caught by the mics. This was the worst part of having the crew around them at all times. After nine months, the people almost felt like cousins to the Calhouns. But they didn’t want all their business aired.

Ryder jumped off the fence and crossed the dirt plot to his brothers. They all stood about the same height with enough similar traits that they couldn’t deny their father. If he were here, he’d be cussing at them to stop being lazy and get their butts to work.

And Buck Sr. would have liked the film crew as much as Ryder did.

At his right, he felt Adrianna’s presence. The blinking light was still hard for Ryder to ignore after all this time.

“Hey, Aloysius, have you decided to finally do some work around here?” Buck asked Ryder.

Ryder lowered his jaw and settled his gaze on his older brother. “Wanna call me that again?”

Buck’s lips quirked up as he said very slowly, “A-loyyyy-sssius.”

Ryder shoved him square in the chest, rocking him on his boots. Lane guffawed, and Adrianna decided to do an impromptu interview.

“Why are you calling Ryder Aloysius?”

“It’s his middle name,” Lane said between hoots of laughter.

Even Adrianna giggled. “Aloysius?”

“My father’s idea,” Ryder said through gritted teeth, shooting her a glare. She hushed but mirth danced in her brown eyes. All the brothers had discussed how pretty she was but their contract had a hands-off clause. Only their baby sister Wynonna seemed to be exempt from it.

“What’s your middle name, Buck?” Adrianna asked.

“Samuel, from the Bible,” he drawled.

“And yours, Lane?”

“Lane Rockwell Calhoun.”

Her white teeth flashed as she grinned.

“That’s right—everyone in the family has a decent middle name but me. I got the shitty end of the stick, and I still get it every day.” Ryder didn’t really feel this way but he did love teasing Buck that he was favored his whole life because he was oldest.

Buck sobered. “Dad felt bad about saddling you with Aloysius. It’s why you got his chaps.”

Adrianna swung the camera up to capture Ryder’s response. He gave a grunt and a nod. “My lucky chaps help me every single time I’m on the back of a bull.”

His pony-skin chaps were speckled black and white with thick, tooled brown leather details. He’d added the fringe—or rather Wynonna had. She was good with leather working and if she stopped barrel racing, she could easily start saddle-making.

For Ryder, buckling on his chaps was akin to saying a prayer and buying a lottery ticket all at the same time.

“Given the choice between giving up the name or the chaps, I’ll keep the name,” he said and walked out of the fenced area.

“You scared him off,” Lane teased Adrianna.

Ryder threw a look over his shoulder. “Just grabbin’ my rope. We taking care of these calves or not?”

All the way to the barn, he let his mind work over his next task. His two seconds of quiet were a thing of the past—they were separating and vaccinating calves today. The mothers and babies got stressed to the max from separation. They often bawled all night long, and the Calhouns were fond of their sleep. That was only one of the reasons why they’d come up with a new method, though.

Actually, it had been Buck’s idea. As part of team ropers Calhoun/Franklin, he was a championship header. He roped the horns while his partner snagged the heels for a quick time on the scoreboard. But real cowboys still used this technique on operating ranches, so the Calhouns employed the method.

Ryder reached for a length of rope looped on a nail high on the wall and headed back to the enclosure. When he got there, all of his brothers, as well as his sister, were present. The film crew set up points around the fence line, but one young guy was brave enough to get in the way of the stampeding hooves.

Buck waved the siblings near, and they got into a circle just like when one of them was about to rodeo.
For you, Dad,
Ryder thought automatically, and found it was true. This
was
for their dad—keeping traditions, taking care of the ranch Buck Sr. had built. At least they’d kept it out of the hands of their greedy cousin after a fuck-up with the will.

“Pair off. Each pair gets four calves,” Buck was saying.

“Four calves or four throws?” Wynonna asked, tugging her long auburn braid over her shoulder.

Buck laughed. “It’ll take me four throws but you use as many as you need, sister.”

Her eyes narrowed, making them look more elongated than normal. She and Lane shared the same eyes, and sometimes they could glare better than the barn cats.

“It’ll take me four as well,” she said.

Buck smiled and continued, “Direct the calves toward the water.” He turned and pointed at the huge metal tub at the end of the fenced area. “The calves move between the fenced walls into the hands of the second team, who will vaccinate and inspect the physical shape of the calf. If all is well, they’ll send the calf on down to the next team, who will tag its ear.”

They’d done this method for four years now, and they all knew what to do. But Buck enjoyed playing to the cameras. Now that he had his life settled and a pretty little wife tucked up in his bed, he was pretty carefree. Happiness was written all over him, which production loved too. He got a lot of spotlights with his wife Channing.

Good. Means they stay away from me more.

While Ryder was happy for his brother, he couldn’t think of anything worse than commitment. He had enough to answer for—didn’t need a woman demanding things from him too.

Ryder looped the rope over his shoulder and smacked his gloved hands together. “Let’s get this show on the road. Wyn, you’re with me.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Why? What joke do you have planned for me?” She walked to her horse tied along the edge of the fence. “Did you smear cow pies on my saddle?”

Grinning, he swung into his saddle. “Why would I ruin a perfectly good saddle?”

“Then what’s up? You never pick me when we pair off.” She wrapped the reins around her hand and adjusted it to fit her glove just so. She was picky about her ropes.

“I figure I’ll hide behind all that red hair and the cameras will stay off me.”

She came up behind him. “I don’t mind the cameras. You rope the heads and I call the heels. They’re harder to land.”

“Be my guest.”

“Harder to land?” Buck yelled, taking offense because he was a header.

Wynonna waved a dismissive hand like the Princess she was. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t. But let’s get on with it.” Buck and the others moved down the line, taking positions.

Immediately Ryder and Wynonna circled the cluster of cows. Babies skittered closer to their mommas. Without hesitation, Ryder rode into the middle, scattering them. When he whipped around, he spotted a little brown beast ready for the rope. He whipped his lasso overhead. His brothers and the film crew hooted their encouragement. Wynonna took her position a few steps behind his horse.

Ryder tossed. The rope landed dead center of the calf’s head and he jerked it. The animal bucked its back legs to get away, and Wynonna was right there, setting her lasso on the ground and tugging as soon as the animal landed.

“They had a better time than you and Asher do, Buck!” West called. Buck shoved him.

Buck and West took over their part of the job before sending the newly vaccinated, 600-pound baby down to Lane and Ridge. Cheers went up when the calf reached the water tub and quenched its thirst.

Ryder and Wynonna shared a grin and they all got down to it. After three more calves were roped, Ryder handed off his horse to Buck. “Why isn’t Channing out here helping? I thought she loved doing this stuff.”

“She’s got a bun in the oven,” Wynonna said. Her voice carried, and everyone went dead still. From Calhouns to production, they all stared at Buck.

He spread his arms and gave an irritated jerk of his head. “What the hell, Wynonna? Don’t you think Channing and I might have wanted to deliver the news?”

“Too late now, babe. Our secret’s out,” Channing called from the fence, where their ma was hugging the life out of her.

With a resigned shake of his head, Buck mounted the horse and from the saddle declared, “We’re having a baby!”

Ryder fist-punched the air as everyone whooped and whistled. The effect wasn’t calming to the cows by any means, but celebration was in order. Ryder was just relieved not to be in the spotlight.

* * * * *

Joy leaned against the stable housing all the rodeo livestock and inhaled deeply. The sun on her face and the familiar scents of animals, hay and fried food gave her a feeling of home. She could almost envision her daddy coming off a bull, grinning. He’d throw her up on his shoulders and walk through the crowd, accepting congratulations and signing autographs.

She threw him a look now—he stood across the way talking to one of the riders he was coaching. The young pup had some small-town rodeo experience but her father was determined to build him up to the professional bull riders game.

Seeing how her father was one of the original founders of the PBR, he loved seeing bull riders jump into the big-time.

A pair of women in Daisy Dukes and rodeo tank tops wandered by Joy’s father and threw him coy looks.
Ugh, Buckle Bunnies never change, even if Daddy’s in his sixties.
She’d like to say this type of female was looking for her happily ever after with a special cowboy, but the groupies just wanted recognition. To brag to her friends about which cowboy she’d slept with.

Joy’s dad had never been into the scene, though. He’d remained faithful to her mom until she ran off with a cowboy of her own, leaving Joy to his care. Which was how she’d grown up at the rodeo—and why it felt like home to her.

“Hey, Bunny. Want to meet up after the festivities?” The drawl near her ear made her jump. She jerked away from the wall and put several feet between her and the cowboy trying to put the moves on her.

“My name’s Joy, and no thanks.”

“C’mon, sugar. You look mighty lonely standing here.”

“Are these the kinds of pickup lines going around now? Or is this all the better you can do? I’m not interested.” She started to walk away and found him striding alongside her.

She tossed him a look. Sure, he was pretty with his big blue eyes and crooked smile. Hell, every cowboy had one. The gold buckle at his waist was a homing beacon for the type of woman he thought Joy was.

“I’m not for you, cowboy,” she said.

He caught her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. He brought his broad chest clad in new chambray close enough to her nipples that she could feel his heat. She backed up a step.

“How can you say you’re not for me when you don’t even know what I’m looking for?”

“You called me Bunny, so what you’re looking for is pretty obvious. Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you ask my father’s permission first?” She tossed her head toward her father several feet away, still coaching his young prodigy.

The cowboy swung his head around and when his eyes bugged out of his pretty little head, she couldn’t control the laugh that flew out of her mouth.

“Thunder Humphries is your
father
?” He released her shoulder.

She nodded. “He’s very protective of me. Doesn’t want me with a cowboy.”

The cowboy in question gave her the side-eye. He was either about to ask her to introduce him or wet his pants. She guessed the latter, judging by his age, and the way he danced from boot to boot.

She coughed to cover another giggle. At that moment her father looked up and saw her. “Trust me—you’d better move along now.”

He gave one last ditch effort, giving her moony eyes. “Before I fall in love, you mean.”

“Before you have your legs broken. Daddy’s shoulder injury’s long healed.”

Her father broke toward her, and the cowboy gave a quick nod. “Nice knowing you, Bunny.” He fled.

Joy watched him go, laughing.

“Did he just call you Bunny?” Her father hadn’t earned the nickname Thunder from being even-tempered. His brows lowered and he glared after the cowboy who’d hit on her.