The Bull Rider Meets His Match (11 page)

“So, about that picnic?”

Lex gave him a frowning sidelong look.

Pete stopped next to his truck. “What I'm trying to do here is to ask you to go to Founder's Day with me. As a friend.”

“Oh,” Lex said on a note of surprise. “Well...yes. I'll do that.”

“I've been so busy since moving home, starting a practice and helping my grandmother that I haven't had a chance to develop any kind of social network. I'd like to get out, but I don't want to go alone.” He gave a self-conscious shrug. “To be honest, I did get invited to be a wingman for one of my associates, but I'm a rotten wingman. This will get me off the hook.”

Lex laughed. “You know, a lot of time women prefer the wingman. You might want to rethink that.”

“I'd rather go with you. Takes the pressure off.”

“I'd love to go as a friend.” Lex smiled easily, and Peter smiled back and she couldn't help wishing that she felt the same zing for him that she felt when Grady was near. Because if that happened, then she'd have an easier time convincing herself that she was simply reacting to a good-looking guy. Except that Peter was just as good-looking as Grady, and she was not reacting.

“Can I pick you up tomorrow at, say, three?”

“Three sounds great.”

* * *

T
HE
NEXT
DAY
Lex found herself looking forward to going to the Founder's Day Picnic with Peter. If she was going to be the object of gossip, why not spice things up by showing up with someone who wasn't Grady? The thought made her smile. Tiffani could take this and run with it.

She did her chores early, corralled everyone who needed corralling during her absence, then went in to shower. Afterward, she dried her hair and left it loose, slipped on a white eyelet sundress and cowboy boots, added a strand of turquoise and silver beads and a silver bracelet. Not bad.

And then the phone rang. Peter.

“I just got hit with a horse emergency. Barbed wire and a whole lot of stitches. If you still want to go, do you mind meeting me at the park?”

“Not at all.”

“I understand if you'd rather not—”

“Peter. I'm happy to meet you there.”

“Great. I'll keep you posted,” he said, a smile in his voice. “And hopefully see you relatively soon.”

“Good luck with the horse.”

Feeling a twinge of disappointment, since she honestly did not want to attend the picnic alone, Lex opened the cupboard where the keys hung. After a moment's hesitation, she plucked off the key to her father's restored '56 GMC truck, which she'd started driving a few months before. Another small step in the healing process, and one that made her feel closer to her dad. They'd had such great times in the truck and when she was behind the wheel, she had a sense of him being there with her rather than a sense of loss. One small step forward.

When she got to the park, a van pulled out of a space near the rear of the packed parking lot, and Lex pulled in, hoping it was a sign that, despite her date being waylaid, it would be a good afternoon. She walked into the park as the line for barbecue was forming and Lissa Scott, Peter's vet tech, waved at her from a picnic table a few yards away.

“Peter told me to be on the lookout for you,” she said as Lex approached. “He's not certain how long this will take, and he didn't want you to have to sit alone.”

“That's really nice.” Lex wasn't used to people doing things like that for her. Lissa patted the seat beside her and smiled. She was short and curvaceous and totally comfortable in her skin, which made Lex feel comfortable, too.

“I thought we'd sit a bit and wait for the line to shorten, unless you want to—”

“Not at all,” Lex said. “So, did you know Peter back in the day?”

“I did not,” she said. “Being a townie and not a rural kid.” She tilted her head. “I really wanted to be a rural kid. I wanted horses and dogs and cats and pigs and chickens.” She laughed. “What I got was a gerbil. Not that I didn't love Mr. Bill,” she added hastily. “I did. But he wasn't the same as a dog.”

The table shook then as two large bodies settled on the opposite side, both carrying heaping plates of barbecue beef, potato salad, corn bread and green salad.

Well, dang
.

“It's good to see you, Alexa.” Todd flashed a smile at her before taking a long drink of beer.

“Likewise,” she said coolly. So much for the parking spot being a harbinger of good fortune.

“Hey,” Todd said, “let me introduce Brandon Ledford. Old college roomie here for the festivities. Brandon, this is Lissa and Lex.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lex and Lissa said almost simultaneously, Lissa sounding pleased and Lex sounding stony.

“Glad we could find two good-looking women to share our meal with,” Brandon said.

“Except that we don't have meals,” Lex pointed out.

“We're going to take care of that now,” Lissa added. “See you soon.”

“Not,” she breathed as they got up from the table and headed for the line.

“Hurry back,” Brandon called.

“Two of a kind,” Lissa muttered. “I dated Todd once.”

“I didn't. He thinks I missed out.”

“You didn't. Pushy with a capital
P
. He thinks that his money and killer looks give him some kind of special rights.” Lissa shot a look over her shoulder at the table they'd just vacated and then let out a small breath. “We're in luck. The table just filled up.”

“Excellent,” Lex said as they approached the line. “Should we hang back and wait for Peter?” She'd hoped he'd get there before they hit the serving area.

“He told me he wanted us to eat.”

“Then I guess we'll eat.” Kristen and Katie raced by with a pack of kids, and Lex smiled and waved then slowly lowered her hand as she caught sight of Grady standing near the outdoor bar with Jess and Ty Hayward, a beer in his hand. The bull riders had attracted several college-age women, and one of them intercepted Lex's gaze. The girl lifted her chin in a smug your-loss, my-gain look before turning back to Grady and the Hayward twins and taking hold of Grady's arm. Lex let out a small breath. As if she cared.

After she and Lissa had loaded their plates with beef, salad and corn on the cob, Lex purposely chose a table far from Todd and sat on the side that put her back to the bar so she didn't have to watch the women fawn over Grady and the Hayward twins. The table soon filled, and Lex found herself relaxing and talking to people she hadn't spoken to in ages.

“It's good to see you out and about,” Lex's former English teacher said, and she realized that perhaps she had spent too much time in hermit mode. It had started when her father had died and somewhere along the line had become a habit. She ate slowly, enjoying the conversation and the company. Peter called as she finished her last bite of cherry cobbler.

“This is ugly,” he said. “I may not make it.”

Lex assured him she understood. “I'm having a great time with Lissa and will probably go home soon.”

“Maybe we can make next year's picnic,” Peter said with clear disappointment.

“I'll put it on my calendar,” she said before wishing him luck and hanging up.

It hadn't been a bad afternoon at all, but she was ready to go. If Peter wasn't going to show, then she had no reason to stay. She'd made her appearance, and frankly it was tiring keeping an eye on Grady's whereabouts, which she felt she needed to do so that they didn't bump into each other. She wasn't in the bumping mood. Lissa had several friends sitting at the table with them, so Lex didn't feel bad leaning toward her and telling her she was going to take off a little early.

“If you're certain?” Lissa said.

“I am, but I have to say, you were a great date.”

Lissa laughed. “Glad to accommodate.”

And Lex was glad to leave. She'd had fun, but she was tired of being on guard. Public events always exhausted her. She tossed her plastic beer glass in the trash and was almost to her truck at the rear of the lot when someone called her name from behind. She turned to see Todd Lundgren sauntering toward her from the direction of the portable restrooms.

“You never rejoined us,” he said as he came to a stop a few feet in front of her. One whiff of his breath confirmed what she'd suspected from his rolling gait. Todd had been drinking. A lot.

“Your table was full,” she said.

“And now you're leaving?”

Duh.

“My date got waylaid.”

He settled his hands on his oversize rodeo buckle—a buckle he most certainly didn't win. “So what if your date didn't show? That doesn't mean
you
have to leave.”

“Excuse me,” Lex said as she attempted to move past him. He stepped directly into her path, and she stopped, glaring up him.
Really?
Lex wasn't afraid of him, but she wasn't about to hang around and see what happened next.

“Think how much fun you could have if you stayed,” he said, rocking back on his heels.

“Not interested.”

“Ri-ight,” he said in an exaggerated tone.

“Get over yourself, Todd, and get out of my way.”

Anger flashed in his eyes. “Get over myself? Maybe you need to get over yourself.”

Lex was about to tell him off when he reached out and took hold of the fob hanging out of her jacket pocket and plucked out her keys. Lex made a grab for them as they went by and missed.

“Really?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest, telling herself not to panic. It wasn't as though he was going to drive away in her father's truck. She hoped. But they weren't exactly in a place where people could easily see what was happening between them.

“Yeah,” he said as he held the keys loosely in one hand. “Really.”

She held out her hand. “I'm done playing. Give me the keys.”

“Kiss me and I'll think about it.”

Chapter Eleven

“Are you listening to me?” The girl named Sue gave Grady's arm a playful swat as she spoke.

No, he wasn't. He was watching Lex trying to talk Todd Lundgren into something. He could just see them at the edge of the parking lot if he craned his neck. Lex said something, and Todd smirked down at her and shook his head. She held out her hand, and he shook his head again.

She was trying to talk him out of his car keys.

Or if she wasn't, then she should have been, because the guy was hammered. Instead of walking away, she looked as if she was about to wrestle him for them, and somehow the thought of a drunken Todd Lundgren touching Lex was more than he could handle at the moment.

He smiled tightly at Sue, who was looking none too happy with him. “Excuse me.”

He was already a few steps away before he heard her give a small snort and say, “Yeah. Sure.”

It only took a matter of seconds for him to work his way through the cars to the rear of the lot, and as he approached, he heard Lex say, “I'm not kissing you. Give me the keys.”

Grady felt his blood pressure spike. “Give her the keys,” he said from a few yards away, jerking his head toward Lex as he continued to approach them.

“What keys?” Todd asked, his eyes narrowing.

“We can do this nice, or we can do this not so nice. Now give Lex the keys.” And if she thought she was driving this guy home...well, then Grady was coming with them.

“This is between Lex and me,” Todd insisted.

Grady looked directly at Lex then. “Do you want the keys?”

“Very much so.”

Grady turned back to Todd, held out his hand then jerked it back when Todd spat. Shaking his head, he looked over his shoulder at Lex. “Call the sheriff. Public drunkenness.”

A surprised look crossed her face, and then she pulled out her phone and started looking for the number while Grady stood chest to chest with Todd. When she punched in the last number, Todd dug into his pocket and with a muttered curse slammed the keys onto the ground at Lex's feet.

A single ugly word escaped his lips as he turned to go, and Grady grabbed him by the shoulder, itching to plant a fist in the guy's arrogant face. The only thing that stopped him was Lex's stony “Don't.”

He gritted his teeth and released Todd, who stumbled a few steps, then headed off toward his friends standing near the food table.

Lex had the keys in her hand by the time Grady turned to face her. “I take it you weren't trying to drive him home?”

“He had
my
keys.”

He almost asked why, then decided he didn't need to know. “Be more careful who you give your keys to.”

“I didn't give them to him.”

“He took them?” Grady shot another look at Todd's retreating back, thinking once again about what he might have to do to the guy.

“I need to go. Thank you.”

He turned back to Lex. She seemed fine. Very...composed. He wondered. “You going to be okay?”

“I'm fine. I just need to get out of here.”

Even though everything in him demanded that he see her home, make certain that she really was okay, he forced himself to nod. “If you need anything...”

“Yeah.” She put the key in the truck door lock and twisted.

“Lex?”

“I said yes. I'll let you know if I need any help.”

But she wouldn't. And they both knew that.

* * *

L
EX
DID
NOT
have an easy night.

How easy could it be when she forced herself to be honest and admit how glad she'd been to see Grady? Even though she'd been in a public place and could have started yelling for help if Todd had gotten too aggressive or tried something stupid, such as taking her father's truck, she'd been damned happy not to have had to do that.

So, yes. She'd been happy to see Grady, who'd quietly helped her out. No points gained or lost, no sense of him challenging her. Not his usual modus operandi, and she was half wondering what to make of his behavior. Something had shifted there. Because of their talk? Had Grady ever changed his behavior after one of their talks? Not that she could recall.

And she'd made such a huge point of saying she was never going to need him. And then she did. He hadn't mentioned it; hadn't taken the opportunity to rub it in.

It made her a touch uneasy, especially in light of the fact that he'd asked her out when she dropped off the twins' cough medication and ogled his naked chest and torso. His very muscular naked chest and torso with all those scars.

Scars that bothered her...but she didn't want to think about that, either.

So she did her best to shove Grady out of her head as she went about her morning chores, feeding Felicity and the dogs before heading out to fill the rest of the feeders and troughs. Ginger and Pepper dived into their dishes as usual, but Dave the Terror didn't bother getting up.

“Are you feeling all right?” Lex asked the terrier as she knelt by his bed. His nose was damp and cold. His gums had good color. He didn't seem to hurt anywhere, even if his stomach did seem a touch swollen.

She'd keep an eye on him and call Peter if the dog didn't perk up soon. Leaving the screen door propped open so the dogs could follow her when they'd finished eating, she made her way to the gate, then stopped dead in her tracks when she realized that the duck pen was empty.

Lex shot across the driveway and skidded to a stop next to the wire panels. And then she spotted the hole under the fence in the far corner and realized that the feed trough, which was never totally empty, looked as if it had been licked clean.

Dave.

Lex pressed her hand to her forehead and quickly started scouting the vicinity. Could these ducks fly? If so, where would they fly to?

Water.

There was only one body of water nearby—Fife's stock pond in the field adjoining hers. Lex started jogging across the pasture until she could see the pond and sure enough, there were ducks happily paddling about, oblivious of the fact that there were several good-size birds of prey circling the skies in nearby fields.

Ducks that she had to somehow catch.

Nancy would die if something happened to the little feathery beasts.

Lex started jogging back toward the house, wondering if her dad's fishing net was big enough for the job and how she was going to scoop a duck out of a half-acre pond. She was almost to the barn when she saw the truck parked next to hers.

Grady's truck.

Her heart skipped at the sight of him coming around the barn, but she'd deal with him later.

Whatever it was he'd been going to say died on his lips as he caught sight of her expression.

“I've got to catch some ducks,” she said, opening the tack shed door and disappearing inside for long enough to rummage through her father's fishing equipment. When she found the net, she turned to see Grady standing in the doorway.

“Why do you have to catch ducks?”

“My dog tunneled into the pen and let them out.”

She brushed by him. “I think I need a gunnysack.”

Grady reached out and took hold of her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Lex. Slow down. I'm here to help.”

She pulled in a breath. “Right.”

“Show me what you're dealing with. Then we can get what we need.”

She nodded and then started through the gate, half-afraid that the ducks, now that they'd tasted freedom, would take to the skies. Grady followed her to the pond, and they stood side by side on the bank, studying the ducks as they cheerfully chortled and swam.

“These ducks belong to a little old lady. They mean the world to her, and I am not going to have them end up being coyote or eagle dinner. Not on my watch.”

Grady shot her a look. “What do these guys eat?”

“Pond stuff,” she said, pointing to the duck that had just disappeared under the water and then come up gobbling down green goop that would surely have horrified Nancy.

“There has to be some kind of ducky aphrodisiac that will bring them back to shore.”

“I have duck treats, but I'm sure they're not as good as pond scum.”

He pulled out his phone. “Duck treats,” he muttered as he typed. “Cucumber, lettuce, watermelon, bananas, grapes, vegetables...” He looked up. “Do you have any of those?”

“Watermelon. Frozen peas.” She hadn't been shopping in a while.

“Do you want to stay here and ward off the coyotes and eagles or get the watermelon?”

“I'll get the melon,” she said with a quirk of her lips. She hesitated, then said, “Thanks.”

“We haven't caught them yet.” His expression was serious. There was no edge of amusement or sense that he was going to use this to his advantage later.

“I mean thanks for not leaving. After...everything.”

The look he gave her made her stomach drop a little and blood rush to her cheeks. “No problem.”

Why did she feel this stupid bond with him, and so certain that now that he was here, everything would be okay? Since when did she need anyone to handle anything? She turned and headed back to the house, feeling as if she were escaping. Well, if she was, she was soon heading back to whatever she'd escaped from, carrying chopped-up watermelon in a bowl.

Lex had expected more traumas, perhaps a dunking in the pond, but catching the ducks turned out to be ridiculously easy. She tossed a juicy chunk of watermelon into the water, and Channing instantly gobbled it up as his ladies swam closer to investigate the interesting splash. Grady reached into the bowl and tossed the next chunk closer to shore. Channing took the bait.

After that it was simply a matter of making a watermelon trail leading toward the pen. Once the final duck was out of the water, Lex fell in behind and helped herd them back to captivity. Grady plugged the hole with a big rock when they were back in their pen, and then the ducks were once again in stir, happily eating the rest of the melon.

“Are your dogs electric fence savvy?” Grady asked, tipping his ball cap back as he studied the pen.

“I have one around the garden to keep the rabbits out.”

“What do you say we put it around the duck pen? It'll also deter hungry coyotes.”

“Excellent plan. I could do it myself.”

“Because you don't like help?” Again that almost too-serious gaze.

She cocked her head. “Actually...no.” More words piled into her head, but she ignored them. Went with the simple truth. “More like I don't want to trouble you.”

And she did not want him to leave. She didn't yet know what she wanted, but she was done being rude to Grady and tired of battling this attraction. The attraction was real and this new Grady—the one who quietly helped her without mocking or taunting—was upsetting her equilibrium. Making her uncertain of what she did or didn't want. If she let her brain run the show, she'd probably have sent him on his way after thanking him profusely for helping with the ducks. If her feelings were running the show, she would have kissed him when she'd thanked him. She'd done neither...and that meant?

Hell, she didn't know.

She cleared her throat and continued. “I appreciated your help last night, and I also appreciated the fact that you didn't take the opportunity to rub it into my face...you know...after I made such a big deal about not needing anyone.”

“I wouldn't have done that,” he said. “Not in that type of situation. How'd he get your keys, anyway?”

“Just reached out and took them.”

“I felt like reaching out and belting him.”

“Me, too. But he kind of scared me.” She'd told herself he didn't scare her while she'd been facing off with him, but after he left, she'd felt an insane rush of relief.

An odd expression crossed Grady's face. “Glad I was there. Now let's see about this fence.”

“That would be nice.” Why did her voice sound so stiff all of a sudden? “Maybe I could cook you a steak or something. As a thank-you.”

“I wouldn't say no to that.” And suddenly he seemed as self-conscious as she was. “Maybe I could transfer the fence while you deal with the steak? Save some time.”

“Yeah. That would work.”

She walked with him to the garden where the low-powered solar electric fence kept her lettuce and spinach safe. There was only enough charge to startle, but she figured it would keep Dave from digging more holes to get at the duck food and also keep wild animals out. She should have thought of this sooner, but she'd expected the dogs to keep the wildlife away, not to let the ducks out.

Once Grady was busy pulling fence stakes, she went into the house and looked into the freezer. A steak was a good idea, except that she didn't have one. Dang. She really needed to stock up more often.

She leaned back against the counter and squeezed her forehead with her palm. Her life had been so much easier before Grady came back to help his sister. So. Much. Easier.

A few seconds later she was back in at the garden.

“I don't have a steak.”

He looked up at her, then continued rolling the white electrical strapping. “Let me get this done and we'll make a plan.”

“All right,” she said instead of arguing. She was tired of arguing. Instead she wanted to stand and watch Grady work, admire the muscles rippling beneath his T-shirt, watch his profile as he concentrated on what he was doing. He looked up and caught her midstare. She didn't look away. Didn't even consider it.

“Lex?”

“Yes?”

“Stop looking at me like that.”

Lex's heart rate bumped up, but she didn't shift her gaze. “Or what?” she asked softly, warmth flooding through her as he sent her a scorching look in return.

“Or I'll have to do something about it.”

“Yeah?”

He frowned, gave her a few seconds to change her mind, then carefully set down the strapping on the ground. Lex stood planted where she was, her heart thumping against her ribs as he closed the distance between them in a few strides. Once in front of her, he took her face in his hands, the calluses on his palms rough against her skin. He wasn't that much taller than her, so it was easy to meet his mouth as it came down, easy to shove her hands into his hair, knocking his hat off. Easy to work her lips across the stubbled planes of his cheeks to nuzzle his ear, nip his earlobe, then bring her mouth back to his to be consumed.