A Cowboy to Kiss Page 11

  “You can’t give up now, Jake Scott. It’s not fair. I expect you to give it your best.”

  He sat up straighter, a smile curved his lips. “I never said I was giving up on the competition. That’s a given. I never give up on anything I want.” He pulled his hat lower on his head. “Be prepared for the ride of your life! Jake Scott is in the arena, and he plays to win!”

  Then he guided his horse back in line.

  Now that she was completely thrown off-kilter, she quickly checked her two single-shot Cimarron .45s making sure they were securely set in their holsters on the belt that rested on her hips. The guns didn’t shoot bullets, but rather black powder specially designed for the event. She pulled her cowgirl hat lower on her forehead, nodded to the previous rider as he passed her and eased Tater out into the arena.

  Kenzie knew her family would be cheering for her along with several other townsfolk. So when she looked around and saw so many people up on their feet, yelling and applauding it gave her exactly the inspiration she needed to try for the best time.

  But that kiss came rushing back, and the last thing she wanted was to see Jake leave. Oh, she was so confused, which wasn’t helping her mental fortitude to win this thing.

  She took a deep breath and let it out again, telling herself to concentrate, that this would be her fastest run ever. She tossed all her apprehensions aside and focused on the task at hand.

  There was nothing that compared to the rush Kenzie felt each and every time she and a horse were about to compete. The sounds of the fans, the feel of the reins in her hands, the movement of a strong animal propelling her forward and the earthy scent of the rich dirt that covered the floor of the arena.

  Tater moved in a fast canter as she guided him in a tight circle waiting for the buzzer, the anticipation pounding in her chest, directing her focus on that first red balloon.

  The buzzer.

  The roar of the crowd in the stands.

  The rhythmic pounding of Tater’s hooves as they connected with the ground.

  Without thinking, the weapon was in her hand as she took aim at the first balloon. She hit it before she could even register the sound...then the next...and the next, until she was headed for the red barrel.

  She quickly holstered her first weapon and pulled the second .45 free, clicked the hammer back, and aimed at the first white balloon while she guided Tater around the barrel. She managed to pop each of the five balloons on the run down and holstered her firearm before she and Tater made it to the end of the course.

  Kenzie knew she’d have a winning time. Knew she’d beat out the other competitors, but what she didn’t know, would it be enough to beat Jake?

  * * *

  “FOR THE FIRST time in our local Cowboy Days history,” Mayor Sally Hickman, a stylish fortysomething, middle-aged woman announced over the loudspeaker inside the arena, “we have a tie for All-Around Cowboy.” The arena exploded in cheers and whistles as everyone stood in the surrounding metal stands. “The winners are Kenzie Grant and Jake Scott. Let’s give them a big Briggs congratulations!”

  That scene continuously looped inside Jake’s head as he sat on a barstool inside Belly Up surrounded by some of the townsfolk, including a woman named Lana Thomson who kept coming on to him, her ruby-red lips continuously puckered as if she was waiting to be kissed. Not that he minded being around her, she was a good-looking woman, but there was only one beautiful woman he had his sights set on, and she stood at the opposite end of the bar.

  He still had a hard time believing that he and Kenzie had tied. There’d been other winners in different categories, but the All-Around was the most anticipated prize, and it had been a full-on tie, down to the same fraction of a second.

  “It’s unheard of,” Joel told him as he stood next to Jake, holding a longneck beer in his right hand, his left hand on Jake’s shoulder.

  “Can’t say that I’ve seen it but one other time down in Houston, about four years ago in bull riding,” Carson told everyone. He sat on the stool on Jake’s right.

  “You looked like the wind during that last event. And your roping was pure perfection,” Wade Porter announced more to the crowd rather than just to Jake. Wade seemed like a friendly enough cowboy, in his early thirties, with a knack for building stuff, at least that was the impression Jake had.

  “When I was a younger man, I used to be able to ride and rope like that...or at least I thought I could,” Hank Marsh said. “But watching you today, I realized, I was never that good. You were somethin’.”

  Jake had briefly met Hank Marsh at From The Ground Up during Kenzie’s run through the store. They hadn’t been properly introduced until tonight, when Carson called him over to meet Jake. Hank had a crop of white hair, a round belly and looked to be in his late sixties. But most of all, Hank had one of those welcoming smiles that made Jake feel right at home.

  “You were a thing of beauty,” Lana said in a wispy voice, while she rubbed his shoulder as if she knew him intimately.

  “Have another beer on me,” Milo Gump said from behind the bar. Jake had the pleasure of meeting Milo, the owner of Belly Up, when he and Joel had first walked into the tavern earlier that night. He was a big round guy who wore a cattleman’s hat the likes of which dated back to Hoss Cartwright on Bonanza.

  “No thanks,” Jake told him. “I’ve had enough.”

  “One more can’t hurt,” Lana said, then grabbed the beer and took a long drink. Jake and Carson shared a look, then smirked knowing that this woman was nothing but 100 percent pure trouble.

  The many residents of Briggs had shown their love and support with well wishes, high fives and a multitude of handshakes. Jake was awestruck.

  When he looked down the long bar, Kenzie had the same thing going on. Residents wishing her well, and congratulating her. More people flocked around her, and the laughter echoed throughout the tavern. Every now and then he’d catch her staring over at him, and he’d throw her a smile. Occasionally, she’d catch it and toss a smile back, but ever since Lana appeared on the scene, Kenzie had stopped the smile game.

  Now that they both had tied for the All-Around title, and Kenzie had already held up her end of the bet with one mind-blowing kiss from the previous night, it was his turn to hold up his end of the bargain, and leave.

  But he didn’t want to leave, even more so now.

  Still, he didn’t really have a choice. He had to suck up some grit, walk on over there and offer to hold up his end of the bet, hoping like heck she would ask him to stay. He had to at least make the attempt. He’d already told her that he’d do whatever she wanted him to do...which had to be one of the more stupid things he’d ever done in his entire life.

  Still, it was the right thing to do.

  And he was going to march up to Ms. Kenzie Grant and do that right thing just as soon as he finished his beer.

  “I’m going over there,” he told Carson, once he took a couple more big gulps. Lana had set her attentions on Wade Porter, thank you very much. No one else could hear him. The other folks were busy recounting the day’s events.

  “Where?” Carson asked.

  “To talk to your sister, Kenzie. We made a bet over who would win, and now that it’s a draw, well, we need to clarify the results.”

  “What was the bet?” Carson asked, turning toward Jake who detected a slight smirk spreading over Carson’s face.

  “I’d load up my horses and leave if she won.”

  Carson eyes went a little wider.

  “And if you won?”

  “She owed me a kiss, but we—” Jake stopped talking when Carson held up a hand.

  “You don’t have to tell me more. I can see by the tortured look on your face that the kiss already happened. So now you think you should tell her you’re leaving to hold up your part of the bet.”

  �
�Something like that, yes.”

  “Oh, man, I don’t know. My dad said you’ve already caused her to rethink the fire retardant on the hay, and he saw her out there trying a different method on moving the cattle. He’s really happy about the changes so far, and won’t be happy about your leaving. Plus, their anniversary is only a few days away. I’m certain both my mom and dad would be disappointed if you left now. Mom already told me how much she loved your input on the dinner menu, and Joel mentioned that he needs some help with something he’s trying to build. I’d think twice about how to honor that bet if I were you.”

  Jake had to do what was right or he couldn’t live with himself, and seeing how hard Kenzie worked to win today, and watching her now laughing and talking with her sisters and their friends, he knew if he had even a slight chance with her, he’d have to man up to his bet responsibilities.

  He slammed the now empty bottle down on the bar, muffled a couple belches and said, “I’m goin’ over there. If I don’t return in ten minutes, send in reinforcements.”

  * * *

  NO MATTER HOW Kenzie tried to accept sharing the win with Jake, she somehow couldn’t do it. Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to do it. Because of the tie, he’d be staying and the more he hung around the more she knew she wouldn’t be able to rein in her feelings for him.

  Not since that kiss.

  What she didn’t understand about last night was how everything could change so completely with something as simple as a kiss. How she could go from mildly liking him—despite his ornery, more natural ways of ranching, and for that matter, his natural way of doing almost everything—to out-and-out wishing he would stay. And not only stay, but move right into her bedroom. She knew he felt the same way, knew there was more to that kiss than merely their lips touching. Kenzie had felt a connection, a deep connection that would only be intensified if they ever made love.

  Kenzie longed for his touch, for his caress, for his lips on hers.

  Problem was, she’d been wrestling with those intoxicating thoughts for over twenty-four hours now, and all it did was cause her a lot of grief. And probably caused her the clean win. Truth was, though, that if she’d actually won, he’d be leaving and she’d be begging him to stay.

  “Is now a good time?” Jake asked, startling Kenzie so much she let out a little “ooh!”

  If she didn’t know better, she’d bet he knew what she’d been thinking. She felt her face flush.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, staring at her as if there was something wrong, which there most certainly was not. She cleared her tight throat, and pulled her blue shirt away from her body. Her clothes even felt restrictive, like she couldn’t breathe if she didn’t remove them soon. She could feel the heat building around the top of her shirt, down her legs, up her arms. Almost as if a hot rush of air had engulfed her.

  “Sure. Couldn’t be better,” she told him, grabbing her cool beer, and taking a long swig, then pressing the bottle to her forehead. “It’s just so hot in here. Don’t they know it’s time to turn on the air-conditioning?”

  Jake looked up, pointing at the vent with the ribbon attached moving around from the breeze. “It’s already on.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s not enough.”

  A teaser of a smile creased Jake’s lips as he stared at her. Okay, so she’d just made a fool out of herself over air-conditioning, but what else was new? She’d been running this routine for days now. Lately, it seemed everything she did or said around him hadn’t come out right.

  She just needed him to leave.

  Or commit to stay...forever.

  She cleared her clogged throat. “A good time for what?”

  “For us to talk,” he said, his eyes burning into hers.

  “About today?” she asked, knowing perfectly well that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about.

  “Not exactly, but if that’s what you want to focus on, okay. I told you I would do whatever you want me to do, and last I heard, you wanted me to leave, so I’ll be heading out in the morning. That is if you still want me to go.”

  He’d caught her completely off guard. For a moment she didn’t understand what he was saying. “But that kiss had—”

  She was about to tell him that the kiss they shared had nothing to do with their bet. That kiss was...well...she didn’t know what it was exactly other than something she’d like to repeat...again and again.

  “Yes, you held up your end of the bet with that kiss,” he said, showing no emotion. “And now it’s my turn to hold up my end. I can be ready to roll out around eight or so.”

  And there it was, Jake Scott at his finest. Once again she’d been stressing over their kiss, been worrying they’d had a connection, when obviously he’d never felt anything, or he wouldn’t be standing there telling her he’d be leaving in the morning, rather than begging her to let him stay.

  “Is that what you want to do?” she asked, staring into those emerald eyes of his, wishing he’d tell her that he couldn’t go, not now, not ever.

  “Isn’t that what we agreed on?”

  “Yes, but I—”

  “Then I should head out.”

  She did a mental sigh, realizing his leaving was for the best, their best. Jake Scott belonged in Montana, on his family ranch, and she belonged here, in Briggs, Idaho, running her family ranch. The two of them had obligations. Their parents depended on each of them to do the right thing. Their siblings depended on them. Heck, looking around at everyone who’d made side bets, and all the well wishers and all the free beers lined up on the bar, maybe even the townsfolk depended on them.

  “If that’s what you think is best,” she said, her stomach in a knot, and her throat thick with emotion. It took everything she had to hold back the tears that threatened to betray her.

  Their eyes locked and she thought she saw a glimmer of sorrow, a moment of indecision, but he blinked a couple times and it was gone.

  “It’s what we shook on, and I’m a man of my word.”

  Damn your word, she thought, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, especially not in this environment, with half the town undoubtedly already speculating on a budding relationship between them. She didn’t want to seem like the fool here, like the desperate woman wanting the big strong cowboy to stay.

  She nodded, not wanting anything to slip out that might give away her secret. She didn’t want him or anyone else to hear the lump in her throat when she spoke, or the feelings that would pour out. Instead she stood strong, like she always did when things got tough.

  Her mother had taught her to face strife head-on, so that was exactly what she did.

  “Then I’ll see you in the morning before I go?” he asked, looking stoic. Looking like a man of conviction.

  “Sure,” she whispered, a forced smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

  Then he turned and walked right past Carson, Joel and everyone else standing near the bar, even past Lana Thomson, who gave him a big sexy grin, and he headed right out of the glass front door and out of her life.

  * * *

  BRIGHT AND EARLY the next morning, before Kenzie had a chance to check to see if Jake had made good on his promise to leave, Coco pulled her SUV up to the back of the horse barn. She turned off the ignition, got out and made her way up to Kenzie as she and Chad, Kenzie’s now-favorite high school volunteer, were unloading bales of untreated hay into the feed loft inside the barn from the bed of Kenzie’s pickup. Kenzie had already given Sweet Girl some exercise earlier, so for the rest of the day, she would remain in her stall. Her wound was healing nicely, but Kenzie wasn’t ready to let her out yet.

  The hired hands had already moved her mares out to the corrals for the day, and Kenzie had no idea if Jake’s stallions had been among them, or if he’d loaded them up and was already headed for Montana.

 
Several times during the night, she’d wanted to call him and ask him to stay and once she even put on a robe and slipped on her boots to walk over to the guesthouse to beg him to stay. Halfway there, she came to her senses and turned around.

  Needless to say, she’d had yet another night without much sleep and couldn’t adequately do her work because of it. The good thing was she’d gotten out of the house by five, the bad news was she felt completely exhausted, and even Jake’s coffee wasn’t helping this morning.

  Because of it, Chad was doing all the heavy lifting. He carried another forty-pound block of hay into the feed loft without her help, along with about a week’s worth of grain. The loft never held more than a two-or three-day supply of hay. She always worried about a hay fire, and was even more worried now that this hay wasn’t treated with a fire retardant.

  After Jake’s suggestion that her horses would be healthier eating untreated hay, Kenzie decided to give it a try, but she would keep the bales monitored for heat buildup. The rest of the load would be stored in another outbuilding on pallets where she or Chad or the ranch hands could easily check on its safety.

  Punky peeked out of the passenger window. Kenzie knew that her sister kept a fuzzy red pillow on the seat to give Punky a few extra inches when he stood on his hind legs in order to see out. His little chin rested on the open window frame, golden eyes fixated on Coco. He was ready to pounce at any predator who might accost his mama.

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” Coco began, using her official doctor’s voice as she approached. “But your semen has been compromised.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but it sounds really bad.” Kenzie’s stomach roiled, as she scratched her chin with the back of her gloved hand. She couldn’t afford any more delays in that shipment.

  “The breeder you chose to do business with used dry ice for shipping and because of the delays the dry ice evaporated, causing the semen straws to thaw. When they did eventually arrive at my office, they were completely worthless.”

  Kenzie sat down hard on one of the blocks of hay. “I can’t believe this. Are you sure? Aren’t there a few we can use?”