The Bull Rider's Valentine. Cathy McDavid
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“How are your sisters?” he asked. “They were always a hoot and a half.”
“Fine.”
“Just fine?”
“What did Sam’s mom tell you?” She spared him a quick glance.
“That besides starting her own vet practice, Mel got married, and Frankie has twin girls.”
There was actually considerably more, such as Mel being pregnant, Frankie’s new catering business, the recent return of the twins’ father and the sizable amount of money Ronnie’s father had won in the state lottery. She mentioned none of it.
Nate reached for her left hand, sending a sudden zing racing through her system. She clamped her mouth shut before a gasp escaped.
“What are you doing!” she demanded.
“No wedding ring, I see.”
Bristling, she reclaimed her hand. “Sam’s mom skip that part?”
“As a matter of fact, she didn’t.”
“Then why—” She abruptly stopped when he broke into laughter. “You’re such a...” Damn him for flustering her.
“Can’t blame me for trying. You always had the softest skin.”
“How long are you staying in Mustang Valley?”
As intended, her question sobered him. “I’m not sure. A couple days. Possibly longer. It all depends.”
“On what?” Please don’t say me.
“Sam, for starters.”
She resisted asking what else. “I thought you were heading to Houston.”
“There’s no rush.”
The humbleness Ronnie had noticed before returned. Though, on second thought, she decided it might be something else. Embarrassment, possibly? Or secrecy? For whatever reason, Nate was definitely holding back.
“Where are you staying?” she asked.
That earned her a lengthy once-over. “Why do you care?”
“I’m not coming over, if that’s what you’re hinting at.”
“Darn it.” He feigned disappointment. “Foiled again.”
“Seriously, Nate. There’s the Morning Side Inn.”
For a moment, he appeared as if he might deliver another jab. Instead, his expression changed and he said, “I have my horse trailer. The one with living quarters. I just need to find a place to park it. Hopefully, near wherever I wind up boarding Breeze.”
Ronnie’s determination to remain indifferent instantly dissolved. “You still have Breeze? How old is she now? I figured you might have retired her.”
“She’s twenty-one. And retired, other than pleasure riding. I thought about leaving her at my folks’ place.”
“Except you couldn’t bear to part with her.” Ronnie was admittedly touched.
“We’ve been together a long time.”
Nate had owned the mare since he’d competed on the junior circuit in high school. Besides rising to bull and bronc riding fame, he’d also won multiple steer wrestling championships—all of them on Breeze.
“The Morning Side Inn has stalls to lease,” she offered.
“We’ll see.” Again, his expression changed, as if he were hiding something.
Ronnie had to ask. “Is Sam the only reason you came?”
He hesitated briefly before saying, “It’s enough of a reason.”
His lack of a real answer worried her.
“Are you and Sam close?”
She’d yet to wrap her brain around the incredible coincidence that her half sister was the daughter of his mom’s best friend. She’d met his parents a few times, naturally, just like he’d met her dad and sisters when they’d visited Mustang Valley. But never his mom’s best friend and certainly not Sam.
“Not especially close,” he said. “I’d see her at holiday dinners and birthday parties. But her mom is a good friend to mine. She helped us a lot after Allan passed.”
Ronnie hadn’t known Nate’s brother; he’d died from cystic fibrosis before she and Nate met. But Nate had frequently talked about Allan and the mark both he and his absence had left on Nate’s life.
“Sam and her parents aren’t getting along too well these days,” Ronnie said. “Did your mom mention that, too? According to Sam, it’s because they don’t support her decision to skip college and become a professional barrel racer.”
“They also weren’t crazy about her running off in search of your dad without mentioning a word to them.”
Ronnie hadn’t been crazy about Sam finding their father, either. Not in the beginning. Learning he’d been involved with a younger woman and had a child with her took a lot of getting used to.
“Trust me,” she said. “The news was a shock to all of us.”
“She’s lucky.” For the first time since Ronnie had reclaimed her hand from his, Nate looked at her. “Not all biological families are as accepting as yours.”
“None of what happened was her fault. We weren’t about to hold the mistakes our respective parents made against her.” A thought occurred to Ronnie. “Did your mom know about my dad? Did you?”
“No. We were as surprised as anyone.”
At that moment, Sam emerged from the stables astride Ronnie’s horse, Comanche. The handsome, muscular gelding might not be Sam’s first choice, but no one could deny the pair made an impression as she trotted him toward the arena. One of the ranch hands, who happened to be in the vicinity, opened the gate for her.
Fortunately, no one else was practicing at this time of day. In another six weeks, when school let out for winter break, Powell Ranch would be packed from morning until evening.
“You ready?” Sam hollered from her position at the south end of the arena.
Nate took out his phone and opened the stopwatch app. “All set,” he hollered back.
Sam studied the cloverleaf course while adjusting her weight in the saddle.
“Take your time,” Ronnie muttered under her breath. “Don’t rush.”
Comanche stared straight ahead, nervously prancing in place. He knew his job and was eagerly awaiting the signal from Sam. The next second, she gave it. Trotting him in a tight circle, she suddenly spurred him into a full-speed-ahead gallop and made for the first barrel.
Ronnie glanced briefly at Nate to confirm what she already knew—that he was timing Sam’s run.
How often had he done the same for her when she’d been practicing? She couldn’t begin to count. During the years they’d been together, he’d supported her tirelessly and without fail.
Until the day she’d miscarried and their world had changed.
Her fault. Entirely. He’d tried hard to make things right by proposing two months later on Valentine’s Day. In her mind, she saw the small, red velvet box and the glittering heart-shaped diamond ring. So very pretty. She’d needed all her willpower to tell him no.
As one would expect, he’d been crushed and unable to accept that their relationship was too broken to fix. But Ronnie had, and two days later, she’d left him and the place they’d shared in Abilene behind, convinced a quick and clean parting was best for both of them.
Sadly, she’d been mistaken. Those dozens of voice mail