Cowboy Take Me Away (20 page)

As he pulled away, Myrna looked at the wall, then back at Luke. Then she raised her hand and waved good-bye before hobbling back into the store.

Late that afternoon, Shannon was leaving the office through the back door and passed the laundry room. Luke’s laundry basket was sitting on top of the dryer. She noticed a pair of his jeans in it, and those jeans had a smear of paint on them.

She stopped and stared at that paint for a long time, slowly putting two and two together. She’d been by the Pic ’N Go earlier. The graffiti on the side wall had been painted over. The paint on Luke’s jeans was precisely the same color of beige that was on that wall now. And what had he asked her earlier?

Do you mind if I borrow that ladder in the equipment shed?

When it finally struck her what he must have done, she was shocked. As far as she knew, Myrna didn’t like Luke in the least, yet he’d taken the time and trouble to paint over the graffiti on the side of her building? Shannon didn’t know what was going on, but it made little tingles of awareness flow through her, giving her the most amazing feeling of delighted disbelief.

First Manny, and now this. Luke had professed to have no heart. If that were true, it was only because he’d given it away, one piece at a time.

With Shannon’s blessing, over the next few weeks Luke did everything he could to get the animals adopted. When a woman came in with her six-year-old daughter one afternoon to adopt a kitten, he told them they were in luck. Three to four o’clock on Thursdays was Kitten Happy Hour—two for the price of one—and the kid ended up going home with a pair of litter mates. With kittens, sending two home together was the best situation of all. They would keep each other company when the family was at work or school, and two weren’t much more effort to keep than one. Yeah, the shelter got only half the adoption fee, which distressed Shannon a little, until Luke pointed out that one less mouth to feed meant less money seeping out of the bank account. And—amazingly enough—whenever somebody came to adopt a kitten, it just happened to be Kitten Happy Hour.

A lot of the time, Luke made things up—harmless things, like telling a kid he got the feeling a particular dog might have been in the circus at one point because he could roll over on command, even though he’d taught the dog the trick himself. People lapped it up, though, and pretty soon Circus Dog had a new home. But there was one very special dog Luke had a plan for, and he decided it was time to put it into action.

On his lunch hour, he grabbed Barney and headed for the Pic ’N Go. When he got there, he went inside, Barney limping along behind him on three legs. One of Myrna’s employees was manning the counter, a tall, gangly teenage kid. He rang up a couple of hot dogs for Luke.

“Is Todd around?” Luke asked.

“He and Mrs. Schumaker are in the back.”

“Will you let him know Luke is here? I’ll be at one of the picnic tables outside.”

The kid nodded. Luke went back outside and sat down, opening up his hot dogs. Barney sat next to him expectantly. Every once in a while, Luke would throw a red ball across the grass to one side of the building, and Barney would take off after it. He’d bring it back, and Luke would throw it again.

Pretty soon Todd came running out the door with Myrna right behind him. He spotted Barney, and his eyes lit up.

“Luke! You’ve got a dog!”

“Yeah. He lives at the shelter right now.”

“What’s his name?”

“Barney.”

Todd stared down at his missing front leg. “What happened to him?”

“He got in a little accident. But he gets around really good now.”

Todd patted Barney on the head, and the dog looked up at him adoringly. “He looks really happy.”

“That’s because you’re petting him. He likes that.”

Myrna walked over to the picnic table, her brows drawn together. “Luke? What are you up to now?”

“Just getting Barney here a little exercise.” He handed the ball to Todd. “Why don’t you throw it for him?”

Todd reared back and threw the ball across the lawn. Barney took off as if he’d been shot out of a cannon. In seconds, he’d brought the ball back and dropped it at Todd’s feet.

“Wow!” Todd said. “He’s fast!”

“Guess we’re lucky he doesn’t have all four legs, or he’d run so fast we wouldn’t even be able to see him.”

Todd giggled. “Can I throw it again?”

“Yep.”

Todd threw it. This time Barney buzzed across the lawn, leaped up, and caught the ball in his mouth. Todd’s eyes flew open wide. When Barney brought the ball back again this time, Todd knelt down to pet him. Barney licked his face, giving Todd a case of the giggles all over again.

“Hey, Todd,” Luke said. “It’s kinda hot out today. Why don’t you take Barney over to that water spigot on the side of the building and get him a drink? Just turn on the water and stick your hand under there like this”—Luke cupped his hand—“and he’ll drink out of it.”

“Okay. Come on, Barney!”

Todd hurried off with Barney trotting at his heels. Myrna watched them, shaking her head.

“Dog’s got a leg missing,” she said.

“Doesn’t slow him down,” Luke said. “And Todd doesn’t seem to care.”

“Is he any particular kind of dog?”

“Most likely not.”

“Is he housebroken?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Big appetite?”

“Not so much.”

“Any bad habits?”

“Yeah. He loves little kids, so he might follow Todd around wherever he goes.”

Myrna sighed. “I always thought you were the devil, Luke Dawson. Now here you are proving it all over again.”

Todd stuck his hand a little too close to the faucet, and water squirted all over both him and Barney. Todd’s laughter drifted across the yard to Luke’s ears, making him smile. There wasn’t much he loved more than the sound of a happy kid.

“He’s a good boy,” Myrna said. “He didn’t deserve having both his mama and his daddy leave him the way they did.”

“So where’s Belinda?” Luke asked.

Myrna frowned. “I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about that daughter of mine. If she wants to up and leave, good riddance.”

Luke just nodded.

“She may not have a lick of responsibility, but she didn’t get that from me. Todd’s my grandson. If I have anything to say about it, he’ll always have clothes on his back and food in front of him.”

But as she watched Todd and Barney making a mess with the water, Luke could tell she was wondering if there was room in the budget for something more than the basics.

“I’ll think about it,” Myrna said. “That’s all I’m gonna do. Just think about it.”

Luke nodded. “There’s something else I’d like to talk to you about.”

“What’s that?”

“There’s a high school rodeo tonight in Waymark. I know this is a lot to ask, and you can say no if you want to and there’ll be no hard feelings. But I was thinking maybe Todd might like to come along with me.”

Myrna turned her gaze to her grandson, who was still playing in the water with Barney. “He’s six years old. Doesn’t pay attention like he ought to. He’s liable to run out in front of a horse or fall right down the bleachers.”

“No, ma’am. No chance of that. Not while I’m watching out for him.”

Myrna lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug. “I suppose that’d be all right.”

Luke smiled. He loved the idea of taking a little kid like Todd to his first rodeo.

He couldn’t wait.

At six o’clock that evening, Shannon sat at her kitchen table, eating Rocky Road ice cream and balancing her checkbook. For so many years, she’d been used to a way bigger paycheck, a lot of which she shoved into savings. Good thing, because these days there wasn’t much left over past her basic living expenses.

At least things were looking up at the shelter.

Over the past few weeks, where animal adoptions were concerned, Luke had shifted into high gear. They had fewer animals on the premises than they’d had all year. In fact, Luke was accomplishing so much around there that she couldn’t imagine what it was going to be like when he was gone. There was something about turning around and seeing a fence fixed or the stock tank full before she even had a chance to say anything about it that made her feel as if things were slowly getting under control.

Then she heard a knock at her door.

She shoved the ice cream into the freezer and went to her living room. She opened the door and was surprised to see Luke standing there. Even more surprising was that Todd was with him.

“What are you guys doing here?” Shannon said, opening the door wider for them to come inside.

“Todd and I are going to a rodeo tonight,” Luke said.

“A rodeo?” Shannon said, smiling down at Todd. “Sounds like fun.”

“We thought you might like to come along,” Luke said.

“Come along? Tonight?”

“Yep.”

“It’s kind of short notice.”

“We just decided to go this afternoon.”

“I was balancing my checkbook.”

“Oh. Sorry. We wouldn’t want to get in the middle of all
that
fun.”

Shannon looked down at the khaki shorts and beat-up T-shirt she wore. “I’m a mess,” she said, shoving a strand of hair out of her face. “You expect me to go out in public looking like this?”

“We have a few minutes to spare. Jeans, boots, and you’re ready to go.”

“I’ve never been to a rodeo.”

“Well, then. All the more reason to go. It’s a high school rodeo. Not exactly the big league, but I need my fix.”

When Shannon still looked undecided, Luke looked down at Todd. “Todd? Tell Miss Shannon why she has to come with us.”

Todd gave Shannon a shy smile. “Luke says when a guy goes to a rodeo, he’s got to be with the prettiest girl.” Todd glanced up at Luke, then looked back at Shannon. “It’s a rule.”

Shannon raised an eyebrow at Luke. “A rule?”

“That’s right,” Luke said. “You don’t want us breaking a rule, do you?”

Shannon shook her head. “You’re relentless.”

Todd whispered to Luke. “What does that mean?”

Luke whispered back. “It means Miss Shannon is coming with us.”

Shannon told herself this didn’t mean anything, particularly when they had a six-year-old chaperone. But she couldn’t say she hated the idea of spending the evening with Luke. But just as friends.

Friends.

W
henever Shannon saw Todd at the Pic ’N Go, he usually hid behind the counter and peered at her shyly. Tonight he chattered more than she’d ever heard a six-year-old chatter before. Luke asked him a dozen questions, then listened to his answers and asked him more. Todd was so excited to be going to a rodeo even though he barely knew what one was. By the time they arrived at the rodeo grounds, Shannon found herself sharing his enthusiasm.

As they got out of Luke’s truck, the sun was dipping low on the horizon. Shannon led the way as they climbed the stands to sit several rows up, only to have that tingly
I’m-being-watched
feeling overcome her. She looked over her shoulder and realized her butt was at Luke’s eye level and his gaze was fixed directly on it.

As they sat down, she leaned toward Luke and whispered, “What are you staring at, cowboy?”

“Your ass in those jeans,” he whispered back.

She did an obligatory eye roll, but she couldn’t help the shiver of delight that went through her. She knew Luke appreciated her for what was between her ears. But she also liked knowing he appreciated the rest of her, too.

Soon the Grand Entry began, with horses and rodeo queens and flags and a lot of other things Shannon could barely keep track of. Todd watched it all with the kind of wonder only a six-year-old could feel.

Then the action started.

Steer wrestling was first, which involved a man jumping off a horse, grabbing the animal’s horns, and throwing him to the ground. After a few kids managed to bring their steers down, Todd said, “What if the cowboy misses?”

“He ends up on the—oops,” Luke said. “There you go.”

Shannon looked back and saw a steer running to the other end of the arena and a kid getting up out of the dirt.

Todd winced. “I bet that hurt a lot.”

“But he’s getting up,” Luke said. “Pretty soon he’s going to try again. That’s what you do when you miss. You try again.”

Shannon wondered just how many times Luke had climbed up out of the dirt in the past decade. It was a wonder the only thing holding him back now was an injured knee.

As Luke chatted with Todd, Shannon looked around the stands. For the first time she realized just how many women were giving Luke sidelong glances, self-co
nscious
ly sitting up straighter or playing with their hair whenever he happened to turn in their direction. Then they’d whisper to each other, and Shannon could easily imagine the conversation they were having.

“Okay,” Luke said to Todd. “Barrel racing is coming up.”

“So a horse races a barrel?” Shannon said. “Doesn’t hardly seem fair since barrels don’t have legs.”

Todd giggled.

Luke leaned toward Todd and whispered, “Miss Shannon may be pretty, but she doesn’t know
anything
about a rodeo.” Luke gave her a smile and a wink, and Shannon felt her insides heat up. Good Lord, he was beautiful when he smiled. It was a crying shame he didn’t do it twenty-four hours a day.

Luke pointed to the arena. “Watch the first horse,” he told Todd, “and you’ll see what they’re supposed to do.”

All at once a horse came bursting into the arena, galloping toward the first barrel. He circled it, stirring up dust, then took off toward the second one. In no time he’d rounded the third one, completing the cloverleaf pattern, and galloped back across the finish line. The girl riding him pulled him up short, then circled back to look at her time.

“Wow,” Todd said. “That was
fast
!”

They watched the rest of the barrel racers, and then Luke patted Todd on the leg. “Hey, buddy. How would you like to go down by the chutes? See the horses and bulls up close?”

“Really?”

“Really. Shannon?”

“You guys go ahead,” Shannon said. “Wait—are you hungry? Want some hot dogs? I’ll grab some while you’re gone.”

“Yeah!” Todd said.

“Make that two,” Luke said, standing up. Shannon waved away the money he tried to give her and headed for the concession stand. Luke took Todd’s hand, and together they headed in the direction of the chutes.

A few minutes later, as Shannon was heading back to the bleachers carrying the hot dogs, she passed three boys wearing hats and chaps who looked as if they were there to compete. They leaned against the wall, their thumbs hooked through their belt loops, trying desperately to look cool in front of a couple of girls nearby. One of the boys was short and stocky, another had flaming red hair. The third boy looked a little older, with dirty blond hair that curled beneath the back of his cowboy hat. He had a cigarette in his hand and a tough-guy look on his face.
Pack leader,
Shannon thought. She was well-acquainted with those. Dog or man, it was all the same.

Suddenly the short boy came to attention. “Holy crap. Look over here. Isn’t that Luke Dawson?”

The redheaded boy whipped around. “No way. Where?”

“Over there by the chutes.”

“It can’t be. What would he be doing at this stupid little rodeo?”

“I don’t know. But I swear that’s him.”

Shannon stopped short and eased over to stand against the wall, pretending to be waiting for someone so she could listen to their conversation.

“Wow, I think you’re right,” she heard the redheaded boy say. “It is him. Let’s go talk to him!”

“Talk to him? Are you kidding me? I’m not going to talk to him!
You
talk to him.”

Shannon couldn’t believe it. They were going back and forth about Luke as if he were some kind of teen idol they didn’t have the nerve to speak to. As two of the boys continued to argue, the tall blond kid made a scoffing noise. Still smoking his cigarette, he pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward Luke. The other boys looked at each other questioningly, then followed in his wake.

Curious, Shannon followed several paces behind the boys and stopped before they reached Luke, standing behind a truck parked nearby. Luke and Todd were standing next to a corral fence where two horses were tied up. Todd was patting one of the horses on the nose.

The blond boy walked right up behind Luke and stopped, his feet spread as if he was holding his ground. “You’re Luke Dawson.”

Luke turned around, looking the kid up and down. “That’s right.”

“Heard you got sidelined. Knee injury. Freak accident.”

“Yep.”

“They say you’ve still got a chance to win it all, assuming you make it to the World Championship.”

“I’ll be there.”

The kid flicked his cigarette. “I saw you ride once in Amarillo.”

“Yeah? Which time?”

“Last January. You won. Rode a bull named Executioner. Scored a ninety-two.”

“Yeah, I think I remember that ride. You got a good memory, kid.”

The redheaded boy piped up. “Hey, Luke! What’s the toughest bull you ever rode?”

“Don’t ask him that!” the short one said, slapping his friend on the arm.

“Why not?”

“’Cause he’s Luke Dawson, you idiot!
None
of them are tough for him to ride!”

“Now, that’s where you’re wrong,” Luke said. “Rodeo’s a hard sport for any man. Sooner or later you’re going to get the crap beaten out of you. It’s just a matter of when. You just gotta decide if you want it bad enough to keep coming back for more.” Luke fanned his gaze over them. “Any of you boys got what it takes?”

Two of the boys swallowed hard, their eyes growing big, looking as if they’d love to turn tail and run. The blond kid spit in the dirt and stood up tall, peering at Luke from beneath the brim of his hat.

“I do.”

Luke shifted his gaze to meet the kid’s eyes. “What’s your event?”

“Bull riding.”

“You want to go pro?”

“Yep.”

“How bad?”

The kid paused. “Bad.”

“How do your parents feel about it?”

The kid tossed down his cigarette and ground it out with the toe of his boot. “My parents don’t give a shit about me.”

“Watch your language,” Luke said, flicking his gaze toward Todd, who had picked a few stalks of Johnson grass and was feeding it to the horse.

“They don’t care what I do,” the kid said.

“Rodeo’s a hard life.”

“Can’t be as hard as what I got now.”

“It’ll kick your butt from here to next Thursday.”

“I’m used to that already.”

“Then I guess there’s nothing standing in your way, is there?” He turned to Todd. “Hey, Todd. I bet Shannon has those hot dogs by now.”

“Any advice?” the blond kid said.

Luke turned back, staring at the kid for a long time. “Yeah. I got plenty of advice. But I only give it to people who are ready to hear it.”

The kid looked at him evenly. “I’m ready.”

“Okay, then. First thing—don’t get anywhere near a chute unless you’re wearing a helmet. Only idiots go out there unprotected.”

“Some guys say that’s for pussies.”

“Then call me a pussy, because I wouldn’t get on a bull without one. Second,” he said, “losing isn’t the worst thing in the world. The worst thing in the world is whining about it. Learn from it, then get back on the next bull. Pretty soon you’ll be winning more than you’re losing, and that’ll take you to the top. You hear me?”

“I hear you.”

“Third—behave yourself in public, and be thankful when people help you. Nobody likes a jerk. You may think you don’t care about that right now, but believe me, the day will come when you will.”

The kid nodded.

“That being said, be careful who you trust. From this day forward, you better assume the only person who has your best interests at heart is
you
. Got that?”

“Got it.”

“Oh, yeah. One last thing. Get rid of the cigarettes. No serious athlete smokes. Bull riders are no different.”

The kid stared at Luke a long time before giving him another silent nod.

“I’ll be up there watching you ride,” Luke said, nodding toward the stands. “Show me what you’ve got.”

With one last nod of acknowledgment, the blond kid turned and walked away, his posse hurrying after him. A few moments later, he passed a trash can. He pulled out his cigarettes, tossed them away, and kept on walking.

Shannon felt the most amazing sensation of her preconceived notions being blown away. From one moment to the next, it was as if the last remnants of the boy she’d known had disintegrated in her memory, and the only thing left of him was the man Luke had become—a man she was drawn to more with every breath she took.

She walked up behind him. “He trashed the cigarettes. Maybe that means he was paying attention.”

Luke spun around, looking surprised. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough. I didn’t know you were a rock star.”

“They’re just kids. Easy to impress.” He nodded down at the hot dogs. “Let’s eat.”

They went back up the bleachers, where they watched calf roping and ate their hot dogs. After they finished, a man sat down in front of Todd wearing a gigantic cowboy hat. Luke scooped Todd up and sat him on his lap so he could see better. Then he reached over and patted the bleacher beside him, telling Shannon to come closer. She scooted over next to him, close enough that every time he turned around to talk to her, his lips were only inches from hers. Her skin felt touchy, alive, as if she suddenly had a hundred times the nerve endings she’d had only two hours ago. So every time his thigh or his shoulder brushed against hers, warm little shivers raced through her. Sitting so close to him, she smelled the clean aroma of soap, but also a warm, wonderful guy smell she wished she could inhale every moment of every day. If somebody could bottle that, women the world over would knock each other down to buy it.

Soon she became more aware of how much attention Luke had garnered just by stepping onto the rodeo grounds, and not just from women. As the evening wore on, a few other people dropped by to speak to him. Most of the conversation was centered around his injury and whether he’d be back on a bull come November. He assured every person he talked to that he would. He was kind, considerate, and had a smile for everyone. She had the feeling a lot more people had recognized him, too. They just didn’t have the nerve to talk to him.

“Bull riding’s coming up,” Luke said to Todd. “The rider needs to stay on eight seconds. The judges score his ride, but the bull gets a score, too. Then both scores are added together. So the tougher the bull, the higher the score.”

Todd nodded seriously and focused on the action. The first kid climbed the fence and settled onto the bull’s back. The animal reared, then slammed his front legs down again.

“My God,” Shannon said. “That kid’s going to get killed before the bull even comes out.”

“Nah,” Luke said. “The chute’s pretty safe. There’s only so much a bull can do in there.”

In the next moment, though, the chute gate swung open, and the bull came barreling out. Three seconds later, he tossed his young rider into the dust.

“And exactly how safe was that?” Shannon asked.

Luke chuckled. “These bulls aren’t too bad.”

“Well, if these aren’t too bad, what are they like in the big leagues?”

“A whole lot bigger and a whole lot meaner.”

“My God,” she said on a hushed breath. “They could kill a man.”

“There’s a reason they call bull riding the most dangerous eight seconds in sports.”

Shannon believed that. Every word.

“Look!” Todd said, pointing. “Clowns!”

“They’re also called bullfighters,” Luke said. “Once the ride is over, they distract the bull so he doesn’t go after the cowboy. Good thing, because those horns are sharp.”

Only one of the next four kids managed to stay on the full eight seconds. Then came the blond kid Luke had talked to. He climbed over the fence and slid nonchalantly onto the bull. Shannon didn’t know if he’d worn a helmet before, but he was wearing one now.

The gate opened. The bull came flying out, then began to buck in a circle, dropping one shoulder every time he hit the ground.

“Tough bull,” Luke said, his gaze fixed intently on the arena. “Come on, kid…”

The bull slammed the kid left and right until Shannon swore his arm was going to be torn from its socket. She held her breath, counting silently inside her head. Then the buzzer sounded. With the bull’s next buck, the kid let loose and landed on his feet on the arena floor.