One Night With a Cowboy (3 page)

“Now what?” She drew in a deep breath and braced herself for whatever her sister might
reveal.

“There’s a rodeo the night we arrive.” Emma practically squealed the news.

“A rodeo?” Becca laughed. “How do you know?”

“It’s on the website for the hotel. There’s a listing of local events. It says there’ll
be over one hundred vendors there selling food and all sorts of Western stuff. Belts.
Purses. Boots. Purses made out of boots. And the tickets are only ten dollars. That’s
crazy. We are so going to this.”

“Emma, you’re the one that’s crazy. We’re not going to a rodeo.” She realized she
was frowning even harder than before. If she continued talking to Emma much longer,
she’d need Botox to fight the wrinkles her sister was giving her.

“Too late. I just ordered the tickets. We’re going, and you’re going to have a great
time. Besides, you can’t interview for a job without experiencing some of the local
culture first.”

“Culture. Mmm, hmm. Sure.” She let out a derogatory snort.

“Yes, culture. Cowboy culture. Cowboys have a long and illustrious history, you know.
Mmm, mmm. I can’t wait to get there and see some up close and in person. Make sure
you pack your jeans. Ooh, do you still have those cowboy boots you bought a few years
ago?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure. I only wore them once.” Becca shook her head at the ridiculousness
of this all. She should be planning what to wear to her job interview, not worrying
about what to wear to this rodeo she didn’t want to go to in the first place.

“Well, go look. Then right after I’m done with work, I’ll come over and we’ll plan
your rodeo outfit.”

Some forces of nature were impossible to fight. Emma on a quest was clearly one of
them. Defeated, Becca sank back into the cushions of the sofa with a sigh. “Fine.
See you later.”

“H
ey, Tuck. Check out those two blondes walking in.”

Tucker Jenkins grunted as Jace’s elbow hit the exact spot on his rib cage where Son
of a Gun had stomped on him last night. The bull’s hoof had only glanced off his safety
vest or Tuck probably would be warming a hospital bed with a collapsed lung tonight
rather than riding, but that didn’t mean the bruised ribs didn’t hurt like a son of
a bitch. He sure as hell didn’t need his friend poking him, and over two buckle bunnies
no less.

Without bothering to check out the most likely overly endowed women Jace was so excited
about, Tuck turned toward him. “What’s with you and the bimbos lately? Ever since
you and Jacqueline broke up, you’re like a dog in heat. I swear.”

“That was mean and uncalled for, but I’ll forgive you since going without female companionship
for as long as you have tends to make a man ornery. I can only imagine you must be
getting pretty tired of only having sex with the four sisters on Thumb Street.” Jace’s
sandy-colored brows drew low beneath the brim of his black cowboy hat. “And the girls
I was looking at are not bimbos, thank you very much. These two happen to be classy.”

Ignoring Jace’s jab about his only pleasure coming from his own hand for far too long,
Tuck decided to focus on Jace’s taste in women instead. “Classy? Ha! I doubt that.
You don’t generally go for the high-class type.”

“I could. For these two chicks anyway.” The sound of Jace’s voice rose and took on
a defensive tone.

With a huff of defeat Tuck gave in and finally turned toward the entrance. Who the
hell could these girls be that his friend thought they were such a big deal it warranted
such an overly long conversation?

He didn’t need Jace to point out the newest objects of his attention. There were only
two blondes in the immediate area worthy of all this discussion, and they happened
to be walking in his direction. The two looked so much alike, they had to be sisters.
That fact, back in his younger years, might have held really intriguing possibilities
of the sexual nature for Tuck. He’d had an unfulfilled sister fantasy since high school,
when the Gibson sisters had shunned him and most of the other guys in their class
in favor of the star players on the football team. He’d filled quite a few nights
of his misspent youth dreaming about both of the Gibson girls, and thanks to the obsession
they’d fueled, he’d also enjoyed a threesome a time or two while on the road competing.

However, those types of exploits and those single days—before the U.S. Army and a
divorce had aged him beyond his years—were long past. Still, he was only thirty, not
dead. He could appreciate the sight of a tempting female or two. He had to admit the
one blonde, the woman looking like she’d be more at home on Rodeo Drive than at a
rodeo, sure captured his attention.

Tuck knocked his cowboy hat back a bit and took a better look at the rear view as
she turned and began to climb the stairs leading to the upper level seating of the
arena. Dressed in black from the leather of her boots, to the enticingly tight denim
of her jeans, to the low-cut but tasteful blouse, she definitely stuck out from the
rest of the colorful crowd.

He saw the minute she noticed him watching her. She’d just turned to walk along the
upper level. Her gaze met his, and she literally stumbled in her shiny, high-heeled,
city-girl cowboy boots. She had to reach out and grab on to the arm of the blond woman
walking next to her. Interesting. Apparently, he’d caught her eye just as she’d captured
his. It was nice when things worked out. She continued to glance at him and then drag
her gaze away, only to peek again a second later.

Feelings Tuck hadn’t let himself own up to in a long time started to heat him. They
began somewhere deep inside his core and radiated outward, filling him with warmth
and anticipation. Jace was right. Tuck had been too long without a steady woman warming
his bed. He hadn’t let anyone inside his world, either for a night or for the long
run, since that string of rebound flings he’d indulged in right after the breakup
to try to forget his cheating ex-wife.

In his head Tuck knew one bad apple didn’t spoil the whole barrel, and a woman who
would run around on her husband while he was deployed in service to his country was
surely the lowest of the low, but it was taking a while for the rest of him to believe
it enough to take a risk on getting close to anyone again.

A twisting low in his gut accompanied by a familiar stirring in the region just below
his championship belt buckle made Tuck decide he might be willing to explore things
further with this girl. Not that it mattered much if he might be ready for something
more involved than a quick tumble, because from the looks of this woman, she wasn’t
local. This area wasn’t exactly a tourist destination, and she had
just passing through
written all over her. He doubted she’d be around long enough for him to get attached
or hurt.

That was fine. Better actually. He should ease back in to having a social life slowly.
They could enjoy each other for a night or two and then part as friends. No chance
of a long-term commitment or the hurt that would come with the end of it. Just two
attractive adults having a good time. His scarred heart could certainly handle that.
And his dick was apparently on board with the idea as well.

“I get the one in black.” When Jace didn’t respond to his claim on the woman, Tuck
glanced at his friend. He found Jace standing openmouthed and staring at him.

Finally, once the look of shock had passed, Jace laughed. “All right. You got it,
Tuck. Oh, and there’s a fresh box of condoms in my gear bag. You know, just in case.”

Glancing at her again, he didn’t bother denying his interest. Jace had known him too
long for Tuck to try lying to him now. They’d been riding in local rodeos together
since they were horny teens on the prowl for any willing female. As concerned about
their post-competition activities as they were about the ride. It was no use pretending
he wasn’t picturing this woman and him rolling around naked. If she was willing, he
sure was.

Tuck nodded. “Good to know. Thanks.”

“Anytime. And about damn time you got back on the horse.”

“Yeah, it is.” Tuck nodded, not even mad at his friend’s comment since it was true.

He leaned back against the rail, glad the women’s seats were at this end of the arena,
above the bucking chutes where he and Jace usually hung out before their event. This
way he could keep an eye on them. Make sure his blonde didn’t go anywhere before he
had a chance to lay the old Jenkins charm on her, if he could remember how after all
this time.

“I’m just glad there’s two of them.” Jace let out a snort of a laugh as they stood
side-by-side watching the women work their way along the upper tier.

“Why’s that?” Tuck frowned at the odd comment.

Jace shot him a sideways look. “Because when Tucker Jenkins is at the top of his game,
no other guy stands a chance against him.”

“The game being women, you mean?” Tuck laughed and shook his head. “I’ve been out
of that game for a very long while.” Between the years he’d been married and this
past year, when he’d been too hateful to trust himself near any nice women, he was
sorely out of practice.

“It’s like a bicycle, I suppose. Just hop back on and
ride
.” Jace waggled his eyebrows and smirked.

Shaking his head at that immature euphemism, Tuck glanced up and saw the two women
had finally found their designated seats. Now their heads were bent close to each
other as they talked, glancing in his direction. Oh, yeah. That was a good sign. He
might be out of practice, but he knew when he had a woman’s attention, and he sure
had hers.

He knew he was staring—his mother would be appalled at his rudeness. And he knew the
object of his newly awakened desire knew he was staring at her, but now he’d made
his decision, he wasn’t about to pussyfoot around. He’d never been subtle to begin
with.

His heart rate picked up speed as adrenaline surged through him. He had a feeling
making a play for this woman would be less like riding the bike Jace had compared
it to and more like riding a bull—potentially dangerous but exhilarating and, if it
worked out, totally worth the risk.

“Their seats suck. They’re way the hell upstairs in the top tier.” Jace was obviously
keeping an eye on them as closely as Tuck was.

“You’re right. We should bring them down to the floor.” He hadn’t brought a woman
back behind the chutes to watch him compete in a very long time. Hell, lately there
hadn’t been any he’d wanted to bring down there with him. This woman, however, made
him want to.

Again it seemed Tuck had managed to surprise his friend. Jace’s brows rose high, but
he nodded. “Uh, all right. If you want to. Sure. I’m game.”

“Good. Let’s go.” He pushed aside any lingering doubts and strode up the steps, his
legs easily spanning two at a time. A few inches shorter, Jace had to scramble to
keep up.

Tuck smiled when the blonde’s eyes popped open wide at the sight of him coming toward
their section like a bull charging out of the gate. She looked as if she was ready
to bolt, but her friend—or sister or whoever she was—was all smiles. That was all
the encouragement he needed to not second-guess his course of action. He had her companion’s
approval. From past experience, he knew that could be the biggest part of the battle.

He heard the sound of Jace’s boots on the stairs behind him. His backup. His wingman.
Hopefully, they both wouldn’t get shot down.

Up close, she was damn attractive. He’d learned the hard way that wasn’t always the
case, but this timeless distance only improved the view. She somehow managed to look
sophisticated and naïve at the same time. Her wide eyes, full of surprise and a little
bit of terror, were as blue as the cold brook running through the woods behind the
house where he’d grown up. Her hair was as golden as a hay field . . . and just the
fact he was thinking corny romantic stuff like this made Tuck want to turn around,
run back down those stairs, and do something safe—like hop back on Son of a Gun.

He gave himself a pep talk as the distance between them shortened to mere yards now.
This was just some innocent flirting. Okay, maybe not so innocent if the night turned
out the way he hoped, but it certainly wasn’t serious. He wasn’t going to bring this
girl home for dinner with his mamma. Hell, he probably wasn’t going to get to do anything
with her at all, because judging by the expression on her face, she’d rather crawl
under the seats and hide than talk to him.

Too late now. He’d reached the point of no return as he stopped next to her.

“Hi. I’m Tucker Jenkins and this here is my buddy Jace Mills.” Tuck hooked a thumb
at his friend on the step below him and forged boldly ahead. “We couldn’t help noticing
you’re pretty far away from the action in these seats. We were wondering if you’d
like to come down below where we hang out and watch from there.”

“We’d love to.” The other blonde smiled and stood so fast, it earned her a shocked
look from the woman who had Tuck’s pulse racing. She continued, “I’m Emma, by the
way, and this is my sister Becca.”

Sisters. Yup. He’d thought so. Strange though, as much as they resembled each other,
it was only one sister—Becca—who kept his attention stuck like glue.

“Wait. Are we allowed down there?” Becca looked even more uncertain as her glance
shot between her sister and him, but despite her doubtful tone, Tuck had to admit
her voice sounded as sweet to him as an angel’s.

“Sure.” He nodded. “As long as you’re with us, you are.”

“See. It’s fine. Don’t worry.” Emma pulled Becca out of her seat, so now they were
all standing on the stairs as a stream of people trying to get to their own seats
pushed past.

Tuck couldn’t care less if he was in the way. All of his attention was on the woman
in front of him. He could see the dynamic between the sisters already. Emma was the
adventurous one trying to push Becca out of her comfort zone, while Becca, the rule
follower, was obviously the more conservative of the two, the worrier. Strange she
was the one who made his heart race. In the past he would have gone for the other
type. Maybe time and events had mellowed him. Or maybe there was something to all
this chemistry stuff.

“Very nice to meet both of you ladies.” Jace extended his arm and pumped each woman’s
hand in turn.

Thank God at least Jace was keeping up the niceties while Tuck was deep in his own
head trying to figure out how to warm Becca toward him. Maybe some good old-fashioned
small talk would help. Hell, it was worth a try.

“So, first time at a rodeo?” He directed the question directly to Becca, hoping she
wouldn’t be able to avoid answering.

“Yes.” Her flushed face broke into a small, tentative smile aimed in his direction.
“How could you tell?”

Tuck returned the smile. It wasn’t at all hard to do. “Your boots look too good for
you to have stomped around places like this very often.”

“That’s very observant of you.” Her gaze dropped to his own well-worn boots and traveled
back up as Becca did some observing of her own.

His knees nearly buckled from the intensity of her stare. He raised a brow at her
perusal. She caught the move and yanked her gaze away as her cheeks turned a deeper
shade of crimson.

“Well, I try.” Tuck also had to try to mentally talk down the arousal her little head-to-toe
inspection of him had caused.

Damn did she look attractive when she got all embarrassed. That didn’t help the situation
in his jeans, either. He didn’t come across many women who blushed. He was finding
he liked it. A lot.