Roses and Rodeo (Rough and Ready)

R
OSES &
R
ODEO

Cheyenne McCray

Copyright © 2012 by Cheyenne McCray

All rights reserved. No part of this e-Book may be reproduced in whole or in part, scanned, photocopied, recorded, distributed in any printed or electronic form, or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

E-book conversion by Bella Media Management.

Published by Pink Zebra Publishing.

13-Digit ISBN: 978-0-9834827-9-6 First Edition e-Book

Chapter 1

“He sure is one sexy bull rider.” Danica Cameron looked at her friend Kelsey then nodded toward the chute and the next cowboy preparing to ride a bull. “What’s his name?”

“Darryl Thompson.” Kelsey sighed and twirled a strand of her long blonde hair around her finger. “Only two dates and I think I’m in love.”

“Then I hope he’s Mr. Right.” Danica glanced at the bull rider before moving her gaze back to her friend. “I really don’t want to see you get hurt again, Kels.”

Kelsey smiled. “Darryl’s different than any guy I’ve ever dated. He’s a
real
man.”

Danica returned her friend’s smile. She’d known Kelsey for a couple of years now and she’d grown to care for her like a sister. They’d met at the local gym where Danica worked out three times a week and had started working out together. Eventually they began meeting outside of the health club and had become close friends.

With a smile, Danica turned her attention to the upcoming rider.

They had seats that hugged the arena, with a perfect view of all the action at the May Las Vegas professional bull riding competition. The air smelled of dust and animals and the announcer’s voice carried over the loudspeakers along with medleys of tunes to go with the high-energy crowd in the arena. The intro to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s
Sweet Home Alabama
blared from the speakers followed by a burst of Loverboy’s
Working for the Weekend
and then a partial tune Danica didn’t recognize, all in close succession.

Like other bull riders, Darryl’s protective vest and his shirtsleeves were covered with patches from various sponsors.

The announcer shouted out, “Darryl Thompson riding Killjoy, one of the rankest bulls here today.”

The gate to the chute swung open and the crowd cheered as the bull flung itself out and the cowboy started his ride. The bull bucked and twisted round and round, trying to throw its rider off as cheers and shouts rose up from the crowd.

Kelsey stood and screamed, “Go, Darryl!” as he hung on for the full eight seconds and then the horn blared.

The bull bucked Darryl off before he could dismount and he landed on his hands and knees, and scrambled to his feet. The cowboy clowns—who were now called bullfighters—distracted the bull to keep it from going after its rider and they got the bull to exit the arena through an open gate that they shut behind him.

Even Danica, who didn’t know a hell of a lot about bull riding, knew enough that she was sure it had been a really good ride.

Danica tilted her head to the side. “I always wondered how they get the bulls to twist in circles like that.”

“Did you see that strap around the bull’s flanks?” Kelsey said. “It’s called a flank strap. That’s what makes the bulls kick because they’re trying to kick it off. The rope that the cowboy holds onto is called a bull rope.”

Danica smiled as she pushed her long dark hair over her shoulder. “You’re becoming quite the expert now that you’re going out with Darryl.”

“I’m trying.” Kelsey grinned, her pretty gray eyes lit with excitement. “But I really want to be an expert on the bull rider himself.”

Danica laughed. “I’ll just bet you will.”

Kelsey hadn’t grown up on a ranch like Danica had, so to Kelsey, cowboys were a novelty. She’d met Darryl in San Diego at a country western bar and had talked Danica into flying to Las Vegas for a girl’s weekend to check out the bull riding competition. Well, the bull riders for the most part.

She’d known from the beginning that this was really a girl-and-cowboy weekend. Last thing she wanted to be was a third wheel, so she’d planned to keep herself busy and let Kelsey enjoy her time with Darryl.

Danica felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. She drew it out and saw that she had a text message from Barry.

Where are you, babe? I stopped by your place and you weren’t home.

She frowned. “I’m not your babe,” she muttered.

Kelsey glanced at Danica. “What did you say?”

“Got a text from Barry.” Danica sighed. “He won’t take a hint. Not even an outright, ‘I don’t want to date. Let’s be friends.’”

Kelsey shook her head. “Never did understand what you saw in that spoiled little rich boy.”

“He was actually pretty cool at the start.” Danica pushed hair behind her ear. “He was friendly and fun. I just didn’t see how obsessive he was until after we started dating. Or how arrogant and conceited he really is.”

He had been the first non-cowboy she’d ever dated, and he might be the last. She rolled her eyes at that thought. That wasn’t fair—not all men were like Barry.

The announcer shouted, turning her attention back to the event. “Ninety points for Darryl Thompson, making him tonight’s leader.”

Kelsey clapped her hands and looked at Danica. “That’s a great score.”

Danica nodded but looked down at her cell phone. “I’d better respond or he’ll never stop sending messages.”

She drafted a quick message.

In Las Vegas with Kelsey. Will be home tomorrow.

After she hit
send
, Danica raised her eyes and her gaze fixed on the next rider who was preparing to lower himself onto his bull. “Who’s that?”

“Creed McBride.” She gave Danica a sly smile when Danica glanced at her. “Hot, isn’t he?”

“Hard to tell.” But something about the cowboy made Danica sit up and take notice. There was an ease and confidence in his bearing that she could feel, even from where she sat. And yeah, when she got a good glimpse of him, he was definitely hot.

“Defending two-time World Champion, Creed McBride, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer shouted over more pulse-pounding music. “Today he’s matched up with one of the toughest bulls, Dark Shadow!”

The chute seemed to explode open as the bull twisted its massive body into the arena, its rider gripping the bull rope. Danica held her breath as the eight-second ride seemed to draw out. The rider made it all look effortless as his body moved in tune with the creature’s bucks and pitches.

And then the horn was blaring and the rider dismounted. He hit the ground on his side and rolled to his feet, barely missing the bull’s hooves.

Danica let out her breath with relief when the cowboy avoided getting trampled. Every time a rider got bucked off or dismounted, her body tensed. Despite having four older brothers, all cowboys, she’d never been able to understand a man’s need to put himself in danger like that.

“Tell you what.” Danica looked at Kelsey. “I don’t think I’d ever be able to date a bull rider. The sport is too dangerous.”

“Lots of professions are dangerous,” Kelsey said. “Police officers face danger every day.”

Danica shrugged. “That’s different.”

Kelsey rolled her eyes. “Come on, Danica. Don’t worry so much.”

“You know I’m not a worrier.” Danica gave a laugh. “I just don’t want to date someone who could end up hospitalized from being trampled by an animal that weighs two thousand pounds.”

With a shake of her head, Kelsey said, “Hard to believe a cowgirl like you wouldn’t want to date a cowboy like that.”

Danica decided to change the subject. “How are the rides scored?”

“Four judges score both the bull and the rider and each judge gets a total of fifty points,” Kelsey said. “Each of the judges can award up to twenty-five points for the bull and twenty-five points for the rider. They combine the points from the four judges and then divide that in half to come up with the rider’s score. From what Darryl told me, no one has ever received a hundred points in the Professional Bull Riders organization. I think somewhere around ninety-six or so is the highest ever awarded.”

Her phone vibrated again and she looked down at the phone.

Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? Call me when you get back.

Danica ground her teeth and tucked the phone away in her pocket again. She didn’t intend to respond again and she didn’t intend to call when she returned to California.

“Ninety-two point ride for Creed McBride.” The announcer’s voice cut through her thoughts. “That puts him over the top into first place and makes him champion!”

Danica clapped along with everyone else. Creed waved his black western hat and the crowd cheered even more.

“So you’ll come tonight?” Kelsey asked when Danica turned to her.

“If you insist.” Danica smiled at her friend.

“I insist.” Kelsey searched the arena with her gaze obviously looking for Darryl. “Maybe you’ll get to meet Creed.”

“Oh be still my heart.” Danica held her hand over her heart then laughed. “I wouldn’t say that is a must-do on my list.”

“Just you wait.” Kelsey gestured to Creed who was now talking to someone in the ring. “That looks like one cowboy worth getting to know.”

* * * * *

“No thank you.” Danica turned down yet another offer from a cowboy to buy her a drink.

After she declined, she dismissed the cowboy with a genuine smile. She moved away to search the room with her gaze for Kelsey. She held onto her beer bottle as she moved through the crowd.

The bar was packed with men and women in western attire and a country-western band had been playing familiar tunes all night. She liked that the slot machines were outside the bar and the constant ringing and cha-ching of machines wasn’t competing with the good music.

She’d caught herself lightly tapping her boot since she’d come into the bar, but she hadn’t been in the mood to dance. Usually she did, but tonight she had a headache that alcohol hadn’t been able to kick. Thank goodness smoking had been banned from bars and restaurants in Las Vegas or her headache would have magnified.

Her gaze slid past Creed who had three women around him. Kelsey had called the women buckle bunnies, female groupies. From what she’d seen, the groupies tended to wear tight jeans and boots with skimpy tops and bright, flashy accessories like a belt with a big buckle that had lots of dazzle.

She moved her gaze away from the cowboy and groupies then spotted her petite friend who was leaning against Darryl, her hand on his chest, looking into the tall cowboy’s eyes. It was a sweet, romantic picture the way he was looking at her. Danica hoped Kelsey wouldn’t get her heart broken. She’d been through far too much and she deserved a good guy. Danica had met him earlier in the night when Kelsey had introduced them. He seemed okay, but she’d reserve judgment for later.

Her cell phone had vibrated in her pocket three separate times. She was sure they were messages from Barry, so she didn’t bother to look.

From the corner of her eye, she found herself looking at Creed. This time a woman who looked upset was talking with him and the buckle bunnies were gone. He reached up and brushed something from beneath her eye with his thumb. He said something to her and she nodded, then turned and walked in Danica’s direction. The woman bumped into Danica, nearly making her drop her beer bottle.

Danica took a step back and shook her head. She looked at Darryl and Kelsey again. They really did look like a cute couple. She glanced away from the pair to check her watch. It was still early but she really wasn’t in the mood to party. Maybe she’d tell Kelsey about her headache and that she was going to head up to their suite in the casino resort hotel that was on the strip. She wouldn’t mind a bath in the amazing jetted tub.

“Heading off so early?” The deep drawl caught her attention. She immediately loved the male voice and turned to find herself facing Creed McBride.

She raised her brows. “Who says I’m leaving?”

He gave a slow, sexy grin. “Honey, you’ve been trying to head out that door all night.”

Her face warmed. “You’ve been watching me?”

“Ever since you walked into the room.” He searched her gaze. “Just waiting for a chance to catch your attention. I don’t think there’s a cowboy in this place who hasn’t offered to buy you a drink.”

She studied his eyes. He had dark hair and nice eyes that were a gorgeous shade of green. “Who’s to say I’m not going to send you packing?”