Wild Ride: BBW Western Romance (Under Open Skies Saga Book 2) (18 page)

“
Well, thank you for the advice, if you excuse me, I am going to go ahead and enjoy the night, over there
.
”

She pointed off into the distance, down towards the bonfire.

“
Hey, I did
n’
t mean to upset you, just want to warn you. Because, you know, you seem like a nice person. No one deserves to get their heart broken if they can help it. My friend, she fell for him. He took her home, fucked her, left her. It happens all the time. H
e’
s just going to use you up too, a part of who he is. His heart has been chewed up and spit out. Do
n’
t got one left
.
”

Instead of getting angry, she excused herself and walked away from the ladies, down towards the fire.

She sat on an upended log and finished her beer. It was a lot to think about, but not something she was surprised about. He seemed like the kind who did
n’
t stick around, hell, she was the same way. Never get attached. Do
n’
t let them hurt you, do
n’
t let them tear you to pieces. She had seen the way her paren
t’
s relationship was, and it was the last thing she wanted.

So she normally kept her distance.

But Hunter,  the way he came along into her world, the way he shattered the wall she built. The one that kept the pain away, it was different with him. He was different. She could feel it in her soul.

“
Well, what do we have here?" A deep voice called out from the distance as he walked towards them
.“
If it isn't Miss Moneybags herself, I never thought you would deign to come to one of these events
.
”

“I’
m sorry, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet. You must b
e
…”

“
Dakota James. My friends call me Cody."

If she was the kind of person who used clic
hé
s she would've called him a tall drink of water. But she wasn't, so she just stood there slack-jawed while he introduced himself.

"I've heard a lot about you, and ain't much of it been good. Still, Hunter seems to think that you're alright. So I guess that will have to do."

He held out his hand for her to shake, But before she could take it Hunter was beside her grasping the man's hand.

“
Cody, glad you could make it. I see you I see you met the rodeo Princess already
.
”

“
I don't know, man. You say that she's alright, but she looks like a city girl if I've ever seen one. You sure she's going to be able to run things around here?"

“I’
m standing right here
,”
Kat said, her patience wearing thin, but Hunter just smiled and ignored her. Thought he was being cute? Well, he was
n’
t.

“
She is not what you think she is. The guys were pissed at first, especially when they thought she was less than genuine, but they are coming around. She really has the soul of her old man.
I’
m telli
n’
you
.
”

“I’
m right freaking here
.”
She said, delivering her signature glare. He was already immune.

“
Yes, you are
.”
Cody tipped his hat at her and gave her a little wink.

It only served to make her blush further, but the brewing of her anger was still underneath the surface. She felt  completely vulnerable when Hunter should have been defending her.

Cody gave a little chuckle
.“
Sorry, we have been talking about you for weeks. I just could
n’
t help myself
.
”

“
Are you one of my employees, Cody
?”
she asked, trying to regain her composure.

“
What? No. I grew up around the rodeo, though. Had a parent in the business. He was a bull rider
.
”

“
Really, I never knew that about you. I mean, I knew you grew up around it, but you never said you had a dad in it
.”
Hunter admitted, his arm wrapping around the small of Ka
t’
s back. She was too angry to want him to touch her. She hated when people condescended to her, talked about her like she was
n’
t there.  Her mother was famous for that.

She pushed him away and sidestepped to give herself a little more room, taking note of his expression.

“
Yeah, not much of a parent, do
n’
t talk about him much, but he tried now and again. So I hung around the rodeo, with this son of a bitch, and with your dad. You know how it is, the daughter of a rider yourself
.
”

“
I do. A lot of time spent just me and my mom
.
”

“
I know the feeling
.”
She believed he did, there was a sadness in his eyes that she recognized. The kind that plagued her. All those birthdays, and holidays missed. Either for the rodeo, or his business. The kind that left her a little bit hollow inside.

“
So what do you do now
?”
she asked, changing the subject.

“
I work for a consulting firm, working with business minded people who want to motivate and train employees
.
”

“
Oh? What do you do
?
”

“
Honestly? A whole lot of rushing back and forth. I am a junior level consultant, which really just means paid intern, it seems
.”
Cody grinned and then pointed at Hunter
.“
Not like this guy, now there is a real job. Bull riding with all the perks, huh? Finally getting a sponsorship from Fields and Brooks. Congrats, man
.
”

“
Thanks. I was on the fence for a long time, until Kat came along. Would
n’
t let me take no for an answer
.
”

“
You are a good rider, it would be a shame not to hire you, even if your actions out of the ring are less than perfect
.”
She let that little comment slide right in, especially after hearing about his less than faithful ways.

“
What is that supposed to mean
?”
He frowned.

Funny, she almost felt like she won something by pushing him to become unhinged.

“
What do you think it means
?
”

“
I think it means yo
u’
ve been listening to Tammy Lynn. That woman do
n’
t know me
.
”

“
I dunno about that, man. If I recall, you took her for a rodeo or two of your own
.”
Cod
y’
s voice brought Kat back to reality. They were arguing at a party. In front of everyone.

“
That shit was years ago
.
”

“
Do
n’
t matter, when it comes to a woman. They do not forget
.”
Cody passed an open bottle of something strong over to ____

“
Tell me about it. Half the fucking town hates my guts, and they are all female
.
”

“
Maybe you deserve it
.”
She eyed him differently, the information that Tammy related registering a bit of resentment in her.

“
Probably, but I would
n’
t be the only one. Hell, if anyone deserves that kind of anger, i
t’
s your dad. He was knocki
n’
boots with most of the fucking county
.
”

Ice flooded her veins. He did not just insult her father right in front of her. That man did nothing but support him, he admitted it himself.

She bit her cheek so hard she could taste the tangy sweetness of blood. When she finally got control of her anger, she turned to face Cody.

“
Cody, would you mind giving me a ride home? I think I am tired, and want to get an early nigh
t’
s rest
.”
Kat was suddenly very tired, and all she wanted to do was go home. She needed time away from everyone just to think. Especially away from Hunter.

“
Of course, I was getting a bit tired of hanging around this joint, and anyway it looks like it is going to rain
.
”

She saw the massive amount of clouds obscuring the moon and the stars, he was right.

“
My chariot is this way, my lady
.
”

She followed him over to a small truck, giving Hunter a smug wave before she hopped in.

“
Kat, open the damn door
.”
Hunter pounded on her door, each strong punch to the wood shaking the entire house. And that was saying something, because the brick home was in sturdy condition.

“
What the hell took you so long?
I’
ve been home for at least two hours
.
”

“
Just let me in, dammit
.
”

“
Why, so you can insult me and my father some more, and talk about me like
I’
m not there
?”
She shouted through that wooden door. It was the only thing shielding him from a strong slap, and the last thing she wanted to do was remove the barrier between the two of them.