Ride Me Cowboy #4 (The Cowboy Romance Series - Book #4) (7 page)

“You were supposed to wait for me.”

“You take long showers.”

I smiled. “I like to smell good.”

He sniffed the air and said, “It worked,” with a
wink.

I looked at the horse with the saddle thrown over
his back and said, “Okay, so what do I need to do?”

He talked me through tightening the cinch and when I
finished, he told me how to check it. “Okay, now lower the stirrup.” I did and
he announced, “Amazing. You saddled him like a pro.”

“A slow pro,” I said.

He shrugged. “You did it and you did it right,
that’s all that matters. You want to saddle another one, or you want to ride
with me?”

“I’ll go with you,” I told him. I wasn’t sure enough
about my riding skills to take it on too far alone.

“Don’t laugh at me. I can’t grab the horn with my
right hand so I’m going to get up on the left. It might look a little awkward.”
I nodded and watched him tuck his toe in the stirrup, reach up with his left
hand and throw his leg over the horse. Left side or not, he looked like a pro.
“Your turn,” he said. He was reaching down at an awkward angle with his left
hand so I went on the other side. I put my left foot in the stirrup and with
his left arm holding onto me, I swung up behind him. I slid my arms around his
waist and he let out an, “
Mmm
.”

Laughing I said, “Stop it pervert.”

“You shouldn’t be so hot then,” he said with a grin.
He clicked his tongue at
Sarge
and we headed out down
the path that led around the pasture towards the rolling green hills. As we
rode along, we were both silent, taking in the beauty of the day. After riding
up a small hill, we started descending a steep ridge that led towards a small
green valley.

“Wow! Everything down here is so lush and green,” I
said.

“Yeah, it is. It sits so deep that it’s not exposed
to the harsh sun and the moisture stays in the grass a lot longer.”

The grass was dotted with cattle and their calves,
grazing and frolicking in the deep grass. Neither
Sarge
nor Mark even seemed to notice the cattle as we rode through them. I was
fascinated over how the cattle didn’t seem to be afraid of us and just
continued about their business. “They’re not afraid of us,” I said out loud.

“Nope. Sometimes that actually presents a problem,
as in when you’re trying to move them and they just stubbornly stand their
ground.”

“They’re actually really pretty,” I said. He
laughed.

“Pretty, huh?”

“Yeah, their coat is all shiny and their muscles
ripple when they move. They look happy and healthy.”

“You know what they say about California cows,” he
said.

“
No
what?”

Laughing again he said, “Do you watch television at
all?”

“Not unless I have to,” I replied.

“Well, what they say is that a California cow is a
happy cow. But it’s good that you don’t watch a lot of television. It’s all
junk anyways.”

 
We rode
across the lush pasture and up a slope on the other side. Then he took us across
a flat, dry area and descended down from there to a big creek. “I thought you
just had the one lake,” I said.

“This is a creek. It runs off from the mountains
when it snows. There hasn’t been much snow lately, so the water line is low.
It’s still high enough for the cattle to use it for water, though, so we’re
doing okay.”

The creek was so clear that I could see the smooth,
colorful rocks on the bottom, like looking through glass. Mark was right,
though, it couldn’t have been more than a foot deep and was barely moving. It
looked lazy to me, meandering along its rocky path.

“How’s this look for lunch?” Mark asked.

“Perfect,” I said. “My legs and butt are killing
me.” I’m pretty sure from the set of his jaw that he was trying not to laugh.

“I’m sorry,” he said very sweetly. “I didn’t think
about you not being used to being on a horse.”

“I’m tough,” I replied. “I’ll get over it.”

He stopped and I awkwardly dismounted, concerned
that my shaky legs might give out right underneath me and sent me sprawling to
the ground. Mark seemed to just slide off. He took hold of my arm with his good
hand and said, “Are you okay, really?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just stiff and sore.”

I walked around a bit to work my muscles out while
Mark set up for our picnic lunch.
 
“Lunch
is served,” he said. I looked at what he’d set up. He had brought a big,
fresh-looking loaf of French bread, a container of cold cuts and cheese, cut-up
watermelon, and cheesecake.

“Wow, looks good. I’m impressed.”

“Don’t be. It was all in the fridge just as you see
it. Your mom did all the work, not me.”

“Well, you put it together nicely.”

“Sit, let’s eat,” he directed with a grin.

The truth was that I was afraid if I sat I would
look like a complete idiot trying to get back up. He’d spread the blanket next
to a rock, so I sat on that and reached back to try and massage my sore back
with my fingers. Mark came over and sat on the ground, but close to me. His
left hand came up and replaced mine on the small of my back. He gently but
firmly rubbed along my spine, giving me
goosebumps
and delightfully loosening my muscles.

“Oh my goodness. That feels so good. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he said. “If you haven’t noticed, I
love touching you.”

“Really?” I said, feigning shock. Then I leaned down
and pressed a kiss to his lips. When I pulled back he was smiling, but he also
had a strange look on his face. “What?”

He reached up and brushed a piece of hair out of my
face. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Thank you, but that’s not what you were thinking
just now.”

“It’s just funny how much has changed since that
first day you drove up on the ranch. You were prepared to hate it here…”

“I was. It’s funny how all of this beauty and fresh
air grows on you.”

“Is that it?”

I grinned. “Are we fishing for compliments?”

Grinning back, he said, “Maybe a little.” I cupped
his face in my hand and kissed him again, harder this time.

“Does that answer your question?”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

We enjoyed our lunch and made it back to the house
before Rob and Mom. We kept our distance from each other when Rob was around.
That was mostly me, I didn’t want to give him anything else to use against
Mark. We were good in front of Mom, too, but we could at least show our
friendship in front of her. The days passed and we grew closer – then the days
turned into weeks and with daily walks and horseback rides, a carnival in town,
and stolen kisses every chance we got, I began to believe that my feelings
towards Mark had far exceeded the level of friendship. I was falling in love
with him. I didn’t say anything to him about it and I’m not sure that I ever
would, but I could no longer deny it to myself.

I woke up sick to my stomach the morning of Mark’s
final doctor’s appointment to find out if he could ride in the rodeo this
weekend. I was so torn about all of this. I hated the sad look on his face when
he talked about not being able to qualify for the finals after all of the hard
work he did to get this far. But at the same time, I was terrified of him going
back in there and getting hurt again…or worse. I resolved not to say anything
to him about that, though. No matter what, I planned on being supportive. I met
him downstairs in the kitchen. He was eating breakfast. When I walked in, he
looked up and smiled. I could see the excitement in his eyes. He wanted this
day to go his way so badly and his enthusiasm was enough to make me want the
same. “Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning.” I poured myself a cup of coffee and
came over to sit across from him at the table.

“Lydia left a plate of breakfast in the microwave
for you.”

I rubbed my stomach and said, “I don’t think I can eat
yet.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little nervous about the
appointment today.”

“Don’t be. I called Tuck
Raber
.”

“Oh…well that makes it all better…” he was beaming.

“Yes, it does.”

“Who the hell is Chuck
Raber
?”

He laughed. “Not Chuck, Tuck. He’s a rodeo doctor
who’s been around for twenty five years. He’s agreed to come see me if the
surgeon doesn’t consent to releasing me.”

“And do what?” I asked.

“Examine me…give me a second opinion.”

“So he’s easily manipulated?” I was a little worried
about this new development.

Laughing he said, “No. Really. He’s a good doctor. But
he can relate to what we do. He was a saddle
bronc
rider for years before he got his medical degree. He understands that this is
our life and all he does is treat rodeo injuries. He’s an orthopedic specialist,
too, so it’s not like he’s just some country bumpkin doctor. If he honestly
believes it will cause me further injury to go back out there, he’ll tell me.”

“I’ll have to meet this doctor and decide for
myself,” I told him, still skeptical. He smiled.

“I like that you’re so worried about me.”

“There was something I didn’t tell you about that
day I did all of that research into the rodeo. Do you know that it is one of
the most dangerous organized spectator sports in the world?”

“Yep, I did know that.”

“Do you know that out of all seven traditional
events that bull riders receive the most injuries?”

“I did,’ he said. Then he grinned and said, “That’s
why only tough cowboys attempt it.”

I rolled my eyes and continued, “It’s ten times more
dangerous than football and thirteen times more dangerous than hockey…”

“I like it that you care so much, but please don’t
worry. I promise to do whatever the doctor recommends,” he said. “The
difference between Tuck and other doctors is that instead of hounding us about
changing careers, he does whatever it takes to help us return to competition as
soon as possible. He’s a good guy and a good doctor.”

I went into it with as open a mind as possible. The
surgeon recommend that he wait a couple more weeks. He was disappointed, but
not devastated. Then we went to see Tuck and I have to admit that I really
liked him. He had degrees and certificates and commendations all over his home
office. He spoke to me as well as Mark and he explained fully the mechanics of
Mark’s injury. He told Mark what could happen if he rode again too soon and
then he told him what to do to make his wrist even stronger if he chose to ride
anyways. At the end of the meeting Mark said, “So, I already know that I want
to ride. I believe I’m ready. Will you sign the release?”

Tuck took it out of Mark’s hand, signed it, and
handed it back. “Good luck, cowboy.”

CHAPTER
EIGHT

MARK

I was so happy that I could have kissed Tuck right
on the mouth. I could tell that Lexi was doing her best to put on a happy face,
but she wasn’t as thrilled about the news as I was. That didn’t bother me,
though. I knew that it was only because she worried and cared about me, and I
liked knowing that. I knew that I was going to be okay. I know my own body, I
know my own strength…I can do this. When we got back to the ranch I told Lydia
the good news.

“The doctor said I can ride this weekend!”

She looked at Lexi. “Did you hear this first hand?”

Lexi smiled and nodded. “He signed his release.”

“Well, good for you then,” Lydia said. “I guess you
are a tough guy after all. Just be safe,” she said, giving me a kiss on the
cheek. She was really a good person. I wish that my father could learn a few
things.

Speaking of my father, he came in and actually sat
down for dinner with us. I assumed Lydia must have requested it, but I was
happy that we were all together tonight and in spite of our history, I shared
my news with him.

“Hey, Dad, I got cleared for the rodeo this
weekend.”

Dad looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Hasn’t the
rodeo taken enough from you?”

“No, Dad, actually it’s given me so much. I don’t
understand why you can’t just be happy for me…just once.”

“Don’t you know that damned rodeo is responsible for
the miserable life that we’ve had?”

I was confused. “We?” What was he talking about?
“Why does it make you miserable, Dad?”

He threw down his napkin and pushed back his plate.
“I guess I should have told you this long ago and then maybe it would have kept
you from doing this in the first place.”

“Told me what?”

“I used to have the same fire inside of me that you
do. I rode
broncs
, and I was one of the best.”

“Oh my God, why didn’t you ever tell me?”