Rodeo Queen (18 page)

Sydney couldn’t help but be caught up in Jennifer’s enthusiasm as she finished telling her what she needed her to do before the evening arrived.

“W
ILL YOU GUYS
come on?” Clay yelled. “I need to get back to the trailers.” Scott wasn’t sure what was holding the other guys up today, but they were moving like turtles.

“The little woman got you on a leash?” one of the senior hands teased.

“Shut up,” Clay growled. Scott could see that this might turn ugly quickly, and knew he had to stop it.

“All right, that’s enough for tonight. We can finish up tomorrow.” Scott was ready to collapse, but he’d promised Sydney that they could talk more tonight. She was hiding something, but the pleading in her eyes had convinced him not to push her to talk about it before she felt ready. He wanted her to trust him, and that meant giving her time and space if that was what she needed. But he wasn’t about to let her pull too far away from him.

“You just want to get back to your own
señorita
, eh?”

“Enough,” Jake warned. Scott was grateful for Jake’s interference this time.

“Grab the gear and let’s head back to the trailers,” Scott ordered.

Two of the hands glanced at one another before shooting Jake a sideways look. Scott narrowed his eyes. If he didn’t know better, he’d think they looked nervous. He slipped several horn wraps across the front of his saddle to use in the morning for the slack. They’d managed to get the arena ready, which had taken most of their energy and time. In the morning, they would be wrapping the horns on the steers before they started allowing the overflow of contestants to compete early.

As he rode behind the rest of the crew, Scott heard Clay mumbling about how Jen would kill him for being so late for dinner on their anniversary. The rest of the guys had hurried ahead of them, leaving Scott and Clay to close the gates. Scott couldn’t blame them for rushing off. He and Clay had both been in foul moods due to the delays all day, but it didn’t seem to bother the men now as they chatted in a group.

Scott rode through the gate to find the trailers silent and deserted. The barbeque they used for meals sat in the center, between the semi-circle of trucks and trailers, but it was cold. Sydney and Jen were nowhere to be found.

“Now, where could those ladies be?” Jake asked, raising his voice.

“Surprise!” The men turned and yelled. Sydney and Jen appeared from behind the nearest trailer.

Scott wondered what sort of surprise included a cold barbeque, seven hungry cowboys, two cheerful women, and too many saddled horses. Clay dismounted and walked over to his wife, a rare boyish grin stretched across his face.

“Happy anniversary,” Jen whispered as she pressed her lips against his.

Jake patted Clay’s back before reaching into the horse trailer, pulling out a radio, and turning on music. He tied his horse before taking Clay’s animal and tying him to the trailer.

“Come on,” Jennifer grabbed Clay’s hand and pulled him toward her trailer. “Help me get all of the food and bring it out.”

Scott shook his head and smiled. Leave it to his sister to plan a party at a rodeo. He tied his horse to the stock trailer and began to unsaddle the animal.

“Are you mad?” Sydney appeared on the other side of Noble, looking slightly hesitant.

“Who, me?”

She shrugged and glanced back towards Jen and Clay trying to find an empty spot on a table full of food for yet another dish. “Jen wanted to do something special for Clay. All of the guys were in on it, even Jake.”

Scott followed her gaze and smiled, shaking his head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He lifted the saddle and set it inside the trailer. “No, I’m not mad.”

Sydney came around and began to unsaddle Clay’s mount. The other boys were already taking care of their own horses, knowing that the animals came before their own stomachs.

“Really?” She pulled the saddle from the animal’s back and placed it on the ground while she groomed the gelding.

Scott picked up the heavy saddle and placed it beside his in the trailer. “Really. Come on.” He took the brush from her hand and led her back to the barbeque as Jake came back to move the horses to the pen and feed them.

Clay and Jen were already seated in the center of the others amidst a wealth of congratulations, well wishes, and food by the time he and Sydney joined them in the folding chairs.

“So, Clay, how does it feel to be tied to this ball and chain for seven long years?” Scott teased.

“It hasn’t been easy,” Clay commiserated, rolling his eyes.

“Watch it,” Jennifer said as she slapped her husband’s arm. “And don’t worry, little brother, your time will come too.” She glanced pointedly at Sydney.

After eating a hearty meal of tangy barbecued steak, baked beans, a fresh green salad, and an orange pudding dessert Jennifer had whipped up earlier in the day, Clay reached for Jennifer’s hand and pulled her into his arms as Mark turned up the radio. The small speakers were surprisingly loud as the country ballad played across the open pasture that served as their dance floor. Scott watched as his sister’s eyes gleamed with love for her husband. Clay tightened his embrace and placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose.

Scott looked at Sydney seated beside him. Why was it so easy for him to believe that Jen and Clay were in love and so hard to believe that he could ever fall in love again? He wondered if it was just a matter of having the courage to allow it to happen. For so long he’d convinced himself that love was nothing more than unresolved desire, but he felt so much more for Sydney than desire. He wanted to erase the pain he’d seen in her eyes when she thought about her past, and he wanted to see her smile with pleasure the way he’d seen when she worked Noble.

He saw the wistful shimmer in her golden eyes as she watched Jennifer and Clay dance. She deserved that, and while he was unsure he could give it to her, it pained him to think of her having it with anyone else. Scott reached over and twined his fingers between hers, feeling a jolt of electricity at her touch.

“You think that there’s something like that for everyone?” Her voice was tinged with doubt. He wondered if she’d been reading his thoughts.

“Like what, princess?”

“That kind of love,” she clarified. “They are so happy and perfect for each other.” She turned her eyes to him and the flames from the fire reflected in them. Her cheeks were highlighted by the light from the flame and she seemed to glow from within. It almost took his breath away.

“They’ve gone through a lot to get to where they are. I’m not sure if everyone is capable of the kind of sacrifice it took.”

“Looks like it was worth it.”

“I think what they have only comes around once in a lifetime and you just have to pray you don’t miss it.”

“Why, Mr. Chandler,” Sydney teased. “Are you getting romantic in your old age?”

Jen and Clay stood before them, saving him from having to answer. Sydney started to slip her hand from his, but he held on. Scott realized the music had been turned off and the others were heading to bed.

“We’d better head into the trailer, Sydney. Morning will come before we realize.” Jen’s voice sounded disappointed, and he understood exactly how she felt. He wished now that he’d asked Sydney to dance with him and had the chance to hold her in his arms, even for just a moment. He stood and pulled Sydney to her feet.

“Clay, why don’t you stay in the trailer with Jennifer tonight?” Sydney suggested.

“What?” Jen’s voice was breathless. She smiled up at Clay.

“Um,” Clay cleared his throat. “That’s really nice and all, but where will you stay, Sydney?”

Scott raised his brows. Leave it to Clay to let the voice of reason cheat him out of a night with his wife. “You and Jen can stay in our trailer and I’ll sleep on Sydney’s couch,” Scott offered. Three pair of eyes spun to watch his face. “What? It’s not like we haven’t shared a trailer.”

Sydney shrugged. “He’s right. And you two need some time alone for your anniversary.”

“Just let me get a few things.” Jen was practically leaping out of her skin with eagerness. She reached for Sydney’s hand and pulled her with her to the trailer. “Scott, just come over in a few minutes.”

“A
RE YOU SURE
about this, Sydney?” Jennifer asked her, yet again.

Sydney sighed. “I told you, it’s perfectly fine. We won’t kill each other, I promise.”

Jennifer shot her a cynical look over her shoulder as she threw her toothbrush into a small bag with her jeans and shirt for the morning. “Just because you guys are getting along right now doesn’t mean it will stay that way.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Sydney joked. Watching Jennifer jump around the trailer giggling like a girl on her first date was enough to convince Sydney that she was doing the right thing, no matter how nervous she was at the thought of staying in the trailer with Scott.

The knock at the door made her stomach drop to her toes. Jen stuffed the last items of clothing into the bag and hurried out the door, scooting past her brother with a quick kiss on his cheek and a murmur of thanks. Scott entered the trailer cautiously, closing the door behind him, but he kept his fingers around the handle.

“Are you sure you don’t care about me staying in here? I mean, I can sleep outside, or in my truck for that matter.”

Just the fact that he seemed more concerned about her comfort than his own touched her. He was making a conscious effort to put their past arguments behind them.

“It’s fine, Scott, really,” she assured him. “I’m just going to change.”

Sydney walked into the bathroom and changed into a long flannel shirt and some running shorts. She looked at her reflection, tipping her face to the left and the right before stepping back. Not exactly sexy lingerie, but that wasn’t the look she was going for, was it? She pulled back the screen and stepped into the living area to find Scott scanning a piece of paper.

“What’s that?”

“Jen pressed this into my hand as she walked out. It’s about you.” Scott glanced her way and his eyes turned to molten obsidian. She may not be wearing lingerie, but it seemed to have the same effect on him. She felt her stomach tighten with a longing that matched what his eyes revealed.

“What does it say?” she whispered, barely able to string more than a couple of words together.

“She thought that now would be a good time for us to apologize for the things we’ve said to one another.”

Sydney eyed him speculatively and reached for the note. “What?” His fingers caressed the back of her hand and he handed her the paper, sending liquid heat coursing through her veins. “You weren’t kidding.”

She lay the note on the table, unwilling to chance his touch again. She already felt as if the trailer was closing in on her, her breath coming in short gasps as he continued to gaze at her with a fiery hunger that both scared and excited her. She noticed that his own breath was uneven as he finally looked away, severing the trance he’d cast over her.

“We should probably get some sleep.” He removed the cushions from the couch and pulled out the sofa bed. She retrieved the pillows from the closet near the bed and took them back to him. “I’ll set an alarm in here.”

Sydney walked back to the bedroom, glancing at Scott on the couch, and fought off a sense of déjà vu. She only hoped the next morning didn’t end the same way. Sydney slipped between the cool sheets and willed sleep to come. After counting sheep, mentally balancing her checkbook, and staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, she heard Scott on the couch, still tossing and turning.

“Scott,” she called out.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” He sounded irritated.

“I really am sorry for the things I said.”

“So am I,” he admitted. “I accused you of a lot of things that I know you didn’t deserve.”

They were silent for a moment and Sydney heard him shifting on the sofa bed again. She felt guilty that he had to sleep on the uncomfortable bed while she had a full mattress to herself, knowing that he had a much harder day ahead of him than she did. But did she dare offer to share the bed with him? A blush crept up her cheeks and burned her face.

Before she could offer, she heard Scott’s muffled voice. “Goodnight, Sydney.”

“Goodnight,” she whispered.

A
LTHOUGH HE WAS
exhausted, Scott couldn’t sleep. He lay on the couch with a metal bar pressing into his lower back listening as Sydney’s breathing evened out. He’d already conjured up at least a hundred indecent proposals he wanted to make. His entire body felt like it was on fire, wanting to crawl into the bed with her, if only to hold her close. He couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman as badly as he wanted her at that moment. Scott noticed when her breath went rapid and shallow and he held his own, listening. She began to murmur in her sleep incoherently and toss on the bed.

He rose, assuming that she was, once again, having a nightmare, and made his way to the bed. She had become twisted in the sheet; the blanket had been tossed to the floor at some point. She whimpered and cried out softly.

“Sydney.” Scott said her name, trying to gently rouse her from the nightmare. When he heard her sob in her sleep, he slipped into the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her. “Shh, Sydney, it’s okay,” he whispered, stroking her hair.

“No,” she cried. “Get off me! You said you loved me.”

“Sydney, wake up. You’re dreaming.” Scott shook her slightly.

“Please, don’t.” She awoke with a start, confusion clouding her eyes. Scott could just see the tears streaming down her cheeks, glistening in the dim light he’d left on over the stove.

“Scott?”

He could tell that she wasn’t sure whether or not she was still dreaming in her barely conscious state. “Yeah, it’s just me.”

Scott gathered her into his arm and held her gently, kissing her forehead, temples and eyes. He didn’t understand her tears, but he wanted to make sure she felt safe enough with him that she would talk about her dream. As her tears passed, she clung to his bare chest as if she wouldn’t let him go. In truth, he didn’t want her to let go, but he also realized that his body was responding to her soft curves in a way that certainly didn’t instill feelings of safety. He grasped for every ounce of self-control within him.