Rodeo Queen (3 page)

The clown bounced on the trampoline a few times, calling out instructions for Sydney to make sure that she continued to swing the broom in circles over her head. As he motioned the crowd to stay quiet, he pulled the trampoline from the arena, leaving Sydney alone in the center, twirling the broom. Minutes passed and a few chuckles from the crowd began to sound. The clown called out for her to continue, assuring her it would only be a moment longer. Scott saw her tilt her head, and he wondered if she wasn’t growing suspicious.

“What do you think, ladies and gentlemen? Should we turn a bull loose in the arena so that our queen might leave sometime tonight?” The clown stood at the far end of the arena, rousing the crowd into full uproarious laughter. Sydney dropped arms to her sides and pulled the bandana from her eyes. As she looked around the arena, she could see she’d been duped.

Scott waited to see the fury rise in her eyes, wondering if she would be able to hide it as few had. With the bandana hanging around her neck, her full lips spread into a broad smile and she laughed out loud, surprising him. Brandishing the broom, she chased the clown, to the delight of the crowd. When he finally allowed her to catch him, he gave her a hug and whispered in her ear. Sydney turned back toward the crowd and waved to them, exiting the arena to the applause of the crowd.

Scott brushed away the incomprehension of her initial response, impressed by her composure. “Playing to the crowd,” he muttered under his breath, certain that her reaction when she was out of the arena would be a tirade like every other queen.

Usually the clown used spectators because they loved being selected to take part in the rodeo, but in the few instances he chose to use rodeo queens, they always reacted the same way: embarrassment-fueled outrage accompanied by tears and screeching complaints. He wasn’t sure why he’d suggested they play the prank on Sydney. Sure, he’d wanted to take her down a peg or two, but even now he could feel excitement churning in his gut, anticipating her anger, and wondered if he wasn’t enjoying their verbal sparring too much for his own good.

He watched her, waiting for the good-natured smile to fade once the crowd could no longer see her. Instead, she nudged the clown playfully and suggested they repeat the prank on a friend. Scott narrowed his eyes, feeling the tension in his shoulders as he waited for her to unleash some sort of annoyance. The clown headed back into the arena to finish his act as Sydney mounted her horse.
Wait for it . . .

She simply shook her head, her cheeks tingeing pink, as a cowboy at the gate teased her about the prank and she laughed with him. There was no anger or resentment, only a tantalizing playfulness, even at her own expense. He clenched his jaw, irritated that she hadn’t reacted the way he’d expected. She was shallow; they all were. For some reason, the fact that she didn’t act like the other one-dimensional girls that abounded behind the chutes bothered him. She might have fooled everyone else, but not him.

S
YDNEY WATCHED AS
the rodeo clown finished his act, the announcer teasing him from the loudspeaker. Usually she loved everything about the rodeos: the dust; the noise of the cattle loading into the chutes; the smell of leather, hay, and horses. But she couldn’t wait for this one to be over. Scott had already been on her case twice about the way she worked the cattle, and the rodeo wasn’t even half over yet. When he told her she was too slow on the flag runs, her temper had gotten the best of her, and she had allowed Valentino to slide to a stop, spraying him with dirt clods from the arena. She only wished she’d done it after they’d soaked the arena to keep the dust at bay. A mud bath might have done him some good.

She almost giggled at the thought and made her way into the arena as the clown gathered the last of his props and the announcer called for the steer wrestling. She looked behind her to make sure Alicia was ready, only to see Scott unceremoniously follow her inside and position himself in the far corner. She glanced over at Alicia, still by the gate, who just shrugged in confusion. Great, Sydney thought, trying to ignore Scott’s glare, I’m running cattle with the tyrant.

Sydney watched as the first steer wrestler settled his horse into the box. As the steer burst from the chute, the rider reined his horse to the steer’s left side. With a partner keeping the animal straight, the cowboy dove, head first. Sliding his arms around the horns and cradling the steer’s head between his arm and ribcage, the cowboy angled the animal’s head just enough for the momentum to carry both of them to the ground together. Sydney eased Valentino closer. When the cowboy let the steer up at the buzzer, she would be there to guide it back to the pen. The animal jumped up as the steer wrestler let loose and Sydney followed closely behind, moving to the right or left to direct the steer. Within seconds he was in his pen calmly munching on grass. Scott rode up beside her before she could make her way back toward her corner.

“Out,” he ordered, and he rode through the arena gate ahead of her, expecting her to follow. “Mark, Alicia, go take care of those cattle,” Scott barked.

Sydney saw confusion and a bit of worry for her friend in Alicia’s eyes as she went through the gate. Whatever Scott was mad about now, they both knew Alicia still had a job to do in the arena. Sydney followed Scott outside the arena gates toward the trucks.

“What now?” she asked from behind his horse.

He shook his head, not even giving her the courtesy of a backward glance. “Not here. Where’s your trailer?”

“Over here.” Scott followed as Sydney led him toward her pickup. In the few minutes it took to reach her trailer, Sydney allowed her temper to grow into a burning rage. Scott had been critical of every move she made and she’d done a great job for him today. She wasn’t his whipping post, and she refused to take any more, even if it meant losing the exposure for her training abilities that she hoped for.

S
COTT REMAINED SILENT
as Sydney dismounted and clipped the lead rope on her horse. He followed suit and tied his paint gelding with the lead rope already attached to the trailer beside hers. He stepped back as she spun, her golden eyes blazing, and forgot what he’d been about to say. It only took a glance to realize that she was ready for a fight. If that’s what she wants, Scott reasoned, he was up for it.

“So, what was it this time?” Sydney stepped right up to him and stood toe-to-toe, even though he had a good six inches on her. “Wait, let me guess. I followed too closely behind that steer?”

“Actually, you were too far behind.” Scott was careful to keep his voice even and calm. Her anger actually diffused his own irritation at having to be in such close proximity to her all day.

“Oh, really?” She sounded doubtful. “Is there anything else?” He could tell she was fuming.

“No, that’s not all. Now look—” he began.

“No, you look,” Sydney raged, and he briefly wondered if he hadn’t been unfair to her. He squashed the thought. “I’ve been working my butt off for you today and you know it.”

Realizing he’d pushed her too far, Scott knew he needed to diffuse the situation before everyone witnessed their argument. Fighting with her wasn’t going to expose her for the fraud he knew she was. But if he could get her to let her guard down, he could prove he was right.

Scott leaned over her shoulder, looking behind her, and gave her his most charming smile. “Nope,” he drawled, “It’s still there. Matter of fact, it’s kinda nice. Would be a shame to lose it.”

Sydney continued, glaring at him. “Nothing has gone wrong, nothing has stalled the performance. So what, exactly, is your problem with me?”

“You really want to know?” He knew he wasn’t being fair to lump her in the same category as Liz. Even Mike had said so, but he just couldn’t bring himself to assume that she might be different.

“Yes,” she emphatically replied. “I’ve had people who didn’t like me or get along, but never this kind of open hostility for no apparent reason.”

“I know your type.”

“Excuse me?”

“I have to admit that you can ride better than most and you might not mind getting a little dirty,” he continued. “But you’re just like all of the rest of them.”

“You mean rodeo queens.” She wasn’t asking so he didn’t feel the need to answer. “And just what are the rest of us like?”

Scott leaned back against the side of her truck and cross his arms. “Spoiled little prom queens with buckles and cowboy hats. You think you can just gather your toys, break them, and then toss them aside for new ones.” She stared at him, speechless. He could see the frustration in her flushed cheeks and the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He crossed his arms and leaned a shoulder against the truck. “Truth hurt?”

“I don’t have to take this from you or anyone else.” She turned back toward her colt. “Alicia can stay and help out, but I’ll just get out of your sight since I disgust you so much.”

Scott couldn’t remember ever seeing anyone look this beautiful angry, and he hated that even knowing what she was like—what they were all like—he could still be so attracted to her. He couldn’t tear his gaze from her blazing golden eyes as sparks flew between them and she faced him again. He wanted to kiss her smart mouth. His palms itched to be buried in her hair, and he clenched them into fists to keep from taking her by the shoulders. It was a primal desire, and he wondered what she would do if he gave in to it.

“Look, I apologized for my part this morning. Maybe I should have held my temper a little better,” she admitted. “But you don’t even know me.”

Scott thought about what she said for a moment before pushing off the back of her truck. An idea began to take shape in his mind. “You’re right.”

Sydney gave him a wary look. It was obvious that his sudden concession confused her.

“I’ll make you a deal.” Scott wondered if he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life with what he was about to propose.

“I don’t think I’d like your deals.”

“I’ll lay off your case for the rest of the rodeo, but . . .”

“Of course there’s a ‘but.’” She sighed.

“But, you have to go to the barbeque and dance with me,” he finished.

She stared at him in disbelief, and he hoped she wouldn’t question his proposal. He wasn’t even entirely sure why he’d suggested it other than to prove to himself that all rodeo queens really were the same. It’s not like his heart was involved this time around; Liz had cured him of any delusions there. This was simply attraction. A few kisses to work her out of his system and prove his point. What could that hurt?

She grasped her horse’s reins, her hand absently patting his neck and shoulder. “Why?”

“Let’s test my theory. I think all rodeo queens are from the same selfish, conniving mold. You say you’re different. Prove me wrong.”

She eyed him cautiously. He could almost see the thoughts running through her mind. Did he have an ulterior motive? Would he be a jerk all evening? “And you’ll stay off my case for the rest of the weekend?”

“Both days of the rodeo. Scout’s honor.”

He could see that she still wasn’t sure she could trust him. “All right. I’ll meet you here at—”

“I’ll pick you up at five at your house.”

“Why?”

“To meet your family, of course. To know you, I have to meet them, right?” He briefly wondered if he really wanted to go through this just to prove his “theory.”

“Fine.” She reclipped the colt to the trailer and reached into the truck for a scrap of paper and a pen. “Here.” She handed him the paper. “Here’s a map to my house and my cell number. Call me if you get lost.”

Without another word, she unclipped the stallion, mounted him, and rode back into the arena. As he watched her ride away, Scott had the sinking feeling he’d just condemned himself to a very long, trying evening.

W
HAT IN THE
world did I get myself into?
Sydney wondered.
Whatever possessed me to agree to this ridiculous deal?

“Sydney?” Turning, she saw Mike Findley approach. “You’re going to the barbeque tonight, right?”

“Yeah, I have to be here by six. Why?”

“Good. I have an idea to run past you, to see what you think about it.” She wasn’t sure what to say and wondered if he could see her confusion. “Don’t worry.” He chuckled. “I’ll clear everything up tonight. See you then.”

More confused than ever, Sydney watched him leave and made her way into the arena.

I
CAN’T BELIEVE
I’m actually going through with this
, Scott thought as he pulled up to the address Sydney gave him. Five dogs, ranging from an enormous German shepherd to a wiggling cocker spaniel, ran from behind the house to greet him at the front gate, barking incessantly. Putting the truck into park, he reached for the long, rectangular package in the passenger seat.

“What in the hell am I doing?” he muttered to the dogs as he arrived at the front porch. He reached down and patted the shepherd on the head. “Like I don’t already know that they are all alike, right? I must be a glutton for punishment.” Just as he raised a hand to ring the bell, he heard the voices inside.

“Sydney, he’s here!”

As the door swung open, Scott realized he hadn’t made such a bad deal after all. Sydney stood before him wearing a form-fitted white leather dress, white hat, and white dress boots. The dress had obviously been tailor-made for her, hugging every curve she’d been blessed with.

“You look amazing,” he said. He hadn’t meant to speak his thoughts aloud but couldn’t seem to help himself.

She gave him a brilliant smile. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad, yourself.” She moved away from the door. “Come on in.”

Scott followed her in and stepped into the family room. He wanted to seem aloof, but he had a hard time ignoring the electricity that passed between them. He hadn’t felt this nervous since he was a kid.
You’d better get it together or she’s gonna eat you alive, just like Liz did.
The thought of his ex-fiancée brought his nerves back under control. He might give Sydney the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn’t a fool. Not twice.

“Why don’t we call a truce for tonight?” Scott handed her the package in his hand.