The Rodeo Rider. Roxann Delaney
champion bareback rider,” Beth said before smiling up at him. “Tanner, meet my oldest and dearest friend, Jules Vandeveer.”
“Ma’am.” Tanner touched the brim of his hat when the blonde raised her head to acknowledge him. His gaze collided with hers, and his mouth went dry. Damn. She sure had an effect on a man.
“Mr. O’Brien,” she said with a nod and the hint of a smile.
He noticed her hesitation when she leaned toward him and offered her hand, but he took it, anyway. A gentleness in her touch caught him off guard. The heady perfume she wore didn’t help matters, either, but a man had to breathe, and breathe it in, he did.
“Why don’t you sit down, instead of towering over us, Tanner?” Beth suggested.
The sound of her voice brought him back to earth. With unusual reluctance, he released Jules’s hand, then lowered himself onto a chair and tried to ignore the pain in his knees. He’d pay for that last ride even more tomorrow.
Beth leaned across the table to speak to him. “Tonight is special for Jules. It’s her first rodeo.”
“Oh, yeah?” Daring to face the silent blonde, he smiled. “How’d you like it?”
With a quick, uncertain glance at him first, she finally gave him a level look. “It was…interesting.”
He didn’t miss the coolness in her voice, and his grin faded. “Not much of a rodeo fan, I guess.”
He held her gaze, prepared to say more, until she ran her tongue over her lips. His pulse quickened. Lips like those were meant to be kissed. And kissed well. It was all he could do to look away.
“You must love what you do.”
It took some effort, but he dragged his gaze back to hers and fought for control. “Love it? Darlin’, it’s my life. Always has been and always will be.” If his body didn’t wear out first.
She offered a tentative smile. “I guess everyone has their calling.”
“Jules is on vacation,” Beth explained.
“How long will you be here?” The question was out of his mouth before he realized it. There was something about her besides her looks that drew him to her. Maybe he’d read her wrong at the arena. She fascinated him, in a strange sort of way.
“About a month,” she answered. “Until after Beth’s wedding. Why?”
It was easy to see that she needed to relax. Hoping it would begin to thaw her, he decided a little flirting would be harmless. “Well, darlin’, I can teach you a lot about rodeo cowboys in a month.”
Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and then she flashed him a killer smile. “Why, thank you, but no thanks. Cowboys aren’t my thang.”
He stared at her, not sure what to think. That smile had almost given him hope, but he wasn’t sure how to take her response. He probably deserved her rejection. She obviously wasn’t the type to fall for the line he’d fedher, and he’d made a fool of himself by using it. Not that it mattered. He doubted he would run into her again, and he sure didn’t need to get tangled up with her. He had better things to do. He had a ranch to run and National Finals Rodeo to qualify for. His summer would be busy.
Filling the awkward silence that followed, Beth laughed and placed her hand on her friend’s arm. “She’s a city girl, Tanner. She’s not used to cowboys like you.”
“You’ve known each other long?” he asked, focusing on Beth.
“We met in the hospital when we were twelve. I was there with a bad case of poison oak, and she was—”
The blonde shook her head. “We learned we lived near each other and became best friends.”
“A city girl, huh?” he asked, as if it surprised him.
Beth nodded. “An attorney, as a matter-of-fact.”
“Beth…” her friend began warningly.
“Well, now, I guess that leaves me out. I’m just a simple country boy who doesn’t know much about highfalutin city girls, let alone a classy lady lawyer.”
He’d meant it as compliment, but it hadn’t come out that way. Maybe it had been more of a reminder to himself not to get involved with her or anyone else. But when he stood and looked down at her, their gazes collided.
“So city girls aren’t your thing,” she said. “I guess that makes us even.”
As an attorney, she was probably accustomed to winning in a battle of wits, but he wasn’t the dumb cowboy she might think he was. She’d thrown down the gauntlet, and he wasn’t going to let her win this one. “I guess it does,” he replied. “Give me a country girl anytime. One who knows a horse’s backside from its front.”
Jules smiled, showing white, even teeth, and a dimple. Devastating. Wicked. “Oh, I know the difference,” she said.
Her voice was so low it was husky, and it rippled through him to settle well below where it should have.
She was good. It was tempting to stay and continue their duel, but he was afraid he’d say something he’d regret later. “Guess we’re even again” was all he said.
She nodded.
Touching his finger to the brim of his hat, he turned to Beth. “Ladies, it’s been a real…interesting time.”
“You’re not leaving, are you?” Beth asked.
He got to his feet. “Afraid I have to. It’s a long drive back, and a full day waiting tomorrow.”
After they both bid him good night, he almost regretted leaving them. But he quickly reminded himself that he’d have the blonde out of his head before he reached home. She wasn’t his type. Her neat, white shirt and pants told him she was definitely out of his league. She looked like money. What would a rough-and-rowdy cowboy like him, who spent half his life on the back of a horse, do with a woman like her?
It didn’t take much imagination to answer that question.
JULES WATCHED the cowboy walk away. Wide shoulders stretched the cotton of his shirt tight across his broad back. She could see the muscles move with each step he took. But it was the swagger in his walk that drew her attention to the finest backside she’d ever seen.
“Nice view, isn’t it?” Beth asked.
“What?” Jules blinked and turned to stare at her friend.
Beth laughed. “Back to earth, Jules. It’s obvious.”
Jules suspected it would be wise to ignore the remark. Beth knew her inside out. They’d been friends too long to try to deny an interest. But her little word war with Tanner O’Brien had started her heart pumping, and she couldn’t stop herself. “And just what do you mean by that?”
“Oh, just that spark between you two.”
“He has a quick mind,” Jules replied. “That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Beth echoed, leaning back in her chair. “You keep yourself holed up in that law office too much. You need to get out more. And what’s with you, anyway? It’s not like you to be so…”
Jules grinned, knowing she had taken advantage of the situation. “Rude? Sorry, but the temptation was too strong.”
Her smile faded, and she stared into her drink. She couldn’t be attracted to anyone. Not now. There were too many other things she needed to deal with. Her fear of riding was only one of them. She couldn’t let a good-looking cowboy distract her.
And Beth would never let her live it down if she knew how that cowboy had pulled at something deep inside her.
When Jules looked up again, hoping she hadn’t given herself away, she noted a thoughtful expression on