Rodeo Blues Read online

  He let her go… for now. Let her cool off a bit before he approached her again, and maybe next time he'd have another plan, a better plan in winning her back. 'Cause this one really lacked finesse.

  Buddy plopped onto the stool beside him. "Never known you to have trouble with the ladies, Tye. What did you say to the little filly that got her dander up?"

  "I asked her to marry me."

  Buddy roared with laughter, but stopped his chortling once he realized he wasn't sharing in his mirth. "You're serious. You get her pregnant or something?"

  "Buddy, we haven't been here but hours."

  "Right, right. So what gives?"

  "I've been in love with her most of my life. It just took me until now to realize what a fool I've been to have left her behind." He glanced at Buddy. "This is my hometown. I know these people. They're my people," he said with meaning.

  "Aah. Now I get it. That there woman, who nearly knocked your head off your shoulders, is the little gal you talk about in your sleep."

  "I've done no such thing."

  "Sure you haven't. Are you forgetting I've roomed with you? So what are you waiting for? Go get her." He waved his hand toward the door. "Ain't never seen you back down from a challenge."

  "I believe she needs to cool down before I approach her again. Don't worry. I'm not down for the count yet."

  "You're a bigger fool than I thought," Whisper said as she brushed by him and headed for the front door. Most likely to find Jolie and lend her moral support.

  Chapter Four

  Jolie burst out the door of Big Bob's Saloon as if her boots were on fire, and in the process she startled poor old Sam, who'd been sitting on the stool beside the walkway.

  "Lordy, Jolie," Sam said. "You near scared the bejesus out of me." His fingers splayed across his chest as if his heart threatened to leap from it.

  "Sorry, Sam."

  Recovered now, his gaze lingered on her with a closer inspection. "You okay?"

  "Did you know Tye Casper's back in town?" she asked.

  "Honey, I'm sitting at the door. I see everyone who goes in and out."

  Jolie hugged herself, trying to will the tears not to fall. Why after all this time did he have to come back and play havoc with her heart?

  She had a crush on him when she was all of five years old, fell in love with him for real when she was in high school, and pined for him when he left her at eighteen and didn't return. Just her luck, he was the only man who knew what heartstrings to pull and make her libido pick up a beat and take notice even when she didn't want it to. "No, he can't do this," she said firmly and squared her shoulders. Tye couldn't ride back into her life and pretend he'd never left. Where'd he get off kissing her that way? she thought and her fingers lightly touched her mouth. He kissed her first, but for a moment she'd let her defenses down and had kissed him back.

  Sam tipped his cowboy hat and scratched his bald head. "He led me to believe he wanted to talk to you."

  Jolie swiped away the angry tears that fell. She was probably smearing her makeup. Wouldn't it figure? Her first time in forever attending ladies' night at the saloon, and she probably looked a sight. "You talked to him?" she asked Sam. She thought perhaps it was a line he used because he ran into her by accident. Surely he hadn't returned to Skeeter Blue to just find her and talk.

  "Didn't he say so to you?"

  He talked all right – with his tongue down her throat. The nerve of the man. "He said nothing I wanted to hear."

  The door to the saloon opened and the music escaped for a second before it was silenced again as Whisper let the door close behind her.

  "Oh no you don't, missy," Whisper said as she put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "You aren't running away from this. I won't let you."

  "Who says I'm running?" She lifted her chin in defiance.

  "You're out here. He's inside." She gestured toward the door. "If one and one makes two…"

  Jolie rolled her eyes. "I can't go back in there, Whisper."

  "Sure you can. I'll stay right by your side."

  "You should face him," Sam agreed.

  Jolie's gaze riveted to Sam's. "Not you too."

  Whisper separated the distance between them and looped an arm through hers. "You've done enough hiding. Go back inside and show Tye what's what."

  What's what? She didn't know the answer so how was she supposed to tell him any such thing, but she could tell Whisper wouldn't let her go home. "Fine." She threw up her hands. "I could use a drink anyway." Or five or six drinks, depending on how the night progressed.

  "Thatta girl." Whisper nudged her along.

  "Is my mascara smeared?" she asked as they neared the door. It would be difficult to hold her head high, if she looked like a rodeo clown.

  Whisper gave her a once over, then gently used the pad of her thumb to smooth a corner of her eye. "Perfect and gorgeous as ever."

  As Jolie pushed the door open, she heard Mike's deep voice, ringing out over the speakers as he also banged on the drums with precision. Sonny played acoustics and Jimmy Burns played the violin. For a local band, they didn't sound half bad.

  Jolie remembered when Tye used to sing with them too. His whiskey worn voice and his big amber colored eyes would have every girl in Skeeter Blue all dreamy-eyed, her included. "I'm so over you, Tye," she murmured under her breath, only her heart thudded a few beats faster to prove she lied. How could one kiss make her body hum with want for his touch? It just wasn't right.

  "What did you say?" Whisper looked at her.

  "Nothing." She didn't see Tye, but she knew he lurked somewhere near since she highly doubted he snuck out the emergency exit in the back. "Let me buy you a drink," she glanced at Whisper and bee-lined it to the bar. They were just about to give Stan their order when Tye appeared at her side.

  "I'll pay," Tye said.

  Just when she'd started to believe maybe he did leave. Should have known her luck wouldn't hold out.

  "I'll pay for my own drink." She glanced at him and added, "Thank you very much."

  He shrugged, but didn't move away. To make matters worse, he sat down on the stool beside her. Hard muscled thigh pressed against hers and she shifted away, but misjudged and almost fell off the stool. Tye's quick reflexes and strong hands steadied her before she made a fool of herself and landed at his feet.

  "Be careful, darlin'," he said with a grin, showing off those pearly whites. She'd forgotten how dazzling his smile could be, but she refused to fall for his charms and shrugged from his hold.

  "I don't see hide nor hair of you for years," she grumbled. "Now you're like a tick I can't get rid of. Big Bob's Saloon has plenty of elbowroom. You don't have to sit so darn close to me." She nudged him to prove her point.

  "I like being close to you. You smell divine."

  She glanced at Whisper. "Remind me to toss the new perfume I bought in the trash. It attracts riffraff."

  "Aye, aye, boss." She saluted and grinned. "Now someone's gotta buy the drinks," Whisper said. "Since the two of you can't agree, I'll do the honors this round. Stan," she waved to the bartender, "beers all around, cold and straight out of the bottle."

  "Gotcha, Whisper." Stan popped the lids off each bottle, sliding them over one at a time.

  Whisper raised hers to Tye and Jolie. "To friends, new and old."

  "Here, here." Tye clinked his bottle to Whisper's, then to Jolie's before she could pull it away. He took a long swig. "Aah, hits the spot." His lips curved into that lazy grin.

  Why oh why does he have to look so darn cute? She inwardly groaned, but her teenage self of long ago was doing cartwheels.

  "Don't it, though," Whisper said and smiled back with a sigh.

  Jolie's gaze riveted to her friend with a glare meant to warn her not to cozy up to this guy.

  Whisper cleared her throat and shifted her weight, but instead of giving Jolie support with her decision to ignore Tye, Whisper gave the guy the 'go ahead'. "I can see you two need to sort things ou
t."

  "There's no sorting to be done," Jolie piped up and narrowed her eyes.

  "Oh, I believe there is. Do yourself a favor, boss lady, and give the cowboy a chance to explain. Then decide what you want to do." She glanced toward Tye. "He has those irresistible puppy-dog eyes. They gotta count for something."

  Chapter Five

  Tye gave Whisper an appreciative nod before she sauntered over to the stage to make eyes at Mike, who seemed to be open to flirting right back. Guess her being a witch/psychic didn't bother him all that much.

  Tye peered at Jolie, but forced his attention away from her sexy mouth before he forgot himself and kissed her again.

  She looked away obviously uncomfortable with his bold stare. He couldn't blame her. His gray-eyed gal liked everything in order and he shook up her universe when he rode back into town. He needed to step back a bit, but not too far to allow room to bolt.

  "Want to shoot some pool?" he asked, more as a distraction than the desire to play the game.

  "What?" Her gaze riveted to him with suspicion.

  "Pool?" He gestured toward the back room. "You used to play a good game, but if you're not up to it…" He shrugged and took a sip of his beer. As much as she liked order, she also couldn't back down from a challenge – at least the old Jolie couldn't. He'd have his answer in five… four… three—

  "I can still beat the pants off you." As soon as the words left her mouth, her face flushed crimson.

  A smile slid across his face as he raised his eyebrows.

  "Don't say it, Tye Casper. So help me if you do."

  "Hey, I wouldn't dream of it, darlin'." He stood and gestured with a nod toward the back room. "After you." His hand motioned for her to go ahead of him. After all, it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

  She harrumphed, but she grabbed her beer and headed toward the back.

  His gaze lingered on the sway of her hips as he followed behind. The woman's body pushed all the right buttons for him, but her womanly attributes hadn't been the only reason he'd fallen in love with Jolie Lockhart. He loved her spunk, her passion for life. He hadn't planned to kiss her right out of the chute – well, not before he at least talked to her, explained, and begged her forgiveness – but it seemed his libido didn't want to take it slow. Just seeing her again…touching her…was like coming too close to a lightening bolt; it sparked him into action.

  Whether or not she wanted to admit it, she'd been affected by the kiss as much as he had. He hadn't been the only one doing the kissing. When it came to them, the cosmos were always aligned just right. They were meant for each other. All he had to do was remind her how good they'd been together. How good they still could be.

  The poolroom held three pool tables, a big screen mounted on the far wall, and tables and chairs aligned in front of it. To the left, hanging on the wall was a dartboard. He always wondered how smart it was to have patrons armed with sharp objects when their vision could be impaired from too much alcohol.

  Two men were playing pool at the far table. College age kids were at the other. Lucky for them, the last one was still available. He strode over to the wall behind the pool table and pulled down two sticks. His gaze met Jolie's. "Rack 'em up, darlin'."

  They played in silence for a few turns as he tried to think of a good way to start the conversation, but the womanly sway of her hips when she lined up the cue was proving a distraction. His mind kept returning to the last time they were together…in the 'biblical' sense. The angels in heaven would surely blush if they'd been watching.

  "What are you looking at?" Jolie stood there leaning on her pool stick with one lovely shaped eyebrow arched.

  "You, Jolie. I'm looking at you," he said and sighed. "I thought about this moment – where I come home and talk to you." He shook his head. "A million times I played out the scenario – what I would say. What you would say in return… Right now I can't remember any one of them."

  Her lips pursed as if she didn't believe him. He couldn't blame her. "Why did you return home, Tye?" she asked, her words clipped. "Why now?"

  "The rodeo—"

  "Don't give me the cockamamie song and dance about your obligation with the rodeo. We have this event every year. Don't recall you ever attending any of them since you left town."

  "No. I guess you're right." It was on a volunteer basis to attend the Skeeter Blue's Cowboy Christmas in July Rodeo. Though there were advanced sales to up the purse, along with the contestants entry fees, Skeeter Blue's purse always ended up being mediocre compared to the more popular cities where the turnout to their rodeos were doubled, if not more.

  Last fall, Mayor Dirkly approached him at the PBR World Championship in Las Vegas right after he'd earned the title and was heading back to the hotel. He should have been out celebrating, but after five consecutive nights of riding the fiercest bucking bulls on the planet, and then the final round where he competed against fourteen other riders who had also made it to the top, he was both mentally and physically exhausted. All he could think about was getting some shuteye, but the Mayor was waiting for him. He would have brushed him off, but when he said he was from Skeeter Blue, he knew he had to hear the man out.

  The Mayor believed if he could guarantee his name on the bill for their yearly rodeo and festival, other major players would join in on the fun. The Mayor promised it would be well worth his effort. Personally, he could care less about the possible winnings. Call it providence that Mayor Dirkly approached him with his offer, but he blamed Fate. He didn't care if the Mayor used his name to round up the contestants for the Cowboy Christmas in July Rodeo, but he made him promise not to mention his name to the people back home. Told the Mayor he wanted to surprise folks. Going home would also give him a chance to check on the land his father left him when he passed too. He had big plans for it, and the Mayor gave him the reasons to stop procrastinating. Now if he could win Jolie back in the process, it would be the biggest win he ever had.

  "I came home for…" His words halted on the tip of his tongue. He almost told her, for you. He wanted to say it, since it was the truth, but he didn't think she wanted to hear it, and he highly doubted she would believe him anyway. "It was time to come home," he settled on saying. Their eyes locked, those beautiful stormy colored eyes he remembered so well stared back at him. Those eyes had haunted his dreams, and comforted him too. When they were teens she'd looked at him as if he were something. In her eyes he never doubted he could do anything if he put his mind to it. Only back then he hadn't believed it himself. He had to learn it the hard way before he could truly believe anyone else could think he was worth the trouble. "Jolie, I—"

  She looked away. "You goin' to take your turn or not?" she asked as if to distract him from saying any more, or perhaps she wasn't ready to hear what he had to say.

  They had time. He wasn't going anywhere. Play a little pool with her, have a few drinks with some casual conversation… Foreplay, he thought. Oh yeah, apologizing was like foreplay. He would allow them to get to know each other all over again, have a few laughs and ease back into the familiar. He could do this. He had to do this. He made a mistake walking out on this woman ten years ago. He wouldn't be making the same mistake twice.

  Chapter Six

  Jolie knew she should turn around and hightail it right out of the bar and go home. Tye didn't deserve a minute of her time. Damn him for looking blatantly sexy with his bedroom-eyes and roguish smile. She really, really hated him, and at the same time didn't. She had history with this guy and all of it pretty darn good, up to the moment he left and broke her heart. She didn't understand why he did it. That was the crux of it. She wanted to understand what had made him run.

  Tye leaned down and eyed the pool table as if making calculations for his next move. Her gaze lingered on the way his jeans showcased his athletic body like a second skin. She always admired his fit and trim physique, but that's not why she'd fallen in love with him. There were some people you just clicked with and Tye had been one such person who k
new her and she knew him…or so she had believed.

  Her lips pursed together. First friends, then more. He could always make her laugh, but he'd been good at making her cry too. She wouldn't allow him to worm his way back into her life. The rodeo was only here for four days, and then Tye would pack up and move on, leaving her behind once more.

  With all her blustering convictions of how angry she was with him, desire for him twisted her gut anyway. She needed to get a hold of herself. Her body was only reacting to the familiar. Yeah, the familiar, her subconscious mocked her. She remembered how Tye's hands felt sliding over her body. She knew how his kisses tasted, and she knew how his muscles rippled when— She jumped when the balls exploded across the pool table.

  Tye glanced over his shoulder with a grin that made her insides turn to mush. "I still got it, darlin'."

  Oh yeah, he still had it all right and if she didn't walk away, she'd pay for it with her heart all over again. History was bound and determined to repeat itself – if she allowed it. She shook her head. Not going to happen, her inner more determined side said with confidence, but then her gaze locked with Tye's and the blood in her veins rushed through her body as her heart kick started into a thumpty-thump she could hear between her ears. Dear Lord, the way he looked at her with such want, such need… She frowned wondering how she would know such a thing, but then it dawned on her how she knew. 'Cause it's mirroring your own desires. "I need another drink," she grumbled.

  Tye's eyebrows furrowed – probably because her gaze didn't match the words that flew from her mouth. She wanted to say, Kiss me… And she'd be all kinds of stupid to say those words out loud.

  "I'll tell Stan to keep them coming," Tye said.

  "There's my boy," a man she didn't recognize said as he waltzed into the room with his arm around Whisper. Her best friend just winked at her.

  "Hey, Buddy." Tye turned toward her. "This is Jolie Lockhart, Jolie this is my good friend, Buddy Meilak," Tye made the introductions. They shook hands and she met Buddy's eyes which sparkled with mischief. She wondered if Whisper knew what she was getting herself into, but one glance at her friend and she knew the woman could handle this cowpoke.