Rodeo Blues Page 4

  "Do you want to join us?" Tye asked Buddy and Whisper. "We could play teams."

  She glanced at Tye, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. Good going, Tye. One way to get out of explaining your reasons for coming home after so many years. You never had the inclination to do so before – not even when your daddy passed away. Now you're here. Why oh why are you here?

  "Sounds like a plan," Whisper said.

  Well, at least she'd have a chaperone… or so she thought, but as the night wore on and the drinks kept coming...

  They racked up the balls for another game. How many games was that now? Jolie wondered. She burst out laughing and she didn't even think Tye's joke was all that funny. She leaned on him for support and snorted. Her hand flew to her mouth, horrified at her unladylike response, but Tye moved her hand away and leaned in for a kiss. He'd been stealing a peck here and there all night. Stealing? Heck, she'd been giving them away for the last hour. He'd had as many drinks, if not more than she had, but he stood sturdy as a rock.

  Good Lord above, the man could kiss. Passion passed between them like a crackle of energy, raw and carnal. She nipped his lower lip and he moaned in pleasure, taking her under all over again. Her tongue stroked against his with wicked temptations as he backed her against the wall, his hard body pressed against hers. She wanted him. She didn't care she'd regret her actions in the morning. She wanted to pretend for a moment that Tye still loved her.

  They'd been an item in high school. They used to talk of marriage and shared their dreams of a future in Skeeter Blue, but she should have realized for Tye, escape was a must. He couldn't live in the same town with a daddy who cared more about the bottle than his own son. Gunther Casper never laid a hand on Tye, but he stood to the side, as a watcher, not a participant, leaving Tye to fend for himself for money, for support, for everything. Tye pretended he didn't care, and when he was with her, maybe he didn't.

  She allowed herself to remember another night, another heated encounter when she'd just turned eighteen and he'd been a smidgen older. Fourth of July at the pond, and long after the fireworks, long after most folks had called it an evening…

  "Make love to me," she said, a little breathless after a heated kiss. Her arms were around his neck as they snuggled close on the blanket they spread beneath the stars.

  His gaze riveted to hers with uncertainty. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as if he'd swallowed a golf ball. "Are you sure?" he asked and his voice hitched. He cleared it and waited for her to maybe change her mind, but she hadn't.

  She nodded and pulled him closer so their lips were inches apart. "I love you, Tye."

  "Oh, Jolie." He took her under again with his kisses. His hands slid down her body to the center of her. His touch gentle, teasing… arousing.

  She closed her eyes as new sensations hit her. Her hands roved over his damp skin as she urged him to take her, make her his … and he had. She took all he gave, until she spiraled up and over, carrying him with her into the bliss of first time lovers.

  At the time, she had no way of knowing that night would be a memory to soothe her far into the future, when he was no longer at her side.

  "Hey, are we going to play pool or not?" Buddy whined, whipping Jolie back to the present.

  Whisper put her arms around Jolie and Tye's shoulders as she positioned herself between them. "How about a contest," Whisper said, "to see who can tie cherry stems into knots with their tongue the fastest?"

  Buddy threw back his head and laughed. "Honey, I can do that simple trick in my sleep."

  "Wanna make a wager?" Tye challenged.

  "What's it going to be?" Jolie put her hands on her hips, playing along.

  Tye glanced at Jolie then to Buddy again and said, "If I win, Jolie kisses me."

  "She's been doing that all night," Buddy said with a wave of his hand. "What do I get if I win? Do I get a kiss from Jolie too?" Buddy's eyebrows bounced.

  "No," Tye answered, his eyes narrowing. "Jolie's my girl. If you win, you get a kiss from Whisper – if she's game of course." He turned toward her for the answer.

  Whisper looked Buddy over, her gaze sliding over him as she tapped her chin with her index finger. "Oh honey, if you win, I'll give you a kiss to knock your socks off."

  "Jesus." Buddy inhaled deeply and let it out again as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Where are those cherries?"

  Who knew the night of innocent game playing would turn into something so much more…

  Note to self, Jolie thought sometime later. Never agree to have a drink with an old boyfriend, and definitely never play pool with him either.

  Too bad she hadn't heeded those words sooner.

  Chapter Seven

  With a groan, Jolie rolled over in bed to lie on her back. Her hands held her head, hoping to steady the throbbing between her temples. She peeked one eye open, then two, when she realized the popcorn ceiling above her was not the smooth ceiling of her bedroom. A movement beside her had her sitting up with a start and she groaned again as a shot of pain ricocheted off her skull.

  When she could manage, she focused her gaze on the man lying next to her. Not just any man – Tye Casper. How much did she have to drink last night? Apparently, enough to have her fall into bed with Tye. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she murmured under her breath. Her gaze took in her surroundings – king size bed, dresser and mirror in the corner, thick drapes to ward off the morning sun, trying desperately to stream through the window, and a bathroom to the right near the door. She was in a hotel – probably Tye's room he rented for his stay in Skeeter Blue.

  She glanced at Tye, who hadn't moved. On the end table by his side of the bed, she spotted wrappers – condom wrappers – at least she'd only been partially stupid. She focused on the alarm clock where the digital numbers read 7:16. Still early. She gingerly removed the covers, determined to dress and sneak out of the hotel before Tye woke up, but as her toes hit the carpet, the weight of the bed shifted.

  "Where are you going, darlin'?" Tye's voice was rough and worn from sleep.

  There went her escape plan. She whipped around ready to scold him for taking advantage of her in her drunken state, but he sat up rubbing his head. Great, he'd been as intoxicated as she'd been last night. Boy, weren't they a great pair?

  "Darlin', what the hell were we drinking?" He turned toward her, his gaze sliding over her naked body. She grabbed the sheet and pulled it around her, yanking it free from its confines of the mattress.

  "Listen," she began, trying to think of the right words, "about last night…" What did she want to say? It had been fun. See ya. She cleared her throat. "Well…let's blame this," she waved her hand in front of her, "on the drinks Whisper and Buddy supplied us with." Or had they been doing the buying? She wasn't sure. But a vision of her making a toast with champagne came to mind. She shook her head, which proved a big mistake since the room spun from her efforts.

  "Okay," he said slowly as he stared at her with those big amber colored eyes – bloodshot, but still gorgeous.

  "I have to go," she continued to ramble as she took a step away from the bed. "I have a booth out at the fairgrounds. I need to be there. The summer help can't be there by themselves." She chuckled and tucked a wayward hair behind her ears. "You know… I'm selling souvenirs and all."

  "Okay," he said again with a tilt of his head and leaned forward to rest his well-muscled arms on his thighs.

  Her eyes shifted to his dark hair mussed and sticking up as if she'd run her fingers through the strands over and over again. She had a hunch she had. His chin sported a five o'clock shadow, giving him a rugged edge, while his lips pouted, begging her to kiss them. She tore her gaze away. "I have to go."

  "Okay."

  She swung around to face him once more with one hand on her hips as she tried to keep the sheet around her with the other. "Is that all you have to say?"

  "Well darlin', you seem determined to sneak on out of here. I guess I won't stop you, but—"

  "You won
't stop me. Typical. Sleep with me and waltz out again. It's a bad habit of yours."

  "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the one leaving."

  She harrumphed then pursed her lips. She didn't have time for this…this…whatever this was. She grabbed her panties and jeans from the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed. She could feel Tye staring at her back, but she wouldn't let him get to her. She managed the panties without dropping the sheet, but she had to let it go to wiggle into her jeans. Glancing around the room, she spotted her other clothing haphazardly thrown here and there. She stood and strode over to the dresser and yanked her bra from the lampshade and her blouse from the TV.

  Please, oh please, let Tye just remain silent. He at least owed her that much dignity. Once her bra was secure, she shoved her arms into the sleeves and did a poor job of buttoning it. Tye came up behind her. She felt the heat of his body, before he wrapped his arms around her waist. She stiffened, but it didn't stop him from nuzzling a kiss between her neck and collarbone.

  "What I was going to say," Tye said, "you go do what you need to do, but I'll come looking for you after my event is over."

  The warmth of his body surrounded her like a blanket, comfy … familiar, and she melted against him. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't do this, Tye. Please… I…"

  He turned her around and captured her lips in a long searing kiss. All thought fled her mind and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Only when she'd been thoroughly kissed did he let her come up for air. His fingers brushed a wayward strand away from her face as his gaze latched onto hers. "Much better." He smiled then lifted her hand to his lips. "Good mornin', darlin'."

  She opened her mouth to tell him to stop…whatever he was doing, but her gaze landed on her ring finger. "What the…" she pulled her hand away from his and stared at the makeshift ring fashioned out of cherry stems.

  "It's a little fuzzy," he said, admiring the cherry-stem ring, "but I believe I made that for you."

  Some of the night came back to her in a flood of embarrassment. Laughter, clinking their glasses together, and downing drinks. Tye proposed to her and she… "Oh God."

  "I believe you said yes," he said.

  Great, he remembered too. She backed away and put her hands on her hips. "I was three sheets to the wind and you believed me?"

  "Well, since I was in the same condition – yes."

  She shook her head and backed up another step. She had to get out of here. Now. She searched for her boots. Finding them, she hopped on one foot as she yanked it on, and then donned the other.

  "Don't you think we should talk about this?" he asked.

  "No."

  He stood there staring at her in all his natural glory – damn him. Why couldn't he put some clothes on?

  Finally, he threw up his hands and headed for the bathroom.

  Good.

  He slammed the door and she cringed, but this gave her the opportunity to skedaddle out of there. Only two seconds later, he opened the door again.

  "Jolie, darlin'," he said in a singsong voice that really grated on her nerves. "You might want to take a look at this?"

  "Now what?" She strode over to the bathroom door and followed his gaze to the mirror. Her eyes widened in horror at the piece of paper stuck in the corner. She shoved him out of the way and grabbed it, already knowing what it would say.

  Tye wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned nearer to rest his chin on her shoulder. She met his gaze in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. "Well, Mrs. Casper, I guess you'll be talking to me after all."

  Chapter Eight

  Tye took a shower, leaving Jolie to hunt down Mayor Dirkly regarding his part in marrying them last night. Personally, he was in no hurry to annul their marriage, but it seemed Jolie couldn't make the call fast enough. When he emerged from the bathroom, she was still on her cell phone. From what he could make out, Mayor Dirkly wouldn't cooperate one iota on her demands. Tye dried his hair with a towel as he watched Jolie pace their hotel room, trying to wiggle her way out of the marriage she'd agreed to. She even signed the papers with a cute little heart above the 'i' in her name.

  "You can't be serious," she said to Mayor Dirkly over the phone, her voice going up a few octaves as she spoke each word. "The document can't be real," she insisted. "We were as full as ticks. We didn't know what we were doing and since when do you do business after hours? Maybe you were just as drunk 'cause none of this makes sense. What?" She paused in her tirade as Mayor Dirkly managed to get in a few words. He couldn't make out what the man said, but Jolie's face turned a pretty shade of crimson.

  Sure, he would have done the proposing differently, but he asked her to be his wife – and by the looks of it, she said yes. Maybe they weren't thinking straight, then again…maybe they had been. He promised to marry her when they were all of eighteen. He may have been slow to make the promise a reality, but it looked like he finally came through.

  "Oh really," Jolie snapped. "You haven't heard the last of this Mayor Dirkly." She ended the call and tossed the cell phone on the bed with a scream of frustration. "This is all your fault." She turned her anger on him.

  He lifted his brows. "How do you figure?"

  "You … you should have known better." She threw up her hands.

  "I take it Mayor Dirkly won't annul the marriage?"

  "No. Said it was all legal with witnesses and all."

  He'd noticed Whisper and Buddy's signatures. So good of them to help out.

  "And because we…"

  "We what?"

  "He won't give us an annulment because we consummated the marriage."

  He let out a short chuckle then shook his head. "You told him?"

  "Well, I didn't expect him to ask." The faintest tinge of humor lit her eyes. "My sputtering like a fool gave him all he needed to know we'd spent the night together."

  "You never were a very good liar," he admitted.

  Jolie ran a hand over her face and inhaled deeply before letting out a cleansing breath. "We need to take care of the annulment immediately," Jolie said. "We'll just see what Mayor Dirkly has to say when we show up at his office and demand he do what is right and proper. Marrying us when we were plastered… What in the world could he have been thinking?"

  Tye had a feeling he knew. He had a foggy memory of telling the Mayor he owed him one. Told him he wouldn't have had such a great turnout for his Cowboy Christmas in July Rodeo if it wasn't for him. Then he might have done a little blackmailing and stated he could always withdraw from the event.

  "What's the hurry to get an annulment?" he asked her.

  She narrowed her eyes. "What's the hurry?" she looked at him as if he'd grown horns.

  "Well?" he added, wanting to hear her explanation.

  "When the rodeo is over, I don't plan on being married to a man who's working the circuit with no plans of returning to Skeeter Blue."

  So, she thought he would pack up and abandon her again. He'd have to make his intentions clear. He strode over to her, stood toe to toe…so to speak. Her eyes were large and wide as she stared at him. He touched her chin and ran his thumb over her lips. "Who said I was leaving?"

  She slapped his hand away. "Stop it. This is not the time for teasing. You find a way to make this right!" She whirled away and grabbed her purse sitting on the dresser. "I mean it, Tye." She stormed out of the room, leaving him staring after her as she slammed the door for good measure.

  He ran his hand through his hair. She had the right to doubt him. However, he married the girl and he planned on keeping her. "Should be easy," he said then chuckled. "As easy as taming a feral horse," he muttered. He'd better come up with a plan to win her heart before she stomped all over his.

  Chapter Nine

  Tye's event didn't start until after noon – plenty of time for him to drive over to the old homestead. He hadn't been there since he left home, and probably never would have stepped foot on the land again if he hadn't received notice from a lawyer stating
his father had a will and left the land to him. Go figure. His father couldn't seem to remember to pay the electric bill without having the lights turned off, but he proved responsible enough to make a will.

  The land was his to do with as he pleased. As he drove up the gravel road, he spotted the oil drill in the distance working its magic. Sam Miller had wanted to know who bought the old homestead. What the old man should have asked: who inherited the old homestead? Then his gaze landed on the trailer, which still stood there like a monument to his crappy former life he wished to put behind him. Easier said than done, but then perhaps he shouldn't forget, but remember and make sure he never became like his father.

  His father had refused medication when the doctors told him it would help him cope with life. Unfortunately, Gunther Casper couldn't accept life without a bottle in one hand. Everyone in the world could have been there to help him, but in the end, the only one who could have made the difference was his father wanting to change. He didn't want to – said so a million times.

  Tye pursed his lips as he shook the melancholy thoughts away. He wasn't his father. He just had to remind himself of the fact now and again. He eyed the mobile home and vowed to have it hauled away the first chance he got. He wouldn't let this part of his past mar the present. His coming back to Skeeter Blue needed to be a fresh start. No one would call him trailer trash or other such lovely words to demean him. Not anymore.

  He stepped out of the car as he fastened his gaze to the left of him, where the house sat nice and pretty beneath a pecan tree that had survived decades – judging by its forty-some glorious feet. The shade from the tree would be a welcome reprieve on hot summer days. The house wasn't quite finished. There were still things to be done, but he hoped it would be completed by the end of the month, if not sooner.