Rodeo Blues Read online

  Buzzzzz…

  The long drawn sound of the blow horn was music to his ears. He let go and jumped clear of the bucking bull as Buddy, the best bullfighter he ever had the honor to work with, did his job and distracted the bull, as two others ushered him to safety.

  The crowd cheered louder and there was nothing sweeter, or so he thought, until he caught sight of Jolie standing there. Yep, he'd been wrong. There was nothing sweeter than having her see him ride. Hadn't expected her to, but there she stood, looking as beautiful as ever. Funny, how the cheers from the crowd seemed to fade away.

  "Good ride, Casper," another rider said as he strode over to the chute to take his place.

  "Thanks," he said.

  "A good score for the Ghost Rider," Toby announced over the loudspeaker. "Eighty-seven ladies and gentlemen. A tough score to beat."

  Tye brushed back his hair and placed his hat back on his head and headed over to where Jolie stood waiting for him.

  "Not bad, cowboy." Her lips curved. "I can see why you've come home a winner.

  "It's only the first go-around," he said with a shrug.

  "You're being modest."

  He flashed a smile. "Are you trying to butter me up for something, Jolie? 'Cause you haven't been all that friendly since I arrived in town."

  "I've been friendly," she defended herself.

  "We'll, kissin' and other things don't count," he said in a lower tone.

  His comment sent a flush of scarlet over her cheeks, and didn't that just make him want to kiss her right then and there, but her next slew of words were like a slap of reality he wished to do without.

  "I'm going to speak to Mayor Dirkly," she said, and didn't even have the decency to look him in the eye when she told him she planned to put an end to their marriage. Sure, she'd been threatening to do this all morning, but dang it, she just saw him ride.

  Tye glanced over his shoulder to where he'd spotted Mayor Dirkly earlier, sitting next to Toby in the announcer's booth. He led them in the Pledge of Allegiance and announced the first event. The seat stood empty now and he sighed with relief. When he turned toward Jolie again, he couldn't stop his lips from curving into a pleased smile. "Looks like you just missed him."

  His gaze swept over his reluctant wife. She must have gone home to change. She wore a sundress now and cowboy boots with blue and peach stained leather to accent the flower design. Her long hair was swept into a loose braid draping behind her back and her tan lightweight cowboy hat sat nice and pretty upon her head, but he'd like nothing more than to remove it, draw her close, and kiss her proper. Somehow, he managed to keep his hands to himself.

  "I won't pretend I don't know your motive for speaking to the man," he told her, "but what's the rush, Jolie? This is only the first day of the rodeo. Why don't we see where this goes? Let me take you out to dinner, just you and me. We used to be able to talk to each other. Perhaps we can find our way back to...being friends." He liked that and he hoped she would to. He held his breath as he waited for her to answer, praying she wouldn't shoot him down on the first go.

  "Do you really believe chats over dinner will make up for the years you were gone?"

  "No, but I'd like to start somewhere. Just give me a chance."

  She chewed on her lower lip as she stared at him with those oh so stormy colored eyes. Finally, she granted him an answer he could live with. "Okay, dinner. We'll talk."

  His lips slid into a wide grin.

  "And that's all!" she shot at him before he could say more. "Don't think we're tumbling into bed again."

  He chuckled. "No sex, huh? See, we're already acting like a married couple." He leaned down and brushed a kiss against her cheek before she could come back with a retort. "I'll pick you up at seven-thirty, Mrs. Casper." He strode away with a snap to his step, but he could feel her heated gaze burning a hole in his back. She hadn't agreed to remain married, but she opened the door for the possibility.

  Yep, he could definitely work with a maybe.

  Chapter Twelve

  It took a second for Tye's words to register in Jolie's mind. One little brush of his lips – on her cheek, no less – and she couldn't see straight. He called her Mrs. Casper and didn't that just sound right to her ears, she thought on a sigh, but then shook her head. "Get your head out of the clouds," she murmured, but the memories of the boy she fell in love with came to the forefront, clear and untarnished.

  She fell in love with Tye when he was a mere boy. She understood this all too well now. She'd only been a girl herself, a young woman who had yet to find herself. They'd both grown in the time he'd been away, not just physically, but also emotionally. She couldn't be swept away by memories of how she once loved Tye. That boy didn't exist anymore, and the man who rode into town was no more than a stranger to her.

  But you married him anyway, her nasty little conscience whispered in her ear. "Shut up," she said out loud and glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone heard her talking to herself. Luckily, no one had. Tye had only been back in town a day and he was already driving her crazy.

  Her cell phone vibrated in the pocket of her sundress, and she retrieved it. Her daddy... "Time to face the music." Only she didn't like what the band was playing. Her gaze caught sight of the white medical tent in the field just to the left of the arena. A large red cross was painted on each side of the tent to make sure there wasn't any confusion where to go if anyone needed medical attention.

  Her father, Dr. Lockhart had a doctor's office in town, been in practice for almost forty years. He volunteered his services every year at the rodeo.

  The phone was still buzzing and her daddy's smiling face was looking back at her on her cell phone. Only she knew he wouldn't be smiling when she spoke to him in person. She didn't answer, but slipped the phone into her pocket. She needed this conversation to be in person.

  There was no way she could make her marriage to Tye sound like it was the best thing she'd ever done. Her daddy would see right through that lie.

  Her phone buzzed again as she ducked inside the tent. Her father lowered his phone when he caught sight of her. She'd inherited her mahogany tresses from him, though his full head of hair was streaked with gray now. He wore a white coat over his dress shirt and slacks despite the heat outside. The tent was situated near a generator and there were lights, and a cooling system in place to keep the tent comfortable. A water pump was attached to the sink, and the supplies were in order inside the cupboards – everything necessary to run a minor medical facility. The examining table stood as the focal point of the tent, but there were fold up chairs lined against one side of the canvas, and a desk toward the back. Her daddy tended scrape knees and elbows, busted lips from fistfights, and people who needed fluids because they didn't drink enough water, while they enjoyed their day in the sun. Most people didn't realize alcohol dehydrated them. They needed water in this heat. If anyone suffered from a major injury, the person would be taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital and tended there.

  "Thought perhaps you were ignoring me," her daddy said in a steady voice as he gazed at her over the rim of his glasses, making her curious. She expected him to be angry with her, not this…not this look of concern.

  "I'm fine." She chewed on her lower lip and tried to think of how she should spin this, so it didn't sound like she was a complete idiot?

  "No bumps on the head?" her daddy asked. "No loss of memory?"

  "No," she said with a frown.

  "Then why in God's name did you go and marry the boy who broke your heart?"

  Now this was the reaction she expected from him.

  "I wish I knew. Truly, I wish I had a good answer to why I would do such a fool thing, but," she lifted her hands palm up and shrugged, "I don't have one."

  He pursed his lips. His gaze lingered on her hand and she realized she had yet to take the cherry stem ring off her finger. It was thick and knotted so tightly, and she… Heck, she didn't know why she still wore the darn thing. She lowered her hand and h
id it behind her back.

  "I thought it was purely a fanciful rumor that you married Tye Casper," her daddy said. "He didn't ask me for your hand and he didn't even bother to buy you a proper ring."

  She opened her mouth to defend Tye, but promptly closed it again. She wouldn't tell him how Tye carefully put this ring together with a promise for the real deal as soon as Mr. Gallagher opened his jewelry shop come Monday morning.

  Once she downed the pain relievers this morning, and her head had cleared, bits and pieces of last night's event kept intruding on her thoughts like long forgotten memories. Her daddy pointing out the ring with such disgust prompted the memory of how Tye looked at her when he placed the cherry stem ring on her finger with such love, such hope, such promise for a future... At that moment, his pledge of forever proved better than diamonds. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. She actually remembered thinking that.

  "I'm sorry," she said for a lack of anything else to say.

  "There's no need to be apologizing to me. You did this to yourself."

  "I know…I… Last night… It shouldn't have happened."

  "But it did," her daddy said with a sigh.

  "We're going to fix it." She nodded and stood up straighter.

  "We?"

  She met his gaze. "Tye and I are going to see Mayor Dirkly and have him give us an annulment."

  He pursed his lips again.

  Wasn't that what he wanted to hear? She would end this farce of a marriage. Tye would leave town, and she would go back to her life.

  "I'm going to have to have a word with Mayor Dirkly," her daddy said. "Giving out marriage licenses and annulments as if this here town were one of those chapels in Las Vegas."

  She didn't bring up the fact Mayor Dirkly wouldn't give them the annulment so easily, or the fact she didn't believe Las Vegas gave out annulments as easily as they allowed marriages to take place.

  "I have to get back to my booth," she said. "To give Whisper a break. She's been out there all day," she added, as if she needed to make an excuse. "Just wanted to let you know I was okay."

  Her daddy leveled his gaze on her. "You say you're fine. I'm pleased to think so, but nothing is ever so simple, is it? Though I have my doubts about Tye Casper, with the way he stole you away without so much as a proper courting, and didn't give me a chance to walk you down the aisle, I still want to know."

  Her brows furrowed. "Know what?"

  "Did the boy come back a man?"

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tye watched the competition as it unfolded. So far no one had beat his score, but this was only the first day. They still had tomorrow's event where they took their turn on the bulls again. Just like this morning, they would draw names from a bowl. The bulls' name they picked would be the animal they rode for the event.

  The arena was being cleared for the next entertainment for the onlookers. The sun shone overhead, the heat of the day at its peak. He remembered the summer days…and nights when he lived here. They could be unbearable at times during the summer, but nothing a little swim in the pond wouldn't cure. Jolie and he spent a lot of time there. Not just swimming, but talking and sharing their thoughts, anything from what they planned to eat for dinner to something more profound as to what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives.

  Jolie had wanted to open her own business and sell souvenirs. She would put together intricate wind chimes with bits of glass and other odds and ends. The breeze would catch what dangled free, bumping them together in a sweet song the wind could carry. She'd given him one for his fourteenth birthday. He still had it too. Her dream of opening a shop had come true anyway. He didn't know about the wind chimes. Perhaps she sold those as well.

  He gazed at the crowd in the stands. There were numerous families enjoying the day outdoors, the sounds of their laughter and chatter reaching him. He wanted what they had, a family to share the day. He wanted a good woman at his side. He wanted to share hopes and dreams for the future with Jolie.

  He glanced toward where Jolie had headed earlier, most likely to her store's booth. He was about to head that way, but caught sight of Jhett Reeves making his way toward him. There was nothing like seeing an old rival to put a damper on the day.

  "Hey, Tye, my old friend," Jhett called to him as he drew near.

  Tye pushed away from the railing and his hands balled into fists on their own accord. Jhett and he had never been friends. Reeves believed he was better than most because his granddaddy built the town – literally. Thomas Franklin Reeves had strolled into town and made a name for himself by starting his own business. His son, Thomas Junior, and now Jhett controlled Reeves Construction. Not for long, Tye thought, and his hands relaxed. There were other ways to throw a punch without breaking knuckles.

  "So, the prodigal son returns." Jhett's voice grated on his nerves, as did his superficial smile. "I don't see any welcome home dinners for you," Jhett added as a dig. He really hated when men paraphrased biblical passages and twisted them to suit their mood. Jhett liked to use such phrases as digs. Sometimes, not even in the right way.

  "Is there something you want, Jhett?" he asked and returned the same superficial smile. Yep, right back at you, Jhett, he thought to himself. You won't be showing your pearly whites much longer. Better find yourself a good hanky, 'cause you'll be cryin' yourself to sleep for losing your families' legacy.

  "A man who likes to get down to business," Jhett said with a nod and pushed back his expensive brown cowboy hat. Looked brand new, as did the snakeskin boots he wore. "Good," Jhett added and his pretense of a smile dropped. "Let me just say it to you straight. You better stay away from Jolie Lockhart while you're here. You have no claims to her."

  "I don't think Jolie would like being thought of as an item to claim. She's funny like that."

  "You were always a wiseacre weren't you, Tye? Just stay away from my gal."

  "Your gal?" Tye's eyebrows rose in surprise.

  Jhett took a deep breath, inflating his chest. "That's right. We're planning on getting married."

  "Is that so?" He guessed last night's news of Jolie and his nuptials hadn't spread through town yet. He'd take great pleasure in being the first to let Jhett in on the secret.

  "Yep. So I would appreciate it if you'd leave Jolie be," Jhett continued his long-winded demands. "I don't like to see her unhappy."

  "You want to see Jolie happy? Should have been at Big Bob's Saloon last night," he casually said.

  Jhett blinked as if he were trying to decipher Tye's angle. When he couldn't figure it out, he said, "Just another Lady's Night, same as every Thursday." His shoulder lifted in a shrug and his nostrils flared as his gaze wavered over him in an I'm-sizing-you-up moment. "Jolie never goes to those things," he added.

  "So of course you don't either," Tye said. Jhett and his gambling had turned into a full time job, so he was probably posting a bet in the next town over for some event or other.

  "I don't make it a habit to hang out where my gal isn't going to be," he snapped. "Besides, what difference does it make if I was there or not? Get to your point, Casper. If'n there is one. You're boring me." He faked a yawn.

  "Jolie was there at Big Bob's Saloon. Must have changed her mind on going once she knew I was in town. Got ourselves hitched too."

  "What…no… To each other?" Jhett sputtered, his expression worthy of a snapshot moment.

  Tye forced his twitching lips not to indulge in a full out grin. "Yes, to each other," he confirmed his claim, "and I would appreciate it if you'd stop coveting my wife. If you recall, there's a commandment about such things."

  "Well, I never— I don't believe you."

  "Then you haven't been listening to your Bible studies." How he kept a straight face, he'd never know. It took Jhett an extra second to realize he was messing with him, but when he did, Jhett's hatred for him shone brighter than ever through his narrowed eyes of contempt.

  "I'll speak to Jolie myself," he hissed as if he were sure he could prove his
claim a boldface lie.

  "You do that. While you're at it, send her my love."

  Jhett's hands balled into fists and his face turned a nice crimson color, flaming from his neck up to his hairline. "Why you—"

  "Watch it, Jhett. I don't want to fight you, but mark my words, I will. And if you haven't noticed, I'm not the scrawny teen you and your buddies liked to use as a punching bag just for the fun of it." He hadn't been all that scrawny, but Jhett usually had two or three others with him when he decided to teach him a lesson – as he liked to say right before his buddies held his arms and Jhett tried to rearrange his face.

  Jhett's gaze slid over him again, and not in a complimentary way, but this time coming to the conclusion he might not be able to beat him without back up. "Well, well... you're a tough guy now, aren't ya?" Jhett did another once over, this time his face puckered as if he smelled something offensive and needed to take it to the garbage.

  "I can hold my own…" He shrugged. "Guess without your buds, you can't take a swing at me." He wouldn't throw the first punch, but God, if the man so much as touched him, he'd let him have it good.

  Jhett settled on pointing his finger at him. "Watch it, Tye Casper. You don't belong here anymore – not that you ever did."

  He pursed his lips and tried his best to let the insult slide off him. "It's been real nice catching up with you," he said and purposely turned his back on him. Tye half expected Jhett to jump him, but like most bullies, he was nothing without his gang for support.

  A few seconds later, he chanced a look over his shoulder to see Jhett shoving past a group of teens, "Get out of my way," he said and didn't slow his long strides as he clipped one of the guys in the group. The teen yelled a few obscenities, but Jhett didn't look back. He was on a mission now, one called Jolie Lockhart. His long strides were heading straight to the fairgrounds and Tye could only guess, but he'd bet it was to Jolie's booth. He should have rethought his words, but Jhett always seemed to bring out the worst in him, and the last time they butted heads, they'd almost had the same identical conversation. Only he hadn't been so lucky back then.