In the Ring with the Maverick
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Kathy Douglass
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16
Chapter One
“I can’t believe how crowded it is in here,” Jack Burris said to his younger brothers, Mike and Ross. He looked around Doug’s, a hole-in-the-wall joint in Bronco, Montana. Doug’s was located in the middle-class Valley section of town. With its scarred, mismatched tables, old jukebox and small dance floor, the bar wasn’t the trendy type that the hoity-toity people who lived in the wealthier Bronco Heights section frequented. Tourists who came to Bronco, a town about two hours north of Billings, stepped right on by, if they could even find the place, but the tavern had a devoted clientele of locals.
But perhaps Doug Moore, the eightysomething-year-old proprietor, was trying to upgrade his establishment and attract a higher class of patron. Why else would he be open on a Sunday morning for brunch? Judging from the number of people currently enjoying the waffles, pancakes, grits, sausage, biscuits and gravy, Doug might have hit on something. Even so, Jack hoped the place didn’t change too much. He liked hanging out here in the comfortable joint with his brothers and catching up with old friends when he was in town.
“Me neither,” Mike added before shoveling a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. After swallowing, he continued. “I don’t know when he started it or how long he intends to keep it up, but I’m all for it.”
“Me, too,” Ross added. “I’m all for anything that means I don’t have to cook.”
Jack and his brothers were successful rodeo riders and spent most of their time on the road. They were at home this month to participate in the inaugural Bronco Summer Family Rodeo. Their oldest brother, Geoff, was one of the biggest stars in the sport and had been for the past several years. Unlike them, he hadn’t come to town for the event. Instead, he was on a publicity tour, filming commercials and making guest appearances on talk shows to bring awareness of rodeo to a wider audience. His publicity tour was working, as evidenced by the number of rodeos that had been added to the schedule this year, including the one here in Bronco.
“And the food is delicious,” Jack added, dragging the last bit of pancake around his plate and sopping up the remaining maple syrup before popping the bite into his mouth. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood. “I’m going for seconds.”
“Bring me back some bacon,” Ross said.
Mike waved his hand in the air signaling that he wanted more bacon, too.
“Got it,” Jack said, striding across the crowded room. He joined a line near the buffet that was set up at the far end of the bar. While Jack waited, he heard the ring of feminine laughter. The joyous sound made him pause and he waited, hoping to hear it again. Odd. He’d heard women laugh countless times in his twenty-eight years and hadn’t given it a second thought.
There was another burst of laughter and he spun around, determined to find the woman whose amusement he found so appealing. It took a moment, but he finally found the source of the bubbly sound. He took one look at the woman and his breath caught in his throat. She was positively beautiful. She had rich brown skin, shoulder-length black hair and brilliant brown eyes that sparkled with mischief. More than being simply gorgeous, she was radiant. There was a vibrancy about her that piqued Jack’s interest and had him yearning to know her better.
Despite that intense longing, Jack forced himself to turn away. She was simply one woman. One of many that existed in the world. It made no sense to wax poetic about her just because she was beautiful and possessed an enchanting laugh. Enchanting? Since when did he use flowery words like that? He shook his head and stepped up to the bar, glancing from the empty serving trays to the woman behind the buffet.
“One minute and I’ll be back with fresh bacon and flapjacks,” she said before she lifted a metal tray and walked away.
“Sure,” he replied, but she was already gone and he was talking to empty air.
“Sure what?”
Jack turned at the sound of the amused feminine voice. Before he’d laid eyes on the woman who’d spoken, he knew he was about to come face-to-face with the owner of that happy laugh.
“I was talking to the server,” he said.
She looked at the empty spot and then back at him, a mischievous smile on her face. “Ah. The invisible server. I had an invisible friend when I was a kid,” she said. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to him, as if she was about to confide a great secret, and he found himself leaning closer as well. She was petite, considerably shorter than his own six feet, and he had to bend so that she could whisper in his ear. “I shouldn’t actually call her a friend since I wasn’t really kind to her. She was more of a scapegoat, if truth be told. Whenever I did something that I shouldn’t and my mother found out, I would blame it on Alex.”
“The invisible friend,” he said, smiling in return. He straightened and she did as well.
She nodded, her eyes dancing.
“And was your mother fooled?”
“Nah. She was much too smart. But she played along for a while. Then one day, after Alex had done something especially bad—I don’t recall what it was—my mother told me that she wanted to meet Alex’s mother to let her know how out of control her child was. Until they talked, Alex wasn’t welcome in our home, and she forbid me to play with her.”
“Wow. That’s some good thinking.”
“Yeah. And since I knew better than to bring someone into the house after I was expressly told not to, I had two choices. I could either get in trouble for my behavior or for hanging out with Alex. Sadly, Alex vanished from my life.”
“Please tell me she didn’t meet a disastrous end. That would be just too traumatic.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry, cowboy, there was no bloody ending for her. She simply moved to another neighborhood, where I imagine she became the scapegoat for another seven-year-old girl.”
Her laughter was infectious and he laughed with her and then leaned against the bar. “I could have used an invisible friend growing up. It would have saved me a lot of time spent on punishment. Of course, I had three brothers to share the blame.”
“I have three sisters, but they didn’t get into the same type of mischief I did.” Her eyes twinkled with delight, and he felt an odd kinship with her. A feeling that, although they had only just met, they understood each other and could become good friends.
The server refilled the trays of bacon and pancakes and Jack stepped aside, allowing her to pick up a clean plate and serve herself.
After she’d gotten her food, Jack grabbed two plates, filling one with bacon for his brothers to share—or more likely fight over—and then added pancakes and scrambled eggs to a plate of his own. They stepped out of the way so others could access the buffet. “I’m Jack, by the way.”
“Audrey.” She looked him up and down. “I know who you are.”
“You do?” He was both surprised and pleased. Although Jack had won numerous competitions and had the belt buckles and winning checks to prove his skill, Geoff was the superstar, recognized by people who didn’t even follow rodeo, or any sport, for that matter.
“Of course. Everyone knows the Burris brothers.” She looked at him and frowned, an expression that didn’t appear to belong on her face. “Don’t you know who I am?”
“Should I?” He shook his head as he tried to recall if they’d met before. But he knew they hadn’t. He would never forget someone as beautiful and as magnetic as Audrey. The way his body was reacting to her nearness was something he’d never forget in a million years.
“I’m Audrey Hawkins.” She emphasized her last name, and after a few blinks, the name rang a bell.
“You’re one of the Hawkins Sisters.”
The Hawkins Sisters were third-generation rodeo queens. Jack had yet to see them perform, but he’d heard all about them. They were getting a lot of press, most of which focused on their beauty, charm and fashion sense. As far as he was concerned, they were long on glitter and sparkle and short on what mattered. Talent.
“Yes. We haven’t competed at the same rodeos yet, but it looks like we’re finally going to get that chance. Your brother Geoff has been all over the place talking up Bronco. He made your town sound so wonderful. When we heard about the rodeo, we decided to check out the town for ourselves. We’ve only been here for a little while, but so far, so good. Bronco has been very welcoming,” she said. “I’ve looked forward to meeting you and your brothers for the longest time. It’s not often that there are two families competing together on the circuit.”
That was one word for it. Jack wasn’t a big fan of women rodeo riders, not since his good friend Janet had been paralyzed in a riding accident that he couldn’t help believing a man would have walked away from. But at her small size and with her delicate body, she hadn’t stood a chance.
Audrey was even more petite than Janet. The thought of her putting herself at risk bothered him, although he didn’t know why.
He wasn’t going to tell her that women didn’t belong in rodeo when she obviously disagreed. Audrey was a grown woman who was going to make her own decision. He didn’t have to become her friend and open himself up to worrying about her welfare either.
“Well, my brothers are waiting for their bacon and our food is getting cold. It was nice meeting you, Audrey. I guess I’ll see you around.”
He started toward his table, but she was faster than he was. She stepped around him, blocking his path. She might have been trying to look fierce, but she was much too cute and petite to pull it off. “Did I say something to offend you?”
“Not at all.”
“Then why the cold shoulder all of a sudden?”
Wow. He hadn’t expected her to call him on his behavior. Normally, people accepted the brush-off for what it was and went on with their lives. Audrey Hawkins was apparently no shrinking violet. Or perhaps she chose to ignore social cues when they didn’t suit her purpose. “No cold shoulder. My brothers are waiting. Besides, we were holding up the line.”
“Okay. Sure. I certainly don’t want to keep your brothers waiting any longer. Good talking to you, Jack. Enjoy your food.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and although she hadn’t said the words, he had a feeling she’d wanted to say something along the line of choke on your food. She spun on her heels and strode across the floor to the table where three women he assumed were her sisters waited. Although they’d just met, a part of him regretted the way they’d parted. But that was ridiculous.
He wasn’t destined to remain in anyone’s life, and he wasn’t meant for anything long-term. That was the way it was for a cowboy who spent more time on the highway than he did in one place. By the time he figured out the best restaurant to eat in and which places to avoid, it was time to move along to the next rodeo. The next town. And he was fine living that way. He didn’t want to try to find the one woman who would be happy with his lifestyle. It still amazed him that Geoff had found a woman to love. But then, Stephanie, his soon to be sister-in-law, wasn’t just any woman. She was a levelheaded nurse who made his brother happy. There weren’t many women like her around.
Jack smiled as he thought of Geoff and Stephanie. They’d met when Geoff had gotten injured falling from the bleachers while doing a photo shoot at the Bronco Convention Center. He’d been rushed to the hospital where Stephanie worked. They’d fallen in love, and the rest, as the saying went, was history.
But then, his oldest brother had always led a charmed life. Not that Jack wanted to take away the good things from the guy’s life. He didn’t. And he certainly didn’t begrudge Geoff anything that he’d earned. Jack knew his brother worked hard—you couldn’t succeed in rodeo any other way. Jack admired his brother, had even worshipped him as a kid, but he was still working his hardest to dethrone Geoff as rodeo’s biggest and most successful star. And he didn’t need the distraction of a woman interfering with that.
“What took you so long?” Ross asked as Jack set the plate of bacon on the table.
“They had to get more food from the back,” Jack said, dumping syrup onto his pancakes.
“Really? I thought it might have been that pretty lady you were talking to,” Mike said, grinning. He grabbed a few slices of bacon and then bit into them all at once.
“You’re lucky Mom wasn’t here to see that,” Ross said to Mike.
“See what?”
“You are such a barbarian. You have absolutely no couth.”
“Do my table manners offend you, your highness?”
Jack shook his head. He was used to his brothers’ antics. Although they all competed, they didn’t always enter the same rodeo, so spending time together was a treat. At least, some of the time. Other times not so much. And this was turning into a not-so-much occasion.
“You’d better learn some etiquette before you start medical school,” Ross said.
“No worries on that front. I know what fork to use. Besides, I’m going to be a surgeon, so I’ll be using knives.” Mike picked up his orange juice, lifted his pinkie in an exaggerated manner and then slurped loudly.
“You are so stupid,” Ross said.
“I’m telling Mom you called me names,” Mike said and then he and Ross burst into laughter.
“And to think, I actually missed you two knuckleheads,” Jack said. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Aww, we missed you, too,” Ross said.
“So who was the girl?” Mike asked.
“What girl?”
“The one you were talking to. You were cheesing like you were getting your picture taken for a magazine cover.”
“Nobody,” Jack said. Mike and Ross simply stared at him and Jack knew he hadn’t convinced his brothers. At times like this, he wished they didn’t know each other so well. He blew out a breath. “Her name is Audrey Hawkins. She and her sisters compete in rodeo.”
“The Hawkins Sisters. I’ve read about them,” Mike said as he glanced over his shoulder for a look at the women. “They are gorgeous. I wouldn’t mind getting to know them better while we’re all in Bronco together.”
Jack kicked his brother under the table, hopefully before one of them saw Mike looking in their direction. The last thing he wanted was for Audrey to think that he was talking about her. Okay, so he was talking about her, but not by choice. And to be fair, Ross and Mike were doing most of the talking. Jack had done his best to steer the conversation away from Audrey and her sisters. But even as he forced his brothers to return their attention back to their table, a part of him longed to take another glimpse at Audrey.
But he wouldn’t.
“Why are you frowning?” Remi asked as Audrey set down her plate of pancakes and sausages.
“I didn’t realize I was.”
“Really? If looks could kill, someone would be pushing up daisies,” Corinne, her baby sister, said.
“I’m fine.”
“It must be the guy you were talking to. Did he say something to upset you?” Brynn asked, joining the conversation. At thirty, Brynn was three years older than Audrey and the oldest sister. She was a mother hen and very protective of her younger sisters.
“Who was he anyway? We didn’t get a good look at his face. Do you know him?” Remi asked.
“Of course you would meet someone,” Corinne added. “Does he live here or is he passing through?”
Audrey added butter and syrup to her pancakes and began to eat as her sisters talked over each other. This was the way the four of them communicated—doing a lot of talking and very little listening—so she was used to it. Besides, it worked for them. It was a gift that came from being sisters.
Brynn and Audrey were the biological children of their parents, Josie Hawkins and Steve Bristol. When Remi and Corinne were two and one, respectively, their mother was killed in a tragic riding accident. She’d been a close friend of Josie’s and she and Steve adopted them. The four sisters were as close as could be, and unless people were familiar with the family, they didn’t know that the youngest two were adopted.
But then, Hattie, Audrey’s grandmother, had adopted four teenaged girls herself: Lisa, Suzie, Hollie, and Josie, Audrey’s mother. Josie clearly felt that she was continuing as her own mother had taught her to do.
Once they’d exhausted their questions and fallen silent, Audrey took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee before answering. “I’m not upset. I’m fine. And the guy I was talking with is Jack Burris.”
“Geoff Burris’s brother?”
“One and the same,” Audrey said wryly.
“Oh, he’s cute,” Remi said.
“Beauty is only skin-deep. He’s a jerk.”
“But one you concede is good-looking,” Corinne said as if she’d made a great point instead of stating the obvious.
“What part of ‘he’s a jerk’ did you miss?” Brynn said, saving Audrey the trouble. “No matter how handsome a man is, his personality matters more. Character counts.”
“What’s bugging you?” Corinne asked.
“Nothing,” Brynn said. “I just don’t want any of you to fall under some guy’s spell just because he’s been blessed with good genes.”
“Or looks good in jeans,” Remi added with a laugh.
“Anyway,” Audrey said as Brynn rolled her eyes, “Jack is good-looking. I’m not denying that. But when I told him who I was, he got all distant.”
“Oh.”
Even Remi seemed disappointed by that statement. Remi was a romantic from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. But even she wouldn’t tolerate someone who didn’t think the Hawkins Sisters belonged, no matter how gorgeous he was.
“He’s not the first man who has an issue with rodeo queens. How many times have we encountered men who don’t respect us or our ability to do our jobs? Too many to count, right?” Audrey asked. “So I’m not going to let his attitude get under my skin. Nor am I going to spend another minute thinking about him. And I’m certainly not going to waste time talking about him when I could be enjoying this delicious food and spending time talking with my equally beautiful and talented sisters.”
“Agreed,” Brynn said, lifting her apple juice in a toast before taking a swallow.
“While you were getting your food, we were talking about Bronco. What do you think about this town?” Corinne asked.
“I like it,” Audrey said honestly. “At least, what I’ve seen of it. The downtown has a lot of nice shops and restaurants. And the people seem friendly. And although Doug’s is well off the beaten path, I like it. It’s a nice welcoming bar-slash-restaurant. How do you guys feel about the town?”
“Same. It’s everything Geoff Burris said it was. It might actually be some place we could settle down,” Brynn said.
“Now wait a minute. We haven’t been in town long enough to make that decision. It’s going to take more than a good brunch to get me to go that far,” Remi said. “I said I like it, not that I want to live here forever.”
“We spend a lot of time on the road. I’m just thinking that we might want to have a home base. That’s all.”
“We have a home base. Houston, Texas. Where our mother lives.”
“There’s no need to argue. I’m finished eating. Do any of you want more, or are you ready to leave?” Audrey said.
Her sisters looked at each other. “We’re done.”
Audrey wiped her mouth and then stood. They’d paid for their food when they’d arrived, so they shoved their chairs up to the scarred table and added a generous tip to the jar on the bar. As they left, Audrey couldn’t help but glance over at the table where she’d seen Jack and his brothers. Her eyes met his briefly and she frowned and looked away.
Jack Burris had gotten distant when he’d realized who she was, which was too bad. She’d enjoyed talking with him earlier. But she’d get over the disappointment. After all, he wasn’t the first cowboy to dismiss a Hawkins Sister.
And that was reason enough to keep her distance.
