The Cowboy's Rodeo Redemption
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Susan Breeden
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HarlequinCHAPTER ONE
NASH BUCHANAN SHOULD have been stressing out. But all those daisies made it impossible.
He stared at the whiteboard that was leaning against a wall in the breakfast nook. Its designated place. A few hours ago, he’d used the board to write out his daily to-do list—a ritual that was as much a part of his mornings as the two cups of black coffee from his favorite mug. But all that productive thinking had been literally erased. Now, the board was covered in hand-drawn flowers of various colors and sizes instead.
All was not lost. He was reasonably sure that he and his ranch hand, Parker Donnelly, had completed most of the tasks already. The rest, he’d figure out. He didn’t even have to ask which of his twins had cultivated this garden.
“Elizabeth Anne? Can you come here for a minute, sweetheart?”
Never one to take a proper nap, Lizzy had been playing in the den while her sister slept in their bedroom. Nash took advantage of the time to catch up on paperwork in the adjacent study, within earshot, which had given his daughter ample opportunity to do her brand of damage.
Then again, both girls had been in and out of the kitchen throughout the morning, pretending to make breakfast on the toy kitchen set that he’d assembled and placed in a corner. He would reserve final judgment until he could ask the necessary questions.
The pattering of little feet paused at the entrance to the kitchen. The fact that Nash used Lizzy’s full name rather than her nickname must have tipped her off that she’d crossed a line.
He lifted the board, swiveled and held it up for her to see.
The precious giggle that followed confirmed what he already knew. There was no better sound to Nash’s ears, except it tended to let her get away with just about anything. But with school starting in less than a month, he needed to make sure any boundary issues were addressed. The first-grade teachers might not be so understanding about having their lessons erased from the chalkboard and flowers drawn in their place.
“Do you like it, Daddy? I drew it for you ’cause you’re sad a lot.”
Sad? Preoccupied, perhaps, but he understood why he’d come across that way. Trying to take care of his sprawling Wyoming Buck Stops Ranch with little to no help, and making it a home his children could grow up in and he could grow old in, did that to a person. Now that Parker had three solid months of experience on the ranch, Nash was beginning to feel much better. Although, in all fairness, Lizzy’s random crops of hand-drawn daisies deserved some of the credit.
Finally, he had time to focus on being a daddy to his six-year-old twins, even if he couldn’t fulfill the role of mommy, as well. The ladies in Destiny Springs were wonderful role models, if not steady or permanent ones. He’d given up on steady and permanent long ago.
Nash returned the board to its place, pulled out a chair for Lizzy and pointed for her to sit. After she settled in, he took a seat across from her.
“The flowers are beautiful, but do you remember what we talked about? How this is my chore board and it’s important? That’s why I bought you and Katherine Claire your own to draw on.” Nash made it a point to use Kat’s formal name, as well, if only to keep things as balanced and equal as possible. Whether that was a rule for raising twins, he wasn’t sure, but it felt right in most cases.
Lizzy looked to her bare feet, which were swinging anxiously while dangling from the too-tall chair. “Kat drew on half of it.”
Nash studied the board again. The girls were physically identical. Wispy blondish hair, jet-black lashes, soft brown eyes. But they differed in almost every other way, including artistically. Lizzy was creative, whereas Kat was analytical.
“Is that so? Which flowers are hers?” he asked, giving Lizzy a chance to either take back the accusation or prove it.
She pointed to a couple of stick pony figures in the lower corner. He hadn’t even noticed them. Definitely Kat’s handiwork, but still...
“Half, huh?”
Lizzy neither denied nor confirmed. Although the little girl struggled with basic mathematical concepts, he was pretty sure she knew better in this instance.
“Stay right there.” He stood, walked to the refrigerator and poured two glasses of milk, adding chocolate syrup to hers. After placing both on the table, he retrieved the last giant chocolate chip cookie, compliments of Becca Sayers at the Hideaway—Destiny Spring’s local B and B. She’d brought over three yesterday as a bribe. Said she needed a favor. But two of the treats mysteriously disappeared within hours.
He sat back down. As predicted, Lizzy eyed the dessert.
“Want half?” he asked.
She nodded and sat up straighter.
He broke off a tiny piece, placed it on a napkin and slid it in front of her.
She looked crestfallen. And more than a little perturbed. Exactly the response he was going for.
“That’s not half!” she said.
He took a big bite out of the cookie and pointed to the board again, hoping she’d get the point he was trying to make.
“But I like to draw more than Kat does.”
Nash took an even bigger bite, taking extra time to chew and swallow. “And I like this cookie more than you do. Is there anything you want to clarify?”
Lizzy huffed and looked down. “Okay. She didn’t draw half.”
“And whose idea was it to erase the board and draw in the first place?” he asked.
“Mine. I s’pose.”
Nash smiled, then broke off a bigger section from the part he had yet to bite into. He paused before relinquishing it and waited until she looked him in the eye.
“I appreciate you wanting to cheer me up,” he said. “But next time, let’s find a better place to plant your garden. Agreed?”
At that, Lizzy smiled and accepted the cookie. Hopefully, she accepted the lesson, as well. Time would tell.
While Lizzy proceeded to dip her cookie into her glass of chocolate milk and make an appropriate mess, he tiptoed down the hall. Kat’s slow, deep breathing was noticeable beneath the thick pink blanket. That half of the twin equation had no problem with naps. Maybe because her Breyer horses were all lined up on her dresser as if protecting her in ways that her own daddy couldn’t.
Which brought him back around to her horse stick figures on the whiteboard and reminded him of the most important bullet point of all. Not that he’d forgotten.
That favor Becca wanted? In Nash’s opinion, it was worth more than three cookies. Although, in all honestly, he wouldn’t have said no under any circumstances. Folks helped other folks in this close-knit community. One of Becca’s guests was transporting a horse and needed a place to board it for two weeks. In fact, the woman should have already arrived, if his estimation was correct. Becca had texted about twenty minutes ago, indicating that the guest was on her way. What she hadn’t told him was the woman’s name.
At least he’d insisted on one condition: the guest had to take care of the feeding and exercising and grooming herself.
“Daddy! Somebody’s here,” Lizzy called out. Kat barely stirred.
Nash closed the door behind him and went into the den, where he and Lizzy watched the truck and trailer head down the drive. After parking, a woman stepped out, glanced toward the house and ran both hands through her hair in a way that was all too familiar.
He closed his eyes as if it would block out the memories. Instead, it trapped them inside, where they fully awakened.
How could something that happened ten years ago get to him now? Jessica McCoy had been one of his students. And students left sometimes, although they usually gave at least a day’s notice and a reason why. Especially the ones who were responsible adults within a few years of his age. Even more so, those he also considered good friends. In every case, they’d at least say goodbye.
Make that, in every case except Jess’s.
Then again, the most important women in his past had never bothered with such formalities. Why should she have been any different?
Nash opened his eyes and considered that perhaps he was wrong. Maybe this woman only resembled Jess from a distance, although eerily so. Same slender frame. Same porcelain skin. Same silky black hair, although it was cut closer to her shoulders instead of grazing her waist.
No. That was Jess, all right. Either that, or she had a twin he never knew about. And, at one time, he knew so much about her. Or so he thought.
At least he could take comfort in the fact that she was more than capable of caring for her horse, and he could stay out of it. When he’d first agreed to this, it crossed his mind that he may have to step in anyway, for the horse’s sake.
He was tempted to go outside and help, but his feet felt as though they were nailed to the hardwood floor. Instead, he watched as she walked around to the horse trailer and conversed with its occupant.
“Is that my mommy?” Lizzy asked.
“No. I’m afraid not.”
He should have been used to that question, but it tugged at his heart every time. His ex-wife abandoned them all when the twins were born. She’d come back around when they were toddlers, only to leave again. Without saying goodbye either time. If she ever did return one day, to stay, he wouldn’t let her back in.
“She’s pretty,” Lizzy said.
She sure is. Even more so than he remembered.
He placed a hand over his chest to calm what felt like a palpitation. It was just stress. Yet, it hadn’t happened in years.
“Do me a favor, sweetheart. Go to your room and draw me some daisies. Lots of them,” he managed to say, even though a quicksand feeling in his stomach tried to tug the words back inside.
“Are you gonna give ’em to the lady?”
It was a logical assumption, but not a chance. They were for him.
“Maybe if you draw enough to share half, I will. Now scoot!” He pivoted her toward the hallway, then gave her a kiss on the back of the head and a loving shove.
Just in time. Jess was making her way up the steps but paused at the door. He was pretty sure she couldn’t have seen them watching from the window, so he wasn’t in a rush to answer it.
She lingered for quite a while, as well. He could safely assume why. As with Lizzy pausing at the kitchen door, Jess had to have known what she’d done. She could have returned his call with some sort of explanation. At least he’d been able to get ahold of her folks to confirm that she was all right.
Once she knocked, he paused for a few moments before answering, still unsure of what to say. One thing was for certain: maybe Buck Stops was open to board a visitor’s horse for a couple of weeks.
But his heart was closed for business.
WHEN THE DOOR eased open and Nash leaned against the door frame, Jess’s breath caught in her throat.
At least he didn’t slam the door shut. Not that he would do something like that. Odd, but he didn’t seem shocked to see her. Maybe Becca had told him her name, even though Jess had indicated she wanted to surprise Nash.
He didn’t say a word, and he’d never been shy about speaking his mind. Yet, he didn’t really have to. The way he cocked his head and blinked suggested he was waiting for a long-overdue explanation.
She couldn’t explain it back then. How could she articulate it now? She never thought she’d land on his doorstep again. Otherwise, she would have made a more graceful exit. But how do you say goodbye to a man you’re in love with but who’s clearly in love with someone else? A smarter, prettier, more talented someone at that?
Easy. When you’re Jessica McCoy, you don’t say goodbye. You simply leave.
They stood in silence until she couldn’t take it any longer. She stepped forward and embraced him. Even though they’d been in a student-teacher situation, they’d also become friends. Hugs had come naturally. This one, however, was anything but.
He tensed at first, then softened a little.
“It’s good to see you again,” Jess whispered, before taking a step back.
He didn’t return the sentiment, and he’d barely returned the hug, yet his soft brown eyes suggested that perhaps he felt the same. Then, just as swiftly, he straightened his posture and looked past her.
“Becca tells me you need to board your horse for a couple of weeks.”
Jess scraped her splattered ego off the ground after that obviously unwelcome display of affection, pulled her shoulders back and looked out to the trailer. “Two weeks. Then we’ll head to Montana for the rodeo there in three. And it’s Taylor’s horse.”
“Your husband?”
“Daughter. She’s back at the Hideaway. Becca graciously agreed to babysit for me while I came over here.”
“Your daughter is in good hands,” Nash said without so much as looking at her.
“That’s what I hear.” His words further confirmed what Jess had already concluded. Even though she’d talked to Becca only a few times over the phone, they shared a mutual acquaintance who couldn’t speak highly enough of the B and B and its sweet owner.
After several moments, they settled back into that place of silence. The whole thing was awkward, to say the least, which was the reason she hadn’t wanted to bring Taylor with her. That would have really put Nash on the spot with what she was about to ask.
Her talented eight-year-old daughter had hit a plateau and needed help from the best barrel racing teacher Jess could think of. She wasn’t going to let a little thing like her pride get in the way of giving Taylor the type of career Jess herself could have had.
Not that she’d trade having Taylor for anything, even with everything else it had entailed. Specifically, giving up that career to be a full-time stay-at-home mom and wife after taking what was supposed to be a brief sabbatical. Being anchored to one place, rather than traveling the country. Then giving that up to be a widow who was left without a financial safety net.
Maybe she would’ve seen it coming if she hadn’t trusted a man who was less than transparent. Lesson learned...and ultimately rewarded, with Taylor picking up where her abandoned stirrups left off. And making a lasting impression in the rodeo world. Their world.
She couldn’t undo her mistakes, but hopefully she could correct the one that was right in front of her. But that would have to wait anyway, because a sweet little voice called out from behind Nash.
“Daddy! Here’s your flowers!” The beautiful little girl handed him a board with a colorful drawing, which made Nash himself blossom.
There’s that smile I loved.
“So, you have a little one, too,” Jess said.
Nash looked up as if he’d momentarily forgotten she was there. “Where are my manners? This is Elizabeth, but she goes by Lizzy these days.”
Jess didn’t even have to ask. Although Lizzy favored Nash, she was definitely Roxanne’s little girl. Which meant that Nash had ended up marrying Jess’s main competition after all.
Even though she shouldn’t have been surprised, the gut punch caught her off guard. At the same time, she knew Roxanne was now married to someone else and continued to compete.
Speaking of manners, Nash had yet to ask her inside. But with Mischief waiting in the trailer, she didn’t want to linger.
“Go wake up Kat, please. Then you two can come join us on the porch.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Lizzy said, disappearing down the hall.
Nash stepped outside and left the door cracked open behind him.
“Is Kat your wife?” she asked.
“Daughter. Lizzy’s twin. Double trouble, but the good kind.”
Raising even one child alone was a challenge—albeit also the good kind. But two? Then again, she simply assumed he was raising them by himself. She could be very wrong. Part of her was aching to ask. He wasn’t wearing a ring, and she always figured him for the ring-wearing kind of man. Traditional and loyal.
“And double fun, too, I imagine,” she said.
That didn’t earn her the warm smile she’d hoped for. More of a slow nod.
“Tell me about the horse,” he said, switching the topic again as if Jess was getting too personal. That was fine, because she needed to keep her focus on the reason why she was there in the first place.
“Mischief is a quarter horse. Eight years old, like Taylor, and he’s her secret weapon in barrel racing. She’s been called The One to Watch. Maybe you’ve heard of her? Taylor Simms?”
“Simms, did you say?”
“Taylor wanted to keep her daddy’s last name after he died. I get it. I changed mine back to McCoy.”
Jess wanted to add that she felt it impossible to move forward with the life she and Taylor envisioned without changing hers back. But it didn’t feel like the appropriate time for that kind of disclosure.
Nash’s eyes softened. “I had no idea. I’m sorry for your loss.”
She simply nodded. She hadn’t meant to even say that much. Time to get the conversation back on track.
“We’re doing good, though. Especially Taylor with her barrel racing. She could be even better. You know how stiff the competition is.”
Nash blew out a long breath, then straightened his shoulders and looked straight ahead again. “I exited those circles several years ago, and I don’t keep up. No desire to get back into it, either. Don’t have the time.”
Jess gulped. Had this trip been for nothing? “You don’t teach anymore?”
“No, ma’am.”
There was a resoluteness to his answer. A “this topic is closed” quality about it. Furthermore, their lives had drifted further apart than she’d ever imagined they’d be. That’s what ten years could do. Prior to that, they’d had a strong connection. The rodeo was his world.
And he’d been more open back then. No emotional walls like the one she was slamming into today.
The door opened, and the twins joined them outside. Both wearing matching rubber boots but otherwise dressed quite differently. Lizzy was in the same flowered long-sleeved dress as she’d been a few moments ago. Her twin sported tan breeches and a pink puffer jacket. At least their daddy would be able to tell them apart.
“Lizzy and Kat, this is Jess. She’ll be keeping her horse on our property for a couple of weeks,” Nash said.
Kat looked up at her. “I like the horses more than I like the cows.”
“That’s an understatement,” Nash said. “Let’s get Mischief situated, shall we, ladies? Jess, follow that dirt road. We’ll meet you there.” He pointed to a path that led to the stables in the distance, even though he hadn’t needed to. She remembered.
Jess drove solo while the Buchanan clan walked, with Nash anchored by a twin on each side. All holding hands.
Once they got Mischief situated in his temporary digs, Nash insisted on giving Jess a tour of the property, even though once again, she didn’t need one. Not much about it had changed except the arena was so stark. No barrels. Not even any circular scars in the dirt to indicate they’d ever been there.
His horses were out in the field, lingering by a fence. Probably curious about their new stablemate. The girls ran over to pet them while Nash watched the goings-on with that warm, familiar smile again. All of a sudden, it seemed as though no time had passed.
“What did the bartender say to the horse when he sat down at the bar?” Jess asked.
Nash cast her a questioning look. “I have no idea.”
“Why the long face?” she answered.
Nash shook his head and laughed under his breath. She waited for him to tell the next joke, like they used to do during their weekly training sessions. Rule was, the one who dropped the thread had to make Juicy Lucy burgers after practice.
He seemed to think about it as he watched his daughters in the distance, but no joke was forthcoming. Perhaps he’d forgotten about the ritual altogether.
“I have a favor to ask, Nash.” Might as well come right out and say it before they got bogged down in an awkward silence again.
At that, he looked at her. “I thought boarding Mischief was the favor.”
Nash’s response was so swift and pragmatic, it took her breath away.
“One of them, yes. But I also wanted to ask if you could help Taylor. She’s hitting a wall, and I suspect she can do more. I’ll pay you for however many sessions it takes.”
Once again, he looked away. “Sorry, Jess. I don’t teach anymore.”
“I know. You did say that. I guess I was hoping you would consider making an exception. For an old friend.”
She inwardly winced at the last half because it wouldn’t add any points in her favor. In fact, a joke even formulated in her mind. You may be old, but you’re no friend...
But their friendship had meant something to him at one time, hadn’t it?
He put his hands on his hips and surveyed his property while seeming to contemplate it. In the distance, a man was exiting the greenhouse. Nash waved, and the man waved back.
“Friends don’t usually up and leave without saying a word, do they?” Nash looked straight into her eyes this time, then added a half smile to apparently soften the accusation. Then again, someone had to say it. In that moment, she realized that maybe he hadn’t simply been disappointed professionally and as a friend. She’d hurt him on a deeper level.
But that couldn’t be. He’d never so much as hinted at such feelings, and she’d been on the lookout for them.
“I halfway agree,” she said. “A good friend wouldn’t do such a thing. But a bad friend obviously did. And that friend is truly sorry.”
That earned her an accepting nod. She’d take anything she could get.
“Truth is, I’ll do anything for my daughter. That includes admitting I was wrong and begging for help from the best barrel racing teacher I’ve ever known. You’d do the same for Lizzy and Kat if you were in my shoes. I’m quite sure of it.”
“Best, huh? What’s the punch line?” he asked, pulling his hands from his pockets and folding his arms instead.
“It isn’t a joke. But the punch line could be that you owe this bad friend a Juicy Lucy. Since I’m trying to be a better friend, I’ll let it slide this time.”
Attempting to joke around at such a serious, soul-bearing moment was a bold and presumptuous approach, but she wasn’t getting through otherwise. Desperation was setting in.
“You’ve made a good argument, Ms. McCoy. But I don’t want your money.”
“Because a bad friend’s cash is no good?”
Nash softly laughed. “Actually, you prepaid for a couple of lessons that you never got around to taking. But I’m afraid the statute of limitations for using those credits or collecting a refund has expired. I’m not saying that to be cruel. It was in the training contract.”
She had to think about it, but he was right. She had bailed before taking the last three lessons. “You remember that?”
“I remember a lot of things.”
Whatever that meant. There was lots to remember. Clearly, he wasn’t going to elaborate. The old Nash would have.
Once again, that strange silence fell between them. In the background, the girls were arguing about something.
In that moment, she began remembering a lot of things, too. Clear signs. Like the admiring looks he’d give his now ex-wife. Or the way he’d allowed Roxanne to interrupt Jess’s lesson time with a question or two. Not that Jess could blame any man for being distracted. In fashion terms, the future Mrs. Buchanan had been a ball gown, whereas Jess had been a gingham day dress.
Furthermore, she still was.
Now that she’d experienced a mental refresh and fast-forwarded to the present, it was her turn to look away.
“So you’ll consider it?” she asked.
If he did, it certainly wasn’t going to be as a favor. She’d been saving up for this. Sewing until her hands were chafed. Not only for Taylor, but for other mommies on the rodeo circuit.
“I insist on paying you,” she said, hoping to prompt a commitment.
Nash pivoted and faced her.
“Okay. You can babysit the twins while I’m with Taylor. That’s the only form of payment I’ll accept. That said, I’ll do an evaluation first. In a couple of hours, if that works for you. If I think I can help, we’ll decide whether to proceed.”
Not the answer she was expecting. She was counting on the extra hours she’d have with Taylor being gone to catch up on outfits that the ladies were expecting in Montana. Word of mouth had elevated her business. It could also bury it if she didn’t deliver the goods. If she accepted Nash’s offer, not only would she not get that work done, she’d need an extra pair of hands and eyes to watch two little girls instead of only one.
It was the worst form of payment he could ask for. Thoroughly inconvenient and stressful. Furthermore, she didn’t have to think twice.
“You’ve got a deal, Mr. Buchanan.”
