That Maverick of Mine
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Kathy Douglass
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15.5K
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14
Chapter One
Caleb Strom stepped into the arena of the Bronco Convention Center and looked around. The arena, which held about four thousand seats, was packed with a raucous crowd who’d come to honor Brooks Langtree, one of rodeo’s legendary cowboys. Thirty years ago, Langtree had won the Golden Buckle, a special tribute reserved for the profession’s most promising new stars. From all accounts, he had gone on to have an illustrious career, winning numerous awards, being named Cowboy of the Year several times, and serving as a role model for another generation of rodeo riders. Now he was back in Bronco, Montana, and was being celebrated as part of the Golden Buckle Rodeo.
Caleb pulled the flyer announcing Brooks Langtree Day from his pocket and studied it again even though everything there was seared into his mind. He’d folded and unfolded the paper so many times that he’d worn creases in it. He remembered the first time he’d seen the announcement. He and some of his friends had been going to lunch at the diner back home in Tenacity, a town about one hundred miles away from Bronco. One of his buddies had picked up the flyer from a stack by the cash register and shared it with the others. They’d pointed out that Caleb and Brooks Langtree looked so much alike that the two of them could be related. The guys had teased him about hitting up his famous relative for a loan. Caleb had thought that his friends had been pulling his leg until he’d taken a glance at the flyer for himself. The face on the advertisement seemingly looking back at him had made him dizzy. The eyes, nose, chin and cheekbones were the same. Brooks Langtree looked like Caleb imagined he would in twenty years.
At first, Caleb tried to ignore the resemblance. What was that famous saying? Everyone has a twin somewhere in the world. The fact that his lookalike happened to be a famous rodeo rider twenty years his senior didn’t mean that they were related. It could be pure coincidence. Physical resemblance wasn’t proof. It didn’t mean that Brooks Langtree was his long-lost biological father.
Even so, Caleb had begun investigating the other man. He’d gotten his hands on everything he could find. He’d found and devoured old interviews in rodeo magazines and newspaper articles. He’d watched a couple of short videos on YouTube. He’d studied the information so intently that he practically knew every word by heart. By all accounts, Brooks Langtree was honest and honorable. A man with a stellar character.
Not at all the kind of man who would abandon his own months-old infant. And certainly not the type to insist the child be given no information about him.
Iris and Nathan Strom had adopted Caleb as an infant. He couldn’t have asked for better parents. They’d given him a wonderful childhood filled with love and joy. They had never hidden the fact that he had been adopted. It hadn’t mattered to any of them. They were a real family.
The adoption had been closed and the Stroms knew next to nothing about Caleb’s birth parents. In the past, he had been satisfied with the little that he’d known about them. His birth mother had died a few months after he’d been born, and his father had given him up for adoption shortly thereafter. It was only after he’d turned thirty that Caleb had begun to want to know more about where he’d come from.
Even so, the resemblance couldn’t be ignored. Not only that, it was the only clue Caleb had to go on in his search to find his biological family. He hadn’t been successful before now. Brooks Langtree was as good a place to resume the search as anywhere.
Was it possible that Brooks Langtree was the man Caleb was searching for?
Caleb refolded the paper and slipped it into his pocket, then gave his head a mental shake. He needed to slow down and stop jumping to conclusions. Caleb had come here in order to get a good look at the man in person. Given the size of the crowd, many of them already occupying the seats nearest the makeshift stage that had been erected in the middle of the arena, an up-close-and-personal look wasn’t going to happen.
Caleb was so busy staring at the stage that he didn’t notice the person in front of him had stopped walking until he bumped into her. The woman turned around and stared at him. An apology was forming on his lips as he looked into her face. Then every thought in his mind vanished except one. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He searched his mind for words to say, but he couldn’t form a coherent sentence to save his life. The woman was staring at him with wide brown eyes. Wide, beautiful brown eyes. He noticed the expectant expression on her face a second before she shook her head in obvious disgust and turned away.
Caleb had never had trouble sweeping a woman off her feet, so being speechless and inept was a new experience for him. He could only attribute his clumsiness to being shook up at possibly seeing his birth father for the first time in thirty years.
As much as possibly seeing his birth father after all this time had him rattled, Caleb knew that was only a small part of the reason he was so flummoxed. The other was the stunning woman who was currently laughing and talking with several other women. One glance at her was all that it had taken to make his heart lurch. If he didn’t want her to think that he was a total loser, he needed to do something fast. He knew it was impossible to make a second first impression, but hopefully, there was still time to improve on their initial interaction.
He tapped the woman on her shoulder. She spun around and stared at him, her right eyebrow raised. The expression on her face was a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. And it was totally sexy.
“I want to apologize for bumping into you earlier. I was a bit distracted and didn’t watch where I was walking. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” He gave her his most charming smile—the one that generally had women eating out of his hand.
She stared at him for a long moment, and he held his breath as he awaited her response. Then she nodded and smiled. “I’m okay. I guess in a crowd this size a person should expect to be bumped into.”
She started to turn back to the women with her and Caleb feared that he was about to lose the opportunity to get to know her better. He extended his hand and blurted, “I’m Caleb Strom.”
Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled and then turned back to him. She took the hand he offered. “I’m Faith Hawkins.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Faith.” Her hand was soft and warm and he was reluctant to release it. But he didn’t want to look like a creep either by holding on too long, so he released her fingers. “Are you related to the Hawkins rodeo family?”
Faith nodded and smiled. “I am indeed.”
“Your family is legendary.” Caleb wasn’t much of a rodeo fan, but he recognized the name from his rodeo research on Brooks Langtree. He’d seen a few references to the Hawkins women. Although he hadn’t done more than skim the articles that mentioned their names, he knew that they—especially Hattie Hawkins, the matriarch of the family—had been influential in the sport.
“Some of us are. My grandmother was a trailblazer. My mother and aunts followed in her footsteps, making names for themselves as the Hawkins Sisters. The women of my generation are trying to live up to their illustrious reputations.”
“From what I gather, you ladies are well on your way.” Caleb smiled, grateful that he’d spent the time studying up on rodeo so he could be conversant.
“Thank you. We do our best.”
He was searching for something to say to extend the conversation when the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Caleb had been so focused on Faith that he hadn’t noticed that everyone else had settled into seats. Caleb’s eyes darted around the stage, searching for Brooks Langtree. The older man was leaning against the side of his armchair, chatting with the woman seated beside him. Langtree said something that amused the woman and they both laughed. For a reason that escaped him, Caleb was irritated by the sight. He wasn’t even sure if Brooks Langtree was his biological father, so the sight of him enjoying himself shouldn’t be an annoyance. Not only that, it was ridiculous to expect the man not to have a good time on a day designed to celebrate his accomplishments.
Besides, Caleb surely didn’t expect his biological father to be miserable after all this time. Thirty years had passed since Caleb had been given away. That was more than enough time for penance. By now, the man surely had come to grips with what he’d done and moved on with his life.
That is if Brooks Langtree actually was his father—something that had yet to be established. If all went according to plan, Caleb would discover the truth today. And if Brooks Langtree wasn’t his biological father? Then Caleb wasn’t any worse off than he’d been this morning. He’d simply spent an hour or so in the presence of a rodeo legend and his legion of fans. Not only that, he would have met a gorgeous woman.
Faith and the women sat down. Faith was in the aisle seat next to where Caleb was currently standing.
“Do you mind if I sit with you and your friends?” Caleb asked.
Faith nodded up at him and then spoke to the other women. As one, the others rose and scooted over a seat, leaving the aisle seat—next to Faith—vacant for Caleb. He couldn’t have planned it better.
“Thank you,” Caleb said, leaning over so he could whisper in Faith’s ear. Her sweet scent filled his nostrils, wrapping around him and filling him with sudden desire so strong it shocked him.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered back. Her low, sultry voice suited her perfectly. With high cheekbones, full lips, dark brown eyes and clear brown skin, she was absolutely breathtaking. She was only about five foot two, but every inch of her was perfect. She looked delicate, but he knew she had to be strong in order to compete in rodeo like her family. He’d followed in his father’s footsteps and was co-owner of Strom and Son Feed and Farm Supply, so he understood how important it was to carry on the family legacy.
Would he feel drawn to rodeo if he had been raised by Brooks Langtree? Would he be a bull rider or a bronc rider, competing in rodeos every week? Those questions couldn’t be answered, even if it turned out that Brooks and Caleb were related. Greater minds than him had participated in the nature versus nurture debate.
Faith put her arm on the armrest between their seats, nudging his arm aside. When he looked at her, she flashed him a disarming smile. His heart skipped a beat in response. What was that about? This wasn’t the first time an attractive woman had smiled at him. Not to be vain, but from the time he’d been a tyke, the opposite sex had been drawn to him. It wasn’t something that he controlled. It just was.
Caleb couldn’t allow Faith’s grin to sweep him off his feet. Nor could he allow her armrest aggression to go unchallenged. As she’d done earlier, he raised a questioning eyebrow. When she acted as if she didn’t get the message he knew he had to be more direct. “What are you doing?”
“This is my armrest. Yours is on the outside.”
He looked around her. Her other arm was on the other armrest. “But you’re using that one.”
“Elizabeth doesn’t care. Besides, you have the aisle seat. That is a bonus in and of itself.”
“I didn’t realize there was a rating system for arena seats.”
She laughed, a sweet sound that sparked warmth inside his chest. “You don’t expect me to believe that. Even little kids know the hierarchy.”
“Let’s pretend I don’t know and you can enlighten me.”
“It’s fairly simple. Aisle seats are the best. The closer you get to the center, the worse the seats become. I had the ultimate seat, which I very generously gave to you, so naturally I get to use the armrest.”
He didn’t care about the armrest—or the aisle seat. He’d just wanted to sit beside her. But he was enjoying talking with her. “In that case, the armrest is yours.”
“Thank you.”
Geoff Burris, currently rodeo’s biggest star and a resident of Bronco, approached the podium and Caleb and Faith turned their attention to the stage. Geoff welcomed everyone to the opening day of the Golden Buckle Rodeo and then began to talk about Brooks Langtree. The older man had quite an impressive biography. Not only had he been a huge star on the rodeo tour for years, he’d been a pioneer. He’d been the first Black cowboy to win the Golden Buckle.
As Geoff listed his numerous accomplishments—some of which Caleb had been unaware of—images of Brooks on horseback or riding bulls flashed on enormous screens around the arena. Watching the nearest screen, Caleb couldn’t help but be impressed by the man’s obvious skill.
“It is my honor to announce that today is Brooks Langtree Day,” Geoff said, bringing his remarks to a close. “So please, let’s give Brooks a Bronco welcome.”
The crowd roared as Brooks Langtree rose from his seat and approached the podium. Geoff and Brooks embraced before the latter stepped up to the microphone.
Although Brooks Langtree was fifty years old, he had the muscular build of a much younger man. There didn’t appear to be an ounce of fat on him. He was about six foot tall, with an erect bearing. Only a sprinkling of gray in his short-cropped black hair indicated his true age. A close-up of Langtree’s face filled the screens and a shiver raced down Caleb’s spine as he once more noticed the similarities to his own face. The pictures on the flyers hadn’t lied.
Langtree’s eyes sparkled with humor and his smile was friendly as he glanced around the arena, soaking in the applause.
When the cheers died down, Brooks spoke. “I’m honored to be here. It has been a very long time since I’ve been in Montana. Thank you so much for welcoming me back home.”
The crowd erupted in applause again. Brooks was clearly affected by the love the audience sent in his direction. He wiped a tear from his eye and then waved, starting at one side of the arena and turning slowly so that he included each corner in his greeting. Caleb’s heart raced when Brooks turned to his section. He willed the other man to look directly at him, but Brooks didn’t. Even if their eyes met, Caleb knew Brooks Langtree wouldn’t know who he was. To him, Caleb would simply be another face in a sea of faces. A complete stranger.
Even if he was his biological father, Brooks Langtree hadn’t raised Caleb. Nathan Strom had had that privilege. Nathan was Caleb’s father in every way that mattered. Even so, the need to know where he had come from had grabbed on to Caleb and wouldn’t release him no matter how desperately he struggled to get free. He wouldn’t be at peace until he’d gotten answers from the man who had sired him and then walked away without a second glance.
Caleb sent those thoughts away and managed to keep them at bay as the ceremony continued. After other commendations, Hattie Hawkins, Faith’s grandmother, approached the microphone. Caleb had expected her to add her praise of Langtree, so Caleb was surprised when she said, “Faith Hawkins, I need you to come to the stage.”
Faith sighed, and Caleb turned to look at her. She’d buried her face in her hands and was shaking her head as she slid down in her seat. “I can’t believe she did this.”
“Go on,” one of the women with her said.
“You know she isn’t going to budge until you do,” added another. “Unless she decides to come off that stage and drag you up there with her.”
Hattie put a hand on her forehead and began to search the crowd. Spotlights began moving around the audience. “I know you’re out there somewhere. Don’t be shy.”
Caleb stood and stepped into the aisle. Instantly a spotlight landed on him and Faith.
“Thanks a lot, traitor,” Faith muttered, looking at him. Although she was frowning, her eyes sparkled with mischief, assuring him that she didn’t consider him a traitor after all.
“You’re welcome,” he said, flashing her a cheeky grin.
She stood and passed in front of him. Once more he inhaled a whiff of her sweet scent. Soft and slightly floral, it was enticing enough to get his imagination going in a manner totally inappropriate for the moment.
The spotlight followed Faith as she walked down the aisle and Caleb’s eyes did the same. Her perfectly round bottom filled out her faded jeans and swayed with each step she took. She jogged up the stairs to the stage and stood beside her grandmother.
“You didn’t think I was going to let this day pass unnoticed, did you?” Hattie asked. Although she was speaking to Faith, the microphone picked up her words so that the entire arena was privy to the conversation.
“I was hoping,” Faith said, softly.
Hattie gestured to someone offstage. “Bring it out.”
Two men wheeled a table holding an enormous, six-tiered cake onto the center of the stage. Two big numbers—a three and a zero—were in the middle of the top layer. Clearly Faith was thirty years old, the same age as he was.
“Since everyone is here, I thought we should celebrate your birthday with the entire town.”
Faith shook her head. “But it’s Brooks Langtree’s day. I don’t want to steal the spotlight from him.”
“Nonsense,” Brooks said. “There’s plenty of attention to go around.” He joined Hattie at the microphone and together they led the crowd in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
Faith stood there, looking uncomfortable, then relieved when the last strains of the song faded away. As she hugged her grandmother and shook Brooks’s hand, several people began cutting the enormous cake and placing the slices on paper plates. They handed a few to Faith along with several paper napkins. Faith then returned to her seat and distributed the cake to the women with her. After she’d done that, she held two plates in her hands. She grinned and then offered one to Caleb.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the cake from her. “You had me worried there for a minute.”
“I had to make sure I had enough. As the saying goes, sisters before misters.”
He laughed. “Is that right?”
“You’d better know it. But you wouldn’t have been out of luck. There’s cake enough for everyone.”
The lights in the arena were turned up as people wearing shirts advertising the Golden Buckle Rodeo began passing out servings of cake to the audience.
“Maybe,” Caleb said with a smile. “But somehow I think this piece will taste sweeter.”
Faith sneaked glances at Caleb from the corner of her eyes. He had to be the best-looking man she’d ever seen. Surely he was in town specifically for today’s event or new to town. If he lived in Bronco she would have noticed him before today. Men this attractive didn’t generally fly under the radar for long. Even though she was certain she’d never seen him before today, there was something vaguely familiar about him. Try as she might, she couldn’t put her finger on what. She had an excellent memory and never forgot a face or a name. If they’d met before, she would know. Still, she couldn’t shake that feeling.
“Excuse me,” a man distributing cake said, coming to stand behind Caleb.
“Sorry,” Faith said, stepping out of the aisle and taking her seat. Caleb sat beside her and his shoulder brushed against her. Her skin heated and tingles raced down her spine. What was that about?
Caleb took a bite of cake. “Delicious. And by the way, happy birthday.”
“Thanks.” This wasn’t the quiet celebration she’d had in mind, but she should have known her grandmother would do something like this. Hattie was nothing if not a showman. Decades removed from her groundbreaking rodeo career, Hattie Hawkins still knew how to command the spotlight. That ability to hold a crowd in the palm of her hand had been passed on to her daughters and granddaughters. Faith’s cousin Audrey, rodeo’s biggest star on the woman’s circuit, had her wedding to Jack Burris as part of the Bronco Family Rodeo a couple of years ago. Faith didn’t mind the attention—that was part of the job—but in her mind that was a bridge too far. Some parts of her life were too personal to share with her fans.
“How else are you going to celebrate? Besides having the world’s biggest birthday party, that is,” Caleb asked.
“This isn’t my birthday party. Today is Brooks Langtree Day, remember? It just sort of got hijacked.”
A strange expression crossed his face and vanished so quickly that Faith could have imagined it. “I got the impression that he didn’t mind sharing the spotlight with you.”
She shrugged.
“So,” he said, when she only sat there, “what do you have planned for the rest of the day?”
“My sisters, cousins and I will be performing in the rodeo this afternoon.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Have you lived in Bronco long?” she asked, still trying to place him.
“I don’t live here,” he said, confirming her earlier thought.
“So you just came for this event?”
“Yes. I saw flyers announcing Brooks Langtree Day. I decided to come by and see if he lives up to the legend.”
“Where do you live?” she asked. Faith didn’t want this conversation to turn into an interrogation, but she was curious about Caleb. And more than a little attracted to him. She was still a relative newcomer to Bronco and he was the first man that she’d found remotely interesting. Not that she was looking to add a man to her life. A relationship was the furthest thing from her mind. She’d been burned enough times to last a lifetime and was more than a little gun-shy. But Caleb was interesting. And he didn’t appear to be flirting with her. It was possible that they could become friends. A girl could never have too many friends.
“Tenacity.”
She shook her head and grinned ruefully. “True confession. I haven’t lived in Montana for long and I have no idea where that town is. Honestly, I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s about an hour and a half away. It’s not as upscale as Bronco, but it’s home.”
“If you’re looking for a tour from a local, you’ve come to the right place,” her sister Elizabeth said, leaning over Faith and talking to Caleb. “Faith is just the person to show you around. You might even stop and get a cuppa.” Faith kicked her sister’s foot. Since they were each wearing boots, she knew Elizabeth didn’t suffer a bit of pain. In fact, she only grinned.
“Cuppa?” Caleb asked.
“Elizabeth lived in Australia for years,” Faith said. “Every once in a while she slips up and uses an Aussie term. She means coffee.”
“I would love a tour from a local,” Caleb said. “And I wouldn’t say no to a cup of coffee.”
“Like I said, I’m relatively new to Bronco.”
“You’ve spent more time here than I have,” Caleb said reasonably.
“True.” Faith actually liked the idea of spending more time with him, so she didn’t resist too much. “I’ll tell you what. If you come by after the rodeo, I’ll be glad to show you around.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
Caleb had finished his cake and he stood. The crowd had begun to disperse and he stepped into the aisle. “I need to get going. Ladies, thanks for letting me sit with you. I’ll see you later, Faith.”
Faith watched as he walked up the stairs, her eyes glued to his broad shoulders, trim waist and firm backside. His muscular physique was just one more thing to like about him. Not that she was counting.
Once Caleb had walked through the doors of the arena, Faith spun around to look at her sisters. “What is wrong with you guys?”
“What do you mean?” Tori asked, innocent as a baby.
“You know exactly what I mean. Why were you trying so hard to push us together? Foisting me on him like an unwanted Christmas fruitcake.”
The others laughed. After a moment, Faith joined in.
“That man is gorgeous,” Amy said.
“Consider putting the two of you together our birthday gift to you,” Tori said with a wicked grin.
“I was looking forward to getting that pair of earrings I saw in Cimarron Rose,” Faith said.
“If you don’t want him, I’ll take him off your hands,” Elizabeth said.
“Like anyone would believe that. You’re so in love with Jake that you can’t see anyone but him,” Faith said. Her sister had married Jake McCreery just a couple months ago, combining their respective children into a busy family of seven. “If Caleb had even looked in your direction, you would have run away so fast you’d set a new land speed record.”
Elizabeth grinned. “True. But since there is nobody in your life right now, there is no reason why you can’t hang around with Caleb.”
“Exactly,” Tori added. “He was nice and seems like he’s a lot of fun.”
“He is gorgeous,” Faith admitted, agreeing with Amy’s assessment. There was no sense pretending that she didn’t find him attractive. That would be a blatant lie. He seemed to possess all of the qualities that she liked in a man. Funny. Kind. Considerate. At slightly over six feet, he was neither too tall nor too short. He was muscular, but not overly so. He still had a neck. She absolutely loathed those guys who looked like they swallowed steroids daily and somehow ended up with no neck.
She also liked the way he dressed. His jeans were casual and his polo wasn’t too tight or too loose. Like Goldilocks said, he was just right. And given her decision not to become involved with anyone, he was completely wrong.
But then, she’d always liked to live dangerously. Besides, what was the harm in a little fun?
