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A Cowboy's Heart
Rebecca Winters






“Let’s dance.”

Liz felt a spurt of adrenaline as Connor pulled her into his arms and drew her close to his hard-muscled body. His hat nudged hers, but he didn’t let that stop him from pressing his cheek against hers. She was burning up. He couldn’t help but notice.

When the song ended, he didn’t let go. “This is nice,” he whispered in a husky voice.

So nice she could hardly breathe. He continued to rock her in his arms until another song began. “I like your gold barrel-racer earrings. They’re unique.”

Liz lost track of her surroundings. The whole time they clung to each other, his warm breath tickled the ends of her newly cut hair, sending rivulets of delight through her body. It was uncanny how they moved as one person.


A Cowboy’s Heart

Rebecca Winters






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


REBECCA WINTERS, whose family of four children has now swelled to include five beautiful grandchildren, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the land of the Rocky Mountains. With canyons and high-alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favorite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels, because writing is her passion, along with her family and church.

Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website, www.cleanromances.com (http://www.cleanromances.com).


Many thanks to three remarkable ladies who were kind enough to give their time and answer some of my questions about the rodeo world:

Leslie DiMenichi with the WPRA, professional horse trainer, barrel champion rodeo competitor and breed show trainer.

Sue Smith, 2x NFR Qualifier, Circuit Finalist & Year End Winner, Calgary 100k Winner, Multiple Futurity and Derby Winner, Amateur Rodeo Barrel Racing and Breakaway Roping Winner.

Martha Josey, WPRA, AQHA and NBHA World Champion Barrel Racer, Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1985, representing the United States in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada.


Contents

Cover (#u798520e5-24fc-5d58-b449-bc7f90656731)

Introduction (#ufe80ecf5-9c9c-5631-82d6-c2d4a5a29f25)

Title Page (#u6f8bcfb5-c0f2-5586-8c98-ba51365a4704)

About the Author (#uaae8b525-b6ba-5ab1-b774-90b5758af2ba)

Dedication (#uae8ed167-7cf2-5033-96c9-17b3f803ee74)

Chapter One (#ulink_0c1b8ba4-d7ea-5523-9527-dbeffc70b690)

Chapter Two (#ulink_8faa45fd-fa3d-5340-82ee-04e7eab1fb6c)

Chapter Three (#ulink_a8306280-a8d2-5b0a-9ae7-fceae87a16e3)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


Chapter One (#ulink_cd6089a2-1c98-52fc-b3f4-5dbae21447c1)

November 28 and Mother Nature had decided to dump new snow over the Pryor Mountains on both sides of the Montana–Wyoming border. Ten inches during the night. Their biggest storm so far this year.

Liz Henson, the top barrel-racing champion in both the Montana Pro Rodeo Regional Circuit and the Dodge Ram pro finals in Oklahoma, left the barn astride Sunflower. She headed toward the covered arena behind the Hensons’ small house that sat on Corkin property. With this snow she was glad she’d had the farrier in White Lodge check both her horses’ shoes yesterday.

Both she and Sunflower enjoyed the invigorating air as her horse made tracks in the pristine white fluff past the Corkin ranch house. Liz’s parents had worked for the Corkins since before she was born. Sadie Corkin was Liz’s best friend, and both families had shared the barn over the years.

Every dawn, like clockwork, Liz got up to put her horse through a practice session before she left for work as a vet at the clinic in White Lodge twenty minutes away. Sometimes it was a trail ride, other times flat work in the arena. She tried to vary the experience for Sunflower.

Every night at dusk she went through another practice session. Barrel racing required months of progressively harder and more challenging work to build up her horse’s tolerance to intense acceleration and turning. She needed to spark her horse out of some rollbacks, yet keep her soft and relaxed.

Today she wanted to work on her horse’s shoulders. Mac Henson, her father, idol and mentor, had explained that the more control you had over the shoulders, the easier it would be to steer Sunflower. He’d warned Liz about everything that could happen during competition.

Her horse might be too hot and nervous, or refuse to rate or stop. It might dive into the barrel and knock it over, or misbehave in the alleyway and balk at entering the arena.

Liz had received a five-second penalty in a competition when Sunflower had dropped her shoulder at the barrel. Since then they’d been practicing correct body arc and position around the barrels.

A horse was generally left-sided, just as most humans were right-handed. The trick during the lope or canter was to shape your horse for either turn by using reverse-arc exercises and riding serpentines. She needed to teach her horse to lift the shoulder away from the pressure of the inside rein.

If the problem couldn’t be mastered, she wouldn’t have a prayer of winning at the Pro National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December. The Mack Center on the University of Nevada campus hosted the top rodeo competitors in the world.

She might have made it to number two out of the top fifteen money winners in her event, but without constant practice and staying in excellent physical form to make her legs strong, she couldn’t expect to come out with the overall win. Sadly, this would be her last competition before she gave it up to devote herself full time to her career. Dr. Rafferty needed a partner who wasn’t off every few days barrel racing in another rodeo to stack up wins.

Her seven-year-old quarter horse had been a runner from the beginning and was well proportioned. Liz had trained half a dozen horses, but felt she couldn’t have found a better horse for the sport than this one.

Polly, the other quarter horse Liz trained and took with her to every rodeo, wasn’t as reliable as Sunflower. But if something happened to Sunflower during competition, Liz needed a backup.

Her third horse, Maisy, she left behind. She wasn’t as teachable and hadn’t learned to body rate or lower her head when Liz pulled on the reins. The ability for a horse to slow its speed at the first barrel in response to light rein pressure was crucial. Only then could you position it for a precise first turn and properly align it to change leads for the other two turns, thus shaving off time.

When Liz’s body relaxed, Maisy should have related that to the movement. She tried to teach Maisy, but the horse was slow to respond. Nevertheless, she was a great horse for riding in the mountains.

Since Liz used dressage in her training regimen, snaffles were the best bit to use. This morning she was using training reins and had picked the square mouthpiece O-ring to teach control and collection. This bit kept her horse’s mouth moist without damaging it.

Liz had about ten different bits, but didn’t have a favorite competition bit. No matter which one she used, she rarely rode Sunflower in the same bit she was running and changed it frequently to keep the horse’s mouth soft.

Liz trained with four barrels, arranged in what was called the cloverleaf pattern, even though there were only three for competition. Her dad had taught her that if you went for the diamond pattern, the horse wouldn’t know which barrel was first, thereby reducing the excitement so her horse would stay controlled. A clever trick that worked.

Once inside the arena, Liz spent time making perfect circles with Sunflower, starting at fifty feet and diminishing to twelve, so the horse would get used to going in circles using a little inside leg. Her horse’s back feet needed to go in the same track as her front feet. Liz worked Sunflower in one direction, then the other, making as many circles as necessary to get that control, sometimes walking, sometimes jogging, sometimes loping and trotting where Liz could stand in the stirrups to strengthen her legs.

Barrel racing was all about speed transitions, stops and then backing up. But Liz had learned that “all go and no whoa” wasn’t fun. An effective warm-up was everything. She walked Sunflower over to the fence, stopped, backed up, then went in the other direction, using the “whoa” to alert her horse to stop. This exercise built up her horse’s hindquarters. Practicing at the fence caused Sunflower to use her back hocks and stifles to turn around, building vital control.

When the moment came, Liz walked her horse along the wall, using her right hand to tip the horse’s nose slightly toward the wall. She kept her left hand low and moved it out in the direction she wanted to move the shoulders.

Then she pressed the horse up by the girth with her right leg to push its shoulders away from the wall. When she felt Sunflower take two steps off her leg, she released the pressure and let the horse walk out straight.

“Good girl, Sunflower.”

Liz repeated this process in the other direction, and eventually Sunflower progressed to the trot and canter stages.

The sound of clapping caused her head to jerk around.

“You’re looking on top of your game, Liz.”

To her surprise, it was Connor Bannock from the neighboring ranch. Coming from him there couldn’t be a greater compliment. At her first junior rodeo competition years earlier, she’d blown it so badly she’d wanted to die. But Connor, who was a year older and already on his way to a world championship, had sought her out. In front of a lot of people he’d told her she had real talent and shouldn’t let one loss be a reason to give up. His encouragement, plus the way he’d smiled and tipped his hat, had lit a fire in her that had never gone out.

“I’m working on it.” She walked Sunflower toward him. “As usual, your fame precedes you. I just heard about your latest win. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

He and his hazer, Wade Torney, had already returned from the rodeo in Kalispell. Wade, who rode parallel to the steer as it left the chute to keep it traveling in a straight line, had been Connor’s partner for years. They must have driven hard through the snow to make it back this fast.

Now the twenty-seven-year-old world steer-wrestling champion sat astride one of his stallions, wearing a shearling sheepskin jacket and his trademark cream-colored Stetson. The man was a legend.

In his teen years, Connor had been Montana’s high school all-around steer wrestling and team roping champion two years in a row. Early in his career he’d stacked up dozens of awards, among them the PRCA Overall and the Steer Wrestling Resistol Rookie of the Year.

To the envy of the other competitors, last year he won his fifth world title, placing in seven out of ten rounds at the Wrangler NFR, winning the fourth round in 3.3 seconds. The list of his achievements over ten years went on and on. She knew all of them.

Beneath his cowboy hat, a pair of piercing brown eyes studied her with a thoroughness that puzzled her. Without his hat, his overly long dark-blond hair was gilded at the tips by the sun.

What was the divorced, hard-muscled rancher doing over here? Nature had played all sorts of surprises this morning. First the snow, and now the powerfully built man who’d made the cover of a dozen Western magazines naming him the sexiest cowboy of the year.

No doubt about it. The six-foot-three, two-hundred-pound bulldogger attracted a huge share of buckle bunnies who followed him around the circuit. When she was a young and impressionable teenager, the sight of him used to make Liz’s heart bounce like a Ping-Pong ball.

But Liz was a twenty-six-year-old woman now, who’d had relationships with several great guys. At the moment she was dating Kyle James, a pilot with an air charter service out of Bozeman. He’d flown in some supplies for Dr. Rafferty on an emergency. Liz had met his plane at the airfield outside White Lodge.

His good looks and friendly nature appealed to Liz. He ended up flying to White Lodge several times to take her to dinner. She’d driven to Bozeman twice to spend time with him. He was growing on her, but when he’d offered to drive with her to Las Vegas, she’d turned him down, explaining that she’d made other arrangements.

Not to be discouraged, he’d told her he planned to fly down for the last event on the fourteenth. Though she hadn’t told him not to come, she wasn’t sure she wanted him there. Her hesitation to let him into her life to that degree proved she wasn’t ready for a full-blown relationship yet.

As Connor continued to study her, she started to grow anxious. Over the past eight years he’d only stepped on Corkin property twice that she knew of. The first time was the day of Daniel Corkin’s funeral in May, when all the Bannocks showed up, except for Connor’s father, Ralph, who’d been too weak to come.

The second time was the night, a month later, when Connor and his brother Jarod had rescued Sadie from their mentally unbalanced cousin, Ned Bannock. He’d trespassed on Corkin property and attacked Sadie in the barn. For the present, Ned was being treated in a special mental health facility in Billings.

Her body tautened. Connor would never have come to the ranch, especially this early, if something weren’t wrong that could affect her on a personal level. “You must have bad news, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Has something happened to my father?” Her dad was the Corkin foreman and had left the house early to talk business with Zane Lawson, Sadie’s stepuncle. He was the new owner of the Corkin ranch.

“If it had, do you think we’d still be here talking?”

She blinked. “But—”

“It’s not your mom, either.” He read her mind with ease. “This has nothing to do with your parents.”

Though relieved, she bit her lip. “Then, is your father ill again? Do you need help?” Liz adored Ralph Bannock, the patriarch of the Bannock family. A great rodeo champion himself in his twenties, he’d always encouraged her and Sadie in their barrel racing. But he’d suffered a serious bout of pneumonia last spring that had put him in the hospital. Since then he’d recovered, but he was getting older and more frail. So what was wrong?

* * *

CONNOR WAS TAKEN aback by the questions, and the look of alarm in Liz’s eyes told him how much she cared for his father. He found himself touched by her concern. “He was fine when I left him after breakfast.”

“Thank goodness. When I visited with him a couple of days ago, he seemed well.” She looked anxious. “What aren’t you telling me?” She was really worried.

Liz was all business. It shouldn’t have surprised him. She had every right to be suspicious of his unexpected presence. If it hadn’t for Daniel Corkin, who’d warned the Bannocks off his property several decades ago—which meant staying away from the Hensons, too—Connor would have invited her to use the Bannock facilities for training whenever she wanted. It had taken Daniel’s death for everything to change.

She was an outstanding rider who’d been trained by her father. No barrel racer Connor had seen on the circuit this year had her speed and grace. He’d spotted her exceptional ability years earlier. Though she’d had a poor showing at her first professional rodeo, a lot of it had to do with the wrong horse.

Mac Henson, her father, had been an expert bull rider, but without financial support he hadn’t been able to realize his dream of becoming a world champion. He had, however, turned his daughter into one by investing in a proper horse for her. Sunflower was a winner and could bring her a world championship.

“How would you like to drive to Las Vegas with me for the finals?”

Her lips broke into a sunny smile. “Ralph put you up to this.”

No. His grandfather had nothing to do with it. Connor’s invitation was his alone, but since she thought Ralph was behind it, what could it hurt? Maybe he’d have a better chance of getting her to say yes. He’d been planning to ask her for several months, but had to be careful not to give the impression he saw her as a charity case where money was concerned.

“In case you didn’t know, he’s sweet on you.” That was only the truth.

Liz Henson was a brilliant horsewoman and had worked hard to get where she was. The least he could do to show support for a neighbor was to drive Sunflower there for the big event. Her dun-colored quarter horse had great speed. He liked her unusual yellowish-gray coat, which was set off by a black mane and tail. An original, like Liz herself.

Mac and Millie Henson hadn’t made much money as foreman and housekeeper for that scrooge, Daniel Corkin, before he’d died. Now that they worked for Zane, there still wasn’t a lot of money. Liz did have a job as a vet, but the practice wasn’t lucrative. Even with the money she’d won so far this year, he knew she could use some physical help to get her to Las Vegas. He happened to know her equipment was ancient and liable to break down at any time along the way.

Connor realized his life had been blessed with many gifts. It would ease some of his guilt to use his means to do something for Liz, who had incredible talent. He was proud of her for making it to the national pro finals in Las Vegas. That was where they were both headed, since their wins at the Dodge Ram finals for the U.S. circuit region winners in Oklahoma City.

His grandfather was betting on her to win. So was Connor. With Daniel Corkin out of the way, Connor had decided he wanted to make things easier for her in the only way he knew how.

“That’s very nice of both of you, but I’ve already made my arrangements. I’ll be driving my truck and trailer.”

Her answer sounded definitive. Connor figured she’d fight him at first, because she had spirit and was independent, like her folks, who were the salt of the earth. Connor had always liked the Hensons, too. But where Liz was concerned, it came to him that he’d have to fight fire with fire to get her to drive with him.

They’d been neighbors from birth, yet in all the intervening years he’d never spent time alone with her. In fact, he’d never seen her when she wasn’t wearing a cowboy hat and had a braid hanging down her back.

“If you don’t accept my offer, it’ll hurt my feelings.”

She chuckled. “Since when?”

“You think I don’t have any?”

Her brows formed a delicate frown. “I didn’t say that.”

“Good. It would mean a lot if you’ll drive with me. Over the past few years I’ve seen you at a lot of the events and thought it ridiculous we didn’t travel to them together. But because of Daniel’s ban against all Bannocks, including you, I never tried to arrange anything.”

“I’ll admit he was a scary man, but that’s over now.”

“Since you said it, why don’t you bury the proverbial hatchet and accept my offer. It’ll be nice to have the company. We’ll talk shop on the way down and celebrate our wins on the way back.”

He was pleasantly surprised when her eyes lit up. “I like the way you think.”

So far, so good. “I’ve made reservations at the RV park near the Mack Center. It has equestrian accommodations, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. For the twelve days we’re there, you and I will live out of my trailer while we’re competing, whatever you want.” It was the least he could do for his neighbor, and hopefully, friend.

* * *

LIVE WITH HIM? “I’m scheduled to stay at the Golden Nugget with the other barrel racers.”

“I know, but you might like to be away from the others after your nightly events. I learned early I prefer being alone so nothing else gets into my head.”

That was exactly the way she felt. The other competitors would be a distraction because they always wanted to go over the evening’s events with a fine-tooth comb. Not staying with them might seem antisocial, but Connor had read her mind and had just given her priceless advice she’d be a fool not to take. “I hardly know what to say.”

“Just say yes. But it’s up to you. In case you didn’t know, this is going to be my last event. After Las Vegas I’m through with competition.”

“Sadie told me as much.” Liz’s best friend was married to Connor’s brother and often confided in her.

“My new sister-in-law informed me this is going to be your last event, too.”

Looks as if the confiding went two ways. “Yup. I’ve got to get serious about my career, but I have to admit I’m surprised about your decision.” She smiled. “There are more good years left in the king of the bulldoggers.”

“Those good years need to be spent doing more worthwhile things.”

“That’s an odd thing for you to say.”

“The fact is, I’ve lived a selfish life so far, Liz.”

She studied him for a moment, not understanding a comment like that. “What about Wade? You won’t have room for three of us.”

“Wade will be driving his horses down in his own trailer with his girlfriend, Kim. My traveling partners Shane and Travis will bring your second horse, Polly, and my other horse, Phantom, in my older rig with them. When they reach Las Vegas they’ll stall them at the Mack Center tent for the rodeo. The guys will be over to pick up Polly whenever you give the word. We all like our own space.”

He patted his horse’s neck. “Since we need to be in Las Vegas by the third to attend the welcome celebrations before the first event on the fifth, I’m leaving early the day after tomorrow. Please say yes, otherwise I’m going to think Daniel did permanent damage to the relationship between our families.”

He turned his horse to leave. When he reached the entrance, he looked over his shoulder at her. “I’ll be listening for your call tomorrow. Just phone the ranch and I’ll get back to you. Don’t disappointment me. I’d rather not be alone with my own thoughts during the drive down and back, let alone throughout the competition.” Without waiting for an answer, he left the arena.

Liz thought about his invitation all the rest of the day.

“Yoo-hoo!” she called to her mother when she got home from work.

“Is that you, honey?” Millie Henson always said that when Liz arrived.

“Who else?” she teased, and walked through the house to the kitchen.

“You’re late. Your dad and I had Zane over for dinner an hour ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I was afraid something might have happened to your truck in this snow.”

Liz stood at the sink to wash her hands. “I had to help with a birth at the Critchlow ranch. Mother and foal are doing well.”

“That’s good.”

She turned to kiss her mom’s cheek. “Something smells wonderful.”

“Sit down and I’ll serve you some roast chicken. I tried that new recipe with the lemon and garlic from the food channel. The men said it’s a winner.”

“That’s no surprise. You’ve never fixed a bad meal in your entire life.”

Her mother drank coffee at the table with Liz while she dug into her meal. “This really is delicious, Mom.”

“Thank you. Now, I want to talk to you about something serious. I’m worried about you driving all the way to Las Vegas in that old truck.”

“It has enough life in it to get me to Nevada and back before it dies. But what if I told you I could drive there in total comfort?”

When Connor had told Liz he’d rather not be alone with his own thoughts, the statement had sounded lonely, troubled even. Before that he’d snapped, You think I don’t have feelings?

Those two unexpected revelations in their conversation had made her decide to take him up on his offer, but telling her mom would only escalate her motherly concern. Still, they always talked things over. No matter what, there was honesty between them. Might as well get this over with right now.

Her mother put down her coffee mug. “Is Kyle taking you?”

“No.”

“No?” She sounded disappointed. Her mom kept hoping Liz would meet the right man and settle down. “Then Sadie must have prevailed on Jarod to drive you.”

Sadie’s world had been transformed since she’d married Jarod Bannock six months ago. “They offered to take me, but I said no.”

“That leaves Dr. Rafferty. Did he offer you the loan of his truck?”

“Yes.”

“But you turned him down, too.”

“I don’t like being beholden to anyone.”

“So you decided to rent a new truck. That’s awfully expensive. I happen to know you’ve been saving your winnings to pay back your vet school loan.”

“No, Mom.” Liz put a hand on her mother’s arm. “Early this morning Connor came by the arena and asked me to drive with him.”

Like clockwork a shadow crossed over her mother’s face. “Connor...as in Connor Bannock.”

“Mom...”

Liz knew that came as a huge shock to her mother, who got up from the table. “You mean in his fancy hotel on wheels?”

“Unless he has to fly, it’s the way he’s been getting around for the past four years. It’s not nearly as luxurious as some you see at the events. His handlers will bring Polly and his second horse down in his older rig. He’s not a show-off, Mom, that much I do know about him.”

He was all cowboy, tough and daring to the point that she often chewed her nails watching him shoot out of the barrier on his horse. He was so fast, his event was over before you could blink. Any pictures the journalists got of Connor had to be taken while they ran after him, because he never hung around after the required autographing sessions and photo shoots for his Wrangler sponsor. She and Sadie had often commented that both Bannock brothers were the least vain cowboys they knew.

“After all these years, why would he suddenly ask you now?”

Liz wanted an answer to that same burning question, but she said, “Ralph put him up to it. You know he did.”

“I’m sure you’re right about that, honey.”

If Liz went with him, then she’d find out why he’d decided to honor his grandfather’s wishes, but she’d known this would be her mother’s reaction. Without hesitation she spent the next few minutes telling her the gist of their conversation at the arena. When she’d finished, Millie started to clear the dishes.

“Mom?” she prodded her.

“You’re a grown woman, honey, and don’t need my permission about anything.”

Picking up her water glass, Liz took it over to put in the dishwasher. “I wasn’t asking for permission,” she said quietly.

Her mom turned to her with a sober expression. “You want my approval, otherwise you would have let me find out after the fact. But I don’t want that responsibility. For years I watched you and Sadie grow up, both of you dying for love of the Bannock brothers. In Sadie’s case, her love was reciprocated, whereas—”

“Connor hardly knew I existed and married someone else,” Liz finished the sentence for her. Although they’d been neighbors, she’d never spent time alone with him, not even at the competitions. “Even having gone through a divorce, I doubt he’s ever stopped loving her. Wasn’t that what you were going to say?”

“Only that your infatuation with him has never ended,” her mother murmured.

“You’re right. I’ve been thinking about that all day. Infatuation isn’t love. It’s a crush I never outgrew. After all these years of being haunted by him, I have an opportunity for the first time to get a real dose of him, one-on-one. I’m convinced that driving to Las Vegas with him will be a revelation and provide the cure I’ve been needing.”

“And if it isn’t?”

Liz took a deep breath. “If it isn’t, then I’ll have to take a serious look at my life and make changes.”

Her mother turned to look out the window. “That’s what has me worried. Bannocks never pull up roots. That means you’ll be the one who leaves us and move somewhere else.”

“You’re so sure of that? I’m thinking this will be my one and only chance to see who he really is and get over what has prevented me from moving on with another man.”

A sigh escaped Millie’s lips. “I only know one thing. I’m afraid to tell your father. He hasn’t wanted anything to distract you before the competition. When he hears about this...”

Liz hugged her mom for a long time. “I’ll talk to him and make him understand.”


Chapter Two (#ulink_73cb0ec7-cfea-5536-89e9-ea45f36f76af)

Connor’s black-and-silver horse trailer, hitched to his four-door black truck, contained everything you needed for comfortable living on the road. Two horse stalls with an extrawide floor and nonslip rubber matting, a niche with a bed and a sofa/pullout bed, a living/dining room, satellite TV, kitchen and bathroom, all in a nutmeg-colored wood with a ranch motif.

While Connor stashed her bags on board and showed her parents around, Liz took Sunflower’s temperature one more time, and checked her eyes and nose before putting her in bell boots for protection during the journey. Now that the horse was ready to travel, she led Sunflower from the barn and loaded her into the trailer stall next to Firebrand.

Liz threw light rugs over each of them. Who knew whether the big sorrel gelding loaded in the roadside stall would like Sunflower’s company or not? They were as unused to each other as Liz was to Connor. Despite the long journey ahead, Liz wasn’t nervous and couldn’t figure out why.

When she’d told her father she was going to drive with Connor, he’d been surprisingly supportive. “I’m glad you’ll be with someone who’s been hauling himself and his horse around for a long time. More snow is forecast over the whole intermountain region for the next few days. He’s got the kind of equipment you need to keep you and Sunflower safe and comfortable.”

Between the lines she read all the things he didn’t say or warn her about. He didn’t have to. She saw it in his eyes. Liz had the greatest parents on earth.

After she’d loaded her lightweight, high-horned saddle, she put the collapsible pop-up barrels she used for practice in the tack room of the trailer. She’d brought protein feed for her horse, wanting to keep a balance between forage and grain. Once she’d gathered her medical bag and stored it with everything, it was time to go.

She hugged her mom and then turned to her father. “I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to win, Dad. Thanks to you and Mom, and all your expert help, I think I have a chance.”

“I know you do, Lizzie girl. Since Connor wants to win, too, I think you two are the best kind of company for each other. You already know what it’s like to be in each other’s skin, so to speak. You’ll be able to offer each other the right sort of tips and comfort. Anyone not competing wouldn’t know what you’re facing, particularly when this competition will be the last for both of you.”

Her dad understood everything.

“I can’t believe this day is finally here.”

He gave her that endearing lopsided grin. “Either you’re growing up way too fast, or I’m getting too old.”

“You’re not getting old.” She hugged him hard. Please don’t ever get old.

“Your mom and I will fly down on the fourteenth for the big night. Call us when you have a moment here and there.”

“I’ll call you when we get to Salt Lake tonight.”

Connor had been standing close by and shook his head. “If the weather forecast is correct, we’ll be lucky if we make it to the Utah border.”

Her mom grabbed her one more time. “We’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

“I promise to stay in close touch.”

“I love you, honey.”

Tears stung Liz’s eyelids. When she looked in her mother’s eyes, she saw a whole world of love, fear, concern and pride. “Not as much as I love you,” she whispered before climbing into the truck cab.

“I made some chili and rolls for you to enjoy on the way down. I put everything in the fridge.”

“Thanks, Millie. We’ll love it!” Connor called to her before she shut the door. His friends had already come to the barn to pick up Polly. Liz had given her a complete checkup first, and a treat, promising to see her soon. There was nothing left to be done.

Connor, wearing a green plaid shirt, jeans and well-worn boots, was already behind the wheel, ready to go. Minus the Stetson he’d tossed in the backseat, his hair had a disheveled look she’d seen often enough when he was wrestling a steer to the ground. That look suited him.

She wouldn’t describe Connor as handsome in the traditional sense. Authentic male was what came to mind when she looked at the arrangement of lines and angles making up his hard-boned features.

Striking when the sun blazed down on his tanned skin.

Beautiful in motion when he mounted his horse bareback for a run.

Unforgettable when he flashed a quick smile or broke out in laughter, usually from some remark his friend Wade murmured at the gate so no one else could hear.

The kaleidoscope of pictures stored in her mind was there for good. Hopefully on this trip she’d see what was on the inside, the intangible traits that truly mattered and shaped the inner man. Was his inner self equally worthy of such admiration? If the cover of the book was better than the story, now was the time to find out.

Deep in thought, she didn’t realize they’d pulled to a stop in front of the Bannock ranch house until Connor said, “Grandpa asked me if we’d come in so he could say goodbye and wish you luck.”

“How sweet of him. I’d love to.”

She jumped out into the snow and headed for the front porch. The temperature had to be close to thirty-two degrees. She zipped her parka all the way. It looked as though they’d be driving under an overcast sky most of the way today.

Connor opened the door and they headed for the den where they found his grandfather at his desk. The blaze from the fireplace gave out delicious warmth. The older man looked up with a smile and got to his feet. “Well, Liz.”

“Hi again, Ralph.” She hurried across the room to give him a hug. Liz had been here many times over the years.

“Connor told me you agreed to drive with him. Is he taking good care of you?”

“Of course. I’m a very lucky girl.”

“It pleases me that my two favorite champions will be together. I have a little gift for the two of you.” He pulled a small leather pouch out of his shirt pocket. “Avery picked it up for me on her way home from work yesterday.”

Avery was Connor’s sister. Liz couldn’t imagine what the pouch could hold.

Connor’s gaze shot to hers. “Go ahead and open it.”

From inside the pouch she pulled out what looked like a silver charm bracelet. “You hang it on the rearview mirror of the truck to bring you luck. I chose the charms myself for this red-letter moment in your lives. See that horseshoe? Both of you have beaten me at the game any number of times. The next charm is a boot for riding. There’s a cowboy hat. The others are a horse in motion, a bulldogger on his horse, a cowgirl barrel racing, and a heart with wings for love of country.”

Liz was so touched that, once again, her throat swelled. “This gift is priceless, Ralph.”

She noticed that Connor’s eyes took on a haunted look when he glanced at his grandfather. Why?

“We’ll treasure it.”

“If Addie and your parents were here, son, they’d tell you and Liz to take it with our prayers and blessings. We’ve always been proud of both of you and know you’ll do your best at the competition. We’ll all be watching the Great American Country broadcast on cable. Whatever happens, come back safe. That’s all I ask.”

Full of emotion, Liz clutched the bracelet in her hand before reaching for him once more. “All we ask is that you stay well. I promised my folks we’d stay in close touch. We’ll make the same promise to you. Without your help, I would never have made it this far. Whenever I got discouraged, you would never let me stay down.”

“Ditto,” Connor said in a husky tone of voice, and gave his grandfather a bear hug.

The older man whispered, “Good luck,” to him, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

She waved to Ralph from the doorway. “See you soon.” Without waiting for Connor, she hurried out of the house to the truck. He needed a minute with his grandfather, and she needed to treasure this special moment in private. Both she and Sadie had always loved Ralph and Addie. Like her own parents, she thought they were just about perfect.

Carefully she undid the chain clasp so she could hang the bracelet. To make certain it was visible, she draped it over the mirror. The little charms tinkled as they dangled.

A minute later Connor strode toward the truck and climbed in behind the wheel. He fingered one of the charms, and then flicked his gaze to hers. “Grandpa thinks the world of you to have given you this.”

“Didn’t you notice it’s for both of us? Whenever he talks about you, his eyes light up.”

An odd silence followed her remark. She didn’t understand and wondered what he was thinking as he started the engine.

“Before we leave, is there anything you’ve forgotten?”

“If I have, it’s not important.”

“Bless you.” Spoken like a man. She chuckled before he said, “Let’s go.”

They drove away from the ranch to the highway, cleared of snow since the storm the other night. “I’d like to reach North Salt Lake by evening. I made a reservation at the RV park on the outskirts with easy access.”

“Sounds good to me. In case of more snow, I’d planned to drive as far as I could through Wyoming before finding a motel. I’m really grateful you asked me to come with you.”

“Did you have someone to drive with you if I hadn’t asked you?”

A vision of Kyle passed through her mind. She looked out the passenger window. “Yes. I had several offers from friends and family, but this is one trip I wanted to take alone. Knowing it’s my last one, I didn’t feel like sharing the experience with anyone else.”

He sat back in the seat. “So how come you came with me?”

“Honestly?” she answered with another question.

“Shoot.”

“Because you’re not anyone else. When I told Dad I was driving with you, he said we were the best kind of company for each other since we already know what it’s like to be in each other’s skin.”

“He was right.”

“You’ve been to nationals and have won back-to-back world championships five times. Now you’re trying for your sixth! This is my first time and you know exactly how vulnerable I’m feeling on the inside. I’m full of doubts and ambitions no else could understand, no one but someone like you, who’s already experienced all those emotions and triumphed.”

“That’s the problem,” he muttered. “No matter how many triumphs, you’re only as good as your last one.”

“I know. I find that out every time I compete at another rodeo.”

“If you know that already, then you know a hell of a lot more than ninety-nine percent of your competition who believe their own hype.”

His unexpected burst of emotion showed he felt as vulnerable as she did. Maybe more, because this would be his last competition. The need to prove himself one more time had to be testing his mettle in ways she couldn’t fathom. No one would ever suspect that of Connor Bannock, the picture of confidence personified.

“In all honesty, I’m afraid, Connor,” she admitted under her breath.

“Of failure?”

“A lot more than that. No matter what happens, I don’t know what the future’s going to be like without having a goal. I’ve been pursuing this dream for so long, it’s taken up the hours of my world, consciously and subconsciously for years. Of course, I have my career, but that’s different. I can’t imagine what it will be like to wake up on December 15, knowing it’s truly over...and the rest of my life is still ahead of me,” she whispered.

“Lady, you just said a mouthful.”

Liz turned her head toward him in surprise. “You too?”

“In spades.”

* * *

SO FAR, NO snow had fallen, but it was coming. Connor felt the icy wind from a bleak sky while he and Liz walked their horses at their first roadside park stop. Two hours at a time was as much as their animals could handle riding in the trailer. Their muscles got tired of trying to maintain their footing and needed the rest.

With them tied up outside, he and Liz ate sandwiches and drank hot coffee in the trailer. Her earlier admission about thinking she’d be at a loss once the competition was over was so in tune with his own feelings, they seemed to have achieved a level of understanding that didn’t require a lot of conversation. He didn’t feel the need to fill the gaps of silence. Neither did she.

By late afternoon, they’d made their fourth stop to exercise the horses. Inside the trailer they both made calls. He checked with Ben, the ranch foreman. Connor had hired a new hand to keep all the equipment on the ranch in top shape. That had been Ned’s job. Ben sounded hopeful this new guy would work out. As they talked, Connor could hear Liz talking to Dr. Rafferty about a sick horse.

Once their phone business was done, they cleaned up the stall floor before watering the horses and replenishing their hay nets. Soon they’d brought the horses back inside and were on their way again.

Since his quickie divorce from Reva Stevens two years ago in Reno, he’d dated women, but he’d never taken any of them on the road with him. This was a first since the disastrous marriage in Las Vegas that had only lasted a year. His grandfather had never said anything, but Connor knew the older man hadn’t been happy about his impulsive marriage to the L.A. TV anchor.

They’d made their base at her condo in L.A. When he wasn’t spending time with her, he traveled the rodeo circuit and worked on the ranch. She stayed on the ranch with him for a week after their honeymoon, but ranch life didn’t hold her long. Both of them were too driven by ambition to put the other person first. The long separations took their toll, and divorce had seemed the only solution.

Though they hadn’t been able to make it work, Reva called him from time to time. He kept their conversations short. He missed her in his bed. That had never changed, but it was everything else.

Liz’s comment about being afraid of the future had resonated with him big-time.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her reading something on her iPad. “Anything interesting?”

“Yes. I’ve been checking stats. Dustine Hoffman just won the barrel-racing event at the Tom Thumb Texas Stampede in 13.71 seconds. She’s everyone’s competition.”

He whistled. “That arena gives you faster time than the one in Las Vegas with its special soil.”

She rolled her eyes at him. Between the dark lashes, they were as green as lime zest. He’d never seen eyes that exact color. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better. The truth is, she’s a great athlete.”

“So are you.” Connor discovered that Liz had a great mouth, too. Soft and full, not too wide, but he couldn’t afford to take his eyes off the road. “Didn’t you do a 13.70 at Bakersfield?”

“I doubt I’ll see a number that low again, but I can dream.”

He knew all about that. “Did you read anything else interesting?”

A sly smile broke the corner of her mouth. “There must be a hundred blogs devoted to Connor Bannock. Your fans stretch around the country and back. Jocko Mendez from the Southeastern circuit in Arkansas is your closest competition, but word is out that Las Vegas is betting on you. Have you ever read any of them?”

She tried to get him off the subject of her.

“I don’t have time.” He let out a sigh. “Do yourself a favor and forget about Dustine Hoffman’s stats. Concentrate on your routine with Sunflower. I watched you working with her the other morning. I’m impressed how well she body rates and changes leads between the first and second barrel.”

“But I hear a but. What aren’t you telling me?”

Liz was such a quick study, he needed to stay on his toes. “Am I that transparent?”

“Yes!”

He laughed. It was refreshing to be with someone who was too guileless to be anything but honest...unlike Reva, who’d harbored hurts and suspicions, then exploded at an unexpected moment.

“I notice you were working with wax reins, but they can be sticky. You have to really watch your hands with those. When they stick, you’re pulling your horse around the barrel when you should be guiding her.”

“Was that what I was doing the other morning?”

“No. I happened to notice it at your competition in Great Falls.”

“You did?”

“Liz—we’re not always at the same rodeos, but when we are, I make it a priority to watch my neighbor’s performance.”

She stirred in the seat. “I had no idea.”

“When we get to Las Vegas, try using a knot rein at practice. They still slide when needed, but you might like the feel of them better. It’s just a thought.”

“But valuable input, coming from you. I’ll try it.”

One eyebrow lifted. “You’re not offended?”

“By advice from you? What else did you see I can improve on?”

Connor decided she was like her dad, who didn’t have a resentful, paranoid bone in his body. “Not a thing.”

“Liar,” she said with a smile, but it soon faded when stronger than usual gusts of wind buffeted the trailer. “Whoa—”

“Another storm front is moving in, but we’re making good time so far. I’m glad we’ve reached Kemmerer. There’s an RV park a mile away where I made a reservation, just in case. We may have to spend the night in Wyoming after all. I don’t want to take chances with priceless cargo.”

“You’re right, of course. Our horses are precious.”

“I was referring to you,” he murmured.

Though she didn’t dare take him seriously, her heart jumped anyway. “You sounded like your grandfather just then. Between your father and Ralph, you’ve had remarkable role models in them and it shows.”

She saw his hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter. “You don’t know my history. I’m afraid Grandpa has about given up on me.”

There he went again. Something was going on where his grandfather was concerned, and she was curious. “Why would you say that? While he was hugging you, he had tears in his eyes, he’s so proud.”

“Those were tears of disappointment. I should have quit the circuit several years ago in order to help him and Jarod.”

Liz decided to take a risk. “Don’t tell me your cousin Ned got to you, too, before he was put in that mental health facility—”

She heard his breath catch and knew she’d hit a nerve. “Sadie told me he about destroyed Jarod’s confidence before they got back together. It sounds like he did a pretty good job on you, too. What did he tell you? That you didn’t have what it took to run the Bannock ranch? Or did he make digs that you were running away from your responsibilities by letting the rodeo take over your life since your father’s death?”

Connor stiffened. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You need to talk about it! Don’t forget your grandfather was a rodeo champion in his day. He’s in heaven watching you rack up the gold buckles.”

Snow started to pelt the windshield, but she hardly noticed. “No doubt Ned accused you of leaving the work to your brother. Ned Bannock caused more trouble than Sadie’s father ever did. Don’t you know how jealous he was of you?”

Liz was all wound up and couldn’t stop. “Ned never had your horsemanship and couldn’t keep up with you. You were given a special gift. After you won your first buckle, why do you think he quit competing in rodeos so quickly? All he could do was undermine you, so you would feel guilty. He probably had a coronary when you married Reva Stevens, who looks like a movie star.”

The windshield wipers were going full force while she kept on talking. “I’ll bet he loved baiting you when you were divorced. Ned always did like to kick a man when he was already down. Well, I’d say he did a pretty fantastic job on you to make you feel like your grandfather is disappointed in you. But you would be wrong!

“Ralph adores you! I ought to know. I’ve been friends with him for years. If he’s disappointed, then it’s because he’s afraid you’ve believed Ned. Shame on you, Connor!” Her rebuke rang in the cab.

By now, he’d turned into the RV campground and drove to the first place where they could stop. They were in a whiteout. But for the din of her voice, there was an eerie quiet. When she dared to look at him, his shoulders were shaking in silent laughter.

He turned in the seat, resting his head against the window where the snow was piling up and stared at her. “And here I thought you were a quiet little thing. But I should have known better after watching you on a horse. There’s a spitfire inside of you. Feel better now that you’ve gotten it off your chest?”

Heat washed over her body in waves. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

His eyes played over her. “I don’t think you left a thing unsaid. In fact, you mentioned a few things I hadn’t even thought of that went straight to the gut.” She wanted to crawl in a hole. “Who would have thought Liz Henson from the Corkin ranch, who’s always in her own world, had so much insight?”

Always in her own world?

“I’m afraid Sadie and I spent a lot of time on the backs of our horses discussing Ned, who never left her alone. Worse, he never wasted a chance to berate his cousins in front of us and any audience who happened to be around. It wasn’t just Jarod he hated. He had plenty to say about you.

“When you trained Firebrand, a feral no one else could handle, he was furious at your success. Worse, every girl on the Montana circuit would have given her eyeteeth to go out with you and he knew it.”

“Not every girl,” he said in a quiet voice.

“You mean Sadie, but we both know why.”

“I meant you, Liz.”

“Me—?”

Connor cocked his head. “Don’t you remember the time I asked you if you wanted to celebrate with me after you won at the Missoula Stampede?”

Liz blinked. “I figured you asked me for Wade’s sake in order to set us up.”

“He has a girlfriend now.”

“I’m glad. He’s kind of shy. Though I’ve always liked him, I was never interested in him that way.”

“Ouch. Now you’ve wounded him and me.”

“What do you mean you? You were married.”

“Nope. Divorced. If you’d agreed, I would have told you I was single again, but you didn’t give me the time of day. Before you shut me down cold, I figured we were far enough away from home that old man Corkin wouldn’t find out the off-limits neighbors were getting friendly.”

Her heart thudded. “Even if I had known the change in your marital status, I wouldn’t have said yes. Being in love with the woman you married doesn’t go away because of a piece of paper. Jarod and Sadie were still head over heels in love after eight years, even after she wrote him that awful goodbye letter he actually believed, and all because of Ned!”

“That’s a fact.” Connor reached to shut off the engine. “I think your explanation for rejecting me has helped a little.”

“Give it up, Connor,” she teased with a chuckle.

“I’ll keep everything you told me in mind and cogitate on it.”

“You do that.”

“What do you say we go back to the trailer and enjoy some of your mom’s chili while we see how long this storm is going to last.”

* * *

WHILE SHE WARMED up their food, Connor put on his hat and jacket before walking back to check on the horses. The wet snow was coming down fast. The horses were better off inside their stalls where it was warm. He didn’t want them catching a cold and made sure they had what they needed before he headed for the trailer.

He shook off the snow before entering. When he saw her seated at the kitchen table, a sense of guilt swept over him. Not for the things she’d deduced about his troubled psyche, which were right on, but because he hadn’t given her life the same amount of thoughtful attention she’d given his. Most of the time he’d been too immersed in his own problems to think of others. He was the opposite of his grandparents.

They knew all about Sadie’s and Liz’s dreams, but they’d never divulged the essence of their conversations with Connor. His grandparents were saints who worried about everyone and did the little things that endeared them to friends and family. Take that charm bracelet. Connor had seen the loving expression on her face for Ralph. It came from the heart.

After hanging up his hat and jacket, he moved to the table. She immediately got to her feet to wait on him and pour him a mug of hot coffee. The one time he’d traveled with Reva in his trailer, to an event within California, she’d sat there waiting for him to take care of her. Even then, she’d insisted on staying nights at a hotel with room service.

She’d told him she really didn’t like the trailer. It was too claustrophobic for her. Reva liked to eat out. So did he, once in a while. He excused her because he knew it simply wasn’t her lifestyle. But the time came when just about everything he did or suggested didn’t appeal to her.

They didn’t grow together in their marriage. Through no true fault on either part, their physical attraction couldn’t take care of everything else that was wrong. Starting a family had been out of the question. But enough dredging up the past he preferred to forget.

After eight hours of driving it was still so pleasant being with Liz, he kept wondering when the spell would wear off and she’d turn into someone else.

“Eat while the chili’s hot. Mom made some rolls, too.” Liz passed the plate to him. He took three.

“Thank you. I’ve been salivating for this all day.”

“Me, too. How are our children by the way? Do you think they’re getting along all right in such close quarters?”

Connor chuckled at the charming way she’d put it. “They were both quiet.”

“They’ve never been stalled together. Sunflower is probably missing Polly and vice versa.”

“This is a new experience for Firebrand, too. I don’t know if they’re being shy or bored.”

“Wouldn’t it be interesting if horses had romantic feelings....”

When he looked into her eyes, they were smiling. “Since when did White Lodge’s newest vet delve into horse psychiatry?”

“Since the time Sadie told me about Chief, Jarod’s stallion. He had a harem when he ran wild in the mountains. That got me thinking.”

A burst of full-bodied laughter broke from him. “Maybe by the time the rodeo’s over, we’ll find out Firebrand and Sunflower have become inseparable.”

She grinned. “You have to admit it would be amazing. I’d write it up in the Journal of American Veterinary Medicine. At our last stop, I noticed Firebrand sniffing around Sunflower’s dung. Did you know feral horses like yours are fascinated by the dung piles of other horses?”

He tried not to laugh, but couldn’t help it. “I have to admit I didn’t.”

“It’s true. Dung and urine from other herds act as newspapers from one herd to another. Just what is communicated through urine and dung is unknown, but it may communicate how healthy the herd is, what mares are in season and even what types of food is available in the area.”

“Let’s be thankful her heat cycle ended after September. Otherwise, we’d know it by now.”

Liz laughed gently. “Never fear. When I compete at the wrong times, I give her a medication so there’s no problem. So...if these two get interested in each other, it won’t be because of hormones.”

Connor eyed her thoughtfully. “Just pure chemistry.”

“Wouldn’t that be something.” She sounded bemused.

“Indeed it would.” But his mind wasn’t on the horses. The woman seated across from him had drawn his attention. She wore her usual braid, but it lay forward over her shoulder, brushing against her flushed cheek while she drank her coffee. He could pick out the sun streaks in her light chestnut hair.

The collar of her tan Western blouse lay open at the throat. It came to him she had no idea how truly lovely she was. There was nothing artificial about her. If she wore makeup right now, he couldn’t tell. She didn’t need it.

“More chili?”

He handed her his bowl. “Please.”

“You don’t know how happy it will make Mom to hear you liked it.” She got up from the table, giving him a profile view. Liz had to be five foot seven, with a supple body filling out her blouse and jeans in all the right places. With those long legs, she made quite a sight astride her horse during a competition.

His thoughts flicked to Reva, who was five foot four and more voluptuous. But she didn’t move with the same grace as Liz, who was in fabulous shape from working and riding horses all her life.

Connor wouldn’t be a man if he hadn’t noticed, but it had always been at a distance. His grandfather had begged him to stay away from the Corkin ranch so there’d be no trouble. He had obeyed him, effectively putting Liz out of reach over the years.

Since then, she’d become a doctor of veterinarian medicine. No doubt she’d have to work years to pay off her loan for medical school. Besides the gold buckle, she’d win the big money, so maybe she could buy a new truck. More than ever he wanted her to be able to take those prizes home. No one deserved them more than she did. The relic she’d been driving was on its last legs.

He was glad she’d come with him. The storm hadn’t let up. It could snow another hour or two, but they and their horses were safe and cozy inside the trailer. His mood had been dark for the past few months despite his wins, but right now he felt a lifting of his spirits and liked the feeling.

Connor got to his feet and took his dishes over to the minikitchen. “What do you say we give the horses a little exercise now?”

“I can see you’re dying to find out how they’re getting along.”

“Aren’t you?”

She flashed him an intriguing smile before putting on her parka and gloves. Her black cowboy hat came last. After he put on his gear, they walked out into a white world. The snow wasn’t coming down as hard, but it was steady. Like a child, she put her head back to catch some snowflakes on her tongue, reminding him of his youth. He hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.

Connor opened the back of the trailer and they walked inside. Both of them spoke in low tones to their horses as they led them outside for some exercise. After they’d gone a distance, they stopped.

“It feels like we’re in wonderland.” She half laughed the words. “Look, Connor. Did you see what Sunflower just did when Firebrand smelled her breath?”

He couldn’t say that he had because he’d been looking at the expression of delight on her face. “What did I miss?”

“Sunflower’s head lifted in the air and she lowered her ears. See how she’s chewing on the air? That’s a submissive gesture in front of Firebrand because she recognizes his higher rank. Her foal-like behavior is so sweet. I think they really do like each other!”

Connor patted his horse’s neck. “Is that true, buddy? Are you falling for Sunflower?”

A nicker came out of his horse, followed by one from hers.

“I swear he understood you!”

“Maybe they’ve been giving each other tips.”

Her amused gaze met his, sending an emotional response through him he hadn’t expected. How was it that Liz had been his neighbor for twenty-six years, yet it had taken until now to start seeing inside this attractive woman who he already knew had the heart of a champion?

“You mean about racing?”

“And other things...”

Gentle laughter escaped her throat. “You think they’re making plans for after we leave them alone for the night?”

“Something like that. Firebrand hasn’t been around such a fetching little mare in a long time. Being gelded doesn’t mean he’s forgotten anything.”

Her eyes sparkled through the falling snow. “Come to think of it, Firebrand’s Spanish heritage is pretty exciting, with those horizontal zebra stripes on the backs of his forelegs. His coloring is unique, even among ferals. It gets a female thinking.”

He moved closer to her. It brought the horses closer together. “And here I thought it was only the male who was a leg man.”

“You’d be surprised what captures the attention of the female.”

“What else, for example?” he drawled.

“Oh, the white star on Firebrand’s forehead and his dorsal stripe. And he’s a powerful size. Makes a female feel protected. Notice how she’s been scratching him on the rump with her teeth? She likes being around him.”

“He likes a good scratch.”

Her arched brows lifted. “Well, he’s getting one. Amazing she knew where he itched.”

“Lucky him. Who would have thought being stuck out in the back of beyond during a blizzard he would find such bliss?”

“It proves pure chemistry can work anywhere, but I think we’d better take them in. I want to check their gums and temperatures.”

“If they both have a fever, we’ll know romance is definitely in the air.”

As she walked ahead of him with Sunflower, her laughter rippled back to tease his senses. He followed her into the trailer. After they’d dried off the horses, she gave them a thorough checkup while he cleaned the floor and put out fresh water and hay.

They worked as a team. No unmet expectations. No trauma of any kind. No deadlines. All that lay ahead of them was the rest of the night together. Nothing could have suited him better.

“It’s still coming down, Liz. We’re going to have to stay here until morning. By then the highway will have been plowed and we’ll have a straight shot to Salt Lake. Depending on the weather tomorrow, we might make it to Las Vegas by nightfall.”

“I’m glad we’re not taking chances. Our horses need special handling at a time like this if we expect the very best from them in the arena.”

“Amen.”

She threw the light rugs over them. “They look good and are probably wishing we’d leave them alone. Okay, guys. Treat time.” She reached in her parka for some Uncle Jimmy’s Squeezy Buns. She gave a few to Connor to give his horse.

“Did you see that? Sunflower starts talking when she hears the wrapper being opened. I swear she’d drool if she could.”

Another chuckle came out of Connor, who fed Firebrand. After they’d finished their chores, he followed Liz out of the back. Just before he closed things up, he heard more nickering between both horses. Liz’s mouth curved into a mischievous smile. “I’d say all is well.”

Yup. Everybody was happy. It surprised him how much he was looking forward to more time alone with her.

The ringing of his cell phone broke the magic of the moment, preventing him from responding. He pulled it from the pocket of his jeans to check the caller ID.

Reva? He might have known. She knew how to choose her times.

Damn.

“Go ahead and take it while I clean up the kitchen.” She hurried around the end of the trailer. Liz couldn’t have known who was calling, but good manners stopped her from asking questions or lingering. Not that he’d been trying, but so far he hadn’t found anything wrong with her. Quite the opposite, in fact.

He could talk to his ex-wife now or call her back later. The choice was his. But in that moment, while he was deciding what he wanted to do, he realized more than ever how much his feelings had changed since they’d been divorced. The old Connor wouldn’t have let it ring a fifth time.

Before long she’d left him a text message.

Connor? Know u r on the road. Want u to know I’ll be in Las Vegas tomorrow.

No way. He had no desire to see her while he was there to compete. There was no time for her. He and Wade had their horses to exercise and take care of.

I took off work. Have reserved honeymoon suite at the Mirage. Hope to give our marriage another try.

Where was this coming from? Something new had to be going on in her life. Maybe she’d broken up with the television producer she’d been dating since their divorce. Some kind of change was in the works. He knew Reva. For them to reconnect, she’d have to leave Los Angeles, because ranching was his life. She hated ranch life. If he didn’t know anything else, he knew that.

She’d had two years to think about it. So had he, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted her back, even if she gave up her television career and agreed to live with him on the ranch. Two years had changed him, and would have changed her. It would mean starting over again.

He doubted she would ever get the show biz bug out of her system. Connor couldn’t blame her for that, any more than he could stamp the rodeo bug out of his blood. She was pursuing her dreams. With the right marriage she could go on doing it.

Key at front desk. Let yourself in. Middle of night doesn’t matter. Dying to see you, lover. Miss u more than ever.

Connor couldn’t honestly say the same. What was going on with her?

The snow kept falling.

Shielding his phone, he replied with his own text message.

Reva? May not make Las Vegas by tomorrow. Can’t stay at Mirage. Give u a call later.

The Mirage was home to the NFR steer wrestlers, but she knew he preferred staying in his own trailer. After he put the phone back in his pocket, he walked around to the entrance. Shaking more snow off everything, he stepped inside and hung his things up. No sign of Liz, which meant she was in the bathroom. She’d cleaned up the kitchen. Her appeal was growing on him in ways he hadn’t anticipated.

He washed his hands and poured himself another cup of coffee. While she was busy, he phoned Wade. He and Kim had made it to Evanston. So far, so good. They talked about the weather for a minute before hanging up.

He made one more call, to his grandfather, who sounded relieved to hear Connor’s voice. After assuring him that he and Liz were fine, Connor asked how Ralph’s day had gone. That was when he learned Ned would be coming home tomorrow for a supervised overnight visit. His first since being at the mental health facility.

Connor put his coffee down. “Does Jarod know?”

“Yes. I told him that he and Sadie ought to go out to the reservation while he’s here.”

“Good plan. You don’t want anything to go wrong that could set him off.”

“According to the doctor, Ned is making a turnaround. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed.”

“I will, too.”

“Bless you, son. What you need to do is keep concentrating on the competition. Tell me about the little princess.” That was what Ralph had always called Liz.

“She’s a great vet and terrific company.” All of it true. But he’d already found out she was a lot more than that.

“That’s what I needed to hear. I assured her father you were taking good care of her.”

“We’re taking good care of each other. Let him know Millie’s chili and rolls were a sensation.”

“I’ll tell him.” After a silence, “Son?” Connor heard him hesitate. “Reva called the house earlier. I told her you were already on your way to Las Vegas.”

He gripped his phone tighter. “She texted me.” Connor could hear the question his grandfather didn’t ask. It was the question Connor couldn’t answer.

Ralph never pried. That was what made him so lovable.

“I’ll call you tomorrow night, Grandpa. Maybe by then you can tell me how the visit went with Ned. Sleep well and don’t worry about a thing.”

“Ha! Just wait till one of your grandchildren tells you the same thing.”

That last comment stayed with him as he hung up the phone. Since the divorce, he couldn’t see himself having children, let alone grandchildren. Much to his grandfather’s disappointment, as well as Connor’s own personal pain, that didn’t appear to be in his future.

Right now he didn’t want to think about it.


Chapter Three (#ulink_85db5d64-073f-592e-ba14-3151edbe512e)

“Connor? Is everything all right?”

His head jerked up.

Liz had just come out of the bathroom in her new nautical-design pajamas in navy with polka dots on the bottoms. She’d washed her hair and had braided it again.

“Perfect,” he said automatically, but she didn’t believe him. “Where do you want to sleep? Up in the niche or near the floor? Both are comfortable.”

“I think the sofa pullout bed.” It was closer to the bathroom and the kitchen if for any reason she had to get up in the night. In the back of her mind she imagined Connor had probably slept with Reva in the niche with its pull-down ladder.

“Good. I’ll take my shower now. By the way, I had keys made for you to open the trailer and the truck. I put them there on the counter.”

“That was very considerate. Thank you.”

“Anything to oblige.”

By his tone of voice, something was wrong and it worried her.

She turned on the TV to the weather channel and then made her bed. To her surprise, his low-profile satellite dish was still allowing transmission despite the snow. The forecast predicted more intermittent flurries through Wyoming and the northern half of Utah tomorrow, but the southern half would be warmer and might see a little sun. Las Vegas was enjoying sixty-three–degree weather during the day and lower forties at night with some wind.

Liz still couldn’t understand why she didn’t feel uncomfortable in this situation. Maybe it was because they both knew so much about each other’s lives, there was no mystique. Connor didn’t feel like an acquaintance or a confidante, brother, cousin, best friend or boyfriend.

He existed outside those categories, though he wasn’t a figment of her imagination. She didn’t know what he was, but so far the inside of the book matched the cover. That didn’t bother her, either. Curious.

Once under the blanket, she made a call home and thanked her mom for the food. Liz assured her parents that she and Connor were snug as a bug in his trailer while they waited out the storm in Kemmerer. The horses were in great shape. Connor was an expert—behind the wheel or mounted on his horse.

“Good night, you two. Thank you for being the greatest parents on earth.”

When she clicked off, she discovered Connor standing there in a pair of navy sweats. Their nightwear more or less matched. She could smell the soap he’d used in the shower. She’d left hers and he’d used it.

“Your parents are very trusting, you know that?”

“Besides the fact that you’re one of the famous Bannock brothers, don’t forget I was away at vet school for a long time and am not exactly a little girl anymore.”

“No, you’re not.” His emphatic tone sent a shiver through her before he picked up the remote and flipped the channels to an old creature-of-the-lagoon movie. After tossing it to her, he turned out the light and climbed into the niche using the same masterful agility with which he threw a steer. She laughed when he got comfortable and looked down at her over the edge. “Monsters don’t scare you?” His mood had improved.

“Not really, if that was your intention. I’m laughing because I meant this. I’m having fun. Being in the trailer is like we’re in a little hut deep in the forest of some mysterious kingdom.”

“With satellite TV, no less.” His sudden smile turned him into the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. “In truth, I’m having more fun than I’ve had in years, stranded with a vet who’s writing a romance article about the mating rituals of horses. After it’s in print and you’ve won the prize for the world champion barrel racer, what do you plan to do for an encore?”

She raised herself on one elbow. “Mind if I try something out on you?”

“What do you think? Go ahead.”

“Well, the Crow council in Pryor has asked me if I’ll be one of the vets for the reservation. Even if Jarod had everything to do with the offer, it’s such a great honor I can hardly believe it. But I haven’t given them my answer yet because I’m committed to Dr. Rafferty at the vet hospital. I’d have to stretch myself thin to do both.”

He rested his chin on his hard-muscled arm. “And here I thought you were worrying about what you were going to do with the rest of your life once the rodeo was over. Winning money to buy a new truck is going to come in handy with you driving back and forth from White Lodge to the reservation.”

“Don’t I wish! In order to win it, I’ll have to beat Dustine’s time along with several other unknowns at the moment. That’s a tall order.”

“You’re the best barrel racer on the circuit this year, Liz. In my official opinion, you’re a shoo-in. To the winner goes all the pickings.”

“Thanks for the morale boost, Connor.” She patted her pillow. “As long as we’re talking about the future, after you’ve won your sixth title, have you thought about getting involved with the Pryor Mountains National Wild Horse Refuge?”

He laughed. “What did you say? I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

“Oh, I think you did.” She egged him on. “When you rescued and adopted Firebrand, you got yourself a real prize. The horse refuge needs people like you. Your voice would carry a lot of weight, politically.”

A look of surprise crossed his face. “Are you a lobbyist, too?”

“I’m just a vet who’s an interested bystander and would love to see someone like you, with real clout, protecting Montana’s natural resources. It’s the second feral horse refuge in the U.S. Gus Cochran, one of the leading equine geneticists, concluded that the Pryor herd may be the most significant wild-horse herd remaining in the States. These animals don’t exist anywhere else, and they need advocates.”

He held himself so still, she realized she had his attention.

“Do you remember Wild Horse Annie, a secretary at an insurance firm in Reno?”

“I know of the Wild Horse Annie Act.”

“Well, she was obviously a wild horse advocate who lobbied for passage of a federal law to prevent hunting the herds from helicopters, and motorcycles that terrorized the horses and caused extreme cruelty.”

“Amen to that.”

“Because of her, the Hunting Wild Horses and Burros on Public Lands Act was passed in the late fifties, banning the hunting of feral horses on federal land using aircraft or motorized vehicles.”

“You learn something new every day. Tell me more,” he urged with a genuine smile.

His honest interest pleased her. “Seven years ago, the last three slaughterhouses in the U.S. were closed, all because certain interested parties discovered that some of the excess wild horses being sold had been sent straight to the slaughterhouses and killed.”

He shook his head, signaling his disgust.

“When they intervened, the BLM had to suspend the sales program. After investigating, they resumed the sales, but only after implementing new requirements to deter buyers from killing the animals.

“There’s a ton of work to be done for their preservation. Your grandfather has a huge ranching reputation in the state. For his prominent grandson, Connor Bannock, to get involved in the fight to preserve the very kind of horse that will bring you another victory in the arena... It would be doing a great thing for man, horse and country. Of course, you’d have to do that work along with your regular ranch work. It would be stretching you to the max, too.”

The next instant Connor swung himself to the floor with masculine ease and hunkered down in front of her. His brown eyes searched hers for a full minute. “What’s behind all this?” He was asking a serious question.

“Ever since you started working with Firebrand, I’ve wanted to talk to you about it. He’s a very special horse, and you knew it right away. Not everyone has an eye for good horseflesh like you. Ralph said your father was the same. It seems you inherited that trait. I understand it was while he was looking over the best horses on the reservation that he met Jarod’s mother.”

“That’s true.”

“If you were to salvage a couple more stallions like Firebrand, you could start your own stud farm. The filly Jarod gave Sadie came from Chief, another feral. Think about it!”

His brows furrowed. “Where did that idea come from?”

“From you! Before your parents died, Sadie and I were over in your backyard throwing horseshoes with Ralph. We happened to overhear you tell Jarod you wanted to establish a stud farm to bring in more money. I thought it was a fabulous idea, but then your folks were killed. I could see you had your hands full with the regular ranch work and your grief.”

“That was a terrible time,” he whispered.

“I know, but I’ve thought about your idea ever since. Do you realize your stud farm would be unique if you advertised that you only used adopted feral stallions? There are horse lovers everywhere who’d be excited for a foal from a sire like Firebrand. You’d be preserving the bloodline of horses that have roamed these mountains for centuries. It gives me chills just to think about it.”

“You’re not the only one.” He showed her his arms with raised bumps. She couldn’t believe it. “I had no idea you heard me,” he murmured, “let alone that you would still remember.”

“We hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but both of us thought you should do it. You wouldn’t have any competition.”

He cocked his dark blond head. “Where have you been all my life, Liz Henson?”

“Right next door, working on my dream to be a barrel racer.”

“You worship your dad, don’t you?”

He could see right through her. She nodded. “He should have been able to realize his dream to be a pro bull rider, but it didn’t happen.”

“So you’re doing this for him.”

“Probably somewhere inside I am. He had to work so hard for everything all his life. Daniel Corkin was not an easy taskmaster.”

“No.”

“My parents couldn’t have more children. I was it, and I was a girl. He needed a son. All I could do was be the best at something and decided to try barrel racing. Mom encouraged me because she knew what it meant to him. Sadie raced with me.”

“Don’t take me wrong, but your talent surpassed hers and everyone else’s at those early rodeos. All you needed was the right horse.”

“Thank you.”

“There was never any jealousy between the two of you, was there?”

“Or between you and Jarod. If you must know, my mother suffered over not being able to have another baby. That’s why she was so happy when Sadie turned to her for everything after her parents’ divorce. With Sadie’s mom in California, there was no one else to love her except our family. Sadie was a sweetheart. Still is.”

Connor’s eyes grew suspiciously bright. “I agree, but I have to say you’ve been blessed with exceptional parents, Liz. There’s nothing I’d like more than to see their little girl take the prize in Las Vegas. I’m here for you in any capacity you need.” His voice throbbed with emotion she could feel clear through to her insides. “Ask anything of me and I’ll do it if it’s within my ability.”




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