Page 3 of The Cowboy's Redemption
The woman moved off. Dana eased from under Chance’s arm and pried Lady’s reins from his hand. He had no choice but to let go. He didn’t, however, know when to quit.
“She looks like she might have pulled a muscle,” he said.
She’d done no such thing. She was arthritic and Dana could no longer ignore it. She’d had her eye on a warmblood breeder’s horses in Grand, Montana. A man named Otto Hart. Tanner had introduced her to him. They had been neighbors.
Dana didn’t want to go to Grand. She didn’t want to run the risk of bumping into Tanner’s family. She’d gone to great lengths to put distance between herself and them. She was not their son’s widow, and she didn’t want to encourage any continued connection.
But Lady had earned her retirement and Dana needed a horse to replace her. Her backup, Crackerjack, was skittish around crowds. She hadn’t ridden him in competition since he’d thrown her, although the fall had been partly—mostly—her fault. While he’d do in a pinch, he wasn’t a winner.
Grand was on the way to Billings, her home. She could duck in, see what she could arrange with the breeder in terms of payment, and hopefully, she’d soon have a new horse to train.
Even though it broke her heart to admit it, this would be Lady’s last season.
*
Levi
A horse’s hindend was its engine, and Dana’s horse lost speed in its hocks. Lady lacked acceleration as she rounded the barrels, something that became particularly apparent on the home stretch. To Levi Harrington, who’d watched the race from the rails, that shouted arthritis.
A mixture of horse and dust thickened the air. A dull sky threatened rain, despite which, the stands around the outdoor arena were full. The crowd was rambunctious but good-natured, as rodeo fans usually were. The only event with a larger fan base than women’s barrel racing was bull riding.
Levi had come to the Bremner rodeo to check out the stock—the bulls, to be more precise. Miles Decker, the Endeavour Ranch’s rodeo manager, had convinced him to head up the Endeavour’s new breeding program. It hadn’t been a difficult decision on Levi’s part. Weldon Scott, his former boss, was a hard man to work for.
Even though Levi was here for the bulls, when he’d noticed Dana’s name on the barrel racing roster, he couldn’t resist stopping to watch. He hadn’t seen her since Tanner’s funeral.
She was as pretty as he remembered.
He also remembered that her eyes were the darkest shade of blue he’d ever seen. A thick fringe of lashes made them appear darker still. Long, spiral curls danced between chestnut and chocolate. Her skin brought his grandma’s homemade, whiskey-laced, vanilla ice cream to mind.
He remembered other things, too. Boots, jeans, and a blue checkered shirt looked as good on her today as the short, sassy skirts she preferred to wear for a night on the town. She liked to dance. She liked white wine and drank beer from a glass, not a bottle or can. She glowed when she smiled, which was rare.
And she’d been his best buddy’s girlfriend, not his, meaning he had no business remembering anything about her that didn’t involve Tanner, too. He packed up his memories and prepared to get back to business. One bull in particular, Nobody’s Baby, was on his agenda.
His path to the stock pens took him past the alleyway where Dana lingered, engaged in conversation with Chance Avery, a fellow barrel racer, who had hold of her horse’s reins. His heart tapped his lungs when the cowboy dropped an arm around her shoulders, and for a split second, he thought Dana must have moved on with her life. If so, her choice was mildly surprising. Avery was one of many cowboys who’d competed for her attention and got nowhere before she’d struck up with Tanner.
Dana eased from under Chance’s arm in the casual way women moved when a situation was uncomfortable for them, but they didn’t want to draw attention to it and escalate things. Levi had sisters and was familiar with the evasive, drop-and-roll maneuver.
Tanner used to tease her about her aversion to public displays of affection. She hadn’t earned the nicknameLady Danasolely thanks to her horse. He’d claimed that her ladylike image was for the public, because in private, she was a much, much different woman.
Levi took an unplanned left turn. He’d made a point of avoiding her since long before Tanner was killed. He hadn’t planned on approaching her today, either. But there had always been a delicate air to her that made a man long to protect her, and right now, she looked like she could use an escape route. He’d be happy to provide one for her—on Tanner’s behalf, of course.
He arrived in time to hear Chance’s comment about a pulled muscle, which summed up how much attention the other man had paid to Dana’s ride. No wonder he’d never made pro. Not if he couldn’t spot the early signs of arthritis.
Dana had retrieved her horse’s reins. Her ponytail, restrained by an indifferent pink clip, draped over one shoulder like a discarded silk shirt on a delicate chair. She hadn’t seen Levi yet.
Then, she glanced over. It took a second for recognition to widen her twilight eyes, and wariness traipsed in. His heart curled into a ball. She’d known how he felt about her, even though he’d done his best to hide it from her. From Tanner, too. He was a terrible friend.
“Hi, Dana, you looked good out there,” he said, keeping it casual, glossing over a ride that had to be a huge disappointment to her. He forced his attention to Chance. “Hey, buddy. How’s the season been treating you?”
“No complaints.”
Chance Avery was not a bad guy. Men liked him. Women did, too. He was outgoing and friendly and always willing to lend a hand, but overall, he wasn’t especially bright. Even if he succeeded in attracting Dana’s interest, which was unlikely, he’d soon bore her, and she’d break his heart.
She’d been on the brink of breaking Tanner’s. But that might have been wishful thinking on Levi’s part.
Terriblefriend.
Levi shoved guilt aside and took a read of the current situation. The three of them found themselves in that awkward social place where no one knew what to do next. Should Dana push off and leave the men to continue their conversation without her? Should Chance tell Levi to push off so he could continue to strike out with Dana? Should Levi push off, or continue to act as if he’d stumbled across an old rodeo friend and wished to renew his acquaintance, despite Dana being all he could see?
