Page 7 of The Cowboy's Downfall
“Any time you want moreeducation, feel free to drop by the Endeavour. I’d be happy to teach you to ride,” he replied.
“What kind of riding are we talking about?” someone called out, and the crowd of teenaged boys burst into laughter.
Nix re-ran what he’d said and realized too late where he went wrong. Thankfully, Too Good proved to have a better handle on teenaged boys who’d grown up around cattle than one might expect. The pink in her cheeks deepened, but her lips curved. Direct hazel eyes fixed on his face, and she smothered a smile.
“Thank you. I’ll keep your offer in mind, Mister…” She picked up one of the information packets the Endeavour had put together. It had his name emblazoned across the top, proclaiming him one of the top bull riding instructors in the country, which was a stretch. “…Nixon McCray. It sounds…enlightening.”
Now his face was red, too. Did she have to be so damned smart-mouthed as well as pretty?
Trouble, bless her heart, swooped in to save him.
“It was nice meeting you.” She shook hands with Nix first, then Remi, who’d had the good sense to keep his mouth shut while Nix ran his off. She smiled sweetly at them and patted her purse. “Thanks for the information on bull riding. I’ve only been here a few days, and I love Montana already.”
Only once before had Nix been this happy to see the tail end of a woman as she walked away.
An hour later, once the sign-ups wrapped up, he and Remi were in the truck and headed for home.
The Tongue and Yellowstone rivers joined up on the outskirts of Grand. The road to the ranch followed the Tongue. Scattered groves of cottonwood trees littered its banks. The flagging sun peered through branches and leaves, dropping glittering petals of light on slow-swirling eddies of water.
“Way to impress the boss man’s family,” Remi said.
Ice slicked Nix’s spine. Three friends owned the Endeavour Ranch, although Ryan seemed to be the one in charge, at least as far as he’d been able to tell. “Which boss man?”
“The sheriff. They’re his cousins,” Remi added. “The older one is Shauna Walsh. She’s a lawyer.” Big surprise, there. “Taryn’s her younger sister. She’s living with Shauna until she finds her own place.”
Nix digested that information. The good news was that they weren’t Ryan’s family. The better news was that Too Good would never give Trouble permission to attend the clinic. She was the only girl to sign up, and Nix thanked God for small favors. While he was happy enough to see women ride, he had zero desire to be responsible for the safety of thirty boys showing off for one teenaged girl.
He eyeballed Remi sideways. “Seems you’ve been busy.”
Remi locked his hands behind his head, stretched his legs under the dash, and leaned back in his seat with a self-satisfied air. “I do my homework.”
“That’s not what your teachers say.”
The boy shrugged. “I do my homework when it’s important.”
Nix again debated whether he should issue a warning or not, then decided circumstances had changed enough that some sort of warning was needed. Remi shouldn’t mess around with Dan McKillop’s young cousin. If he found himself bounced from the Endeavour’s private group home, he’d end up in the public system, and it wouldn’t be as forgiving.
“You don’t think you’ve already had your fair share of run-ins with the law? You’re too pretty for juvie,” he added, not really joking.
Remi cut to the chase. “You saying the sheriff’s cousin is too good for me?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Nix said. It was easier than explaining how complicated women could be.
Remi shrugged again. He closed his eyes. “You’re probably right.”
Why did Nix get the impression that Remi didn’t care if he was?
He focused on the road. The empty truck bed bounced happily behind them, jarring the brake under his boot whenever he touched the clutch. This wasn’t his problem, he reminded himself, gripping tight to the wheel. Whatever hot water Remi got himself into outside of the clinic was none of his business.
As for Too Good for a Cowboy? She could take care of Trouble.
Chapter Three
Shauna
The drive toAunt Freda’s was silent and thankfully short.
Shauna was quiet because she couldn’t get Nixon McCray out of her head. No man who blushed the way he did over a bit of teenaged boy humor was likely to be harboring inappropriate thoughts about underaged girls. She’d give him credit for that.
