Page 60 of Unforgettable Cowboy
“I don’t know.”Wade cracked a little smile.“But I did notice Dylan and Trev loading a palomino mare into their trailer this morning.”
Bailey and Hayes exchanged glances.
Dylan’s trailer was at the rodeo grounds.Dakota Sunshine was hiding in plain sight.
*
The truck hadbarely rolled to a stop at the rodeo grounds before Hayes was out and sprinting toward the chutes, his injured knee putting a hitch in his gait.Bailey watched him go as she walked around the hood of the idling truck and got into the driver’s seat, thinking that he ran pretty good in cowboy boots.She put the truck in gear and started for the outer regions of the crowded parking area.
Bailey had been relieved that they hadn’t caught up with the deputy on the breakneck drive to town, because that would have surely slowed them down.Hayes had given up hope of getting back to the rodeo grounds in time for his event, but Trev, curious as to where he was, texted and had assured his brother that if he got his ass in gear, he could make it.
He had, and now if Bailey could just get the truck parked somewhere in this sea of vehicles, she’d be able to watch her cowboy do what he did so well… Okay,oneof the things he did so well.There were others.
She pulled into a quite possibly illegal spot at the end of a long row of cars and trucks, parking with the wheels dangerously close to a ditch.So be it.
She locked the truck and started speed walking toward the arena as the announcer thanked the mutton busters for showing so much gumption and then encouraged the audience to get ready for the saddle bronc event, which would immediately follow arena maintenance.Never had Bailey been so thankful for mid-rodeo arena raking.As a spectator, it always seemed that the tractor took its sweet time grooming between events, but now she hoped the driver took his sweet time smoothing the dirt.
Hayes was up fourth, so he had time to prepare his gear and Bailey had time to swing by her table where Estelle seemed very much at ease discussing the merits of two necklaces—one engraved, one plain sterling with a pattern of tiny garnets.The customer glanced at Bailey as if she were competition, then said, “I’ll take both.”
Estelle beamed and boxed the jewelry.When she saw Bailey, her eyebrows lifted in a silent question and Bailey gave her a discreet thumbs-up.All was well.Thank you.
“I’ve almost sold out,” she said after the customer had moved on to the next vendor.“I know that’s not good news for your next show—”
“It’s fine,” Bailey said, waving off the woman’s concern.She was used to late-night engraving sessions.“I met your nephew.”
Estelle’s lips twitched as her eyebrows lifted in mock surprise.“Did you?”
“Yes.I liked him.”
“I take it you had a satisfactory discussion?”
“I think,” Bailey said thoughtfully, “that the discussion turned out as well as it could.”She smiled.“Thank you.”
This time it was Estelle who waved off the words.“You should find a place if you’re going to watch Hayes’s ride.”
Bailey almost asked,“Are you sure?”out of politeness and gratitude, but one look at the older woman’s face told her that was not necessary.“Thanks,” she said instead.“I’ll be back right after.”
The rail was crowded, but Bailey spotted two familiar cowboy hats and headed that way.
“Glad you guys made it back,” Trev said as he scooched sideways to make room for Bailey to squeeze in.
“As am I,” Bailey said, her eyes on the gate from which Hayes would soon emerge.“How’d you do?”she asked, trying to bring herself back to a feeling of normality, which was no easy task with everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours.
“Out of the money, but glad for the experience.”Trev’s mouth twisted ruefully.“Somebody missed the heels.”Since Dylan was the header, Bailey was pretty certain she knew who had missed the heels.“Jordan filled me in about the adventure on the ranch.Everyone seems okay on that end.How are you doing?”
Honestly, she didn’t know.She needed time to sort through things.Her feelings for Hayes, the threat of Chance coming at her again.She gave a half-answer.“I don’t think Chance has given up, but I don’t think he’ll return to the Tree Fork.”
If she was lucky, he was already on the road to Texas, and she and Dakota would be gone before he came back to the Marietta area looking for what wasn’t his.
“That’d be a waste of time on his part.What he wants isn’t there.”
Bailey smiled as she met his eyes.“I’m thankful to the people who arranged that.”
Trev gave her an innocent look, then turned his attention back to the arena.“Go time,” he said with a lift of his chin as the gateman got into position.A moment later, Hayes’s chute opened and then…
“Go time?”Trev repeated.
Hayes’s bronc appeared to be shy.The gateman closed the gate, then opened it again, and this time the bronc gave a few lackluster crow hops into the arena.Bailey’s heart sank.Hayes had drawn poorly.Physically, he’d be better off, but—
