Page 61 of Unforgettable Cowboy
Her breath caught mid-thought as the bronc suddenly bunched up and exploded.There was no other word to describe the way she punched the earth and launched herself.
“Holy…” Dylan breathed, his chin rising as he followed the horse’s skyward trajectory.Twisting, writhing and sun-fishing, it became obvious that the lazy hops at the beginning of her ride were simply a matter of checking out her rider before getting down to business.Serious business.
Bailey’s heart hit her ribs as she willed Hayes to stay in the saddle through the twisting, jerking ride.He managed eight long seconds, then bailed at the buzzer instead of waiting for the pickup man.He landed awkwardly due to his bad knee but remained upright, waving his hat as the crowd cheered.The little mare, relieved of the bucking strap, cantered serenely around the arena.The announcer was saying something, but Bailey didn’t hear as she watched Hayes cross the dusty distance to the gate, and that was when she realized that she’d taken hold of Trev’s arm.She hoped she hadn’t shut off the circulation with her death grip.
“Good ride,” she said as she casually unwrapped her fingers from his shirt.
“Not bad for the last one.”
Bailey shot Trev a sharp look.Hayes hadn’t said anything about a final ride.Trev’s expression shifted.“I’m guessing.”
“Really?”
He studied her face instead of answering and there was something in his expression that gave Bailey pause.He was concerned about Hayes.Concerned that she’d once again do a number on him.
And what if she did?
She took a step back from the rails.“I need to spell Estelle.She’s been very patient.”
“I’m sure Hayes knows where to find you.”
For today anyway.
She mentally filled in the unspoken words as she headed back to where she belonged, selling silver.
*
Hayes’s knee waskilling him, but he ignored it as he left behind well-wishers and headed into the vending area.He’d had a great ride, a high-point ride.He didn’t care.He just wanted to get back to Bailey.Tomorrow or the next day at the latest, she’d be gone, and he was going to act as if he was good with that, even though it was killing him inside.
Clichés about setting free the thing you love had bounced around his head for the past forty-eight hours, but that wasn’t what he was doing.Bailey was already free, and he was going to be careful not to throw any obstacles in the way of her exit, because that would fire up her knee-jerk reaction to relationships and control—thank you, asshole Bruce.
He slowed as he approached her table where she was engaged with a customer, pointing out a detail on what he knew was her last remaining set of bridle buckles.Thanks to Estelle, who was nowhere to be seen, she’d enjoyed success at the Copper Mountain Rodeo.A double-edged sword because she’d have very little stock for her next show, but that didn’t seem to be slowing her desire to hit the road.That freedom thing.
But when Bailey saw him, her expression brightened, and his heart squeezed in response.He didn’t want her to go.Was afraid she might never come back, and they probably needed to talk about that.Or they could just let things play out.He had no idea what his next move was.
“Hayes, great ride.”
“Thanks.”
She indicated the older man with the pristine cowboy hat, classic cowboy mustache and beat-up Levi’s standing in front of her sparse display with a small gesture.
“This is Milo Case.We’ve been talking shop.”She was beaming, so Hayes could only assume that it had been gratifying shop talk.M.Case was something of a legend in the cowboy gear world, so he understood why talking with the guy would give Bailey a mental boost.A former working cowboy, M.Case’s bits and spurs went for megabucks, and some were true collectors’ items.
“Nice to meet you,” Hayes said, extending a hand to the man.“I’ve long coveted one of your bits.”
The man smiled as they shook hands.“I’ve heard your name over a loudspeaker or two.”He turned back to Bailey.“I need to get back to the missus, but I think this will work out.I’ll contact you with details.”He held up her card.“Soon.”
“Thank you.”Bailey followed the man with her gaze as he started for the stands, then turned to Hayes.
“He admires your work?”
“Respect is probably a better word.We’ve been gear show acquaintances for a while now, He gave me feedback early in my career.”Her eyes were dancing, and Hayes could see that something very good had just happened to her.“We’re going to share a space in Laughlin and at the next show, too, so I don’t need to worry about having a big table with one belt buckle sitting in the middle of it.”
“How’d that come about?”
“He asked about sales, and I explained that they weren’t as spectacular as a nearly empty table indicated.I’d suffered a robbery.”She grinned.“That was when he came up with a solution.”She went on to explain that Milo was going to express a shipment of his items to the Laughlin event, and she would pick it up there to sell on his behalf.
“He’s at the big show in Tuscan this coming week,” she explained.“This way he’ll get double sales and I’ll get table traffic.”
