Cameron Dane - Hawkins Ranch 04 - ...

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Ride
Cameron Dane
(c) 2008
ISBN 978-1-59578-467-4
Ride
Cameron Dane
Published 2008
ISBN 978-1-59578-467-4
Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509
Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2008, Cameron Dane. All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Liquid Silver Books
Email:
raven@LSbooks.com
Editor
Deanna Pryce
Cover Artist
April Martinez
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of
the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual
events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Prologue
The bucking bull flew through the air, kicking his hind legs high off the ground,
ramming his rider in the shoulder blades with his backside. Risa Forrester “oofed” as she
jerked forward with the power of the beast’s attempt to throw her, but just managed to
fling her free arm forward in time, saving her balance and her eight-second ride on the
back of Darth Vader, one of the rankest damn animals in bull riding competition.
Adrenaline raced through Risa’s body like the headiest of drugs, making her feel
incredibly alive and invincible, temporarily as powerful and strong as the bull she rode to
personal victory. The bull rope in her riding hand dug into her palm through the thickness
of her glove, tingling the nerve endings in her hand to sharp pinpricks of complete
awareness, and then numbing her to the point where she fleetingly wondered if she still
had a hold on her ride. The muscles straining from her forearm all the way up through her
shoulder screamed, and told her she did.
Darth Vader spun into her hand at the last moment in an attempt to best her, but just
as Risa felt her center tilt off course, flinging her into a spiral down the animal’s side, the
sound of a blaring horn reached her ears—the very sweetest, most wonderful noise in any
riders’ life.
The bull circled in an amazingly tight turn, but his muscles rippled and shifted
between her legs, telling her his plan. Risa took her chance just a second later, releasing
her rope and freeing her hand as he switched directions, allowing her to jump off, away
from his turn and affording her the opening to run toward the safety of the fencing around
the ring. She climbed up to the top and looked in the direction of the scoreboard, her
heart racing while she waited for her total. She took in the cheering of the crowd who
appreciated any cowboy—or girl—that stayed on for an eight-second ride.
Watching the board so intently it blurred before her eyes, the red numbers for her
ride and the bull’s performance finally lit up with her scores, averaging together for
88.50. Risa whooped and threw her helmet in the air, pumping her fist and screaming
with the crowd as her name went to the top of the leader board after two rounds of riding.
That score set her in certain position for the final go round. She searched the crowd for
her partner in crime, knowing his excitement would match her own.
She found Caleb Hawkins, her boss, brother-in-law, and friend, a bit away from the
milling riders and event organizers, with a phone to his ear. She climbed over the fence
and raced to his side, eager to point out her name in the number one position. He looked
up, and the phone fell from his ear. Risa stumbled, her legs turning to jelly as she reached
him.
His blue gaze met hers, pain and sorrow filling him whole.
Risa barely acknowledged the cowboy who handed over her bull rope from wherever
it had slipped off in the competition ring. “What is it?” she asked, her heart now
pounding heavy with dread, rather than excitement.
“It’s not good,” Caleb answered, all traces of familiar humor gone from his voice.
“We need to get home.”
Risa didn’t even have to ask in order to make a decision. If Caleb said they needed to
go, she listened.
“Tell me while we walk.” She took big strides in the direction of her stored gear.
“We’ll leave right now.”
Her best score and event gone from her mind, Risa crumbled as Caleb shared the
devastating news.
* * * *
Risa wandered the perimeter of Nate’s Bait and Saddle Shop, running her fingers
lovingly over each shelf of product. As she moved to the beautifully crafted saddles, her
heart constricted painfully and a new lump formed in her throat, reminding her of her
recent loss.
She had lost Nate. Forever.
Nate Palmer had given Risa her first job and had ended up becoming such a father
figure to her that she never completely left it. When it came time for inventory, she
always lent a hand. If he needed a little extra help around the place on a weekend that she
didn’t have a bull riding competition, she always came to Nate’s and picked up the slack.
She could hardly believe he had died. Nevertheless, he had. At the funeral a week
ago, when they lowered his casket into the ground, her legs had finally buckled and she
faced the truth. Nate was gone and he could never come back.
Tears filled Risa’s eyes. She swiped them away with a hard hand, knowing that Nate
wouldn’t want her to cry over him. He had taken her under his wing seven years ago and
had never once pulled that shelter away. Even now, in death, he still looked out for her.
She could not believe what he had done.
The little bell attached to a rope on the door jingled and Risa looked up to a hard,
handsome face, one as achingly important to her as any in her life.
Duke Boone.
Dressed in jeans and a black flannel shirt, he almost looked strange to her, out of his
usual sheriff’s uniform shirt and tan Stetson.
“I figured you’d be here.” Duke pushed the door closed, twisted the lock she had left
undone, and moved into the shadowed store. For once, his gaze held only kindness, not
the brittle amber chips of impatience he usually reserved for her. “It’s late, honey”—he
used an endearment with her for the first time…”don’t you think you ought to head
home?”
Duke’s gentle tone rattled Risa and her stomach flip-flopped. She turned away, her
fingers clutched together against her middle, her mind and heart a jumble of too many
heightened emotions. Coping with losing Nate to a heart attack ten days ago, to helping
her mother put together a fitting funeral for him, to fending off intrusive conversation
with well-meaning people, to, finally, sincerity from Duke when he had done nothing but
deflect her attraction to him in the past… Everything suddenly became too much for Risa
to handle.
“Please go away.” Her voice wavered and her shoulders heaved, but she couldn’t
bring them under control. “Leave me alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Duke moved in behind Risa and curled his big hands
around her shoulders, spreading warmth down her arms and into her icy-cold hands.
Leaning down, he spoke next to her ear. “I’ve seen that little front light on in this place
every night this week. You keep coming here looking for answers where none exist. Nate
was one hell of a character and he lived a full life. But at eighty-five years old, it was just
his time to go. He had no regrets, and I think he loved the last years of his life the most.”
A bubble of laughter erupted and Risa’s shoulders shook.
“What?” Duke spun her around and held her at arms length. He stooped down his big
six foot five frame, putting himself on eye level with her considerable five-ten. His gaze
met hers, a smile tugging up the edge of his lip. “Why did you laugh?”
“Because of what you said about these being his happiest years.”
“So? It’s the truth. A while back I stopped by to check in on him and he had this, I
don’t know, extra spring in his step. I asked him about it, but he would only say that he
was loving life.”
Risa bit her lip, and Duke’s gaze narrowed.
“What now?” he asked. He fingered her heated cheek, and a shiver ran down her
spine. “You’re blushing.”
“I can’t say.” Risa’s entire body flamed underneath her jeans and sweater. “I
discovered it by accident myself.”
“All right. Fine.” Duke backed off, hands up. “Don’t tell me.”
Risa grabbed Duke’s hand before he could get away, afraid to lose this little
connection. Duke looked down at their entwined fingers and then lifted his amber gaze to
hers. Holding her eyes, he rubbed his thumb over her wrist. The little touch snaked all the
way up her arm and into her heart.
“Nate and my mother…” Discomfort flooded Risa, choking her words. “They shared
some … intimacy, these last four years.”
An indulgent smile touched Duke’s lips. “Did you think nobody knew that?”
Risa scrunched her brow and tilted her head. “Nobody did know.”
“Honey, people knew. They just respected Nate and Jean’s desire for privacy. Maybe
it had something to do with Nate’s age and the fact that your mother is in a wheelchair, I
can’t really say for sure. Just be thankful the town chose not to put them through the
gossip mill,”—Duke’s fingers tightened around Risa’s hand…”because you know how
brutal that can be.”
They both did. Seven years ago, town talk had centered on Risa when the now
deceased Justin MacLesten had kidnapped her, his bigotry against her brother’s
homosexuality his justification for the crime. In addition, just last year, Risa’s best friend,
Ren—Duke’s son—had been outed along with his partner, Cade, when a bad choice on
Ren’s part had almost cost Cade his life.
Wiping her brow wearily, Risa leaned against a saddle display. “Nate left my mom
every penny he had. You’ve heard that, right?”
Duke nodded.
“In the will, he told her not to save it, but to spend it traveling the world. They
watched those travel channels a lot and I could always hear them saying they should book
a trip to Greece or Italy. I think they both wanted to see Ireland too, and I’m pretty sure I
heard them ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ over an Alaskan cruise. They never got around to
doing it together, but he has given her this great gift and told her to see all those places
they talked about, and that it’ll be as if he’s there with her when she does.
“She’s going to do it too.” Risa lifted her gaze from the floor, connecting with Duke
once again. Her heart pounded and her throat felt dry. “She feels as if it would honor him,
and she has already looked into her first trip.”
“That’s good.” Duke nodded his dark head. “I’m happy for her. She’ll make a lot of
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