5. Beth

Beth's heart stopped when Conner sauntered over to her and asked if they had met before.

What in the world am I supposed to say? I'myour long-lost love and the mother of a child you don't even know exists?

She didn't want to lie eithersoshe decided to deflect. Itseemed to mollifyhimfor the moment, at least. However, she had the idea that she would be seeing more of him.

I wish, more than anything, that I could tell him the truth.

He had that same sexy grinandhe was hot. Connerseemed to still have that easy charm, too.

Damn, I've missed him. Iwould do anything if I couldjustfeel his arms around meone more time.

She watched him walk away, wantingmore than anythingto run after him and tell him that they had met before.

Not a good idea, Beth. Lethim go.

She had practiced a million times what she could say to him if she ever saw him again. Ifshe told him the truth, he would think that she was crazy. Bethhad considered telling him that it had been a one-night standandhe got a daughter out of it, but decided that was an equally bad idea.

"Just let it go," she told herself.

The problem was that shehadn't been able toget over losing him the first time.Now, he just walked out of her life again.

"Who was that man?" Taryn asked.

Beth jumped, put her hand over her heart, and then laughed. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry. Whowas that man you were talking to?"

"He was just a rodeo guy who saw you competing and wanted to tell me how great you were."

"If hewas saying thatI was great,thenwhy did you look so sad?" Taryn asked, sitting next to her mom. "You looked like you are about to cry."

"I'm fine," Beth said. "Maybe a little tired."

Beth hated lying to her daughter,butthere was no way she could tell Taryn that was her father. Then, Beth would have to explain the entire situation,andTaryn would want to meet him. Thatwould cause a whole bunch of chaos and drama.

Taryn looked as though she knew Beth wasn't telling her the wholetruth,but she didn't say anything.

"I'm done for the night. Doyou want to go home?" Taryn asked. "I just need to take care of Pegasus."

"Sounds good to me.Ifwe leave soon,we'll have time to watch a movie tonight."

"I'll be right back," Taryn said and ran off.

Despite herself, Beth scanned the area,lookingfor Conner. Sheknew that she shouldn't torture herself, but she couldn't help it.Shehad dreamed about him for the last eleven years. Herheart ached every time she thought of him. Bethhad said, over and over again, "If only I could see him one moretime,then I could get over him."

One more time wasn't good enough.Sheremembered every contour ofhisbody. Herfingers itched to trace hishardchest muscles. Bethcould almost feel the ecstasy of their bodies pressed together as they became one.

She moaned in the back of her throat and closed her eyes. Bethleaned over, her elbows on her knees, holding her face in her hands. Herheart screamed for Conner. Timehad not diminished the love she had for her cowboy.

"Ma'am," a woman's high-pitched nasally voice said.

Beth looked up to see the platinum-blond beauty queen standingin front ofher. TheRodeo Queen. Whatdoes Her Majesty want with me?

She didn't want to talk to anyone. Bethwanted more than anythingto be ableto go home and deal with the shock of talking to Conner again.

Instead, Beth plastered a smile on her face. "Hello."

"I'm Kelly, the queen of the rodeo." She said the words like she expected Beth to get down on her knees and kiss her hand.

"Beth." She didn't offer her hand. Therewas something about the woman that seemed off.

"Your daughter is an amazing competitor," the woman said. "She was especially great at the barrel racing. Thegirl reminded me of myself when I was younger."

"Thank you," Beth said. Shewascertainthat thewoman hadn't approached her to talk about Taryn.

"I noticed that you were talking to Conner."

"Yes," Beth said simply.

"You guys seemed like you were having a good conversation. Whywere you talking to him?"

"Like you, he stopped by to compliment Taryn."

"Do you know him?"

"No. Evenif I did, what difference would that make?" Beth asked, starting to get annoyed. Shefigured out what this conversation was about. Kellyhad come over to piss on her bush, so to speak, like the way that dogs pee on things to mark their territory.

"He's bad news. You should stay away from him," Kelly warned.

"Is that right?" Beth said, caustically.

"If you know what's good for you."

Kelly stuck her nose in the air and brushed her hair over her shoulders. Shegave Beth what she perceived to be her sweet smile and walked away, shaking her ass about as hard as it would shake.

Bethhad to resistthe sudden urge to trip her as she glided awaydoingthe princess wave to the fans.

Taryn was back. "You were talking to the rodeo queen."

"I was. Youmade an impression on everyone.Shecame over to compliment you on your barrel racing. Shesaidthat youwere as good as she was when she was younger."

"She really came over here just to talk about that?" Taryn asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. What else wouldshecome over to talk about?"

Taryn shrugged her shoulders. "Let's watch The Conjuring."

"We've watched that movie a hundred times," Beth protested.

"It's still scary," Taryn said. "I still jump when the girl jumps off the top of the wardrobe."

"As you wish," Beth said.

"And popcorn. Maybe a soda, too." Taryn grinned.

"Popcorn,yes. Soda,no. Heavenknows you don't need the caffeine. Justthe sugar from Kool-Aid."

"What do you think about inviting Aunt Savvie over?"

"Awesome," Taryn said.

Savannah Winters, or Savvie as she was affectionately called by her friends and family, was Beth's best friend.

"The Conjuring again?" Savvie asked when she got to the house and found out what they were watching.

"Yep," Taryn said.

"How about the original Poltergeist?" Savvie said. "I don't think you've seen that. I'lldo one of the online rental things."

"I suppose, but I get caramel corn instead ofjustregular popcorn," Taryn said.

"I brought kettle corn," Savvie said, waving a bag.

"Deal."

Beth laughed as they settled down to watch the cult classic horror flick.Tarynsat between her and Savvieand happilymunched popcorn and drank the black cherry-flavored Kool-Aid.

Her mind wasn't on the movie,though. Shestared at the television screen blankly. Touchingher hand that Conner had shaken made her remember how he always sent bolts of electricity through her when they made love.

Beth insisted that Taryn go to bed after the movie was over. Shedesperately needed to talk to Savvie. Plus, it was past midnight.Tarynwanted to argue, but Beth gave her the "mom look" that noone,in the history ofmoms,dared to defy.

"I'm sorry I couldn't watch her tonight," Savvie said. "I can't turn down any of my shifts offered at the bar."

"I know. Tarynunderstands," Beth said. "I'm glad that I have the shop. I just close it whenever I need to."

Beth owned a mystical shop with special stones, potions, and other items that especially appealed to tourists, although Beth did have loyal local customers as well.

"So, what's up?" Savvie asked. "I noticed that you were staring off into spaceduringthe entire time the movie played. Youdidn'tevenget upset when the clown pulled the little boy under the bed. Iknow how much clowns terrify you."

"I know, right?Andthere are clowns at the rodeo.Theydon't scare me too much, though,because I know they are the good guys."

"There'sa really oldcountry song called Bandy, the Rodeo Clown, by Mo Bandy," Savvie said.

"Random piece of trivia." Beth laughed.

"Back to my question. What'sgoing on?"

"I talked to Conner at the rodeo tonight."

"Oh, my heavens, you did not."

"I did. I was sitting in the stands waiting on Taryn and he came up to me. He said that he knew it sounded like a pick-up line, but asked if we had met before."

"What did you tell him?"

"I just asked him where we could have possibly met."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing.Hecomplimented Taryn.Itold him that she came by her rodeo skills naturally, and thenafter a minute,he went on his way."

"Wow."

"He shook my hand, and I could feel the electricity and firesthat he ignited with justa single touch.Mylips tingled from his kisses,andI could feel his body pressed to mine."

Beth wiped a tear from her face,andSavvie put her hand over hers. "Honey, I'm so sorry."

"I always said that I justwantedfive more minutes with him and just to talkto him once more, but now I know that it will never be enough."

"What are you going to do?"

"There's nothing that I can do. Ican't tellhimwho I am or who Taryn is to him. Iwould sound like a crazy groupie."

"What if he talks to you again?"

"I'll do my best to pretendlikeI don't know him. Iwish there was a way that I could talk Taryn out of competing, but you know that she has her heart set on it. Ican't disappoint her that way," Beth said, and then she laughed. "Plus, I would never give Mother the satisfaction of thinkingthat Iam keeping Taryn home to please her."

Savvy laughed. "I don't know why you let her come around."

"Try to stop her," Beth said. "Short of moving far away, I can't keep her away from me.SheknowsthatI resent her andthat Iwill never join her little coven.Herlatest schemeis usinga spell to force people into handing over their cash to her. Theydon't remember doing it. Peoplejustknow that one minutetheyare going about their businessandthe nextminute,theyare standing on the sidewalk with no money.Thevictims call the cops,buttheycan't tell them anything."

"That's awful."

"What can I do? Ican't go to the cops. Theywould haul me into the psych ward," Beth said.

"True enough." Savvie laughed. "Back to Conner, I know that it hurts. Thegood thing is that the rodeo only lasts two weeksandthen he'll move on. Seeinghim tonight ripped open the scab on a festering sore, but once he's gone, life willget backto normal again."

"I know. And I'll do everything I can to avoid seeing him, although I'm not sure how. I have to be there to watch Taryn perform."

Savvie sighed. "I'm so sorry. Iwish there was something I could do to help. It'stoo bad that the healer witch can't heal her broken heart."

"This isn't physical." Beth laughed. "I haven'tquitefigured out how to figuratively put my finger in people's brains, swish it around, and make things right. IfI could do that, I would be a gazillionaire."

"You want to know what's reallyironic,is that Taryn will likely meet her father and never know it."

Savvie stuck out her bottom lip in sadness. "I hate that for her."

"On a more amusing note, the rodeo queen walked up to me and wanted to know why I was talking to Conner."

"What did you say?" Savvie asked, grinning.

"I just told her that he was complimenting Taryn. Shewarned me tostay away fromhim because he was a bad man."

"Oh, brother. Soundslike someone has a bad case of jealousy."

"Yep, and besides a smack in the back of the head, I don't have a cure for that either." Beth laughed.

After Savvie went home, Beth looked in on her peacefully sleeping daughter, who, despite all her protests about being grown up, was clutching a teddy bear tightly against her.

A million "what-ifs" exploded in her mind.