6. Conner

"You had a great night last night," Gideon said.

"Thanks," Conner replied as he brushed Zephyr. "You would think that I would be used to it by now, but my legs are sore today."

"You're getting old." Gideon laughed. "You know you can't do this forever, and there isn't exactly a 401k for cowboys and cowgirls. What are you going to do?"

"My brother, Zac, wants me to help him out. However, his best friend is his lieutenant, so to speak, and runs the security and takes care of all policing matters. That's not my thing, anyway. I just don't think that there is a job in the pack that requires someone who can ride horses and bulls that want to kill them."

Gideon laughed.

"I guess I'll just go down there and find some land. I can do some ranching or raise and train broncs. I don't know. What about you?"

"I can always join the circus," Gideon said. "Rent myself out for birthday parties."

"Circus? Maybe. You can wear one of those flowers that squirts water, big shoes, and a nose that honks while you throw buckets of confetti on the audience. Birthday parties? Is that even done these days? Most people are terrified of clowns, and when I hear clowns and children's birthday parties, I think of John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer."

"Maybe I'll come join you on your ranch," Gideon said.

"You know that you would be welcome any time," Conner said. "It would make retired life more interesting."

"You could always settle down and have your own pack of youngins," Gideon said.

"Well, that would require a woman first. I've not met a woman yet who has captured my heart."

A weird look passed over Gideon's face, and then he slapped Conner on the back. "You'll find the right women when you least expect it." He looked up and grinned. "As a matter of fact, a wannabe candidate is on her way over right now. That is my cue to leave."

Conner looked up and groaned. Kelly was walking his way. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a blouse that was unbuttoned so low that it left nothing to the imagination. A determined look on her face made Conner wish that he could just run away like Gideon did.

She sidled up to Conner and tried to pet Zephyr. The horse took a step to the side so that he was out of her reach.

"Stupid horse," she muttered.

"Animals are a good judge of character," Conner said, petting the horse.

"Who was that woman you were talking to last night?"

"The mother of one of the junior cowgirls," he said.

"Why were you talking to her?" Kelly demanded.

Conner turned around and narrowed his eyes. "That is none of your business. We are not a couple. We are not even friends. I can and will talk to whomever I please."

"That's not nice."

Conner didn't reply.

"We could be the rodeo power couple. I'm the rodeo queen and you are the star cowboy."

Connor choked out a laugh. "Not a chance. I am not in the slightest bit attracted to you. I don't want to date you or be with you."

"Why? I'm beautiful. I'm a lot of fun to hang out with."

"You might be what some people consider to be beautiful on the outside, but you are extremely ugly on the inside."

"What do you mean? My insides look the same as everyone else's," she said, clearly confused.

Not so bright, either,Conner thought. Aloud he said, "I don't mean physically. You are mean and arrogant."

Kelly put her hands on her hips. "I am not."

"The night that we went out to the restaurant, you were extremely rude to the waitress. You talked down to her and were extremely rude."

"It took her forever to bring our food, and my steak wasn't right."

"The food came when it should and your steak was fine. You ordered it medium well, and it came medium well. Even if it wasn't, you didn't have to be such a bitch about it. The waitress doesn't cook the food."

"That doesn't make me an ugly person."

"You treat every single person around here as though they are your personal servants. You constantly gossip about them, making things up when you don't have anything. They avoid you like the plague because you are constantly insulting them. Even the locals who don't know you as well don't want anything to do with you after meeting you once," Conner said. "The problem with you is that you believe your own hype. You think that because you are a beautiful rodeo queen that the world should bow down to you. The fact is that your physical beauty will fade and all that will be left is a cracked shell of yourself, like Dorian Gray's picture."

Her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. "I can't believe you would say such things to me." She huffed.

"You need to understand that I'm not attracted to you and I don't want to be with you. I don't want to be your friend and I damn sure don't want to be your boyfriend."

"I can be nice."

"Uh-huh."

She tugged on his sleeve. He jerked his arm away. "I can change and be the nice person you want me to be."

"I don't want you to be anyway and even if the tiger could change her stripes, I wouldn't want anyone to change for me," Conner said. "Even if you did change for a while, you wouldn't be able to keep it up. Your old self would leak through. I don't want to be with you. There isn't anything you can say or do that could make that happen. If you want to change and try to trap – er -- find some other person, then be my guest. But for the love of all that is holy in this world, leave me alone."

"I can be a better person and you'll love me. Just wait and see," she said and stormed away.

"Zephyr, I don't know about that woman. She is nothing but trouble."

He whinnied in agreement.

That afternoon at the meeting before the event started, he leaned against the fence with one foot on the rail. He stood in the back of the crowd, casually watching everyone. Taryn kept stealing glances at him. She was trying to be sneaky about it, but she wasn't very good at that.

Why in the world does she look so familiar?It was driving him crazy that he couldn't figure it out. I guess I've just seen her around here before.

The explanation was logical, but it didn't stop that nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

He looked at Taryn's mother. I know her from somewhere. It's not just because she has red hair and has one of those faces that are familiar.

Even though they both looked familiar to him, it was in different ways.

Conner rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache.

Maybe I should lie down in my truck and take a nap. Instead, he hung out with some of the other cowboys, laughing and joking around until it was time for the event.

Taryn shone. She and the horse moved as though they had a single thought that ran between them. Their movements were fluid. No one could even come close to beating them in the barrel races. Some people do have the ability to communicate with their animals.

She took second in the breakaway event. Then, she studied the bull-calf riders very closely, and Conner got the idea that she really wanted to compete in that event. He glanced over into the audience, searching for Beth. Conner chuckled when he found her. The look on her face told him that she knew exactly what Taryn was thinking and disapproved of the idea.

He couldn't blame her. While there was some danger in all of the events, the bull and bronc riding could be the most hazardous.

Conner did well in all of his events. He got first in the bronc and bull riding events and second in the steer wrestling.

"You've got to retire and give some of us other guys a chance at the prize money," one of the cowboys told him. "I'm not going to be able to follow the circuit anymore if I don't start winning something."

Grinning, Conner replied, "I've got a few more years left. Sorry, Guy."

"I'll be out of the rodeo by then," the man grumbled. "I'll be back on the farm harvesting soybeans and corn and stacking hay bales."

Being in the rodeo was expensive. More so if you had a horse and had to tote him all over the country. Most cowboys barely broke even between the traveling and the entrance fees.

Conner couldn't resist. Beth was sitting in the stands waiting on Taryn. He had to talk to her. There was some kind of magnetic pull between the two of them.

"Hello, Beth."

She flashed him a nervous smile. "Hi, Conner. You did great tonight."

"Thanks. Taryn did extremely well. She's a natural."

"She makes enough to take care of her horse and put a little away for college."

"Does she know what she wants to study?"

"She's going to be a veterinarian. Taryn has a gift with animals."

"I can tell that by the way she and her horse work together."

Just then, Taryn rushed up to Beth with a little blond girl in tow.

"Jenna asked if I could stay the night with her tonight. She'll bring me back to the house after breakfast tomorrow."

"What do Jenna's parents say?" Beth asked.

A tall, blond woman walked up behind the girls. "We're fine with it if you are."

"Mom, please?"

"Sure," Beth said. "I guess you still have some clothes there?"

"Yep," Taryn said. "Love you, Mom."

She kissed her mom on the cheek and skipped off with her friend. Jenna's mother smiled and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Conner noticed that she didn't have a ring on her finger and there was no sign that she'd had one on lately. "Since you're free tonight, maybe you would like to have dinner?" Conner asked. He was surprised by his own question.

She hesitated for a minute as though she was debating. Finally, just when Conner was about to give up on his question and tell her to have a good night, she said, "I'd like that."

"The steakhouse is open for another hour." He grinned. "Or we can do the Waffle House."

"Either one. I'm not picky."

"Let's do the steakhouse. Do you want to drive yourself or do you want me to follow you to your house and we can drive together?"

"I'll drive myself. It'll be quicker."

They were seated immediately. The waitress was clearly new and nervous. Beth was very kind to her and joked around with her, putting the girl at ease.

"What's it like being a rodeo man?" Beth asked.

"Just like anything, there are the good and bad points. I get to see a huge part of the country. I mostly stick to a few states, but once in a while, I go somewhere new on a whim. But it can get lonely sometimes, too."

"Ugh," Beth said. "I can just see Taryn doing that."

"Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowgirls," Conner sang, off-key.

"Willie and Waylon didn't include instructions on how to prevent that," Beth said.

"True enough. I'm all grown up and I know it still drives my mama crazy. She always complains that she never gets to see me."

"How often do you go home?"

"Special occasions," Conner admitted.

Beth shook her head. "I think it's too late for Taryn. She's hooked on competing."

"Maybe she'll grow out of it," Conner said.

"Doubt it. She's just as stubborn as her father," Beth said. "He's not in the picture, but she is a lot like him."

The waitress came with their food, and they spent the rest of the evening laughing and talking about her life as a wholistic healer and herbologist and some of the antics he'd witnessed in the rodeo.

It's been a long time since I've had this much fun hanging out with a woman,he thought.

Conner walked her out to her car. The moon shone down on them, and her eyes reflected the dancing stars. He put his hands on her face and lowered his head.

Pressing his lips to hers, gently at first, he felt a fire ignite inside of him. With a low moan in the back of his throat, the kiss intensified. His heart thundered as their breaths mingled in the cool night air.

When the kiss gently broke off, he looked into her flushed face.

"I've got to go," she stammered. "Thanks for a great night."

She rushed into her car and quickly drove away, leaving him standing in the parking lot, watching her tail lights fade.

A sense of deja vu slammed into his chest.