Chapter Eight

Shane

He couldn't remember the last time being with a woman felt so natural. They danced for the entire set and, when the band finished up their last encore, Shane didn't want the night to end just yet. "Do you want to see what kind of trouble we can get into?"

"What kind of trouble?" she asked. Reba had a blush on her pretty face, but she hadn't moved very far away from him, even though they had stopped dancing. He kept his arm around her as they took a long stroll toward the back area where the bulls were hunkered down for the night. "I swear I'm not going to put you to work. But I need to check on my animals and I figure while we're there, we can ask the guys where they're going tonight and maybe tag along."

"All right," Reba said after a slight pause. "I'm not much of a party girl, though."

"We don't have to stay out long. We both have a busy day tomorrow."

She nodded.

The back area was still bustling with activity and the energy level was high. Shane remembered the endorphin rush after a successful event and the promise of a wild night ahead. He checked in with Pat to make sure everything was going smoothly with settling the bulls down for the evening. There were two more events tomorrow, and the bulls needed to have a good night's rest as well as enough food and water. He looked all of them over carefully, but no one seemed to have been whipped or riled up.

"Which one is Sverre?" Reba asked.

Shane pointed.

"He looks like he's got an attitude."

"Believe me, he does. He's sexy and he knows it."

"So, he's a big hit with all the ladies?"

"He will be once the season is over, especially if he can keep his undefeated record." Shane shrugged. "Maybe even if he doesn't."

"Hey, Doc," Taylor Keating said, walking up to them, smiling broadly at Reba. Shane resisted the urge to sling an arm around her and pull her close. He normally wasn't a jealous type of guy.

"I tried calling earlier," Taylor said. "But I guess you were busy."

Shane frowned, wondering why Taylor would be calling Reba. How did he even have her number? Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at his friend's son. Taylor was oblivious, though. He hadn't thought Reba was the type to like pretty bull riders, but women were a mystery to him most days.

And then Reba cleared up the matter. "I'm sorry. It was a busy day and I've been screening my calls." She pulled out her phone and asked, "Which number is yours?"

Taylor rattled off his digits and Reba typed his name into her phone. "Now I'll know when it's you calling, instead of someone trying to sell me car insurance or something."

"Great," Taylor said. "I wanted to let you know that Dale seems be doing a lot better."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'll take a look at her first thing tomorrow morning."

There was a pause as Taylor shifted his weight and looked like he was fighting himself into asking for something.

"Unless you would like me to look at her right now?" Reba shot a worried glance at Shane, but Shane just shrugged. Now that he knew it was business and not pleasure that caused Taylor to come over here, they had all night as far as he was concerned.

"If you wouldn't mind looking at her tonight," Taylor said. "I'll sleep a lot easier."

With another look at Shane, who nodded his affirmation, Reba said, "Sure. Let's go."

Shane followed behind them as Reba lectured Taylor about the changes in Dale's diet and exercise. As they got closer to the barn where Dale was, however, he noticed a bunch of bull riders gathered around another one who was causing a bit of a ruckus.

"What's going on there?" Shane asked, gesturing with his chin.

"That's just Mick," Taylor said.

"Is he still pissing and moaning about the wreck he took last season?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, he says it's the end of the world."

"Oh, for Christ sakes," Shane said. "I'm going to set that boy right." Had Mick gotten stomped on by a bull. Yes. Had he had a concussion? Yes. Did he break his leg in two places? Yes. Mick also had the best treatment that money could buy. And now Mick only walked with a slight limp. Unlike Shane, whose ankle had snapped so badly the back of his shin bone also broke off. He had been an orthopedic surgeon's nightmare. If Shane wasn't out there bitching about the rodeo, there was no reason for Mick to do it either. Mick, at least, could get back on a bull and work a season. He should just shut the fuck up instead of pulling the woe is me card.

"Let it go," Reba said with a hand on his arm.

"What? Why?"

"Because he's just looking for attention. If you give him a fight or something that can be put on social media, it just makes him more popular. If you ignore it, eventually people will lose interest."

"I don't know about that," Taylor said. "He's pretty much been a loudmouth for the last year and a half. People like to hear him complain. It gets them riled up and they tend to do things like protest the way animals are being treated."

"Our animals get the very best of care," Reba said, affronted.

"See," Shane said. "It eats at you, doesn't it?"

"Hmm," Reba said. "Well maybe we can compromise a bit. We can let it go, but that doesn't mean the UPRC has to." Reba pulled out her phone and called someone.

"Hi, Dolly?" Reba said. "Do you know bull rider named Mick?"

Shane didn't need to be near the phone to hear Dolly's loud response of "Oh, that asshole? What the hell is he been up to now?"

"He's down by the horse barn with a crowd of people and it looks like he's making a case that the UPRC doesn't take care of their riders or their animals."

"I'll be right there," Dolly said. "Do not engage. This shit ends tonight."

Reba blinked at her phone before slipping it into her pocket. "I know you'd rather handle it," she said to Shane. "But trust me, Dolly knows what to do in these situations."

"You've got a lot of faith in your sister," he said.

"Have you ever seen her in action?" Reba asked.

Shane shook his head. "Nope."

"I wouldn't cross her," Taylor said. "And I run around the arena and grab angry bulls by the horns."

Shane took that under advisement. With one last glare at Mick, he followed Reba and Taylor into the barn. He made himself useful around the stable while Reba treated Taylor's horse, Dale.

Taylor looked a little green around the gills when Reba started her examination. He moved quickly away and joined Shane tidying up the stalls and making sure that all the horses had the correct amount of food and water. It wasn't their job to do it, but all the cowboys looked after each other's horses. It was like an unnamed rule in the UPRC. That was why when Vidar had gotten whipped it was such a betrayal of that unspoken code.

*

"How did youdo today?" Shane asked.

Taylor made a face. "I didn't come in last. But I'm not going to compete tomorrow. My scores weren't high enough."

"You'll get better. Just keep practicing."

"Yeah," he said. "At least I wasn't last. Nash Weaver is always last."

"Who the hell is Nash Weaver?"

"Good question. None of the guys know."

"What do you mean none of the guys know? Everybody knows everybody."

"It's true. None of the bull riders have ever heard of him before this season. Same with the bronc busters, the bulldoggers and certainly not the bullfighters."

"So he just appeared one day?"

"That's it exactly. He's got a bunch of scores that put him in this league, but nobody remembers ever seeing him ride before this year. Between you and me, he sucks."

"Maybe he's somebody's favorite nephew or something. One of the bigwig's kids."

"That must be it. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that he keeps pushing me up in rank, but I worked hard to get in this league. It kind of chaps my ass that he gets a free ticket without ever having competed professionally before."

"Life is not fair like that, kid," Shane said. "At least you don't have to worry about him stealing the prize money."

"I guess that's something," Taylor said glumly.

"So where are all the bull riders going to party tonight?" Shane asked, trying to change the subject because it looked like Taylor was getting into a funk.

"They're going to hit the Pegasus bar down on Main Street. There was talk about going to a strip show, and some of the guys are probably going to peel off after a few beers. But the Pegasus has a pool tournament and a karaoke contest going on tonight, so that's where the majority of us are to hang out. Are you going to come out?"

"I might," he said.

"Do you think I should ask the doc if she wants to go?" Taylor asked.

"Why? Are you interested in her?" Shane felt his scowl come back and he crossed his arms over his chest again.

"Not especially," Taylor said.

"Good."

"Why is that good?" The light seemed to dawn on Taylor after a second of trying to interpret Shane's glare. "Oh. Oh. Oh." Taylor drew out the last oh several syllables.

"Keep your trap shut about it," Shane growled.

"I won't even tell my father."

"Good, because if you tell your father, you might as well take out a billboard."

"I would defend my father's honor," Taylor said. "But that's the God's honest truth."

"Maybe we'll see you there tonight."

"You should. I owe the doc a beer."

Reba wrapped up the examination and cleaned up. She gave Taylor some final instructions and then walked back over to Shane.

"I'm sorry about that," she said.

"That's all right. If it was my horse, I would want you to do the same thing."

"So, you're not mad that I interrupted our date by pressing on a horse's tummy to make it fart?" she asked.

"Not at all. How do you feel about shooting a game of pool and singing, ‘My Achy Breaky Heart'?"

"At the same time?" Reba asked. "Because I'm not that talented."

"Taylor tells me that there's a bar called the Pegasus that's having both events tonight. Are you interested in continuing our date down there?"

"We could," Reba said hesitantly. "Or we could go back to the Winnebago and extend our date to breakfast."

Her words caught him off guard, causing his heart to skip a beat. Had he heard that correctly? He usually wasn't this lucky with beautiful women.

"Unless you think this is going too fast," she said.

"I like fast," he said, his mind racing with possibilities. "Kissing you has been on my mind all day," he admitted, his hand reaching for hers.

Her touch sent a jolt of electricity through him, making him feel alive and energized.

"Same," she said softly, her eyes meeting his.

Shane squeezed her hand, anticipation washing over him. "I feel I need to warn you. I'm not a romantic guy. If you're looking for roses and chocolates, I'm not the one."

Reba nodded slowly. Her fingers went to the buttons on her shirt. He watched greedily as she unbuttoned two, giving him a tantalizing look at her cleavage. "As long as we're giving out warnings, I'll let you know that I'm not one of those girly girls who'll get bent out of shape if you muss my lipstick or track dirt on the floor. But I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that castrating a bull is all in a day's work to me. So you may want to rethink this, if you think you can play fast and hard with my emotions."

He winced at the image. "I'm not that kind of guy either."

"Good. Let's go back to my place and get to know each other a little better."

"Yes, ma'am," Shane said.

*

Reba

Did she havethe jitters? Sure. But she also wanted to feel Shane's arms around her. It had been a long time since she felt comfortable enough with a man to allow him into the RV, not to mention her bed. But he made her feel safe and his good looks flustered her, had since the first time she saw him.

And she needed to kiss him more than she needed to breathe. Taking his hand, they walked fast back to the Winnebago. Once they were inside, she led him to the back of the RV where her bedroom was. It was cramped having him in there with her, but cozy. Easing into the back corner, she kicked off her shoes and lay down, propping herself up on her elbow.

Shane sat down on the corner of the bed and took off his boots before matching her pose on the other pillow.

"It's been a while," Reba said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We don't have to take this any farther than you want it to go."

His words soothed her, but she wanted more than a few kisses. But first, she was going to start with one. Leaning in, she brushed her lips against his, felt him smile against her mouth. Shane cupped her cheek and deepened the kiss until her toes curled. Reba hooked her calf over his and snuggled in close to him. He smelled good, like the outdoors and fresh, clean hay. This was what she wanted. This was what she had been missing out on.

They kissed for long moments, inching closer until they were in each other's arms. It felt so good to be held and kissed like she was the last woman on earth. Shane's kisses were thrilling, but she wanted more. After tugging his shirt loose from his pants, Reba pulled it over his head. While he worked at the buttons on her shirt, she traced the hard muscles of his arms and chest.

"What happened here?" she asked, huskily as she traced a thick scar on his side.

"Got gored by one of our bulls," he said, his breathing heavy. Shane kissed her shoulder as he peeled her shirt off her. "I should have waited until he got tipped before riding him, but I thought I was invincible. The bull had other ideas. One of the many dumb things I did when I was younger."

He made short work of her bra and took her breasts in his hands. Shane rubbed his thumbs over her nipples before taking each one in his mouth. Reba's head went back and she cried out in the sudden shock of pleasure. He ran his tongue over them, licking and then sucking on them until she was squirming and panting.

"Damn," she said. "That feels so good."

"Gorgeous," he said in between worshiping the hardened peaks.

Her hands fumbled with his belt, trying to unfasten it. Shane didn't give up an inch though, just caught her tighter to him and kept at her breasts until she was a quivering mass of need.

"Shane." She gasped just before his mouth captured hers again.

Her sensitive breasts crushed against the wiry hairs of his chest. Reba ran her hands up and down his muscled back, desperate for more of him. When he was done kissing her senseless, he moved to the sweet spot at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Reba saw stars. She had to hold on to his shoulders to keep from spinning away in sweet passion. She was dimly aware of him unfastening her jeans and easing them off her hips.

Kissing down her chest, to her belly, Shane pulled her jeans and underwear down her legs and tossed them on the floor.

"You're wearing too many clothes," Reba protested half-heartedly.

"I just need to do something first," he said, settling between her thighs.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Make you come." Then he buried his face between her thighs while wrapping his arms around her hips.

Reba gripped the sheets as all the air left her body in a shocked, pleasured gasp. His tongue was magic as it danced inside her, hitting every erogenous zone she had. The wet sound of him lapping up her arousal brought her closer to the edge with each stroke. Tingles of erotic pleasure shot up and down her body. Her hips twitched and rolled as Shane went faster.

Her release shuddered through her and Reba called out his name. He licked her a few more times and she jostled and gasped as her frazzled nerve endings pulsed.

"Now, I'll get rid of these."

She could only watch in a haze of desire as he chucked off his jeans. Greedily, she gazed at his hardness and her fingers ached to stroke him.

"Come here," she breathed.

Reaching into his pocket, he came out with a foil packet.

"I'll just be a second," he said, and he tore it open and rolled it down on his erection. Then his body covered hers. Her legs wrapped around his hips and he drove deep inside her. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as his lips came down on hers. He plundered her mouth as his body rocked into hers with long, hard strokes.

Arching into each thrust, Reba moaned against his kisses. This felt too good. Too perfect. He slid in and out of her in a rhythm that built up the anticipation until she was frenzied again. Clamping down on him, she loved the sweet friction against her sensitive folds.

"Oh, sweetheart," Shane moaned, his body shaking.

"Yes," Reba cried, her orgasm cresting into a wave of sweet seduction that had her eyes crossing.

"Just like that, darlin'," he said, before following her with a strained groan.

Gathering her up into his arms, he rolled over on his back so she sprawled across him.

"Just like that." She sighed and kissed him. She felt a little more of the hold Dr. Kilgore had in her nightmares slip away. Putting the past where it belonged was going to be a lot of fun, and she was looking forward to more days and nights of good times like this.