Cowgirl Up by Cheyenne Meadows Read Free Book Online

zinged along
uninterrupted until one kiss spiraled them into a frenzied need. With no other
thought on his mind other than getting naked and tucking her under him, he
forgot about his scars. Deidre noticed. Big time. Her arousal turned to disgust
as she quickly righted her clothes, offered up some half-ass excuse, and
stormed out.
    He
didn’t blame her. Considering the circumstances, the situation could have been
worse. Maybe not by much, but still the possibility existed. He hadn’t warned
her in advance. Hell, he’d never brought up his war time experiences at all.
His fault and he paid the price. A hard lesson that stuck with him to this day.
    How
could he expect a woman to accept him when the areas of redness, resembling a
patchy sunburn and melted skin, along with a couple of puckered indentations
marring his hide, grossed them out? While the pain had long since resolved with
the lack of functioning nerves in those areas, he still protected the spots
from prying eyes, injury, and light.
    His
comrades would rib him mercilessly now about his defensiveness for a few scars
earned in the heat of battle. Then again, maybe not. They had all suffered,
some much worse. Their brotherhood would hold, show support, and challenge one
another to overcome any and all hurdles.
    Too bad
he couldn’t just drop by for a visit, be part of their tight-knit group once
more. To know each one would give anything for the other. That’s what he missed
most. Absolute companionship and brotherly love.
    Now, he
went through the motions, still discontent with his lot in life and not knowing
which direction to turn next in order to settle the restlessness eating inside
his gut once and for all. He didn’t fear his future. He just didn’t know which
road to follow.
    A
couple months ago, bored with caring for his father’s immense herd of cattle
and horses, he leaped at the chance to hit the rodeo circuit once more,
although in a different capacity. Wanderlust proved a partial answer to his
dilemma, yet a large hole remained unfulfilled.
    Then he
spied Trinity.
    She
reminded him of happier times when they enjoyed their sport and didn’t carry
the worries of the world on their shoulders. When kids had a great life and
didn’t know it at the time. When his biggest concern was winning his round and
finding a cute lady to celebrate with afterward.
    Was I ever that young and
shallow? Well, yeah. Talk about a no brainer.
    He
shook his head at such silliness, his attention once more returning to Trinity.
An aura of sadness followed her. According to his uncle, her mother passed a
few months ago, way too young. Unfortunately, cancer didn’t care about anyone’s
age when it struck. She continued to mourn, even as she showed up to compete.
Alone when she should have had another parent there for her.
    If
gossip hit the nail on the head and Buck Troutman was her father, where had he
been all along? Or right now, for that matter. The man had first been a bull
rider, then turned judge when his performance began to slack off. As far as
Cody knew, never once did Buck approach either Trinity or her mother at any of
the events to even wish them a good day.
    Useless
and a shitty way to treat an innocent girl.
    Which
led to the question what brought her back after such a long absence? Now he
knew. At least partially. She had a horse to carry her to the finals. Her
words. And she wasn’t boasting out of hand. No. Last night he stood at the gate
and watched Trinity and Legacy’s first run. Damn good. Fast. Steady. And
surefooted. It’s a wonder she kept him under wraps for all these years. Most
likely her mother’s illness gave her little opportunity to trailer him all over
the country.
    Now she
could.
    Determination
sparked in her eyes. He recognized the look, applauded her, and wished her
luck. The road to the finals proved rough and filled with pitfalls. Hopefully,
she could avoid them all. She deserved to win as much as anyone. Maybe more.
    Yanking
the