The Cowboy Way by Christine Wenger Read Free Book Online Page B

corral.
    â€œReady for the Chisholm Trail, city slicker?” he asked.
    She grinned. “Round ’em up, move ’em out. Lead the way, cowboy.”
    He liked it when she loosened up and joked with him.
    â€œOur Chisholm Trail goes from behind the mess hallto behind the cabins. It ends at your cabin. Then we cross the bridge over the Gold Buckle River and end up right back here.”
    She looked toward where he pointed. “Here comes Kevin!” she said, waving.
    â€œKevin and K.C. Safe and sound,” Jake said. “Kevin has a grin the size of a prize banana. Just like his mother.” Her happiness made Jake feel that his time was well spent. “Shall we hit the trail?”
    â€œI’m ready.”
    â€œFollow me.”
    Jake watched Beth’s face as she rode. She focused intently, yet she had a look of pure pleasure. A gentle breeze blew her golden hair back from her face, and her lips parted in a slight smile. Her eyes were bright, and she seemed to have more energy than she had the day before.
    That’s what he liked about the Gold Buckle. It gave the guests the opportunity to experience new things—things they couldn’t do at home.
    Wheelchair Rodeo was part of that, but to see a sunrise on a cool, crisp Wyoming morning, to see the eagles fly and the mountains up close…well, there was nothing better.
    It was a good stress reliever, and Beth Conroy needed to relieve a lot of stress.
    Maybe he’d find time to take her on a trail ride of their own. They could camp in the wildflowers at the foot of Old Baldy. Then they’d take a nice, cool skinny-dip in the little creek that runs along the trail. He’d get Cookie to pack one of his special picnic lunches and throw in a cold jug of his homemade lemonade.
    He’d build a campfire and they’d sleep under thestars, snuggled together. He’d catch some fish for breakfast, and he’d filet and cook them while Beth made the coffee….
    He had to be loco. Maybe that was his idea of a perfect date, but Beth didn’t seem the camping type. She’d probably want to get dressed up and go somewhere fancy. Besides, camping would mean leaving Kevin in the bunkhouse with the cowboys. She’d never agree to that.
    And for what he was thinking, he couldn’t take Kevin.
    But it didn’t make sense to get any closer to her. Women liked hearth and home. That was his experience, anyway. Oh, they might like sex once in a while, but basically they really wanted to settle down.
    Not him. He followed the rodeos and the bull riding. When he was healthy, he traveled to about forty events a year—about thirty of those were strictly bull-riding events where his ranking qualified him for the Finals in Las Vegas. Another dozen or so were small rodeos where he rode more bulls just to keep in shape.
    He was a bull rider. It was more than what he did. It was who he was.
    Beth deserved someone who could be a husband to her and a father to Kevin.
    Why was he even thinking along those lines? When he was stomped on by White Whale in Loughlin, some of his brains must have leaked out on the arena dirt.
    No settling down for him. Even if he were the type, he certainly wouldn’t marry Beth Conroy. She had baggage. He had goals. He was going to be on top again. He was going to win the Finals in October.
    He glanced at Beth. She had her face turned up tothe summer sun. He pictured her in that little slip of a nightgown she had on this morning, and thought again of making love to her.
    The sun must be cooking his brain.
    â€œYou should wear a hat,” he told Beth. “The sun’ll get to you after a while.” Just like it was getting to him.
    â€œThis is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.” She leaned over to pat Thunder’s neck.
    â€œGlad you’re having fun.”
    â€œI am.”
    It did his heart good to see her finally relaxing and not worrying so much. He could tell that she