cameron_dane_(hawkins_brothers-quinten,montana_4)_-_ride(1).pdf

Ride

Cameron Dane

ISBN 978-1-59578-467-4

Ride

Cameron Dane

Published 2008

ISBN 978-1-59578-467-4

Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509

rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or

otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Liquid Silver Books

http://LSbooks.com

Email:

raven@LSbooks.com

Editor

Deanna Pryce

Cover Artist

April Martinez

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of

the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual

events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Prologue

The bucking bull flew through the air, kicking his hind legs high off the ground,

ramming his rider in the shoulder blades with his backside. Risa Forrester “oofed” as she

jerked forward with the power of the beast’s attempt to throw her, but just managed to

fling her free arm forward in time, saving her balance and her eight-second ride on the

back of Darth Vader, one of the rankest damn animals in bull riding competition.

Adrenaline raced through Risa’s body like the headiest of drugs, making her feel

incredibly alive and invincible, temporarily as powerful and strong as the bull she rode to

personal victory. The bull rope in her riding hand dug into her palm through the thickness

of her glove, tingling the nerve endings in her hand to sharp pinpricks of complete

awareness, and then numbing her to the point where she fleetingly wondered if she still

had a hold on her ride. The muscles straining from her forearm all the way up through her

shoulder screamed, and told her she did.

Darth Vader spun into her hand at the last moment in an attempt to best her, but just

as Risa felt her center tilt off course, flinging her into a spiral down the animal’s side, the

sound of a blaring horn reached her ears—the very sweetest, most wonderful noise in any

riders’ life.

The bull circled in an amazingly tight turn, but his muscles rippled and shifted

between her legs, telling her his plan. Risa took her chance just a second later, releasing

her rope and freeing her hand as he switched directions, allowing her to jump off, away

from his turn and affording her the opening to run toward the safety of the fencing around

the ring. She climbed up to the top and looked in the direction of the scoreboard, her

heart racing while she waited for her total. She took in the cheering of the crowd who

appreciated any cowboy—or girl—that stayed on for an eight-second ride.

Watching the board so intently it blurred before her eyes, the red numbers for her

ride and the bull’s performance finally lit up with her scores, averaging together for

88.50. Risa whooped and threw her helmet in the air, pumping her fist and screaming

with the crowd as her name went to the top of the leader board after two rounds of riding.

That score set her in certain position for the final go round. She searched the crowd for

her partner in crime, knowing his excitement would match her own.

She found Caleb Hawkins, her boss, brother-in-law, and friend, a bit away from the

milling riders and event organizers, with a phone to his ear. She climbed over the fence

and raced to his side, eager to point out her name in the number one position. He looked

up, and the phone fell from his ear. Risa stumbled, her legs turning to jelly as she reached

him.

His blue gaze met hers, pain and sorrow filling him whole.

Risa barely acknowledged the cowboy who handed over her bull rope from wherever

it had slipped off in the competition ring. “What is it?” she asked, her heart now

pounding heavy with dread, rather than excitement.

“It’s not good,” Caleb answered, all traces of familiar humor gone from his voice.

“We need to get home.”

Risa didn’t even have to ask in order to make a decision. If Caleb said they needed to

go, she listened.

“Tell me while we walk.” She took big strides in the direction of her stored gear.

“We’ll leave right now.”

Her best score and event gone from her mind, Risa crumbled as Caleb shared the

devastating news.

* * * *

Risa wandered the perimeter of Nate’s Bait and Saddle Shop, running her fingers

lovingly over each shelf of product. As she moved to the beautifully crafted saddles, her

heart constricted painfully and a new lump formed in her throat, reminding her of her

recent loss.

She had lost Nate. Forever.

Nate Palmer had given Risa her first job and had ended up becoming such a father

figure to her that she never completely left it. When it came time for inventory, she

always lent a hand. If he needed a little extra help around the place on a weekend that she

didn’t have a bull riding competition, she always came to Nate’s and picked up the slack.

She could hardly believe he had died. Nevertheless, he had. At the funeral a week

ago, when they lowered his casket into the ground, her legs had finally buckled and she

faced the truth. Nate was gone and he could never come back.

Tears filled Risa’s eyes. She swiped them away with a hard hand, knowing that Nate

wouldn’t want her to cry over him. He had taken her under his wing seven years ago and

had never once pulled that shelter away. Even now, in death, he still looked out for her.

She could not believe what he had done.

The little bell attached to a rope on the door jingled and Risa looked up to a hard,

handsome face, one as achingly important to her as any in her life.

Duke Boone.

Dressed in jeans and a black flannel shirt, he almost looked strange to her, out of his

usual sheriff’s uniform shirt and tan Stetson.

“I figured you’d be here.” Duke pushed the door closed, twisted the lock she had left

undone, and moved into the shadowed store. For once, his gaze held only kindness, not

the brittle amber chips of impatience he usually reserved for her. “It’s late, honey”—he

used an endearment with her for the first time…”don’t you think you ought to head

home?”

Duke’s gentle tone rattled Risa and her stomach flip-flopped. She turned away, her

fingers clutched together against her middle, her mind and heart a jumble of too many

heightened emotions. Coping with losing Nate to a heart attack ten days ago, to helping

her mother put together a fitting funeral for him, to fending off intrusive conversation

with well-meaning people, to, finally, sincerity from Duke when he had done nothing but

deflect her attraction to him in the past… Everything suddenly became too much for Risa

to handle.

“Please go away.” Her voice wavered and her shoulders heaved, but she couldn’t

bring them under control. “Leave me alone.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Duke moved in behind Risa and curled his big hands

around her shoulders, spreading warmth down her arms and into her icy-cold hands.

Leaning down, he spoke next to her ear. “I’ve seen that little front light on in this place

every night this week. You keep coming here looking for answers where none exist. Nate

was one hell of a character and he lived a full life. But at eighty-five years old, it was just

his time to go. He had no regrets, and I think he loved the last years of his life the most.”

A bubble of laughter erupted and Risa’s shoulders shook.

“What?” Duke spun her around and held her at arms length. He stooped down his big

six foot five frame, putting himself on eye level with her considerable five-ten. His gaze

met hers, a smile tugging up the edge of his lip. “Why did you laugh?”

“Because of what you said about these being his happiest years.”

“So? It’s the truth. A while back I stopped by to check in on him and he had this, I

don’t know, extra spring in his step. I asked him about it, but he would only say that he

was loving life.”

Risa bit her lip, and Duke’s gaze narrowed.

“What now?” he asked. He fingered her heated cheek, and a shiver ran down her

spine. “You’re blushing.”

“I can’t say.” Risa’s entire body flamed underneath her jeans and sweater. “I

discovered it by accident myself.”

“All right. Fine.” Duke backed off, hands up. “Don’t tell me.”

Risa grabbed Duke’s hand before he could get away, afraid to lose this little

connection. Duke looked down at their entwined fingers and then lifted his amber gaze to

hers. Holding her eyes, he rubbed his thumb over her wrist. The little touch snaked all the

way up her arm and into her heart.

“Nate and my mother…” Discomfort flooded Risa, choking her words. “They shared

some … intimacy, these last four years.”

An indulgent smile touched Duke’s lips. “Did you think nobody knew that?”

Risa scrunched her brow and tilted her head. “Nobody did know.”

“Honey, people knew. They just respected Nate and Jean’s desire for privacy. Maybe

it had something to do with Nate’s age and the fact that your mother is in a wheelchair, I

can’t really say for sure. Just be thankful the town chose not to put them through the

gossip mill,”—Duke’s fingers tightened around Risa’s hand…”because you know how

brutal that can be.”

They both did. Seven years ago, town talk had centered on Risa when the now

deceased Justin MacLesten had kidnapped her, his bigotry against her brother’s

homosexuality his justification for the crime. In addition, just last year, Risa’s best friend,

Ren—Duke’s son—had been outed along with his partner, Cade, when a bad choice on

Ren’s part had almost cost Cade his life.

Wiping her brow wearily, Risa leaned against a saddle display. “Nate left my mom

every penny he had. You’ve heard that, right?”

Duke nodded.

“In the will, he told her not to save it, but to spend it traveling the world. They

watched those travel channels a lot and I could always hear them saying they should book

a trip to Greece or Italy. I think they both wanted to see Ireland too, and I’m pretty sure I

heard them ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ over an Alaskan cruise. They never got around to

doing it together, but he has given her this great gift and told her to see all those places

they talked about, and that it’ll be as if he’s there with her when she does.

“She’s going to do it too.” Risa lifted her gaze from the floor, connecting with Duke

once again. Her heart pounded and her throat felt dry. “She feels as if it would honor him,

and she has already looked into her first trip.”

“That’s good.” Duke nodded his dark head. “I’m happy for her. She’ll make a lot of

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