And Then You Dare (Crested Butte Cowboys Series Book 5) (12 page)

How had all this been arranged without anyone mentioning it to
him? Bullet was beginning to think they were right, he did need a break. Maybe
he was already having a break—a mental one, and that was why so much of
what was going on around him made no sense.

“How much of a break did Bill and Dottie say I needed?”

“A week.”

What was he supposed to do for a week?

“And before you start over thinkin’ it. Bill has a place lined
up for you to go.”

“Oh yeah?” Bullet laughed. “Am I bein’ committed somewhere?”

His dad laughed too. “I told your mother you were gonna say
that.” Caleb looked over his shoulder. “Hear that Guinie? Bullet wants to know
where we’re committing him.”

His mother came out of the bathroom wiping her hands on a
towel. Bullet could hear Grey speaking his gibberish to Gram, who sounded as
though she was loving it.

“She’s soaked from head to toe, but with a big smile on her
face.”

Bullet looked his mother up and down. Gram was right about
her. She didn’t look to have a drop of water on her, but he knew she’d been
right in there playing with Grey.

His mother looked herself up and down. “What?”

“Gram said you could play in a mud puddle and not get dirty.
Looks as though you can give Grey a bath and not get wet either.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” She sat down at the table and
covered his hand with hers. “Bullet, it’s hard work taking care of a baby boy.
On top of that, you’re running a big part of the ranch for the Pattersons.
Don’t start imagining anyone is unhappy with the job you’re doing just because
they care enough to want you to take a vacation.”

“If I’d had some notice I might’ve been able to plan
somethin’, but I can’t leave right now. I talked to Pearl’s mama yesterday.
She’s supposed to call me back today about gettin’ her up here for a couple
weeks.”

“Your mama talked to Pearl’s mama. We’ll go get her the day
before you get back. She’ll be stayin’ with us for a month.

“A month?” Bullet scratched his head. He wanted to see his
little girl, there was no doubt about it. But first they were suggesting he
take a week off, and then have two kids with him for a whole month when he
could barely keep a handle on one.

“It’s all settled. We’re stayin’ on to help with Grey and
Pearl. Bill has made arrangements for you to visit the ranch he grew up on. And
while you’re there, you’ll be riding bulls.”

“Are you serious?” Bullet couldn’t contain his smile. Was this
really happening? A whole week riding bulls. This must be some kind of dream.
Or there was a catch. Was he going there on behalf of Flying R Rough Stock?
He’d call over and talk to Bill once he finished eating his dinner.

“Look Guinie, he can’t help grinnin’.”

***

“Where am I going?” Tristan asked her daddy.

“It’s a place in McCoy, Colorado. They want us to do private
label work for them. Enough that it warrants a trip to see them.”

But, she’d just gotten home. She hadn’t had a chance to talk
to him about her plans, or even show him and her granddad the designs she’d
done. She couldn’t argue with him, if her father needed her to go, she’d go.

“Now don’t get a pout on little girl. You love traveling.
Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me the last few years?”

He was right. She did love to travel. Or at least she used to.
Now all she wanted to do was spend a week at home.

“Yes, Daddy.”

“You go get some rest. Your flight doesn’t leave until noon
tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” she gasped.

“Yes, tomorrow. You’re flying into Denver, and then taking a
commuter flight to Edwards where someone from the ranch will pick you up. It’s
another hour from there.”

She studied her father as he spoke. It wasn’t like him to make
arrangements without discussing it with her, especially when she’d just gotten
home.

“This must be some deal.”

“Yes, it is. And Tristan, I expect you’ll represent us well,
as you always do.”

“I better unpack, and then pack again.” Tristan went upstairs
without hearing the conversation that took place between her dad and granddad
after she left the room.

“She’s gonna be mad.”

“I know Dad, but she needs some time off. If I left it up to
her, she’d get something else in the works before I could stop her. This was
the only way I could get her to take a break.”

“Mighty nice of Liv Rice to suggest it.”

“She did more than suggest it, she arranged it. Tristan will
have a cabin all to herself for the week. If she wants to hibernate and work on
her designs, she can. If she wants to go on a trail ride, or hike, or sit in
the sunshine, she can do that too.”

“Has she shown you any of them yet?”

“No, and until she does, not a word that we know about it.
Understand Dad?”

Tristan’s granddad chuckled. “Hasn’t been me peekin’ at ’em
when she wasn’t lookin.”

***

Bill warned Bullet the ranch was a long way off the main road.
“I remember the first time Clancy took me there. It felt as though we were on
that old dirt road for hours.”

“It was a long, bumpy ride,” smiled Dottie. “I still remember
it, although it’s been years and years since I’ve been out there. Who knows,
maybe they paved the road by now.”

“Can’t say what they’ve done to the old place. It’s changed
hands a number of times since Clive finally passed away. His kids didn’t want
anything to do with the place.” Bill turned to Bullet. “Take some pictures for
me, will ya?”

“Of course. And thank you again.”

The smile left Bill’s face. He stepped closer, and poked his
finger into Bullet’s chest. “You’ve got everything you need to be a champion
bull rider. Take this week and get the hell out of your head for a while. Focus
on the buck, not the bull.”

Bullet could’ve finished Bill’s sentence for him, he’d heard
it so often. This week would be different though. He wouldn’t be checking the
time to make sure he wasn’t late to pick up Grey. He wouldn’t be worried about
the broncs fighting, or anything else to do with the rough stock. This week
would be all about bull riding, and nothing else.

“I’ll say it again, I don’t know how to thank you.”

Dottie pulled Bullet into a hug. “You thank us every day
sweetheart, with how hard you work.”

“Well, I best head over to the house, say goodbye to my
family, and get on the road. What time am I meeting the flight in Edwards?”

“You need to be there by 3:30. If you leave in the next half
hour, you should have time to stop for lunch on the way.”

Bill told him the folks at the ranch asked if Bullet would
mind picking up another guest from the local airport. Since there were few
guests visiting this early in the year, their staff was short-handed. Bullet
didn’t mind. The fewer people who were there this week, the better. Now that
he’d accepted he was going on vacation, the peace and quiet appealed to him.

“Uh, how will I know who I’m picking up?”

Dottie went back into the house. “I almost forgot. She’ll be
looking for this sign.” She handed him a sign that said
Black Mountain
Ranch.
“She’ll find you.”

She? Now this was an interesting development. One other guest,
and he was meeting her at the airport. The week was looking more and more
promising. Bullet could use a romp with a pretty cowgirl. Maybe then he’d be
able to get his mind off Tristan McCullough.

***

Tristan’s father told her to look for someone holding a sign
saying
Black Mountain Ranch.
She was the only person
they were meeting, and the airport was small, he told her. She shouldn’t have
any trouble finding her ride.

“Daddy, when I get home, there’s something important I want to
discuss with you. So please don’t make any other travel arrangements for me
until we’ve had time to sit down and talk.”

“No problem little girl. You have a safe flight, and a good
time.”

A good time? That was odd. She had business to conduct. He’d
walked away before she could ask him about it. Must have just been a slip.
Usually he told her to come home with a pad full of orders.

Tristan breathed a sigh of relief when the flight attendant
closed the cabin door, and no one had claimed either of the empty seats in her
row. It was bad enough that she was on an airplane again so soon. It would have
been much worse if she’d been stuck with another boorish passenger who wanted
to talk the entire flight.

Yesterday had been a nightmare. Walter spent most of the
flight trying to chat with her. When she put on her headphones, snuggled under
her cashmere pashmina and closed her eyes, he moved into the center seat, and
offered his shoulder for her to rest her head. She didn’t answer, just turned
her back on him.

When he thought she was asleep, Tristan overheard him flirting
with the all-too-willing-to-flirt-back flight attendant. Listening to them made
her sick to her stomach. She turned the volume all the way up on her iPod, and
it still wasn’t enough to drown them out entirely.

When they landed and were waiting to depart, Walter tried
again to woo her into having a drink with him. Instead of bothering to be
polite, she simply answered “no” to each thing he asked. He hadn’t been polite
when he slept with half the women at every rodeo he attended, not giving a
second thought to his “girlfriend.” She didn’t need to be polite to him now.

His parting words when he walked by her in baggage claim were,
“This isn’t over Tristan. I want you back. I need you back.” He leaned and
whispered, “We were so good together baby. I know you want me as much as I want
you.”

She’d rolled her eyes, but he had walked away. They might see
each other at various rodeos, unless she saw him first.

Once they were airborne, Tristan closed her eyes. Today was
going to be a long one. A nap would do her good, if she could only fall asleep.

“We’re getting ready to land miss,” the flight attendant touched
her arm. How could it be? Had she really slept the entire flight? Usually she
couldn’t sleep at all on planes.

Tristan had a one hour layover in Denver, but needed to get to
the other side of the airport to catch the regional flight to Edwards. Fortunately
many of her flights changed planes in Denver, so she was familiar with the
airport.

An hour later she landed at the small airport near Vail. There
would be no baggage carousel. Someone would bring the luggage on a cart. Once
she had her bag, she’d look for her ride.

***

Bullet dozed off sitting in the airport waiting for the flight
from Denver to arrive. He woke with a start and realized he’d dropped the sign
on the floor beneath his chair. He reached down to get it. When he straightened
up, he saw a woman looking out the window on the other side of the small termi
nal. He rubbed his eyes. From behind she looked so
much like Tristan. Wow. He really needed to get laid, and get his mind off the
elusive Miss McCullough.

He stood, holding his
cardboard sign in front of him. He looked around the airport for any women who
looked lost. So far everyone who had walked through had done so with the
determination of someone who knew where she was going. The woman by the window
turned, as though she was looking for someone. Bullet met her eyes at the same
time she recognized him.

“I don’t understand,” she
approached him.

“Hi Tristan. How are you?”
he smirked.

“I’m
fine
Bullet. Now, please explain yourself.”

“Explain myself?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t
know what’s going on here. How did you arrange this? A better question would be
why did you do this? How in the world could you have thought this was a good
idea?”

“I don’t have any idea what the hell you’re talkin’ about.” He
was annoyed now, so he stepped around her, out closer to the walkway. “I’m
meetin’ someone here to give her a ride. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see if I can
find her.”

“Uh, Bullet. You’re looking
for me. Or I’m looking for you. Black Mountain Ranch. That’s what your sign
says, right?”

“Oh. Shit.”

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re
caught. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go find out when I can catch a flight
back home.”

“Wait a minute,” Bullet
tried to catch Tristan’s arm, but she yanked it away. “Hold up a sec.” She
walked faster down the short length of the terminal.

Bullet sat in the closest
chair. One way or another, she’d be back. He checked the board at the desk when
he came in, there were no other flights scheduled in or out today. He crossed
his arms in front of him, and waited.

***

“You really didn’t know you were picking me up?” she asked, as
Bullet threw her bag into the back seat of the cab.

“Nope.”

“And what are you doing here again?”

“Bull riding.”

“I don’t understand. My daddy said the owners of the ranch
wanted to meet with me about private labeling some of our clothing. This is
quite a coincidence, don’t you think?”

“Yep.”

He opened her door for her, and held his hand out to help her
up. She was used to getting in and out of trucks, so she ignored his offer and
climbed in on her own.

“Where is this place?”

Instead of answering, Bullet handed her the sheet of paper
with directions to the ranch.

“Read ’em to me.”

“You ever heard the word ‘please’?”

“Nope.”

What was his problem? It was logical for her to assume he was in
on this. Did he really expect her to believe he didn’t know she was the one he
was picking up? Irritated, she set the map back on the seat of the truck,
folded her arms, and looked out the window.