And Then You Dare (Crested Butte Cowboys Series Book 5) (22 page)

“Nothing else?”

Bullet put his arm around her shoulders and drew her in close.
“Before I make a mess of this, tell me, is it okay to kiss you out here in
front of God and everybody, or are we still a secret?”

Tristan leaned over, kissed Bullet’s cheek, and gave him a
sweet smile.

He’d be keeping the more heated stuff at bay until she gave
him the all clear. He wasn’t going to push her in any way. If he did, she might
leave, and that would break his heart all over again.

“We’ve got some celebratin’ to do ol’ Bullet.” Billy Patterson
slapped him on the back. Bullet was so happy tonight even Billy wouldn’t get to
him.

“Back to our place, right darlin’?” Billy said to Renie.

“God yes,” she answered. “Mom is taking Willow and Sutter over
to Bill and Dottie’s tonight. I pumped breast milk every chance I got so I could
have a
cocktail.
”

“Oh, I hoped to see the baby,” sighed Tristan.

“You can see him all you
want tomorrow. You can hold him all you want tomorrow.” Renie smiled. “I say
that now, but tonight is the first time I’ll be away from him, so you probably
won’t be able to pry him out of my arms tomorrow.”

Bullet watched Tristan talk to Renie, and to his sister. She
fit in with this bunch even better than he did. He wondered if she missed them
when she was in New York. They sure as hell missed her.

“You up for this?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. Things are way too quiet at home. Plus, the chance
to be in a room with three legends of rock? Who would want to miss that?”

“My gram, your gramps.”

“How about that? It was sweet of her to recognize it wouldn’t
be his thing. Something tells me it’s just the kind of night she’d enjoy.”

“You’re right, she would,” Bullet laughed. “She’s a
firecracker, ain’t she?”

***

Tristan had never seen so many guitars in one place, and all
of them were acoustic. Mark, Caleb and Ben each had a stool, and then right
behind them, their own rack of instruments.

“Tonight will be the first time anyone but the three of us
have heard these songs,” Ben told them.

“And they’re damn good,” added Caleb.

“These two jokers think we should go on tour,” added Mark. He
had been away from touring and the music business for two decades. He still
wrote music, and made a hell of a lot of money at it, but he kept his
involvement quiet by writing under a
nom de plume.

“Liv should be here,” Tristan whispered to Bullet.

“She is.”

Liv walked in the door while the guys were still tuning
guitars and testing sound equipment. She came over and sat next to Tristan.

“I was just saying to Bullet that you should be here.”

“Dottie agreed. She informed me Sutter was just as much her
grandson as mine, and she’d be the first to get to watch him overnight since
she was the oldest.”

“Really?” Tristan thought that was an odd way of looking at
it.

“She was teasing, of course. Although she is the oldest,”
smiled Liv. “Dottie is like a second mother to me, and has always been like a
grandmother to Renie. And now here we are…in-laws.”

The guys started to play their first song, “Mountain Harmony.”
Their sound was so different from what Tristan expected. Their voices blended
beautifully. She supposed that most heavy metal rock songs started out this
way. Simple voices, unplugged, melodic.

Lyric got up and went to the front door. Slade Weston walked
in, guitar in hand.

“Did you know he played guitar?” whispered Bullet.

“Lyric mentioned something about it.”

“I have a feeling he’s gonna be way out of his league with
these guys.”

Before they started the next song, Ben invited Slade to join
them. And proved Bullet wrong.

“Where’re you stayin’ tonight?” Bullet asked Tristan, but was
looking over at her father.

“Lyric was gracious enough to offer to let us stay at her
place tonight when she heard we had booked a hotel in Colorado Springs.”

“I guess sneakin’ in your window would be out of the question.”

“My daddy and granddad have concealed carry, so I wouldn’t
recommend you trying.”

Bullet pulled her close and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Damn. I want to be alone with you Tristan. I missed you so much.”

“I know.”

“Think we can make it happen one day this week?”

Tristan shook her head. “I don’t see how Bullet.”

Shit. That was bad news.

“Bullet, please don’t…”

Oh no. More bad news. “Let’s go outside a minute.” He pulled
her with him toward the door leading to the outside deck.

“Please don’t what?”

“I was going to say please don’t worry about it. We’ll find
the time. What did you think I was going to say?”

He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close to him.
“Something about please don’t do this, or please don’t expect anything from
me.”

“I haven’t been fair, have I?”

“No, you’ve been fine. The chaps…hey that reminds me. What’s
the ‘d’ stand for?”

“You saw it?” She smiled so sweetly. God, he loved this woman.
It took every ounce of willpower he had not to tell her so.

“I did.”

“Daughtry. It was my mama’s maiden name.”

“It’s beautiful.” Bullet pulled Tristan over to the Adirondack
chairs. He sat, and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her.

“Tell me about her.”

***

Under the starlit sky, Tristan told Bullet everything she remembered
about her mother. At first she wasn’t sure she could. She never talked to
anyone about the woman who loved her more than anything, and vice versa.

Tristan saw her mother everywhere she looked, in every
beautiful thing God made. She could still hear her voice whisper to her,
especially when she was feeling all alone. And if she closed her eyes real
tight, and concentrated real hard, she could still imagine how it felt to have
her mother’s arms around her.

She told Bullet the first time Dottie hugged her, she cried.
Dottie hugged the same way her mama did, all in. It wasn’t just Dottie’s arms
wrapped around you, she wrapped you in her love too.

Her mother loved to draw, and taught Tristan how to draw. She
still had some of the dresses her mother made for her when she was growing up.

“That’s why you became a clothing designer.”

Tristan nodded. “She never used a store-bought pattern.”
Tristan told him her mother would draw the dress, and then take it apart in her
mind, drawing each piece on what would become her own hand-drawn pattern.

“I bet she’d be so proud of you.”

“I like to think she is. Sometimes I feel as though it isn’t
my hand drawing. Or sometimes I look back through the pages, and I’ll see a
design I don’t remember drawing.”

“That’s awesome.”

“I miss her so much Bullet.”

He gathered her closer still. “I know you do darlin’.”

***

Tristan was quiet for a while, but then said something Bullet
didn’t expect.

“The bull rider, you know, the one who broke my heart. He was
there tonight.”

“I know.”

Tristan sat up. “How do you know?”

“He approached me. Introduced himself.”

“What else did he say?”

Bullet wasn’t sure whether to tell Tristan the full extent of
their conversation, but decided that with her, even white lies wouldn’t fly.
“He said he knew you, and that you were somebody very special.”

Tristan looked up at the sky, but didn’t speak. He could feel
the tension in her shoulders.

“That was all he said. I’m not sure if it was meant as a
warning, or what.”

“I don’t know why he’s here. He didn’t enter.”

After the cowboy walked away, Bullet asked around. No one
seemed to know who he was, or why he was behind the chutes. No one except Buck.

“He’s a dirty rider,” Buck told him. “Glad to see he wasn’t
entered here.”

“If he’s not entered, what’s he doin’ here? Cowboy Christmas
and all.”

Buck told him he couldn’t say for sure, but he’d heard talk
that there had been thefts at several of the rodeos where Walter Harris was. No
one could prove it was him, but he was a suspect. “He’s down on his luck.
Hasn’t ridden well at all for the last couple years.”

“You think he’s casin’ this rodeo?”

“I can’t say, but why would a fella who’s been a contender in
years past, not compete at every rodeo he could this time of year?”

Bullet agreed. It didn’t make sense. But then again, Buck
didn’t know about Walter’s past relationship with Tristan. Maybe that was the
real reason the cowboy was in town.

“Buck knew him,” Bullet finally said to Tristan. “Said he was
dirty. Also said there’s folks who think he’s responsible for thefts at other
rodeos he’s been to.”

Tristan shuddered. “I can’t believe I was ever with him. How
did I judge him so badly?”

Bullet could answer that, but wouldn’t. If he had he would’ve
said it was because he was charming, and women like Tristan were easy to read.
She was an easy mark. Just enough spunk to be tough, but when it came to men,
an innocent. Instead of the usual buckle bunnies, Tristan was a nice girl, a
real cowgirl. A challenge. Guys like Walter preyed on girls like Tristan.
There’d been a time Bullet was one of them. If Bullet told her any of that,
he’d just confirm her fears about getting involved with him.

“Bullet?”

“Yeah darlin’?”

“I’m sorry I ever compared you to Walter. You’re nothing like
him.”

Bullet wished Tristan hadn’t said that. He had no choice, he
had to tell her the truth. Even if it meant he was going to lose her.

***

1980

“Where would you like to celebrate our anniversary this year
sweetheart?”

Bill had continued competing on the rodeo circuit and the two
traveled often, especially around Colorado and the mid-west. Sometimes Clancy
and his mama would travel with them. But he never entered a rodeo the week of
their anniversary.

Every year for the last eight, Bill planned a trip for just the
two of them. Being home only reminded him of Dottie’s terrible accident two
days after their wedding. He was sure Dottie thought about it too.

“I want to stay home this year Bill,” Dottie was looking out
the window, toward the main house where Clancy and Jane still lived.

“Why don’t we go to Gunnison? I’m sure some of your high
school friends still live in town.”

“Bill, I need you to sit down.”

“Why?”

“Just sit. There’s something I need to tell you.”

Bill’s heart went into his throat. “What is it
sweetheart?”

“Will you be at the rodeo tomorrow night?”

Tristan smiled. “Of course I will be. I’ll be here all week.”

“What do you say just the two of us go someplace quiet for
dinner after?”

“Bullet, I don’t—”

“Just dinner Tristan. And talk. I’ll bring you home safe and
sound before curfew.”

She was a twenty-seven-year-old woman. She shouldn’t need a
curfew.
It wasn’t as though she had one, but since she was staying
at Lyric’s house with her daddy and granddad, she had to show them respect, and
that meant not staying out all night with Bullet.

“I’d like that very much Bullet.”

***

Buck Bishop couldn’t be at the rodeo tonight, but he told
Bullet he’d be back the following night, and he expected to see his name on the
short go. To move on to the next round, Bullet had to cover his bull again
tonight. He sure hoped he did, especially with Tristan watching.

“Hey Simmons,” Bullet heard someone shout. He turned his head
to see Walter Harris approaching him. Bullet threw his rosin and some leather
straps down on the ground. “What do you want?”

“Just wanted to give you a heads-up, I’m here to win her
back.”

“I’m afraid you’re in for disappointment son, the lady has a
date with me later on tonight, and every night after.”

“I’m sure she’ll change her mind once she knows I’m here.”

“She already knows, and I get the impression she doesn’t give
a shit.”

“You never forget your first. Ain’t that what they say? And
I’ll tell you, after the first time, she turned into a real wildcat in bed.
Woohee, she was some kind of—”

Bullet had heard enough. He turned his back on Walter and
watched as the next rider rosined his bull rope.

“She’s a damn fine piece of ass, but my guess is you know
that. She been makin’ the rounds of the bull riders here? Is that her thing
now? I got her started—”

Bullet jumped off the back of the chute and took a swing at
Walter, then another. Stormy and some of the other guys from the Flying R team
ran over and pulled Bullet off of him.

“You keep your dirty, lyin’ mouth shut, you hear me asshole?”
he shouted at him. Bullet rubbed his knuckles. He hit him with his riding hand,
and that was damn stupid.

The guys got between Bullet and Walter. “Get your head where
it belongs Bullet. And you,” Stormy pointed at Walter. “Get the hell out of
here. You don’t belong back here. If you don’t leave, I’ll have you thrown
out.”

Walter rubbed his jaw and smiled at Bullet. “Mark my words,
that cowgirl will be leavin’ with me tonight.” He motioned in the direction of
the Flying R reserved boxes.

Bullet spun around to finish what he started, but Stormy
stopped him. “He’s tryin’ to get into your head. Don’t play into his bullshit.
Think Bullet. Get ready for your ride, and forget this asshole.”

***

Tristan watched the whole thing take place. She hated that
Walter was able to get such a reaction out of Bullet, especially when he was
about to ride. Why the hell was Walter back here again tonight? She was about
to find out for herself.

“Where you goin’?” asked Lyric.

“I need to ask someone something.”

“You’re goin’ to talk to that cowboy that Bullet just leveled
aren’t ya? Isn’t that the same guy I asked you about last night?”

“Yes, it’s the same guy.”

“You sure as hell aren’t goin’ to talk to him by yourself.
Come on. I’ll go with ya.”

“Lyric please. You don’t have to.”

“Sisters stickin’ together,” Lyric said as she put her arm
through Tristan’s and tugged her in Walter’s direction.

“Well hey there darlin’, I was hopin’ I’d run into you
tonight. Who’s this pretty young thing with ya? If you two lookin’ for some
two-on-one action, I’m your man.”

“I hate you,” Tristan spat at him. “I don’t know why I even
bothered to come over here.”

“Come on now, you know why you did. You miss me, admit it.”

“I don’t see much about you there’d be to miss,” added Lyric.
“What’re you, some kinda wannabe cowboy? Hangin’ out at the rodeo, hopin’ to
pick up a cowgirl too stupid to know you aren’t the real thing?”

“Oh my, I like this one. Fiery as hell.” Walter got closer to
Lyric and was about to put his arm around her when she elbowed him in the
stomach.

“You touch me and I’ll finish what my brother started.”

Walter dropped his arm. “Well, well, ain’t this interestin’?
Bullet’s your brother? Is that what you said?”

“Yep, that’s what I said. Now c’mon Tristan. This scumbag
isn’t worth our time.”

“Before you run off, there’s somethin’ important you need to
know about your boyfriend.”

“There isn’t anything you tell me that I’d believe.” Tristan
turned to walk away. “Go to hell Walter.”

“One day soon you’ll find out the truth about Bullet Simmons,
and when you do, I’ll be here waitin’. No denyin’ it Tristan, you and I will be
together again one day very soon.”

“Hell will freeze over first,” Tristan said to Lyric. “I don’t
know what I ever saw in that man.”

“Well…”

“What? After all the filth he just spewed? You can’t seriously
think he’s anything but disgusting.”

“It isn’t that, it’s just…”

“Spit it out Lyric. It’s just what?”

“Now that I’ve seen him up close, I never could’ve gone for
him. I mean I know he’s an asshole, but before he opened his mouth, I never
could’ve.”

“I hate to even ask, but why not?”

“You never noticed how much he looks like Bullet?”

Ew.
Now that Lyric mentioned it, they did have
several physical characteristics in common. They were about the same height,
same color hair, same blue eyes. They probably weighed close to the same too.
If she had to describe either of them to a sketch artist, the description would
be the same.

“You don’t think it has anything to do with your brother and
me, do you?”

“Does it?”

“God, Lyric. Of course it doesn’t.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m sure Bullet wouldn’t notice. Guys
never do.”

“It’s a coincidence.”

“He is disgusting. No offense.”

Tristan shuddered. “You got that right. And none taken.”

***

Bullet’s second ride was okay. Scored in the seventies, but
with last night’s eighty-eight, his average put him in the top three. Tomorrow
night’s ride would be the most important. Even if he covered his bull, he’d
have to ride a score over eighty again to be in the top two that went on to the
finals.

Given the mosh-up with Walter Harris earlier, it was
surprising he rode as well as he did tonight. Bullet knew better than to let
another rider get into his head right before he got on a bull. He wished he
knew why the hell the guy was still in town.

Tristan was sitting in the stands alone when he came out from
behind the chutes. He needed to stow his gear, but when he went to look for his
rosin and tie-downs, they were gone. He wondered if that bastard Harris was the
one to take them. They weren’t worth a lot, but that wasn’t the point. Among
cowboys, a rider shouldn’t have to worry about his gear going missing.

“Hey pretty lady.” She sure was a sight to behold. Her long
dark brown hair shown through her straw drifter cowboy hat that sat low over
her eyes. Her light pink tank top showed off her dark skin, tan from the sun.
Her tight jeans were tucked into her Cinch Edge pink wave boots.

“You talkin’ to me cowboy?” Tristan looked over both
shoulders. “Guess I’m the only one here, so you must be.”

“Even with a crowd of thousands, you’d always stand out as the
prettiest of ’em
all.”

“Aw shucks, guess you know
how to win a girl’s heart, don’t ya?”

She was playing. Bullet
knew that. But given what he wanted to talk to her over dinner tonight, their
flirtation was turning his stomach.

“Bullet? What’s wrong?”

He wrapped his arm around
and pulled her close to him. “Not a thing now that you’re in my arms.”

“Did Walter get to you? I
saw what happened.”

“Nah. He’s not worth even
thinkin’ about.”

“Lyric and I went and
talked to him. It was a waste of time.”

He wished she hadn’t. And
as much as he wanted to know what they talked about, he didn’t want it to
monopolize their time together. “You ready darlin’?”

“I am.” He took her hand
and she followed. “Bullet, are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yes ma’am. Everything
except I’m starvin’. How ’bout you?”

Every time he tried to bring up his past over dinner, Tristan
said something that made him want to wait. They were seated in a corner booth
at the new Cowboy Star restaurant, and she cuddled right up next to him. As
much as he knew he had to come clean with her, the idea of ruining such a
perfect night was too much for him.

“I have an idea,” she told him over dessert.

“Yeah? I have a lot of ideas,” he nuzzled her neck, and
trailed kisses back to her nape.

“We have the same idea. And I have a surprise for you.”

“You do?”

Tristan had arranged for a room at the Broadmoor for the night.
She told Bullet she hated lying to her daddy, but she told him she was going
out with the girls, and instead of risking the drive home, they were adding on
a sleepover at the posh hotel.

“Won’t he find you out?”

“Your sister swore everyone to secrecy. He and grandaddy are
having dinner with your gram at Bill and Dottie’s again tonight. Everyone else
is on their own.”

“I sure nobody slips up and tells him.”

“You scared of my daddy cowboy?”

“You’re damn right I am.”

“Yeah, you’re right to be.”

“He ever meet Walter?”

“Ugh. I wish you hadn’t brought him up.”

“I’m sorry. Forget I asked.”

“Just once, and he didn’t like him much. Turns out he was
right. He usually is.”

“What’s he think of me?”

“I overheard him talking to your daddy last night. He said he
thought you were a fine young man.”

Really? That was a surprise. Unless Hugh McCullough was
starstruck enough by his daddy that he just said it to be nice.

***

Tristan watched Bullet as he slept. When they made love
earlier, he was so tender. A couple times he just stopped moving, held her face
in his hands, and stared into her eyes. It was as though he had something to
say, but couldn’t bring himself to say it. If she didn’t know better, she
would’ve thought he was getting ready to say goodbye.

***

When Liv planned a real girls’ get together the following
night, Tristan was in a bit of a bind. Bullet didn’t know whether her daddy
knew she’d really been with him the night before, but when he told his daughter
he understood and to go have a good time with her friends, Bullet breathed a
sigh of relief.

He’d miss being with her tonight, but she deserved to have
some fun on her own.

“You sure you don’t mind?” she pulled him around the corner to
ask.

“Of course I don’t.”

She wanted to know what he was going to do. He’d probably just
go back to the house and get some rest he told her. Things didn’t exactly go
the way he’d planned. The guys from Flying R Rough Stock, along with his daddy
hijacked him and Slade for a guy’s night out.

“Hell,” said Billy. “If they can do it, so can we.”

Bullet wondered who was watching Billy’s new baby, but that
wasn’t any of his business so he didn’t ask.

At four the next morning, he stumbled into bed, glad that he
didn’t have to be back at the rodeo until four that afternoon. He hoped to hell
he’d be sober by then.

***

“I wonder how the guys are feelin’ this mornin’,” said Lyric.

“Which guys?” asked Tristan.

“All of ’em. From what Slade told me, things got pretty wild
last night.”

“Did Bullet go out with them?”

“Oh yeah, and I guess he really tied one on. I think there
might’ve even been some dancin’, and something about a fight. Oh yeah, that
reminds me, he also said Walter Harris showed up.”

“Are you serious?”

“What? That’s what boys do when they go out to play Tristan.
You oughta know that. It’s Cowboy Christmas. Not only do the cowboys get to
ride and win, they also get to play.”

“What happened with Walter?”

“I’m not sure, but Slade said something about him confronting
Bullet again.”

“You don’t think Bullet and Slade ended up…”

“Ended up what?”

“You know, with other women?

“Of course not, where did that come from?”

From Walter. That’s where. He was the type of man she couldn’t
trust to go out with the guys, because he’d end up with another woman.

***

1980

“I think I’m pregnant.”

Bill was glad she told him to sit down, because if he hadn’t,
he might’ve collapsed. “But I thought you couldn’t.”

“The doctor said he didn’t
think
I could.”

“Is it safe?” If Dottie put her health in jeopardy in order to
have a child, Bill didn’t know what he’d do.

“I have a doctor appointment tomorrow to confirm that I am
really pregnant. I want you to go with me. We can ask questions then.”

What if the doctor told them it wasn’t safe? What would they
do? Would Dottie want to abort the baby? Or would she? Knowing his wife, she
would never take the life of their child. Even if it meant her own life was at
risk.

Neither got much sleep. When Bill saw faint light through the
window curtains, he got up and fed the animals. Dottie’s appointment was at
nine. He had to keep himself busy until then or he’d go crazy.

“Your test came back positive,” said the doctor. Dottie held
Bill’s hand so tight while they waited, she near cut off his circulation. “I’d
like you to have an ultrasound so we can determine how far along you are.”