Her Cowboy Knight (14 page)

“I thought you said you’d protect me with your life.”

Kwan steered her toward Cooper. “Ah, but I am. Making sure your man knows what you’ve been up to is one way of protecting you. Now talk.”

He put a hand in the middle of her back and shoved her toward Cooper. To his credit, he stepped right up behind her to share the blame.

Cooper asked, “Where have you two been?”

Gabby held up the book. “I asked Kwan to help me go back to the old house to get this. I knew Susan would want it.”

She handed him the book. As he flipped through it and realized what he had, his eyes shot to Kwan. He leaned back against his truck. “Josh.”

He flipped from page to page, stopping at a sketch of himself on a horse. He touched the page and looked up at Gabby. “How did you find this? What… Why didn’t you say anything? How did you know about Josh?”

She shook her head. “I found it that day I went to the old house. I didn’t even know Josh existed then, and set it down when you came in the house, or I’d have given it to you. I’m sorry. I’d never have gone back to the house if it wasn’t for something so important, and I took someone with me so if something happened he could call for help. Please don’t be mad at me. I wanted to reach out to Susan when I heard her story.”

Cooper looked up at her and hugged her tightly to him. “Baby, I wish you had come to me and asked. I would have gone back with you for this, and we would have repaired those stairs for a piece of Josh. This will make the Jacobses very happy. You can give it to Susan tomorrow at the fair, okay?”

“Why tomorrow?”

Just then, Gabby noticed the tell-tale trail of dust coming down the driveway.

Cooper grinned. “Surprise.”

Gabby narrowed her eyes at him and looked at the driveway again. Only then did she start to recognize the vehicles approaching. Even from a distance, her family’s convoy of RVs, trucks, and horse trailers drew attention.

Chapter Nine

Gabby ran to meet her family before they could even get out of their vehicles. Eamon launched himself at her first, almost knocking her over. She grabbed him in a hug. “I think you’ve grown a foot. That’s it, you’re not allowed to get any taller.”

He grinned and made a muscle.

Seamus gave him a halfhearted shove. “Move over, squirt.” He gave Gabby a hug.

Gabby hugged him just that little extra bit and said, “So how’d the demos go?”

Leo stepped up for a hug then. “He did great. Only fell once.”

Gabby’s eyes shot to Seamus’. “You fell? Um, hate to tell you this, but falling isn’t part of the demo.”

Seamus shrugged. “Yeah, well, it went like this…”

Leo cuffed his shoulder. “Save it for the fire, eh?”

Gabby hugged Seamus again. “I’m sorry, Seamus.”

Seamus hugged her back. “How have things been here?”

Gabby shrugged. “Good… they’ve been good.”

Seamus put up his fists. “Do I need to take anyone out at the knees?”

Gabby smirked. “Nope. I already did it… and a few machines as well. Apparently, I’m not a good driver.”

Declan walked up at that. “They let you drive? Dear Sweet Baby Jesus…”

Moira swatted his arm. “Declan, no blasphemy in front of the children.”

She opened her arms and Gabby met Moira halfway in a long hug. “So how is my girl?”

Gabby just shook her head. Moira sighed, “Shall I get out my daggers?”

Gabby laughed. “I’m fine. I’m just so glad to see you all. Where’s Da?”

Just then she heard her father’s voice to her left. “No hug for your da?”

She turned and they both stood looking at one with all the words of their last meeting between them, then she stepped into her father’s embrace. She whispered, “I’m sorry, Da.”

He squeezed her tighter and rubbed her back. “Me too. You are definitely missed and wanted, but I wanted you to have a chance at another life.”

Gabby sniffed and wiped a tear from one eye. William patted her back once. “All right, so where do we set this camp up?”

Tender moment done and forgotten, they set about turning the Harris ranch yard into a jousting campsite. Since not everyone would fit around the table inside, they did what they always did—created a campfire site and treated the cowhands to Rennie hospitality.

Gabby lay awake that night, thinking about everyone’s reaction when they saw her competing in the bull-riding event. Now, not only did she have the bull and Cooper to worry about, but her entire family as well.

* * *

Her entire family had been invited to the fair and the rodeo since the Ren Faire had already had their closing weekend the week before. Gabby was pretty sure she was going to stay on another stop at least with Cooper, and let Seamus have another go at being the amazing blue squire. It seemed her family was pretty happy not having her around anyway, so why not.

Once at the fairgrounds, Gabby separated from the group and found Rufus. He grinned real big. “Well, you showed up. That’s a first step.”

Gabby rolled her eyes. “Of course I showed up. What did you think?”

Rufus shrugged. “If you had any brains, you’d have found a way to be sick or just called the whole thing off. But, no, you’re going to be stubborn about this. Well, you’re signed up, anyway. Or rather, G.W. is. When they all find out Miss Gabby is, there is going to be hell to pay.”

Gabby grabbed him in a hug. “Thank you for everything, Rufus. I really do appreciate it. No matter what happens.”

Rufus turned a bright shade of red. “Well, shucks, Miss Gabby, I feel kind of bad about the whole thing, but I figured you were going to do it, so I might as well give you a shot at staying alive. Besides, you’re not half bad, for a girl.”

Next, she tracked down Susan, who she found at the barrel-racing pavilion.

Susan saw her, then turned her back and kept checking her gear. “What are you doing here?”

Gabby said, “I have something for you. I found it in an old house on the property. I—I thought you… I don’t know how to say this. I just thought you might like it.”

She held out the journal. At first, Susan said, “Why would I want some old book?”

Gabby held it out further. “Just take it.”

Susan took it. “Here. Now, some of us have preparations.”

Gabby couldn’t help it. She had to say something. “Yeah, some of us do, too. I’ve got a bull to ride in a little bit.”

* * *

Susan rolled her eyes and headed for the nearest trash can. As she dangled the book over it, a drawing of herself as a little girl caught her eye. She snatched the book back and rifled through pages of drawings and journal entries. Slowly, she realized that she held in her hands a small piece of her brother, and tears began to roll down her face.

She brushed them away. “Oh, Josh.”

Just then the announcement came across the loudspeaker. “Ladies and gents, we’ve got some brave folks over at the bull-riding arena. Amateur bull riding in fifteen minutes. Head on over to cheer our local cowboys on.”

Gabby’s words sank in, and Susan realized that Gabby was serious. Gabby meant to actually try to ride one of those bulls! Susan knew she couldn’t let Gabby go through with it. She ran to the area where the bull riders prepared for their rides. Sure enough, there was Gabby pulling on a vest and helmet. Susan did what she’d done her whole life—she ran to Cooper.

* * *

Cooper was walking with Declan through some of the vendor tents when Susan ran up to him, out of breath. “Cooper! Cooper! You gotta come quick. She’s actually gonna do it, and it’s all my fault.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Calm down, SueBee. What is it?”

“It’s Gabby. I dared her to ride a bull, but it was weeks ago and I forgot about it, and I never thought she’d actually do it. I thought she’d just have to admit she was scared and back out, but she’s about to climb in the chute!”

Cooper’s eyes shot to Declan’s, and Declan said, “She would never back out on a dare.”

Cooper took off for the arena in as much of a dead run as he could, dodging people and tables, leaving Declan and Susan to follow in his wake.

* * *

Gabby went to the prep area for the riders. Rufus was busy helping with the rodeo, but his words went through her head like a string: stay up on your hand, don’t jump until your hand is free, exit toward your hand, don’t land flat-footed, keep your legs in front of the rope, don’t cross your body with your free hand… how on earth was she to remember all of this while trying not to fall off of a bucking one-ton monster, and why was most of the advice about getting off of it, not staying on it?
I guess exit strategy is everything in bull riding
,
she thought.

Finally, the chute boss told her she was next, so she put on her helmet and climbed up on the rails. Rufus looked over at her. “Are you sure about this?”

Gabby gave a half grin. “Nope, but I’m gonna do it anyway.”

Rufus said. “All right then, just like I told you.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a first-time rider with us today, G. W. McGrath! Let’s give him a nice round of applause as he gives it a whirl on Spuds!”

Before Gabby could fully wonder how something as intimidating as a two-thousand-pound angry bull could be called something as innocuous as Spuds, she found herself grabbing the rail across from her and stepping on the bull’s back. As she took a deep, calming breath, she eased down onto his back, willing herself to keep an even pulse, even though she knew it wasn’t quite possible. She petted the bull once for communion, then grabbed the rope and handed it to Rufus. After that her training took over, and she tied her hand into the rope as she had practiced so many times in Rufus’ shed. In no time at all, Rufus was knocking on her helmet, and she was nodding her head as a signal to open the chute.

Chapter Ten

Cooper ran to the side of the ring just in time to watch a figure he knew all too well climb into the chute from across the ring. His whole body went cold as he saw her nod and the chute opening. He watched in horror as the most precious thing in his life sat atop a one-ton monster that spun and jumped, bucked and stomped, then suddenly stopped dead still and did the whole thing in reverse.

A buzzer sounded and the rider jumped clear of the bucking bull, then scrambled up the fence. The crowd, which had been going crazy, erupted at the wave from their new hero, who had gone a full eight seconds with the beast.

Cooper rounded the fence, thinking of nothing but ensuring for himself that she was alive and unharmed, unlike all of the mental images of her being gored, stomped, and dragged that he’d had as he’d raced across the fairgrounds. Cooper came to an abrupt halt on shaking legs about ten yards from Gabby just as she removed her helmet, freeing her riot of dark curls. The roar of the crowd died to a murmur as people realized their hero was a girl.

Gabby took one step toward him, smiling and arms spread, but Cooper held up a hand and shook his head. He couldn’t trust himself to react at that moment, so he did the only thing he could do in the circumstances without grabbing her and shaking her—he turned and walked away.

* * *

As the rodeo continued around her, Gabby stood in shock. She couldn’t believe Cooper had rejected her, but reject her he had. Publicly.

Gabby gave herself until the count of ten to collect her courage for the long walk back to collect her gear. She refused to give the town any more gossip by puking on her boots or collapsing in a heap like she wanted to do. No, once she finished her internal count, she took a deep breath, and took the first step of the rest of her life. She had given this her best shot, and she had succeeded as her best self; if Cooper didn’t want her, then he didn’t want her. Best she knew it now and cut her losses.

As she yanked her riding vest off, she turned to find Rufus waiting behind her. “Wondered how that would go.”

Gabby looked down. “Well, I thought he might take it a little better.”

Rufus patted her on the shoulder. “You did great, by the way.”

“Thank you, Rufus.”

She quickly found Declan. “I’d like to go now.”

Declan said. “Are you sure?”

Gabby nodded. “I’m sure. There’s nothing for me here. It’s done. Please. I’d like to go quietly. Can you get the others?”

Declan nodded and drifted off to quietly inform the others of Gabby’s request to leave, not just the rodeo, but the area. They gathered quickly and returned to the ranch where Gabby packed her few possessions as quickly as possible. They headed toward the next town in less than an hour.

* * *

Cooper stalked away from the bull-riding arena, not really sure of what he was feeling. He knew mainly that he had to get control of himself before he confronted Gabby, or he’d paddle her backside raw, and probably in front of a hundred witnesses, which, if it didn’t get him arrested, would at least embarrass her to death.

How could she put herself in danger like that? What was she thinking? How could they even allow a girl into the competition? How’d she even learn to ride? How had she done? Come to think of it, hadn’t she gone the full eight seconds? How was that even possible?

He wanted answers, but most of all he wanted to see Gabby and assure himself that she was okay, and then he wanted to take her someplace private and spank some sense into her, and then lay her down and impress on her that he was her man and she was to ask permission before doing anything… like risking her life on a two-thousand-pound bull. As he neared the arena, he could hear them start announcing the winners of the rodeo.

“And in second place… believe it or not, ladies and gentleman, a first-timer placed second this time… our own G. W. McGrath. Come on up here, G. W., and get your belt buckle!”

A long pause followed the announcement, then the announcer said, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, it seems G. W. isn’t here to collect, but Rufus will accept on his, I mean, her behalf. And in first place…”