Rodeo Blues (14 page)

"Will I see you later?" he asked, holding his
breath.

"I…" She glanced away and he wondered if she
would refuse, but then he realized where her gaze had landed. The
stands. Where Mayor Dirkly had been earlier.

He cursed under his breath as he glanced over
his shoulder to confirm what he already knew. Mayor Dirkly sat
there with his straw hat low on his head. He was sipping some cold
drink he'd purchased at the stand.

Tye glanced at Jolie again. "You know he
can't talk to you right now, but he might be at the cookout
tonight…"
But you'll be too busy having a good
time to seek him out
, he said to himself, but she didn't
have to know about his plans to distract her.

"Sure," she said, and her shoulders seemed to
relax. "I'll meet you at the bandstand. It would help if you were
with me when I talk to Mayor Dirkly, don't you think?"

"Uh-huh."

"I plan to close the booth at the fairgrounds
at five," she told him.

"I should be finished just about then too.
I'm supposed to ride at three. I'll need to head back to the hotel
for a shower. I shouldn't be any later than six."

"Perfect. I'll have everything loaded in my
truck by then."

"See you later." Tye couldn't keep his eyes
off Jolie's swaying hips as she strolled away with Whisper at her
side.

"Nice on the eyes, ain't they?" Buddy
teased.

He glanced at Buddy who was wiping the sweat
from his brow with a bandana, and leaning over on the fence.

"Man, it's hot today," Buddy added.

Buddy felt the heat too, but he had a hunch
it had nothing to do with the sweltering Texas sun beating down on
them.

Chapter Nineteen

Five o'clock couldn't roll around fast enough
in Jolie's opinion. She and Whisper packed up their belongings and
carted them back to the store before they headed to the bandstand.
The scent of barbequed meat filled the air, along with the sweet
scent of cotton candy and other wonderful delights.

"I see Buddy," Whisper said and pointed.

"Go. I see you're itchin' to."

Whisper glanced at her. "Are you sure?"

"Tye is here somewhere." She glanced around
at the happy faces enjoying the evening out with friends. Then she
spotted Tye as Jimmy Burns dragged him toward the stage. She looked
back to Whisper. "Guess he's going to sing. I'll wait for him here.
Go, be with Buddy."

Whisper was all smiles as she weaved her way
over to where the cowboy stood. Buddy noticed her coming his way
and waved, but then Whisper proved difficult to miss with her
bright colored outfits, not to mention her Amazon height. Buddy's
lips curved and his eyes lit up. The man was definitely
smitten.

The sound of the microphone blared a sharp
note over the speakers and she turned her attention toward the
stage.

"We have a pleasant surprise for you folks
here tonight," Sonny said into the microphone as he turned toward
the stairs where Jimmy and Tye finally made their way onto the
stage. The crowd roared with
yee-haws
and stomping of their
feet. "Tye may be the unstoppable, the unbeatable Ghost Rider from
the rodeo circuit, and I heard he's still in the lead at our Cowboy
Christmas in July Rodeo after today's ride…" More shouts from the
crowd, and Sonny had to wait a few seconds to continue. "But before
fame and fortune, we all knew him first, right here in Skeeter
Blue. Some of you may recall he used to sing with the band and he's
honoring us with a guest appearance tonight. Let's give it up for
Tye Casper!" The crowd roared again.

The band was back together, Jolie thought –
at least for the night. She'd be the first to admit she'd been a
groupie, tagging along when they performed, and cheering them on
when the crowd had dwindled. They were talented and she didn't say
this lightly. Mike's strong voice blended perfectly with Sonny's
and Tye's. They harmonized well together, with or without the aid
of music, but the boys could put the great bands to shame as well.
Jimmy was the best fiddler in these here parts.

To prove her point, the band played a
personal favorite of hers, something Sonny had written when he'd
been dating Ora Ann. He married the girl, and they had two boys
now, a third child on the way. Her gaze returned to Tye, tall,
muscular, and a smile that turned a woman's head. In high school,
she dreamed of marrying Tye and starting a family with him.
Well…not right out of high school, but someday. She'd wanted to go
to college, had thought they would go together to the University of
Houston. She smiled and shook her head at her young and fanciful
thoughts.

Then we grew up
, she
thought, but it didn't ruin the memory of youth's hopeful desires.
Her gaze landed on Tye who sang next to Sonny, both sharing the
microphone attached to the stand. People were dancing and carrying
on and a group of high school girls were staring up at Tye as if he
were a rock star. She did a little sighing herself. A girl or woman
could dream about running her fingers through those dark strands as
he held her close.

"What are you smiling about?" Whisper asked
as she came to stand by her, Buddy at her side. "Thinking how
you're going to slow dance with Tye Casper later on?" she
added.

"The thought never crossed my mind." She
couldn't stop her lips from curving even if she tried.

"Remember, I'm a psychic. I know when you're
lying."

Jolie rolled her eyes, but linked her arm
through Whispers. "Maybe you can convince Buddy to give you a whirl
on the dance floor. How are those psychic skills working now?"

"Oh, boss lady, I don't intend to wait for
him to ask," she said as she turned toward Buddy and winked.

No, she wouldn't. Whisper had a mind of her
own and she'd convince the guy she was with that her way was the
way to heaven, even if the devil himself stood there with his
pitchfork. She almost felt sorry for Buddy. He didn't stand a
chance. Whisper grabbed hold of Buddy's hand and the couple headed
toward the dance floor, Whisper leading the whole way.

Tye sang three songs with the band, the songs
Tye and Sonny had written together when they believed they had a
shot at a record deal. Unfortunately, it never panned out. After
the last song finished, Sonny spoke into the microphone again,
"That was Tye Casper, folks. Give him a big hand."

The audience hooted and clapped as Tye waved
to the crowd and headed off the stage. She knew when he spotted
her. He tipped his hat back on his head and smiled. It would take
him a few minutes to thread his way toward her through this crowd.
She decided her best course of action would be to stay put.

When Jimmy took over the spotlight, there was
a roar of applause again, and her attention shifted toward the
stage. The man could play as if the fiddle and he were one and the
same. His wife, Margie sat near the bandstand stomping her foot
with the rest of them.

"Want to dance, pretty lady?" the deep voice
said from behind her.

"Sure," she said as she turned, expecting Tye
to be standing there. Her smile froze as her gaze landed on Jhett
Reeves. His hand was outstretched toward her. She was about to tell
him she wasn't interested, but he must have sensed the refusal
teasing her lips and took hold of her hand, dragging her toward the
dance floor.

"Stop," she demanded, but her voice was
drowned out by the music.

Once they were on the dance floor, he whirled
her around to face him, drawing her near with one hand on the small
of her back and the other holding fast to her hand. "It's just a
dance, Jolie," he said with a pout, and she stopped struggling.
"Surely that isn't too much to ask."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, one dance. That's
it." They danced to the tune in silence for about half a second
before Jhett ruined the moment by opening his mouth again.

"Were you waiting for Tye to ask you to
dance?" He didn't quite keep the sneer out of his voice.

"Let's not talk." She glanced at the crowd,
wondering where Tye had gone. She'd been sure he'd spotted her when
he came down from the stage, but now she wasn't so sure.

"You shouldn't have married him," Jhett
said.

She knew it wouldn't take too long before he
realized Tye had been telling the truth about their impromptu
marriage.

"He'll just break your heart all over
again."

Didn't she know it, but she didn't need Jhett
to remind her.

"Me and the boys," he continued, "thought
Casper had gotten the point when we ran him out of town all those
years ago, but he came back anyhow. Hardheaded bas—"

"You and the boys did what?" She interrupted
and her eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" Could the
music be too loud and she hadn't heard him correctly? "You didn't
just confess to me that you ran Tye out of town, did you?"

"You make it sound like we did something
wrong." He shrugged.

Her mind raced at images of Jhett and his
boys confronting Tye. It wouldn't have been a pleasant chat. She
knew Jhett. He could be a bully when he had friends with him. "What
did you do, Jhett?" She stopped dancing and didn't care they were
being pushed away to make room for those who wanted to kick up
their heels.

Jhett inhaled, inflating his chest. "We told
him what was what. That's all I'm saying. We thought we'd heard the
last of him when he packed up his belongings."

Jolie thought back to the night Tye had said
his goodbyes. She hadn't known at the time it would be the last
night she would see him. He arrived at her house with a shiner and
a swollen lip, but he told her he'd fallen off the roof of his
trailer trying to fix a leak. She hadn't believed the story then
and now she knew why it hadn't rung true.

Tye had been different after that. He'd
decided not to go to college, said it was never his dream. Said he
didn't have the grades, but she knew he was smart, knew with just a
little effort he would do well in school. He didn't want to hear
it. He'd been district champion of bronc riding the last two years
of high school, and he decided to go pro. She'd been disappointed,
but didn't want to hold him back if that was truly what he wanted
to do. She wanted to go to college, and he encouraged her to follow
her dreams. They'd promised each other to make it home for
Christmas. She'd kept the promise, but he never showed. When she
tried to call him, his phone was no longer in service.

"It was you," she accused. "You beat up Tye
after our last senior dance, didn't you?" It was why Tye had
changed. Why he'd distanced himself from her. It had been subtle,
but now she understood. Jhett played into Tye's insecurities that
he didn't belong, that he didn't deserve to be with her.

She stepped away from Jhett. Funny, how the
music faded away, to be replaced by her heart racing through her
veins and thrumming loudly in her ears. He was about to answer, but
she held up her hands. "No. Don't say it. I don't want to hear your
whiny excuses about how you and the boys took care of things. I can
well imagine what you did. You disgust me." She whirled away,
intent on putting as much distance from Jhett as she could, but his
hand snaked out, grabbing her upper arm.

"Let me go," she insisted and turned to him.
Really, it would be in his best interest. She couldn't trust
herself in his presence. All those years she'd wondered why Tye
left her behind. She believed he'd grown tired of her. She believed
he wanted to cut ties because they were out of high school, and he
wanted to be free. She never dreamed his decision had been made
because Jhett and his goons beat him until he agreed to leave and
not come back.

"Not until you hear me out," Jhett said. "You
think Tye's the innocent one here. Have you asked him why he's
returned to Skeeter Blue? You can't really believe it was just for
our rinky-dink rodeo we hold every year." His hatred for Tye was
evident in his voice, dripping from his words. "He wants to meet
with me come Monday morning. Just got a notice from his lawyer.
What else could he want but to settle the score?" He shook his
head. "Don't know what the bastard thinks he'll prove. It's my word
against his."

She couldn't believe Tye would return to town
for such a petty reason. He'd made a name for himself with the
circuit. He didn't need to return to Skeeter Blue to prove anything
– least of all to Jhett Reeves. Only she wondered why after all
these years he did return. They held the Cowboy Christmas in July
Rodeo every year. So, why now? She'd be a fool to believe it was
solely because of her.

Then she frowned as she realized what Jhett
had said. Since when did Tye have a lawyer? Why would he need one?
And why would he make an appointment to see Jhett on Monday?

"You don't have to worry," Jhett continued,
"I'll stand by you." He rambled on about commitments and other such
nonsense. She really wasn't listening. "You won't be ruined," he
said. "I'll marry you. Once you divorce him, of course."