Page 72

“She hasn’t roped a dang thing in decades. She couldn’t wait to get her boots out of the dirt and exchange them for heels and a suit.”

“She’s still got form.” Nico pretended to think about it. Bodhi’s mom intimidated her more than a little. She was extremely discerning and hard to read, and Nico had a feeling that her ‘my father mentioned you are a lawyer’ comment held a lot more meaning than an observation. Just how far was a Colorado federal judge’s reach and how broad her knowledge?

Not that Nico had done anything illegal.

And was no longer in any danger of being censured or disbarred.

She held Bodhi’s gaze in a strong challenge, dropped the rope, holding only the tip, and then she formed the coil, the hondo, and the loop. She began to wind her wrist around, feeling the rhythm of the loop flare out in answer. Now it was all physics, technique. She had her index finger pointing straight at Bodhi.

“Careful, girl,” Bodhi said, his eyes blazing. “My mom did not teach you that move, and the only place that sexy little lasso threat is going to get you is in bed, not driving me to the hospital.”

“You can at least try to evade me,” she offered.

“Why would I do that?” He smiled. “I’m not stupid. I want to be—”

Before he could utter his last predictable word, she released the loop and it sailed gracefully over Bodhi’s shoulders, just as he murmured “caught,” and she pulled tighter than necessary.

There was a scattering of applause and more than a few laughs as Nico reeled him in. She kissed him, losing herself in the feel and fire of him.

“That’s better,” he approved. “We can take a shower in your hotel room and take our time getting ready for tonight.”

“After your X-ray, cowboy.” Nico stepped away from him and kept that rope tight.

“Cowgirl coming through,” Nico thought she heard Ben Ballantyne call out somewhere behind them.

*

“This is evenbetter than I thought it would be.” Nico sighed into Bodhi’s neck as they slow danced under the stars and the twinkle lights in the park near the majestic courthouse.

“I’m lucky to be here,” Bodhi said. “You were trying to have Dr. Telford put me in traction.”

“A cast is not traction, and he also said you shouldn’t compete tomorrow.”

Or for the next month.

“But he also said he knew that I would avoid his advice.”

“That is not something to brag about.”

“You got to give me something,” he said. “I am wearing the soft brace until the swelling goes down and then I’ll get a cast.”

“And compete.”

He grinned. “Gotta break some rules, and I didn’t hear you complaining in the shower afterward.”

“I like to save water.”

He laughed and pulled her closer. “We couldn’t have done that if Dr. Witt Telford had slapped a cast on me.”

“But I could have given you sponge baths—very thorough sponge baths.”

“Damn, I didn’t think of that.” He laughed again and noticed more than a few people were staring at them. Let them. He was with his girl in his hometown. Sure, his wrist hurt, but he’d had worse. He’d fed his girl the best steak in the nation—some of it from his granddad’s ranch. His granddad looked happy chatting with friends. The moms mingled, meeting up with old school friends, and for once not hyper-focusing on what he or any of his cousins were doing or not doing with their lives.

This was contentment. This was happiness. He smiled at Nico’s upturned face. She’d bought a dress at some point today. It was a filmy material that swayed with her body, and it was in a light green and cream pattern that brought out the color in her eyes and glow of her skin and highlighted her hair. She’d shopped with his mom, who’d actually bought some cowboy boots, to Bodhi’s shock.

“Are you sure my mother didn’t grill you? Detail my sins for hours?”

Nico laughed at his concerns. “She told me you had a wild, reckless streak a mile wide, but were far more sensitive than people gave you credit for, and she warned me not to hurt you.”