Page 21 of Headstrong Cowboy (Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys #2)

C hrissy smoothed down the dress Tilly had picked out for her.

The mint-green color looked good against her caramel-colored hair.

She had to give it to her baby sister..

. she knew her fashion. If she moved to a large city again, Chrissy bet Tilly would get a job in a clothing store and she’d style all the customers to perfection.

Perhaps she should suggest that to Tilly, although she seemed settled in her current position.

But there had been many a time in the past where they all thought Tilly had found her perfect job, only for their flaky sister to change her mind a few months later.

She still never spoke about why she’d gone to Houston, simply saying that an opportunity had presented itself.

Chrissy hadn’t been in Marietta when Tilly returned, just heard it from her mom, and like she’d done with her father’s calls, Chrissy hadn’t followed up to see if her sister had been okay—like she should’ve.

Maybe if Tilly did decide to leave her current job, then Chrissy could suggest working as a personal stylist.

“Do I know how to pick clothes or what?” Tilly came into the room with the earrings she’d gone to get.

“I was just thinking that. Have you thought about making a career of it?” So much for not saying anything, but now that it was out there, Chrissy wasn’t sorry she’d said anything.

In a flash, her demeanor changed and she went from happy to... haunted. What was up with that?

“Um, no. Not for me.” Tilly gave the earrings she held a shake. “Now put these in and then you’ll be ready. Ryder is going to swallow his tongue when he sees you.”

Her quick denial and change of subject had Chrissy wanting to press her, to find out why the idea of being a stylist caused such a reaction from her.

Especially as Tilly had always liked fashion.

As much as she wanted to tell her sister that she needed to stop flitting from thing to thing, she kept her words to herself.

Now wasn’t the time. There was too much happening.

Chrissy hoped that Tilly would find herself and her true passion because what she was doing wasn’t it.

Chrissy silently took the earrings and put them in. They were dangly and had a tiny cowboy boot suspended from a thin gold chain. “These are cute. Where did you find them?”

“I got them online a couple of weeks ago. Not long after you said you were going to enter the rodeo. I thought you could wear them and they might bring you luck, but maybe they’re better for tonight than when you compete.”

The sweetness of the gesture reminded Chrissy that beneath Tilly’s flightiness beat a heart of gold, and Tilly would do anything for her and Sunny.

As the youngest, she’d always been doted on by their dad.

Maybe that was the reason for the way she was.

Frank loved Tulip and always told her it didn’t matter what she did.

That she could try a hundred different things, and she would eventually find something she was passionate about.

Tilly had apparently taken those words to heart because Dad had been her hero and, while she didn’t show it, Chrissy was aware that there was now a void in Tilly’s life which had been filled by their father.

Chrissy went up to her sister and hugged her tight.

“Thank you. I love them, but you’re right.

.. they would be annoying when I compete.

I know what I’ll do. I’ll wear them when I enter the arena with all the other competitors at the beginning of the event, and then I’ll wear them as soon as I’ve finished. ”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I want to. Okay?”

“Okay.” Tilly’s smile could’ve lit a hundred candles. She may have said that Chrissy didn’t have to do what she said, but she was glad that Chrissy was going to do it. “Now you need to get going. Ryder will be here soon.”

No sooner had the words left Tilly’s mouth before the doorbell echoed through the house, and butterflies burst to life in Chrissy’s belly.

Why was she nervous?

This wasn’t the first time she and Ryder had gone out, but somehow tonight seemed more special than their first date at the Main Street Diner.

“You’ve got this, sis. Have a great time and you deserve everything good that is happening to you right now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy, even on your wedding day to Beau.” Tilly squeezed her hands and then slipped out of the room, leaving Chrissy to look at herself in the mirror.

Did she look different than she had on her wedding day?

She’d been nineteen then and had stars in her eyes, envisioning a future that wasn’t meant to be.

But had she been excited and nervous? No, she’d been calm because she’d known at the end of the aisle, Beau would be there.

Steady and reliable Beau... until he hadn’t been.

“Chrissy, Ryder’s here. Why are you still in the bathroom?” her mom asked as she poked her head around the door frame.

Tonight wasn’t about the past. It was about the future, and as much as she’d thought she’d said her goodbyes to Beau, part of her still clung to the safety of what their relationship had been.

The very reason why she’d stayed for so much longer than she should’ve.

It was time to cut it loose. Time to release it to the universe and let it float among the clouds.

“Can you tell Ryder I’ll be with him shortly, please? ”

Eunice came up to her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just need a minute.”

“Okay, take all the time you need. He’s rather handsome to look at, your Ryder.

I don’t mind spending a few minutes with him.

” She finished with a wink and walked out of the room, leaving Chrissy shocked.

For the first time since Frank Bloom had passed, Eunice had shown some of the humor that she let peek out on occasions.

It was good to see. Grieving was hard, and Mom had grieved in her own way, so seeing a little of the old Eunice Bloom was a relief that she was still in there.

Chrissy turned back to look at herself in the mirror, recalling why she’d asked for a couple of minutes of privacy.

She looked at the ring on her right hand, the promise ring Beau had given her all those years ago.

She didn’t normally wear it during the day, but when she was going out, habit had always had her putting it on.

Her engagement and wedding rings were long gone.

Sold without a hint of sadness. This promise ring, though, had been a link to Beau she hadn’t wanted to cut, but now was the time.

Slipping it off, she pressed her lips to it and whispered.

“Thank you for everything, but it’s time to really let you go.

Bye, Beau. You’ll always have a special place in my heart. ”

She quickly slipped down to her room in the basement and opened the door that led to the gardens.

The gold plating on the ring had worn off and the tiny stone that was supposed to be a diamond, but was most likely a chip of glass, had lost its luster years ago.

It hadn’t cost a lot, but getting it had meant something to her when she was sixteen.

Now she didn’t need it. Closing her eyes, she lifted her arm and tossed the ring as far as she could.

She didn’t want to know where it landed.

The last part of her past was truly gone.

The future was ahead of her and she didn’t know what it held, but she hoped that Ryder would be a part of it, if he wanted to be.

*

Tilly had been right. The moment Ryder had seen her, his eyes had turned dark and slumberous. Full of promise. A promise she wanted to make come true.

“Which is your favorite? Brisket. Ribs. Sausage. Pulled pork. Or maybe it’s corn?

” she asked as she forked some of her own brisket into her mouth.

The flavors of the rub burst on her tongue.

.. pepper, paprika, and a hint of chili.

Around her, the tables were full and there was a lot of laughter.

The mood was one of excitement, and Chrissy couldn’t help but be caught up in it.

“That’s like asking a bull rider who his favorite bull to ride is.” Ryder winked and ate some of his sausage.

“Did you have a favorite bull?” It wasn’t often that Ryder talked about his career. She could understand why he didn’t, but he’d opened the door a crack and she was going to push through it.

“There was one beast called Calm Bill. If you drew him, you knew you were in for a not so calm ride. He was the orneriest, meanest bull on the circuit, and I pulled him more than any other cowboy.”

“And did he buck you off every time?”

Ryder sat up straighter and puffed out his chest. “No, ma’am.

In all the times I rode him, there were only two occasions where I didn’t make the eight-second time limit.

Every other cowboy got bucked off after four.

All of them asked me what the secret was, and I just shook my head and said there wasn’t one. ”

Chrissy was fascinated by the story and wished, once again, she could see him ride a bull again.

She had watched a couple of videos of him online, and she’d held her breath every time, even though she knew he was okay because he was living and breathing in Marietta.

“You must have had a certain way you rode him.”

Ryder shrugged. “A bull rider never gives away his secrets.”

“Aha! So you admit to doing some sort of voodoo magic on Calm Bill.”

Considering the way Ryder had been so reluctant to stay in town for the rodeo, he was showing no indication that he was uncomfortable. Here he was, relaxed, eating barbecue, and talking about his bull riding days. His eyes were sparkling with happiness. “I admit to nothing.”

Chrissy pointed her fork at him. “You can say that, but I know better.”

Ryder put his fork down and leaned toward her. Her tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry lips. “Is that right?” he asked, his voice low and sexy. Shivers of desire rippled through her and she wanted so much to cup the back of his head so that she could kiss him.

“Uh-huh.” It was the only word she was capable of speaking. All the noise around them faded until it was as if they were in a bubble underwater.

“You know what I’m going to have to do now, don’t you?”

“I don’t,” she whispered, wishing that he could read her mind and kiss her. Every time they kissed, it was better than the last time.

“Then I guess I’ll have to show you.”

She had a second to prepare for his lips landing on hers. She sighed, glad that he got her silent messages. Chrissy didn’t care that they were surrounded by people. That they weren’t the only ones at the table. To her, it was just the two of them—Chrissy and Ryder.

Ryder pulled away too quickly for her liking. “Trust me, I didn’t want to stop. But there are kids around, and I don’t think anyone here is prepared to see what I’d really like to do to you.” His lips brushed her ears, doing nothing to quell the desire thrumming through her veins.

“I’m glad one of us is sensible,” she quipped.

If she’d had her way, she would’ve climbed onto his lap and given everyone around them a show.

As it was, she was sure their kiss was going to make its way back to her mom.

Not that her mom would care, especially after she commented about how good-looking Ryder was.

“Trust me when I say I wish I wasn’t.” Ryder moved away to give them some breathing space and began to eat again.

Chrissy followed suit, wondering how much longer they would have to stay. The Graff was nearby, and Ryder had a perfectly good hotel room which had a perfectly good bed in it.

Conversation continued all around them, and she looked up to see if everyone was looking at them.

Her gaze snagged on a woman seated down at the end of their table.

She fanned herself. Chrissy felt the heat start at the bottom of her neck and rise up.

She could do nothing but laugh because they had put on a spectacle and, if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t a bit sorry about it either.

It felt good to be free. It didn’t matter that there was every chance that Ryder would drive off into the sunset, but for a while, she was going to enjoy the time they had together. But deep down, she hoped that when Ryder drove off into the sunset in his truck, she was seated next to him.