Page 15 of Unforgettable Cowboy (Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys #1)

“I ’m so glad you came to meet the new kids. They’re going to need some socialization and I won’t let them go until I’m certain they can function in a family environment.”

“I understand.” She was also patient. “How long?”

“Depends on the dog. But…” Edna’s eyes crinkled at the corners as if she had a juicy secret she couldn’t wait to share. “If you are willing to get a younger dog, one of my contacts just dropped off a litter of puppies.”

“Puppies?” Hayes said in a way that had Bailey fighting a smile despite her disappointment at having to wait to get a companion. “What kind?”

“By my best guess they’re generic ranch dogs.” Edna gestured to a door next to the counter. “You can take a look.”

Hayes and Bailey followed Edna in the back area of the shelter, where three skinny short-haired dogs—one black, one dusty brown and one a mottled gray—huddled at the back of their respective kennels. Bailey’s heart immediately began the melting process as she stared into uncertain brown eyes.

“They’re very frightened,” Edna said as they passed. “But my foster parents do amazing work and I believe they will be transitioned into forever homes in a matter of months. I’ll introduce you after we see the pups.”

She rounded a corner where the larger kennels were situated and, in the one nearest to the rear door were three wiggling pups, two black with white spots and one white with a black head.

When they approached, the puppies started paddling their way toward the sound of their footsteps, whimpering as they slid along the kennel floor.

“We think they are close to four weeks old.”

“How long until they can be adopted?” Hayes asked before quickly looking at Bailey.

“You can have first choice, of course.”

Bailey shook her head. “I can’t raise a puppy on the road.” She knew many vendors who traveled from show to show with their pets, but those were grown dogs. It would be harder to give a puppy the necessary attention while traveling.

Edna took hold of the kennel door. “I can’t let you handle them today. It’s simply been too stressful for them all, but if you come back tomorrow, you can.”

“They’ll probably be all spoken for tomorrow.” Hayes crouched low to get a better look at them, his mouth curving into a gentle smile as he poked his fingers through the mesh.

“There’s a chance of that,” Edna agreed, sounding quite satisfied with the possibility.

Hayes pursed his lips, studying the squirming black-and-white potatoes. He rose to his feet and turned to Edna. “I’d like to fill out an application.”

Edna smiled. “I like a person who can make a firm decision. But remember, a dog is a huge commitment, and you need to be ab-so-lute-ly certain as opposed to being blinded by puppy cuteness.”

“I’ve been thinking about getting a dog for a while. Missed having a dog, actually.”

“So not a first-time owner.”

Hayes let out a short laugh. “We had so many dogs on the ranch, but they got old and after my brothers and I left, Wade never got another. The thing is, I’m home now.”

Edna nodded as if he’d given the perfect answer. “Let’s fill out some paperwork.”

While Hayes filled out the application, Bailey lingered near the kennels, talking to the newly rescued dogs.

They were all fearful, but the gray female—Storm, according to the hand-lettered card in front of the cage—inched forward on her belly when Bailey crouched down, her tail moving just enough to give Bailey hope that the little dog wanted to connect.

“Aren’t you a beauty?”

The tail bumped the ground a little harder, but when Bailey put her fingers through the mesh, the dog retreated.

“It’ll take time,” she said. She rose to her feet, moving on to the next two kennels.

The other two dogs were larger, probably better for protection, which Bailey would appreciate traveling alone, but that little gray dog drew her back.

There was something about her, a vulnerability maybe, that Bailey found touching.

Kindred spirits, perhaps? Bailey took great care not to reveal her weaknesses, but this girl had no such qualms. She needed help and she was not above asking with her soulful brown eyes.

When Bailey stepped through the open door into the office, Hayes was on the second page of the application form.

“I would really like to meet Storm again after the foster period.”

Edna beamed. “That would be wonderful. If you’re truly interested, I can see that you get updates as she progresses.”

“I’d like that,” Bailey said, which resulted in her filling out a much shorter form.

“Keep in mind that if you do decide to adopt, Storm will need a permanent home for several months before you take her on the road. Stability is key.”

“We can see to that,” Hayes said. Bailey somehow managed not to give him a sharp look, which might have blown the reassuring effect his words had on now-smiling Edna. Hayes was going to help her out. It almost felt like they were going to be parents together.

Fine. She could handle being dog parents. It was simply a matter of one friend giving another a hand.

“Did you honestly know you wanted a dog when we left the ranch?” she asked as they exited the facility.

She wasn’t yet ready to bring up his easy assurance that Storm could stay on his ranch for the stability period.

Or perhaps he’d simply assumed that Bailey was going to return to the homestead after her season ended. Was she?

She hadn’t thought that far ahead. There were tons of places where she could park and live between rodeos. But the homestead was free.

“I’ve been thinking about getting a dog for a while now. I couldn’t have a pet on the Buckhorn, but I’m not there anymore, so it feels like the right time.”

“Did you quit the Buckhorn to take care of Wade?”

“I did, but the day was coming no matter what.” When Bailey slid him a curious look, he said, “The Buckhorn might look like a ranch on the outside, it’s a corporate monstrosity on the inside.”

“How’d you come to work there in the first place?”

“Lack of better options. That’s the downside of pro rodeo. You train year-round, so it’s hard to build the skills for a real job. But, thanks to Wade, I know ranching, and I did well there. Until it sold.”

“Then?”

“Not so well.”

“Very clarifying.” Bailey made a face at him before climbing into the cab of the truck.

Hayes got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He put the truck in gear and turned onto the surprisingly empty highway before saying, “Let’s just say common sense practices went out the window once the new managers with no ranching experience took over.”

“That sounds awful.”

“They dressed funny, too.”

Bailey laughed and their gazes connected in a way that made her remember the times when they’d been so at ease with one another. When things had felt right.

You’re older now. No more starry eyes of youth. Most importantly, Hayes seemed to be on the same page.

So why do you still feel low-key threatened?

Because she didn’t trust herself not to fall for this gorgeous cowboy again?

The thought hit her hard as she stared through the windshield, watching the lines on the road disappear under the front of the truck. She wasn’t doing that. They could be friends. They could be more…but she was not going to change her life.

She pulled in a breath and a sense of calm came over her.

She was the one pulling the strings of her own life.

No one else. She shot Hayes a sideways glance, saw that he was lost in his own thoughts, then focused back on the road as they approached the Marietta city limits.

As he’d said before, communication was key.

They weren’t kids anymore.

But she also wasn’t going to let him know that the old fears she had before were raising their ugly heads.

*

Marietta was not the place to buy wireless headphones.

Bailey had a feeling Hayes knew that going in but had hoped for an easier solution than online ordering or traveling to Costco in Bozeman.

Their last stop was Big Z’s Hardware store, which carried a nice mix of everything from cookware to nuts and bolts.

Hayes was immediately shot down by a helpful employee but decided to mitigate his losses by replenishing the fencing supplies that Bailey had burned through that month.

They were in the checkout line, both carrying a heavy basket of various screws and staples when a man eased up behind them. Bailey’s grip unconsciously tightened on the basket as he moved just a little too close to her.

“It’s been a while.” The voice was familiar and charming and made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.

Calm. Stay calm.

Hayes turned before she did, but Bailey ignored him, somehow managing a bemused expression as she met Chance Meyer’s curious gaze.

“Six, seven months. How are you?” She kept her voice on the cool side, as the friend of a soon-to-be ex-wife would do. She was about to ask him what he was doing in Marietta, but Hayes beat her to it.

“Here early to check out the facility?” he asked, matching Chance’s fake-friendly tone.

Chance obviously knew the rodeo facility well, having competed in the Copper Mountain Rodeo in the past, but Hayes simply waited for the man’s answer, as if it were a reasonable question.

“Interviewing for a job.”

Bailey hoped she looked neither guilty nor threatened, although both emotions were pretty much swamping her.

“Not heading south?” she asked.

“I am. I won’t start until after the National Finals. That’s part of the deal.” Chance eyed her curiously. “You’re also here early.”

This guy, who’d made her friend so miserable in the name of love, was not going to shake her. “I wanted some quiet time to make stock between rodeos. I could either stay where I was or come here early. I decided to enjoy Marietta for a few days. It’s quiet when the rodeo isn’t in full swing.”

Chance gave her a thoughtful look. “Where were you before?”