Page 16 of Unforgettable Cowboy (Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys #1)

Hayes touched Bailey’s shoulder, making her jump and reminding her of the times that Bruce had quietly directed her mom in public with a word or a touch.

Hayes is not Bruce.

As he proved with his next words.

“Not to be rude, but I need to get back to Wade. It was good bumping into you.”

Hayes spoke easily, obviously playing along with her ruse that she’d only been in Marietta for a matter of days, but the set lines of his face told her that he was in protect-o mode.

The last thing she needed was Chance to think she needed reason to be protected, but he seemed to take Hayes’s presence at face value.

“My uncle injured himself,” Hayes explained to Chance. “I’ve got to get home before the caretaker leaves.”

Bailey gave Hayes a polite smile. “It’s been great seeing you again. Tell your uncle I hope he gets better soon.”

Hayes turned his broad back to them to start the checkout process, and Bailey pulled out her phone, ignoring Chance as she pretended to check a message.

After Hayes removed his card from the pay terminal, he wished Chance good luck with the rodeo, gave Bailey a quick yet distant nod then headed for the exit like a man on a mission.

Bailey hefted her basket onto the counter.

“Doing some fencing?” Chance asked curiously. Had he noticed that her basket and Hayes’s contained almost identical items?

“I’m repurposing this stuff.”

“Jewelry made out of screws?”

She gave him a cool smile. “You’d be surprised at what sells.”

“Have you seen Jenna lately?” Bailey didn’t know if Chance saw her back stiffen, and she didn’t care.

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t heard from her in months.”

“That seems odd.”

“No. It seems right. She’s working through the shit you put her through and when she’s ready to talk, she’ll get hold of me.”

She picked up the heavy paper bags of screws and headed for the door, hating that this man made her feel self-conscious at a time when she needed supreme confidence.

Fortunately, she could fake supreme confidence, but her back still stiffened when Chance called, “If you hear from Jenna, tell her I’d like to talk. ”

Bailey wanted badly to middle-finger him, but decided that might be too much for someone supposedly out of touch with his soon-to-be ex.

She walked past Hayes’s truck and down the sidewalk toward the credit union. She heard Hayes’s truck start moving, but she didn’t look back until she turned into the credit union parking lot, and he rolled in after her. She got into the truck without a word and settled in the seat.

Then she let her head drop back against the headrest and closed her eyes. “What an asshole.”

“Not going to argue with you.”

“Do you think he knows we were together?” She needed reassurance and for once she was going to ask for what she needed.

“As long as he doesn’t see us drive by, I think we’re good. He has no reason to look for the mare on my place.”

Bailey closed her eyes, glad that she didn’t need to explain anything to the man sitting beside her. He’d followed along perfectly without her having to say a word.

“Hopefully he doesn’t even know about my place,” she murmured.

“Hopefully,” Hayes echoed, the steel in his voice a warning that he wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense from Chance Meyers. For that, Bailey was grateful.

*

Bailey was quiet on the drive back to the ranch and about a mile from the driveway, Hayes reached over to take her hand, the way he used to do when they were riding in the Power Wagon.

Bailey laced her fingers through his without looking at him, which was a message. Physical contact was fine. Emotional connection not so much. Fucking Bruce what’s-his-ass had done a number on her and now her friend Jenna had put her in a position where she had to lie.

He squeezed her fingers and let go, bringing his hand back to the wheel to turn into the ranch. Estelle was waiting on the bench in the yard, just as she’d been when he’d been late for the interview.

“He’s watching television and I’m saving my ears.” Hayes smiled and she reluctantly smiled back. “I couldn’t handle the noise.”

“Will you be back?”

“Of course. I don’t give up on either a commitment or a challenge.” She directed a dark look toward the house. “And your uncle qualifies as the latter.”

After Estelle drove away, Hayes walked with Bailey to her truck.

Despite her attempts at I-don’t-care, she carried herself stiffly.

Too stiffly. Hayes put a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped.

She managed to hold her careless expression for all of two or three seconds, then it faltered as if the effort had become too much.

“Coming face-to-face with Chance wasn’t as easy as I’d anticipated.”

“You know, you could move your trailer here.”

She shook her head. “I think I did okay convincing him that I’ve only been in Marietta for a short time.” She squeezed the muscles at the back of her neck. “Thanks for playing along.”

It was the second time she’d thanked him.

“Didn’t have much choice, did I?”

“Not unless you wanted to give me away.”

“Wouldn’t do that.”

“I know,” she said softly.

And those words, simple and quietly stated, made his heart muscles squeeze with emotion. He wanted to tell her that she could trust him in all things, but could she?

Could she trust him not to fall in love with her again?

You’re most of the way there, man.

He was. And not at all certain what to do about it.

*

Will I see you at the Copper Mountain Rodeo?

An innocent enough question if someone had the means by which to check Jenna’s phone.

Again, she felt like she was being overly paranoid, but seeing Chance had revived the feeling that they needed to proceed with caution.

What if some enterprising lawyer got a search warrant for the phone in his quest to run down the location of the missing mare?

Bailey had not expected an immediate answer to her text, so she was surprised when her phone chimed a few seconds later.

Yes! I can’t wait to see you! It’s been forever.

Bailey hesitated, then tapped out:

I saw Chance today.

My condolences *extreme sad face emoji*.

Bailey smiled a little at the instant reply, then started typing.

I’m looking forward to big sales at the Copper Mountain Rodeo and even bigger sales when I move on to Laughlin.

I wish I could be on the road with you again. Good memories. I’ll be chained to my desk earning a living.

Can you give me some coded reassurance?

Bailey was glad that Jenna was doing okay, but she really wanted to know if her friend would be picking up Dakota Sunshine on schedule so that she was free to travel to Laughlin.

She’d done her best to help her friend out of a jam, but she couldn’t in good conscience leave Marietta if Dakota Sunshine was still on the Tree Fork.

And it wasn’t like she could take the mare with her.

She set down her phone, then jumped when it rang. She did not recognize the number but answered anyway.

“Bailey?”

“Jenna.” Bailey pushed her hair back from her forehead, studying her reflection in the dark window over her small worktable. The face that stared back at her was both relieved and concerned.

“Sorry I haven’t been in touch, but I’m still working out next steps, where to live, et cetera.” Bailey understood that her friend was talking about the mare rather than herself. “The first place I looked at isn’t going to work out, but I’ll find something.”

She sounded determined.

“How are you holding up?”

“Now that I’m not in contact with Chance, much better. Did he say anything when you saw him?”

“Just asked if I’d heard from you, which I haven’t.”

Does he suspect?

Jenna didn’t ask the question, but Bailey knew she was thinking it. She also remembered Pinto’s scanner that picked up cell phone calls. If Pinto had such a device, anyone could.

“I may not make the events leading up to the rodeo, but I will be there, and we can catch up on old times.” Jenna gave a soft snort. “I’ll tell you a cautionary tale about the aftermath of whirlwind romances.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about me.”

“Trust me, I’ve been giving that some thought.” She was silent for a moment, and Bailey realized how lonely her friend must be with only her alcoholic father to see her through the rough times.

“Looking forward to seeing you. We have a lot to catch up on.”

“Yes, we do,” Jenna agreed. “And don’t worry about me. I’ll have a firmer life plan in place by the time I see you.”

“I’m glad. It’s hard starting over.”

“You have no idea.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up, but Bailey couldn’t focus on her engraving. Instead, she sat on the sofa bed and replayed the conversation in her head, wondering if they’d given any clues to anyone who might be listening.

And the fact that she was thinking that way told her just how distrustful and imaginative she’d become. Texts and emails could be subpoenaed, but to think that live phone calls were being monitored… This wasn’t espionage.

Bailey drew the curtain across the portal window, blocking out her reflection.

On the other hand, Dakota Sunshine was worth a lot of money—enough to qualify as grand theft.

Bailey didn’t regret taking the mare, but she wanted this situation resolved.

She wished she hadn’t involved Wade, but she had.

Keeping the horse on the Tree Fork had seemed harmless enough when she’d made the deal with Wade, but now, as she conjured up possible consequences of her actions, all sorts of awful scenarios played through her head, all involving her getting an old man arrested.

He didn’t know, and you had permission to take the horse. Jenna owns at least half of the mare, if not all of her. This isn’t about getting into trouble, but rather your friend not getting screwed over by her ex.

Uh huh.

That was the trouble with living alone. It was easy to let fears blossom with no one there to help gain perspective.

You could talk to Hayes. He knows the score.

Or she could talk to her mom who didn’t know the score. Just catch up with one another without worrying about men or horses. And she hadn’t yet told her about Wade. She reached for her phone and Helena answered almost immediately after the call was connected.

“Bailey!” She sounded delighted, then her voice shifted to wary-mother mode. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine with me.” She wished she could unload about Jenna and the horse and her worries about accidentally involving the Matthews family. She couldn’t bring herself to do it, so she went with the more pressing news. “Wade had an accident a few days ago.”

“Oh no.”

Bailey filled her mom in on the details, sounding remarkably nonchalant as she mentioned that Hayes was back taking over the ranch until the Parkers returned.

She finished with: “I’m glad Hayes was able to stay because that frees me up to go.

Wade’s slated to make a full recovery if he behaves himself. ”

“Glad to hear it, stubborn old buzzard.”

“You didn’t go with Steven this week?”

Last year her mother had met a man as gun-shy as she was. They enjoyed each other’s company and then retreated to their neutral corners. A match made in heaven and one that her mother found satisfying.

“Not this time. He’s guiding that entitled nature photographer I told you about into the Absarokas and I don’t have the patience for people like that…anymore.” The last word was laced with grim humor. “How’s life on the homestead?”

More complicated than expected, thanks to Jenna and Hayes.

Bailey’s throat closed a little, which made her voice sound thick when she said, “Actually pretty good.” The memories were there, but she was beating them back.

“And you’re still planning to head south immediately after the rodeo?”

“Yes. I’m excited to start hitting the shows.” She had more stock than she’d ever had, which meant that she could concentrate on selling rather than creating for a few months.

“I worry about you traveling alone.”

Of course she did. She was a mom. “I’m trying to get a dog.”

“What an excellent idea. Something big and intimidating I hope?”

Bailey thought of smallish Storm, who’d stolen her heart with a pair of soulful brown eyes. “Well…”

“Or a Chihuahua,” Helena added. “They’re freaking scary.”

Bailey laughed and promised to keep her posted on Wade’s recovery and her future plans before hanging up.

The trailer seemed abnormally silent after the call, but Bailey felt better.

Her mom had overcome odds and so would she.

The situation with Dakota Sunshine would soon be resolved and her growing feelings for Hayes would be dealt with in a time-honored way—by time and distance.

Only this time she wouldn’t have to leave a note.