Page 21 of Unforgettable Cowboy (Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys #1)

A fter being caught by Trev, Bailey gave up the pretense and took advantage of a real bathroom to shower and dress before joining the family in the kitchen—a family that was taking great pains to act as if she had not been caught sneaking out of Hayes’s window.

Two more members of the team had shown up while Bailey was showering.

Trev’s roping partner, Dylan Kent, whom she knew from various local rodeos, had arrived with their competition horses; and Jordan, the middle Matthews brother, was just taking a seat next to Wade at the old oak table when she sauntered into the kitchen.

“Good timing,” Wade said as Bailey walked into the room. Hayes vacated his chair and waved her into it before crossing to the coffeepot.

“Coffee?”

“Yes.” She was in dire need of caffeine.

Hayes put a hand on the back of her chair as he reached around her to set the cup on the table, his fingertips brushing her shoulder in a reassuring way.

If anyone noticed, they took great pains not to show it, but that didn’t mean Bailey didn’t feel the tension in the room—tension that, come to find out, had nothing to do with her sleeping with Hayes.

When the conversation continued, she was surprised that the subject was Chance Meyers.

“Where is Meyers interviewing?” Wade asked Bailey as Hayes leaned against the counter, folding his arms over his chest.

Apparently, they were holding a war council on her behalf. “No idea,” she said regretfully.

“Shouldn’t be hard to find out.” Wade fixed Bailey with a searching look. “Are you certain your friend owns this mare?”

“It’s complicated,” Bailey allowed, “but yes. The dam was pregnant with Dakota when Jenna and Chance got married.”

Wade didn’t look convinced. “Sounds like lawyer territory.”

“So why isn’t he going the lawyer route?” Dylan asked in a reasonable voice. His wavy brown hair was a little too long, but it suited him, giving him something of a renegade cowboy look. “He has the money.”

“Maybe because it’s not a sure thing?” Jordan asked.

He was a strikingly handsome man, his Hispanic heritage obvious in his black hair and warm brown eyes.

Bailey didn’t know much about his background, because to Hayes and Trev, he was their brother and his story started when he arrived in the family as a foster child at the age of four.

“I think his goal is to hurt Jenna,” Bailey explained. “She raised Dakota from a foal and trained her.”

“Why doesn’t Jenna get lawyers involved?” Dylan asked Bailey. She responded by rubbing her fingers together in a way that indicated finances.

“Chance didn’t want his wife to work,” Bailey said darkly.

What had started as a luxury for her hard-working friend had ended up being a means of control.

“It wasn’t a good look for him.” Jenna had no real training, and her job choices were limited to those that were beneath her husband’s station in life.

“Who thinks that way in this day and age?” Jordan asked.

Bailey shrugged. She’d seen enough news stories on trad wives to know that lots of people thought that way, but Jenna hadn’t wanted to be a traditional wife; she’d done it as a compromise, busying herself in other ways.

“He didn’t treat Jenna very well,” Dylan said.

All eyes turned to him, surprised that he had inside information.

“I saw him browbeat her at Red Lodge last year. She’d missed seeing him rope and he lit into her, not knowing that there was a witness.

” Dylan pointed a thumb at his chest. “When he saw me, instant change.”

“Once I find out who’s hiring this jerk, I’ll have a word.” Wade did hold some sway in the area, so Bailey could see that hampering Chance’s plans. But it wasn’t a sure thing.

“I just want to keep Dakota out of his hands.” Bailey swept her gaze around the table, thinking that Jenna would be gratified to know that she had allies. “That said, I don’t want to get you guys into trouble for aiding and abetting.”

“The safest place for the mare is on this ranch,” Hayes said.

Wade nodded his agreement. “I don’t care if your friend stole her.

The fact that Meyers wants her is enough for me to not let him have her.

” Wade looked both grim and determined and it occurred to Bailey that, in a way, he was enjoying riding to the rescue.

If it took his mind off his injury, great.

Bailey only hoped that the Matthews family, and Dylan, didn’t suffer any repercussions by involving themselves.

The impromptu meeting ended with the conclusion that there was nothing they could do until Meyers made a move. If he was smart, he would let the matter slide. No one believed he was smart in that regard, which left them waiting for…something.

After that the party broke up. The new arrivals started hauling gear into the house, and Hayes walked Bailey back to her trailer. Once there she asked the question that had been niggling at her since seeing Trev on the porch.

“Why are your brothers here early?”

“Backup,” Hayes said simply.

She narrowed her eyes as she regarded him. “You contacted them?”

“Wade did after he heard what Chance had done to you. He asked them to come early in case we needed help.”

“I appreciate that.” Bailey got the words out before her throat closed. Wade, who never asked for help on his own behalf, asked on hers. “I don’t know if I can accept—” A gentle hand on the back of her neck silenced her. She gave him a sideways look. “But I will.”

*

“Estelle volunteered to pick up the silver pieces I have on consignment in Bozeman when she goes to her dental appointment there.” Bailey shot Hayes a thank-you look before she pulled out of the Tree Fork Ranch, towing her trailer, which would be parked on the rodeo grounds with the competitors and vendors.

When she’d mentioned making the trip to Bozeman herself and setting up late, he’d told her that he knew of a workaround—Estelle’s appointment.

“It’s not a lot of stock,” she continued, “but it will help fill the table.”

“We’re going to get all of your silver back,” Hayes said as they bumped over the cattle guard. “One way or another.”

Bailey was all for getting her silver back, but she didn’t like the sound of “one way or another.” She’d lost a couple thousand dollars in raw materials and hundreds of man-hours, but she wasn’t going to have her friends get into trouble.

When the Matthews brothers were set on something, they didn’t seem to mind trouble one bit, so she was the one who had to put on the brakes.

“Not without telling me how.”

Hayes shot her a look but didn’t argue, possibly because he was going to do what he damned well pleased. They were kind of a pair in that regard.

“Have you heard from Jenna?”

“Briefly. She’s arranging things, but I may not be able to take off to Laughlin immediately.” Jenna hadn’t been able to share details, but she was close to something on her end.

“Yeah. You can.”

Bailey gave him a quick look, not comprehending his meaning.

“We’ll take care of the mare.” He spoke flatly, as if it were a done deal. Considering the number of times that she’d found the brothers with their heads together that day, she wasn’t surprised if it were.

“We’ll talk about it later. Once I have more information from Jenna.”

“Uh huh.”

Bailey glanced sideways, but he kept his profile to her. Fine.

Half an hour later she pulled into Edna’s Dog Rescue for a quick visit with their future adoptees. Storm was set to go to her foster immediately after rodeo weekend. Bailey would be kept updated, and then, when she settled for the winter, she could pick up her new companion.

Hayes had a shorter route to parenthood. In a little over three weeks his cuddly little fur bundle would be on the Tree Fork, chewing up boots and peeing on the floor.

They played with their dogs while Edna attended to a new drop-off and calls from prospective adopters. Storm’s shyness wore off after a few minutes and she gave Bailey a playful poke with her nose, then bounced back, out of reach, tail wagging.

“You have spunk,” Bailey said on a laugh.

Storm answered by pouncing at her again, then turning in a circle. Bailey gently patted the kennel floor and Storm pounced again. The session ended with Storm on her back on Bailey’s lap, her mouth lolling open in a canine grin as Bailey rubbed her tummy.

“And I thought you were going to be a hard sell,” she told the dog as she gave her a final pat before leaving the kennel.

“I don’t think she’s going to need to be fostered for long,” Edna said as they walked down the hall to where Hayes was snuggling his puppy, saying goodbye.

Bailey’s heart tripped over itself as he handed the pup back to Edna.

Was there anything more heartwarming than a cowboy with a puppy?

If so, she was hard pressed to think of what that might be.

“Ready?” Hayes asked.

“I hate to leave her, but yes.”

They walked to the truck in silence. Bailey waited until they were in the truck before saying wistfully, “Just a matter of weeks, right?”

Hayes nodded. “I’d feel better if you could take the dog on the road with you.” He stopped for traffic, then turned onto the highway.

So would Bailey. Having to fight off Chance had been a wake-up call. She wasn’t entirely bulletproof. She’d guarded her emotions carefully, but her physical safety had never been a huge concern. Now it was.

She wanted to say, “I’ll be fine,” but that smacked of denial, so instead she said, “I’ll be careful.”

*

Bailey’s arrangement of her silver display was the culmination of several years of experience, as she explained to Hayes while he helped her set up before the Copper Mountain Rodeo welcome dinner and street dance.

The rodeo commenced the next morning, but Bailey had found that while people didn’t often buy during the first day of an event, they frequently returned for something that caught their eye.