Garrett laced his fingers together behind his head as he leaned back in the executive chair. He’d asked Dean to meet him in his office at Abernathy Meats to bring him up to date about his bison project.
Dean rapped lightly on the door before he walked in. “What’s up, brother?”
Garrett sat straight. “Congratulations are in order.”
“What about?” Dean asked as he sat on a chair facing Garrett.
“I just got a call from Chuck Carter over at the convention center that the caterer has put in an order for fifty pounds of bison meat for the first night of the Mistletoe Rodeo. And if he’s able to sell that out, then he’ll order more for the next two nights.” Garrett flashed a rare smile. “You did it, Dean, when you asked Dad if we could raise bison.”
Reaching over the desk, Dean gave Garrett a fist bump. “You’ve got that right,” Dean said, grinning from ear to ear. He sobered. “I may have done the research, but you drafted the proposal and contract. So, kudos, college boy.”
Garrett bit back a smirk. He’d known from an early age that he would be a rancher like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather; but he’d also wanted a solid background in business, which he’d also known would only become possible with a college degree. He’d fulfilled his wish when he’d graduated from the University of Montana in Missoula with a degree in finance.
“I saw Mom earlier this morning,” Dean continued, “and she mentioned that the entire family has complimentary VIP tickets for the Mistletoe Rodeo. Is it true?”
His brother mentioning the rodeo suddenly conjured up the image of Brynn Hawkins and the cloud of soft curls falling down her back. Everything about her was so sensual that her image often popped into his head when he least expected.
“It’s true. I met the Hawkins Sisters when I went to see Chuck Carter, and they invited us to attend as their guests.” He’d said they when it was Brynn Hawkins who had issued the invitation.
Dean slapped his jeans-clad knee. “Hot damn! You must have turned on some impressive Abernathy charm for the Hawkinses to offer you comp tickets. You should use more of that mojo to find yourself a special lady to settle down with.”
Garrett frowned. “Now you sound like Mom. I happen to like my life the way it is, thank you.”
Dean leaned forward. “I’m only going to say this once. You’re too young to shut yourself off from women.”
“That’s enough, Dean.” There was a thread of hardness in the warning. The one thing Garrett didn’t like to do was argue with his brothers. He’d been an only child for eight years until Dean was born, and since that time he worshipped his little brother and the three that had come after him. He was the big brother and had appointed himself their protector. He didn’t like pulling rank and only did so when they attempted to ingratiate themselves in his personal life.
Garrett knew his defensiveness had come from his marrying and then divorcing his high school sweetheart. He’d lost count of the number of times people had remarked that he and Faith were the perfect couple. Even his parents had sung her praises. But only two of their ten years of marriage had been happy for Garrett. Faith had soured him on marriage and commitment. Even though he’d occasionally seen women who didn’t live in Bronco following his divorce, he had made it known to them that he did not date. For him, dating was akin to a commitment, and he didn’t do commitment.
Dean held up both hands. “I’m done.”
He watched his brother walk out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Garrett knew he had to stop being so touchy whenever someone mentioned him and a woman in the same breath. What they didn’t understand was that he’d given so much of himself to make his ex-wife happy that he had no more to give another woman. He was willing to offer friendship, but not much beyond that. And some of the women he’d met since his divorce had wanted more than friendship. They’d been looking for what his parents had, but that wasn’t in the cards for him. After forty-six years of marriage, Hannah and Hutch still had what they called date night, when Hannah prepared an intimate dinner for just the two of them or Hutch took her out to a nice restaurant.
Garrett was looking forward to the rodeo and especially to watching the Hawkins Sisters compete. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to see Brynn again to discover what it was about her that had made him feel an instant connection the moment their eyes met.
Garrett maneuvered into the Bronco Convention Center’s parking lot and discovered there were hardly any empty parking spaces. After circling the lot twice, he decided to take advantage of valet parking. He gave the attendant the Ram’s key fob, took the chit, and practically ran to the ticket window and gave the woman his name.
She smiled, drawing his attention to the ruby-red color on her lips that was the exact shade of her long, straight hair. “So, you’re another one of those Abernathys. I need to see some ID.”
Clearly, the rest of his family had beat him to the arena. Reaching into the front pocket of his jeans, Garrett took out the case with his driver’s license. Seconds later, the woman pushed a lanyard with a plastic-covered ticket stamped “VIP” through the opening.
“Thank you.”
The woman winked at him. “You’re welcome, cowboy.”
Garrett found the door leading to the section and row on the ticket, but before he could descend the stairs, he heard the opening notes of the national anthem and stopped. He removed the baseball cap that had seen better days, placed it over his chest, and mouthed the words to the song. A cheer went up from the assembly when the anthem ended, followed by an ear-shattering boom from the powerful sound system that seemed to shake the building’s foundation. The rodeo had the energy of a rock concert with the emcee’s gift for gab and the DJ playing the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.” Garrett made his way down the steps to a row lined with family members and sat next to Tyler.
“We thought you weren’t coming,” Tyler said.
“I got tied up on the phone with someone from the feed company. There’s no way I was going to miss this.” Garrett glanced over at Callie Sheldrick, Tyler’s fiancée, and smiled. She was holding Tyler’s daughter, Maeve, on her lap. He marveled that the toddler was sleeping so soundly with all the noise going on around her.
He glanced down the row to see his brother Crosby, his parents, and Dean and Susanna. There was also his brother Wes, with his fiancée and her four-year-old daughter, Lola, who was Evy’s mini-me with green eyes and long dark hair. Garrett waved at Lola, who smiled and shyly return the gesture. He pulled up short a moment, thinking that he was a son, brother and uncle, but not a father. He and Faith had tried to have children, but that had eluded them and, in the end, doomed their marriage when Faith admitted adoption wasn’t the right choice for her.
“You made it, bro.”
Garrett shifted to find that Crosby had come around to sit next to him. “Did you think I’d miss this?”
Crosby leaned closer. “Brynn Hawkins came over to introduce herself before you got here. And when she didn’t see you, she asked if you were coming.” He paused. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”
Garrett frowned. “No.” He wanted to tell him there couldn’t be anything going on between them when he’d just met Brynn a few days ago.
“If that’s the case, then I thought maybe...maybe you’d talk to her about...” His words trailed off as he ducked his head.
“About you?” he asked, completing Crosby’s statement. His brother nodded. “Are you saying you’re interested in her?”
Crosby smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s beautiful.”
Garrett wanted to tell Crosby he was more than aware of Brynn’s incredible beauty. Instead he said, “Chuck Carter happened to introduce me the Hawkinses and that’s when Brynn invited us to be her family’s guests.”
“So there’s nothing going on between you two?” Crosby repeated.
“Like I said, no.” And he doubted there would ever be anything between them because he was so much older than Brynn. It was obvious she was closer in age to thirty-one-year-old Crosby than him.
“Thanks, bro. I’m going to get some beer. Do you want me to bring you one back?”
“Sure. And thanks.”
Garrett stretched out his long legs as he settled back in his seat. He was annoyed with Crosby asking to set him up with Brynn for several reasons. First, he didn’t know if she was involved with someone and, second, he’d never functioned as matchmaker for any of his siblings because he’d resented their attempts to hook him up with women. However, that didn’t stop them from dropping poorly veiled hints. Most times, he ignored them by remaining silent. And if they persisted, he’d give them the death glare and warn them of the potential consequences of interfering in his personal life.
Maeve woke and began fidgeting, so Callie handed her to Tyler. She let out a loud shriek and held out her chubby arms to Garrett. “Hey, pretty girl,” he crooned as he took the child and cradled her against his chest. Maeve yawned and settled back to sleep. Garrett dropped a light kiss on her soft curls.
“I don’t know what it is about you and kids,” Tyler said. “You’re like a baby whisperer. The minute you walk in the room, Maeve forgets about everyone and comes over to you.”
“Lola and Maeve know that I’m their favorite uncle.”
“Favorite or not, you need kids of your own. Everyone says you’d be a terrific father.”
A hint of a smile crinkled the skin around Garrett’s eyes. “Right now, I’m enjoying being a terrific uncle. And once this little cupcake is old enough to sit on a horse, Uncle Garrett will teach her to rope and ride.”
Tyler chuckled. “I don’t mind her riding as long as she doesn’t talk about wanting to join the rodeo circuit.”
He wanted to remind his brother that Maeve was an Abernathy and growing up on the Flying A was an adventure unto itself. Garrett was five when Hutch had sat him in front of him on a horse, one arm holding him firmly while the other held the reins to the gentle mare. A slow walk became a canter and then a full gallop as the wind and the smell of freshly mowed grass had become a natural high to which he’d instantly become addicted.
“That’s something you won’t have to concern yourself with for a long time, Tyler.”
“You’re right. I have time to get ready for some snot-nosed boy coming around asking if he can date my daughter, and I’ll only give him permission after I have someone conduct an intensive background check on him.”
Garrett grunted and shook his head. Once men had daughters of their own, they had flashbacks of what they’d done with some other man’s daughter. “Good luck with that.” It was something he wouldn’t have to concern himself with.
He straightened when he saw Brynn talking to a man several rows below from where he sat with his family. Garrett saw her smile when the man lowered his head to say something in her ear. She nodded before he walked away. A moment later, she turned and looked in Garrett’s direction at the same time an expression of recognition flitted over her features. She climbed the stairs to his row and took the seat Crosby had vacated.
“Hello again.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly. Why, Garrett asked himself, had he not realized the sultry timbre of Brynn’s voice? It was low and undeniably sexy—as sexy as the woman in a pair of body-hugging jeans and as feminine as the curls flowing over the white peasant blouse embroidered with tiny blue flowers. The scent of her perfume wafted to his nostrils and it, too, was as wholly sensual as the woman wearing it.
He nodded. “Hello to you, too. Thank you again for the tickets. Although I’d planned to attend the rodeo, I know I wouldn’t have been able to sit this close to the action.”
Brynn glanced up at the upper deck. “It looks like a sellout.”
“And probably tomorrow and the next day,” Garrett added. “Are you on the program tonight?”
“No. I’m performing tomorrow in the barrel racing, tie-down calf roping, and Sunday afternoon in the steer undecorating. My sisters are competing all three days in the barrel racing, breakaway calf roping and team roping.”
Garrett wanted to ask Brynn how it was to compete with her sisters in the same event and whether their relationships were fraught with sibling rivalry. Fortunately, he and his brothers weren’t competitive—at least not with one another—and they were always on board whenever it came to ensuring the success of the family ranch and business.
“On behalf of my family, thank you again for the generous offer.”
A hint of a smile parted Brynn’s lips, bringing Garrett’s gaze to linger there before it moved lower to the badge suspended from the lanyard and resting between her breasts. In that instant he’d tried imagining what Brynn would look like without her clothes, her hair falling over her naked breasts, and immediately chided himself for the licentious musing. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. Even though he’d found himself physically attracted to her, Garrett knew nothing would or could come of it because of their age difference. Crosby had asked for a personal introduction, and that’s what he intended to do if given the opportunity.
“I have to go. Have fun,” Brynn said, breaking into his thoughts. “By the way, your niece is precious.”
Garrett smiled down at Maeve. “That she is. And beautiful.” It was obvious when Brynn had introduced herself to his family, Tyler had told her Maeve was his daughter.
He watched the way the denim fabric hugged Brynn’s hips as she walked back to her seat. He closed his eyes, still seeing the cloud of curls framing her beautiful face. Even if Brynn was closer to his age, he knew looking for something beyond friendship wasn’t for him. Besides, they came from different worlds. Her life was full of adventure. She was a celebrity, traveling from town to town, the media following her as adoring fans chanted her name, while he was perfectly content in Bronco, sitting on a horse. That’s how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
Crosby returned, handing him a cup of ice-cold beer. “I saw you talking to Brynn. Did you mention me?”
“No. I didn’t have the time.”
“I’m glad you didn’t because I saw the way the two of you were looking at each other.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Garrett asked defensively.
Crosby touched his cup of beer to Garrett’s, smiling. “Don’t get your nose out of joint, bro. It’s just that I see what you fail to acknowledge. Brynn likes you and you like what you see.”
“You’re...” His words trailed off when Crosby abruptly left to return to his seat next to their parents. Wrong. His brother was wrong about Brynn. She was friendly and outgoing—something necessary for a celebrity with an avid following.
“I’ll take Maeve while you enjoy your beer,” Tyler said, grinning. He reached for his daughter. It was obvious he’d overheard Crosby talking about him and Brynn.
Garrett did not want to glance down several rows to watch Brynn and the man sitting on her left, but in that moment he’d believed she’d woven an invisible spell over him from which he couldn’t escape. There were times when the man leaned close enough to her for their shoulders to touch, but at no time did she turn to look directly at him. It was when he’d rested an arm over her shoulders that she reached up and removed it. It was apparent he’d overstepped, and Garrett silently applauded her for establishing boundaries. There was no doubt she was in total control of what she liked and wanted.
He shifted his attention to the dancing rodeo clowns until the first event began. Bull riding. The crowd went wild when the rider was able to stay on for the requisite eight seconds. However, tonight the bulls were the winners when they bucked off rider after rider as Tom Petty’s song “Free Fallin´” echoed throughout the arena.
There was lull in the action as a tractor driver leveled the dirt on the arena floor before the barrel racing competition. As the crowd noise hummed, a shrill voice rose above the din. From behind, he heard the shriek loud and clear. Someone shouting they’d spotted Bobby Stone at the back of the arena. Seconds later, other voices joined in, claiming they, too, had seen Bobby while some claimed it was his ghost.
“These so-called Bobby Stone sightings are spooking folks,” Tyler said, frowning.
Garrett doubted anyone had seen Bobby Stone because, three years ago, Bobby had died suddenly while hiking in the mountains outside the city. His things had been discovered at the edge of a steep drop—even after thorough searches of the area, his body had never been found. There was further talk that the bad luck had befallen Bobby after he’d sat on the haunted bar stool at Doug’s bar. Garrett recalled the rumors had escalated with Remember Bobby Stone flyers plastered around the Bronco Convention Center several months ago.
“I don’t blame them,” Garrett countered. “Especially after someone threw that rock through the window at Doug’s.”
During the July Fourth Red, White and Bronco festivities, a stone had shattered the revelry—and the glass—at Doug’s bar, with a note wrapped around it reading A Stone You Won’t Forget. Wes had reacted quickly and lunged at Evy, who’d been working at the bar, to shove her out of the way—and got hit in the shoulder for his efforts. Fortunately, it hadn’t caused him severe injury. And the incident hadn’t ended badly—at least not for his brother and Evy. After all, it had brought them together.
Tyler grunted under his breath. “Maybe someone is playing a sick trick to get some of those reality paranormal television programs to come film in Bronco.”
Whatever it was, Garrett felt the rumors about a dead man haunting Bronco, rocks thrown through plate-glass windows, and posters plastered around the city were definitely unnerving. “Let’s hope whoever is conjuring up this craziness will eventually get tired and go away.”
“I hear you,” Tyler drawled. “They need to quit it before someone really gets hurt.”
Garrett took a long swallow of his beer when Eric Church’s “Heart on Fire” blared through the arena’s powerful speakers and the crowd rose as one, singing and dancing to the upbeat rocking country tune. He leaned forward, unable to take his eyes off Brynn as she danced, waved her arms, and sang along with the assembly. Everything about her was so uninhibited that he had to smile. Her image appeared on the jumbo screens around the arena and the crowd cheered even louder when she blew them a kiss.
She’s a natural, Garrett thought. Everything about Brynn, from her gorgeous face and body and outgoing personality, attributed her status as a rodeo star. It was as if she lived her life by her leave, performing in various rodeos, and he likened her to a young colt let loose to run across the prairie in wild abandon, her curls blowing in the wind.
Garrett realized that if he’d never married Faith, his view of relationships would be vastly different than what it was now. And if Brynn were older—or he were younger—he knew he would consider asking her out. However, there was no guarantee she would accept, but at least he would make the attempt.
But he was also realistic enough to know they couldn’t be more than friends because their lifestyles were completely opposite of each other’s. He had no intention of leaving Bronco again, while she traveled around the country for the next rodeo.
Maeve started to cry and when Tyler and Callie stood to leave, Hannah offered to take her and Lola home. Garrett knew his mother always looked for a reason to babysit the two girls.
Garrett knew once his brothers were married and began starting families of their own, he couldn’t count on them spending a lot of time together with him at Doug’s. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t plan on an impromptu boys’ night out, but for now it would just be him and Crosby.
He finished his beer and thought about going to the concession area to get another when the emcee announced the start of the women’s barrel racing competition. Two of the Hawkins Sisters, Remi and Corinne, were in the same event. Both had high enough scores in the first round to place them in contention for top prize.
After the barrel racing, there was another intermission and he asked his brothers and their fiancées if they wanted beer and popcorn. Tyler and Wes offered to join him to bring them back. He hadn’t taken more than a dozen steps when Garrett saw Brynn at the burger stand.
“Medium or well,” he whispered as he walked over to stand next to her. Standing this close made him realize she was taller than he’d originally thought. Her head popped up and she smiled. Again, Garrett found himself reacting to her like a bumbling adolescent boy meeting a girl on whom he had a crush. Her smile lit up her whole face like rays of sunlight. She didn’t just smile with her mouth, but also with her eyes.
“Medium-well. I wanted to order the bison burger, but I was told they’ve already sold out of them.”
Garrett concealed a grin. The catering manager said if they sold out on the first night, then he would order more for the next two days. “I’m sorry about that. I could arrange to have some delivered to wherever you’re staying.”
Brynn shook her head. “That’s all right. You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s not all right, Brynn. It’s the least I could do for inviting us as your guests to the Mistletoe Rodeo.”
“I told you we always get a block of seats to give away to family and friends, so it was my pleasure to offer them to you.”
“This is not about tit for tat, Brynn,” Garrett said. He must have gotten through to her when she reached into the back pocket of her jeans and extended her cell phone.
“Give me your number and I’ll let you know when and where to send it.”
Garrett tapped his name and numbers into her Contacts and then handed her back the phone. “The first one is my personal number. The second is to the office at Abernathy Meats, and the third is my parents’ number in case you can’t reach me at the other two.”
A teasing smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “My, my. Aren’t you important?”
Throwing back his head, Garrett laughed loudly. “It all depends on who I’m trying to impress.”
“Well, Mr. Garrett Abernathy, I’m mighty impressed.”
He nodded. “And I’m mighty impressed with you, Miss Brynn Hawkins.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Garrett wondered if he’d crossed the line. Did she think he was coming on to her? If things were different, he would let Brynn know that he was interested in her. He breathed an inaudible sigh when she smiled; he hadn’t offended her.
“What do you want on your burger, Miss Hawkins?” the man grilling the meat asked Brynn.
“Just grilled mushrooms.”
Garrett wanted to stay and talk to Brynn but knew his brothers were waiting. “It’s been nice talking to you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He’d said it as if it were a foregone conclusion that they would speak again the next day.
“If not tomorrow, then Saturday. Do you plan on coming Saturday?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he confirmed. There was no way he planned to miss seeing her ride Friday night and Saturday afternoon. “My brothers are waiting for me, so we’ll talk again on Saturday.”
Dean met him and handed him two tubs of popcorn. “We were waiting for you to finish flirting with the pretty lady.”
“I wasn’t flirting with her. We were talking about bison burgers.”
“Well, it sure looked like it with both of you grinning at each other like Cheshire cats.”
“Let’s go, Casanova,” Wes joked, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement.
Garrett knew his brothers were going to tease him about Brynn until he reached the point where he would have to shut them down. As the eldest of five boys, he was the only one who had married at twenty-two and therefore hadn’t earned the reputation as one of Bronco’s most eligible bachelors.
He was aware that whenever a male Abernathy entered a room, their presence commanded attention—especially from the other sex. Now that three of his brothers were engaged, the pool for Hutch and Hannah’s unmarried sons left only Crosby, because Garrett did not put himself in the marriageable equation. He wouldn’t mind establishing a friendship with Brynn if she lived in Bronco. But a friendship with benefits was out of the question because Garrett knew if he crossed that line with her, there would be no turning back. To him, intimacy meant commitment, and that wasn’t something he was willing to risk again.