After Toly returned to the RV park, he grabbed some horse treats out of his rig and walked over to the barn where he found Mills inspecting his favorite horse. His friend barely acknowledged him. Toly stood near the stall. “What’s wrong with Atlas? The vet already checked out our horses today.”
Mills lifted his head. “He’s fine. Where were you tonight?”
He frowned. “I took Nikki to dinner as my way of apologizing to her. Didn’t you get my text?”
“Nope.”
“That’s strange.” Toly pulled out his phone and checked it. “Damn! I wrote it, but didn’t press Send. Here. Take a look.”
“Forget it. I believe you.”
“Did you and the guys go to dinner?”
He nodded.
Toly gave his own horses a pat down before he walked over to Mills who was settling his other horse Dusty for the night. “Want to tell me what’s going on with you?”
Mills looked at him hard. “My sister wouldn’t have gone to dinner with you if she weren’t interested.”
His head jerked back. Where had that come from? “She agreed to go because she knew I felt terrible about what happened. It was my way of making it up to her.”
“No.” He walked out of the stall. “She went because she wanted to.”
He felt as if he’d been gut-punched. “I thought you were glad I drove to the MGM Grand to talk to her.”
“I was, and I’m thankful she was able to forgive you because that’s the kind of person she is. Maybe too forgiving.”
Whoa. “Mills? What’s going on with you? Since when was it wrong for me to ask her to dinner? Talk to me!”
“I’m not saying it was wrong. But because it’s you—the cowboy who can have any girl he wants at any time and walk away until the next one comes along—I’m worried. My sister isn’t that kind.”
A prickling of anger started at the back of Toly’s neck. “You mean she’s not like the groupies. Don’t you think I know that? I’ve never gone out of my way to attract her attention.”
“I know. That’s the hell of it. You’re a magnet. That Amanda Fleming you met during the last rodeo? Lyle sent me some emails and said she’s in Vegas and has emailed you more than once on our website. All you had to do was have one dinner with her, and she’s back for more. But you and I both know you never plan to see her again.”
Toly couldn’t believe what he was hearing and it hurt like hell. “I had no idea you’ve resented me for such a long time.”
He shook his head. “I don’t resent you, Toly. Not at all. But I can see what’s happening to my sister and I’m scared you’re going to hurt her more than she’s ever been hurt in her life.”
“You honestly think I would do anything to cause her grief?”
“Not intentionally. The guy she fell in love with hurt her so badly, she’s really fragile.”
That wasn’t the impression Nikki had given him. But he could see Mills was a mess right now. “Shall I uninvite her for dinner tomorrow afternoon before we all leave for the rodeo?”
Mills’s eyes darkened. “You asked her?”
“Wasn’t that the plan while we were here in Las Vegas? Eat our meals together before each event? Isn’t that what we decided before we drove here? What’s changed?”
Mills looked stone-faced. “Has she already accepted?”
“She said she’d come if she could get away in time from another party she’ll be attending.”
He looked down. “You can be sure she’ll do whatever she has to do to be there, so it’s already too late to tell her not to come.”
Toly had to think fast. “We can send a message right now that dinner is off because you and I have been talking and need to go over to the center early tomorrow.”
“No. You can’t do that.”
“Then what do you want me to do, Mills?”
“I wish the hell I knew.”
“That’s not a good enough answer. Talk to me.”
Mills squinted at him. “I guess it’s because Dad isn’t around. He’d give her the kind of advice she needs. When I try to talk to her, she doesn’t take me seriously.”
“What advice is that?”
His jaw hardened. “That she needs to concentrate on her rodeo career before she gets involved with another man.” He turned abruptly and strode out of the barn.
Ninety-nine percent of this reaction had to do with Denise’s rejection. But the remaining 1 percent convinced him that Mills didn’t want Toly to be that man. Was that because Mills didn’t like him personally and didn’t think he was good enough for Nikki? That thought hurt.
The two of them needed to work this out before too much more time passed. After saying good-night to his horses and giving them some treats they devoured in record time, he followed after Mills.
But when he knocked on the rig door, his friend didn’t answer. At that point Toly walked to his own rig and phoned Wymon. To his relief his brother answered and they talked about everything.
“Sorry that my advice to you years ago has caused problems now.”
“Ironic, isn’t it, when it was such good advice for me back then?”
“Bro—I’ve known you’ve been in love with her this last year. Not in so many words, but I’ve recognized the signs. And Mom has moaned at the way you’ve spent so much time at their ranch to train.”
Wymon understood a lot. He wasn’t the older brother for nothing. “Yep.”
“I’m sure Mills has sensed it.”
“I realize that, but I don’t know what to do. What a time for this to happen with the competition starting tomorrow!”
“Tonight he exploded with nerves and everything else. But he’s got to be the one who figures that out, Toly. Not you. He knows you didn’t do anything wrong. By morning he’ll have cooled off and probably apologize. He’s a good man.”
“I know he is.”
“If you want my advice, until you leave Las Vegas, be your friendly self to him and Nikki. Do what you always do and concentrate on winning that championship. Don’t change anything. If Nikki can tell he’s trying to come between the two of you, let her be the one who goes to her brother. No one will ever be able to reassure him the way she can.”
Toly took a deep breath. “Thanks, Wymon. I needed to hear that.”
“One more thing. I’m glad you’ve finally admitted you’re in love. Be assured I won’t tell anyone else. Good luck tomorrow night. We’ll be watching you on TV. I’m counting on all three of you coming in first!”
During the early hours Thursday morning, Nikki’s crew transported her horses to the Mack Center stalls. She worked with them before all the finalists met to rehearse for the arena parade that would take place that evening. Toly and Mills had the honor of carrying the Montana flags for their event. Laurie Rippon had won the right to hoist the Texas flag for the barrel racers.
With the rehearsal over, she left for the Cowboy Gifts Party, but didn’t stay long. After going back to the hotel to shower and pack a bag, she drove to the RV park to join Mills and Toly for an early dinner in his rig. Once again she could smell food cooking when she walked inside. Toly was at the stove.
“Hi!”
His head turned. “Hi, yourself!”
“I noticed the car missing. Where’s Mills?”
“His glove got a rip in it today during practice. He ran out to buy a new pair. I expect him back pretty soon.”
She walked through and sat down at the kitchen table. He’d already made blueberry muffins and urged her to try one. After a first bite she ate the whole thing. “These are wonderful. I’m addicted already.”
“Good. I’ve got a roast cooking with potatoes. It’ll be done before long.”
“There’s no hurry. I haven’t stopped all day. It feels good to sit.”
“How was the Christmas party?”
“Wonderful, but crowded even if it was staged at the South Halls Center, or maybe because it was.” She chuckled and eyed him covertly. “Have you had a chance to tell my brother about my thoughts where Denise is concerned?”
Toly poured them coffee and sat down. “Yes. He’s reserving judgment, but I know it made him feel better to hear that you felt there was another explanation for why she broke up with him.”
“I don’t think anything could improve his spirits right now.”
He studied her for a moment. “How about yours? Tonight we’ll be posting our first scores. Are you ready to knock them dead?”
“Don’t I wish, but I’m not worried about you and Mills. You’ve averaged number one going into Finals. I’m positive you’re going to win the whole thing.”
“I’m not.” The fear that his hand might lose feeling at the wrong moment was haunting him more and more. “Did you check out Shay Carlson’s last couple of scores? He got a 3.90 in Oklahoma. We’re going to have to do better to win.”
She moaned. “I hear what you’re saying. I’ve got to beat Laurie Rippon. At the Austin rodeo I got a 13.57 on Bombshell. That was my best score this year, but Laurie turned in a 13.49 and is in the number one spot going into Finals. She’s the one who makes me the most nervous.”
“You can bet she’s scared of you being in second place. So little separates the two of you.”
“I know.” She sighed.
“This is the hard part, isn’t it? Anticipating the odds. Waiting for it to start.”
“It’s awful.” She needed to stay busy. “I’ll set the table.” Nikki finished another muffin. “I really put my foot in it when I refused your biscuits the other night. You knew I was a fraud.”
His eyes lit up in amusement, sending curling warmth through her. “But while you were making your point, no one could have topped your delivery. Did you say you were the number one debater in your high school?”
“Are you kidding?” She burst into laughter.
“You could have fooled me.”
She knew when he was joshing her. Nikki tried to remember the last time she’d had this much fun, but she couldn’t.
He darted her glance. “Tell you what. Since your brother hasn’t come yet, let’s go in the living room to wait for him. I’m in the mood for cards. What’s your game?”
This was going to be fun. “Anything.”
“Is that right?” He sent her a wicked smile.
“Yep.”
“I get to pick the penalties.”
“I think we should take turns on that.”
She felt his chuckle resonate inside her.
“How about a little music?” He turned on the radio to some soft rock and reached for a deck of cards before they sat down at the little table.
“I wonder how many cards games have been played on this?”
“Thousands,” he said with a poker face.
Nikki shook her head. “That wouldn’t surprise me.”
He grinned. “How about pontoon?”
“Great! It’s kind of like blackjack. I love it.”
“Shall we say a set of twenty rounds to start? If I win, you’ll have to dance with me. If you win, you’ll have to dance with me.”
That set Nikki off laughing and they played a fast, slap-down hysterical game. To her surprise she did win, but that didn’t seem to bother Toly who pulled her out of the chair into his arms without giving her a chance to think about it. “Um. This is nice.”
Nikki felt his words in every atom of her body. She’d never been this close to Toly’s rock-hard physique and had been waiting secretly for this moment for a long time. It was a far cry from line dancing where there were separations in their togetherness. They were both tall and they fit together as if they were made for each other.
He smelled wonderful. Nikki loved the feel of his hard jaw against her cheek. It sent darts of awareness through her body. The temptation to turn her head and kiss his compelling mouth was killing her. Toly didn’t let her go and she could have stayed in his arms all night.
“If you hadn’t been involved with someone else, we could have relaxed like this before an event long before now,” he whispered into her hair.
Her heart jumped to think he might have been thinking about her on a more intimate level over the last few months too. Still, he’d never let her know. They’d all been friends and she knew Toly kept his cards close to the chest. But the way she was feeling right now, he had to know she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
They both heard a car door slam at the same time. “That’ll be Mills,” she murmured in silent protest. His arrival had saved her from making a fool of herself in a grand way.
She eased herself away from Toly and hurried back to the kitchen. He followed her. The time spent with him for the last hour had been a bit of heaven she hadn’t wanted to end. Last night her anger had flowed like lava. Tonight she was mush in Toly’s arms.
If her brother had seen them dancing together with no air separating them, it would have shocked him and she wouldn’t have blamed him for that reaction.
Mills opened the door and came in the kitchen. “Hey, guys.”
Nikki eyed her brother. “There you are! I heard you had to buy a new pair of gloves.”
“Yep. One of them got ripped. I found a new flex knit kind that are thinner and easier to work with. Not so much bulk.” He stood at the sink to wash his hands.
“Do you wear that kind too?” she asked Toly.
He sent her a slow smile, as if he too was remembering what was going on before Mills came in. “No. Since I’m the header, I have to have the heavier Kevlar glove for protection.”
“I didn’t realize. You learn something new every day.” She turned to Mills. “We’re glad you’re back.”
“Come and sit down, dude. Our dinner’s in the oven waiting for you and we’re starving.”
“I got held up with a couple of friends.”
“That’s okay. You were gone longer than we thought, so we started a card game. Your sister beat me.”
Toly took out the roast and put it on the table. Nikki could see he’d arranged potatoes and carrots around it and they’d cooked in the juice. Her own mother couldn’t have done it better. “That looks scrumptious.”
“I need a lot of protein along with carbs.”
She’d witnessed that at dinner last night when she’d wished they could have spent all night together. “Don’t we all, and plenty of snacks throughout the day.”
It was fun to eat and talk shop with the top team roper cowboy on this year’s circuit. With the kind of regimen they had to keep, there was nothing to explain. They could read each other’s minds.
Besides not being completely in love with him, this was yet another reason she could never have married Ted. It would have meant giving up the world of horses. Being with Toly like this let her know more than ever that being with a man like him was the life she wanted.
Toly slanted her a glance. “I was hoping the three of us could play another set of cards before we have to leave for the center.”
“I’d like that too.” She struggled to keep the throb out of her voice.
“It’s too late,” Mills muttered.
Well...that solved that.
Nikki’s brother was being impossible. Trying to lighten the mood she said, “Tomorrow I’ll cook dinner just to make it fair. You guys will eat in our rig. I can plan our meal a little earlier so we can play a game of pontoon before we leave for the arena.”
Toly nodded. “I hope you meant that, because now that you’ve offered, I’m not going to let you out of it.” His tone excited her. She saw a glint in Toly’s eyes, thrilling her more than anything because it meant the feelings she was experiencing weren’t only on her part.
“Mills?” she prodded him. “Does that sound good to you?”
“Sure.”
Sure? He wasn’t only depressed, he was downright rude. “I like to cook,” she continued, “and it will give Toly a break. Maybe my brother will even volunteer to help me?” she said to get a reaction, but none was forthcoming. They settled down to eat and she passed Mills some blueberry muffins.
“Don’t mind if I do.” He took one and devoured it, but he was unusually quiet.
Nikki smiled at Toly. “You really are a great cook.”
“At least I’m good for something.”
Upset at Mills by now she said, “You two looked great out there today carrying our flag. I’ve never been more proud.” Her heart had swelled with pride to watch the two of them race into the arena like the champions they were. Tonight there’d be fireworks and ear-deafening cheers from the packed center.
“You didn’t look so bad yourself,” her brother finally murmured.
“Well thank you for the overwhelming compliment. On that note, I’m going to go in the bedroom and get ready before we drive over to the arena.”
If any of them won a gold buckle tonight, they’d pick them up at the South Point Hotel. Every night after the Wrangler National Finals, the public could watch the Go-Round Buckle Presentations. She had no doubts Toly and Mills would come in the top winners, but a first-place win for her was iffy.
“Hurry—” her brother interjected. “Otherwise we’ll be late for the parade. I’ll drive us over.”
She had it on the tip of her tongue to remind him he was the reason they needed to rush now. But she held back and noticed that Toly had already started to clean things up.
“Give me a minute to put on my gear and I’ll meet you outside.” Nikki had a special Western shirt to wear with fringe and the ProRodeo insignia. After running a brush through her hair and applying lipstick, she was ready.
On the way out of the trailer, she reached for her white cowboy hat and put it on. Toly held the door open for her. “If you don’t know it yet, you take my breath away,” he whispered.
Much as she wanted to believe it, she was afraid to, not after her brother had told her Toly was the ladies’ man on the circuit and always had been. How many other women had he said that to over the years?
She hurried out to the car where Toly was already standing. In a low voice he said, “With your long legs, you should sit in front.” On that note he opened the front passenger door for her. No woman could be immune to the smile he flashed at her. “I’ll sprawl across the backseat. Shall we go?”
Nikki climbed in and fastened her seat belt while she contemplated his flirtatious comments that took her mind off the coming event. Toly had a way of completely disarming her.
They were off to the Mack Center where the crowds were just about impossible to get through. Mills had radar eyes and found an empty space behind the center where all the trailers were parked.
This is it, Nikki Dobson. It’s what they’d all killed themselves for and dreamed of. She got out of the car and they made their way into the rear of the building.
When they reached the inside, the three of them had to part company. She lifted her eyes to them. “Good luck, you guys.”
“The same to you,” they called after her.
Her heart was in her throat as she hurried off to mount her horse and line up in the alley prior to the parade.
Tonight Nikki had decided to ride Sassy, her palomino. In her tan Western shirt, they matched. As her father had once said, this horse had shown sass from the beginning, prompting Nikki to give her that name. She was a showstopper and handled crowds and noise like a trooper. Not only that, she was fast and would explode down the alley into the arena.
Andy and Santos met her at the stalls. They had her horse saddled and bridled with her softest bit to prevent pain from the rein tension. She walked up to Sassy and pressed her face near her ear. “Tonight’s the night we’ve been working for, my girl,” she crooned. Her horse nickered. “I know you’re going to give me your all.”
She fed her a Pony Pop from her pocket and Sassy chomped away, causing the three of them to chuckle. It was time. She pulled her gloves from her pocket and mounted her horse. Sassy had been through this routine earlier in the day and knew what was coming.
Making a clicking sound, she led her horse through the aisle to the back of the center where everyone was lining up according to their event. Nikki passed several of her competitors. They all smiled and looked fabulous. She swallowed hard to think she’d reached this milestone.
She looked for Toly, but couldn’t see him because his group would be entering the arena long before hers. The music had started and the announcer was welcoming everyone to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Between the noise and the fireworks, in her opinion, there was no buildup or excitement like it anywhere in sports.
Nikki patted Sassy’s neck and kept talking to her while they waited in place for their turn to come. She spotted Laurie up in front carrying the Texas flag. It was almost their turn. “Remember what we’re here for,” she whispered to Sassy. “There’s no horse like you. Act like someone and show your stuff!”
Suddenly her group started to move and they took off down the alley. The thrill of it sent a rush through Nikki’s body. As they poured into the arena, the announcer named each contestant.
“Here comes Nikki Dobson in second place from the Sweet Clover Ranch in Great Falls, Montana. She’s the former Miss Rodeo Montana riding her palomino Sassy.”
The crowd went crazy and Nikki had to admit this was one experience she was thankful she hadn’t missed while living on this earth. She raced around to her spot and drew up next to Laurie. At her other side was Portia Landwell, the number three finalist from Nebraska. Before long, all hundred-plus finalists were on display.
She doubted any of the pageants during the Middle Ages with their knights and pennants were any more spectacular and colorful than the sight of these superb athletic national champions carrying their flags and decked out in all their Western finery. Nikki felt great pride to even be a part of this, no matter if she came in last at the end of the ten days.
As they left the arena the way they came in, she caught sight of Toly carrying the Montana flag and leading their group with Mills who also carried a flag. Toly was a magnificent sight wearing a black Western shirt and his black cowboy hat. As far as Nikki was concerned, the quintessential male rodeo performer from the Clayton Cattle Ranch left everyone else in the dust.
Tears smarted her eyes before it was her turn to leave and exit the arena with the speed of the wind. Sassy was in her glory. Nikki had endowed her horse with human feelings. Maybe it was silly, but she didn’t care.
When she reached the stalls, the first person she saw was Toly. He was still mounted on Snapper, but minus his flag. Their eyes met for a quiet moment. She knew he was seeing the look of elation on her face that illuminated his own countenance. Joy radiated through her being that they were experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime moment together.
His event would take place before hers, but it wouldn’t be long now. “Go get ’em, cowboy.”
“I intend to,” he answered in his deep, rich voice. “But I’ll be back to watch you cut circles around those barrels with the precision of a surgeon.” Then he was off to win what she felt sure was their first victory for tonight.
“Nikki?” Santos called to her. “Are you all right?”
She turned to look down at him. How could she possibly answer that question when her heart was so full of emotions? The only thing she could say was yes.
Taking a deep breath, she led her horse down the aisle and walked her around until it was time for her event. There were screens in the back so she could watch the other events. She said a special prayer when she saw Toly and Mills were up next. But she had to wait because the first-place winners had to compete last.
She couldn’t move as she watched and listened as they flew out of their gates with the steer running between them. Toly threw a butterfly loop with lightning speed and Mills was right there to finish up. The crowd went wild when it was announced they took first. No surprise there. Toly did it in 3.7 seconds and Mills in 3.8.
Beyond thrilled for them, Nikki mounted her horse and got in line. Soon her event was announced. “You’ve got to fly like the wind, Sassy girl. Here we go!”
She made a clicking sound and they were off with her heart thudding. They shot down the alley and out into the arena. Her mind was on Toly’s words to cut those precision circles. But as she went around the first barrel, she felt something was wrong and corrected too late, losing time.
As she rode home, she saw her score and knew it wasn’t good enough to be first. In a few minutes she learned Portia had brought in the top score, with Nikki a disappointing second. This score kept her at her second-place average. Her thoughts flew to Sassy who’d lost time. It meant Nikki had done something wrong, not her horse. Nikki realized she’d been in too big a hurry.
The guys came to congratulate her. She kept a smile on her face as she congratulated them. “I couldn’t outdo you.”
“You will,” Toly assured her. “This was only the first night.”
Mills hugged her and told her the same thing.
Together they drove to the South Point Hotel. Nikki loved watching them receive their gold buckles to the ear-splitting applause of the audience. She told them that if they wanted to party, she’d take a taxi back to the RV park. Both of them declined, saying they were tired and the three of them drove back to their rigs.
Nikki jumped out of the car ahead of them, needing quiet time to understand how to fix what had gone wrong tonight so it wouldn’t happen again. “I’m so proud of you two, but now I have to get back to my hotel. I need to get up early and exercise the horses before tomorrow night’s event.
“Don’t forget, you guys. My turn to fix dinner. Come at four!” She hugged her brother.
Toly followed her to her car. “We’ll be there. If you want to talk now, I’ll come to your hotel.”
There was nothing Nikki wanted more than to be alone with him, but Mills was waiting for him in their car.
“Thank you, Toly, but I’d prefer to get back and just crash.”
“That’s a good plan too. I’ve done it many times. Blot tonight out of your mind and start again tomorrow. But if you want to talk to me earlier tomorrow, you know where to find me.”
She nodded.
In an unexpected move, he kissed her cheek and walked away before she got in her car. The touch of his lips on her skin sent tingles of delight through her body. She was still feeling the effects after she got in bed an hour later. Nikki finally fell asleep, longing for the moment when she felt his mouth on hers.