Mountain Country Cowboy Page 13
“Right on target.”
“Tonight’s that thing you’re speaking at, right? The youth group talk on dating violence.”
She looked surprised he’d remembered. “Right.”
“Nervous?”
“It shows?”
“If you need some moral support, I’d be happy to go along.”
Alarm flickered through her eyes. Okay, guess that wasn’t a good idea.
“Thanks, but that would make me even more nervous. I told Garrett I actually hope it won’t be that big of a group. That it’s mostly high schoolers and not a bunch of adults. I asked my family not to come—except for Luke’s teens, Anna and Travis, of course.”
“I’ll be praying, then. What you’re doing is commendable. Anything that might prevent young people from falling into the destructive patterns I grew up with is worthwhile.”
He’d sure like to be there, though. To let her know what mattered to her mattered to him.
But when exactly, had he stopped building walls around his heart? Stopped comparing her to Lorilee?
* * *
In the empty hallway where she paused to pray, voices of a growing crowd of young people carried back to her from the auditorium of Christ’s Church of Hunter Ridge.
She wiped the light sweat from her palms onto her jeans, thankful Cash hadn’t accompanied her. She wasn’t ready for him to know what happened to her. He’d be angry with her, just like he was angry with his mother for allowing herself to be trapped in the relationship with his father. She wasn’t ready, either, for him to know she’d given his concerns about her vow prayerful thought. Was seeing it with fresh eyes.
Tension knotted in her upper arms.
This was it. In a matter of minutes she’d stand in front of those who might be quick to judge. Who might believe her to have been naive. Immature. Stupid. Deserving of whatever Seth had chosen to deliver.
Maybe she’d been all of those, except the latter.
Mostly, though, she’d been a girl in her late teens who’d longed to love a man and be loved in return—and got it all wrong. Not because her motives were amiss, but because some people took advantage of others. Thought only of themselves.
She glanced at the open door to the auditorium, grateful for these moments to reflect on the two high schoolers whose heartbreaking circumstances initiated this gathering. To consider how she might best communicate what needed to be said. Heard. Understood.
Would things have been different for her if Luke and Grady hadn’t been so protective, thinking none of the boys she crushed on were good enough for their little sister? Word got around that if you wanted to go out with Rio Hunter, you’d run the big brother gauntlet on a first—and what would probably be your only—date.
Maybe if her brothers hadn’t made themselves such a nuisance, she’d have been better equipped to handle her first serious relationship. Would have had more boy-girl experience and been a better judge of men.
But in reality, she couldn’t blame her brothers. And for too long she’d blamed herself.
Garrett poked his head into the shadowed hallway. “Ready, Rio?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Her cousin must have sensed something in her voice, for he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. Held open his arms to her. “Come here, gal.”
Without hesitation, she went straight to him, absorbing the strength of this man who knew God—and her—so well.
“Are you going to be okay?” he whispered.
She nodded.
“You don’t have to do this.”
She gave him a hug. “But I do, Garrett.”
“You’re sure?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, as the words that had haunted her for days echoed through her mind. I can’t buy that following this passion you say you have is the payment He’s exacting from you to spare your mom’s life.
She stepped back and smiled at Garrett. “Yes, I’m sure.”
And she was.
Not because she had to do this so God wouldn’t snatch her mother away. No, God loved her mom more than she did. Her healing didn’t depend on her daughter’s perfect performance.
Rather, she was doing this because she desperately wanted young people to know they were valued by Someone whose deep love for them went far beyond that of any boyfriend or girlfriend they would ever have. That they, too, deserved to be treated by others like a daughter or son of God Most High.
But as Garrett ushered her into the auditorium...it hit her. She would be doing this for all the wrong reasons if it weren’t for Cash. She’d been wrong not to invite him to join her.
He should be here tonight.
Chapter Twelve
If only he could get up the nerve to ask Rio out. Maybe find a way to bridge the distance that stretched between them despite what he sensed was a mutual attraction.
That was a crazy thing to be thinking, especially right now. With the Hunter clan and their longtime friends as thick as fleas on the back patio of the Hideaway, Josephine Hunter’s early Sunday afternoon birthday party was in full rockin’ swing. Her beautiful blonde granddaughter was handing out ice-cream bars, surrounded by kids of all ages—including his son, who seemed to think he had every right to line up with the Hunter offspring.
Standing off to one side, a cup of soda in hand, Cash was grateful to be included in the Sunday afternoon event honoring the family matriarch. But unlike Joey, he didn’t feel as though he belonged there, was one of them. Instead, he was deeply aware that even though he’d been here since late May—it was July now—and had been every bit a major contributor in the push to win Tallington as any of the Hunters, he was still an outsider. Would always be one—even when he stepped into the horse operation management role next month.
He hadn’t asked a woman out since his release from jail, although there had been plenty of opportunities. Nice, attractive women. But knowing the role he’d played in his failed marriage, as well as still dealing with Lorilee’s infidelity, didn’t leave him with a whole lot of confidence to try again. So why had he gotten it into his head that a woman like Rio might be persuaded to take an interest in one of the Hideaway’s hired hands?
“Need a refill there, Cash?” Delaney sidled up next to him, looking for all the world as if she’d rather be anywhere but here—with top pick being the regional hospital’s delivery room.
He shook his ice-filled cup, sloshing the carbonated beverage. “Thanks, but I’m good.”
“Hunters know how to throw a party, don’t they?”
She scanned a crowd that looked to be having a better than good time. A better time than he was having here on the sidelines.
“Great turnout to honor Jo.”
“She deserves it.” Silent for a moment, Delaney tilted her head curiously. “You going to the rodeo tonight?”
This was the final evening of a three-day event held at the High Country Equine Center in Canyon Springs, about thirty minutes from Hunter Ridge. “Been thinking about it.”
“Grady and Sunshine are going. Take Rio.”
Did Delaney have a hotline to his brain? His gaze slid involuntarily to the smiling blonde handing out the last of the frozen treats.
“I’m serious,” Rio’s sister-in-law continued when he didn’t immediately respond. “She needs to get out more.”
At that moment, Dave Hunter, standing at a round table next to his seated mother, firmly tapped a spoon on his empty tea glass. The sharp, insistent ring echoed across the patio.
“Looks like my dad’s going to launch into speech time. I’d better find Luke and Chloe.” Delaney slipped away into the crowd, and Cash set his soda down on a nearby picnic table to focus on Rio’s father.
“May I have your attention, please?”
“She wants him to keep it short and not real mushy,” Rio confided as she appeared at his side, holding out an ice-cream bar.
“What’s this?” he whispered.
“What’s it look like? Eat it before it melts.”
She pushed it into his hands, but he didn’t want to eat the thing right now. He looked around helplessly until he spotted a kid nearby and handed it off to him.
“Today we’re here,” Dave began, “to celebrate Jo Hunter’s birthday, and we thank all of you for coming to honor this amazing woman.”
The crowd clapped as Dave and his mother exchanged a smile.
“As you know,” he continued, “we—”
“Hold on! Hold on! Special delivery.” The crowd parted as, from behind them, a rotund man hurried into their midst, carefully carrying one of the biggest vases of red roses that Cash had ever seen.
“Bill Stanley, part-time florist at the local grocery store,” Rio whispered. “Look at the size of that thing.”
“He must have raided every floral shop within a sixty-mile radius.”
Happiness lit Rio’s face. “I imagine they’re from the family.”
With a flourish, the grinning deliveryman carefully placed the massive vase on the table in front of the astonished birthday girl. Unable to suppress a smile, Jo stood to inspect them, leaning in to drink in their rich scent.
“Thank you. These are beautiful.” She gave her offspring a look of mild reprimand, undoubtedly aware of how much those dozens of roses had cost. “You’ve outdone yourselves for this old lady.”
Dave frowned and leaned over to say something to Elaine, who shook her head. Then he raised his eyebrows at his sister Suzy and brother Doug, who also shook their heads.
“Um, Mom.” Dave nodded at the flowers. “Maybe you’d better read the card.”
With an indulgent smile, she retrieved an envelope from the arrangement and pulled out the card. Then, drawing her reading glasses from her pocket, she slipped them on, cleared her throat and read aloud.
“‘Congratulations, Mrs. Hunter.’” She paused, dipping her head slightly to look over the top of her glasses at her offspring gathered around the table. “Mrs. Hunter? After all these years it’s entirely acceptable to call me ‘Mom.’”
The crowd laughed.
“‘Congratulations, Mrs. Hunter,’” she repeated, then gave a dramatic sigh. “‘Thank you for your recent...’” Frowning, her voice drifted off as she read silently. Then she placed her hand to her heart. “Oh, my. A happy birthday to me, indeed.”
“What’s it say?” Doug loudly demanded.
She shook her head, obviously overwhelmed. Then, with everyone watching with bated breath, she again held up the card, the strength in her voice belying her eighty-some years. “‘Thank you for your recent hospitality. We look forward to working with you and your fine family for many years to come as Hunter’s Hideaway joins the Tallington Associates lineup of superior special events venues. We’ll be in touch, soon.’”
Rio gasped, gripping Cash’s arm.
“And it’s signed,” Jo continued, still looking dazed, “Elizabeth, Jim and Edmund.”
For a moment, people around them glanced uncertainly at each other, those outside the family in particular not understanding the significance of what had just been read.
Then across the way, Grady suddenly let out a rip-roaring whoop. “Tallington! They’re taking us on!”
A cheer went up from the Hunters scattered throughout the crowd. Whoops. Whistles. Back pounding. And like a house on fire, word spread as to the meaning of the card’s message, setting off another wave of cheers and applause.
“I can’t believe this.” Rio stared up at Cash.
Dumbfounded himself, he gazed down into her beautiful sparkling eyes. “Believe it!”
Laughing, she abruptly threw her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life. “We did it, Cash, we did it!”
Their “without apology” approach had won over Tallington.
“We sure did.” He wasn’t quite sure what to do with her hanging on to him like that, but with everyone else around them reacting similarly to the unexpected news, he tentatively allowed himself to rest his hands on her waist.
She gave him another hearty squeeze. “Looks like we showed Uncle Doug, didn’t we? He’s going to have to eat his words.”
Cash doubted he’d live to see that day. But this opportunity to hold Rio close was reward enough, and caught up in the moment, he garnered the courage to return her hug.
Still laughing and shaking her head in disbelief, she drew back slightly to look up at him. His heart kicked into overdrive, his mouth suddenly dry at the reality of her warm, slender body wrapped in his arms. This was right. So right. Did she feel it, too? But gazing into her eyes, he recognized at once the moment when she became aware of how close they stood to each other. How she’d thrown herself into his arms. How his arms had wrapped around her, pressing her close to his heart.
That awareness motivated her to slowly pull away, blushing furiously. He wasn’t ready for the moment to end and, taking her hands in his, he couldn’t help but blurt out what had been on his mind all day. “Let’s go someplace and celebrate tonight. Kick up our heels.”
She looked confused, apparently not understanding what he was asking of her. That he was asking her out. But he pushed ahead, not letting the uncertainty in her eyes hold him back.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate an event like this than hitting the rodeo in Canyon Springs. How about it?”
“You mean—like the two of us?”
“Yeah, sure. Why not?”
“A date?”
His hopes rose, despite the ebbing of the sparkle in her eyes. “I’m not opposed to calling it that if you aren’t.”
“I don’t know, Cash...”
“Sunshine and Grady are going.” Why’d he say that? As if his original intent was a group outing. But if she’d go, knowing they’d be there, too, well, so be it. He’d take whatever he could get.
“It sounds like fun. I haven’t been to a rodeo in ages, but—” She slipped her hands from his. “I’m not sure...”
“About what?”
“Well, I’m going to be leaving Hunter Ridge next month...”
Okay. Here it comes. The breath he’d been holding slowly escaped his lungs, deflating right along with his hopes. She was about to deliver the let-him-down-gently routine he’d been on the receiving end of a few times before. Though not often, he was relieved to say.
“So it’s probably not,” she continued, “a good idea for us to—”
“You don’t need to spell it out, Rio. I get it.”
But before either could say anything more, Rio’s smiling parents hurried up to them, arms wide with celebratory hugs. Soon, her Grandma Jo and other Hunters joined them.
He stepped back out of the family circle that, as a boy, he’d dreamed of being part of. And when it appeared he’d been forgotten, he slipped away to find Joey.
Hoping to end the day on a more positive note with his son, he nevertheless couldn’t turn him down when he begged to play with his friends and spend the night with Luke and Delaney’s family. Which explained how Cash ended up back at his cabin all alone, tune after tune of lost-love country-western songs playing mournfully on his radio.
No TV. Nothing he wanted to do on his laptop. He did try reading for a while, but eventually found himself standing at a sink full of still-soaking breakfast dishes, his mind wandering to those too-short moments when he’d held Rio in his arms, then watched woodenly as she st
ruggled to turn him down without hurting his feelings.
An unsuccessful effort.
“Well, that was fun, Lord,” he mumbled as he washed the dishes. He should have left well enough alone, just accepted it for what it was. Not tried to turn that celebratory event into something more.
How’d he get so clueless about women? Or maybe he’d always been.
The cabin door rattled under a firm knock, and he groaned under his breath. He didn’t need company. But with the radio blaring and the clatter of dishes in the sink carrying through the open windows, he was a sitting duck.
Having dried his hands, he turned off the radio.
Then with a burst of resigned willpower, he opened the door. And his heart stilled.
Rio.
“If the invitation still stands...” Her eyes searched his, an uncertain smile touching her lips. “I’d like to go to the rodeo with you.”
* * *
“You look like you’re having fun.” Cash winked at Rio as they walked along the shadowed, tree-lined lane outside the High Country Equine Center. When the kids’ calf riding started, he’d said they should step out of the crowded arena for a breath of fresh air. And a few moments in private under the star-filled sky, perhaps? Her heart fluttered in anticipation.
And to think she’d almost missed out on this. The drive to Canyon Springs. Window shopping along Main Street when, to her surprise, he held her hand. Laughing at the puppies in the pet shop window. Sitting side-by-side in their reserved seats, arms occasionally brushing as rodeo events unfolded before them.
It had been a close call. At the moment of Cash’s invitation, she’d mechanically withdrawn into the protective shell she’d lived in since the day Seth had hit her. But, in spite of the milling crowd, a keen-eyed Grandma Jo had witnessed her customary retreat and called her out on it. Encouraged her to follow her heart.
“I’m having tons of fun.” She smiled up at Cash. “Hanging out at a rodeo with a good-looking cowboy, how could I not?”
He glanced around them. “You’re here with a good-looking guy? Maybe I’d better get lost. I don’t want to cut in on some other man’s territory.”