A Cowboy for Christmas (9 page)

Bonner sat at the table and concentrated solely on his lunch of chicken thighs swimming in barbecue sauce with a side of buttery rice, afraid if he dared glance up everyone would read in his expression exactly what he was trying to hide. That he and Casey had basically done not much more than screw each other in every position imaginable the entire time they’d been alone together at the cabin.

The old man shoved his plate of grilled chicken breast and plain rice away from him and sighed. “So Bonner, how was she?”

Bonner looked up, his eyes wide. He cleared his throat. “What?”

“How did the city girl do on her first cattle drive?” The old man chuckled. “You must have rode her hard if she’s too tired to even eat lunch.”

Justus and Dakota both snickered as Bonner’s chest tightened.

They couldn’t know. Of course they didn’t know. Fighting the rising guilt, Bonner reminded himself everything said would sound perfectly innocent if he hadn’t done exactly that, rode Casey hard, three times, four if he counted taking her mouth.

“She did good. Better than I expected. She finally took to Thunder, so the ride down was smoother than the one up.” Bonner shrugged.

“How’d she like the outhouse?” Dakota grinned.

Bonner smiled, remembering that first time. “It was pretty interesting.”

“I bet.” The old man chuckled. “Thank you. I know you didn’t want to take her. I appreciate that you did.”

“No problem.” Bonner nodded and kept his eyes focused on the chicken bones on his plate.

“You sure took your time. Left us here alone to handle things. Didn’t expect you to take two damn days to round up half a dozen stragglers.” Justus, hands covered in sauce as he held a chicken leg, looked unhappy.

“I wouldn’t have alone, smart ass. Yesterday was the first time she’d ever been on a horse.” Bonner raised a brow. “And what I see you’re really telling me is that you two can’t handle things without me. Guess we know who carries the weight around here now, don’t we?”

Dakota shot Justus a look. “We handled it just fine. Just sucked to have you gone yesterday and half of today, and you’ll be out all damn day tomorrow too.”

“Tomorrow?” Bonner frowned until it hit him. “The bull riding school. I forgot all about that.” He glanced at the old man. “What am I going to do with her tomorrow?”

“Bring her with you.”

“No. No way. The trip to the pasture was one thing, but this is different.”

The old man watched him for a bit. “All right. I’m sure she’ll be happy to have a day off from ranching anyway.”

“We can take her with us for the day.” Justus looked up hopefully.

“Oh no, you won’t. You two can finish fixing that stretch of fence we didn’t get to the other day. I’ll show her the computer in the office. That’ll keep her busy all day.” Bonner figured once Casey got some technology in her hands after all this time, she wouldn’t even notice he was gone. Which was exactly what he wanted. He didn’t need all the questions that her knowing he was a rodeo champion would bring.

That part of his life was in his past, and that’s where he wanted it to stay. It was crazy he’d even let himself get talked into being a coach at this one-day bull riding clinic one of the local guys was throwing at his place. He must be getting soft in his old age.

Dakota sighed. “All right.”

“And if she asks where I am, just tell her I’m helping out at a neighbor’s. Got it?” It wasn’t a lie. Just not the whole truth. So why did he feel kind of bad about it?

“Why?” Justus frowned.

“Yeah, Blue, why you always getting mad when people bring up your rodeo days?”

“Boys. Leave him be and do as he says.” That one sentence, delivered in a tone that the old man had perfected from years of bossing people, shut both of the kids up.

Bonner nodded thanks and tried not to think about how her absence at this meal, and the prospect of not seeing Casey tomorrow either, had made him feel as if a cloud had just blocked out the sun.

* * * *

Casey had never been so happy to see a shower in her life. After not even twenty-four hours at the cabin, hot running water seemed like a luxury worthy of kings and queens. When she came out of the shower and found a tray with a hot meal waiting on the desk in her bedroom, she’d thought she’d died and gone to heaven.

She pulled on her Maverick Western flannel lounging pants and matching brushed cotton long-sleeved T-shirt. After shoving her feet into her Maverick natural fur rubber soled slippers, she sat to devour the lunch of barbecued chicken and rice, her tablet on and propped in front of her just in case the 3G signal decided to work today. Even if it didn’t, the moment she was done with the chicken and had washed, or possibly licked, the tasty sauce off her fingers, she’d start making notes, recording her thoughts about the past two days.

Well maybe not all her thoughts. Parts of her felt deliciously sore, a physical reminder of her many incredible bouts with Bonner in the cabin. She certainly hoped he and his cowboy code didn’t have any delusions that now they were back and under Jake Maverick’s roof and scrutiny they wouldn’t be repeating those encounters, because she had other ideas.

Determined to both nail this marketing campaign and Bonner Blue Boyd, Casey cleaned up from lunch and grabbed her tablet. Tingly with excitement about both her work and Bonner, she crawled onto her bed and settled in to do some work—and maybe daydream about her cowboy. If Bonner needed her for anything, he’d have to come upstairs and get her. Mmm, she liked that idea.

She must have fallen asleep, because though she’d lain down while the afternoon sun had been streaming through the panes of her bedroom window, she awoke to the grey light of pre-dawn. She must have been more exhausted than she knew if she’d slept straight through dinner and through the night.

The one good thing about life on the ranch was that everyone woke early, and hot coffee was the first order of business. Casey could get onboard with that schedule. She glanced down at herself, considering if she really needed to get dressed just to sneak downstairs and grab herself a cup. She compromised and threw on a bra under her T-shirt in case she ran into any of the men before heading down the back staircase to the kitchen where she hoped Mrs. Jones and her blessed pot of caffeine were.

In the kitchen she didn’t find Mrs. Jones, but she did find her boss. “Mr. Maverick. Good morning.”

“Please, call me Jake.”

“Okay, I will.” Casey smiled. She couldn’t help but warm to the old man. He was so completely down to earth, even though the name Maverick had become a household word, at least in this country. “You’re up early.”

“I have to be if I want to grab a cup of real coffee before the caffeine Nazi forces that decaf crap on me.”

Sympathizing completely with the old man, Casey laughed. She’d probably curl up in a ball and die if the doctor cut her off cold turkey from real coffee. “I won’t tell.”

“Good girl. Keep this up and your future at Maverick Western will be long and bright.”

“Thanks. I look forward to it.” She laughed. If only hooking Jake up with caffeine were enough to insure her success. “So what does Bonner have planned for me today?”

“He’s gone already. He’ll be gone until nightfall, so you’ve got today off.”

What? She didn’t want the day off. Not if it meant not seeing Bonner. “Where did he go?”

“He’s helping out at one of the neighbor’s places.”

Neighbors? Casey hadn’t seen another house, or even a gate, the entire time she’d been here. “Oh? That’s nice of him.”

“Yup.” Jake spent a good amount of time stirring the sugar into his coffee.

“What kind of help? With culling the herd or something?” The question was two-fold. First she wanted to impress Jake that she’d picked up the ranch lingo in her short time there. But mostly, she wanted to know where Bonner was and what he was doing. And why he hadn’t taken her with him.

Jake got a strange expression on his face. “Uh, not real sure. But he did leave instructions for you for the day.”

“He did?” At least Casey knew he’d been thinking of her. That made up a little bit for the fact he’d abandoned her for the day.

“Yup.” He cocked his head. “Follow me. I gotta get out of here anyway before the coffee police gets here.”

The old man led her through the maze that was the rambling old ranch house until they ended at a tiny room way in the back of the house. Casey hadn’t even known it existed, but when Jake flipped on the light switch, she nearly dropped her coffee at what she saw.

A big old fax machine. A printer. A desk phone attached to the wall with an actual cord that didn’t need cell signal to work. And what really caught her eye, the desktop computer. It may be big and old, with a monitor that took up half the desk, but if it was wired for internet, she’d kiss it.

“Is there…” Casey swallowed, afraid to hope. “Internet?”

“Yup. High-speed. It’s all yours. Phone, fax, computer, printer. Whatever you need.”

Oh thank God. She took one step forward into the room, closer to the shrine of technology. Casey finally broke her gaze away to find Jake grinning at her.

“Blue said you’d be happy. So will this keep you occupied for the day?”

Her heart fluttered. Bonner knew her too damn well, and she loved it.

“Oh yeah.” She smiled wide. Hot coffee, even hotter cowboy sex, good home-cooked meals, beautiful scenery, and now this, the whole world-wide-web at her disposal. Casey was beginning to be able to see herself living ranch life. She glanced up at Jake. “Thank you.”

He shook his head, grinning. “I’ll send a search party for you if you’re not out by dinner.”

That was a good possibility. She laughed. “Okay.”

With a nod, Jake and his contraband coffee disappeared and Casey was alone. She sat at the desk and pushed the power button. The monitor sprang to life and her heart rate quickened. What to do first? Work email? Personal email?

Then what Jake had said stuck out—
Blue said you’d like it
. Jake rarely slipped up and called Bonner
Blue
. His doing it today reminded her of the secrets the man seemed to keep about his past.

Decision made, Casey opened an internet browser window and typed into the search field “Bonner Blue Boyd Colorado rodeo”.

Up popped a list of links a page long. Her cowboy had blazed a virtual path a mile wide and it was all here, his entire past, for her to see. It was like Christmas morning and every link was a gift under the tree for her. And unlike when she was eight, this time she knew there’d be a cowboy inside. Casey leaned forward and clicked on the first link.

An action shot of Bonner, arm high in the air, cowboy hat pulled low as he somehow stayed on the back of a bucking bull whose four hooves were airborne, took her breath away. The articles were ten years old. God, he was just a kid then, not much older than Justus and Dakota. The titles went from
State Rodeo Champion Bonner Blue Boyd Wins
to
Reigning Champion Blue Boyd Retires
, dated the following year with no explanation for it.

Casey leaned back and frowned. Her research—she refused to call it stalking—had yielded more questions than answers. What had made him retire at the height of his career? More importantly, why was he so reluctant to discuss this time of his life? And finally, where the hell was he today and why wouldn’t Jake tell her?

This was the worst damn pain he’d ever felt. Seriously. In his bull riding days, Bonner had been bucked off and stomped on and still felt better afterward than he did now after one stupid yoga class.

He limped in to the dining room looking as if he’d gone eight-seconds with a champion bull and lost. Who the hell would have thought a person could injure a hamstring from doing something called the heron pose? His quadriceps in the opposite leg didn’t feel so great either. When did bull riders start doing yoga anyway? What happened to the old days when a man could just get on a barrel or a few practice bulls to train? And what the hell had made him think that, in his thirties, he should try yoga alongside the teens and twenty-somethings at the clinic?

Well he sure had learned his lesson. No more yoga. Ever. He’d been barely able to get his boots on. He didn’t even want to think about trying to get them off again.

He’d taken so long getting to the dining room from his truck, thanks to his yoga injury, the boys and the old man were already seated. Casey however, wasn’t there. Probably still eyeball deep in the computer.

Dakota looked up from his seat at the table. “Jesus, Blue. What the hell happened to you?”

Bonner groaned. “Don’t ask.”

The old man cocked a brow. “Well I’m asking. What’s wrong with you?”

Justus frowned in sympathy. “You get bucked off at the clinic?”

“No, I didn’t get bucked off. I wasn’t even on a bull.” Bonner scowled and lowered himself slowly into the chair.

Dakota frowned. “So then what—“

Casey appeared in the doorway just as Dakota decided he couldn’t let the conversation go. If there was one person Bonner didn’t want questioning him about today, which would only lead to talk of his past rodeo career, it was her.

“I’ll tell you all later.” Bonner shot all three men a look that would hopefully silence them, but not before Casey’s expression told him she knew she’d walked in on a conversation he didn’t want her to hear.

“So how was your day, little lady?” Thank God for Jake. He addressed Casey with the one subject that would most likely take the attention off Bonner. The internet.

“Very productive. Thank you. I actually printed out some preliminary marketing plans, if you’re interested in seeing them.”

Jake nodded. “Sure. Can’t promise I’ll understand ’em, but I’ll take a look.”

“You’re being modest.” Casey shook her head and then her focus moved from the old man, to him. “So, Bonner, how was your day? You miss me tagging along with you?”

He didn’t miss the undertone in her question. She was most likely pissed off because they’d had what amounted to eighteen hours of straight sex and then he’d disappeared for the day without explanation. He’d have to tell her something.

“Sure did, but we got done what needed doing so it was a good day.” Once again, he shot a sideways glance at the men at the table. If they didn’t ask any questions about the bull riding clinic, he wouldn’t have to avoid answering them to prevent Casey from prying into his past.

“So, uh, why didn’t you tell me there was high speed internet in the house before today?” She didn’t look satisfied but thankfully she let the subject of where he’d been all day drop, though it seemed he was in the hot seat now for not showing her the office equipment right off.

“Because Jake’s accountant has been in there working most of the days since you got here.” Bonner grinned. “And because I enjoy torturing you.”

Casey let out a short laugh. “I’m beginning to think you do.”

He glanced up to find too much interest in this conversation from the others at the table. If he didn’t watch it, this exchange between him and Casey would tip them all off that there was much more between them now than there had been the last time they’d all sat at this table together.

Time to change the subject again. He turned to Dakota and Justus. “So, that fencing fixed yet?”

That was followed by a bunch of excuses and explanations from the two kids, all delivered while Casey’s attention stayed a little too focused on Bonner for his liking.

When the meal was done, much too soon it seemed, he had another challenge—how was he going to walk out of there without Casey noticing him limping? Maybe if he just stayed in his seat she’d leave the room first. Yeah, that was a plan.

“We’re heading into town. There’s a band at the bar.” Dakota stood, followed by Justus. “You wanna come, Blue?”

“Nah, that place is too loud for me.”

“Miss Casey?”

As much as Bonner didn’t want Casey asking questions about his injury or his past, he also didn’t want her out at a bar, possibly getting drunk, with these two. He turned to watch and wait for her answer.

“Thank you, but I think I’ll hang out here for the night.” She shot him a glance.

“All right. See you guys in the morning.” Dakota and Justus left, but Casey didn’t move. She was going to stay there with him at the table. His plan to outwait her was going to backfire.

The old man stood. “I notice no one’s inviting me out. That’s all right. I have plans of my own.”

Bonner raised a brow. “What plans?”

Jake glanced around then leaned closer. “After Mrs. Jones goes to bed, I sneak down and raid the fridge.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t get caught.”

“I’ve been sneaky for too long to get caught now. G’night, you two.” The old man left and then there were two—Bonner and Casey. He scrambled for a safe subject. “So, I’m glad you got what you needed to get done today.”

“I did. What did you get done today?” Her brow rose as she waited.

He shrugged. “Just helping out over at another guy’s place. It’s done now. Tomorrow we’re back to normal around here.”

Casey frowned. “Why are you acting so secretive? If it’s just helping out at another ranch, what’s the big deal? And why didn’t you take me with you?”

“It’s no big deal at all. It wasn’t anything. Sorry. I thought you’d appreciate at day off and some technology after the past week, is all.”

“I did.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. And thank you.”

He nodded. “You’re welcome.”

They sat in awkward silence. She wasn’t leaving and he couldn’t without limping like a ninety-year-old man with a bum leg. This was a hell of a situation he’d gotten himself in. Maybe honestly was the best policy, but doing what was best wasn’t always easy.

They seemed to be at a stand off, Casey watching him, him looking anywhere but at her, when Mrs. Jones came into the room. “You two still here? Good. I need help in the kitchen.”

“I’ll help you.” Casey stood.

“No, you won’t. This is a man’s job.” Mrs. Jones motioned for Casey to sit back down. “Bonner?”

He raised a brow. “If Casey wants to help—“

“Bonner Boyd, we don’t let women do the work of a man in this house. Your mama and daddy raised you better than that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He pushed back his chair and braced his hands on the table. He took one step and winced, glancing up to see if Casey had noticed.

“What’d you do to yourself now?” Mrs. Jones frowned.

“Nothing. I’m fine. What do you need done?” He took one more hobbling step and then another, resisting the urge to look back at the woman whose eyes he felt boring into his back.

Mrs. Jones shook her head. “Men.”

* * * *

Casey waited, arms folded, until Bonner fixed the fawcett in the kitchen for Mrs. Jones and had to hobble back through the dining room to get to the front door and his truck. Judging by the expression on his face, he hadn’t expected her to be waiting. He didn’t know how determined she could be when she put her mind to it.

“Quite a limp you got there.”

“It’s nothing.”

“How’d it happen?”

“Pulled something.”

Casey resisted the urge to stamp her foot like a child but it wasn’t easy. “Why won’t you tell me?”

Bonner drew in and blew out a long, slow breath. “There’s nothing to tell.”

Usually when he did things slow, especially when they were in bed, she loved it. But this was just plain frustrating.

“Bonner.” She feared she might have actually stamped her foot that time.

He glanced at the kitchen door. “Let’s go someplace where we can talk.”

“Fine.” She turned and headed for the staircase to her room, thinking that would be a pretty good place to be once they ironed this out, given she had that nice comfy bed and all. He could make it up to her there.

Taking the stairs looked particularly painful for Bonner. Casey tried not to take too much satisfaction in that. She was pretty pissed he was keeping secrets and avoiding her after all they’d done together, but she still didn’t want him to be in too much pain. Just a little…

In her room, he glanced around and then chose to sit at the desk chair. She’d let him stay there, for now. She perched on the edge of the mattress.

Bonner let out a frustrated sounding breath and glanced up at her. “One of the local ranches was running a bull riding clinic for young riders and they asked me if I’d come and help out. As a coach. I ended up pulling a muscle. I’m retired and this proves I should have stayed retired. See. Told you it was nothing.”

“Why did you retire?” she asked. His gaze shot to her and he didn’t look happy. Casey felt the need to explain herself. “I mean from what I read, you were at the top of your career when you quit.”

“From what you read?” His brows shot up.

“Um, well it was all right there on the internet.”

“That’s how you spent your day? Researching me?” His tone sounded annoyed.

“No. Just for like a minute or two.” Casey crossed her arms, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why was he being so secretive? “What’s wrong, Bonner. What are you hiding?”

She hoped she didn’t regret asking that question.

He finally looked her in the eye. “I retired because my wife wanted me to.”

“Your wife?” The word nearly doubled Casey over with nausea. “This may be a little late to ask this, but do you still have this wife?”

Casey was proud of herself that she’d managed to keep her voice almost steady as she asked the question. Though she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stay upright, depending on the answer.

“I wouldn’t have been with you if I did.” Bonner’s voice softened. “We got a divorce the year after I retired. It’s been almost ten years now.”

The relief nearly overwhelmed her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but she wasn’t sure he’d be so receptive after she’d questioned him so relentlessly. “Why didn’t you go back to the rodeo after the divorce if it had been only a year?”

“Because the old man had already hired me on here full-time. It was a good job with a steady paycheck. The sensible thing to do was stay here. Besides in rodeo every season there’s some new kid there to take your place at the top of the rankings. I never wanted to be that aging has-been who didn’t know when to quit.”

A has-been, in his early twenties. Casey had trouble wrapping her head around that concept but she supposed bull riding was a young man’s sport. “Why didn’t you just tell me all this to begin with instead of sneaking around?”

Bonner let out a snort. “Because no man likes to admit his mistakes.”

She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he thought his mistake was. Retiring? The divorce? The marriage to begin with? Maybe all three. It didn’t matter. She rose from the mattress and walked to him.

“I’m sorry I pried. It was none of my business and I shouldn’t have researched you online.” She laid a hand on each of his shoulders.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “It’s okay. Sorry I made it such a big secret you felt you had to.”

“It’s okay.” She took a step even closer, until they were pressed together. She rested her head on top of his. “Wanna have make-up sex now?”

“Yes.” Bonner’s laugh vibrated through her. “But under the old man’s roof?”

“Like you said, the milk’s already been spilt…quite a few times and places, if I remember correctly.” Casey liked when Bonner’s cowboy wisdom worked so neatly in her favor.

She felt him smile. “You’re right. Help me to the bed?”

Casey let him pull himself up by grabbing her arm. “You’re hurt that badly? Jeez, are you sure you’re going to be able to perform in this shape?”

“No, I’m not sure. You may have to do all the work.” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned like the devil.

“Isn’t that always the way.” She rolled her eyes dramatically.

When she got him to the bed, Bonner crashed onto the mattress and lay, unmoving. He went to reach for one foot and cringed. Flopping back again, he covered his face with his forearm. “Can you take off my boots?”

“This is killing you, isn’t it? Being hurt. Having to ask for help.” Casey moved to the end of the bed.

“Yup.”

“But you must have been hurt all the time when you were riding. I’ve watched professional bull riding on television. I’ve seen the guys limping around.” She spoke as she grabbed his boot and pulled.

He winced. “I was younger then.”

“You’re still young.” She pulled the other boot off and actually got a pain-filled grunt from Bonner. After dropping the boot to the floor next to the bed, she lay down next to him. She saw the pain in his face. Maybe he was even worse than he’d let on. “Wanna just lay here for a few minutes?”

“God yes.” Bonner’s relief was evident in his expression.

Casey sat up against the headboard as Bonner looked like it was all he could do to lay still. “Hm, maybe I should have gone with Dakota and Justus to the bar.”

“Oh, shut your pretty little mouth. I’ll be fine… In a minute.”

She smiled, enjoying the teasing. Enjoying even more that Bonner was in her bed, even if they weren’t having sex at the moment. That they could joke with each other and talk about things was nice too. It proved this wasn’t just some animal attraction between them.

Bonner turned just his head on the pillow to face her. “So, now you know about my past. You owe me something about yours. Spill.”

Even though she figured he was trying to distract her so she didn’t demand anything physically strenuous from him for a little while, Casey decided she did owe him a truth for a truth. He’d confessed something he didn’t like to tell anyone. Her turn. “I can’t cook.”