Betting on Hope (19 page)

At the moment Maggie wanted to bend low over Stardust’s neck and ride like the wind. Ride far away and out of reach of whoever knew she was here and knew the secrets of her past.

She couldn’t do either. She’d probably fall out of the saddle and break her neck if she tried galloping Stardust, but the plus of that was it wouldn’t matter then whether anyone knew that Maggie Hope wasn’t her real name. Or that she’d been a con-artist and a thief from the age of four—until right before she’d met Amanda.

She closed her eyes and swayed.

“Maggie, what’s wrong?”

She focused, meeting Tru’s concerned gaze. “Nothing. Just enjoying the ride.”

He didn’t look convinced. Her stomach was feeling as uneasy as he looked. “You don’t look all right,” he said. “You look pale.”

She studied the scenery and tried to think of an honest reply. “I went to see a friend today—Jenna. She’s a teen out at the home for pregnant girls.” It was the truth and while it didn’t explain her lack of color, it did give her something to talk about. And right now she needed that for more than a cover.

The sun was brilliant and she was glad she’d put her shades on before they’d headed out so at least he couldn’t see her eyes.

“How did you meet her?”

“Well, it’s a unique story, actually.” She smiled in relief that she had something else to focus on. She patted Stardust’s neck and told him about finding her on the side of the road and taking her to Peg and Lana’s. He took his shades off and gaped at her in disbelief.

“She
hitchhiked
in the back of a truck under a tarp and she was seven months pregnant.”

“I know it’s unbelievable.” Maggie felt sudden tears well in her eyes.

“She must have been very desperate.” He pulled Cinder to a halt and she pulled on the reins and Stardust stopped too. “You’re crying.”

She sniffed and brushed a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. “It’s just . . . you’re right. She told me the other night that she was running from her abusive father and doing whatever it took to get her baby to safety.” Maggie’s thoughts veered to her own father and the emotional abuse he’d put her through all of her life. She was at least thankful she’d not had to endure the physical abuse that Jenna had endured for so long.

Tru’s eyes hardened and his jaw stiffened. “Unbelievable. What a jerk.”

Maggie nodded. “Thankfully, she is safe. But now she’s making the choice to give her baby up for adoption. And it’s breaking my heart.” Sighing and feeling restless, she urged Stardust to start walking again and Tru did the same with his horse.

“So how’s she doing with it?”

“Being as brave as she was to take out on her own. She’s going to do it. But I don’t think she wants to. It’s for her baby.” Maggie couldn’t imagine—the idea was becoming a little too tough to linger on. Time to change the subject. “Thank you for bringing me out here today. It’s beautiful.”

He touched the edge of his Stetson. “Glad to be of service.”

She studied her surroundings. There was a small pond to the left and several black cows grazed. One even stood in the pond. “I really didn’t believe I would enjoy riding. But I am.” And she’d needed it. The whole experience was like some kind of deep therapy. Thinking about the letter in the cabin waiting on her, she felt a little better prepared to face it now.

“I’m glad you’re liking it. I love it. And I can promise you,” he cocked his head to the side and shot her a dazzling white smile, “it’s only going to get better.”

Maggie swallowed hard, despite the emotions tearing at her, and her pulse ricocheted at his smile. Tru Monahan had a way of making her feel things she’d longed to feel all of her life.

And she had no idea what to do about that. It was such a deep longing that even now, it had the ability to override everything.

14

Tru led them down the grassy path that weaved its way through the pastures. She was quieter than she’d been earlier, and he chalked it up to her concentrating on not messing up. Or she was worrying about her friend. Poor kid.

Maggie had a good heart. It became more and more evident how good with every day that he knew her. Trying to rescue Pops’s pooch the first day, and then on her next visit being so sweet when Pops showed her his trophies. And then to find out that she’d picked up this poor, pregnant runaway and taken her to safety . . . Maggie Hope was the real deal.

They rode in more relaxed silence for a few minutes. He actually hadn’t ridden for the enjoyment of it in a while. He’d missed it. These days, he had so much on his plate with the duties of sponsorship and his training business and the ranch. Then there was Pops and now this thing with the media. Sometimes he wasn’t sure he’d ever get his life down to a simpler form. Maggie made him acutely aware of how badly he wanted that. He couldn’t even think about a family until things settled down.

“So, you being here for so long isn’t upsetting your boyfriend?” The question came out of nowhere. He’d been wondering about her, but he hadn’t planned on asking. A woman like Maggie had to have someone anxious for her to be around.

He saw her shoulders stiffen immediately. “No boyfriend.”

“Really, how’s that?” Now what was he doing?

A couple of scissor-tailed birds swooped past them in a game of chase, their long, split-tail feathers giving them a playful air.

“I’m selective,” she said, hesitantly.

“As in picky?” He was crazy. Why was he pushing?

“No, there’s nothing wrong with being careful who you date and trying to choose well. Much better than dating anyone and everyone.” Her last words sounded accusing.

His spirits sank. “So, you read tabloids.” Why that hurt, he didn’t know.

“Hardly. But it’s kind of difficult not to notice headlines and front pages when I’m in line at the grocery store. Especially if it’s a similar headline on all of the different rags at the same time.”

“Point taken.” He grimaced. They’d reached a shallow ravine with about a twenty-foot slope down to the dry streambed. He stopped on the edge, and she pulled up beside him. Doing good.

“It’s actually none of my business,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“But you did.” His hand tightened on the rein, understanding now some of the lack of trust that had been directed at him. Or at least he thought this could be it. He’d done this to himself.

She colored and he realized he was staring at her. He yanked his gaze off of her, feeling the sting of her judgment all the way through him.

Urging his horse forward, he began to maneuver down the uneven slope.

“Wait. I can’t do that,” Maggie called, panic in her voice.

“You’re not going to. Stardust is. You just sit back in the seat and move with him. He knows what he’s doing. Trust him.” He stared at her over his shoulder. “You can do this.”

She glared at him. Did he care? Not at the moment. Not at all.

Well, that was a lie and he knew it. Stardust knew what he was doing and whether she realized it or not, she wouldn’t fall out of the saddle.

At least he hoped not.

He’d learned if there was a way, Maggie would figure out how to accomplish it. Good or bad.

Maggie should not have brought up the tabloids. Really, what had she been thinking? She hadn’t been.

And what was he thinking? Obviously he wasn’t thinking either. The cowboy had ridden down into the ravine and expected her to follow him.

She’d just barely started getting comfortable in the saddle. She’d just told him she was enjoying learning to ride and now he wanted her to ride Stardust down that rocky, uneven—not to mention steep—path. He had lost his mind.

“I can’t do that,” she called as he reached the bottom. Instead of answering, he rode Cinder through the middle of the ravine bottom, heading away from her. Just leaving her sitting there.

Maggie’s eyes narrowed to slits and she felt the steam rush from her ears—saving her from blowing a gasket or something. How dare he be so mean. This was all too much.

The man was a—a jerk. Just like every other man who’d ever entered her life.

She wanted to turn Stardust around and gallop back to the barn. That would show him. She envisioned him watching her lean over Stardust’s back riding like the wind away from him. That would show him she wasn’t to be toyed with.

But that was just her mad imagination. For one, from where he was, he wouldn’t be able to see her flying across the pasture. And two, she knew she’d fly right out of the saddle and land in a heap on the ground. Nothing good about that. Except to give him something to be smug about.

She glared down the slope in front of her.
Trust Stardust
.

Tru’s words echoed through the flames of her anger as she watched him heading away from her. Heading around a bend, he would soon disappear behind if he didn’t halt Cinder.

She was suddenly so sick of everything. Her dad, her past, everything that wanted to work at defeating her. She at least needed to try this.

“Go, Stardust,” she ordered in a husky whisper, nudging the horse forward with her knees. That was all it took for the horse to take the first step down. Maggie’s left hip dipped with the downward movement of the horse’s step and then her right hip dipped with the next step. She automatically leaned back in the seat to compensate for the new angle, gripping the saddle horn and the reins at the same time for extra insurance.

She glanced toward Tru. He was gone.

Her heart pounded and she gritted her teeth as the incline grew steeper. Yes, it wasn’t a huge incline, but as Maggie’s first, it seemed like a straight drop-off to nowhere.

But she was doing it.

Halfway down, her heart leveled off some, and Maggie realized her death grip on the saddle horn had turned into just a firm hold. She was doing it.

By the time Stardust leveled off, Maggie’s grin overpowered her face, straining to reach from ear to ear.

“We did it,” she breathed, still in disbelief as she leaned forward and patted Stardust’s neck. “We did it.”

The urge to tell Tru what she’d done swamped her and she looked again, but he was long gone around the bend. The disappointment weighed heavy on her.

She’d never really had anyone to share things with, no accomplishments—until Amanda had come into her life. Before that, she’d been so alone that her life seemed silent. It would have been nice to see Tru watching her and know that he’d helped her accomplish this even if he’d made her mad in the process.

But, he wasn’t there. Why had he just left her like this?

She’d goaded him with the stupid crack about the tabloids. Up until that time they’d been fine. But then he was getting too close and she knew it. That tabloid jibe had been more to remind her of why she couldn’t fall for the cowboy than it had been for him.

She’d needed something to remind her that this was a working relationship.
Working
.

Purely a working relationship and nothing more.

The pride she’d felt slipped away, and she followed Tru’s path down the trail and around the bend. He was there, up ahead waiting in the shadows of an overhanging tree. He’d gotten off his horse and was letting it drink from a section of the stream that intersected from another ravine.

In a flood, this would be a dangerous place to be, but for now, it was a peaceful, secluded hideaway.

“You made it,” he said. His voice sounded neutral, distant.

“Yes, we did.” Deflated by his attitude, she went to dismount from Stardust, but she swung her leg over his rump too fast and lost her balance. Her foot hung in the stirrup
again.

Tru must have moved like a superhero, because he was there and she fell straight into his arms. Foot still in stirrup. Stardust jumped and for one terrifying moment she thought the horse was going to take off and she was going to be torn from Tru’s arms and dragged through the gully.

“Whoa, Stardust,” Tru said soothingly as he snagged the reins and held the startled horse. “Hold on there,” he urged, calming the animal. Stardust stabilized and Maggie relaxed a little. She was clutching Tru’s shirt with both hands and realized if she’d been torn from his arms, his shirt would have gone with her.

“Tug your boot out, easy. There you go.” Tru helped her ease her foot out of the stirrup while he continued to hold her close. When her foot dropped free, his arm tightened around her, holding her so she didn’t fall.

Immediately, he dropped the reins and used both his arms to shift Maggie so she was standing.

Well, she could have been, except somehow with his arms tightly around her waist, her feet didn’t quite touch the ground. Her heart pounded in rhythm with his and he stared into her eyes with longing that took her breath away. Longing that mirrored the longing she was feeling for him. How could this be? He’d made her so mad and now she wanted him to kiss her.

When his gaze dropped to her lips Maggie’s blood hurtled through her veins. Yes, she wanted Tru Monahan to kiss her and that feeling was stronger than anything she’d ever experienced in all of her life.

His golden eyes were warm with what? Wanting?

He wanted to kiss her too.