Double the Trouble (Texas Trouble 3) (3 page)

Cole had told her at the rodeo when she saw him that Luke and Cassie had started raising quarter horses out here, and she hoped
,
since he also said Cassie was pregnant, she'd need some help.  Otherwise, Karlie didn't know what she was going to do.  She'd probably have to sell her horse, which she'd left with her sister in
Dallas
,
something
she didn't want to do.  JoJo, otherwise know as Joe's Hot Rod Lincoln, was the best damned cutting horse in Texas, and they'd been together for four years now
, she'd had him since he was a baby and had trained him herself
.

Karlie walked up on the wide front porch, pressed the door bell and wa
ited.  The door opened and Luke Matthews, looking hotter than ever, grinned at her
.  With a loud
whoop
he
jerked her into a big hug, then set her back on her feet and said, "Karlie Upton, it's been years, girl!  Cole told me he saw you at the rodeo in Dallas...
Cassie's gonna be tickled
to see you
!
"

"I sure hope so," she told him with a smile.  "I can't wait to catch up with her...I hear you two finally got hitched.  Bout damned time! Congratulations!"

Cassie walked up behind Luke and leaned around his wide shoulders and her face split into a grin then she pushed him aside and ran up to Karlie, leaned over and gave her a tight hug. 

She had to lean over, because her belly was swollen like
she was hiding
a
basketball
under the loose top she had on.  Karlie to
ld her, "You look awesome, girl," then patted her tummy and added, "
But bet you're not doing much riding these days
though
."

A frown pinched Cassie's face then her lip poked out, "No, and I'm not happy about it either," she said then looked up at Luke.  "Luke bought me the most beautiful stallion as a wedding present, and I haven't even gotten on his back yet!"
  Cassie grabbed her hand and tugged her inside, "C'mon inside out of the heat, we have a lot of catching up to do," she said excitedly then led her through the big house to the kitchen.

"I need to get my dog out of the car...do you mind if I bring him inside?  He's clean and house-trained."

"You have a dog?  That must be rough on the circuit carting him around with you."

"Yeah, it was...but I don't have to worry about that anymore..." Karlie told her.

"Why not?" Cassie asked with confusion in her eyes.

"I quit.
 
I'm done with the rodeo
, t
hat's why I'm here
...
let me go get Sarge and I'll tell you all about it,
"
  Karlie told her then ran back through the house and outside.  She let Sarge out of the car and then took him to the grassy area on the side of the house and let him do his business.  When he finished, she walked with him back into the house
, then went to the kitchen
.

"
You quit?!?
" Cassie said incredulously as soon as she came back in the room, then added, "But you and Katie are the best damned female team ropers in the country!"

Karlie shrugged then told her, "I'm tired of the grind.  The traveling sucks, and I've had my moment in the sun
...time to let some other cowgirl shine."

"That can't be all of it...I thought you loved the rodeo
,
" Cassie
said shaking
her head.

"Well Jake kinda helped my decision...you remember Jake Johnson?"

"The bull rider?"

"Yeah the bully that rides bulls..." she told her friend.  Jake had been getting rough with her lately and she was done with that and him, as well as the rodeo.

"Bully?" Cassie said then her eyes narrowed and her face flushed, "Did he hurt you, Karlie?"

"
He's roughed me up some, but
I left before he
really hurt me.  I
f he finds me
though
, it won't be pretty
,
"
Karlie
told her,
knowing that was putting it mildly.  She'd stolen his dog and his meal ticket all in one swoop.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here.  Luke won't let him hurt you, will you, darlin'?" Cassie looked adoringly up at him and Karlie's heart clenched seeing the love flowing between them.  One day she would find someone to love her like that, but Jake sure wasn't the one.  He'd been nice enough the first
few
months they were together, but once she moved into his travel trailer with him, he'd gotten mean
, and everything she did seemed to aggravate him
.

"If he shows up here, I'll show him how it is to face someone his own size, for sure.  You're safe here, sugar," Luke promised her, anger and seriousness glittering in his eyes.

"I can sure use your help with my horses too...did Cole tell you?  I started breeding and training quarter horses,' Cassie told her with a bright smile.

"He sure did, and that's why I headed out here
when I left
Dallas
, to see if you would hire me..." Karlie told her, then added with a laugh, "Well, other than to see you that is."

"Your hired," Cassie stood up and grinned, "Let's get started...
I want you to meet Titan.
"

Luke pushed her back down in the chair and said, "Whoa there, sugar.  You agreed to rest a couple hours, so I'll show Karlie the barn...
Y
ou
can
show her Titan later this evening."

Cassie's face dropped, "Aw, c'mon, honey.  I haven't seen Karlie in years, we have a lot of catching up to do!  I can rest later."

Luke didn't say anything, he just stared at Cassie, then her chin dropped,
and she said,
"Okay,
I
guess I'll got upstairs for a little while.  It is pretty hot outside, and my ankles are swollen.
..god, I can't wait til this kid is born
.
"
She
pushed up out the chair and walked over to put her arms around Luke
and hug his waist
.
  He kissed her hair then Cassie squeezed her arm when she passed by on her way out of the kitchen.

Karlie smiled and told Luke, "She sure is a lot mellower than she used to be, huh?  Pregnancy and marriage agrees with her."

"As long as I keep her supplied with blueberry Pop Tarts, she's a kitten.  She runs out and I hide," Luke snorted, then told her, "Let's go, I'll show you the barn.
..you want to sleep out in the bunkhouse with Bud, or here in the house?
"

"I'd feel safer in the house, if you have room, if not the bunkhouse would be fine," Karlie told him.

"We have plenty of room, I'll find you a bedroom when we get back."

He led her out the back door and to the barn.  It looked like a new barn, and it was beautiful.  She saw the stalls had turnout paddocks behind each one, separately fenced for each horse.  She looked over to the right of the barn and a good ways back she saw an outdoor arena, and what looked to be a huge indoor arena.  "This place is awesome...ya'll have outdone yourselves."

"It's been a lot of hard work, we just did get both the arenas and the round pen done before the wedding, and before Titan came home."

"The barn looks new too?"

Cole's face turned red and he cleared his throat, "Yeah, we had a fire on the day of our wedding and the barn was a total loss, but we didn't lose any horses, thank goodness."

"Wow, that must've been devastating..."
  Karlie couldn't believe the wedding actually took place, if that happened on their wedding day!

"It was, but things are back to normal now...and Titan and his ladies have a new and improved barn to live in."

"I can't wait to meet him, but I want Cassie to show him to me," she grinned up at him.  "She'd be mad if you ruined the surprise."

"No, problem there, this is her operation, she calls the shots," he told her and smiled.

"So what are you up to these days, if she's running the horse operation?" she asked as he led her to the last stall on the aisle.

"
Well, I was Sheriff, but I resigned and bought the cattle herd from Carl.  Cole and I run that
, and I help Cassie with the horses, and Carl with the crops.  Our herd is kind of small right now, just a
couple
hundred head or so.  We had a sale recently."

"Sounds like ya'll are pretty busy...let me know if you need help with the cattle," she told him with a laugh
.
"I'm pretty handy with a lasso."

When someone said, "I've seen your skill with a rope up close and personal, Karlie," the
y
both turned and saw Cole walking down the aisle, his face
was
red and pinched, his hands fisted
at his sides.

He was in his Sheriff's uniform, and Karlie knew exactly what he meant and why he was here.  She swallowed hard and forced a smile then said, "Hi, Cole..."

"Don't play innocent, Karlie--turn around and put your hands up against that stall," he told her and pointed at the stall next to where she was standing.

"What the hell, Cole?" Luke said incredulously and stepped between her and Cole.

"Gabe stopped her and she hog-tied him," Cole said and Karlie could swear the corner of his lips twitched
, but he told her firmly,
"Do it Karlie, now..."

She nodded then turned her back to them and put her hands on the stall and spread her legs.  Unfortunately, she knew this routine too well.  The 'Wild Child'
of the pro rodeo circuit
had had plenty of scrapes with the law, but none this serious.  She knew she was in deep shit for what she'd done.  "Luke can you and Cassie watch Sarge for me?  I only did it, because he was going to throw him in the pound...and I couldn't let that happen."

"Yeah, we'll watch him, but wow, Karlie, that's pretty damned serious," Luke told her in a concerned voice. "I thought you might have settled down some, but obviously not."

"I'm not nearly as bad as I was, Luke...I just did what I had to do.  I told him I was sorry and I called help for him, but I had to make sure Sarge was safe.  I was going to tell you and turn myself in, but Cole beat me to it.  That guy was a rude ass anyway."

Cole piped up in an agitated voice,
"You were doing a hundred and five miles an hour, Karlie.  He deserved to be rude, and a lot more.  You're damned lucky he didn't impound that hot rod you drive
.
"

"I'd have done more than hog-tie him if he'd touched Freddie.  You know how I feel about that car," Karlie said then gave Cole a heated glance over her shoulder.
  Her uncle, the closest thing to a father she and Katie had ever know
n
, had given her that
'71
Lincoln
Coupe
for her sixteenth birthday.  He was gone now and that's the only thing she had left of him.
  "You don't mind if I leave him parked here, do you Luke?"

"No, that's fine," he told her, then added, "I guess Cassie's gonna have to find someone else to help out with the horses."

"No!  Please don't do that--I'll work this out, I promise," she said and spun around to face Luke. 
"I need this job, please, Luke..."

"Okay, Karlie...we'll wait a little while and see what happens," Luke said although he didn't look to sure about his decision.

"Turn around, Cassie, let's get this over with," Cole told her then put his hand on her shoulder.  She did and he lightly patted her down, then
loosely
cuffed her hands behind her
and recited her rights to her
.  "I hate to do this, but I don't have a choice.  You made a really bad decision, sugar."