Read Elly: Cowgirl Bride Online

Authors: Trish Milburn

Elly: Cowgirl Bride (15 page)

BOOK: Elly: Cowgirl Bride
6.68Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“I hope so.”

Elly heard the hopes and dreams of the entire Hansen family in those three little words. Shame that she’d always had things so easy, that she’d been moping about her own problems when she had so much going for her, had her stepping back. “You want a Coke?”

Janie glanced at her, confusion in her eyes. “Jesse’s up next.”

“I’ll be back in time. He takes forever and a day in the chute.”

“Okay, sure.”

Elly headed for the concession area, needing a few moments alone. She tried to picture the months ahead, how Mark would fit into her family, how much he might want to—or not. When she really thought about it, she could picture everyone eventually coming to a sort of peace with the situation, accepting Mark and what had happened.

Except maybe Jesse. Even before the paternity issue, those two had a simmering animosity toward each other. Sure, she’d thought it might be lessening after the Oklahoma City Rodeo, but that was before sibling rivalry had been added to the mix.

Elly shook her head as she turned back toward the arena with two drinks. She needed to just let it go, let Jesse and Mark deal with their own issues. She had plenty of her own.

As she approached Janie, her friend didn’t notice her. Something about the look on Janie’s face caused Elly to stop and stare. It looked like…longing.

Elly redirected her attention to where Janie was staring so intently, and it landed on Jesse. She glanced back at Janie and felt as if she’d taken a jolt from a cattle prod. How long had this been going on? On their getaway weekend, had Jesse been the one Janie was thinking about? Why hadn’t she told Elly?

Was this something else that had existed right in front of her nose for a long time without her realizing it?

Elly’s heart broke a little. Did Janie think she didn’t have a chance with Jesse because of who she was? Be cause of his long-standing rivalry with Mark? After all the recent revelations, did she feel the possibility was even more remote?

Jesse came out of the gate riding a huge gray bull. But Elly kept her eyes on Janie, watching as tension radiated from her like summer heat off the highway. How torn up must Janie be inside to want her brother to do well but also the man who was his chief rival—the man she so obviously cared about?

The bull tossed Jesse after only about five seconds, and he quickly rolled out of the way of those dangerous hooves. He jumped to his feet, not looking the least bit happy.

The tension flowed out of Janie as she dropped back off her toes and turned toward Elly. She froze, her eyes widening as she realized Elly had seen everything.

Not wanting to cause Janie any further anxiety, she smiled and walked forward, extending the soda. “I think I’ll steer clear of him for the next few minutes. I’m sure what he’s saying would light my hair on fire.”

Janie relaxed a little and took the cold drink. “Tough bull. Hasn’t been ridden but half a dozen times this year.”

They fell into random rodeo chitchat for the next couple of minutes until Janie’s furtive glances toward the end of the arena got the better of Elly. Being around someone so obviously pining for someone else reminded her of Will and how much she missed him. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to be alone.

“I’ll catch you later. I’m going to go back and rest a bit before tonight.”

“Oh, okay.”

Elly hurried from the arena, and drove back to her hotel room before the first tears fell. She curled onto her side on the bed and let out all the emotions bottled up inside her. Things were coming from all sides, but the one that hit her hardest was that moment when she’d yelled at Will, accused him of something so awful that she wouldn’t blame him for not speaking to her again.

But she couldn’t accept that—not without trying to fix what she’d messed up.

She sat on the side of the bed and dialed his house number. It rang several times before his voice mail kicked on. She listened to his voice, pressing the phone closer to her ear so she could feel as if he was there with her.

She didn’t leave a message, but rather hung up and dialed his cell, suddenly desperate to reach him. As it rang on the other end, she heard someone’s phone ring outside her room. When it happened a second time and then a third, she stared at the door, almost afraid to hope.

Her breathing accelerated as she walked toward the door, the phone still pressed to her ear. The call went to Will’s voice mail just as she opened the door and saw him standing there.

“Will.” She was afraid to blink, afraid he’d be gone when she opened her eyes again.

When he smiled, she launched herself at him. He laughed as she careened into him, knocking him back a couple of steps. And then he was kissing her, pulling her to him and backing her into the room, kicking the door closed behind him.

“I’m so sorry,” she managed to say between kisses.

“You should be. I’m sorry, too.”

“I was so awful. I didn’t mean those things I said.”

He stepped back and framed her face with his hands. “I know.”

“Why aren’t you madder?” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her.

“I was, for a while. Yes, I made a mistake, but I didn’t deserve some of the things you said.”

“I know. You should hate me.”

“Would that make you feel better?”

“Yes. No.” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“You know what I think?”

She looked up at him, love welling inside her. “No.”

“I think that you were upset. You were right. I shouldn’t have let things progress like they did without telling you about Mark, at least waiting until I’d told Jesse and you’d found out from him.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He ran the back of his fingers along her jaw. “Because I wanted you so much. Because when I’m around you, I can’t think straight.” He smiled. “You’ve always had that effect on me.”

“Always?”

“Elly Cody, I’ve loved you for so long I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.”

She lowered her eyes. “And I was too caught up in myself to notice.”

He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Stop. It wasn’t the right time. We both had to go be the people we were going to be first.”

Elly laughed. “But I’m no different.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“How am I different? I’m still at the ranch, still working for my family, still chasing after this racing dream.”

“You don’t see yourself as I do. You were always beautiful, especially to me, but now you’re a grown woman, confident, talented. You never gave up on your dream, but you’ve got this entire new side to yourself. The artist, the woman who is going to travel the world and make her mark on it.”

Elly’s heart filled with love for this man when he said those words, like he would never doubt her, no matter what she wanted to do.

“You’re amazing,” she said.

“I’m just a guy telling the truth.”

“Will you go with me?”

“Go where?”

“Around the world? I don’t want to see it alone.”

He gifted her with one of his beautiful smiles. She’d never tire of them.

“Ellen Cody, I’d follow you anywhere.”

“Anywhere?” she asked as she took his hand and started walking backward.

He eyed the bed then met her eyes. “Anywhere,” he said, his voice deep and sexy and full of promise.

Chapter Fifteen

Elly checked Pepper’s saddle, making sure it was adjusted correctly. Movement several feet away caught her attention. When she looked over Pepper’s back, she saw her father standing there. Shock registered right before the desire to look anywhere but at him. For the first time in her life, she had no idea what to say to her father. And for the first time, he looked to be at a loss for words, too.

As he took a few steps forward, Elly stood rooted. J.W. lifted his work-roughened hand and scratched between Pepper’s ears. “I can remember the first time you sat on a horse like it was yesterday, the excitement on your face when you first raced.”

Words still didn’t come to Elly, stuck somewhere in her brain where she couldn’t reach them.

“I know you’ve been angry lately, and rightly so.” He met Elly’s eyes then and held her gaze. “But whatever you’re feeling about me, set it aside for tonight. You’ve worked too long and hard to let my mistake rob you of your dream.”

Why had he come here like this? She’d been doing fine. She’d had good times in her practices, was in the hunt because of her hard work all year. And she was excited that somewhere out in those stands of spectators sat Will, cheering her on.

She and her father stood staring at each other for several interminable seconds before he gave a single nod. “Good luck.” When he turned away, something about the lines in his profile and the less-than-erect posture hit her like a kick from a horse. He looked so much older than he had weeks ago. It shocked her because J. W. Cody had always been bigger than life, robust, able to take on anything the world threw at him.

Except maybe the repercussions of his own mistakes.

In that moment, she saw a flash of Abigail Hansen, of the confused shell of her former self she’d become. What if something happened to her father and she’d never forgiven him? Would she ever be able to forgive herself?

Things with Will were going well, and she was one event away from making the Finals. She wanted to be fully happy again, to not be estranged from her family.

“Dad.”

He stopped and turned slowly back toward her, like he didn’t trust that he’d actually heard her speak.

“Thanks.” It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

And it seemed to be enough for her dad. He offered her a smile, then walked away.

It was as if their conversation had pushed all other sound away, but it came rushing back in time for her to realize it was almost time to ride. She mounted Pepper and prepared to chase the dream around those oh-so-familiar barrels.

Part of her fate rested on her performance, but an other part depended on the rides of three other racers who were close to her in the standings. Her anxiety built as she had to watch the other three go before her, all clocking good times.

She stroked Pepper’s neck and leaned close to the mare’s right ear. “It’s all up to us, girl.”

Elly moved into position, but it wasn’t the regular voice of announcer Rusty Thornhugh that came over the public address speakers. It was Will’s.

“Next up is Elly Cody, one hell of a barrel racer—and the woman I love.”

Rumbles went through the crowd, but Elly couldn’t take her eyes off Will where he stood in the announcer’s booth wearing a red, western-style shirt that made her smile. He met her gaze.

“Elly, I’ve loved you for what seems like forever, but never more than I do at this moment. That’s why I’m asking you to marry me.”

Elly gasped and tears threatened. She lifted her hand to her mouth in disbelief. She saw him smile.

“You’ve got the length of your ride to think about it. And you better ride like the wind because I’ve got a hankering to see Vegas.”

Though she didn’t want to stop looking at him, she had a ride to get through—and she planned to have the race of her life.

She shut out the sounds around her and focused on the course ahead. Pepper seemed to be reading her mind because she bolted forward like a bullet. They rounded the first barrel at a screaming pace. Elly’s heart hammered as she urged Pepper toward barrel number two. They came so close to it, she’d swear they left skid marks on its side.

Elly eyed the third barrel and felt the wind race by her as Pepper flew toward the final turn. When they rounded it safely, Elly nearly screamed in triumph. Instead, she lowered her body and urged Pepper toward home. She held her breath as she crossed the finish.

The roar of applause filled the arena when her time showed she’d beaten the next highest score by a full second—a blowout by barrel-racing standards. She leaned forward and hugged Pepper. “We did it, girl.”

“Whooee, let’s rename that horse Lightning. That’s a winning time, ladies and gentlemen,” Rusty announced as Elly slid off Pepper’s back and spotted Will, standing at the edge of the arena.

Elly ran toward him as fast as her trembling legs would carry her. When she reached him, she leaped onto the fence in front of him. “Yes,” she said just before she pulled his lips down to hers.

“That looks like a yes to me, folks,” Rusty said over the speakers. “And I hear they have wedding chapels in Vegas.”

ISBN: 978-1-4268-6923-5

ELLY: COWGIRL BRIDE

Copyright © 2010 by Trish Milburn

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

For questions and comments about the quality of this book please contact us at [email protected]

® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

www.eHarlequin.com

BOOK: Elly: Cowgirl Bride
6.68Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Me Before You by Moyes, Jojo
Freshman Year by Annameekee Hesik
Mindsiege by Heather Sunseri
Otherwise Engaged by Suzanne Brockmann
The BEDMAS Conspiracy by Deborah Sherman
7 Days at the Hot Corner by Terry Trueman
The Vision by Jessica Sorensen
Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer