Forever's Affection (Forever In Luck Series Book 3) (16 page)

“Well,
at least it’s not as bad as you thought,” Nik said, with a laugh and a twinkle
in his eye. “She’s pretty damn good if you ask me.”

Great,
he was never going to hear the end of his misguided idiocy.

“She
sure is,” his dad added, leaning forward and looking Kris’s way, smiling from
ear to ear. “Glad I came, this was well worth the drive.”

“You
might want to tie this one up quick,” Nik added, with a cackle. “Before she
finds out how
dadadumb
you are. If you like her that
is,” he added, poking the rattlesnake a little more, “or you still planning on
being a bachelor all your life? Come to think of it, you might want to start
practicing groveling, you’ve never been very good at saying you’re sorry.”

“Shut
up,” Kris snapped back.

Junie
patted him on the cheek, and he looked at her, his mind all a jumble.
Whispering loudly, she said, “That not berry
nithe
.
We
thay
,
pwease
be quiet
Nik Nak.”

Linnie,
Nik, and his dad all burst out laughing, the tension having been broken, and
Kris struggled to keep a straight face.

“I
like you, Junie,” Nik said, tweaking her nose, making her laugh. “You keep him
in line. He can get a little big for his britches sometimes.”

When
was this going to be over? He wanted to see Dani now, needed to reassure
himself she was alright after that little number. Good thing Linnie was a nurse
and sitting next to him, because he’d swear his heart was in a permanent state
of shock and he thought it might be stuck in an irregular heart rhythm. Trying
to take a deep breath, he struggled, figuring his brain had to of been deprived
of oxygen for damn near ten minutes.

She’d
been magnificent, and yet again, the two of them needed to have a talk about
her career choice. This whole little episode, put the dangling from a tree by a
rope incident seem rather tame and harmless. Seeing a young girl selling rodeo
program books, he signaled for her and bought several for him and his family to
have. He quickly thumbed through it, stopping when he came to a picture of Dani
and a page dedicated solely to her. It was as she’d said, she was well known
for her horsemanship. Damn, he was impressed, but then who wouldn’t be?

The
program started again, Dani’s performance marking the halfway point and he
thought she’d said something on the phone about her competing being contingent
on pulling tricks. Was she competing or not, he wondered. Soon, she appeared
riding Topaz, the horse prancing and sidestepping her approach to the starting
line. The announcer introduced the two of them and regaled the crowd with
Dani’s stats and history. The crowd cheered wildly.

The
starting blast sounded and Topaz took off like a rocket, speeding her way
around the course in a cloverleaf pattern, turning the barrels tight, and
sprinting with all her might. The two being nothing more than a golden blur, as
Dani had changed into a buckskin colored vest with matching pants, a cream
colored top, and a simple, flat brimmed, round cowboy hat to match. They’d been
exceedingly fast, their ride smooth and clean, and Kris’s knew they’d be near
the top, if not at the top of the meet.

A
few more runs and it was decided, Dani had won by the slimmest of margins. He
was so damn proud of her! This is what she’d set out to do and she’d done it.
It couldn’t get any better than this, he thought, cheering along with the
crowd. Wow!

 
Then the announcement, next up, cowboy mounted
shooting, riders shooting at a target while on a running horse. Cool, this
sounded intriguing, he thought. The program had been interesting and all, with
Dani being, by far, the most interesting part. But this, he was into this.
Captivated, he sat watching, the course being set up in a random pattern with
ten barrels, each holding a balloon, five red, five blue.

Rider
after rider came and went, scored on time and accuracy, and he decided if he
saw nothing else that would be alright by him, until… Holy shit, his blood ran
hot and his nostrils flared. Dani rode through the gates on Topaz and took a
little stroll around the arena, checking the course before making her way to
the starting line. Wiping his face, it appeared he’d developed a fever as he
watched her back end roll and sway in that saddle, and when she strode on by
them, he felt his blood pumping and loins go rock hard when he caught sight of
her holster and pistols riding above the addition of chaps and jangling spurs.

Holy
Mary, Mother of God,
breathe
, just breathe, he told
himself. So what did he do? He swallowed. Sending praise to the heavens above,
he watched. God, you sure knew what you were doing when you made this woman.
She was cool as a cucumber and loose in arm and limb, and he wondered how she
could concentrate with all the men hooting and hollering her way. Feeling her
passion, he wanted this for her, wanted her to excel, because as much as he
knew she didn’t want to do tricks, he knew she did want to do this.

With
a snap, they were off and out came the colt single
action,
she cocked and shot five times, taking down each of the red balloons while
Topaz ran the barrels. Then holstering on the turn and bringing out a second
colt, she cocked and fired five more shots, taking down each of the blue
balloons. He and his family joined the crowd cheering her on as she and Topaz
raced for the finish line.

Why
hadn’t he brought a camera? Oh yeah, because he hadn’t wanted to catch her on
film pulling the kinds of tricks he’d envisioned. Lamenting the end of her run,
wishing he could have seen her in action longer, he was pleased when several
riders later, she returned for a second run. Except this time, he near fainted
when instead of pulling out a second pistol, she hauled out a Remington rifle
from a saddle scabbard. Levering, aiming, and firing five times, she rode at an
all-out run, reins and hands free of all things, taking down every damn balloon
on the course.

Holy
shit, he was in love!
Absolutely in love.
No doubt
about it in love. He’d known she was special from the moment he saw her, but
this simply transcended anything he could’ve ever imagined in his wildest
dreams. He had met the one, for sure, no doubts, none. The King had finally
found his Queen.

Jake
reached around Linnie and smacked him on the arm. “You screw this up and let
this one go, and you’re an idiot.”

“Ditto,”
Nik said, punching him on the shoulder. “Like I was saying, you better tie this
one up quick. Hate to say it, but that was hot.”

“Hey!”
Kris barked, not appreciating Nik’s comment in the least. “Have a little
respect here.”

“Oh,
I have plenty of respect,
mmhmm
,” Nik exaggerated,
“that’s for dang sure, and I’m going to love watching little Miss Rodeo Queen
whip
your a—he stopped and looked at Junie—
ahh
, rump.”

“I’m
already enjoying watching you handle all the chick stuff,” Jules added with a
laugh, nodding to Junie, who had a hand in Kris’s hair twisting a bunch of it
around and around with her little fingers. “It’s nice, and you’re handling it
well.”

Damn,
he hadn’t even noticed she was doing that. Well, he found it kind of relaxing
with all the stress he was under watching Dani damn near kill herself, and he
wondered if Junie was feeling stressed too.

Whispering
in her ear, he said, “How are you doing,
sweetpea
?
You doing
alright?”

She
nodded. “We see
Nonny
.”

He
nodded and kissed her head as he held her close. “We sure did. The show will be
over soon and we’ll go find her. How does that sound?”

“Look,
second place,” Nate alerted the group.

Kris
looked up quick, not wanting to miss her name on the board. Junie snuggled into
the crook of his neck and watched the gates off to side as the bull and
bronc
riding competition ensued, until finally it was time
for the closing ceremony and then, mercifully, it was over. Now what, where did
they go to find her? Sitting a few minutes, waiting for the crowd to thin, they
made their way out of the stands and along a mall of vendors and booths setup
with various western related novelties.

There
she was
,
standing next to an open trailer displaying
numerous awards and trophies she’d won, as well as her gear and costumes.
Meeting and greeting fans, she handed off a photo tucked inside a reading book
to each and every one. Off to the side were both Ricochet and Topaz, placidly
munching on some feed and hay as if this was everyday ho-hum. Junie shouted for
her, and Dani turned to them, smiling and blowing a kiss their way.

He
and his family stood talking, waiting till she finished, and he watched her.
She’d always been attractive to him, but with her hair done and down, make up
on, clothes made to fit, she was downright beautiful in her element. He wanted
her, bad, and wondered if he’d screwed up too much to salvage this sinking
ship. He needed to try.
Hard.

*****

She’d
thought about him, and seeing him standing there holding Junie in his strong
arms made her heart thump. Knowing Junie as she did, she knew her place of
preference was wrapped in loving arms. Dani supposed she was to blame for that,
having held Junie so much when she was a baby. She’d been surprised when Junie
asked if Kris could hold her at first, and Dani had wondered if it was simply
because she was present, and therefore Junie felt safe, or because Junie
actually felt comfortable with Kris. Seeing them now, she knew Junie felt safe
with him.

That
being the case, Junie had taken to him like no other, because the men in her
mother’s life, and those that’d been in
hers,
had had
no time or patience for a clingy little girl who wanted to be held all the
time. That Kris held her now, told Dani much about his treatment and care for
her, not to mention she’d seen Junie on his lap each time she’d been in the
arena.

She
knew that every time his hands and arms had been idle, Junie would have put
herself in them. That he let her, and satisfied that need in her, made him
abundantly attractive to Dani. She’d always figured that the
man
who treated Junie well, would be the man who’d treat her well, and she used
that as her measure and guide. So far, Kris fit perfectly.

Greeting
more fans and handing out mementoes, she hoped the end would come soon. She
wanted to go home and spend some time with the two of them, then go to bed. The
last few days had been long and demanding, and she was exhausted. Her heart
started to pound as he stepped closer. The line coming to an end, she couldn’t
keep from looking at him. He was so tall and strong, and she had a surprise for
him.

Stepping
in close their eyes connected and he said, “I’ll take a picture and a book, but
I really would rather have the real thing.” Putting his free arm around her and
placing a kiss on her head, he leaned in and said quietly, “I’m sorry for being
a complete ass, forgive me and give me another chance, please.”

Smiling,
she turned and grabbed the cowboy hat she’d bought, having seen it and thinking
of him. Reaching up she placed it on his head, letting her hand run down his
chest as she stared at him, smiling. He was smoking hot. “Now all you need are
some snub nosed dingoes along with a big belt buckle, and you’ll be set.”

Tilting
his head down to look at her better, he shook his head. “It would just be
decoration,
it’s the cowgirl that would make it all real. I
need my cowgirl. Come here.” Hidden behind the brim of their hats, he kissed
her lightly.

“Kris,
quit hogging the prettiest and most talented girl here,” Nik said, gruffly.
“Give some of us other single guys a chance.”

Scowling,
he looked at Nik and she felt his protectiveness.

“Remind
me why we brought you,” he snarled in response, hating the interruption.

Nik’s
eyes danced as he answered with mischief. “For my charm and wit, now move over,
I want to hug a real cowgirl.”

Reluctantly,
he let her go. “I won’t have any problem turning you into a midget,” Kris
grumbled, stepping back a bit,
then
finished with,
“I’m watching you.”

She
couldn’t help but chuckle at the two of them. Nik was clearly pushing some
buttons tonight.

 
Nik laughed, taking his brother’s discontent
in stride,
then
continued taunting him. “You do that,
then
you’ll see how it’s done. It’ll be educational for you,
I’m sure.”

His
family rushed her and she was overtaken by them. It felt…nice.

An
hour later, they were loaded and ready to leave. Kris crawled behind the
steering wheel of her truck and looked over at the two of them, his eyes
stopping on a sleeping Junie in her arms.

“We
should probably get her in the booster seat, don't you think?”

Nodding,
Dani answered, “I suppose
it’s
best, but I don’t want
to.”

Reaching
over, he ran his hand over Junie’s head. “You’re very good with her.”