Rodeo Blues (25 page)

"You heard right," he said, but didn't
elaborate.

Jimmy's lips spread into a wide grin anyway.
The man always had a good heart. "I'm glad you found your way home,
Tye. Wasn't quite the same without you."

"Thanks," he said and truly meant it.

Jimmy nodded. "Mind if I hitch a ride over to
the Saloon with you?"

He had a hunch Jimmy was afraid he wouldn't
show if left on his own accord. Jimmy not only had a good heart,
but he was intuitive as well.

"Sure."

Once parked in the lot of Big Bob's Saloon,
Jimmy matched him step-by-step as they sauntered up to the
door.

"Heya, Sam," Tye said.

"Good evenin', Tye, Jimmy," Sam answered from
his seat at the door.

Upon entering, Tye spotted Sonny and Mike at
the stage and it looked like they were already arguing over
something. He chuckled. "The more things change, the more they stay
the same," he murmured.

"I better go referee," Jimmy said with a
chuckle. "See ya in a few." Jimmy had already turned to go. "Now,
fellas," he said to Sonny and Mike, who looked toward Jimmy as he
strode toward them. He didn't hear Jimmy's wise words of wisdom,
but it looked liked Sonny and Mike calmed down a bit.

Tye strode over to the bar and leaned against
the railing. "Can I get a beer, Stan?"

The man approached him from the usual place
behind the bar. "Sure thing, Tye. Comin' right up."

He took a few swigs from the bottle before he
placed it beside him on the bar. Someone sidled up next to him and
he glanced over, and then had to wonder if his jaw hadn't hit the
floor.

"Hi," Jolie said.

To say he was surprised was an
understatement. "Hi," he said back, for lack of any other word
since his tongue seemed to be tied in a knot.

"You going to buy a girl a drink?" she
asked.

His gaze slid over her. Long hair swept up on
the side, sundress to show off her lovely cream-colored shoulders,
and boots to finish off the outfit.

"Stan," he raised his voice to be heard over
the noise, "Can you get my lovely…" he was going to say wife, but
he wasn't sure how she would react to him calling her that. He
settled on, "…gal a beer."

"Got it comin'," he called back.

"It's the last night," she said.

"Yep." Her words could mean a few things.
Last night they were husband and wife, last night of the Cowboy
Christmas in July Rodeo…last night before the end of the world.

"We've got a full house." Her gaze swept over
the crowd, some dancing, some drinking and talking.

"Yep."

"Is that all you have to say, Tye Casper?"
She turned to give him a sidelong glance.

"Yep." Because he was afraid to say the wrong
words and she'd walk away.

Stan returned with Jolie's beer and Tye paid
the man before he glanced Jolie's way again.

She took a sip of her beer and then placed
the bottle down on the bar. "I got all gussied up – at Whisper's
insistence." She rolled her eyes.

"You look…beautiful."

"I wasn't fishing for a compliment."

"Good. 'Cause I don't just hand them out for
nothing."

He could see the stormy tension in her eyes,
as if she wasn't sure how to take the truth.

The band began playing and couples moved onto
the dance floor where boots were just itchin' to two-step. "How
about we have us a dance?" He looked at her.

"I don't—"

"Can't get all gussied up and not dance." He
held out his hand. "It's our last night as husband and wife. How
about you at least grant your husband one last dance?" Just when he
thought she'd refuse, she took his hand.

They made their way to the dance floor as the
song ended. Their eyes met, and he noted the faintest trace of
humor lit her gaze. His lips curved and for a few seconds the
tension between them vanished.

"Thought we'd go with a slow song for this
one," Sonny said into the microphone and Tye turned and glanced at
him standing on the stage. Sonny winked as if he were trying to
help him romance Jolie. If so, he'd take all the help he could
get.

He pulled her close, expecting Jolie to push
him away, but she didn't. She settled in and rested her head at his
shoulder. His hand slid to her back, while the other went to her
waist. She had looped her thumbs into his belt loops. She felt so
right in his arms. "Jolie—"

She tilted her head and placed one slender
finger on his lips. "No talking, okay?" Once he nodded, she removed
her finger.

He complied to her wishes. They danced and
didn't talk, but the warmth of her, the sweet scent of jasmine that
teased him, proved a distraction. Only he knew her friendliness
wouldn't go as far as them leaving the bar and finding themselves a
nice warm bed. If she meant to torture him for his past
transgressions, she was doing a pretty good job of it. Yet, he
couldn't bring himself to walk away. When the song ended, she
peered at him with those lovely storm-colored eyes of hers, eyes he
had dreamt about on so many nights he'd lost count. She said
something to him, but it took a moment for him to realize what she
said, or rather how she said it.

He turned to watch her walk toward the door,
the sway of her shapely bottom a whole different level of torture.
Once she pushed opened the door and disappeared outside, only then
did it register what she said, "Take care of yourself."

Take care of myself?
His brows drew
together.
That's it.
She ended things before they could even
get started.
Take care of yourself,
were
her parting words to him before she walked out of his life. He
glanced over as he felt someone move beside him. Buddy handed him a
glass.

"Looks like you could use this more than I
can."

"Thanks," he said, and took a drink. Whiskey,
and he welcomed the burn.

"At least she didn't tell you to jump in the
pond down yonder and drown yourself," Buddy said and slapped his
back.

Only Tye knew Jolie a whole lot better than
Buddy did. Her words were pretty darn close to meaning the same
thing.

Chapter Thirty-Four

With the rodeo over, she noticed the carnival
workers dismantling the rides and stands. By this afternoon, they
would be packed up and on their way to their next destination.
Tourists, who had been here only for the rodeo, were heading out of
town too. Jolie opened Trinkets Galore early, knowing there would
be last minute shoppers, looking for just the right souvenir to
take home with them.

By eleven-thirty, the stream of people
tapered off and Jolie sent Whisper out to pick them up some lunch.
She sat down on the stool behind the counter, grateful to take some
weight off her feet for a moment. She reached for the manila
envelope she'd placed next to her purse under the counter and
retrieved the annulment papers tucked inside. Mayor Dirkly had
hand-delivered them this morning as she opened the doors.

"It's what you wanted," she muttered, staring
at Tye's signature bold and sure on the line above his typed out
name. She reached over and grabbed a pen by the cash register.

Last night she shouldn't have gone to see the
award ceremony, but Whisper wouldn't leave her house unless she
went with her. Called her a coward. Said if she wanted to end
things with Tye, she'd better hold her head high and let the town
folks know it had been her decision.

She knew without having the Mayor announce it
that Tye had won the bull riding event. She'd heard enough
conversations, when she ran the booth at the fairgrounds. They were
always the same awed remarks.
Did you see the
Ghost Rider? He's something else.

Yep, he was something to see. She'd seen him
ride too.

When Mayor Dirkly called his name over the
loudspeaker, she watched Tye saunter into the arena as big as life.
He waved his hat in the air and played to the audience with his
wide grin. He'd belonged to them, the fans and the rodeo world.

She tapped the pen on the paper in front of
her then threw it down. Isn't that why she wanted the annulment so
darn much? He didn't belong to her. Even with all his blustering
about a future, deep down he would always want more…need more than
she could offer. She was a small town girl. She didn't like the
fluster and attention Tye would receive. Truthfully, how could he
walk away from it all and be happy in Skeeter Blue?

As long as she was being truthful with
herself, Whisper didn't have to do too much convincing to make her
head on over to Big Bob's Saloon after the award ceremony. She knew
Tye would most likely show up there sooner or later, and she wanted
to see him one last time, or so she told herself. Then she could
move on with her life. Even as she thought this, she knew it to be
a lie, but she counted it as nostalgia. They had history.

How did one forget the past when almost every
memory of her childhood included Tye?
Summers at the pond, after
school events, dating, falling in love, making love…

Then there was the way he made her laugh, the
boy who came to her rescue when she needed him, the times he let
her come to his because he needed her… She would never forget all
he had meant to her. He'd been her best friend. That's why it had
hurt so much when he left. She'd lost her boyfriend and best friend
all at once. Now he wanted her back, and as much as she wanted to
start over with him, she'd be all kinds of stupid if she just gave
into those old feelings she had for him.

Frustrated with herself for hesitating, she
picked up the pen again and poised it over the designated line, but
stopped short of signing the paper when Whisper strolled in bright
and cheery as usual. Jolie quickly stuffed the annulment papers
inside the envelope and shoved them under the counter. She'd look
them over later tonight and sign them. What was the hurry? Tye had
signed them already. It was a done deal. She could sign them any
ol' time she pleased.

"Just ran into Buddy," Whisper said carrying
in two brown bags from the deli across the street.

"I would have thought he'd left already," she
said. As much as Whisper and Buddy seemed to hit it off, she knew
the two would part company. They had fun as long as it lasted.

"He's on his way to South Carolina, has
himself another rodeo," she said. "He was picking up some
sandwiches for the road." She handed her a bag as she came around
the counter to take the stool next to hers. "What a blast I had
with the guy," Whisper said. "I'm actually going to miss the
cowboy, and that's saying a lot."

"Wow, you must have really liked this one."
She gave her a smile.

"He made me laugh. Not many can do that, but
Buddy has a great sense of humor. Not to mention he knows how to
make a woman purr." She made a catlike growl of contentment.

"Too much information," she told her.
Whisper's hardy laugh made her smile though.

"Gotta share the info, since you live like a
nun. How else are you going to know how the real women of the world
live?" She stood and strode over to the coffee maker. "Should I
make you a cup?"

"Sure. And just to let you know, nuns are
real women too."

Whisper snorted and waved a hand in
dismissal. "I'll take your word for it." She pushed the button on
the coffee maker. She then turned to look at Jolie with a sidelong
gaze. "You look exhausted, unless you're trying out a new
purplish-blue eye shadow –
beneath your
eye
," she stressed the last part for full impact.

"
Hardy-har-har.
Did you forget how
busy we were this morning?"

"Yeah, well, what I'm seeing would suggest an
all
nighter
," she said with a wink, "but I
have an inkling it's not because you were playing footsies beneath
the covers with Tye Casper. You left Big Bob's Saloon – all alone,
I might add."

Jolie lifted a brow. "I just couldn't sleep
and leave it at that." She wondered when Tye left the bar. Did he
dance with someone else? Had he left the saloon alone? As far as he
was concerned, they were no longer married.

"Is it because Mr. Casper wasn't sleeping
next to you?" Whisper asked, drawing her attention.

She rolled her eyes as she reached for the
container that held the sanitize wipes. She withdrew two and then
proceeded to run them along the counter, not because it needed to
be cleaned, but because it gave her something to do. "Tye's
history," she murmured more to herself. He may or may not leave
town, but he would be out of her life the moment she signed the
papers she had stuffed below the counter. It had been her choice,
dammit. She scrubbed the counter harder.

"I think it's clean," Whisper said.

"What?" Then she realized what she'd been
doing and tossed the wipes in the trashcan beside the counter.

Whisper placed a cup of coffee in front of
her. "Buddy told me Tye was putting down roots right here in
Skeeter Blue. His daddy left him the land where that oil drill's
been working its magic. I'm hearing its bringing in loads of money.
Maybe you should have rethought annulling that marriage of yours.
You'd be a rich woman right now." She opened up her bag from the
deli and pulled out a clear container that housed a roast beef
sandwich, dill pickle, and kettle chips.