This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12) (13 page)

“You weren’t bullied a lot, were you? You seemed like a pretty confident kid.”

“If I kept to myself, then no, I wasn’t bothered much. But basically, a smart kid thrown into a new school isn’t generally well liked.”

“I’m sorry, Sophie.” He covered the hand she’d put on his chest and squeezed before he kissed her fingertips.

“Okay, what you just did?” She snuggled against him. “Made it all worth it.”

“I’m serious,” he said quietly.

“Me, too.” She shrugged. “I spent a lot of time in my own head. Only-child syndrome, I guess. Plus, before my dad left my mom and me, he hadn’t been around all that much.”

“What do you mean by
left
? He just walked out on you?”

“He worked in construction and jumped around for different jobs while my mom and I stayed in Idaho. And then he met a woman—a waitress working at a diner, I think. Anyway, he came home to pick up his things and that was that.”

“Jesus, what an ass.”

“Oh, I had a much stronger word for him,” she said with a wry grin. “Once Mom and I moved to Wattsville to be near my aunt and her family, things were better.” Sophie sat up to look into his eyes. “If there’s ever a single-parent kid who wants to go to your camp but doesn’t have the money, you have to take him or her in, okay? Promise me.”

He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled. “I promise.”

She nodded, satisfied that he’d keep his word. “Are you thinking of a day camp, or more like a summer thing where you board the kids?”

“I haven’t decided for sure, but I imagine it’ll end up being both. I’d prefer to have the kids for six weeks at a time, but that means we’d open only for the summer.”

“That’s kind of too bad.” Sophie thought for a moment. “You know, lots of schools are open year-round now. I’d have to check, but I think that means they have three weeks off between sessions.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Three weeks at a time isn’t bad.” His brow furrowed in thought, he stared off and absently rubbed her arm. “So maybe I could offer different programs for three weeks or six weeks and put something together in the afternoons for the local kids.”

Her hand still rested on his chest and she liked feeling his heartbeat accelerate with his excitement. “Anyway, you have a lot of time to mull over all your options.”

He looked at her, his mouth curving in a peculiar smile. “Between you and me, I’ve already hired a contractor. He’s drawing up plans for me to look at after the finals.”

“Ethan! That’s so terrific.”

“You can’t say anything. No one else knows.”

“Not even your parents?”

“Especially not them.” He sighed, looking as if he regretted the remark. “It’s nothing. Just another story in itself.”

“Want to hear something I’ve never told anyone?” She lowered her hand to his belly. Not on purpose, but now it seemed he might be interested in something other than what she wanted to share.

“What’s that?” he asked, moving her hand up a few inches.

“It’s kind of weird, but I’ve thought about doing something with kids, too. Not on such a grand scale as what you have in mind. I don’t have that kind of money, but just a small no-frills martial arts studio. I didn’t take up kickboxing and tae kwon do until my first year of college but getting physical and learning discipline made a big difference in my life. I know a couple of qualified people who would volunteer to help teach the kids.”

Ethan was silent for a few moments. “I can see how that changed things for you,” he said, his slight frown confusing her. “And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great you want to give back. But I still don’t get why you’re not doing something more challenging. I mean, now that I know you’re not even from the area, I can’t figure out why you’d stick around.”

“You sound like my cousin.” Sophie sighed. “I told you about my dad, who I don’t see and don’t care to see ever again. And my mom is a perfectly nice woman who also happens to be clueless. If I were to tell her I was leaving for the moon tomorrow, she would say what she always does, ‘That’s nice, dear.’” Sophie saw his left eyebrow shoot up. “Seriously. I like being around family. My aunt and uncle, my cousins...we all do stuff on holidays, and if somebody’s car is in the shop, we help out.

“I know, it sounds corny. Whatever.” She leaned into him while her hand reclaimed those few inches of warm belly. “Who knows? Now that I’ve gotten you out of my system, maybe I can move on to bigger things.”

She felt him tense. Not just his chest and stomach but his whole body seemed to tighten. He should be relieved that she had no expectations beyond this weekend, but instead he looked annoyed.

“We have a long drive tomorrow. You should get some more sleep,” she said, and pulled her hand away.

He caught it and peeled open her fingers. “Later,” he said, and put her hand back on his lower belly.

13

S
OPHIE
CRANED
HER
NECK
to see inside the arena. Now that she finally had some time alone, she’d phoned Lola. This was supposed to have been a quick call, but her cousin kept placing her on hold. “Is something wrong?”

“What do you mean?” Lola was rarely this curt. With others, yes, but usually not with Sophie. And here she’d called with good news. Lola sighed. “Sorry. It’s that fight I had with Hawk. I think I told you about it—well, now he’s being a goddamn baby and not taking my calls.”

“Let him stew,” Sophie suggested when she really wanted to say good riddance. “Stop calling him and he’ll get worried and call you.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. So, tell me again. You’re at the rodeo now, but you think you’ll be leaving in an hour?”

“Basically, yes. Ethan had hoped to be moved up on the schedule sooner, but there was a mix-up. We’re still leaving earlier than we originally thought.” Sophie waited. “You’re quiet.”

“Are you a hundred percent sure he isn’t playing you?”

“Two hundred percent.” A nasty remark about not mistaking Ethan for Hawk sat on the tip of Sophie’s tongue. It was mean, so she pressed her lips together. “Do you want me to call you once we’re on the road?”

“Are you driving straight through?”

“I don’t know. It depends. We’re both really tired.” The last word had barely tripped off her tongue and she wanted to shoot herself. Eventually she’d tell Lola about Ethan, but not yet.

“Damn,” Lola muttered, half to herself. “Hold on, would you?”

“I’ll call you later,” Sophie slipped in. Then she disconnected without knowing if Lola had heard. She wasn’t about to wait around on hold for the umpteenth time and miss Ethan’s ride.

She reentered the building, but instead of returning to her seat, she stood by the privacy fence close to the arena. A few buckle bunnies had made camp near the gate used by the riders and volunteers. In the looks department the women ranged from gorgeous to holy shit. And Sophie had overheard enough earlier to know that half the buckle bunnies here had come because of Ethan.

It made her smile to imagine their reaction over him choosing plain Jane her over any of them. There had been a time when she would’ve been beside herself with jealousy, crippled by self-doubt and mired in suspicion over his motives.

The suspicion part, that wasn’t something to be ignored in her line of work. So yeah, she’d been wary at first, wondering if he was playing her. But the 200 percent she’d quoted Lola, that was real. Ethan was one of the good guys. Who just happened to be hot.

On the other hand, maybe she’d idealized him for so long she was being selective about what she wanted to see. He certainly was no monk, not that she expected him to be, but she wondered how difficult it was going to be for him to give up being a rodeo star. Being the guy all the women wanted. Having a slew of companies eager to give him money to endorse their products. Some of that would carry over into his post rodeo career. And it seemed as if his head was on straight enough he could separate his ego from all the nonsense.

But, again, was that what she wanted to see? And heaven help her, she couldn’t discount last night. The most incredible, stupendous, holy-crap-I’ve-died-and-gone-to-heaven night of her entire life. Past and future. And screw anyone who said otherwise.

Ethan wanted to open a camp for kids to help with their self-esteem. Oh, for God’s sake, he was just a little too perfect. Maybe she was being punked. Maybe a tiny camera had been hidden in the room. She’d see herself on some stupid reality show in two weeks. Lying next to him in bed, staring at him with big goo-goo eyes. And then she’d have to move to outer Mongolia. Sadly, last night would still have been worth it.

Sophie sighed so loudly the woman next to her turned to eye her. She hoped she wasn’t going to be this same idiotic person for the rest of her twenties. So this was what happened after only three hours’ sleep.

And in a few minutes Ethan, who’d had the same amount of sleep, would climb on top a two-thousand-pound bull that wanted to annihilate him.

Okay, now she was feeling nauseated.

She pressed a hand to her tummy and watched a young woman with long blond hair, tight jeans and killer boots walk up to the fence. The other buckle bunnies who’d staked their claim an hour ago turned to give her a sizing-up. She ignored them and called out to some of the bronc riders, who acknowledged her with waves. Popular girl.

The team roping event finally ended, and bull riding was up next. Murmurs rose from the crowd. Fans were used to the bull riders being last. Sophie just wanted the whole thing to be over, period.

Her phone signaled an incoming text. It was from Peggy, Sophie’s contact at the sheriff’s office. Nothing had changed as far as the charges against Ethan went. And Sophie owed Peggy lunch at her favorite barbecue joint.

Sophie liked the older woman, so hanging out with her was always fun. Now, dinner with Craig, that she dreaded as much as a pap smear. She stared at her phone, trying to decide if it was time to suck it up and call him back.

Ethan’s name being announced stole her attention. The signs held by fans shot up in the bleachers. She recognized a few from yesterday. The blonde newcomer let out an ear-piercing whistle, stomped one of her pricy boots and yelled, “Go get ’em, Styles.”

His other female fans cast her looks of disdain. She either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care. Sophie ignored everyone and moved to a spot where she could see Ethan getting ready to be let out of the chute. Again without a helmet, since there hadn’t been time to drive to Kalispell and back to buy one.

Today he was riding another bull and not Twister, so she was thankful for that. Although she’d missed the name of the brown bull that was giving him a fit. If Matt had found reason to call him something like the Devil’s Spawn, she didn’t want to know.

She saw Ethan give the nod for the gate, and then everything happened quickly. The instant the bull lunged from the chute and the clock started, Sophie began counting the seconds.

One thousand one, one thousand two...

The furious animal reared and bucked and did everything in its power to throw Ethan off its back.

One thousand five, one thousand six...

The bull whirled, then changed directions.

She closed her eyes. The crowd’s roar had them popping back open.

Ethan was on the ground scrambling away from the monstrous animal. He made it clear of the dangerous hooves coming down like spiked sledgehammers and waved to the fans. The buzzer had gone off at seven and a half seconds. The announcer said something about the heartbreak score and lucky this wasn’t the finals.

Sophie wasn’t a violent person, but she really wanted to smack the man. He was safe from her. She couldn’t move. Not until she was certain Ethan wasn’t limping or holding his arm funny. He seemed fine as he left the arena, dusting off his hat and himself. Finally able to breathe again, she headed off to meet him in the back.

She recognized the husky Lone Wolf ranch hand who was acting as security guard and smiled at him when he opened the gate for her. She’d made it a few steps in when the blonde with the cute boots came barreling past her. The poor ranch hand tried to stop her, but the determined woman was too fast.

At the burst of commotion Ethan turned. With a shriek, the blonde jumped at him. He caught her, but unprepared, he staggered back.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ethan set her down and gestured to the cowboy that it was okay.

Sophie wasn’t quite sure what to do. Ethan’s gaze had swept over her, so she knew he’d seen her. But his attention was directed at the other woman.

“I bet you’re pissed. Damn. Half a second.” The blonde shrugged. “At least it didn’t count.” She jerked a look toward the pen where another bull waited, cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Hey, Matt, the place looks awesome.”

Matt flashed her a smile, then went back to doing whatever he and another guy were doing to ready a scary-looking bull for the next rider.

Ethan scrubbed at his face and motioned for Sophie to join them. Nope, he wasn’t a happy camper.

“So I was on my way to Vegas, and I thought what the hell...?” The woman paused when she noticed Sophie standing there. Her gaze swept from Sophie’s hair to her boots. With a dismissive frown, the blonde turned back to Ethan. “I figured I’d zip up here and see how you were doing. Make sure you weren’t laid up in the local hospital in traction or anything.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Ethan sighed.

Sophie wasn’t feeling quite as charitable. The woman was much younger than Sophie initially thought, but that didn’t excuse her stupidity.

Blondie grinned, then turned abruptly back to Sophie, staring at her as if she were an intruder. “Who are you?”

“If you’d shut up long enough,” Ethan said, “I’d introduce you.”

Something in his expression or tone spurred a sudden realization. “You must be Ethan’s sister,” Sophie said, noting a faint resemblance around the mouth and eyes. “Cara?”

She nodded and shook Sophie’s outstretched hand.

“I’m Sophie,” she said, and because Cara had the decency to look embarrassed, Sophie liked her better. “A friend of Ethan’s.”

“Sure, go ahead, introduce yourselves. You don’t need me,” he said, and Sophie gave him a private look that said otherwise.

She wanted more than anything to put her arms around him, make sure nothing hurt and kiss him into tomorrow. But not with his sister watching.

Cara barely spared him a glance. “Sorry about before,” she said, staring at Sophie with open curiosity. “Some of the buckle bunnies get too pushy and I try to run interference. The ladies seem to just looove my brother. I don’t get it.” She gave him a cheeky grin. “They don’t know you like I do.”

He was still grumpy. Probably overtired. And here they were supposed to hit the road right away.

Damn. It occurred to her that Cara showing up out of the blue could complicate things.

Sophie studied his face, the weariness around his eyes, the smudge at his left temple, the streak of grime on his chin. Everything else fell away. Nothing mattered as long as he was okay. She promised herself she would never let him stay up so late the night before a rodeo again.

That is, assuming she’d be in a position to carry out the promise.

He was staring back at her with those intense blue eyes, the corners of his mouth quirking up a bit.

“How are you?” she asked softly. “Everything in working order?”

His smile took over. “Come check for yourself.”

Sophie hesitated. Silence doubled the awkwardness that fueled her uncertainty.

Cara must’ve felt it, too. She glanced around, then looked from Sophie to Ethan. “How do you guys know each other?”

“From high school,” he said as he wiped the remaining dust from his face and moved to stand next to Sophie. “I want to have a few words with Matt...” He trailed off, leaving words unsaid, his gaze steady with hers. “Okay with you?”

“Of course.” She knew he meant before they left, but he was reluctant to talk in front of Cara. That proved they had a problem.

When he moved in to kiss her, Sophie gave him her cheek. Clearly he didn’t care for that one bit. He caught her chin and forced her to face him before he pressed his lips to hers.

“Okay, then,” Cara muttered, glancing around again. “I’m gonna grab a hot dog. You guys want anything?”

Ethan might’ve responded in some way. Sophie hadn’t said a word, but she saw that Cara was already headed for the gate.

Sophie raised her eyebrows at him.

“Look, before you rip me a new one, I kissed you because you looked as though you didn’t know what to do in front of my sister.” He shrugged and touched her arm. “And I figured it might get rid of Cara for a few minutes.” He sighed. “Goddammit, I kissed you because I wanted to. Is that a problem?”

“No,” she said. “Are you done?”

Ethan frowned. “Kissing you?”

A short laugh escaped her. “You know what? No more late nights.” Sophie rolled her eyes at his instant grin. “I mean it. You could’ve gotten hurt today.”

“Oh hell, I’m pumped so full of adrenaline before a ride I could go all night.” His eyes lit and he ducked in to steal another kiss. “We should test that out.”

Sophie laughed and pushed him away. “We kind of did last night.”

“Let’s go for two out of three.”

“Come on, we have to get serious,” she said, glancing over her shoulder and ignoring his murmured assurance that he was extremely serious. “I’m assuming Cara doesn’t know about your little legal problem.”

“No.” That sobered him. “Definitely not and it’s gonna stay that way.”

“Okay, so—any idea why she’s really here?”

“She has a friend who lives in Great Falls, maybe that’s part of the reason.” Ethan looked out toward the crowd, frowning. “It won’t be easy getting out of here without kids wanting autographs.”

Sophie groaned. “You couldn’t have thought of that yesterday?”

“Did you?”

“Sorry. Guess I’m tired, too.” She sniffed. “One of us didn’t have that extra adrenaline boost.”

He barked out a laugh. “You did okay without it.”

Sophie tried to think of something clever, but settled for “Oh.” And then of course she had to blush.

Ethan’s gaze darkened. “Come on, baby,” he murmured near her ear. “Don’t make me hard. Not here.”

Indignant, she drew back and stared. At his face. Nothing lower. “I didn’t do anything.”

His quiet groan sounded so damn sexy it vibrated all the way down her spine and pooled in the most inconvenient place. And then he had the nerve to look deep into her eyes and smile as if he knew exactly what he’d just done.

Wow, she’d have to figure out what had set him off. She’d definitely do it again. Later, though. She checked her watch. Right now they had to get out of Blackfoot Falls as soon as possible.

“Go sign a few autographs,” she said. “You know you’ll feel bad if you don’t. And if you need to talk to Matt, just please be quick?”

Ethan shook his head. “I realized the timing is wrong. He’s got too much on his plate until the rodeo is over. I’ll call him tomorrow.”