Chapter Sixteen #3
“None of those articles were sanctioned by me,” Canyon said about the press.
“But yeah, horse whisperer is a good an explanation as any for what I do.” He faced me.
“I’m down here working with a barrel horse and rider who were in a road accident.
When I saw you were stopping here on the tour, I shifted some things around so I could see you.
” Softness flashed over his stubbled face.
“You were incredible out there, Hals.” Canyon used his index finger to gesture around us.
“This ain’t my world, far fucking from it, but you kicked ass.
Even a cowboy like me could see that.” I cuddled him again, smelling the soothing scent of Texas dust on his clothes.
I would always associate Canyon with home.
With the young, carefree Hallie before her world was destroyed.
“Canyon?!” Sage’s excited voice came from across the yard.
“Canyon freakin’ Hayes, is that you?” When we looked up, Sage ran at Canyon and threw her arms around him.
Suddenly, Atticus appeared next to Jasper, the same scowl on his face as Jasper had been wearing earlier.
I rolled my eyes at these incredibly possessive Knighton men.
“Atticus,” I said, when Sage pulled back, “this is my childhood best friend, Canyon.” I nudged Canyon’s arm. “But he may as well be my brother. He’s a good friend of Sage’s too.”
Sage laid her hand on Canyon’s shoulder. “Canyon’s a true horseman, Atticus. You could learn a thing or two from him.”
Canyon looked at me in confusion, then stepped away from Sage. “Okay, whatever is between y’all has nothing to do with me. Sage, I know you too well to be lured into whatever rivalry you have going with Atticus here.”
Sage scowled at Canyon spoiling her fun. “Pussy.”
Canyon turned to me and under his breath said, “I see she hasn’t changed.”
I laughed. “What are you doing tonight? You don’t have to leave yet, do you?”
“Nah. I’ve got a hotel here for the night.” Excitement burrowed within me. “There’s a bar I know, just up from my hotel. Was gonna see if y’all fancied a night dancing.” Canyon winked at me. “It’s been a while since we two-stepped, Hallie-girl.”
“Yes,” Sage said, answering for us both. She rubbed her hands together. “Yes to dancing. I’ve missed a rugged cowboy bar; these pompous show jumpers don’t know how to get down and dirty. Sign me the fuck up.”
“Sage, you have the team competition tomorrow.” Leon joined our group, stopping Atticus from saying whatever was about to come out of his mouth. “You all do.” When I faced Leon, my heart sank. I knew he was right, but Canyon was my family, and I hadn’t seen him in far too long.
“What if we didn’t drink and were in bed by midnight?” Sage asked Leon, batting her lashes at him.
His hard expression was impossible to read, and even Sage, with her stunning good looks and sensual charm, couldn’t break him.
Then Canyon said, “Y’all are welcome to come too.
I promise, the bar is a good time, and if y’all like authentic Mexican street food, there’s food trucks outside that are amazing.
We could go there first.” Canyon shrugged.
“Y’all gotta eat, right? What’s a lil’ dancing on top of that? ”
Jasper met my eyes, and I could see disappointment shining within them. Not because he didn’t want me going out, but that we couldn’t be seen out together as a couple. “Just how local is this bar?” I asked Canyon. “Is it off the beaten track?”
Canyon laughed. “Put it this way, Hals. I can’t imagine any of your fancy show jumping peers drinking there tonight. It’s the type of place you only know because you’ve lived among the locals for a while.”
I met Jasper’s eyes again. We could maybe be a little more relaxed there. Hide a little in plain sight. “That sounds perfect.” I turned to my trainer. “Leon? Is that okay? We won’t go if you’re really against it. The competition comes first.”
Leon was silent, debating this out in his head.
But then Jasper put his hand on Leon’s shoulder, and said, “Let them go, mate. They deserve a night off.” My heart fluttered.
“And we’ll tag along, keep an eye out that they don’t party too hard.
” Jasper threw me a covert wink, and I wanted to reach across and kiss him.
I managed to hold myself back as Sage began to whoop.
Canyon looked to Leon, Atticus, and Jasper. “Y’all got casual clothes, or don’t they exist in your world?” He pointed at their breeches, shiny boots, and Jasper’s designer shirt and slacks.
I couldn’t hold back my giggle. “We’ll scrub up well, don’t you worry,” Atticus said, still eyeing Canyon. I probably should tell him that there was absolutely nothing between Canyon and Sage. Canyon was too sweet and introverted for someone like her. She’d eat him alive.
“And you?” Canyon said to me, pulling on my show jacket’s collar. “You got anything but your fancy riding clothes with you?”
I leaned into my best friend. “Canny, if you think I go anywhere without my old Ariat boots, jeans, and hat, you don’t know me at all.”
“It’s all she wears outside of competitions,” Jasper said, the heat in his eyes making me melt.
“Just as I thought,” Canyon said, then put the bar’s whereabouts into Jasper’s phone, with the plan to meet in a couple of hours.
Once back at the hotel, I showered and changed, smiling at my reflection in the mirror. I wore my perfectly worn blue jeans that fit me to perfection, a blue plaid shirt that I tied at my waist to show an inch of skin, and my brown Ariat cowboy boots that were so broken in they felt like slippers.
Going to the hat box I took everywhere, I opened it up and gently removed my Stetson from its protective lining. My heart ached at the worn edges and scratches that had been there for years. I brought it to my nose and inhaled.
I could still smell him—smoke, leather oil, and horse.
A lump clogged my throat, and I closed my eyes.
“Wake up, Hallie-girl. Canyon’s at the door with his daddy.
We got some cattle to move on before breakfast.” I groaned, cracking open an eye to see the sun only just rising outside my bedroom window.
Daddy knocked again, then opened my door.
He had a steaming mug of black coffee in his right hand, another mug in the other, and a smile on his face.
“I don’t wanna get up,” I said, pushing my face into my pillow.
Daddy sat on the side of my bed and set one cup down on my nightstand. The sweet scent of hot chocolate drifted into my nose. Daddy took off his hat and placed it on my head. “Come on, cowgirl. We gotta move.”
The memory was both a blade and a balm to my heart. “I miss you, Daddy,” I whispered to the heavens, then put his hat on my head. Moving to the mirror, I swiped red lipstick on my lips and was ready to go.
I left my room just as Sage was leaving hers. Sage winked at me and tipped her hat. She was in double denim, her jeans skintight to her long legs, a snug denim vest with nothing underneath, and a leather cowboy hat on her head.
“Hottie Hallie is out tonight!” she said and kissed me on my cheek.
“Same to you, Sexy Sage.” My best friend laughed, then linked my arm with hers. We stepped onto the elevator, and I cast a glance at Jasper’s room. We’d agreed to meet in the hotel lobby to avoid suspicion.
As we stood against the elevator’s back wall, our reflections stared back at us from the polished doors.
“Ever feel like we live in cosplay most days?” Sage asked.
She pointed to her outfit. “This is us. Plaid and denim and cowboy boots. Yet we’ve both found ourselves in breeches, show shirts, and thousand-dollar riding boots.
” She laughed. “We were raised in dust and dirt, and now we’re all fancy arenas and horses that cost more than most people’s homes. ”
I got what she meant. “We wouldn’t change it for the world, though, right?”
Sage shook her head. “You know I wouldn’t.” She stepped forward and turned to face me with her hand on her hip. “But I have to say, it’s nice to be reminded how fucking hot I look in this getup.”
Sage Miller, everybody, my humble best friend.
The doors opened, and I linked Sage’s arm, pulling her from the elevator. “Come on, hot stuff. We have food trucks and a bar to get to.”
There had been low-level chatting from near the elevator when we exited, but sudden quietness made me glance up. Atticus, Leon, and Jasper were all staring at us. “Um . . . hi,” I said, feeling a blush burst on my cheeks.
Atticus was looking at Sage with blatant hunger in his eyes. Sage ignored him like he wasn’t being obvious in lusting for her.
Leon was smirking at Atticus, covering his amusement with his hand. And then I looked to Jasper. If any of our competitors were to see the way he was staring at me now, pure lust in his midnight gaze, people would instantly know there was something between us.
“You boys like?” Sage asked, twirling around.
“The car’s here,” Atticus said, abruptly turning around.
Sage’s expression shuttered a little, and she followed him out, a little less pep in her step.
Leon nodded at me and went next. Jasper stepped beside me, not too close, and said, “When I fuck you tonight, you’ll be wearing nothing but those boots and hat, got it? ”
Heat built between my legs. “Yes, sir,” I said, and Jasper gestured for me to get in the car first. I made a show of that too, making sure Jasper got a good view of my ass. If his strained breathing was an indication, I’d say I’d been successful.
“What’s he doing here, I wonder?” Atticus said when we were all in the car. I looked out the window to see Jake McGowen walking into reception, looking around him as if he didn’t want to be seen.
I immediately turned to Jasper, whose eyes were locked on his rival. They narrowed when he shook hands with a man I didn’t know. Clearly Jasper did, as he said, “Danny McGuire?”
“Who’s he?” I asked.