Page 57 of Bullets and Dandelions

“I’m out of practice.”

No kidding. “Apology accepted.” I shut the door and stared down at my legs. They were kinda hairy.

“Thirty minutes until we land, Chiquita.”

“Okay.” I quickly shaved my legs and underarms, then turned my attention to applying makeup the way Sally had taught me. My hair I left in a long braid.

Hmmm. I met my evil gaze in the mirror. If they wanted to be cowboys, why couldn’t I be Annie Oakley? Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out the hand-tooled leather gunslinger’s belt, strapped it on and slid the two 1849 Colt Peacemaker revolvers into the holsters. I opened the door and stepped out.

“Let me guess, you’re Annie Oakley,” Stone said drily.

I gave him my Debbie Sunshine smile. “I am.” I dropped my pack next to Bertha.

“Buckle up, Annie. We’re landing.”

I took the seat across from Stone. “Other than bull riding, what’s the plan?”

“Watch the events, then some dinner and dancing at Cowboy’s Haven,” Stone’s voice was a low rumble.

My shoulders sagged. “I don’t know how to dance.”

“We’ll teach you,” Tex said.

“But you’re gonna have to leave the guns behind,” Johnson warned.

I smiled at him. “Okay, dancing sounds fun.” I stroked a finger over my dress. “I need to thank Jeb for the dress.”

“It looks good on you,” Rodriquez complimented.

“Thank you. Are all of you in the bull riding event?” Call me curious.

Rodriquez grinned. “We are, it’s one hell of a rush.”

“Maybe I should try it.”

The guys shouted in unison, “No!”

“But…”

“No way in hell are you getting on a two thousand pound Brahma bull. You don’t even know how to ride a horse,” Stone snapped.

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

The jet set down smoothly and taxied toward a gate in the executive terminal.

As soon as the aircraft came to a stop, Stone opened the cabin door and secured the steps. “Hector’s waiting for us.”

I knew Hector and his wife Rosa managed the ranch while Stone was away. Tex had told me about their lifelong friendship.

Stone’s face split into a wide grin when he spotted a Hispanic male in his sixties. The old guy was wearing a black cowboy hat, a red shirt, jeans and boots. “Which bull am I riding, Hector?”

“Diablo,” Hector answered, and his eyes widened when he spotted me. “Is this your woman?”

I let out a squawk. “What? No! I’m a member of his squad. Nothing more.”

Stone dropped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. “She’s a little shy.”

I jammed my elbow into his stomach and smiled at his grunt of pain. “The sergeant has been hit in the head too many times.” I hurried down the steps before Stone could retaliate and held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Tess.”

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