Page 50 of Silent Deception
It was all coming back, though...warming her insides. She wished they weren’t surrounded by a thousand raucous rodeo fans, because now she longed to find out if other things were the same, as well.
The way he kissed, for instance, cradling her head in his hands as if she were the most precious thing in the world. The way just that touch of his hands made her weak-kneed. No one else had ever made her feel that way. Certainly not Ted. Not the few other men she’d tried dating after the divorce, either.
Yep, she was in trouble, yet she and Ryan hadn’t so much as exchanged a single, chaste kiss. And wouldn’t, if his cautious distance was any clue.
He’d rested a courteous hand at the small of her back as they made their way through the crowd. Draped an arm across her shoulders to tell her something while they’d waited in that interminable chicken line with loudspeakers blaring overhead.
But he hadn’t made a move otherwise, and it was for the best.
A hefty woman with four kids and a skinny husband squeezed past, stepping on Kristin’s toes with murmurs of apology and spilling several pieces of popcorn down her scoop-neck sweater.
Once they made it past, she surreptitiously tried to retrieve the popcorn.
“Need some help with that?”
She looked up into Ryan’s twinkling eyes. “Thanks, but no.”
He tossed her a bulky plastic sack. “Check this out.”
Surprised, she retrieved the last piece of popcorn, tore open the package, and lifted out a lightweight Western down jacket in deep garnet red. “Oh, my,” she breathed. “This isbeautiful.”
“Try it on.”
It had to have cost several hundred dollars. “I—it’s gorgeous, but I just can’t accept it—and I don’t have this kind of money along with me.”
“Consider it a gift. If you keep shivering, you’re going to end up shaking us both right off these bleachers.”
“But—”
“Consider it a verybelatedgift, then.” His eyes darkened. “I remember when I wished I could buy you the moon, and I could barely afford hamburgers and malts. This is from the boy back then.”
“I...well...” She faltered, then finally accepted it. “I’ll pay you back next month, I promise.”
“Don’t. I—”
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” The announcer’s voice rose to a crescendo, the crowd cheering in response. “The event you’ve been waiting for all night. The event that means life or death in eight seconds for these rough, tough, crazy cowboys—and the rodeo clowns who risk their lives to save them. Folks, it’sbull riding.On deck now, in Chute 3, we have...”
Ryan helped Kristin into the jacket, then wedged onto the seat next to her. “I found Garrett, and I tried to talk him out of this. Nearly got a black eye in the process.”
“He’s not good at it? Or are you just a worried big brother?”
“He’s already got some sort of injury. He’s taking a big chance.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him then.” Kristin craned her neck to see over the Resistol in front of her.
A small black bull took one jump out of Chute 3 and then dove into a hard spin to the right. Two rodeo clowns closed in, their entire focus on the wildly bucking bull and the rider tipping precariously to the left. In a flash he was airborne. The buzzer sounded two seconds later.
Five other cowboys came out, but only two made it to the buzzer and both scored low.
“There he is. He’s up next,” Ryan said pointing toward the chutes. “And according to the rodeo program, he’s got one hell of a draw. Jackhammer.”
Her attention riveted on Chute 5, she barely heard the announcer’s spiel about the bull’s bucking history.
The bull—a massive red roan—reared in the chute and tried to crawl over the top of the gate. Garrett stepped off onto the rail until he settled, then eased back onto the bull’s broad, heavily muscled back. He took a quick wrap of bull rope, nodding to the gate man. The gate swung wide. The bull exploded into the arena with unleashed power that brought Kristin and the rest of the crowd to their feet.
Jackhammer tore into a fast spin to the left, then reversed gears and took a high, twisting leap to the right, its bell jangling and hooves slamming into the earth with jaw-rattling force as it dodged back to the left. Stumbled.
Then crashed into the row of closed chute gates with Garrett somewhere beneath it.
