Brenda Minton - The Cowboy Next Door & Jenna's Cowboy Hero - The Cowboy Next Door / Jenna's Cowboy Hero

“I’m going to the house.” Bill patted him on the shoulder as he walked away, greeting Lacey with a hug.

“I’m sorry. I should have called.” Lacey looked a little lost, like she wasn’t sure. She stood a few feet from him, from the mare. “She’s beautiful.”

“You don’t have to call.” He looked over the mare’s neck at the woman leaning against the wall. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. I was on my way home from Bailey’s and I realized I really didn’t want to go home. There’s no one there.”

“The police will find her, Lacey.”

“And take her to jail.”

“They won’t take Rachel to jail.”

She reached to slide her hand down the neck of the mare. Jay slid the saddle pad into place and then lowered the saddle onto the mare’s back. The mare turned to look at him, but she stood still.

“Do you want to ride her?” He tightened the girth strap and knotted it.

“Could I?”

“I think so. I’ll show you how to rope.”

“No way!”

He smiled and it felt really good. “Yeah way!”

“I’d love it.”

It would keep both of their minds off what they didn’t want to think about. He didn’t want to think about letting go of Jamie. She didn’t want to think about her little sister going to jail.

“Come on, we’ll take her out to the arena.” He led the horse and Lacey walked a short distance away. “You do know how to ride, right?”

“Of course. You can’t live around here for six years and not know how to ride.”

He laughed because she bristled like an angry cat.

“Let me ride her first and then she’s all yours.”

Lacey felt like a rodeo queen on the back of the black mare. The horse was gaited, so her trot was smooth and easy. Jay stood on the outside of the arena. She kept her eyes focused on the point between the mare’s ears and tried not to look at him.

But she did look at him. He smiled and pushed his hat back, crossing his arms over the top rail of the vinyl fence of the arena.

“Bring her over here.” He opened the gate and walked through, a rope in his hand. “Here you go.”

“You really think I can do this?”

“Why couldn’t you?”

“I’m clumsy and uncoordinated.”

He laughed again and she wanted him to laugh like that all the time. When he laughed she forgot that her sister was in the biggest trouble of her life, her niece was in danger…no, maybe she didn’t forget. It distracted her for a few minutes and the knots in her stomach relaxed a little, but she couldn’t forget.

He put the rope in her hand, his hand closing over hers. His hands were strong and warm. He looked up, like that touch meant something, and she couldn’t look away, not this time.

She realized she had one more problem she was going to have to deal with: Jay. Because his smile did something to her heart, shifting what had been numb and cold and for a moment making her believe in something special.

“Here you go.” His voice was a little quiet and rough and she wondered if he felt it, too. “Take it like this and make easy loops. Don’t work it too hard. You have to look at your target. That’s what works for me.” He nodded to the horns on a post. “Give it a try and remember, she’s going to do some of the work. She knows what to do. Don’t panic.”

“I won’t.” If only she could breathe. Breathing would be helpful.

“Relax.”

“Okay.” She wished. But relaxing was probably going to happen when she managed to rope those horns. Never.

She rode twenty feet out from the target and stopped. The mare responded to her leg pressure; just a squeeze and she came to a halt. Amazing.

“You can get a little farther away,” Jay encouraged.

“Umm, no.” Lacey smiled and lifted her arm. “I thought it would be easier, and lighter.”

“Come on, Lacey, cowgirl up.” He winked.

“Okay, here we go.” She did it the way she’d seen it in the movies and at rodeos, raising her arm and swinging the rope. It seemed to fly, to soar, and then it dropped.

She never expected it to drop on the mare’s head.

But it did. And the mare didn’t appreciate it. She sidestepped and jumped back. Lacey fell to the side a little and she felt the horse hunch beneath her, like something about to explode. Lacey had no intention of getting thrown, so she jumped. As she flew through the air, she knew she was hitting the ground face first.

She hit the ground with a brain-jarring thud that rattled her teeth. The hard impact of the ground socked her in the gut and knocked the wind out of her. She tried to draw in a breath and couldn’t.

“Lacey, are you okay?” Jay was at her side, kneeling and not hiding his smile the way she would have liked.

“Can’t breathe,” she whispered.

His smile dissolved. “Does anything feel broken?”

She glared. “Everything.”

“Let me help you sit up and you need to take slow, easy breaths. It knocked the wind out of you, but I think you’re okay.”

“Easy for you to say.”

Lacey rolled over and looked up at the sky, and then at Jay. He sat back on his heels and his lips quivered. Lacey laughed a little, but her head hurt and so did her back. Her whole body hurt.

“I don’t think I did it.” She leaned back again, thinking maybe she’d stay on the ground.

“I think maybe you’re not going to be George Strait anytime soon.”

“He does rope, doesn’t he?”

“Yep.”

“I stink. Tell Duckie I’m sorry.”

Jay’s smile dissolved. “Come on, let me help you up. You sound a little loopy and I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I don’t sound loopy. I’m fine.” She eased herself to a sitting position, aware of his arm around her back and that cinnamon-gum scent.

If she turned he would be close, really close. And being near him upset her balance more than the fall she’d taken.

“You’re not fine. That was a hard spill.”

“Help me up.” She stood, slow and steady, and a little sore. “Nothing broke.”

“Jay, is she okay?” Bill stood at the gate. Lacey smiled at Jay’s dad and saluted.

“She’s fine.” Lacey answered. “My pride is hurt. I really thought roping would be easy.”

“Come on out here so we can take a look at you.”

Jay’s arm was around her, holding her close like she mattered. “Why in the world did you jump?” he asked.

“I thought it would be better than being thrown.”

Jay and his dad both laughed. Jay shook his head. “Did you really?”

“Yes, I really did. And I was wrong. I can admit that.”

“Next time grip her with your legs and hold steady on the reins. She spooked, but she wasn’t going to throw you.”

“I’ll remember that. Stay on horse, don’t try to jump. Got it.”

Jay’s arm tightened around her waist and he pulled her against his side. “Lacey, I haven’t smiled…”

And then he was quiet and Lacey didn’t know why he didn’t smile. But she was glad it was time to go home.

* * *

Lacey’s phone rang late the next afternoon. She was stiff from the fall and from working all day. As she reached for the phone she grimaced a little. Bailey was sitting at the dining room table and she laughed. But she had promised not to mention the fall again.

“Lacey, they’ve got Corry in custody.”

Lacey closed her eyes. “Okay. What now?”

“I’ll pick you up and take you to Springfield. Family Services has Rachel.”

“Will they let me have her?”

“We’re making phone calls.” Jay paused. “It’ll work out. I’ll be down there in a few minutes.”

Lacey hung up and then turned to Bailey. “They have her in custody.”