One Night Rodeo (Blacktop Cowboys 4)

“I’m fine. I can help you.”

“No.”

“Kyle—”

“I know your ribs are killing you, Cele. You shouldn’t have been on horseback today. So go inside and take it easy.”

“I don’t take orders from you.”

Kyle got right in her face. “In this case, yes, you do. You’re hurt. Now, you either get your ass in the house or I carry you in. Your choice.”

That’s when the tough girl mask dropped and Kyle saw the pain in her eyes. “Okay.”

He almost carried her in anyway.

During the hour it took him to finish chores, Kyle’s insecurities about his ability to run a ranch resurfaced, stronger than ever.

You two make a good team.

Yes, they did. He just needed to convince Celia of that fact.

The warmth of the house soothed him. He heard the shower running and smelled something cooking. Grabbing a beer, he stared out the living room picture window, waiting for her.

The sweet scent of her shampoo drifted toward him and his c**k pressed against his zipper. Addressing the issues with a hard-on wasn’t how he wanted to approach this, but he sure wasn’t going to hide how she affected him. Because that was part of this too. He’d never experienced such a burning need for a woman. Not just from lust. He’d been in lust plenty of times in his life. But this? This was different. He’d fallen in love with her before he’d even touched her. Wasn’t that a kick in the pants?

Her footsteps stopped behind him and he faced her. She wore her flannel pajama bottoms and an AFR sweatshirt. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore. The ribs didn’t bother me while we were workin’ cattle, but I definitely noticed them the second we stopped.”

“Did you take a pain pill?”

“No. Last time I took pain pills I ended up married to you.”

Kyle waited for her to say it was a mistake, or something flip, but she just stared at him with those big, beautiful gray eyes. “Celia, we need to talk.”

She nodded.

“Will you be okay sitting on the chairs in the kitchen?”

“Better there than that stanky-ass couch.”

Kyle brought them both a beer. They sat across from each other, not really looking at each another. Celia broke the silence first. “I had a voice mail from the secretary at the Big Bend rodeo asking whether I’m competing this weekend.”

“What did you say?”

“I haven’t called her back.” She sipped her beer. “I also had a voice mail from Hank. Bringing me up to date on the diagnosis for Brianna’s eye, which is good, by the way.”

“Remind me again what is wrong with it?”

“Something with her tear duct. Since birth she’s constantly had eye infections to the point that her eye gets matted shut. Now that she’s old enough they can do a quick surgery that will unplug the blockage.” She shuddered. “I can’t imagine watching them stick a metal wire in my baby’s eye. I’d go ballistic. No matter how many times they say it isn’t painful for the kid.”

“I wouldn’t be able to watch either,” Kyle admitted.

“Abe left a message about their dog, George, who is a holy terror, and said he reminded him of my dog Murray when he was a pup. The last voice message was from Harper. She had a feeling something was ‘up’ with me and was checking to see if I was okay.”

“We have to talk to your brothers tomorrow, Cele.”

“I know.”

“You have any idea what you want to tell them?”

She shook her head. “I keep hoping Lainie slipped up and already told Hank. He’d tell Abe and I’d just have to do damage control and we could go from there.”

“That answer makes me feel better.”

“How so?”

“It’s better than you sayin’ you plan on denying everything that’s gone on between us and chalking it up to one drunken night.”

“I don’t think I can do that, because it would be a lie.” She looked at him almost shyly.

Kyle reached for her hand. “I have an idea. Hear me out before you interrupt me.”

“I don’t interrupt you.”

He raised a brow and she hid her smile behind her beer bottle. “I know you want this marriage annulled. Maybe I was poking your buttons a little just to be contrary when I said I didn’t want an annulment.” Such a lie, Kyle. “But everything changed after that phone call from my mom.”

Celia silently picked the label off her beer bottle.

“You know everything about ranching and I know nothing. Less than nothing. I felt like a f**king idiot today. And you? You were absolutely in your element. Don’t deny it.”

“I’m not.”

Kyle gathered his courage to get the next part out, and hoped like hell she didn’t reject his suggestion. Reject him. “The truth is, I need you. Your ranching expertise. I need you to teach me. I need you to help me. I cannot do this by myself. I don’t want to do this by myself. And I’d be willing to offer you a deal. Stay and help me for the next six months. After that, if you still want an annulment or divorce or whatever it is at that point, we can call it quits. You mentioned going to trade school—I’ll pay for everything starting with the fall semester.”

Celia’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Completely. Because if you don’t stay and help me, I’ll have no choice but to sell this place.”