Her Rodeo Man

Ryder’s mind went in the direction it always did. “Have you done any promotion?”

“The usual,” his mother answered.

“Which is?”

“Tatum updated the website a couple months ago. We’ve sent out notices, both email and postcards. There are posters and flyers in town.”

In Ryder’s opinion, posters and flyers in town were a complete waste of resources. There was no need to advertise locally. The goal was to bring outsiders to Reckless.

“Have you considered reciprocating with other rodeo arenas?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Ask them to advertise our rodeo in exchange for advertising theirs.”

“Why would our competition do us any favors?” his father asked. “Or us them?” The question wasn’t intended to criticize. He appeared genuinely interested.

“It’s not competition as long as the rodeos fall in different months.”

“Would they go along? The other arenas?”

“We can ask.”

His parents exchanged glances, then his father shrugged. “I say yes.”

“I think it’s a great idea.”

To Ryder’s ears, his mother’s enthusiasm rang false. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to endorse his ideas just because she was glad to have him home.

“Tatum can compile a list of potential rodeo arenas in the morning,” his father suggested.

His mother readily agreed. “I’ll ask her.”

“Or Ryder can. They’re already meeting.”

Yeah. Ryder couldn’t help wondering how that would go.

The back door abruptly swung open, and his sister Liberty burst into the kitchen, followed closely by a tall cowboy. Ryder guessed the man to be his future brother-in-law.

He’d barely stood when she threw herself at him. “Ryder!”

Unlike with his mother, the hug he gave his baby sister was filled with affection. “Hey, pip-squeak. How are you?”

She buried her face in the front of his shirt. “Better now.”

He leaned back to look at her. “You’re not crying, are you?”

“Absolutely not.” She sniffed and wiped at her nose.

Ryder pulled her close again, his heart aching. Not spending time with Liberty, not getting to watch her grow up, was one of his biggest regrets about leaving Reckless and his main reason for returning. That, and guilt. She’d suffered the most from their mother’s lies. If he could make up for that in some small way, he would.

“I’m really happy you came.”

Would she say that, love him less, if she knew the other reason for his return?

“After a week, you’ll probably be sick of me,” he said.

“Not going to happen.” Liberty turned to her fiancé. “This is Deacon.”

Ryder wasn’t the sentimental sort, but the tender way she spoke Deacon’s name affected him. He was glad she’d found happiness; she certainly deserved it.

What kind of mother lied to her child about the identity of her father? The same one who thought only of herself and not her children when she unceremoniously tossed their father out and refused to let him back into their lives.

“Nice to finally meet you.” Putting thoughts of his mother aside, Ryder shook Deacon’s hand. “I’ve heard good things about you.”

“Same here.”

In his line of work, Ryder often made snap judgments. Deacon’s handshake was firm and offered without hesitation. A good sign. Ryder decided he approved of his sister’s choice in husband.

The pleasantries that followed were cut short when Cassidy and, to Ryder’s surprise, Tatum Mayweather arrived to join them. Wasn’t she supposed to be at work?

For a moment, he and Cassidy simply stared at each other. Once, they’d been inseparable. Then, their parents divorced, and sides were declared. Ryder had chosen their father’s, Cassidy their mother’s. Growing apart from her was another of his regrets.

He made the first move and opened his arms. She stepped into his embrace, and Ryder swore everyone in the room visibly relaxed.

The hug ended too soon. “Mom,” Cassidy said, “I hope you don’t mind, I asked Tatum to lunch. She didn’t get a chance to eat. Too busy taking care of Cupcake.”

“Of course not.”

Tatum smiled apologetically. “I hate imposing on your reunion.”

“Nonsense. You’re like family.”

For someone considered to be like family, Tatum looked ready to bolt. Ryder found that interesting. Then again, he found a lot of things about her interesting. Good thing that, as a Beckett employee, she was off-limits.

With everyone pitching in, lunch was soon on the table. Liberty had inherited their father’s conversational abilities, and between the two of them, there were no more lulls.

That was, until Cassidy said, “Tatum mentioned you two didn’t recognize each other.”

“It’s true,” Ryder admitted.

Tatum echoed his earlier remark. “It’s been a while. We’ve both changed.”

“Do you forget all the women you kiss?” Cassidy asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. “Or just the first one?”

“Kiss?” He had forgotten.

In a rush, it all came back to him. The Valentine’s Day card. Tatum’s desperate look of hope. The casual peck on the cheek he’d given her.

“I’d have bet money you wouldn’t remember,” Cassidy said.

An undefinable emotion filled Tatum’s eyes before she averted her glance. Something told Ryder this had been some sort of test and that he’d failed it.

Chapter Two

It took a full five minutes for Tatum’s cheeks to cool. How could Cassidy embarrass her like that? They were best friends. Lifelong best friends.

Worse than embarrassing her, Cassidy had intentionally used that long ago chaste kiss—Tatum had been just twelve and Ryder nearly fourteen—to deliver a dig to her brother. Tatum neither wanted to nor deserved to be dragged into any feud between the siblings.

And, seriously, wasn’t it past time they let bygones be bygones? Mercer was sober. He and Sunny were working together running the arena and getting along. For the most part. Business was booming. Liberty had forgiven her mother’s duplicity and was making up for lost years with Mercer by spending time with him. Ryder had come home. Cassidy alone refused to let go of the past.

Tatum’s anger continued to simmer all during the lunch. Cassidy should be glad her brother had returned. For her mother’s sake, if nothing else. Sunny had hated losing Ryder and longed for a reconciliation with him since the day he left to live with Mercer. As a mother herself, Tatum sympathized. She’d been separated only briefly from her children this past spring, yet it had been the worst four months of her life.

Cassidy was also a mother, though Benjie’s father had never been in the picture. Ever. She didn’t have to share her child with an ex or contend with a former, impossible to please, mother-in-law. Tatum sighed. Lucky Cassidy.

“Dad, maybe after lunch you can take a look at Tatum’s pony.”

Her head shot up at hearing Ryder speak her name.

“What’s wrong with Cupcake?” Mercer asked, shoveling a large bite of chili into his mouth.

Tatum swallowed before answering. “I, um, thought she might have foundered. Ryder says her limp’s due to a poorly fitted shoe.”

“One way to find out is remove the shoe.”

“He...already did that.” What was wrong with her? She couldn’t string a simple sentence together without tripping over her words.

Her glance strayed to Ryder, the cause of her unease, though, why, she had no idea. He meant nothing to her, outside of being the recipient of her one-sided childhood crush. The kiss—peck, she corrected herself—while important to her, had meant little to him. She’d presented him with a homemade Valentine’s Day card that she’d labored over for days. He read it, then dipped his head and brushed her cheek with his lips. The next week, he’d left to live with Mercer in Kingman, dashing her fragile hopes and dreams.

Over the years, the memory of her first crush changed, from painful to one she viewed with mild amusement and even fondness. Too bad Cassidy had to go and tarnish that for her.

“Is the foot warm?” Mercer asked, still talking about Cupcake.

“No,” Ryder replied before Tatum could.

Not that she’d have known if the foot was warm or not. She hadn’t checked. Running into Ryder had distracted her.

“Then she probably isn’t foundered.” Mercer scraped the last of the chili from his bowl. “Ryder has a good eye when it comes to horses.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Tatum wished the conversation would shift from her to something else. Like Liberty and Deacon’s upcoming wedding.

“Where is she?”

“Cupcake? I moved her to the horse barn. In that empty stall next to the gray Percheron.”

“I’ll take a look at feeding time.” Mercer patted his stomach as if to settle his meal.

Tatum felt Ryder’s gaze on her and struggled to ignore him. It was impossible. The green-gray color of his eyes was unlike any she’d seen, made more prominent by his strong, masculine features and short cropped brown hair.

To her chagrin, her heart gave a little flutter in return. Good grief. Surely she couldn’t be attracted to him. He wasn’t her type. More than that, he could well be after her job.

Hoping to hide her reaction, she said, “Thank you, Mercer. From me and my kids. You know how they love Cupcake.”

“How old are they?” Ryder’s mouth curved at the corners into a devastatingly charming smile.

Tatum responded by blushing. And all because Cassidy had made Tatum acutely aware of Ryder by mentioning that stupid kiss. When they finished with lunch she was going to give her best friend a well-deserved piece of her mind.

“My daughter’s seven, and the boys are four and two.”

“Are they in school with Benjie?”

“My daughter is, though not in the same grade. The boys attend day care while I work.”

It had been difficult finding reliable and reasonably priced child care in such a small town. The Becketts paid Tatum a fair, even generous, wage. Still, a large chunk of her income went to cover the costs of day care. And rent and food. Making ends meet was a delicate balance. Luckily, her ex paid his child support on time and carried the children as dependents on his health insurance.

If for any reason, that ceased, Tatum would be back to where she was earlier this year. Unable to provide her children with the most basic necessities and at risk of losing them.

The Becketts hadn’t just given her a job when Tatum was laid off, they’d saved her family. Her loyalty to them was deep and abiding.

“Tatum’s a teacher,” Liberty said.

“Was,” Tatum corrected.

“You teach art classes.”

“Really?” Ryder looked at her with interest.

“Just part-time. Lenny Faust at the Ship-With-Ease Store lets me use the empty space next door. I used to teach third and fourth grade at the elementary school. For seven years.” Why had she felt pressured to qualify herself? As if teaching art wasn’t good enough.

“Until last December,” Cassidy added with disgust. “That’s when the school board gave her the boot. Bad decision.”

“Now, now,” Sunny admonished. “We’ve been over this before. There are other teachers who’ve been with the school longer.”

“Budget cuts. Right. You were outvoted, and your hands are tied.”

“We’ll hire Tatum back as soon as we can.” Sunny covered the leftover corn bread with a linen napkin. “The board convenes in a few weeks to approve the new budget.”

Tatum didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she couldn’t help herself. She loved teaching. Other than her own children, nothing gave her greater satisfaction or enjoyment, and she missed it terribly.

To her vast relief, talk turned to the upcoming Wild West Days Rodeo and the arena’s record number of entries.

“Ryder has some notion about...what did you call it?”

“Reciprocal advertising,” Ryder said, then went on to explain the concept.

Tatum thought the idea innovative, though her experience with marketing was limited to her job at the arena and what Sunny had taught her.

Cassidy shrugged. “We’ve always done well enough without having to swap advertising with other rodeo arenas.”

“We could do better,” Ryder said.

“What if it backfires and we lose business?”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Look at what Dad’s done with the bulls he purchased. He told me revenue’s increased over fifteen percent in two months.”

“Because of the weekly bull-riding jackpots and team penning.”

“It’s just an idea, Cassidy. I’m not married to it.”

Ryder’s response was casual, as if he couldn’t care less. A stillness of his hand and tension in his jaw gave Tatum the impression he cared very much and didn’t like his methods being questioned.

The Beckett family dynamics were certainly interesting and, at times, bewildering and frustrating. Did none of them realize this was the first time in who knew how many years they were all together? Couldn’t they play nice this once?

Excusing herself, Tatum said, “Duty calls. My voice-mail box has probably reached its limit and is ready to self-destruct.”

“And I have a meeting with a client.” Deacon pushed back from the table. “Thank you for lunch, Sunny.”

“I’ll walk you to your truck.” Before joining Deacon, Liberty bent and gave Ryder a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m really glad you’re home. Let’s have dinner soon.”

“How about tomorrow night? I need someone to show me around town. A lot’s changed.”

“Great! Deacon and I will pick you up at seven.”

A smile spread across Ryder’s face, and Tatum was momentarily disarmed by his handsomeness. It was amazing, really, that, at thirty-six, he remained a bachelor. Women no doubt pursued him in droves.

One by one, everyone left the kitchen. Cassidy had to supervise preparations for the roping practice later that afternoon. Once Liberty saw Deacon off, she’d recruit a couple of the wranglers to help her unload the lumber she’d bought. Mercer was taking Ryder to his place to settle in.

Sunny started clearing the table.

Though she’d been the one to suggest leaving, Tatum offered, “I can stay and help, if you want.”

“Thanks. Then I’ll go with you to the office. There’s a pile of paperwork calling my name.”

Ryder paused on his way to the door, stopping Tatum as she carted an armload of dishes to the sink. “See you in the morning?”

“Right.”

He didn’t move. “Look, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Not remembering. The kiss.” Those compelling eyes roved her face, then lingered on her mouth. “That wouldn’t happen now, I guarantee it.”

The next instant, he was gone. Thank goodness! One second longer, and he’d have heard her sharp intake of breath.

Tatum tried to tell herself that Ryder was in marketing. Essentially a salesman. Winning people over, even flirting a little, was part of the job and second nature to him. Yet, a thrill wound slowly through her, confirming just how susceptible she was to him. She simultaneously dreaded the coming morning and couldn’t wait for it.

* * *

CASSIDY SAT AT the front desk when Ryder entered the ranch office. “Hi. Tatum’s not here yet.”

Her tone wasn’t exactly welcoming, but neither was it distant. Did she consider him an interloper rather than an asset to the business? She still treated his father that way at times.

“I came early to see you.”

It had been easy enough to learn from his father that Cassidy made a habit of visiting the office ahead of Tatum, who had to drop off her sons at day care. She liked to review the day’s schedule and answer emails. According to their father, it was the only break she’d have all day.

“I didn’t come empty-handed.” He produced two paper cups of steaming coffee. Sitting in the visitor chair across from her, he passed her the cup with caramel latte scrawled in black marker on the side.

After a pause, she accepted it. “Dad tell you this is my favorite?”

“I’ve been picking his brain.”

“You actually stood in line twenty minutes for coffee?” Cassidy sipped tentatively through a hole in the plastic lid.

“I got up early and beat the morning rush. Who’d’ve guessed? Reckless has a gourmet coffee shop.”

She eyed him from over the brim of her cup. “Things change.”

He eyed her back. “They do.”

“Is this a peace offering or a bribe?”

“I don’t want to fight, Cassidy.”

She set down the coffee. “We’re not fighting.”

“You embarrassed Tatum yesterday just to get at me.”

“I do owe her an apology.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re sorry I came home.”

“Why wouldn’t I be glad? Really. Mom’s ready to burst with happiness. And Liberty’s so excited, she’s downright annoying. The whole family’s reunited at last, yadda, yadda, yadda.”

“What about you?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“Mom, for one. You broke her heart when you left. I don’t want you to do it again.”

“The only promise I made Dad and Liberty when I agreed to come here was that I’d try.”

“An honest effort is all I ask.”

Did she think he’d give anything less? “Mom and I have a lot of bridges to mend. It won’t be easy.”

“It’s going to be as easy or difficult as you make it.”

Interesting comment for someone who was starting out by making things difficult. But, his sister was probably right. “Let’s stick to the reason I waited twenty minutes in line for overpriced coffee.”

“I thought you said you beat the rush.”

“A slight exaggeration.”

Cassidy laughed. It wasn’t much of a laugh. More like a dry chuckle. Still, it beat the heck out of their mother’s forced cheerfulness at lunch the day before.

“Why are you really mad at me?” he asked.

“Tatum. She needs this job, Ryder. And you’re a threat to it.”

“Not as much as you think.”

“Dad has other ideas.”

Ryder considered leveling with Cassidy about this being a temporary stay until he landed another position. Gut instinct made him hesitate. “I’m not a threat to Tatum.”

“When she lost her job at the school, she also lost custody of her kids.”

“Wow! You’re kidding.”

“Temporarily lost custody. But she fell apart.”

“What happened?”

“Tatum’s good with money. But the divorce left her without any kind of nest egg. And you know what teachers make, especially in Reckless. Squat. She had no savings to fall back on when the school board laid her off last December. The extra money she makes off of her art classes is barely enough to put groceries on the table.”

“Couldn’t she find another teaching job outside of Reckless?”

“That takes time. She also had her house to consider. She didn’t want to move if she could help it.”

If anyone understood the difficulty of finding a good job and dwindling resources, it was Ryder. The past two months of searching had produced no results other than draining his bank account. Though what hindered his job search had less to do with lack of available employment and more to do with the bad reputation he’d created for himself at Madison-Monroe Concepts.

His stomach involuntarily tightened. He’d live down his mistake. Eventually. Come hell or high water.

“We gave her a job as office manager,” Cassidy continued, “and that took a lot of arm-twisting. Tatum is proud and refused what she called a pity job.”

“Dad says she’s pretty good at what she does.”

“She is. Which is why it’s not a pity job. But then the bank foreclosed on her house anyway when she couldn’t keep up with the payments. She and the kids moved in with us. Rent free. That was charity, and she struggled to accept it.”

“Seven people. Four bedrooms. It must have been crowded.”

“We didn’t care. But her ex-mother-in-law got wind of the situation and convinced her son to hire an attorney, claiming Tatum couldn’t provide adequately for the kids.”

“He sued for custody?” Ryder was appalled. “Why didn’t he help her make her mortgage payments? They’re his children, too.”

“It didn’t go that far. Luckily. Tatum compromised. She turned over care of the kids to her mother-in-law. Just until she saved enough money working for us to rent an apartment. It was a rough period for her. The kids, too. They missed Tatum and hated living with their grandmother.”

“Did she mistreat them?”

“No, no. She’s not the warm, cookie-baking kind of grandmother, but that wasn’t the problem. She lives in Glendale. A four-hour round trip. Tatum only saw the kids once a week at most. The day she signed the lease on her apartment, she broke down and cried in front of the rental agent.”

“She’s lucky to have you and Mom.”

“We’re lucky to have her. She works hard, even if an office manager isn’t her first choice of a job.”

“I do remember her drawing a lot. Always walking around with a sketchbook.”

Cassidy studied him critically. “So, you didn’t forget her entirely.”

“No.” But he hadn’t thought of her in years. A stark contrast to the past twenty-four hours. She’d been on his mind constantly. “You and she barrel raced.”

“We did. She met her ex on the circuit, and for a few years, they traveled from rodeo to rodeo, living in an RV. That wore thin on Tatum. She quit in order to obtain her teaching degree.”

“Her husband continued to compete?”

“Nothing would stop him. Tatum did her best to make the marriage work. Full-time job, full-time mom, part-time husband. When she got pregnant for the third time, he left for good, saying something like, ‘baby, I just can’t be tied down.’ She took it hard. I say the jerk didn’t deserve her, and she was better off without him.”

Ryder tended to agree.

“I’m not gossiping, so don’t think that.” Cassidy sipped again at her coffee. “I only wanted you to know what Tatum’s been through and why this job is important to her.” Her voice dropped. “Don’t mess it up for her.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Cassidy looked skeptical.

“My plan is to create and implement a sound marketing strategy for the arena.” One Tatum or his mother could manage after he was gone.

Funny. He hadn’t realized until this moment how similar his and Tatum’s situations were. Both of them working interim jobs while hoping for a better one. Both of them resisting to take what they considered charity.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t so funny.

“What exactly is going on with Mom and Dad?” Ryder didn’t want to talk about Tatum anymore. “Do you think they’ll get back together?”

“God, I hope not.” Cassidy turned away from him to stare out the window.

It wasn’t eight in the morning, yet the ranch was alive with activity. Hands cleaning stalls. Customers exercising their horses. The carpenters Liberty had hired to construct the horse jumps were making a ruckus behind the barn, banging hammers and running the chain saw. Mercer conferred with a rep from the grain dealer.

“For once I agree with you.”

Her head swung back around. “Why do I think there’s a catch?”

“No catch. Mom threw him out. Abandoned him in his hour of need. Lied to him about being Liberty’s father. He’d be a fool to get involved again.”

“She had every right to throw him out,” Cassidy argued hotly. “He’s an alcoholic.”

Their parents had purchased the Easy Money before Ryder was born and had taken it from a run-down, dirt-poor arena to the best facility in the southern part of the state. That all changed when Ryder’s grandfather died suddenly from a heart attack, and his father began drowning his grief with whiskey. Daily.

In less than a year, the arena went from prospering to the verge of bankruptcy, and Ryder’s mother kicked him to the curb. What Ryder knew and his sisters didn’t until recently was that their father retained his half ownership of the arena. Their mother had also never paid their father his share of the profits per their settlement agreement. The sum was staggering.

“Reformed alcoholic,” Ryder said. “He hasn’t touched a drink in over twenty years.” He’d stopped shortly after Ryder moved in with him.