A Cowboy's Claim

“I wish I had that long,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

Tanya nodded to the waitress heading their way with the food. After they were left alone, she said, “If I don’t win in New Mexico, my stepfather’s pulling his support. But I’m not ready to give up on Slingshot yet.”

“Then keep competing.” He bit into his burger, taking a small bite so his chewing wouldn’t distort his face, not that Tanya ever stared at his scar—it was as if she couldn’t see the puckered flesh dissecting his cheek.

“Easy for you to say when you place in the money at every event.” She waved a hand before her face. “I’m not throwing in the towel yet. I have enough in savings to last through the end of the month if we don’t win next time.”

“What did you do between your divorce and returning to the circuit?”

“I train Mason’s Appaloosas.” She snuck one of his fries and dipped it into the circle of ketchup he’d poured on his plate. “I consider myself a good trainer, but every technique I’ve tried with Slingshot has backfired.” She swallowed another bite, then said, “I worry that it’s me. That Slingshot doesn’t want me riding him.”

“Why do you think that?”

“He’s the first horse I’ve competed on that someone else worked with first.” A tiny wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. “Maybe he’s still attached to his previous trainer.”

Vic checked his cell phone. He still had plenty of time to get to the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. “Where in New Mexico are you and Slingshot headed?”

“Moriarty for the WPRA barrel-racing event. What’s next after Vernal for you?”

“Steamboat Springs, Colorado, tomorrow afternoon, then Laramie, Wyoming, that night.”

“July’s a busy rodeo month, but what do you normally do between competitions the rest of the year?”

“Rest.” Vic used to spend time with Riley and Maria Fitzgerald at the Juan Alvarez Ranch for Boys in New Mexico, but when they hired Cruz as a wrangler after he got out of prison, Vic hadn’t had the guts to visit. Instead he hid out in cheap motel rooms and surfed the web or read the stash of books he carried on the road with him.

The bar was filling up. If he left now, he could catch a catnap in his truck before his next ride.

“Vic?”

He swung his gaze to Tanya.

“Ask me.” She tilted her head toward the dance floor.

He shouldn’t.

She smiled. “It’s just a dance.”

What could it hurt? One dance and then he’d leave. He stood and held out his hand. Her fingers slid across his palm and he fought the urge to hold her prisoner and never let her go. He found an open spot on the floor and Tanya snuggled close as if they were regular dance partners—make that lovers.

He placed his hand against her lower back and she pressed her palm to his chest. The floor was too crowded to move more than a few inches in any direction, so they stood in place, their hips swaying...bumping and oh man. Tanya’s warm body and soft curves put his willpower to the test. If he closed his eyes he could imagine they were alone in a dark room instead of standing in a crowd of sweaty bodies.

“It’s been forever since I’ve danced.” Tanya’s confession ignited a slow burn inside him. He tightened his arms around her. She felt small and vulnerable, which made it all the more impressive that she could handle a horse like Slingshot.

“Have you ever been married, Vic?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Never came close?”

“Nope.”

Her fingertip touched his cheek and he jumped inside. “Is it because of the scar?” She leaned back and looked him in the eye.

He admired Tanya for asking such a direct question. “I’ve never given much thought to the future.” Marriage had never been on his radar. Since he’d been nineteen he’d had one goal—winning a national title. He couldn’t move forward with his life until he put the past behind him.

“Mind if I cut in?” a feminine voice interrupted them.

Tanya stiffened in Vic’s arms a second before she smashed her breasts against his chest. The feel of her sent a rush of blood straight to his crotch. Then she bumped her pelvis—intentionally—against his erection before acknowledging the interruption.

“I’m Darcy.” The buxom blonde batted her butterfly lashes.

Vic opened his mouth to decline Darcy’s offer, but Tanya beat him to it. “No can do, Darcy.” Tanya’s fingers bit into his arm. “We were just leaving.” She stared at him. “Right, Vic?”

Tanya’s eyes flashed—from anger or desire, it didn’t matter. He was leaving the bar with her. “We’re out of here.”

Tanya stepped forward, but Darcy blocked her path. “Where are you leaving to...if I may ask?”

Tanya slid her arm through Vic’s. “Somewhere more private.”

Darcy’s eyes widened. “You two are sleeping together?”

Vic waited for Tanya to set Darcy straight, but instead of denying the accusation, she dragged him through the crowd and straight out the door.

After they got into the pickup, she spoke. “Vic?”

He stared out the windshield afraid to look at her. Afraid to see in her eyes the same yearning he was positive showed in his. “What?” He forced the word past his lips.

“I know you have another ride tonight, but I’m going to ask anyway.”

He stopped breathing.

“Do you want to get a motel room with me?”

Chapter Three

There were a thousand reasons why he and Tanya shouldn’t get a motel room—the most important being that he had another go-round waiting for him in Vernal. But when he stared into her blue eyes, he couldn’t remember why that ride was important. He started the engine and drove three miles to an out-of-the way motel no other cowboys would stay at for the night.

When he pulled up in front of the office of the Sweet Dreams Inn, there was only one other customer—a red Mustang parked outside room 7. He’d ask Tanya one more time, hoping mostly for his sake that she’d change her mind. But before he voiced the question, she’d opened her door and with one boot on the pavement she said, “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

Nothing short of a bullet through the heart would stop him now. “You want to wait here while I register for a room?” Tanya wasn’t like other women he’d shared a motel bed with. She might care if someone recognized her. Thanks to her ex-husband’s wild ways, she’d already been the victim of gossip, and he didn’t want people talking bad about her because of him.

She shook her head and got out, then came around the hood and slipped her fingers through his. “I’ll go in with you.”

Five minutes later the motel manager handed Vic a plastic key card with the number 4 on it. The walk to the room took ten seconds. His attraction to Tanya convinced him the sex would be great—better than great—but it was what happened after they made love that worried Vic. This could only be a one-night stand. He couldn’t afford to lose focus on his goal, and it would be too easy to become preoccupied with Tanya. He slid the card through the lock and opened the door.

The king-size bed beckoned, but his boots sank into the sidewalk as if it were made of wet concrete. Tanya’s fingers squeezed his right biceps and then she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss against his neck. Her warm breath puffed across his skin, propelling him forward. He shut the door behind them and flipped the locks.

He didn’t bother with the lights.

* * *

A HEAVY WARMTH pressing against her backside woke Tanya. It took a fraction of a second for her to remember she was at the Sweet Dreams Inn with Vic. The room was pitch-black, only a sliver of light spilled beneath the closed bathroom door. She’d asked Vic to turn on the bedside lamp after they tumbled naked onto the mattress—she’d wanted to gawk at every inch of muscle—but he’d distracted her with kisses and touches and she’d lost herself in their lovemaking.

She’d seen through his tough act. He wanted her and others to believe he wasn’t self-conscious about the scar on his face, but he was. If he didn’t care about it, he’d smile and laugh and not stop himself when the action stretched the puckered flesh, pulling one side of his mouth down.

She made a conscious effort to look him in the eye when they talked, but it was difficult to ignore the ugly mark. She could only imagine how painful the wound had been, but was reluctant to ask how he’d gotten it for fear he’d push her away for good.

Vic stirred, his hand moving from her belly to her breast. His thumb flicked her nipple and she exhaled a soft sigh.

“If I tell you something,” she whispered into the dark, “promise you won’t get a big head?”

He pressed his mouth to her neck and nibbled her skin. “Promise.”

“On second thought, never mind.”

He sat up and rolled her onto her back. She could only make out the shadow of his face as he loomed over her. “You can’t leave a man hanging like that.”

She wished she could see his eyes. “Rodeo’s already given you a big ego.”

“If that’s the way you feel, then...” His mouth trailed kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, then lower...lower... Her back arched and she moaned. She knew it was wrong to think of her ex when she was in bed with Vic, but Beau had never spent much time pleasuring her, and Vic acted as if he couldn’t get enough of her. The sensations he aroused in her were powerful and humbling.

He kissed his way up her body and then brushed the hair from her eyes. “What we’re you going to tell me a few minutes ago?”

“I can’t remember.” She curled against him.

“Guess I’ll have to do this all over again.” His mouth latched onto her breast.

“Wait,” she cried out in defeat. “I haven’t caught my breath yet.” She could feel his smile against her stomach. “Okay, fine. You’re amazing in bed.”

“Amazing? That’s it?”

He kissed her—a tender caress that led to more kisses on her nose, cheeks and forehead. This gentle side of Vic was a surprise and she savored every touch and whispered word.

“My turn.” She pushed him off her.

A silent chuckle rumbled through his chest, but it didn’t last long.

* * *

VIC WOKE AT 6:00 a.m. to snoring sounds coming from the other side of the bed. Tanya rested on her back, her arms and legs spread wide as if she’d been making snow angels on the mattress. Watching her filled him with longing. He’d missed his ride in Vernal last night but being with Tanya had meant more to him than winning his next rodeo. More than was good for his sanity. Tanya was an easy woman to be with and the first woman in forever he could be himself with.

But the timing was wrong. Hell, the timing might never be right. Once he won the national championship buckle later this year, he’d retire from rodeo. Tanya only knew him as a broncbuster. When he hung up his spurs for good, she might not care for the new Vic—whoever he turned out to be. He’d be a fool to lose his heart to her when he’d end up disappointing her down the road.

This was the end of the line for them. And as much as he wanted to make love to her again before he drove her to the fairgrounds to pick up Slingshot, he didn’t dare. Tanya had already worked her way beneath his skin, and it wouldn’t take a whole lot of effort on her part to blaze a trail straight to his heart. Thank God he had a lot of rodeos and a lot of miles ahead of him to shake off her memory.

He slipped from the bed, covered Tanya with the sheet, then took a shower and threw on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. After tugging on his socks and boots, he stepped outside to check his phone messages—three voice mails from Maria Fitzgerald. An uneasy feeling crawled up his spine. This couldn’t be good news.

“It’s Maria, Victor. Call me as soon as you get this message. And I don’t care what time it is.”

“It’s Maria again. Please call me. It’s important.”

“Victor, if you don’t call me soon, I’ll send Riley looking for you.”

Damn it, he should have checked his messages before they left the Muggy Rim. He pressed the number 6 on his speed dial. Maria answered on the first ring.

“Are you driving?” she asked.

“I’m standing next to my truck. What’s going on, Maria?”

“I have bad news.”

Vic’s mind raced through the people employed at the boys’ ranch and wondered who had been hurt or who was ill.

“Judge Hamel contacted me yesterday. Evidently I’m the only one who has your cell number.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“It concerns your nephew, Alex.”

Vic had never met his twenty-one-year-old sister Natalia’s son. He hadn’t set foot in Albuquerque in over six years. The last time he’d spoken to his mother—maybe seven months ago—she had custody of Alex because Natalia was sitting in prison convicted of prostitution. “What happened?”

“A neighbor found Alex wandering around the parking lot at night in the apartment complex where he and your mother live. Vic, your mother’s gone. Vanished. The police have no idea what happened to her. They think she might have been abducted.”

Abducted? Yeah, right. Vic’s legs grew weak and he locked his knees. He knew what had happened to his mother. She’d left Alex to go buy drugs and had probably gotten high and never returned to the apartment. Or maybe she’d overdosed and was lying on a dirty mattress in some abandoned house in the barrio.

Vic’s head spun and he slid down the side of the truck until his butt hit the asphalt. His gut twisted with anger and resentment as he envisioned his mother shooting up heroin or smoking crystal meth until she passed out. “Where’s Alex now?” The nephew he’d yet to meet must be terrified.

“The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department placed him in a state-run facility while they search for your mother. But, Vic?”

“What?”

“Judge Hamel said even if they find her, Alex won’t be allowed to live with her anymore.”

“Where will he go?” Natalia had had over a year left on her sentence.

“Judge Hamel isn’t sure, but she suggested it would be best if you returned to Albuquerque and took temporary custody of Alex. He’s too young to be in a group home with older kids, but they have no other option right now.”

“Custody?” Exactly what did that word entail?

“I know rodeo is important, but Alex needs you.”

“Alex doesn’t even know me, Maria.” As for rodeo, hell yes, it was important. No one but him knew the real reason he’d committed himself to the sport all these years. He’d come too far now to walk away.

“You’re all the family Alex has left.”

“What am I supposed to do with a four-year-old?”

“He’s almost five.”

Hell, he couldn’t even remember his nephew’s birthday. “There’s no way they’ll grant me custody of a kid that age. I’m on the road every day and I live out of motel rooms and my pickup.”

“Temporary custody, Vic. Only until they find a better place for Alex.” After a short pause Maria said, “Judge Hamel has already vouched for you. CYFD is waiting for you to pick up Alex.”

Vic glanced longingly at the motel door, wishing he could crawl into bed with Tanya and forget all the ugliness that existed in the world—his world. He closed his eyes, and his mother’s face flashed through his mind. She’d brought him into the world and she’d made him pay for it every day. He believed he’d finally put her and the barrio behind him for good, but her drug addiction was a stark reminder that he could never outrun who he was.

“Come to the ranch,” Maria said. “Riley surprised me with a trip to Hawaii and we leave tomorrow, but you and Alex are welcome to stay in the main house. Alex will enjoy playing with the twins and Cruz’s daughter, Dani.”

Vic had a string of rodeos he needed to compete in to pad his earnings and secure a spot in this year’s NFR. As for bunking down at Maria and Riley’s place—no way.

“Judge Hamel’s working with CYFD to find Alex a home by the end of August at the latest.”

“Alex will have to come on the road with me.” Vic’s mother had made his life miserable for so long, and he refused to let her latest drug relapse rob him of his goal.

“If you’re determined to keep rodeoing, then drop Alex off here. I’m sure Cruz’s wife, Sara, will be happy to look after him until Riley and I return.”

Sara might be fine with the arrangement, but he doubted Cruz would approve—not after Vic’s family had brought him nothing but trouble. “I can swing it if it’s only for a few weeks,” he said.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. I knew you’d do the right thing.”

Doing the right thing should help Vic feel better, but all it did was make him detest his mother more. “Where do I find Alex?”

“When you arrive in Albuquerque, call Judge Hamel and she’ll give you the address of the group home where Alex is staying. I’ll text you Judge Hamel’s number in case you don’t have it.”

“Sure.”

“Victor?”

“What?”

“Judge Hamel said she’d let me know when and where they find your mother.”

Right now he couldn’t care less if they ever found his mother. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry, Vic.”

He disconnected the call. A few seconds later his phone beeped with a text message—Judge Hamel’s phone number.

He glanced between the room door and his phone. He wanted so badly to stay with Tanya. Maybe it was a good thing he’d gotten the call now about Alex. At least he could walk away from her, before all his problems caused her grief. He climbed to his feet and went to the motel office, where he paid for another day—in case Tanya didn’t wake up before the checkout time.

Then he returned to the room and fumbled his way in the dark to the nightstand, where he scribbled a note on the pad of paper and left it along with fifty dollars in cash to catch a cab to the fairgrounds. This wasn’t how he wanted to part ways with Tanya, but maybe it was best she learn now that she was better off without him.

He set the key card next to the note, turned the lock on the door and left.

* * *

TANYA GOT OUT of the cab behind the fairgrounds near the livestock pens. Most of the animals had been loaded and hauled off except for a handful of horses used by the rodeo workers. She paid the driver, then shut the door and went over to the corral where Slingshot munched on hay. He didn’t look her way when she called his name. Go figure—he hadn’t missed her at all.

“About time you showed up to get your horse.” A man walked out from behind a flatbed trailer loaded with leftover hay bales from the rodeo.

“I had some business to take care of,” she said, refusing to think about Victor abandoning her at the Sweet Dreams Inn. The cab fare he’d left for her was a slap in the face.

“I’ll get him loaded ASAP.” She walked across the lot, each step pounding into the pavement harder than the previous. She’d never been more humiliated and hurt in her life. When would she learn that rodeo cowboys were all the same? The bigheaded lugs only cared about their next ride.

She’d been a fool to believe last night had meant anything to Vic. That she’d meant something to him. She hopped into her pickup, then backed up to the corral gate and opened the trailer doors. “Mind if I take a few of those bales off your hands?” It would save her time if she didn’t have to stop at a feed store. Besides, the sooner she left Utah, the better.

“Take as much as you want. The rest is going to the humane society.” He motioned to Slingshot. “You need help?”

“No, thanks.” She entered the corral. “C’mon, big guy.” She took his lead rope, surprised when he followed without protest. Once he was secure in his trailer stall and she’d loaded the hay, Tanya took off.

Moriarty, New Mexico, was ten hours away and she had two days to get there. She’d contacted a mobile-home park weeks ago and received permission to use one of their pads to park the truck and horse trailer. They had public showers, free Wi-Fi, a washateria and, according to the owner, an acre of grass for Slingshot. The daily rate was more than she’d budgeted, but she needed to do her laundry.

If the camping site was a hellhole, then she’d call one of her stepfather’s friends in the area and ask if she could camp out on their property for a day or two. She was nothing if not organized and she’d mapped out an entire season of rodeos after the first of the year. But the one thing she hadn’t planned on was Victor Vicario taking off on her before she woke up.

She hadn’t gone to the motel room with him expecting anything to come of their night, but she’d held out hope their time together might turn into a... Relationship wasn’t the right word, because Vic was a loner. Fling maybe? She and Victor were bound to cross paths from time to time the remainder of the summer and she’d hoped they’d become friends—friends with benefits. She hadn’t realized how lonely she’d been since she joined the circuit.

For the millionth time she went over the events of last night in her head but couldn’t figure out what she’d done or hadn’t done that had caused Vic to bolt without saying goodbye.

Maybe he was worried you’d make last night out to be more than just sex.

She couldn’t remember every word they’d whispered to each other in the dark, but she was certain she’d never uttered anything threatening like I love you.

Her brain told her to move on, but her heart wasn’t ready to give up hope. There had to be a reason he left in a hurry, but they didn’t exchange phone numbers, so she had no way of getting in touch with him. Maybe it was best if they didn’t run into each other for a while. By the time they crossed paths again, she might be ready for his apology.

* * *

“THANK YOU FOR getting here as soon as you could, Mr. Vicario,” Renee Leonard said as she searched through the folders on the desk.

He would have arrived an hour ago if he hadn’t first had to stop by the police station and speak with the cop investigating his mother’s disappearance. Officer Darrel Andrews claimed a neighbor phoned 911 at 10:00 p.m. to report a little boy walking alone in the parking lot. When the cops arrived, they discovered his mother’s apartment door wide-open. There were no signs of a robbery and Officer Andrews believed Vic’s mother might have taken off sometime the day before, but Alex wasn’t talking to anyone. Vic wasn’t surprised his nephew refrained from speaking—the kid must have been terrified at being left alone in the apartment.

Andrews said he’d be in touch as soon as they had any new information, but considering his mother’s history of drug abuse, it was anyone’s guess what had happened to her. He shouldn’t even think it, but the thought crossed his mind anyway—it was probably better for Alex if his grandmother was never found.

“Before I have Martha bring Alex into my office,” Renee said, “I wanted to go over a few things with you. Are you considering applying for legal custody of Alex?”

Legal custody? “No.” Vic had nothing to offer a kid like Alex. He’d step up and do his duty until they found a proper foster home for his nephew but nothing more.

“Alex is experiencing a lot of different emotions and you shouldn’t take his actions or reactions to you personally. Just let him express himself however he feels comfortable. In a few weeks you need to get him to a therapist who will help him process his feelings. I’m sure he’s wondering where his grandmother is and why she left him.”

This sounded like a lot more than just babysitting the kid for a short while.

“If you’re worried about the cost of therapy, the state will cover his sessions. There’s a clinic that works with children right down the street from here.” Renee handed him a business card.

“Alex’s birthday is September twenty-seventh, which is past the cutoff date to enroll him in kindergarten for the fall. He’ll need to wait one more year before he goes to school. There are lots of pre-K programs he could attend and we can help you find one. It’s important that he socialize with other kids.”

Renee had no clue what Vic’s life was like or that he was too busy chasing a title to socialize himself. Maybe the woman thought rodeo was Vic’s hobby.