The Cowboy Who Got Away

And now here they were. At least they were talking. He toyed with the corner of the plastic laminated menu. “Everything is a lot of ground to cover. We could be here for a while.”

He hadn’t realized what a loaded statement that was until he saw her brow arch ever so slightly and the faint smile that turned up the outer corners of that gorgeous mouth. What he would give to know what was going on in her mind at that moment.

He mustered his best smile. “Judging by the look on your face, you don’t have plans this afternoon?”

“That remains to be seen,” Juliette quipped. “Start talking and we’ll see.”

Her sassy mouth was one of the things he’d loved best about her. Well, that and about a million other things that were coming back to him one by one.

Funny, over the past ten years he’d attracted a certain type of woman who had been happy to let him call the shots and set the pace. Juliette had always held her own with him and he’d forgotten how damn attractive that was. He was just about to ask her if she was seeing anyone when she spoke first.

“How about starting with why you’re home, and at the beginning of October. The season isn’t over. Shouldn’t you be off at some competition showing a bull who is boss?”

Oh, that.

“One of the reasons I’m home is because someone’s interested in buying my land,” he said. “I’ve had an offer on it.”

She leaned forward. “You’re thinking about selling your part of the Campbell ranch?”

He nodded, but before he could say anything else, Dottie Wilde, who had worked at the Redbird Diner for as far back as Jude could remember, walked up with her order pad and a broad smile plastered across her face.

“Well, if it isn’t Jude Campbell, as I live and breathe. Honey, is that really you?”

He flashed his best smile and winked. “Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Wilde. It’s me.”

She leaned in and gave him a hug.

“When did you get home, honey?”

“About an hour ago.”

She put her hand on her heart. “Oh, my stars, I am honored to be your first stop back in the old neighborhood.”

His gaze snagged Juliette’s. “If I’m completely honest, the Redbird is my second stop.”

Mrs. Wilde turned her smile on Juliette. “Well, silly me. Of course you’d go see your girl first. It just warms my heart to see you kids together again. Just like old times. Makes me feel young again.”

He looked at Juliette, who wasn’t looking at him. She had politely smiled at Dottie and then had taken a keen interest in the menu, reminding him that even though they were talking and she had agreed to have coffee with him, even though that undeniable chemistry still pulsed between them, a chasm the size of the Grand Canyon still separated them.

He looked back at Dottie, who was making a show of brushing away happy tears, but she shook off her reverie and beamed at them.

“Look at me,” she said. “Aren’t I a sight? I’m a bundle of emotions today. What’ll you have? It’s all on the house. Anything you want. It’s not every day we have a professional bull riding celebrity wander in here. You’re our very own hometown hero and that calls for a celebration.”

They ordered coffee and a piece of blueberry pie to share. The Redbird Diner had always had good pie.

After Dottie left to round up the food, Juliette said, “Well, Cowboy, aren’t you something. I guess it pays to be a hometown hero. In all the years I’ve been coming here, I’ve never gotten free food from Dottie Wilde.”

He shrugged. “Her offer is nice. But totally unexpected. I’ll leave her a big tip.”

All this hometown hero talk made him uncomfortable.

He’d won the PBR world championship last year. But this current season, he’d done nothing but struggle and battle one injury after another. Last year, before he’d won the big prize, all his hard work had paid off and his plans had come to fruition. Everything had snapped into place. Since then, it seemed as if every force was working against him. At twenty-eight, he was one of the senior members of the circuit. He’d worked damn hard to get there, but this year, it seemed like his reflexes weren’t as quick to respond; sometimes his instincts seemed to lag behind. Talk had been that his head just wasn’t in the game. The truth was his body just didn’t seem to bounce back the way it had leading up to his win.

Because of all the setbacks, he was out of the running for the big money this season. He’d come back to Celebration to sort it all out. To figure out if he was up for one more good run or if he should quit before he suffered permanent damage like the doctors had warned.

His agent insisted that the doctors had to be overly cautious to avoid liability. He kept reminding Jude that a lot of guys got right back on the bulls after getting hurt. When Jude had hesitated, he reminded him that because of his age and injuries the clock on his career was ticking and he needed to make hay while the sun was shining. The subtext to that, of course, was that the sun hadn’t been smiling down on him much this year.

The chime on the door sounded and three girls who looked like they were high school age entered the diner and settled in the booth next to the one he and Juliette occupied. One of them was in Jude’s line of sight and she smiled at him. He smiled back, just being polite.

“You’re not really going to sell your property, are you?” Juliette asked, a frown knitting her brows.

When their parents had died, he, Ethan and their sister, Lucy, had each inherited equally valued parcels of land. Ethan’s was smaller, but had the stables from which he ran his horse-breeding business. Several decades ago, his family’s ranch had been one of the most successful in the area, but they’d run into financial hardship when alcoholism had gotten the best of Donovan Campbell. For a while it appeared that Ethan might fall down the same slippery slope after his parents’ deaths and the end of his first marriage, but after some soul searching and sheer determination, he’d pulled himself up from rock bottom and had set the Triple C Ranch back on the road to profitability.

Lucy had the parcel where their grandparents’ old house and barn stood. She’d spent a lot of time there as a child, so it seemed only right that that portion of the property would be hers. She’d moved into the house and had worked hard to turn her dream into a reality when she’d transformed the old abandoned barn into the Campbell Wedding Barn, one of the South’s premier boutique venues.

The land Jude had inherited was on the outer edge of the property. It was mostly wide-open pasture, but it did contain two structures, an old cabin near a lake and a bungalow, that the late mother of Lucy’s fiancé, Zane Phillips, had rented for decades before her passing. The rent Dorothy Phillips had paid had helped cut the cost of maintaining the property and lifted the burden of property taxes. Now the place was sitting vacant, and without the rental income, Jude was concerned about the place becoming a financial drain—especially since this year’s earnings paled in comparison to last year’s.

Sure, he was all about family legacy—in theory—but the bottom line of his budget and slowly shrinking bank account made the opportunity to unload the property seem attractive.

“I don’t know if I’m going to sell,” he said. “That’s what I came home to figure out.”

“Excuse me?” The girl who had smiled at him a moment ago was standing next to their table. “Are you Jude Campbell?”

He sent a look to Juliette that he hoped said, Sorry about this.

“That would be me,” he said.

“I’m a huge fan. In fact, I bought this shirt because it’s a Copenhagen On-Off Shirt.”

Copenhagen was the sportswear manufacturer who sponsored him. The On-Off Shirt had materialized after a particularly rough ride his championship year. After going ten seconds on a mean bull, the beast not only bucked him off, but charged after him. Jude narrowly sidestepped the animal, but not before one of the bull’s horns caught the edge of his shirt, ripping it off and leaving him to run for his life bare-chested.

The best ride of Jude’s life had been overshadowed by a bull stripping off his shirt. A video clip had gone viral and the graphic of him, naked from the waist up, had turned into a sensation that inspired his own line of shirts, the On-Off Shirt.

As far as he was concerned, they were just plain old shirts. They weren’t breakaway style, they didn’t go on and off any easier than a regular run-of-the-mill T-shirt, but fans—old and new—had scooped them up like they were gold. At least for a little while. As of late, thanks to a combination of the public’s fickle attention span and his lackluster performance this season, sales were on the downturn. His agent, Bob Bornfield, was desperately trying to renegotiate the terms of the endorsement contract.

One element on which Jude wouldn’t budge was the part that obligated Copenhagen to donate 10 percent of net sales to a charity that benefited at-risk teens.

Then again, 10 percent of nothing equaled nothing.

“Would you sign it for me? My name is Shari.” She brandished a black permanent marker. Her blond hair was slicked back into a tight, high ponytail, and she wore hoop earrings the size of doughnuts and a ton of makeup. It looked like she’d used the marker to line her eyes.

“Sure,” Jude said.

“Right here.” Shari touched the top of her left breast and leaned in, giving Jude all access. “S-H-A-R-I,” she spelled as she tapped her breast.

Jude blanched. This girl was much too young to be suggesting what it seemed like she was. He glanced at Juliette, who was busy fishing coins out of a small purse she’d pulled from her handbag.

This was awkward.

Jude would be lying if he didn’t admit that things like this happened frequently when he was on the road. Except usually the women were, well, women. Not teenage girls.

In the context of a rodeo, it seemed like part of the job—part of the show. He’d flirt, they’d flirt back, he’d sign autographs—yes, sometimes bare midriffs and cleavage—and make small talk with various degrees of innuendo. It was all in fun and part of the free-spirited cowboy image he’d cultivated: Jude Campbell, the face—and bare chest—of the Copenhagen On-Off Shirt. Most of the time the women would move along. And sure he had the occasional groupie hang around until everyone had gone. Occasionally things happened. But he was single. Completely unencumbered. The road could be a lonely place. But he always practiced safe sex. Always.

Sitting here with Juliette while this girl thrust her breast in his face was just...straight-up wrong. It felt disrespectful and sleazy.

He leaned back, away from the girl. Then he pointed to the cuff of the long-sleeved T-shirt. “I’ll sign it here.”

“No, really, here is better.” She tapped her breast again.

“No, really. This is better.” He tapped the sleeve with the marker.

Looking a little disappointed, she took a step back and offered him the inside cuff.

He signed and said in his most professional voice, “Thanks for your support, Shari.”

Thank God the girl simply turned and went back to her table. After she was gone, Jude said, “Sorry about that.”

“Hazard of the job, huh?”

“Something like that.” His voice was an apology.

While he was signing the shirt, Juliette had dumped some coins on the table, separating three nickels from the rest of the money. Jude reached into his pocket and pulled out the little bit of change he had. It wasn’t much, but he added five more nickels to the pile. Juliette fed them into the machine and punched in some numbers. The first tune that played was Luke Bryan’s “To The Moon And Back.” He had the CD in his truck.

“If you’re serious about selling, couldn’t you have negotiated the sale through lawyers?” she asked after she’d finished choosing the music.

He blinked at the change of subject, but was relieved that she seemed unfazed by Shari—or at least was willing to move on.

“Yes, but I need to see the property again. My real estate agent said the buyer had some questions. Plus, I need to talk to Ethan face-to-face.”

She nodded. “Probably a good idea. Something tells me he might not take this very well.”

Juliette got it. She still understood his family dynamics. Sometimes she’d gotten it better than he had.

He was just opening his mouth to say as much when the door chime sounded again and his old high school buddy Tony Darcy walked in with two little kids in tow.

“Hey, Tony,” Jude called. “What’s going on, man?”

“Campbell? What the—What are you doing here?”

The two shook hands and exchanged quick man hugs. Tony greeted Juliette.

They made small talk, doing the cursory catch-up. Tony said he’d been following Jude’s journey on the PBR circuit.

“I’m living vicariously through you, bro,” he said.

Tony said he was teaching math at Celebration High School. He’d married his high school sweetheart, Janet Hayes, five years ago. They had two kids and Janet was ready to give birth to their third any day now.

“I’m glad I got to see you because with the baby on the way, Janet and I probably won’t make it to the reunion. That’s why you’re back in town, right? How long are you in town?”

Jude shrugged. “That’s up in the air right now. It just depends on some things that I have brewing.”

“If you do end up staying for a while, would you be willing to come and talk to the high school’s rodeo club? I’m the sponsor and I know they’d all love to hear from a champion. You’re kind of a big deal around here. But don’t get a big head or anything.”

“Sure, I’d love to come and talk to them. Let me see what I have going and I’ll give you a call.”

They exchanged numbers, and by that time Dottie delivered the blueberry pie and coffee and Tony’s to-go order, which he’d phoned in earlier. Tony paid and was out the door, but not before promising that if he didn’t hear from Jude he’d come looking for him.

“Remember that bonfire party we had out by the lake on your property?” Juliette said, her eyes sparkling with humor. “Oh, my gosh, remember when Tony and Isaac Oppenheimer were being jackasses and decided to go skinny-dipping to embarrass all the girls?”

Jude laughed. “And someone went to hide their clothes and ended up dropping them in the fire by mistake.”

Juliette was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. “And we had to make sandwich boards out of the beer boxes and bungee cords so that they didn’t get arrested for indecent exposure. It would’ve served them right if they’d spent the night in jail. That makes me sound old, doesn’t it?” She shook her head. “We had some good times out there, didn’t we?” A faraway smile softened her features as she picked up her coffee cup.

Jude swallowed a bite of pie. “Remember that time my dad was drunk when he was keeping watch out by the barn looking for those coyotes that kept trying to get after the horses? He almost shot me thinking I was an animal when really I was just sneaking in late for curfew.”

“You were an animal.” She laughed again and the sound washed over him like balm. “That’s when I started calling you Wylie,” she said. “Oh, and remember that tree we planted by the cabin? I wonder if it’s still there.”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you come out there with me and we’ll find out?”

Chapter Two

Juliette should’ve said no when Jude asked her to come with him to the lake cabin. Reminiscing over coffee was one thing, but returning to the scene where they’d made most of their memories was entirely another.

Yet here she sat in his truck, right next to him in the very place that had been her spot. Of course, it was a different truck. It was newer and more expensive than the old beater Ford he’d driven in high school, but if she closed her eyes, she could see the two of them just as they were.

That’s why she needed to keep her eyes wide-open and her head firmly in the here and now.

She knew better than this. If she was tempted to forget why letting down her defenses with Jude was a bad idea, all she had to do was remind herself what happened with Shari at the Redbird Diner. Witnessing that girl fawning all over him had conjured the same feelings someone throwing a bucket of ice water in her face would have. It had been enough to shock some sense into her. Of course, it wasn’t Jude’s fault that women found him irresistible. She had to give him credit for handling Shari as well as he did. The girl seemed to offer herself to him the same way that Dottie had offered free pie—it was his for the taking. That was the life of an unmarried bull riding champion. Jude and his groupies were a package deal. She needed to keep that in mind when she found herself getting swept up in the current of his charisma.

She stole a glance at his profile as he steered his truck off the gravel drive and down the dirt path that led to the lake. The problem was, all she had to do was spend a little time with him and all of yesteryear’s feelings threatened to flood back, making her feel like she was a teenager again and so in love that she couldn’t tell her own wants from his. She couldn’t distinguish the boundaries between his life and hers.

Because back then, there had been no boundaries.

She wasn’t in love with him anymore, but that chemistry, that electricity that had been the hallmark of their relationship, was still there, stronger than ever. She was pretty sure if she reached out and touched him that the air would sizzle.

And that’s why she needed to watch herself.

The truck bumped along the grooves that had worn into the carpet of green grass. They passed groups of skinny pine trees and the occasional cluster of rocks and boulders. Finally, Jude stopped between the big live oak where the two of them had carved their initials on one of those endless summer nights and the old cabin that had served as their lakeside cabana.

They used to sneak off down here and disappear into their own little world. Everything else would fade away, except for them. God, they’d been two crazy teenagers who had been so hot for each other they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. But even before that—when they were younger and more innocent—they’d always been drawn to each other. They’d rode horses together on his family’s ranch. He’d taught her how to barrel race and she’d taught him the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. He’d held her and let her cry on his shoulder when her dad died. She’d given him advice about how to make his relationship with his own dad better. She was his girl. He was her guy. She couldn’t even remember when exactly they’d made their relationship official. They just always were.

Jude and Juliette.

Juliette and Jude.

Juju.

Juju was interchangeable for them collectively or for each of them separately—one of the sickeningly sweet pet names they’d had for each other.

It had all been great. Until it wasn’t anymore and ten years of silence had stretched between them like an endless ocean cloaked by night.

“The place looks good,” Jude said, leaning forward to look out the windshield and glance around. “Ethan has been looking after it for me.”

Juliette took off her seat belt and shifted so that she was facing him. It would’ve felt so natural to slide over next to him and tuck herself into that nook under his arm where she’d always fit so perfectly.

But no. That was the danger zone.

“Did you not make arrangements to have someone else take care of the place?”

Jude nodded. “Of course I did. I paid the upkeep bills. He just offered to help. You know Ethan.”

She hadn’t meant to sound judgmental. Even though she felt proprietary, the place wasn’t hers and whatever arrangement Jude and Ethan had agreed to wasn’t her business. As an only child, she didn’t know the luxury of leaning on a sibling. She certainly hadn’t been out here to look after the place. Not since...that night.

That fateful night. It had all unfolded in the cabin. She hadn’t realized when she’d come out here searching for Jude that her whole world would change. Or maybe she had. Maybe having a big blowup was the only way she could’ve left.

No, she wasn’t going there. The best way to get herself back on track was to make a joke. “I mean, think of all the hooligans who might come out here and party and skinny-dip and get into all kinds of trouble.”

Jude nodded. “Exactly. I’m sure they’ll thank me later.”

Playing along, Juliette rolled her eyes. “I’m sure they will.”

They got out of the truck and started walking down toward the lake.

“Oh, my gosh,” Juliette said, pointing to a tall tree near the lake bank. “Is that the sapling?”

“It has to be,” Jude said. It was the only tree between the lake and the cabin that wasn’t ancient. “Looks like it not only survived, but it’s thriving.”

“I’m so glad it’s still here,” she said. “We planted that, Jude. You and me. Look at it. It’s beautiful.”

He was looking at her like she was an angel. “At least we did something right. I think it’s a sign.”

She narrowed her eyes. “A sign of what?”

He smiled a knowing smile. “A sign of good things to come.”

She wanted to make a joke and ask him if he meant a sign of good times to come. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. A comment like that felt like she was offering more than she could deliver. There was a lot to sort out.

She was rarely at a loss for words, but as she stood there trying to figure out what to say, he turned and started heading toward the lake.

The warm breeze played with her hair and danced on the water, creating gentle ripples. It was the perfect day to be outside. Closer to the spot where the grass gave way to a dirt embankment, the rustling leaves of the river birch whispered a sweet welcome-home greeting. The grass looked as if it had been freshly mowed and the water weeds were so neat, they must’ve been trimmed recently.

A few feet in front of them, a black snake slithered by.

Juliette let out a little yelp as she jumped back and grabbed onto Jude’s arm. The move was a reflex and she pulled away as soon as she realized how good he smelled.

“Snake.” She grimaced. “You know how I feel about snakes.”

He smiled. “I remember. But don’t worry, that black snake is harmless. Even though there are other creatures around here who aren’t. Did we really used to take off all our clothes and swim in that water? At night—?”

“Were we stupid or what?” she agreed.

And crazy for each other.

They’d done a lot more than swim in that lake, but she wasn’t going to remind him. She probably didn’t need to.

The look that settled on his face told her that he was right there with her.

As if reading each other’s minds, they smiled knowing smiles at each other. He was a gentleman and he didn’t bring it up. She knew she should be grateful, but the teenager in her was disappointed.

“I need to check on a couple of things while I’m out here,” he said. “This is one of them. The buyer’s Realtor said the water level of the lake was way down and it was close to drying up. Looks fine to me. He also said there’s a problem with that old foundation slab that my dad poured. Remember how he wanted to build an outbuilding to house the mowers and equipment? The buyer’s agent is using the lake and the slab as reasons to undercut the offer.”

As they walked toward the place where Don Campbell had poured the foundation for the project he hadn’t been able to complete, Juliette said, “It sounds like they’re playing hardball, Jude.”

He shrugged. “You know, that’s just how it goes in business.”

“What kind of a business is the buyer in? Is it another rancher? Did Zane tell you that he sold his ranch to Bridgemont Farms? They’d been after him for a while to sell and when Dorothy got sick he needed the money to help her out with her medical bills.”

Zane Phillips was engaged to Jude’s little sister, Lucy. The pair was expecting a baby in a few months. If Juliette was a true romantic, Lucy and Zane’s story might have made her believe that there was still hope for her and Jude. Lucy and Zane had been lifelong friends and had finally taken that friendship to the next level. Now they were expecting a baby.