Hunt, Sofia - Riding the Circuit [Rodeo Riders 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

“Twenty-five thousand dollars and your expenses.” Lee leaned forward. “Including your entry fees.”

“No shit? Just to watch a rodeo queen? For how long?” Jonah ignored the warning glare Riley shot him.

“The next few months while she travels the rodeo circuit. I’ll give you a list so you make sure you compete in the same ones.”

“Sorry, not worth it.” Riley spoke for both of them and reached for the doorknob.

“Wait.” Jonah grabbed his arm. “Let’s discuss this first.” He nodded at Lee. “Give us a few minutes.”

The man stood. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be in the next room.”

Riley sighed. He’d meant what he said. He didn’t want anything to do with Mitzi “Wildfire” Garrison or her powerful father. Unfortunately, it looked like this wasn’t going to be his day, and the next several weren’t looking so hot either.

* * * *

Jonah waited until the door shut then lit into Riley. “Are you fucking crazy turning down money like that?” He stood toe-to-toe with his friend. Tension radiated from every pore in his body.

At six-foot-two, Riley boasted a three-inch height advantage. Yet, Jonah knew he could kick his buddy’s ass on any given day, not that he was interested in kicking ass today. He was way too sober to enjoy a good fight. Since
duking
it out wasn’t his preferred solution, he’d use a mutual concern of theirs to gain Riley’s cooperation—their empty bank accounts.

“Come on,
Ry
, you know we could use the money. It’d give us enough to bail your family’s ranch out of foreclosure. We’ve been wanting to start a cow horse training business, and your dad’s anxious to retire. This is perfect.”

“I’m not sure it’s worth it even under these circumstances.” Riley chewed on his lower lip, obviously torn.

“Garrison would be paying our way around the circuit. That’ll mean even more money in our pockets, and we can save all our winnings.”

“I still don’t like it. You know her reputation.”

“Who the hell doesn’t? She’s a gorgeous bitch, a major
cocktease
.”

“She might be a
cocktease
, but she delivers, too, sucks a guy dry, kicks him in the balls when he’s down, and struts off after she’s stripped him of his pride.”

Jonah stared at him. Really stared at him. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Riley squirmed and refused to meet Jonah’s eyes. Warning bells rang in Jonah’s brain. He’d survived more than one precarious situation by trusting his gut. Right now his gut insisted there was more to this story than met the eye.

“Spill it, buddy. What’s up with you and her?”

Riley ground his teeth together and picked up a stapler from the desk, turning it over in his hands. Tension reverberated off him in almost-visible waves. He blew out a deep breath. “She doesn’t like me much.”

“Yeah, so? You do that to a lot of people. You’re not the charmer I am.”

“It’s not that.” Riley lifted his gaze, dark eyes riddled with guilt.

“
Awww
, crap. You slept with her.” Jonah rubbed his temple. Suddenly, he had a headache. “I don’t fucking believe it. How come I never heard this before?”

“Just once. Afterward, she didn’t want a thing to do with me, which was just fine with me.”

“It was that bad?”

“Hell, no, it was that good.” Riley slammed the stapler down on the desk.

Jonah rolled his eyes. “Don’t go getting all romantic on me. So you fucked once, big deal, especially to a good-time girl like her. She probably doesn’t even remember you. We can’t pass up this money. Leave her to me. I’ll handle her.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Who gives a shit? We aren’t going to fuck her, just protect her. What could be that hard? Besides, do you believe for a second that she’s really in danger?”

“Not really.”

“So, we park our rig next to hers. Hang close to her. It’ll be easy money.”

“Nothing related to that woman could ever be easy. I was lucky to get out with my balls intact.”

“You’re blowing her reputation all out of proportion.”

“Yeah, right. Tell that to Larry. He quit the circuit last year after she led him around like a bull with a nose ring and then dumped his ass for a cowboy with better earnings.”

“Yeah, I remember. Larry still whines about missing her. It’s pathetic when a man lets a woman get to him like that.” Jonah grinned. “So
whadaya
say? Shall we take her on?”

Riley walked a few steps away and stared out the window. Jonah waited, not so patiently. They needed the money. Their dream of owning a ranch and raising quality Quarter Horses just might become a reality. They sure as hell weren’t getting rich on the rodeo circuit.

“So?” Jonah prodded him with a finger.

“Yeah.” Riley heaved a big sigh of resignation. “Yeah. It’s only a few months of hell out of our lives.”

“We’ve been in worse situations.”

“That’s what you think. I’d rather face down the entire Taliban than deal with this woman.”

“It’s not like you to be so uptight about a woman. She really got under your thick skin.”

“Yeah, like a tick.”

“Come on, man, take one for the team.”

“You’re not going to give me any peace unless I do.”

“Damn straight.” Jonah slapped Riley on the back. “I knew I could count on you, buddy. Let’s tell Lee.” He strode to the door Lee had disappeared behind, not giving Riley a chance to argue. His buddy followed and slouched against the open doorway.

“You’ve thought it over?” Lee almost smirked. He had the two cowboys by the short hairs, and he knew it.

“We’re suckers for a little lady in distress,” Jonah drawled lazily. Behind him, Riley choked.

Lee raised one eyebrow but chose not to dispute the bald-faced lie.

“Does she know about this?” Jonah questioned.

“Her daddy will let her know.”

“So who’s the stalker?” Riley pushed away from the door frame, all business.

“Hell if we know.”

“You don’t have any proof? And suspects?” Jonah snorted and shot Riley a knowing look.

“All I know is she’s received disturbing e-mails, phone calls, flowers, cards. He knows things about her, which indicates he’s been watching her.”

“So let’s see the proof.” Riley frowned.

“I don’t have it.”

“You don’t have it?” Jonah rolled his eyes.

“Nope. Sorry. But the threat is real.”

“Yeah, whatever.” His buddy didn’t seem to buy it much more than Jonah did. “Shouldn’t the police be called in?” Riley rested one butt cheek on the edge of the desk. He, too, leaned forward. Lee scooted his chair back a few feet and wiped his brow.

“They were. They can’t do a damn thing. She’s never seen the guy. He’s never approached her. Essentially, their hands are tied until something happens.”

“And by then it could be too late.” Jonah rubbed his
stubbled
chin. The ladies loved the five o’clock shadow look.

“That’s right. Best-case scenario, the guy is obsessed but harmless. You’ll scare the shit out of him and earn a good chunk of change for a cushy babysitting job.”

“Cushy? You forget who we’re talking about here.” Riley shook his head. “Nothing about being around Mitzi could be considered the least bit cushy. Women like her suck the testosterone right out of a man.”

“She’s easy on the eyes,” Jonah noted, even as a sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

“Yeah, like an enraged lioness is easy on the eyes.” Riley turned to leave the office, and Jonah followed.

“One more thing, guys.”

“Oh, crap. What?” Riley stopped in his tracks, and Jonah almost ran into him.

“There’s a ten-thousand-dollar bonus in it for you if you keep her out of trouble. The association and her father don’t want any negative press.”

“Mitzi? No negative press? That’s impossible. She’s a wild one.” Jonah groaned and rubbed his eyes, beginning to regret talking Riley into this.

With a deep sigh, Riley shook his head and clapped Jonah on the shoulder. “We’re screwed, buddy.”

* * * *

Mitzi Garrison led her palomino Quarter Horse gelding back to the barn,
untacked
him, and hosed him off. The cool water splashed on her face. She didn’t care. It felt refreshing in the unusually warm, early summer sun.

Rowdy D Bar, aka Rowdy, shook his big body then nuzzled her, leaving a wet spot on her pink T-shirt. She laughed at him and swatted his nose. He paid her no mind and tugged on the lead
rope
in an effort to sample the grass near the road.

Loaded with major chrome and lots of attitude, Rowdy turned heads everywhere they went. When he was on, not a horse could beat him. When he was off, well, watch out. A girl would be better off taking her chances with a cantankerous bull than Rowdy in one of his moods.

Mitzi had fallen in love with his flash and convinced her daddy to plunk down the necessary chunk of change for her tenth birthday present. But then her daddy never denied her anything, except his time. She’d taken Rowdy from an unbroken weanling to a competitive roping and reining horse. Together they’d won countless championships in rodeo and Quarter Horse events, including the women’s all-around.

She loved Rowdy, and he loved her. He’d always been there for her, never judged her, never asked anything of her except to be treated with respect. In a lot of ways, he was her best friend, at least when it came to males.

Rowdy and Mitzi shared a mutual distrust of most humans, an unpredictable personality, and a driven nature.

Mitzi had arrived this afternoon, a day before the rodeo began. She liked time to settle in and get used to a place before the competitors rolled in and the fans filled every nook and cranny. Her duties as Miss Rodeo North America kept her busy throughout the events, and she loved every minute of it.

Turning off the water, Mitzi led Rowdy around the gravel parking area until he was dry, and his breathing returned to normal.

She checked for messages on her cell—two from her father, one from her flake of an alcoholic mother, one from Ethel the NARA rodeo queen coordinator, and several from different men currently vying for her attention. She shook her head in exasperation. Men said women were bad? Heck, seemed like every man she slept with tried to slip a ring on her finger as soon as the deed was done. Every guy except one.

Marriage wasn’t in her future, let alone a steady boyfriend. Marriage to a controlling man drove her mother to the bottle. Sure, she maintained her sobriety enough to function and hide her problem well. A functional drunk was what she’d call dear old Mom.

A cool breeze ruffled the red hair that’d escaped her ponytail. She tucked it behind her ears and settled into a lawn chair in front of her living quarters horse trailer with a beer in hand.

Trailers pulled in and filled the space around her. She watched with interest, waving at old friends. Scraps of gossip floated to her on the breeze. Barb Maxwell bought a new horse, rumored to be really fast.
Jenn
and Dave
McGivens
split up because she’d been having an affair with a
bronc
rider twenty years her junior. Mike Brant busted his nose in a bar fight the night before.

A beat-up truck towing an equally beat-up trailer squeezed into the space next to her pristine rig. So close she’d be able to hear them take a piss in the middle of the night. She frowned and stalked over to the piece of shit truck, ready to ream the cowboy who dared invade her space.

Mitzi groaned as the self-proclaimed Casanova of the North American Rodeo Association stuck his head out the passenger window. “Oh, damn, not you two.” She smacked her forehead in exasperation.

Jonah Yates, the obnoxious bastard, was bad enough, but Riley Backstrom was near intolerable.

“Yeah, babe, it’s the men of your dreams.” Jonah flashed his perfect white teeth, set off by his day’s growth of beard.

“More like the men of my nightmares, Yates.” She rolled her eyes.

“We can be that and more.”

“Why don’t you park that piece of shit on the other side of the grounds?”

“No can do,
darlin
’. We like this spot. Don’t we, Riley?”

“Yup.” Riley didn’t look her way, just stared straight ahead. A muscle twitched in his jaw. Just once.

“Sorry, honey. You’re stuck with us. Besides, is that any way for a national rodeo queen to talk?”

“Wearing a crown doesn’t mean I have to put up with the likes of you.” She glanced at Riley then addressed Jonah. “You need to cultivate a better class of friend.”

“I like my friends from low places. They make life a hell of a lot more fun.”

Riley still wouldn’t look at her. Well, fuck him. She didn’t need him or his obnoxious buddy. “You two deserve each other.” Mitzi growled and turned back to her trailer.

“And aren’t you the lucky one to have us
watchin
’ out for your best interests all summer?” Jonah’s smooth voice reached her ears.