Jillaroo from Jacaranda, page 4
He waited a few seconds as she fruitlessly tugged and begged this horse called Buck to do as he was told. ‘Sorry to say, but it kind of looks like you could use a hand.’
She spun to face him, hands going to her jean-clad hips. Light bounced off the sparkles of her button-up Western top. ‘Why do you bull riders always think us women are all damsels in distress that need saving?’
Shock rendered him momentarily speechless then, again, he had to stifle a grin. She wouldn’t be pleased if he cracked up laughing right now.
She folded her arms and tapped her boot toe. ‘Well, come on then. I’m waiting for your answer.’
‘Now, now, there’s no need to get so snappy.’ No longer able to stop himself from cracking a smile, he flashed her his trademark grin, hoping that would win her over. ‘But I’m just going to put it down to the fact that you seem to be having a really crappy day.’
She almost smiled.
He slid his thumbs into his belt loops. The country charm his grandfather had taught him appeared to be working – chivalry had been Jack Parker’s number-one rule. ‘Do you remember bumping into me the other day at the agriculture store?’
‘Of course I do.’ But her face spoke otherwise – she was clearly distressed and distracted by her unobliging horse.
‘Thanks.’ He hesitated, but only for a second. ‘Hey, do you want to come and have a beer with me?’ He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, while he waited patiently for an answer that never came. ‘Righto then, I’ll take that as a yes.’
‘Will you now?’ Her lips twitched into a smile, and cute dimples danced on her cheeks. ‘That’s very presumptuous of you, don’t you reckon, Mr Ty Parker?’
‘Oh, you do know my name.’
She blushed a little, then shrugged to cover it up. ‘Just like everyone else on the rodeo scene.’
‘Fair enough. Well, it’s nice to formally meet you, Miss Rose Jones.’ After hearing her name announced over the speakers today, he had locked it into his brain, and the look on her face told him she clearly liked it.
He took a small step forward. ‘I watched you out in the arena today, and I have to say, I’ve never seen anyone, especially a woman, ride like that.’ He widened his eyes to hit the fact home. ‘With no fear, like you have balls of steel.’
‘I don’t have balls, and women can ride just as good, if not better, than you blokes.’ Her gaze narrowed – there was a lot of crackle and zing behind her cool regard of him. ‘And FYI, I know you’re last year’s bull-riding champion, but I didn’t have time to watch you ride tonight, so I have no idea if you won.’
‘Yeah, I won,’ he said as casually as he could. He sensed this woman was not one to be impressed by showmanship, nor was he one to flash his achievements about.
‘Congrats,’ she said just as casually.
‘So, you ready for that beer?’ Her smile was so slow and so sexy he wanted more of wherever it had just come from.
She smirked playfully. ‘Like I said – presumptuous.’
‘Ha.’ His chuckle came from deep within. ‘In my line of work, I don’t assume anything. I just assess the risk and do what feels right in the moment.’
‘Hmm, good answer.’ She looked to her horse. ‘I’ll just hitch this one to the trailer and load him when I get back.’ She led the gelding down the side of it. ‘He’ll have to get over his little strop about getting into a float that’s not his.’
‘Righto, sounds like a plan,’ Ty called after her as she disappeared into the darkness.
Something told him this mesmerising woman was going to shake his life up a little … or maybe a whole lot. And he wasn’t about to walk away without putting his best boot forward to suss out the feeling she’d skittered beneath his skin without an ounce of effort.
CHAPTER
3
As Rose stepped into the Bull Bar, Ty close by her side, she couldn’t help but notice the many sets of eyes turning in their direction. Groups of girls whispered as they passed and some of the blokes raised their beers.
Rose knew she should have gone straight home. Word around the barrel-racing camp was that Ty Parker was a bit of a Casanova, and she was possibly playing with fire by accepting his offer for a drink. Then again, if it got back to Finley, it might make his brown eyes turn green. Not that she was one for believing gossip, but womanising did tend to go with a bull rider’s territory, and Ty was extremely good-looking. Not that she was going to fall for this man’s charms, no way, Jose. She might have been down and out right now, but she knew what she was worth.
On the flip side, no matter that she would not be jumping in his swag at the end of the night, she could still admire his handsomeness and enjoy the fact it was her, out of all the women at the rodeo, he’d asked for a drink. Although being seen with one of the most prominent guys in the rodeo scene felt odd, she firmly reminded herself that she wasn’t doing anything wrong – she was officially single, as of four days ago.
With the Bull Bar chock-full, Ty took the lead like a true gentleman and made a path for her to walk through. Loads of people said a quick g’day as he passed, and he’d tip the rim of his hat in response. Having fallen in step behind him, she couldn’t help but smirk at his loose-hipped swagger – a telltale sign of a true-blue cowboy if she’d ever seen one. Couple that with his oversized champion belt buckle, black wide-brimmed hat, butt-hugging Wrangler jeans and carefree come-hither smile, and wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, he was as ridgy-didge as a bull rider came, although his build and height said otherwise. That part intrigued her. Most bull riders on the circuit these days were short, lanky and barely twenty. Add in the fact he’d once been a soldier, and it was no wonder almost every woman in the place was sneaking glances or flat-out flirting – not that he was giving any of them the time of day. That gave her a much-needed buzz, knowing she held the attention so many were vying for.
Reaching the bar, he plucked a cowhide wallet from his back pocket and leant into her space. ‘It’s my shout. What would you like?’
As much as she tried to ignore the headiness of his manly aftershave, or the way his megawatt smile made her belly somersault, she simply couldn’t. Get a damn grip woman!
‘I’ve got money, I can pay for my own.’ As she dug in her pocket for the fifty dollars she’d shoved in there earlier, she mentally slapped herself for allowing his charm to work on her so quickly.
‘Oh, come on now.’ He stood back and looked at her as if she’d lost her marbles. ‘I asked you for a drink, so it’s only fair I buy the first round.’
How could she say no to that beseeching expression? ‘Righto, thanks. I’ll have a CC and dry.’
‘A girl after my own heart.’ He half-smirked and nodded.
As Ty turned towards the barman, she stepped back a little and before she’d had time to blink, women were herding to him like cattle to a barrel of a molasses. Typical buckle bunnies, all practiced smiles and long lashes fluttering. Ty acknowledged each of them with that same knee-buckling smile he’d flashed her, the very one that had made her agree to having a drink with him. She rolled her eyes as she swallowed a whole lot of expletives. She’d met enough professional bull riders to know their egos were usually as big as their need to conquer every buckle bunny they could get their hands on. Well, she wasn’t one of them.
Why had she agreed to have a drink with him? Just by being seen with the likes of him, she felt like she was betraying her true self. But she couldn’t back out now. One drink and she was going to be on her way, whether he liked it or not.
Ty turned back to her, a drink in each hand. He held them high as he pushed through a few of the admiring women. It felt good, in a devilish kind of way, that they were jealous he’d turned his back on them. She had to silently admit, although it wasn’t one of her greatest choices, after being royally rejected by Finley, it felt good to be fancied, even by this blow-in cowboy. Which prompted a thought – was Finley making sure the grass wasn’t greener in his neighbouring paddocks? Her stomach and heart squeezed painfully with the thought.
‘Here you go.’ He passed her a drink.
‘Thank you, Ty.’ Some drunken idiot bumped into her and half her drink sloshed over the glass before she’d even had a chance to have a sip.
‘Oi, buddy.’ His deep voice echoing, Ty put his hand out to stop the bloke repeating his stumble. ‘Watch it, hey?’
Holding his hands up, the guy grinned lopsidedly before grimacing and apologising profusely then stumbling onto the dance floor.
‘Here, let me have that one.’ Before she could stop him, Ty reached out, took her glass and replaced it with his full one. ‘Cheers to winning.’
Her eyes meeting with the burliness of Ty’s chest, Rose felt tiny beside him. She raised her glass and clinked it against his. ‘Cheers to that.’ His size was oddly comforting, making her feel safe and protected. Not that she needed protecting. She was a big girl, and didn’t need a man to save her, but still.
He pointed to a quieter part of the rowdy pub. ‘How about we go and grab a seat over thatta way?’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ She followed him to the dimly lit corner and they pulled up a seat each at a little round table.
Taking two coasters from the centre of the table, Ty plonked one in front of her, then himself. ‘So, Rose Jones, are you from around here?’ His bright gaze firmly remained locked on hers, never once wandering to the ample curves of her breasts beneath her button-up Ariat shirt. Like a deer in headlights, Rose took a second to respond – she’d never had such vibrant blue eyes homed in on her so intently. ‘Yeah, I’m a born and bred local.’
‘Nice.’ He took a sip from his drink, watching her over the rim of the glass. ‘What do you do for a quid?’
‘A few things,’ she said, wanting to pique his interest.
He sat forward a little. ‘Like what?’
‘I teach horse riding, I do a bit of jillarooing whenever I get the chance to, and I write handbooks for barrel-racing enthusiasts.’
‘Wow, bloody awesome, good on you.’ His voice reached her over the loud music. ‘Whereabouts do you teach riding?’
‘Well, I was teaching it here in Mareeba, at my fiancé’s property, but we broke up a few days ago and—’ Ty’s brows shot up and she stopped short. My god, what was she doing, talking so frankly with a virtual stranger? This wasn’t like her at all.
‘Sorry, just shocked me you were engaged, is all. Go on,’ he urged, setting an elbow on the table and leaning forward.
Admiring the tribal tattoo on his forearm, she gave him a wry smile and shrugged. ‘Nah, you don’t need to hear all my dramas.’
His mouth inched into a mischievous smile. ‘Maybe I want to.’
She made a sound like she was being strangled. ‘I doubt that.’
He regarded her with kind, compassionate eyes. ‘Try me.’
‘Yes, you are trying,’ she said playfully in a bid to lighten the mood.
‘Ha, good one.’ His laughter rumbled deep within his chest. ‘I like your dry humour, Miss Jones. It’s refreshing to meet a woman who can take life so lightly.’
She like the sound of his laughter, and the dark stubble on his jaw, way too much. ‘So, you’re trying and I’m refreshing. Great combo.’
‘Enough of the compliments, you’re going to give me an ego.’ Pulling a face, he laughed again and she couldn’t help but crack up with him. Rose realised it was the first time in over a month that she’d laughed out loud, and that said a lot for his company.
Their laughter subsiding, he held his empty glass up and gestured to hers with a tip of his head. ‘One more for the road?’
She almost said no, but she was enjoying herself too much to knock his offer back. ‘Yeah, go on then.’ She reached into her back pocket to grab some cash. ‘My shout this time, though.’
‘Nope. I invited you out, I pay, otherwise my granddad will rise from his grave and give me a firm good slap over the noggin for being ungentlemanly.’ He shot to his feet before she could argue the point. ‘And when I return, you’re going to tell me all about your drama, and if you’re lucky, I might tell you some of mine, then we’ll be square, and we can veer off topic, to something a little more first date-ish, like the weather and what your favourite colour is.’
First date? What the …?
With a devilishly cheeky grin, he took off through the crowd before she could say that this was not a date. A spontaneous smirk tugged at her lips and butterfly wings fluttered in her belly as she watched him saunter away. His quiet confidence was downright sexy. So much so, she found herself wondering what his perfect butt would look like in a pair of chaps and then, in the very next breath, what he’d look like buck-naked. She could only imagine he’d be hard and strong in all the right places – heat and longing rushed through her with the erotic contemplation.
What in the hell am I doing?
Appalled by her lustful train of thought, she hurriedly slapped it away. There was no doubt about it, Ty Parker was danger with a capitol D.
But oh my god, he is so good-looking.
An hour and two drinks later, Rose was lost in conversation with this intriguing man. She’d told him a bit about her life, especially of late. After genuinely saying how sorry he was about her great-grandma’s passing, and how crazy Finley Cole must be letting a wonderful woman like her go, he’d referenced his father’s death in passing and brushed over his broken marriage – Rose was too polite to inquire for details about either – and how he was moving past it all by focusing on bull riding and his property. He briefly mentioned his time in Afghanistan, but she’d noticed he’d kept this conversation clipped too. His bright blue eyes had shadowed as he’d told her he was no longer enlisted, while his broad shoulders had slumped, as though the weight he carried from his time there was almost too much to bear. He’d very clearly been through hell and back. His problems had made her own burdens feel miniscule by comparison, and his stories of trials and tribulations had given him a depth she was extremely surprised to discover.
And it made her want to know more about him.
Square-jawed and laser-eyed with a razor-sharp intellect, an astonishing knowledge of animal husbandry and a haunting depth that only a man who’d served his country would have, this six-foot-something man was a hunk of heartbreak waiting to happen, she was damn certain of it. And she was also damn certain that women flocked to him like dizzy moths to a lightbulb everywhere he went. A few gutsy girls had tried to break up their conversation the past hour, covertly and blatantly, but to no avail. Ty’s focus was completely on her. And how that buoyed her broken heart.
But why her? What was it that had drawn Ty Parker in her direction?
She wasn’t going to overthink it right now – that could come later, when she got back home and her head hit the pillow. That was where she did most of her thinking, losing precious hours of sleep. For now, Ty was making her feel like the only woman in the room, and she both loved it, because it made her feel wanted after being discarded so hurtfully, and loathed it, because she was meant to be anguished over her break-up and staying the hell away from men completely, not swooning over some bull rider. She didn’t want to fall into the trap of a rebound fling; she and Ty were worth way more than that. Besides, she didn’t need the complications of whatever could come of this, for lack of a better word, magnetism between them.
Hang on a minute … why am I even weighing this up?
Panic fuelled her into blinding clarity. Glancing at her watch, she gasped when she spotted it was almost twelve. ‘Holy crap! Ty, I’m so sorry.’ She brought her gaze back to his. ‘I’m going to have to make a move, or I’ll be cactus for Christmas Day.’
‘Oh, yeah, I suppose it’s getting late, huh.’ His shoulders slumped a little as he raked fingers through his dark hair. But as quickly as he’d unravelled, he pulled himself back together, nice and tight. ‘Thanks for having a few drinks with me. It’s been real nice getting to know you, Miss Jones.’
Her smile was warm and genuine as she stood. ‘It’s been really nice getting to know you, too, Mr Parker.’
He sculled the last of his drink and shot to his feet. ‘I’ll walk you back to your trailer.’
‘You don’t have to do that.’
‘I know, but I want to.’ He stepped in beside her, nice and close.
‘Okay, thanks.’ Gathering her phone and keys from the table, she shoved them into her pocket. ‘Let’s try and squeeze our way through this sardine can then, shall we?’
It took a few detours to get through the rowdy crowd, but they finally made it to the front doors. Stepping from the hullabaloo of the bar and into the night, they left the thump of the band and noisy chatter behind them as they crossed the road then weaved through parked cars and swags spread out on the ground, some empty, some moving and others with almighty snores coming from the depths. Rose couldn’t help but chuckle as she stepped over a sleeping body, the young bloke clearly having pulled up camp precisely where he’d faceplanted the dirt, a beer can still in his hand.
‘Holy moly, he’s going to have one doozy of a hangover in the morning,’ Ty whispered.
Rose glanced around the camping grounds. ‘I reckon quite a few people are.’
Reaching her trailer way too soon, she stopped short of Buck, who whinnied at her arrival. ‘Well, Ty, this is me.’
‘Yes, it is.’ Ty replied. ‘You want a hand getting your mate into the trailer?’
‘Thanks, but I’ve got this.’ She turned to Buck. ‘You’re not going to be a pain in the arse this time round, are you, boy?’
Nickering, Buck nodded as he revealed his teeth in a horsey grin.
Ty chuckled. ‘I reckon he’s toying with you.’
‘Ya think?’ Rose’s eyes widened, as did her smile. ‘He’s got some sass, my boy, I’ll give him that.’
‘He’s a lot like his owner, then.’ Taking hold of her gaze with his, Ty’s eyes appeared to see right through her, into the depths of her heart and soul.
