DANCING WITH DANGER

BOOK 8: DANCING MOON RANCH SERIES

Patricia Watters

DANCING MOON RANCH SERIES

Prequel: Justified Deception

LIVING WITH LIES TRILOGY

Book 1: Righteous Lies

Book 2: Pandora's Box

Book 3: False Pretenses

THE LIES UNCOVERED TRILOGY

Book 4: Uncertain Loyalties

Book 5: Becoming Jesse's Father

Book 6: Bittersweet Return

CUTTING THE TIES TRILOGY

Book 7: Cross Purposes

Book 8: Dancing With Danger

Book 9: Bucking the Odds

BOUND BY LOVE TRILOGY

Book 10: Forbidden Spirits

Book 11: Imperfect Magic (late 2014)

Book 12: Sheer Combustion (early 2015)

Sequel: Finding Justice (mid 2015)

Dancing Moon Ranch Family Album

STORY DESCRIPTION:

The last person Josh wants to be around is Nurse Ratched, the woman who gave him an ice water bed

bath to cool him down when he was under her care after a collision with a bull two years before. And the last person Genie wants to
become entangled with romantically or otherwise is a rodeo clown. Odds are he'll get busted up again. She's also legal guardian of her 4-
year-old sister, and a man who dances around with bulls for a living will never be a candidate for step-father. The problem is, all logic
seems to fail whenever they're around each other.

DANCING WITH DANGER
Copyright 2013 by Patricia Watters
Printed in the United States of America
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or were used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.
Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. All rights reserved. The reproduction, republication or regeneration
of this work in whole or in part in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to xerography, photocopying or recording in any
information storage and retrieval system, or other means not known of hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. The scanning,
uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law.

"You gotta read the bull, kind of watch him. That's your tango partner." - Ross Hill; Rodeo clown
and two-time World Bullfighting Champion.

CHAPTER 1

Kincaid Ranch – Harney County, Southeast Oregon

Genie Matthias turned her Volvo station wagon off the highway and onto the gravel road leading

to the ranch where her half-sister, Annie Hansen, lived. Directly ahead rose a gateway with a heavy
weathered board displaying the words KINCAID RANCH, but hanging beneath was a new board
announcing HANSEN KIGERS AND HINNIES. She knew all about Annie and Ryan's Kiger
mustangs, but she had no idea what a hinny was.

As the car rumbled across a cattle guard, the voice of her little sister, Abby, rose from behind,

where she sat perched in her car seat. "Are we there yet?"

"Yes, sweetie. We're here," Genie replied.
As they headed up a road bordered on one side by rangeland dotted with cattle and the other by

hills that rose into buttes and high plateaus, Abby said in an excited voice, while pointing, "Bwown
cows!"

"Those are Annie's daddy's cows," Genie said, "and you're a smart girl to know your colors."
"I have bwown in my cwayon box," Abby said. "Can Daddy find us here?"
"Of course," Genie replied. "Daddy always knows where we are."
"Will he come see us?"
"No, honey. Daddy's busy doing a show right now but he'll see us when we go back home," Genie

replied. It would definitely be awkward for Sebastian Matthias to show up where Ruth Kincaid, the
woman whose child he'd fathered over two decades ago, was living, along with the daughter he'd
never met. Annie would also find it awkward, meeting her biological father for the first time. Two
years before, Annie intended to introduce herself when she and Ryan were on their honeymoon in Las
Vegas where Sebastian the Illusionist was performing. Annie saw the show, but at the last moment,
lost her nerve and left town without introducing herself…

"Can I wide a horse?" Abby asked.
"We'll see," Genie replied. "Horses are big, and you've never been on one before."
Abby said nothing, and for the moment she was quiet, which gave Genie time to mull over what

she'd be facing in the next few minutes.

Early on, Annie invited her to come stay as long as she wanted so they could get to know each

other better, but even though Ruth and Matt Kincaid had been very hospitable the one time she'd
visited, she couldn't help thinking it had been awkward for Ruth to play hostess to the daughter of the
man who'd fathered Annie, so she never went back. She and Annie had gotten close enough that one
visit for Annie to want her to be her maid of honor when she married Ryan, so she'd seen the family
again, although the wedding had been at the Dancing Moon Ranch. She and Annie kept in contact, and
a few months back Annie urged her to come see Cody, their baby boy. Genie intended to, but that was
about the time her life began to unravel…

"Will Mommy know where we are?" Abby asked.
"Yes, honey," Genie replied. "Mommy will always know where we are because she's in Heaven

and Heaven is everywhere, so Mommy is also everywhere."

In the distance, and nestled in a valley bounded by low hillsides with cottonwood and aspen

trees, was a grouping of buildings that made up the Kincaid Ranch compound. Beyond that were
higher hills and buttes with gnarly trees on their plateaus. It was an isolated place, and she didn't think
she'd ever want to live there permanently, but for now it was the only place she wanted to be. Away
from cities. Away from hospitals. And away from so many people…

"Look! A gweat big cow!" Abby yelped.
"That's a bull," Genie said, seeing a huge gray Brahma bull in a pasture just behind a big white

barn. He looked pretty formidable, and she wondered why he wasn't in a barred enclosure.

"What makes him a bull and not a cow?" Abby asked.
Noting the male apparatus beneath the bull's belly, Genie said, "He has… horns."
"Then cows don't have horns?" Abby asked.
"I suppose some do," Genie replied, "but he also has a hump on his back."
"And cows don't have humps?"
Genie didn't know if Brahma cows had humps, but she wasn't prepared to explain further. "I think

he's a bull because he's so big," she said. "Cows don't get that big."

By then they'd passed the bull and were approaching Ruth and Matt Kincaid's two-story log

house, the place where she'd stayed two years before. Beyond the house was a lineup of cedar-sided
housekeeping cabins and a campground with tents and RVs, and across from that was the ranch office,
a bunkhouse, a big red stable and a multi-purpose lodge where guests could congregate. Seeing no
guests milling around, she assumed they were on a trail ride.

She pulled the car to a halt in front of the Kincaid's house, but before getting out, she found

herself staring at the lodge as a nagging memory began to surface. When she was there before she'd
been stunned to walk in and find Josh Hansen bent over the pool table. It was a heated encounter
because Josh was still ticked after his hospital stay under her care, and with good reason. She'd
definitely been Nurse Ratched…

"Are we getting out?" Abby asked.
Genie cut the engine. "Yes, honey, but I want you to wait here while I see if anyone's home, then

we'll go just up the road and see Annie and Ryan and little Cody. I'll unhook your seat belt, but I want
you to stay in the car."

That done, Genie stepped out of the car, climbed the steps to the wide front porch and rapped the

knocker against the door. After a couple of minutes the door opened and Annie poked her head out
and yelped, "Genie!" Annie gave her a hug, then took her by the arm and dragged her into the house
while saying, "You never answered my messages, and then your message box was full and I didn't
have your address. I hope everything's okay and that you're here for a while. My room is vacant,
except when I put Cody down for his nap when I'm over here. He's napping there now but you can
meet him when he wakes up. So how long are you here for and how is your mom doing? Last I heard
she was going through chemo."

Genie caught her lip between her teeth. Even though her mother's illness had stretched on for

months, the reality of her never coming back had only just begun to sink in. "She died last week," she
replied. "The funeral was a few days ago. Dad was with us for a while, and Dimitri came home from
college for the funeral, but then he had to get back to school for a summer session, and Dad had to get
back to Las Vegas. But after taking care of Mom for months, I don't know whether I want to go back to
nursing at all so I took a month leave of absence."

"Okay, we need to talk." Annie took Genie by the arm and tugged her over to the couch. After

they were settled, she said, "I'm really sorry about your mom."

"I am too," Genie replied, "but she was ready to go."
"And Abby? How is she taking it?" Annie asked.
"She's okay," Genie replied. "I think she's too young to understand the concept of someone being

gone permanently. She's satisfied that Mom's in Heaven and no longer sick."

Annie eyed Genie with concern. "You can't be serious about quitting nursing after all your years

of training."

"I won't abandon it," Genie said, "just shift to another path. I went into nursing because I feel I'm

pretty good with people, but when I got into it, the charting demanded more time than I was able to
spend with patients, and now I have Abby to raise, and I won't put her in day care."

"What about your dad?" Annie asked. "Isn't he involved with Abby?"
Genie started to point out that her father was also Annie's father, but since the two had never met

it seemed irrelevant, so she replied, "He was involved before Mom got so sick. Abby and Mom
traveled with him on their bus and they stayed in hotels during Dad's performance runs, but with Mom
gone it's different. Dad offered to hire someone to take along to look after Abby, but before Mom
died, she and I talked about it and decided that the world of entertainment was not a place to raise a
little girl, and Dad agreed. He loves Abby and she loves him, but Dad's fifty and Abby's just short of
turning four. There's a huge age gap between them, which is why Mom made me the beneficiary of her
life insurance policy. As soon as I decide what I want to do about my job I'll buy a house. At least that
way Abby will have a home and a mother figure, even if she has an absentee father a good part of the
time. I'm just sad that Dad won't make it for Abby's forth birthday in a couple of weeks, but his agent
booked him solid and he can't get away."

Annie patted Genie's hand. "It won't always be this way," she said. "One day you'll be married

and Abby will have a regular family with a mom and an in-house dad."

Genie let out an ironic laugh. "Getting involved in a relationship is the last thing on my mind right

now. I still have to decide if I want to return to nursing."

"Then you'll be here until you decide," Annie said.
"That's still three weeks away; it would be an imposition," Genie replied. "I just wanted a break

from the apartment where Mom was and give Abby a change of scenery from the in-home hospital
ward she's lived in for the past six months."

"Then it's settled," Annie said. "You and Abby will be here for three weeks."
Genie started to argue, then reconsidered. Maybe after three weeks of isolation on a ranch spread

across twenty-five-hundred acres of prairie, buttes, canyons and rangeland, she might be ready to
return to the city, and nursing, with a new perspective.

"This visit you need to wear western shirts so you don't look like a city dude," Annie said.

"There are a half dozen in my old closet that are too tight for me now that I'm nursing."

Genie laughed. "Okay, I'll be a cowgirl for three weeks, never mind that I can't ride a horse."
"You'll learn," Annie said. "Have you thought any more about Josh Hansen?"
Genie looked at Annie, puzzled. "Why would you bring him up?"
"You liked him once, and you two looked good walking up the aisle together for my wedding,

even though I was looking at you from behind."

"That was very awkward," Genie said. "I couldn't believe it when he was the one to pull the

paper with the star on it out of Ryan's hat and would be best man."

"You still liked him though," Annie pressed on.
"Of course I did. He's a good-looking guy," Genie said. "He's also a rodeo clown who enjoys

dancing around with bulls so he'd automatically go to the bottom of my list of prospective husbands

and step-father for Abby."

"And speaking of Abby, where is she?" Annie asked. "I want to meet her."
"She's in the car." Genie glanced out of the front door and saw that the car door was open and

Abby was gone. "Or at least she was in the car, but she's not there now. I'll be right back."

"About Josh," Annie called after Genie, as Genie stepped onto the porch. "There's something you

need to know,"

Genie glanced back. "Tell me later. I need to find Abby."

***

"What's wong wiff his foot?"
The rasp in Josh Hansen's hand paused on the hoof he was filing, and he looked up to find a little

girl with golden-brown pony tails sticking out from each side of her head, staring at him. "I'm filing
down my horse's hoof so I can put a shoe on it," he explained.

The little girl glanced around, then looked at him, puzzled, and said, "Where are his shoes?"
"I have to make them," Josh replied. "He wears horse shoes."
The little girl stepped a little closer, then raised her leg, and while holding out her foot, said to

him, "Then you can make sneakers like mine?"

Josh laughed. "No, honey, he wears special kinds of shoes because his feet have hooves on

them." He set the horse's hoof down and stepped over to his anvil where he removed one of four
horse shoes hanging over the top of it, and said, "This is the kind of shoe horses wear."

The little girl giggled. "That's a weally funny shoe. My wabbit has funny feet too. His name is

Houdini and he popped out of a hat."

Josh looked at the little girl in amusement. "I didn't know rabbits could pop out of hats."
"Houdini did because he's magic," the little girl said. "I have a clown doll who also popped out

of a hat. His name is Weggie."

Josh arched a brow. "Umm, maybe you mean Reggie."
The little girl bobbed her head. "Yes, Weggie. He has a big wed nose and when I squeeze it he

laughs. He's a weally funny clown with big bwown eyes like mine. Daddy says bwown eyes are the
pwettiest eyes there are."

Josh found himself enjoying this little scrap of a girl who'd wandered into the barn, but he also

suspected someone would be looking for her. "What's your name, honey?"

"Abbydabby," the little girl replied.
"Well, Miss Abbydabby, maybe we'd better find your folks. They must be looking for you."
From outside the barn, a frantic female voice called out, "Abby! Abby where are you?"
Abby turned and stepped toward the opened double doors to the barn and replied in a loud sweet

voice, "It's okay. I'm wight here."

"Oh, Abby!" The woman dashed into the shadows of the barn and crouched in front of the little

girl. "Honey, don't ever go off like that without letting me know where you are. You scared me half to
death."

When the woman stood, Josh felt like he'd just been blindsided by a bull. He should have

recognized the woman by the long honey-blond hair that fell over her shoulders when she'd crouched
in front of the little girl, but looking into a pair of blue eyes fringed in dark lashes, all he could think
to say was, "Genie?"

She was silent for a moment, and her eyes were wide, like she was surprised to see him too.

Then her mouth tipped with a wry smile, and she said, "That's not what you called me the last time I
was here."

Josh laughed. "Yeah, well I hadn't yet warmed up from the ice water bed bath you gave me at the

hospital, and at the wedding you weren't exactly friendly. Are you still Nurse Ratched when I'm
around?"

Genie gave a kind of ironic laugh. "Actually, right now I'm not Nurse Ratched at all. I've taken a

leave from work. What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the Dancing Moon Ranch for
good after Annie and Ryan's wedding."

"I was, but Ryan's time got divided between his place and this one, and Matt Kincaid needed a

fulltime man, so I'm back," Josh replied, all the while trying to process the fact that a woman he'd
obsessed about, from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her three years ago, was standing in front of
him looking every bit as stunning as before, except that now she had the hint of dark circles under her
eyes, which prompted him to ask, "Is there a reason why you've taken leave from work?" He knew it
was none of his business, but when a collision with a bull put him under her care for three days, she
burrowed under his skin and he hadn't been able to shake her loose.

"I just need some time to get my life in order," Genie replied.
Josh looked down at the little girl and realized, with a sinking feeling, that Genie had gotten

married and had a step-daughter. Maybe the husband was at the ranch. "Then I take it things aren't
going well," he said, digging for answers to questions he was fairly certain she'd avoid.

"It's a long story," Genie replied. "Maybe later. Come on, Abby." She offered her hand and the

little girl took it and they stepped out of the barn.

He was about to return to what he was doing when the little girl broke loose and rushed back into

the barn, and said to him in an excited voice, "Will you take me widing on your big horse?"

"Sure, if your mommy says it's okay," Josh replied.
"Mommy's in heaven," Abby said.
"Honey," Genie called to Abby. "We need to get settled. Josh can take you another time."
Josh glanced over Abby's head at Genie, and said, "I can put her in front of me and take her now,

and saddle a horse for you too if you want to come, and your husband if he's here."

Genie looked at him puzzled. "What makes you think I have a husband?"
"Just speculation," Josh replied. "You weren't married two years ago, and now it appears you

have a daughter who's too old to be yours."

"You jumped to the wrong conclusion," Genie said. "Abby's my little sister and I'm her legal

guardian. We recently lost our mother so I'm here for a while. It's a big change."

Josh couldn't help smiling, but then he caught himself, and said, "I'm sorry about your mother.

That's tough." But the thought that Genie was single, at the ranch, and troubled over the loss of her
mother and her new responsibility with her little sister triggered a kind of protective instinct, and he
had to fight the urge to walk up to her and take her in his arms and…

And what? She'd never given any indication that he was any more to her than a big pain in the

butt when he was stuck in a hospital bed and doing his damndest to flirt with her. She'd also given him
a cold shoulder the next two times he'd seen her. He'd try to keep that in mind…

"Yes, it is tough but I'm working through it," Genie said. "Abby and I will pass on the horseback

ride though. Maybe another day."

"Please can I wide the horse?" Abby pleaded. When Genie said nothing, Abby turned to Josh,

and said, "I want to wide a horse like a weal cowboy."

Josh crouched in front of Abby, looked into her big, hopeful brown eyes, and said, "I tell you

what, honey. How about I pick you up right now and you can pet my horse and sit on his back while I
hold him."

Abby grinned and opened her arms for Josh to pick her up, and when he did, he caught a whiff of

something sweet, like little girl bubble bath, which made him smile. With all the little girls back at the
ranch, he knew that smell well. Rena and Tina, Sophie and Rick's older girls, were three, and Little
Sophie was almost two. Adam and Emily's little Gracie was two, and Marc and Kit's little Lizzie was
one-and-a-half. There were times when the whole bunch crawled up onto his lap, or piled on top of
him when he was catnapping under a tree with his hat pulled over his face, pretending to be asleep,
and those girly giggles got to him every time. He never thought he'd miss a pack of little girls, but
holding Abby in his arms, he felt a twinge of homesickness.

Abby stroked the horse's face, and said, "He's weally big. What's his name?"
"Tinker's Damn," Josh replied.
Abby cocked her head back and glared at Josh. "You said a bad word."
Josh laughed in amusement. "I guess I did. We'll call him Tinker, okay?"
Abby nodded. "Can I wub his nose wiff my hand?" she asked.
"Sure," Josh replied.
A shadow fell across them and Josh turned to see Genie standing not more than a few feet away.

"We're working on Abby's Rs and THs," she said. "We do fish lips for Rs but I haven't figured out
what to do about the THs."

Josh laughed. "I'm familiar with nursery school English. Back home, between my brothers and

cousin there are a half dozen kids under five." He shifted Abby in his arms. "Okay, partner. You ready
to get on Tinker's back?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Abby cried, then hiked her leg up and over as Josh lifted her on top of the horse.

Taking a fistful of mane in her hand, she gave Josh a wide grin and said, "I'm weally widing a horse,
like a weal cowboy."

Josh glanced at Genie and winked. To his surprise, she batted her eyes rapidly then caught her

bottom lip between her teeth, and he'd swear some color came into her cheeks. Like she was
blushing? The reaction vanished when Genie looked at Abby, and said, "Sweetie, we need to go
unpack our things and spend some time with Annie and Cody."

"Can I come wide again?" Abby asked Josh.
Josh raised his hands toward Abby, and she wrapped her arms around his neck for him to lift her

off the horse, but after he'd set her down, he said to her, "How about, after you and Genie visit with
the family, I'll take you for a ride on Ferdinand."

Abby looked at him, curious. "Who's Ferdan?"
"My bull. He's out behind the barn."
Abby started jumping up and down. "I saw him! I saw him! Genie said he was a bull and not a

cow because he had gweat big horns and something else, but I can't wemember what it was."

"That thing's called a—"
"Hump," Genie said quickly.
Josh gave her a wry grin. "Well, that too."
Abby glanced over at Genie. "Can I wide Ferdan?"
The smile on Genie's face faded. Looking at Josh with concern, she said, "You can't be suggesting

things like riding bulls. Abby's very young and impressionable."

"Ferdinand's a big teddy bear," Josh said. "He's trained like a riding horse and goes with a

saddle. I could teach Abby how to ride on him."

"Please, can I? Please, please, please," Abby cried, while dancing around in front of Genie. "I

want to wide Ferdan."

Genie glared at Josh, a look he now recalled from his stint in Nurse Ratched's ward, and she said

to him in a tone of voice he also remembered, "Abby will not be riding a bull."

Josh had to hold back a smile when he saw that same 'Nurse Ratched' glare on Abby's face—a

mini clone of her big sister—but that half-pint glare was directed at Genie. Then Abby planted her
mouth in a slash, folded her arms and grudgingly followed Genie out of the barn. But as he watched
them walking off, Josh thought of a way to soften up both females. The little one… well, she'd already
managed to burrow into his heart, and with her he'd settle for a hug and a smile, but the big female he
intended to soften up to the point where she'd be warm and eager in his arms. Holding that thought, he
went to round up Ferdinand.

CHAPTER 2

Genie was still shaken as she approached the house after seeing Josh. He was the last person

she'd expected to find in the far corner of Harney County, and the last person she wanted around while
she was trying to make a major life-changing decision. She needed a clear mind, a firm backbone, and
an unfettered heart. But when she saw Josh standing in the barn, stripped down to his jeans and
wearing a leather farrier's apron, her heart shifted into high gear and her tongue was almost too dry to
form words.

It was also a reminder of the muscular male body of the man she'd taken care of at the hospital

for three days, and there was no question that the intimate contact she'd been obliged to render a
rodeo clown who'd been rammed in the butt by a bull, along with all the other complications in that
area, had affected her in ways she wanted to forget. Nurses did not fantasize about their male patients,
but after Josh was released, that's exactly what she'd done.

Unable to resist the urge to turn around and see if he was still standing in the barn doorway, she

glanced back and saw that he was. She also saw Abby, walking at a snail's pace, and pouting. Using
Abby as an excuse for turning around, she motioned for her to come along. She was thankful that Abby
had been present when she saw Josh. If not for the distraction of Abby's chatter, along with her
insistence on riding a horse, Genie was certain she would have had to lean against a post to regain
her composure, humiliating as it would have been.

What disturbed her most was seeing Josh with Abby in his arms. In that short space of time she'd

witnessed the bonding between a little girl and a man she never would have dreamed had a paternal
bone in his body. During Josh's hospital stay his entire focus had been on following the rodeo circuit
and rising to the top as a rodeo clown so he could get angry bulls with long pointed horns to chase
after him instead of the cowboys who were thrown off the bulls. She didn't understand it then, and it
made even less sense now…

"What happened to you?" Annie's voice seemed to come from out of nowhere.
Genie glanced up to find Annie sitting on the porch swing with the baby in her lap. Not wanting

to get into her reaction to Josh, she sucked in a breath to calm her nerves, willed her voice to be
steady, and said, "Abby was in the barn. She wanted to stay and I wouldn't let her so she's mad. You
might wait a few minutes before meeting her. She's not at her best right now. In the meantime I want to
see my little nephew."

She sat beside Annie and the baby looked at her with big, wide eyes. "Hi Cody," she said. "I'm

your Aunt Genie, and you are absolutely adorable, and with those big black eyes and dark brown hair
there's no question who your daddy is. You look just like him."

Annie laughed. "Which means he also looks like Adam, Josh and Jeremy. The Jack Hansen gene

pool is definitely dominant." She pulled Cody to sit upright, and with him holding onto her fingers,
bounced him on her knees, which made Cody smile.

"Ryan must be proud as a peacock," Genie said, while watching the interaction between mother

and child.

"That's the understatement of all times," Annie replied. "You'd think he was the only Hansen man

to ever reproduce. He's on the phone all the time to his folks, telling them what exceptional
achievement Cody accomplished that day. I'm sure the Hansens must think Cody's a genius, when in
fact maybe he is. Look at that grip, and his back's as straight as an arrow."

Genie laughed. "From what I saw of the Hansen family when I was there, I imagine Grace and

Jack get that from all their offspring with kids. I'm just a little surprised that Ryan's okay living so far
from them. It's a very close-knit family."

"He misses all the commotion at times," Annie said, "which is why we decided to build a cabin

there. We split off a little corner from the parcel Jack and Grace set aside for Ryan and sold the rest
to Adam and Emily. That way we can stay there for short visits and Cody will get to know his
cousins."

"Where are your folks?" Genie asked. "I'd like to tell them hello."
"They're in Pine Grove picking up supplies," Annie replied. "When I called and told them you

were here, Mom said to get you and Abby settled in the room where you stayed before, and they'd be
home as soon as they could get away. You looked rattled when you came out of the barn, so I take it
you saw Josh."

Genie nodded. "I didn't expect him to be there and it caught me by surprise."
"I figured it would, which is why I tried to tell you before you went looking for Abby," Annie

replied. "He's only been here a few months but I came to the same conclusion I did before. You two
are meant for each other."

"Yeah, right," Genie said. "And I suppose you've also come up with a foolproof way to get him to

stop playing with bulls."

"Ryan stopped riding bulls" Annie said. "You just have to approach Josh the right way."
"I don't intend to approach Josh at all," Genie said. "It would be pointless. He has no intention of

quitting rodeos."

"Neither did Ryan," Annie pointed out, "but now he's perfectly content working with our Kigers

and riding the mechanical bull I gave him as a wedding present. The way the guys work it here is that
one guy presets the bull for a combination of bucking and spinning maneuvers, and the next guy has to
stay on for eight seconds, which rarely happens because the men program him for advanced bucking.
The bull also sits on an inflatable floor so no one gets hurt when they're bucked off. Guys come out on
weekends and we have competitions. It's really fun."

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad," Genie conceded, "since the floor is inflated and the thing

doesn't chase after anyone with its horns."

"It gets better than that," Annie said. "We plan to put on an actual rodeo here, with rams and

calves for kids to ride, and a couple of mustangs from a neighboring ranch for the guys. We're hoping
to get ahold of a bull too so Josh can show off some. He's been doing competitions where it's only
him and a bull competing against other rodeo clowns and bulls. Well, they're actually called
bullfighters—Josh gets peeved when he's referred to as a rodeo clown—but we saw him at the rodeo
in Sisters and he was amazing."

"I'm surprised you'd go to a rodeo after all the protesting you've done in the past, and then

insisting Ryan give it up," Genie said.

"I didn't insist he give it up," Annie countered. "He volunteered when he knew I wouldn't marry

him if he didn't."

"That's pretty much the same thing," Genie said.
"Maybe," Annie conceded. "As for going to the rodeo, I didn't have much choice. Josh and his

twin, Jeremy were entered in bull riding—Jeremy as a rider and Josh as a bullfighter—their younger
sister Maddy was in barrel racing, and their younger brother, Tyler, was Roman riding four horses as
a rodeo specialty act. Ryan wanted to see them and he wanted me to be there too, so we all went,
including Mom and Dad. The rodeo was okay though. No one got hurt."

Genie started to tell Annie that a few weeks ago she too had gone to a rodeo, but she didn't want

to get into her reason, which was to see if Josh was there. He wasn't, but she had no idea what she
would have done if he had been there and they'd run into each other. It was a snap decision when she
saw a poster and knew the rodeo grounds were near where Josh lived…

"Josh was incredible," Annie continued. "There were three men working at the same time—a

barrel man who tried to be funny while jumping in and out of a barrel, and Josh and another
bullfighter, who threw themselves in front of the bull to get its attention away from the downed
cowboy. Josh is so fast he gets bulls turning and twisting to get to him, then once the cowboy's out of
the arena, Josh puts on a little show. One time he was up against the bull's side while the bull was
spinning round and round trying to get him, and another time he did a back flip over the bull and the
bull just stood there wondering where Josh went. I don't know how he did it, but the crowd went
wild. Jeremy stayed on his bulls for the full eight seconds and even brought home some money, and
Tyler was pretty amazing too, standing on the backs of two horses while driving the other two around
the arena at a full gallop."

"And Ryan's okay seeing his brothers get all the glory?" Genie asked.
"That's another issue," Annie said. "Josh has a thing going with Ryan in that he more or less

accused Ryan of not wearing the pants in the family by giving up bull riding, and Ryan took offense
because it's not the case at all, so there's some friction between the brothers. The problem is, Josh is
single and doesn't understand what Ryan does, now that Ryan's a husband and father and knows he has
to stay in one piece, not only for me, but for Cody."

"It has nothing to do with Josh being single," Genie said. "There's a distinct difference between

the brothers. Josh wouldn't give up rodeo for any woman because that would be like admitting he's
being female dominated and he's too macho for that. Ryan's pretty macho too, but he's also a
sweetheart who's in love with you and will do whatever it takes to keep you happy."

"Í suppose you're right in a sense," Annie said, "but I still think you shouldn't write Josh off too

quickly. He's a lot of fun and he too has a sweet and deeply caring side that makes me know he'd be a
good husband and father. He's also done some amazing things with that big Brahma bull of his."

"Speaking of which… he told Abby he'd take her for a ride on the thing, which made me fighting

mad. I don't want Abby thinking a bull's a pet, or the next thing we know she'll be out in the pasture
with him. This whole rodeo mentality just doesn't work for me. And this is a pointless conversation
because what you're thinking is not going to happen. I'll admire Josh from a distance and not get
burned. Once was enough."

"What are you talking about?" Annie asked. "You and Josh didn't get together after the wedding,

did you?"

"I'm not talking about Josh," Genie said. "I never mentioned it before, but I was engaged to a man

who was a motorcycle stunt rider. Cal performed wheelies one legged, one handed, standing up,
sitting down, standing on the seat, and even doing that on one leg. Then he started performing jumps
over cars and was killed, but he had the same tempting-fate mentality as Josh. No thanks. There are a
lot of other fish in the sea."

"The way you stay clear of Josh because he's a bullfighter, I'm surprised you could ever have

been interested in a motorcycle stunt driver in the first place," Annie said.

Genie let out a short, cynical laugh. "When I look back, I'm surprised too, but Cal was a good-

looking guy and lots of fun, and he convinced me he could handle all the idiotic things he was doing.
At the time, my head was in a cloud, but the sky around me is very clear now. And speaking of good-
looking guys, where's Ryan?"

"Driving the chuck wagon back from an overnight trail ride," Annie replied. "Like they do at the

Dancing Moon Ranch, we have guests here for week-long stays, so Josh plans an overnight each
week. As soon as I'm done breast feeding I'll tag along with Ryan. Mom loves looking after Cody, and
Ryan and I love sleeping under the stars. Josh gets everyone square dancing out there on top of the hill
and the guests feel like they're in a time warp."

Genie let out a little chuckle. "It's funny you mention square dancing because I happen to love it."
"Then you'll definitely have to go on the next overnight," Annie said. "I'll watch Abby."
"It sounds fun, but no thanks," Genie replied. "Going on an overnight would be like playing

around with fate the way Josh plays with bulls. It could become addictive being around him, and I do
not need that complication in my life right now. Meanwhile, Abby's pouting because she can't ride a
bull." Motioning to Abby, who was standing off, sulking, she said, "Honey, come meet Annie and
Cody. You might get Reggie out of the car and show him to Cody, and if you squeeze Reggie's nose,
Cody might laugh."

Abby looked their way, and in an instant, the pout was forgotten. Scurrying over to the car, she

raised on tiptoe and opened the door, then grabbed her clown doll and scurried over to where Annie
was holding Cody. But before Abby could make her doll laugh, Annie said to Genie, "Why don't you
get your bags out of the car and take them to your room, and while you're doing that, Abby and I will
get acquainted and she can introduce Cody to Reggie."

"Good idea," Genie replied.
Genie began unloading their bags from the car. During her third trip upstairs she knew there were

many more bags than she'd wanted to bring, but after she'd made the impulsive decision to go to the
Kincaid Ranch, she found herself adding items to her growing pile of belongings—toys she knew
Abby would want, extra clothes in case they stayed a few days longer, old shoes for hiking and jeans
for riding—and by the time she was ready to leave, she realized she'd unconsciously packed for far
longer than intended.

She was in the bedroom, hanging clothes in the closet, when she heard the high-pitched sound of

Abby's laughter. Curious, she went to the window and, to her shock, saw Josh, dressed as a clown,
riding the Brahma bull they'd seen in the pasture, but now the bull was wearing a hat with a flower on
it. Then the bull sat down like a dog, sending Josh sliding backwards and landing on his butt, which
had Abby laughing excitedly while jumping up and down.

And all Genie could think was that the man she'd pegged as the last man she wanted to be

involved with was doing exactly what she feared most. Teaching Abby that a two-thousand pound bull
was a pet. So, it was time for Nurse Ratched to go into action.

***

When Josh saw the front door of the Kincaid's house fly open, followed by Genie marching

toward him with a scowl on her face, he knew he was in trouble but didn't know why.

"Are you insane?!" Genie cried. "I thought I made it clear to you about Abby and that bull. This

is exactly what I did not want to happen, but bearing in mind that you never paid attention to anything
you were supposed to do at the hospital, I guess I should have expected as much."

Oh boy! Nurse Ratched in full form, Josh noted. "When bulls are raised as work animals they're

not any more dangerous than horses," he said. "And the only reason I did this was to show you that
Ferdinand's gentle enough for Abby to learn to ride on. She'd also learn early on that horses and bulls
are animals to respect." Turning to Ferdinand, he placed his hand on the bull's shoulder and said,

"You might as well lie down, boy. This could take a while."

A moment later, Ferdinand folded his front legs beneath him and rolled onto his side, sending the

hat with the flower askew.

Genie stared at Ferdinand, lips parted, eyes wide, like she couldn't quite believe what she was

seeing, then the scowl came back, and she turned to Josh and said, "Like I told you before, Abby will
not be riding a bull!" She folded her arms, planted her mouth in a slash, and glared at him.

"Okay, fine then," Josh snapped. "Abby won't ride."
"No!" Abby cried. "I want to wide Ferdan!"
"Absolutely not!" Genie barked.
When Abby started toward Josh with her arms raised for him to pick her up, Genie grabbed the

back of Abby's shirt to stop her, then eyed Josh with vexation, and said, "Now see what you've done!
You might have been raised in an environment where no sense of self-preservation is instilled in
children, but that's not the way I'm raising Abby." She turned, and clamping her hand around Abby's
arm, tugged her, whining and crying, into the house, sending the front door closing sharply behind.

"Well, that certainly went well," Annie said. "What on earth were you thinking, bringing

Ferdinand over here to the house? You know Genie's position on bulls and rodeo clowns."

Whipping off his curly orange wig and pulling off his bulbous red nose, Josh wadded them up

and shoved them into the pocket of his oversized pants, and said, "Maybe I needed a reminder before
I did something stupid."

"Something stupid like what?" Annie asked. "Falling in love with Nurse Ratched?"
Josh gritted his teeth. He loved Annie as a sister-in-law, but he wasn't in the mood for her

teasing. "It'll be a cold day in hell when that happens," he said, just to set things straight.

Annie laughed, a clear sign that she didn't believe a word of it, which she affirmed when she

said, "In the meantime, you might not want to be quite so in-Genie's-face with Ferdinand in case you
change your mind."

Catching movement in one of the front windows, Josh looked over and saw Genie watching

before she backed away, which surprised him…

Annie glanced over and said, "She likes you too."
Josh looked at Annie, baffled. "What are you talking about?"
"Genie. She thinks you're hot."
Josh let out an ironic laugh. "How in hell did you come up with that?"
"Call it woman's intuition," Annie said. "Does that change things?"
"Change things how?"
"Your feelings for Genie."
"I don't have feelings for Nurse Ratched," Josh said, to set Annie straight, though he knew from

the expression on her face that she wasn't buying it, any more than he was. But the episode with
Ferdinand was a reminder of why he'd better set aside whatever he had going for the woman and get
back to the reason he was at the ranch, which wasn't to dress like a clown and make a damn fool of
himself…

"At least you captured the heart of one Matthias sister," Annie said.
Josh couldn't help smiling as the image of an endearing little face took form. "Yeah, I managed to

do that. She's a cute kid."

"She doesn't see her father much," Annie said. "He's a well-known magician and he's always

contracted to do shows all around the country. He won't even be here for Abby's fourth birthday in a
couple of weeks. It's sad. She just lost her mother and her father's too busy to get away. What Abby

needs is an in-house father, and that's at the top of Genie's list in finding a husband."

Josh looked at Annie, dubiously. This smacked of matchmaking. "If you're thinking I belong on

that list, think again. Professional bullfighters are on the road about 150 days a year."

"No family then?" Annie asked. "Maybe a cute little son like Cody, or a precious little daughter

like Abby. It all comes in a tidy little package called wife and family."

"I want a family," Josh replied, "which is why I plan to marry a woman who loves rodeo, maybe

a champion barrel racer. So when looking for a wife, Genie's pretty low on my list too."

Annie sighed deeply and pursed her lips, the way women did when they found themselves losing

an argument but didn't want to concede. "And your plan for your kids is what? To train them to house
sit while you and Miss Champion Barrel Racer follow the rodeo circuit?"

"Look," Josh said, feeling increasingly irritated, "I'm years away from getting married so this

whole conversation is irrelevant. Ferdinand, up." He nudged Ferdinand with his toe and Ferdinand
raised his head, rolled upright, lifted his haunches and planted his front legs beneath him. Once
standing, he nuzzled Josh, who reached into his pocket and gave Ferdinand an alfalfa nugget.

When Josh started to walk off, with Ferdinand following behind, Annie called after him.

"Incidentally, Genie loves to square dance," she said.

Josh paused and eyed Annie with skepticism. "You have a reason for telling me this?"
Annie shrugged. "She also loved horseback riding when she was here before, and not more than

thirty minutes ago she said she'd like to go on an overnight."

That got Josh's attention. The thing was, what Annie proposed—Genie going on one of his

overnights—had been a fantasy he'd relived many nights when up on the hilltop surrounded by guests,
some couples cuddled together and nibbling on each other, others comfortable with years of married
life and just enjoying each other's company, and he couldn't help wondering how it could have been if
he'd managed to get something going with Genie after Ryan and Annie's wedding, and she was at the
overnight with him.

But it was illogical imagining her as part of his life. Other than her one ride on a horse two years

ago, she knew nothing about horses. In fact, she was about as far removed from the woman he
imagined sharing his life with as any woman could be. The problem was, when he was around her,
his brain seemed to get scrambled, along with his power of reason.

"Ferdinand, come," he said. "We've worn out our welcome here." As he started off, with

Ferdinand plodding behind, he couldn't help glancing at the window again, and when he caught a
glimpse of Genie's face in the shadows before she backed out of sight, he was puzzled why she was
watching him. As for Annie's comment that Genie thought he was hot, Annie was way off base on that
one. But even if there was some truth to it, there was no way in hell he and Genie could share a life
together. The two of them were a complete mismatch.

CHAPTER 3

Within the hour, Ruth and Matt Kincaid returned from Pine Grove, and any doubt Genie had about

arriving at the ranch unannounced and not being welcome vanished when Ruth gave her a hug, and
said, "Honey, it's good to see you again, and we all hope you can stay a while." She turned to Abby
then and opened her arms, while saying, "Sweetheart, come give Grandma Ruth a hug." Moments
later, Abby was wrapped in Ruth's arms.

After a few seconds Abby wriggled free, cocked her head back and looked way up at Matt, and

said, "If Gwama Ruuf's my gwama, are you my gwampa?"

Matt looked a little baffled about how to respond. Genie could imagine him trying to concoct a

reasonable explanation as to who he was in the scheme of things, so Genie said to Abby, "Lots of
times special people become aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas, so since Grandma Ruth
and Grandpa Matt are special, you can think of them as grandparents."

Seeming to accept that without question, Abby said, "Gwampa Matt, will you take me widing on

a horse?"

Matt picked Abby up, which surprised Genie, and he said to her, "I tell you what, bucko. If Genie

says it's okay, I'll take you for a ride around here right now."

Abby grinned and looked at Genie for confirmation.
Genie nodded. "Yes, honey, you can go."
After they'd left, Ruth said to Genie, "Annie and Ryan are expecting you for dinner. Annie said to

tell you it's a barbecue and to dress western and come as soon as you can. If it's okay, Abby and I will
make cookies after she gets back from riding, and she can have dinner with us."

"That's fine, but are you sure?" Genie asked. "Abby can be a handful at times."
Ruth got a kind of wistful look on her face when she said, "Annie was a little over two when she

was taken from me and I missed all those early years. Having Abby here is special."

Genie had forgotten about Annie's abduction years before, and now, having Abby, she couldn't

imagine how it would be if someone kidnapped her, to never know what happened to her, or where
she was, or what horror she might be enduring. The thought was almost unimaginable. "Abby will
love making cookies," she said. "I'll get back early enough to tuck her in bed. We have a regular
nighttime routine."

"Matt had a regular nighttime routine with Annie when she was little too, so if you don't make it

back in time, I'm sure he'd love to do the honors. So have a good time with Ryan and Annie."

"Thank you," Genie said.
As Genie started out of the room, Ruth said, "Honey, I hope you'll stay a while. I like having

another woman around, and having Abby is… well, like I said, special."

When Genie saw the look of sincerity on Ruth's face, she couldn't resist the urge to give her

another hug, and when Ruth's arms went around her, it was almost like having a mother again.

After Genie changed into jeans and a western-cut shirt that was among those hanging in Annie's

closet, she left for Annie and Ryan's. But as she approached the vicinity of the barn, she was
surprised to hear what sounded like rap music coming from inside. It wasn't the monotonous kind of
rap she disliked, but more like hip hop, and it was accompanied by a swishing noise and what
sounded like thumping on the floor. Curious, she followed the sound to the doorway where she'd
found Abby earlier and stepped inside, then stopped and stared in shocked surprise.

A short ways off, and with his back to her, was Josh, who was jumping rope to the music, but

instead of jeans and western boots, he was wearing a tank top, knee-length athletic shorts, and athletic
shoes, and he was jumping rope on what looked like an interlocking foam mat.

She realized, early on, that this was not ordinary jumping. The rope was swirling over and under,

and crisscrossing in a blur as Josh kept the rhythm going. Then gradually he started turning as he
jumped, at once stepping high in time to the rhythm, like climbing stairs, then changing jumping
patterns, all the while moving in a counter-clockwise circle around the perimeter of the mat. It wasn't
until he'd come around and was facing her squarely that he spotted her watching him. Still, he kept the
rhythm going, but now he had his eyes fixed on her as he continued jumping while not missing a beat.

She wondered if he felt awkward with her staring at him, yet she couldn't seem to take her eyes

from him, like she was transfixed. He continued jumping, and again the rope alternated between
crisscrossing in front, and swishing in a fast loop, then crisscrossing in back, and swinging under his
legs, and back to basic jumping, but instead of one loop per jump, he'd revved it up to two loops per
jump, followed by three loops.

Then the sound of a bell rang out, and he stopped.
With that, Josh left the mat, punched off the CD player and hung the rope over a hook. Yanking off

his tank top, he reached into a bucket of water, and dragging out a washcloth, sponged it over his face
and neck, then dragged it down his chest "Do you do this every day?" Genie asked, though her
attention was definitely not on rope jumping as she watched tiny dribbles of water run down Josh's
muscular torso.

"Sure. There's no better way to improve agility, coordination, quickness, footwork and

endurance," Josh replied. He dipped the washcloth again and flopped it over his shoulder, then
reaching behind, began seesawing it back and forth across his back, while saying, "It also heightens
mental acuity because you have to stay constantly aware of tripping over the rope. But after rope
conditioning, most bulls seem sluggish and it's not hard to stay ahead of them." He dropped the cloth
into the water and reached for a towel that was draped over a hook.

As he was running the towel over his shoulders and behind his neck, all Genie could think was

that even if his rope training gave him an edge over the bull, his body could still be broken, or
crushed, or run through by a bull's horn. The whole idea made her mad. "Fatigue can dull the senses,"
she said. "It's a badass profession."

"That's where you're wrong," Josh argued. "Being a bullfighter's a noble profession. I put my life

on the line to keep other guys from getting gored or stomped on."

"Fine then, let's start with professional outfits," Genie said, feeling in an argumentative mood

because she was frustrated to be stupidly attracted to a man who was determined to get run through by
a bull. "Firefighters with their bright red hats and tan duck overalls are the envy of every little boy,
and cops and military men get uniforms that make them a hundred percent more attractive to women,
and movie and TV superheroes get superhero costumes that peg them as the superheroes they are, and
from all these uniforms and costumes you can get an idea of their line of work by what they wear. And
then there's the rodeo clown."

"Bullfighter," Josh corrected.
"Well then, let's make that badass bullfighter because it's a badass profession which requires the

most badass, demeaning, and confusing costume of all because kids watching the rodeo see clowns
with face makeup playing around with two thousand pounds of pissed off, insanely angry bull and
think it's a game."

Josh let out a short grunt of aggravation. "It's not about going out there and acting like an idiot for

a couple of hours. It takes a lot of preparation to be able to connect with whatever crowd is there that
night."

"Connect with a crowd?" Genie said. "I'd think you'd be more concerned about connecting with a

bull."

"I am, but my goal is to connect with the crowd while at the same time distracting the bull."
"And while you're out there doing that, you're still painted up like a clown and making yourself

look silly while putting your life in danger numerous times during one rodeo, and you do it because
Rob Smets and Flint Rasmussen do it."

Josh eyed her, curiously. "What do you know about them?"
"I did a little online research," Genie replied.
"Why?"
"Because after your stay in the hospital I wanted to learn what it was that draws men like you to a

sport that seems as senseless as Russian roulette." Genie had no intention of letting him know that
she'd continued to surf the internet to learn about what Josh did because she couldn't seem to stop
herself.

"So, what did you learn, other than we're all a bunch of idiots?"
"Actually, I learned that rodeo clowns… umm, bullfighters," Genie corrected, "need to be agile,

fast, and able to determine how a bull will behave in any situation, and also be able to entertain
people during the boring parts of the rodeo when a giant bovine isn't kicking the crap out of a guy or
trying to spear him with a horn and flip him out of the arena."

Ignoring her comment, Josh retrieved the rope, reset the timer, punched the CD player and started

in again. Facing Genie squarely, while saying in a voice that was unusually even for a man who was
springing up and down, "Jumping's a great cardiovascular workout. You should try it. Ten minutes is
equivalent to running an eight-minute mile. You can start out with a series of basic jumps then do
alternate foot jumps—" as the rope swished so fast it was a blur, Josh's feet alternated up and down
like he was climbing steps "—then you combine that with crisscrosses—" keeping the beat, his hands
crossed in front of him then moved to his sides on the next jump, then crossed in front again, all the
while the rope continued swishing in a fast blur "—then you add a series of side swings "—the rope
twirled in sync at his side, then was back in a loop over his head "—and include a series of double
unders—" he jumped high, sending the rope swishing twice before his feet struck the mat "—and you
can end with a James Hirst—" in an instant, he was into a back flip that terminated in a split on the
mat before returning upright to continue the simple jumping he'd started with.

After a few minutes the timer went off again and he stopped, clicked off the CD player, tossed the

rope over the hook and returned to the bucket to drag water down his chest again, which had Genie
breathing even more heavily than before, while Josh looked barely winded.

He got a kind of half smile, like maybe he was onto her, and said, "So, you stopped in here for a

reason?"

Genie willed herself to keep her eyes off the muscular chest that was not more than a few feet

away, and said, "I stopped in out of curiosity to see if maybe you were teaching Ferdinand how to
break dance. I heard music and thumping and it seemed a logical assumption." Josh smiled and his
eyes brightened the way they had the first time she entered his hospital room and announced she was
his nurse. He had a wonderful smile that got to her then, and it was getting to her now. It was also a
dangerous smile because she could already feel her resistance weakening "You overreacted with
Abby in not letting her ride Ferdinand," Josh said. "There's no safer animal on the ranch. I've worked
with him since he was six months old and he's never shown a hint of aggression. I can stand on him

and crack a whip around his head and he doesn't blink."

"That might be so," Genie replied, "but Abby's too young to know the difference between a

docile bull and a mean one when they're out in the pasture chewing their cud."

"You said she's almost four. Every kid on the Dancing Moon knew how to ride by that age, and

they also knew how to respect horses and cattle and be aware that one kick could kill them. Abby
needs to learn too if she's going to be here a while, and Ferdinand's the best place to start. She can
learn to ride on him, but she'll also learn never to be around him unless I'm there. Then I'll show her
Matt's breeding bull and explain that he's off limits too because he's there for only one reason and
that's to keep the lady cows happy."

"And I suppose you have an answer for Abby when she asks how Matt's bull does that?" Genie

asked.

"Sure, I'll tell her the truth," Josh replied. "That's the way it is on a ranch with kids."
"Abby will not be learning about sex at age four," Genie said.
"Who said anything about sex? Dad told me when I was Abby's age that the bull was there to give

the cow baby calves. I was nine before I began to wonder how he did it, but by then I was beginning
to get the idea, especially when the bull got horny and dropped his doodad, even though I hadn't yet
experienced the real joy of having a doodad."

"Yes, well, Abby's not ready to learn about doodads either," Genie said, feeling a flurry of

awareness she was determined to squelch, "but maybe I'll let you teach her to ride on Ferdinand."

Again that smile, which set Genie's heart tripping. She could see this as an ongoing problem.

While she was mulling that over, Josh scooped his tank top off the floor, shrugged into it and said,
"Abby needs a pony to groom."

"We won't be here long enough for that," Genie replied. "We're only here for three weeks until I

decide what I want to do."

Josh eyed her, curiously. "You never said why you took a leave of absence."
"That's because the reason for doing so is complicated." Deciding she didn't want to get into a

lengthy discussion about something that wasn't even clear to her, she said, "Meanwhile, there's
something I've wondered about ever since the first time I had to medicate your bum."

"Okay, I'll go along with this for a few minutes," Josh replied. "What do you want to know?"
"How you got into rodeo bullfighting in the first place. Well, two questions, actually," Genie

corrected. "The other one is why, after a bull busted your bum and temporarily left you with testicles
the size of grapefruits, you keep doing it?"

Josh eyed her with wry amusement. "To answer your first question, a few years back I was

entered in three rodeos in one weekend, and with the last one the clown didn't show. I was with my
buddies when a stock contractor asked if any of us were interested in filling in. My first reaction was
to say 'no way,' because until then my buddies and I got a kick out of needling the clowns and blowing
their punch lines, but when the contractor said he'd give the same pay he would a professional clown
in addition to paying turn-out fees, I said I would, and the next thing I knew I was wearing a vest and
facing a freight train with horns. Riding bulls after that paled in comparison, so I was hooked."

"And the answer to my second question?" Genie asked, though she realized she was being foolish

getting personal with Josh. When he was in the hospital it was routine keeping icepacks on his
swollen testicles. She was his nurse and it was all in a day's work. At least that's what she tried to
tell herself. But the fact was, she'd been affected by the sight of Josh's muscular male body and to
counter it she went into Nurse Ratched mode. It worked. Until then Josh had been flirting with her, but
once she set him straight, along with the ice water bed bath, he backed off, and she remained Nurse

Ratched…

Josh still had the hint of a smile when he said, "The answer to your second question is I jump

rope a lot and I keep my butt out of the bull's face."

"So you didn't learn anything from that experience?" Genie asked.
"Sure," Josh replied. "Stay out of Nurse Ratched's ward. It's the best incentive I know for staying

out of the way of a bull's horn."

Genie couldn't help but feel exasperated with Josh's lack of concern for his own safety, and

frustrated because there was nothing she could say or do to change things, so she made the decision to
ask him one more question, then let the whole subject of rodeo clowning die on the vine, along with
her irrational feelings for a foolish man. "And your ultimate goal now is?" She waited, knowing
already that Josh would not come up with a reason that could put him in the running for husband and
step-father.

"Besides being chosen as a bullfighter for the National Finals Rodeo, I want to be a contracted

bullfighter with the CBR—Championship Bullriding Circuit. They're a great group, with personnel
that work hard but have fun putting together the best riders and the best bulls. It's also good pay so I
could support a family."

"While also serving yourself up as a target to tons of bucking beef," Genie added. "So what do

bullfighters do when not waving red flags at bulls, other than jumping rope?"

"Are you interested, or just making polite conversation?" Josh asked.
"Call it curiosity," Genie replied. "I'm trying to find some logic in this ludicrous profession

you've chosen."

"Then I'll give you a little heads up that might surprise you," Josh said. "I happen to agree that

bull riding's ludicrous, but since I have brothers and rodeo buddies who like it, I want to make sure
they stay safe, and acting as a bodyguard for those guys gives me a lot of satisfaction. So when I'm not
waving red flags at bulls to stay on top of things, I get together with other bullfighters for contests
where we work one-on-one with a bull, but we also lose points for getting run over by it, which is
why I jump rope."

Josh's words were thrown out casually, like the scenario was inevitable. "So you never worry

about ending up in emergency with a busted spleen, cracked sternum, multiple fractures, concussion,
broken collarbone, toes, arms and fingers, all from the same incident?" Genie asked, her words
dripping with irony.

Josh shrugged. "If it's your passion and you do it to help other guys, those injuries are simply

battle scars."

"So, the bigger question is," Genie pondered aloud, "how far are you willing to go, and how

many battle scars are you willing to sustain before you're willing to quit?"

"I'm not a quitter," Josh replied.
"Which means the bull will have to end it for you," Genie concluded.
"There's an age limit," Josh said. "After around age forty the reflexes aren't what they used to be

so I might consider backing off some. For now, when it's all going well and I'm responsible for every
bull rider at the rodeo getting out of the arena without major injuries, there's no better feeling in the
world."

"And if it isn't going well and a rider is permanently injured, or dies in the arena because you

didn't get the bull to come after you in time, would you just write it off as a bad day at work and keep
going, or would that be enough reason to quit?"

"I've had that happen," Josh said, "no deaths, but there have been serious injuries. The whole

scene goes through my head over and over, but then I have to catch myself when I start asking if the
guy might have been okay if I'd done something different because the reality is, when anyone enters
the rodeo arena, whether it's on top of the bull or on the ground, there's a 50-50 chance the bull will
win, and the bull rider knows the risks just as I do."

When Genie said nothing, because there was really nothing more to say, and she was exhausted

with the subject, Josh said, "So does your silence mean you're through grilling me?"

Genie shrugged. "I wasn't grilling. I was just trying to clarify a few things."
"Things like what?"
"Like why I give a damn about a man like you in the first place."
Realizing she'd said more than she intended, Genie turned and rushed out of the barn.
Maybe Annie could set her straight about staying away from rodeo cowboys the way she'd tried

to set Annie straight when she was deliberating over what to do about Ryan when he was intent on
riding bulls. But for Annie, Ryan simply gave it up. With Josh, there didn't seem to be any chance on
God's earth he'd give up what he was doing, so the sooner she got that through her very thick skull, the
better. She just wished she could get the exasperating, wearisome, annoyingly frustrating man out of
her mind.

***

Ryan intercepted Josh as he was walking between the barn and the bunkhouse. "Hey bud," he

called out. "Genie came rushing out of the barn and you look like you've been run over the coals. Is
there something you want to talk about?"

Josh let out an exasperated snort. "Yeah, I want to know how one damn woman can have me

ready to boot her out of my life in one minute and wanting to take her home to Mama the next."

"Umm, you might want to explain that one."
"I would if I could," Josh said. "The woman drives me crazy. And no, I refuse to give up

bullfighting for any woman, not that I'm anywhere close to having to make that choice, but when I
think I've about had my fill of hearing her rant about what a stupid idiot I am for doing something I
love, she throws me a curve like telling me in a convoluted way that she likes me."

"Okay," Ryan said, "I won't try to convince you of the obvious, so I guess my only advice is to

stay away from her and let it all die down. You've had the hots for the woman for years and that won't
go away as long as you make yourself available."

"I don't make myself available," Josh said. "She's the one who keeps popping up in my life. And

what do you mean by trying to convince me of the obvious?"

"It's simple. Genie likes you… actually more than just likes you according to Annie, and she's

fighting it as much as you, but it's more important to you to have bulls in your life than a woman who
cares about you, and in Genie's mind it's more important to have a functioning male in her life than
one in a body cast, so you've both reached a deadlock. I can tell you from experience that she's not
going to change, and since you think giving it all up for a woman is tantamount to her wearing the
pants in the family then kiss it all goodbye and give it no more thought. Meanwhile, Annie's expecting
you for a barbecue, and no, it's not veggieburgers. I'm grilling a salmon. Annie's anti beef, pork, lamb
and chicken, but fish don't have fur or feathers and big hopeful eyes."

"Annie's expecting me and who else?" Josh asked.
"You guessed it," Ryan replied. "You can pass if you want. I'll explain to Annie. When you don't

show up it would also send a message to Genie that you're not available."

"I'll go for that," Josh replied. But even as he said the words, he knew they were a bald faced lie.

He'd show up for the barbecue and sit across the picnic table from Genie and fixate on how it would
be if all those female curves were in his arms and she was kissing him with the same passion as when
she was telling him what an idiot he was, and he'd ask himself, ad nauseam, why the woman had such
a hold on him.

CHAPTER 4

Genie was both relieved and disappointed when she learned that Josh wouldn't be coming to the

barbecue. She hadn't heard it directly, but she did overhear Ryan tell Annie that Josh passed on the
invitation because he knew she'd be there. She decided that was a good thing because after the jump
rope session she was more confused than ever. The confusion came with the reality that she was
becoming increasingly attracted to Josh, yet after their exchange about rodeo bullfighters she also
understood more clearly why the relationship would be a dead end, now that she was entrusted with
Abby's care. Why she couldn't shove thoughts of this particular man aside she couldn't began to
understand. Every time they shared the same space, sparks flew.

"I'm glad you came western," Annie said. "That's one of my favorite shirts, but it is a little snug

across the front on you too since you're about the size of me when I'm nursing."

Genie glanced down at the shirt and saw that it was snug, but most shirts were on her. "At least

it's not stiff and new like the guests are wearing," she said. "If I don't ride a horse they might think I'm
one of the gang here."

"You are one of the gang. Now have some veggies," Annie said, pushing a platter of baby carrots,

broccoli, and cauliflower florets in front of her. "The veggies are lightly steamed so the fibers break
down more readily, and the stuff in the bowl in the center is a vegetarian dip made from tofu and
herbs, and this…" she pushed a small bowl toward Genie "…is quinoa with mustard greens and
herbs. Ryan loves it. He's actually become almost entirely vegetarian now, although he sneaks over to
Mom and Dad's on occasion and has a steak."

Ryan, who was standing at the barbecue brushing melted butter over two large slabs of salmon,

turned from the grill and kissed Annie on the temple, and said, "Honey, I do it for you. You want lots
of kids so I need to keep my testosterone level up and that takes lots of protein."

Annie tipped her head back to receive a kiss directly on the lips and said, "Sweetheart, that's a

terrible excuse. Your testosterone level is definitely not lacking. Besides, I make a point of combining
vegetables so their amino acids make up whole proteins."

Ryan winked at Genie then returned to the grill, and Genie wondered why Ryan's younger brother

couldn't find love the way Ryan had, and love so deeply he'd be willing to give up his foolhardy
dream of tempting fate and live a normal life with a woman who could love him back just as deeply.
She'd never felt that way about any man before, not even Cal, she realized in retrospect, but she could
see herself feeling that way about Josh. It was perplexing and disconcerting the way things were
happening, especially since beneath it was no logical basis.

"Well, look who decided to show up," Annie said, glancing beyond Genie.
Genie turned to find Josh walking toward them. He was again wearing his usual jeans, boots and

a western shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and muscular chest. The sober expression on his face
when he looked at her told her he wasn't exactly glad to be there, which made her wonder why he
was. Then he caught Annie's eye and his expression changed as he said to her, "Ryan said we'd be
having salmon instead of veggieburgers so I decided to chance it. Is it the kind of salmon that swims
in the ocean or is it something pink that's shaped like a salmon and comes in a package labeled
imitation?"

"It swam," Annie replied. "We're all glad you came."
Josh's eyes darted to Genie, like he was waiting for her to either agree or disagree, and when she

made no comment, he said, "Grilled salmon beats having canned beans in the bunkhouse."

He sat beside Annie and across the table from Genie, which Genie found unsettling. When neither

of them initiated any conversation, Annie said to Genie, "Dad brought Abby over on the horse. She
was riding in front of him and she had a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Josh will definitely have to
take the two of you for a ride in the hills. She'd love it."

Genie shifted her gaze to Josh, who didn't look too happy with the suggestion, and she said to

Genie, "Abby doesn't need to ride in the hills."

To Genie's surprise, Josh eyed her across the table, and replied, "Actually, it's a good way for

her to learn to ride. She'd be in front of me so I could show her how to hold the reins and turn the
horse. You'd learn something too."

"Then we'd be going on the trail ride with the other guests?" Genie asked.
"No, we'd go after I get off work tomorrow," Josh replied. "I can't have a kid with me when

leading guests because I have to be free to take off if a horse bolts with an inexperienced rider."

Genie looked at Annie, who had a smug smile on her face, then at Ryan, whose back was to them,

but from his profile she could see that he too was smiling, which made her wonder what this was all
about. She didn't think they'd put Josh up to it, but she was beginning to think they were a couple of
matchmakers, which, in a convoluted way, made sense. If something got going between them, Annie
would have a half-sister on the ranch, and Ryan would have a brother, except that Josh had no
intention of settling in one place because his goal was to trail along after rodeos like a vagabond
cowboy.

Annie stood. "While you two figure it out, have some veggies and I'll stir the beans." She shoved

the platter between Genie and Josh and went over to where Ryan was basting the salmon, leaving
Genie staring across the table at Josh, which was awkward because he was waiting for her answer to
his suggestion about going riding, and she was fighting the urge to say she would, knowing it was a
bad idea. She was already far too enamored with the man for her own good.

While she was deliberating, the sound of Cody crying came from inside the house.
"I'll get him," Josh said. He left the table and went into the house.
Genie eyed the closed door for a moment then looked at Annie, and said, "Is Josh always like

that with Cody?"

"Yes," Annie replied. "He takes his role as uncle seriously."
Genie tried to picture Josh with a baby in his arms, which wasn’t all that hard now. He'd looked

comfortable with Abby, maybe too comfortable, like he could be a potential step-father someday, the
someday being once he gave up dancing with bulls, which of course he wouldn't do, which brought
her back to reality. "Cody's bound to be wet after a nap. Will Josh change him?" she asked, curious.

"It's no problem if Cody's wet," Annie replied, "but if he's pooped that's where Josh and Ryan

draw the line."

Ryan looked askance at Annie standing beside him, and said, "I've done my share of pooped

diapers."

"Only when you're into forced servitude because I'm not around," Annie replied, "but when I'm

handy he's definitely passed over to me. That's okay though, honey, I'm not complaining, just
clarifying."

A few minutes later, Josh returned with Cody nestled in the crook of his arm and sat in a chair

angled not more than a foot from where Genie was sitting. Cody immediately started nuzzling Josh's
chest, to which Josh laughed, and said, "I'd whip out a boob if I could, little buddy, but you'll have to
settle for a bottle instead."

Annie turned from the grill, and said, with a chuckle, "One more month and the whipping out of

boobs will be over, though it's been a good thing. I firmly believe in breast feeding."

"Yeah, so do I," Ryan said, and gave Annie a wicked grin.
Genie found herself glancing over at Josh, but instead of smiling he was looking at her soberly,

like he was pondering something serious, something that had her wondering if he too was thinking
what she was thinking, not about husbands taking their turns with nursing mothers, but about her as a
mother to a nursing baby, maybe his baby?

Catching herself, she reeled in her absurd pipedream. They'd spent three days together in the

hospital where she'd tended his body in the most intimate way a nurse was obliged to do, while at the
same time fantasizing over the man. His family had also been there much of the time, and from their
conversations outside the room she'd learned things about Josh she never would have known—he'll
do anything for anybody… he's always positive… I don't know anyone who doesn't like him… he
makes people feel better and leaves them with a smile—and everything she'd learned rounded him
out as a man she knew she could love, except for the fact that he was, at that time she'd been hearing
the comments, lying in a hospital bed because of a badass profession he'd never give up…

Josh, who had Cody sitting up straight on his lap, with his little hands curled tightly around Josh's

index fingers, said to Cody, "You've got a good strong grip."

"Don't get any ideas," Annie said. "Cody will not be using that grip to hold onto a bullrope."
Josh laughed, and said to Cody, "In a few years you and Uncle Josh are going to have a man-to-

man talk about life, love, and female-dominance."

A long stretch of silence had Genie looking over at Annie and Ryan, who were both glaring at

Josh. It was obvious that Josh's comment hit a raw nerve with both of them, Ryan because it was an
affront to his decision to give up bull riding for a woman, and Annie because she was standing by her
man. When the silence became awkward, Josh looked over at them, then said to Cody, "Okay, little
buddy, I'm outnumbered. We'll have a long talk about life and love."

"You haven't exactly struck pay dirt in those areas either," Ryan said in a voice that held no

humor. An inscrutable look crossed Josh's face, which had Genie wondering what that was all about.
Whatever it was, there were definitely barbs being tossed between the brothers.

Deciding an intervention was needed, Genie said, "How about you guys call a truce for now and

I'll entertain you with a magic trick." Everyone looked Genie's way.

Fixing her gaze on Josh, she said, "You guys think you're tough because you can ride bulls and

play around with them in the rodeo arena, but how tough are you when it comes to little things like
getting a shot when you see the needle coming?"

Josh let out a short laugh. "Are you kidding? Getting a shot?" He eyed her with amusement, like

what she was trying to do was too obvious to respond to.

"Okay then, how about giving yourself a shot?" Genie said. "Have you ever stuck a needle in

your own arm?"

"No," Josh replied, "but that's nothing. I've cut myself when a snake bit me and prodded around

with a knife to get thorns out of my leg."

"Then it shouldn't bother you to watch someone else stick themself with pins," Genie said.
Josh eyed her with uncertainty. "I hope you don't plan on doing something stupid."
"It's magic," Genie said. "But why would sticking myself with pins be any different from you

sticking yourself? Is self-infliction only reserved for macho men?"

"You said you were going to show us some magic," Josh said, his voice a blend of curiosity and

irritation.

"I will," Genie replied, "if Annie will get me a packet of sewing needles and a handkerchief or a

piece of cloth."

"I'll get them," Annie said, then disappeared into the house.
While Annie was fetching the needles, Genie reflected on her last visit to the ranch and the image

of Josh bent over the pool table in the multi-purpose lodge and the shot he'd missed when she walked
in, and said, "Did you ever learn to shoot pool?"

"I can shoot pool," Josh replied. "When you walked in you messed up my concentration."
Genie reached across the table and took a carrot from the tray of vegetables. "Then I assume you

can run four balls in a row."

"Sometimes," Josh replied. "It depends on the set up."
"You ever try shooting without aiming?" Genie asked.
"Not if I want to sink a ball in a pocket," Josh replied.
"Try it sometime," Genie said. "Let your subconscious mind take over. You might be surprised

with what happens."

"Are you saying you can run four balls without aiming?"
"Something like that."
Annie stepped out of the house. "Here you go." She handed a packet of needles to Genie, along

with a handkerchief with some uneven crocheting along the edge, like Annie might have tried her hand
at it. "And this is for you, honey," she said to Cody. "How about you have your bottle in your playpen
so Uncle Josh can have some veggies?"

She lifted Cody off Josh's lap and put him in a playpen set off to the side, gave him the bottle, and

sat at the table across from Genie.

Genie opened the packet of needles, slipped one out and studied it, then returned the needle and

passed the packet to Josh, saying, "Check these out so you know they aren't trick needles, then hand
them to Ryan so he can take a look if he wants."

Josh took the packet and pulled out a needle, eyed it closely, then slipped it back. "They're

regular needles," he announced.

"Then you're all absolutely certain that they're normal everyday sewing needles?" Genie glanced

from one to the next. They nodded and mumbled their yes's. She held her hand up in front of Josh, with
her thumb sticking out, and said, "Okay, I want you to take a close look at my thumb and make sure
there aren't any needle marks in it."

Josh curved his palm around Genie's hand, and the moment she felt the heat from his palm

penetrating her hand, her heart accelerated, her breath quickened, and her face felt as if it were on
fire. She also realized Josh was taking an inordinate amount of time to study her thumb. Still, she
didn't rush him because… she couldn't explain why, only that she felt something passing between
them, and when she looked up and Josh held her gaze, she wondered if he felt it too.

The magic was broken when Annie cleared her throat to get their attention, and said, "So Josh, do

you see needle marks in her thumb?"

Josh released Genie's hand, and replied, "No needle marks."
Genie drew in a breath and waited a moment for her quickened heart rate to settle down, then

removed several needles from the packet and placed them on the table. Lifting the handkerchief, she
slipped it over her thumb. "Okay, watch carefully and we'll see how tough you guys are." Picking up
one of the needles, she pressed the tip to the outer edge of her thumb, and ever so slowly, pushed it
until it came out the other side.

Josh sat up and looked on in alarm. "What are you trying to do?" he asked.

"Show you that women are as tough as men," Genie replied. Taking another needle, she put it

close to the other needle and gave it a little jab, letting out a grunt as she did, and pushed it slowly
through. With the third needle, she gave another little grunt and bit her bottom lip. But when she
picked up the next needle and placed the tip against her thumb, Josh grabbed her wrist and said,
"Stop. You got your point across."

Genie looked at Josh's hand wrapped around her wrist, then at Josh, and said, "A few little

needles in a thumb is a whole lot less painful than a bull's horn in a butt."

"Just stop here," Josh said. There was no humor in his voice.
"Okay then," Genie replied. "Unwrap your hand from around my wrist and I'll pull the needles

out." She wondered if he'd refuse, and mess up her trick, but he didn't. Instead, he released her wrist.
Then just as slowly as she'd stuck the needles in, she pulled each one out, but when she looked at
Josh's face, she not only saw a look of intense concern, she also saw a glossy sheen in his eyes. After
she'd pulled out the last needle, she removed the handkerchief and set it aside then offered her thumb
for Josh to inspect. He took her hand in his, stroked her palm with his thumb like he was trying to
sooth her, which touched her in a way she hadn't expected…

He has a sweet and deeply caring side that makes me know he'd be a good husband…
Genie saw that side, which made her feel a little guilty.
Seeming to catch himself, Josh took a close look at her thumb and studied it with an intensity that

had Genie almost breaking the magician's code to tell him it was nothing more than a basic magic
trick.

Once he was satisfied that her thumb was okay, he released her hand, and said, with a hint of

what she construed as embarrassment, "Okay, you pulled a fast one. How did you do it?"

Genie shrugged. "It's magic and when you perform magic it heals fast. Haven't you heard about

psychics who open people up with their hands and perform bloodless, painless surgery? It's done in
the Philippines and there's no sign of an opening. I'm sure you've also heard of firewalkers who walk
over red hot coals and don't burn their feet. There's documentation of it all over the world. It's all
about mind over matter."

"I know about firewalking," Josh said. "My brother's an archaeologist. He says the embers aren't

good conductors of heat and since the firewalkers keep moving, it isn't long enough to cause burns and
the ash on the coals also act as an insulator."

"Then how do you explain that I don't have any needle marks in my thumb?" Genie asked.
"You had a handkerchief over it so I couldn't see what was really happening," Josh replied. "That

was part of the trick."

"No," Genie countered. "I do that because the one time I did it without the handkerchief a woman

started hyperventilating and passed out. It scared the daylights out of me."

While Josh puzzled over that, Genie sat back and said nothing. Maybe another time she'd tell him

how she did it, but for now, having grown up under the guidance of Sebastian Matthias, there was
enough of the amateur magician in her to want to let Josh wonder.

While they ate, Annie and Ryan and Genie chattered about inconsequential things, while Josh

seemed distant and detached, not just from Genie, but from Ryan and Annie as well, and Genie again
wondered what was behind Ryan's comment that Josh, hadn't exactly struck pay dirt in those areas,
meaning in the areas of life and love, which she narrowed down to love. It hadn't occurred to her
before that Josh was a guy who'd have any kind of serious love life. She also felt a little twinge of
jealousy for the woman who might have captured his heart, and wondered how much sacrifice he
might have been willing to make for her, if the woman ever existed.

After they'd had dessert, and deciding it was time to get back to the house and check on Abby,

Genie said to Ryan, "That was a wonderful meal—the salmon, the beans, the grilled onions, the corn
on the cob—and Annie, your fresh strawberry pie was wonderful."

"Except that we couldn't bite through the crust," Annie groused.
"Well, perfection in crusts will come with experience," Genie said, "but I think I need to get back

and relieve your mom and dad of Abby." She went over and gave Annie and Ryan each a hug, then
looked at Josh, who mentioned nothing more about going riding the next day, and said, "See you
around." He shrugged, and she turned and left.

The walk from Annie and Ryan's house to where the ranch road met the road that looped through

the compound was about a ten-minute walk. Around five minutes into it, however, Genie sensed that
she was being followed, and when she glanced around, she saw Josh walking behind her. She couldn't
decide if he'd left so he could catch up with her, or because he was done for the night, but since he'd
given no indication during the evening that he wanted to spend any time with her, she ignored him and
walked on.

By the time she reached the intersection where the ranch roads joined, Josh caught up with her,

took her arm to keep her from turning toward Matt and Ruth's house, and said, "Okay, you've got my
curiosity."

"Where are you taking me?" Genie asked, as Josh steered her away from her destination.
"To the lodge," Josh replied.
"Why there?" Genie asked.
"Because I want to see you run four balls in a row."
"It's easy," Genie said. "You let your subconscious mind take over and shoot without aiming. It

works every time." She tried not to be distracted by the feel of Josh's hand wrapped around her arm,
but it was firmly connected, and she was making no attempt to pull it away.

"I also want to know how you did the thumb trick," Josh said.
"I told you, it was mind over matter, but if it wasn't, I still wouldn't tell you because it would

break one of the seven principles of the magician's code, which is secrecy. A magician only reveals
secrets to other magicians. "

"You're not a magician. You're a nurse."
"A nurse on leave. I might not be going back."
"Why?"
"I already told you, it's too complicated to explain."
"No, you told me it was complicated. Nothing's too complicated to explain, unless you don't

know yourself why you're quitting, which I'm sure is not the case."

"You can't be sure of anything because you don't even know me," Genie said.
"I know enough," Josh replied. "I did some research."
"What kind of research?"
"The Annie kind."
Genie looked at Josh in curiosity. "You asked Annie questions about me?"
Josh nodded.
"Why?"
"Because I want to know what makes Nurse Ratched tick, kind of like standing back and studying

a two-thousand pound, pissed off, insanely angry bull to know how he reacts in different
circumstances."

Uncertain how to interpret his analogy, Genie set it aside for the moment, and said, "You were

only in the hospital three days, after which we parted company, presumably for good, except that
you've continued playing with bulls which will ultimately get you back into Nurse Ratched's ward,
but since you still believe you're invincible, you don't think that way, so why did you want to know
what makes me tick if you never expected to see me again?"

"I believe in fate," Josh replied.
"Fate that you'd end up back in my ward, or that I'd end up here?" Genie asked.
"Neither. I just turn it over to fate."
When they reached the lodge, Josh, who was still holding onto Genie's arm, which she was still

making no attempt to pull free, guided her to the front entrance. Through the window she saw ranch
guests inside—three sitting in a grouping, and a couple standing and talking—but no one was playing
pool. She was relieved that guests were present though. She wasn't prepared to spend time alone with
Josh. It wasn't conducive with keeping her distance from him. And right now, she was going against
everything she'd programmed herself not to do by trailing along with him to the lodge instead of going
back to the house because, if the guests decided to leave, she could find herself alone with Josh, and
he wasn't the one she feared. His nearness affected her in ways she couldn't explain. Yet ignoring her
instincts, she continued with him into the lodge.

CHAPTER 5

On entering the lodge, Josh dropped Genie's arm and walked to the rack of cue sticks mounted on

the wall behind the pool table. Taking a stick down, he handed it to Genie. She took it and stepped
aside while Josh proceeded to rack the balls.

"What are you setting up for?" she asked.
"Eight-ball," Josh replied. "You have any preference as to how the balls are racked?"
"Is this to be a game, or did you just want to see me run four balls in a row?" Genie asked.
"Whatever you want."
"Okay then, just do a standard rack."
After Josh set up the balls, he removed the rack from around them and stepped back, then

motioned for Genie to make the break. After a brief calculation, Genie positioned the white cue ball
and quickly shot. An equal number of solid and striped balls scattered in all directions while sending
two balls into pockets. After glancing into each pocket, she announced, "I'll take solids." Leaning
over the table again, she positioned her cue stick, made a brief mental adjustment and shot, sending
another solid ball into a pocket. Moving around the table, she made another quick decision and sent
the cue ball bouncing off a striped ball, which sent a solid ball dropping into a corner pocket. "That's
four balls," she announced, then stood and waited for Josh to comment.

He looked completely perplexed. And ticked. The macho male routed by a female.
"So, are you just going to stand there looking pissed, or do you want to know the secret? This

isn't magic. I can tell all. It's also something anyone can learn."

Josh eyed the balls with a look of curiosity and interest, like he wanted to know and understand

but was too proud to ask. Then his gaze crisscrossed around the table, and he looked at her
thoughtfully, and said, "How long did it take you to learn this?"

"Half my life," Genie replied. "It's something Dad taught my brother Dimitri and me years ago.

Along with being a master illusionist, Dad's also a pool shark. To give you a little snapshot about my
dad… Normal fathers take their kids biking, or swimming, or to a movie, but my dad took Dimitri and
me to séances and back-room magic shows, and to a private club for magicians and illusionists where
the lobby had no visible doors to the interior, and to gain access, you had to say a secret phrase to a
sculpture of an owl. It wasn't your average childhood."

"And your mother went along with this?' Josh asked.
"Sure," Genie replied. "With us gone for the day she had the house to herself and didn't have to

worry about something disappearing in front of her nose that she needed at the moment, or something
she didn't want appearing out of the blue and falling into her lap. But on weekends when we weren't
watching some of the best illusionists in the world, Dimitri and I were at a pool hall with Dad,
learning about subconscious competence and applying it to playing pool. Dad's intention wasn't for us
to learn to play pool though. He wanted us to understand the power of the subconscious mind so we
could use it in our everyday lives."

Josh glanced over at the pool table and his brows gathered again, but not so much in curiosity as

in skepticism, which he affirmed when he said, "I'm not buying any of this. Subconscious minds can't
sink balls in pockets. You've got to be conscious and aware in order to set up a shot and pocket a
ball."

"Did you see me setting up any shots?" Genie asked. She pulled a ball out of a side pocket and

held it up. "It took me approximately three seconds to pocket this ball."

Josh wrapped his hand around her wrist and removed the ball from her hand, then with his thumb,

slowly ran it up her palm, to which she responded by straightening her hand and splaying her fingers.
Eyeing her thumb closely, even running the pad of his thumb over hers, while sending a shiver
coursing through her, he looked at her steadily, and said, "How did you do it?"

"Are you talking about pocketing balls?"
"No, I'm talking about the thumb trick."
"What's it worth to you to find out?" Genie asked, while allowing her hand to remain in his.
Josh held her gaze. "If a man asked a woman that question he'd be implying that she'd have to go

to bed with him to get her answer. Somehow I don't think that's what you're asking."

"You looked pretty good when you were jumping rope," Genie said.
Josh's eyes sharpened. "Then is that what you're asking?"
"Sorry to disappoint you," Genie said. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to give up playing

with bulls to know."

Josh released her wrist. "I don't intend to follow in my brother's footsteps, if that's what you're

suggesting. So back to pocketing balls. If an explanation comes without conditions, then I want to
know how you do it." He folded his arms and waited.

"Okay, no conditions." Genie began collecting the balls on the table and from the pockets and

racking them, as she said, "The conscious mind can only handle about eight to ten things at a time, but
there's no limit to what the subconscious mind can handle." She moved the racked balls to a front
corner of the table, out of the way, then removed one ball and handed it to Josh, and said," Put this on
the table anywhere you want."

Josh unfolded his arms and took the ball, then studying the table for a few moments, placed the

ball almost centered, and about a third of the way from the far end of the table, then reconsidered and
moved the ball off-center.

"Where you put it doesn't matter," Genie said. She handed him the white cue ball. "Put this one

anywhere you want."

Josh studied her closely for a few moments, then said in a voice that now held resolve, "You're

going to pocket that ball, aren’t you?"

"That's the idea, but it's not 100%." Genie picked up the cue stick, and while circling the table

slowly, she said, "Subconscious-competence allows you to do things without having to logically plan
in advance every muscle that needs to be activated to do it, like when you're jumping rope. You've
practiced it over and over so your subconscious mind has the routine down. You only have to make
the conscious decision to do it and your body, guided by your subconscious mind, takes over. It's like
you're on automatic pilot, except that before the body can go on automatic pilot it has to be trained. A
beginning pool player can't just aim and shoot. The moves have to be programed into the
subconscious mind, and that takes time and practice, like jumping rope." She bent over the table and
shot, and the cue ball sent the object ball bouncing off a side rail and rolling toward a side pocket,
where it dropped in."

"I don't get it," Josh said. "You didn't even plan the shot."
"I didn't have to," Genie replied. "I turned it over to my subconscious and let it take over. The

subconscious mind only requires four factors. First, a desire from the conscious mind that creates a
goal; second, trusting signals from the conscious mind such as following instincts; third, allowing the
subconscious mind to learn and train itself for achieving the goal by making mistakes that aren't
judged; and forth, getting out of the way and letting the subconscious mind take over." She took

another ball from the rack and handed it to him. "Go ahead, put it anywhere you want, but I have the
option of placing the cue ball anywhere I want behind the head spot."

Josh took the ball from Genie, and after studying the table and the pockets, he placed the ball

right up against the rail at the end of the table and stepped back. "Go ahead," he said. "I want to see
how you'll do this shot."

Genie shrugged and replied, while circling the table, "I'll do what I did with the last shot… start

by setting a mental goal of refusing to aim before I shoot, then drawing a mental path between the ball
and the pocket, and shooting. Dad had Dimitri and me practicing this at home like other kids practiced
for music lessons. The first time I made a shot I thought it was luck, but when I started doing it
consistently I began to have faith, which got me into the second factor that the subconscious mind
needs, which is trust. Once I began to follow my instincts, my subconscious mind trained itself for my
goal, which was shooting without aiming. When I began making tougher and tougher shots without
effort, I was into the forth factor, which was getting out of my own way. But all the time you're
programing your subconscious mind, you have to keep reminding yourself not to aim."

She bent over the table and shot the cue ball, sending it slowly down the table to graze the object

ball, which trailed along the end rail at a snail's pace and dropped into a corner pocket.

"I want to see you do that again," Josh said, his voice a blend of challenge and impatience, a man

who didn't like not having all the answers, Genie concluded.

"Fine then, place another ball."
Josh took an inordinate amount of time to place the ball, but when Genie bent down to shoot, she

felt a little ripple of doubt. She'd managed to tune Josh out on every other shot and allow her
subconscious mind to take over, but now she was all too aware of the man standing not more than a
few feet from her. It was almost a pulsating thing, feeling his presence. To counter it, she sighted in,
taking extra time to align her cue stick with the cue ball, which went against everything she'd just told
him about not aiming, and when she shot, the cue ball hit the object ball off mark, sending it
rebounding off the rail at the wrong angle and rolling to a halt a few inches from the pocket. When she
looked at Josh, he was smiling.

She shrugged. "I told you it wasn't 100%. One trap you can fall into when applying subconscious

competence is to suddenly start doubting it and try to control it instead of letting the mind take over.
That's what just happened."

"What made you start doubting?" Josh asked.
"Your presence," Genie replied then wondered why she'd admitted it.
The glint of understanding had Josh asking, "Me in particular, or anyone?"
As Genie looked into a pair of dark, perceptive eyes, she found herself saying, "You."
Realizing she'd revealed more than she'd intended, and not wanting to explain further, she placed

a ball on the table, and said, "In a nutshell, mentally draw a line between the object ball and the
pocket—" with a shaky finger she indicated an imaginary line "—then extend the line past the object
ball and imagine where the cue-ball needs to hit and draw a mental line from that to the center of the
object ball."

She hoped she was making sense, but her mind was divided between what she was trying to say

and the fact that Josh had a slight smile on his lips, and his eyes held a gleam that told her he knew he
was rattling her, which made her heart quicken.

Returning her attention to the table, she continued with, "Then the next thing is to umm… line both

feet and the… umm… cue along the line of the ball—" which she thought she did "—then go down for
the shot. If you're … lined up correctly you don't have to… have to… adjust your aim any further. Just

look at the cue ball and the object ball and make the shot…"

Before she could shoot, she felt the cue stick slipping from her hands, and Josh was around

behind her where he took her arm and pulled her around and kissed her.

When their lips met, Genie was too stunned to do anything but kiss him back, all the while

wondering what on earth was happening to her that made her want to kiss him the way she was, while
also questioning how his lips could feel so familiar and comfortable on hers, like maybe they
belonged there, and she had no will to dislodge the muscular arms from around her, and the whole
untimely kiss should not be taking place in the middle of the lodge because…

Guests! She broke the kiss immediately and looked around the room.
"They're all gone," Josh said. "They left some time ago."
Genie scanned the empty room and wondered how she'd failed to be aware of the guests leaving.

Looking at Josh, whose hands were clasped together behind her waist, she said, "Why did you do
that?"

Josh eyed her with amusement. "Because you wanted me to."
"How could you possibly draw that conclusion when I was playing pool?"
"You weren't playing pool just before I kissed you," Josh said. "You were distracted and

unfocused and trying to tell me something, and making no sense." He released her and handed her the
cue stick. "Now you can go back to what you were trying to say when I interrupted you."

Genie had not yet recovered from the feel of Josh's lips on hers and the closeness of his arms

around her, and she knew her hands were too shaky to shoot, so she licked her lips to stop the tingling,
drew in a long, slow breath to clear her mind, and said, "The way it works is that over time you begin
to get a gut feeling that tells you whether or not you'll make the shot. You'll just look at the pocket,
look at the ball, wait for the yes in your head, and shoot. It's an intuitive gut thing that takes time to
develop. I felt it just before I missed that last shot, but I didn't take the time to realign myself and have
faith in my subconscious."

"And I think you missed because that intuitive gut thing you're talking about was telling you that a

man in the room wanted to kiss you and your subconscious mind was telling you to go ahead." This
time Josh took the cue stick from her hand and hung it in the rack.

"I thought you wanted to learn how to run four balls," Genie said.
"I did," Josh replied, "but I can think of better things to do with our time right now."
When he started toward her, Genie backed away while saying, "I don't know what you have in

mind but that was a pretty reckless thing for us to do."

"Reckless?" Josh said. "We kissed."
"Yes, but it's reckless when it doesn't mean anything."
"It meant something to me."
"Sure, you're a man and men like getting things going with women, but I have a little sister to

raise, and going around kissing men can't be a part of it."

Josh walked up to her, and this time Genie didn't move when he curved his hands over her

shoulders, looked at her steadily, and said, "I don't go around trying to get things going with women. I
kissed you because it's been coming on since I was in the hospital. I'm also aware that you have a
little sister to raise, which is why I want to take her riding tomorrow and be the one to give her her
first riding lesson. Can that be a part of raising Abby?"

"I don't know," Genie said.
"Then I'll answer for you. Right after dinner I'll have a horse saddled for you, and Abby will ride

in front of me, and we'll ride to the box canyon so you and Abby can see the petroglyphs, but on the

way I'll take you to a spot where you'll see a view you won't soon forget."

Josh moved toward her, like he was going to kiss her again, but before he could, Genie ducked

her shoulders from beneath his palms, and said, "I need to get back to the house."

"Then we're on for tomorrow?" Josh asked.
"Well, yes, I suppose so," Genie replied.
When she turned to leave, Josh called after her. "Incidentally," he said, "that shirt looks good on

you. You're beginning to look like a ranch girl."

Genie laughed. "At least you're not telling me I look like Nurse Ratched in western wear."
Josh smiled in amusement and said nothing more.
It wasn't until Genie was approaching the house that the impact of what Josh had said a few

minutes earlier hit her. He'd kissed her because it had been coming on since he was in the hospital,
which made no sense. She'd thought she'd made herself clear, even while she'd wanted to do exactly
what they'd just done, so it seemed he was an unusually perceptive man. He also wanted to be the one
to teach Abby to ride and even asked if that could be a part of raising Abby, almost as if he was
asking if he could be a part of raising her.

So, it seemed, Josh was living the same pipedream as she, a pipedream that attempted to morph

two diametrically opposed lifestyles into one, which wasn't going to happen. But she would allow
Josh to teach Abby to ride. He was experienced on a horse, and it wouldn't be right to deny Abby that
simple pleasure. Besides, she'd been curious about the petroglyphs since her last visit, she reasoned,
and tried not to analyze beyond that.

***

After dinner the following day, instead of leading a horse, Josh arrived at the house with

Ferdinand walking behind like a well-trained dog, except that Ferdinand was a Brahma bull with a
saddle on his back and a bridle on his big gawky head. Genie hadn't mentioned anything to Abby
about riding because she hadn't been around Josh enough to know if he was the kind of man who made
promises in all sincerity but was subject to reneging if something better came up. Their father had a
tendency to do that, though not because he had a change of plans, but because his agent did the
booking and shows often conflicted with plans their father made with his kids, not being able to be
with Abby on her fourth birthday being an example. But seeing Josh and Ferdinand heading toward
the house, Genie poked her head into the kitchen, where Abby was helping Gwama Ruuf with the
dishes, and said to her, "Abby, honey, Josh is coming to teach you to ride, and then he's taking us to a
place where pictures are painted on a big rock."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Abby cried, as she ran out the kitchen.
Genie stepped onto the porch, with Abby right behind, and as Josh approached, she said, "I

thought we'd be riding horses."

"We will," Josh replied, "but I want to take Abby around on the lead line first and let her get used

to being in a saddle." He turned to Ferdinand, who'd stopped when he stopped, then touched the bull
on the rump and said, "Ferdinand, sit."

Ferdinand blinked a couple of times, slowly lowered his haunches to the ground, and eyed Josh

in expectation. Josh reached into his pocket and gave him an alfalfa nugget.

Abby giggled, then said to Josh in an excited voice, "Can I get on Ferdan now?"
"You can as soon as we put a helmet on your head." Josh lifted a child's helmet off the saddle

horn and slipped it onto Abby's head and fastened the chin strap. "You look like a real bull rider

now," he said. "They wear helmets too."

Abby glanced back at Genie and smiled, and when Genie looked at Josh, he winked, which had

Genie's heart accelerating, while at the same time suppressing the comment she was prepared to make
about him glorifying bull riders in Abby's mind.

"Okay, up you go," Josh said to Abby. He lifted her onto the saddle and positioned her feet into

the stirrups. "Hold the saddle horn while Ferdinand gets up."

After Abby grasped the horn with both hands, Josh said, "Ferdinand, up."
Giving a low, throaty grunt, Ferdinand raised his haunches and stood.
Abby looked at Josh, eyes bright with excitement, and said, "I did it! I'm widing Ferdan."
Josh looked at her in amusement. "Okay honey, now we're going to play Simon says. Do you

know that game?"

Abby looked at Josh, brows drawn, and said, "Is it like Hawwy says?"
Josh glanced over at Genie, who shrugged, and replied, "Dad's version of Simon Says, but

instead of Simon it's Harry Houdini."

Josh got a little half-smile. "Okay then, Harry says, stretch your arms out like an airplane." He

splayed his arms out, and Abby released the horn and did the same. "Good job," Josh said, drawing a
wide grin from Abby.

While Josh continued playing Harry Says, Abby followed his instructions by twisting her waist

with her arms out, and touching Ferdinand's rump and his neck, and making scissor kicks with her
legs, and swinging both feet forward then backward.

Genie watched the expressions on both faces. Abby was clearly enthralled with Josh, and from

her intense look, she was listening carefully to what he was asking her to do. And Josh's face showed
a combination of amusement and affection, like this little girl who'd wandered into his life was
important to him now.

"Okay, honey," Josh said, "I want you to pick up the reins, which are these leather straps, and

hold them so they're in a straight line from Ferdinand's mouth to your hands, and we'll take a walk, but
you have to listen carefully to what I say."

"Is Hawwy gonna tell me things again?" Abby asked.
"No, I'll be telling you from now on because I'm going to be the one to teach you to ride, so you'll

need to forget Harry and listen to me, okay?"

Abby bobbed her head and waited.
"Okay, give Ferdinand a little kick and tell him to walk," Josh instructed.
Abby looked at Ferdinand's big head, and said, "Walk."
On command the bull started off, or maybe he did because Josh was walking in front and holding

the lead line, Genie figured. But for a huge, hump-back bovine that weighed upwards of two-thousand
pounds, he was amazingly docile, and she wondered at the incongruity that this same breed, by nature,
could easily kick, gore, crush, or trample a person to death.

After Josh led Abby around a few more times, he said to her, "You're ready to ride a horse, so

let's head for the barn and turn Ferdinand out and go get saddled up."

"Am I a cowgirl now?" Abby asked.
"You're on your way," Josh replied.
In the barn, Josh removed Ferdinand's tack, and after he'd turned him out into the pasture, they

headed to the stable. With Abby running ahead, Josh said to Genie, "She's got good balance and she's
smart. Given a couple of months and she'll be riding like she was born on a ranch. They learn fast at
that age."

"That's all well and good," Genie replied, "but we're leaving here in three weeks."
"Then you're going back to work," Josh said, in a glum voice.
"I don't know," Genie replied. "I'm still trying to decide."
"Would you consider going to a rodeo?"
Genie eyed Josh with curiosity. "What made you bring that up?"
"The Pine Grove Rodeo's coming up in three weeks. Jeremy's entered in bull riding and I'm one

of the bullfighters. I'm also entered in the freestyle bullfighting competition and I'd like you to be
there. You've formed an opinion about rodeos but you've never been to one. They might not be as bad
as you make them out to be."

"I've been to a rodeo," Genie replied."
"When?"
"Last week."
Josh looked askance at her. "Why?"
"I, umm… went with friends. They talked me into it," Genie replied.
"Which rodeo?"
Genie looked at Josh with a start. She hadn't intended to bring it up. It just slipped out. "The…

umm… one near where you live."

"St Paul?" Josh asked.
Genie nodded vaguely.
"How did you think I did?" Josh asked.
Genie looked at him, baffled. "Your name wasn't on the program and I didn't see you anywhere."
"That's because I wasn't there," Josh said.
"Then why did you ask what I thought of you?"
"To see what you'd say." Josh eyed her with amusement. "The only reason you went was to see

me."

"That's just not so," Genie replied. "I told you I went with friends."
Josh grinned. "If Abby wasn't around I'd kiss you, and we'll pick this up later."
"No, we won't," Genie said, but Josh had already stepped up his pace and was catching up with

Abby, who he scooped up from behind and lifted onto his shoulders.

Giggling, Abby grabbed his head and turned and gave Genie the widest grin yet, and Genie knew

there was big trouble ahead when it would come time to leave, and maybe the trouble wouldn't just be
with Abby.

It was a sobering thought, not wanting to leave a man whose profession tempted fate, while her

profession picked up the pieces when fate turned on such men, men like Cal, who'd promised her the
world and ended that world by flipping head over cycle in front of her eyes, a scene that replayed in
her mind for months. It wasn't until she was caring for Josh in the hospital that she was finally able to
put Cal aside. But then, another scene began to emerge, one of a bull goring a man who was slowly
making his way into her heart, and she didn't know what to do about it.

CHAPTER 6

Josh sat on his horse with Abby in the saddle in front of him. From his vantage point lay a wide

canyon with steep-sided buttes, and a view that stretched as far as the eye could see. Looking at
Genie, who sat on her horse beside him, he said, "So, what do you think?"

"It's breathtaking," Genie replied. "I had no idea it was so beautiful here."
"It took me a couple of months to get used to this country," Josh said, gazing across the vast

openness. "Back home we have mountains covered with evergreens so you have to get to the top to
see the view, but here, every turn in the trail brings a new vista. I guess I have the wanderlust in me
because I have the itch to see what's around every bend and over every butte. There's a lot of open
land out there to explore."

"Would you want to keep moving and exploring if you could?" Genie asked.
"If I didn't have to make a living, yeah, I'd probably want to do that," Josh replied. "I guess we

males would just keep wandering aimlessly around if you females didn't plant our boots in the soil
and force us to put down roots."

"Then you have no desire to settle down?" Genie asked, looking askance at him.
Josh met her gaze. "I don't think any man does, except maybe my brother, Adam. His boots are

planted firmly in Dancing Moon soil and it would take a bulldozer to pry them loose."

"And Ryan? Do you think he still has the wanderlust?"
Josh laughed. "Not any more. Annie clipped his wings but good."
"And you just want to trail along after rodeos, no wish for a home or family?" Genie asked.
Josh eyed her curiously. That question coming from most females meant they were nest building

and the guy the question was aimed at better set things straight or find himself trapped. He'd been
there twice, and each time, the woman he thought was right for him because she didn't have issues
with bullfighters or following the rodeo circuit, dumped him for bull riders. But Genie made it clear
that rodeo cowboys need not apply. "Maybe after I've run out of bends and buttes and rodeos I'll be
ready to settle down," he said.

"Then it's good you're single so you can follow your dream." Genie returned her attention to the

panorama, and as Josh looked at her firm profile, he could imagine having her in his life on a daily
basis, something he hadn't expected. The thought was a little disconcerting.

Feeling a small hand on his chin, he looked down at Abby and saw her peering up at him with big

trusting brown eyes that told him he was important to her, and he felt a strong sense of protection, the
way Adam said it was when he'd first learned that Jesse was his son.

As they rode along the high range, Josh found himself thinking about his brothers and their wives

and what they'd gone through to become a family. Adam wanted Emily above all else and would have
given everything he owned to have her. He'd even staked his life on getting her and was prepared to
fight to the death a man who was trained to kill, a man far superior in strength to Adam because he'd
trained himself to be that way. And Marc, who'd been following digs into the jungles of Mexico and
had his heart set on uncovering mounds in Central America, quit it all for a woman, and seemed
content living in a house with Kit and an imp of a little girl who Marc would lay down his life for in a
heartbeat. And for Annie, Ryan quit his dream of making it to the National Finals. Yet each time his
brothers gave up their dreams for women, Josh lost a little respect for them. Now, he could
understand it some. Not completely—with his brothers and their women it seemed an all-or-nothing

choice—but having done that, his brothers seemed happier and more fulfilled than ever…

Something crawling on his chin had him swatting at it, only to hear Abby giggling. He looked

down to find her palm up and her fingers wiggling, like an upside-down crawly bug had just tickled
him. He grabbed her hand, kissed the tip of each little finger, and said, "I kissed the big bug's feet this
time but next time I'll gobble then down."

Abby laughed and rested back, and when Josh felt her small body against him and saw her little

hands wrapped around the saddle horn, he realized how completely helpless she was. Impulsively he
curved his hand over hers and kept it there.

After crossing over the high rangeland, Josh said to Genie, "Ahead is a break in the rim and a

trail that takes us down through a number of switchbacks. It's easy going, and Dewey's a good trail
horse. Are you okay with it?"

"I'm fine," Genie replied. "Maybe by the time I leave here I'll know what I'm doing."
"You'll know," Josh said. "I'll make sure of that." In fact he had some long-range plans for these

two sisters, plans that included a pony, one Abby could ride and groom. At the Dancing Moon was the
perfect fit. Fancy was a cross between a miniature horse and a Welsh pony, and she stood thirty-eight
inches at the withers. Grandma Maureen gave her to Maddy for Maddy's third birthday so she'd have
a kid-size horse. At the time, their dad was opposed to the idea, insisting Maddy learn to ride on a
standard horse, but before long, Fancy was a member of the family, and Maddy brushed her, and
groomed her and all but took her to bed with her.

Fancy was still there for kids to brush, but the Dancing Moon could do without her for a while.

He'd talked to Adam about it the night before, and Adam agreed to bring Fancy the morning of Abby's
birthday and pick up a bull their father bought from Matt. Adam would have Jesse with him too, and
Seth and Gabe and Deke's wives could bring some of their younger grandchildren. He'd also buy
Abby a cowboy hat and her first pair of boots. Maybe Abby's father was too busy to be there, but
Abby would have a party with kids and presents and balloons and a clown. He couldn't help smiling,
just imagining Abby's face…

"What's so funny?" Genie asked.
Josh looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"You were riding along and smiling. I'm curious to know why. Or maybe I shouldn't ask."
"It's okay," Josh said. He gave Abby's shoulder a little jiggle. "We're going to have a birthday

party for Miss Abbydabby, and there will be kids and balloons, and a clown, and Abby and Grandma
Ruth can bake the prettiest birthday cake in Harney County."

"Yeah!" Abby cried. Tipping her head back, she looked up at Josh, and the grin across her face

said it all.

But when Josh looked at Genie, he didn't see the response he'd expected. Instead, she looked

disturbed. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"Not intentionally," Genie replied, "but you should run things past me first before making plans

for Abby. I have some concerns, which we need to talk about, in private."

"Suit yourself," Josh replied. "I'm just trying to fill in where someone else in her life isn't."
"That's what we need to talk about," Genie said.
Josh had no idea what this was all about. Filling in for Sebastian the Illusionist, or whoever the

man held himself out to be, wasn't something that should ruffle Genie's feathers, though he decided to
err on the side of caution and not say anything about the pony or Abby's hat and boots and let them be
part of a birthday surprise.

"Can Ferdan come to my party too?" Abby asked.

"Sure," Josh replied. "He'll be bringing the clown."
Abby clapped excitedly. "It's gonna be a weal party."
When Josh looked at Genie, she too was smiling. He didn't know if she was coming to terms with

him as a substitute father for the day, or if it was because Abby's joy was contagious, but man that
smile had his heart revving up some. It also had him wanting to pull Genie into his arms and have her
kiss him the way she had at the lodge, something that could become addictive, just as having the little
half-pint cowgirl in front of him in his life could become addictive.

Seeing the break in the rim of the butte, he said to Genie, "We're about to start downhill so heels

down, and brace your feet in your stirrups. About two-thirds of the way down we'll tie up and hike
the rest of the way. There's a foot path that winds its way down to the main canyon, and from there it's
only about a five-minute walk to the box canyon with the petroglyphs."

Genie glanced up at the early evening sky, and asked, "Will we be back before dark?"
"Sure," Josh replied. "We still have a couple hours of daylight left and we're less than an hour

from the ranch."

A few minutes later they started down the trail. Josh frequently looked back to see how Genie

was doing and saw that, not only was she keeping her balance in the saddle, she seemed at ease on the
horse as they made their way downhill. After tying the horses, they headed down the foot trail, with
Abby ahead, picking stalks of wild rye and other weeds along the way.

When Abby was out of earshot, Genie said to Josh, "I know you meant well in planning a party,

but you need to talk to me before making plans that include Abby. She's getting far too attached to you
and it will be hard on her when we leave. Just last night she said she wants to stay here with you and
Ferdinand forever."

"I don't see a problem," Josh said. "Annie's your half-sister so you'll be coming back."
"Abby's not talking about staying with Annie," Genie said. "You're starting to fill the void left by

our father because of unforeseen circumstances. When Mom was alive, Abby had a fulltime father.
Dad loves her and she loves him, but that life's no longer an option. Dad and I promised Mom we'd
do right by Abby by my settling in one place so Abby can attend a regular school instead of travelling
around the country on a bus."

"It's just a birthday party," Josh groused, but realized it was much more than that. He wanted to

fill the void left by Abby's father. He had no idea where he'd go from there, but at this particular
moment in time it was important to him that a little girl who'd just lost her mother, and had an
absentee father, have a smile on her face that one important day.

Genie looked at him, and said, with concern, "I didn't mean to get after you for doing something

nice for Abby, and you're right about it just being a party, but after that, please run things by me first."

"After the party it won't matter," Josh said, "because my off hours will be taken up with

conditioning for upcoming rodeos and going to buckouts at a ranch near Pine Grove."

Genie eyed him with curiosity. "What's a buckout?"
"It's where bucking-bull stock contractors rent their bulls to bull riders and bullfighters for

practice sessions," Josh replied. "The upcoming rodeo's an NPRA-sponsored event, so I want to
make a good showing in the freestyle bullfighting competition."

"Freestyle bullfighting competition?" Genie said, looking at him blankly.
"Basically what it boils down to is spending seventy seconds with a bull that's intent on killing

you while you egg him on so you can get as close as possible without getting hooked," Josh replied,
then realized he'd just set off a keg of Nurse Ratched dynamite.

"That's absolutely insane," Genie said, as predicted. "And it's exactly what I said before about

you and your brothers having no sense of self preservation."

"Maybe it's insane from your viewpoint," Josh said, "but it's not to the committee of bull riders

and stock contractors that selects the bullfighters for the National Finals and other pro rodeos. They
watch the way we work around bulls and judge us on how we protect the riders. At the upcoming
rodeo there will be a bull named Trouble Ahead that's one of the rankest bulls on the circuit and I
want a crack at him. He's also a bull Jeremy's hoping to draw."

Genie looked miffed with the whole conversation, but she also looked confused, which she

affirmed when she asked, "Why would either of you want to face a smelly bull?"

Josh laughed. "Rank doesn't mean smelly, it means the bull's an aggressive, mean-tempered

bastard who comes out of the chute like a spinning top and doesn’t wait for his hind feet to hit the
ground before he’s already pushing off his front feet for the next buck. "

"I'm sorry," Genie said in an impatient voice, "but I can't help thinking that the lot of you have

death wishes."

"None of us what to get hooked," Josh replied, "but a rank bull like Trouble Ahead would give

Jeremy the best chance for a high score and me a chance to do some serious bullfighting, which helps
my standing with bull riders."

Genie gave him one last Nurse Ratched look, then pursed her lips and said nothing, but the

perturbed look on her face said it all. She would not be hooking up with a bullfighter. And he didn't
intend to give it up.

The rest of the hike down was in silence, but on approaching the mouth of the canyon, Josh said,

"The canyon borders the Double J Ranch so if fences are down somewhere there could be a few stray
cattle."

"Would they be a threat?" Genie asked.
Josh shook his head. "They'd head back up the wash. There's a one-acre stock pond up there

that's fed by a stream and blocked by an earthen dam, and since that's the only water around this time
of year, the cattle tend to gather there."

When they entered the narrow mouth of a canyon that was faced on both sides with rock walls,

Genie said, "There's barely a trickle of water here."

Josh looked at a stream bed that made its way through the narrow mouth to the main canyon, and

said, "It's pretty dry this time of year, but there's a dug out area upstream from the petroglyphs that
might have enough water for Abby to wade."

"Maybe another time," Genie said. "I think we'd better see the petroglyphs and start back."
Following the rocky stream bed, they walked past a grove of poplars and willows, but just

beyond those Josh crouched beside Abby, and pointing toward the side of the canyon where red
images were visible on the face of the rock wall, he said to her, "Those are the rock pictures. They're
called petroglyphs and they were put there by people a long, long time ago."

Abby, seeming satisfied, looked down and said, "Can I make a castle out of rocks?"
Josh looked at Genie, who shrugged, and said, "Maybe for a few minutes, but then we need to

head back. Meanwhile I'll pick some poplar leaves for our leaf book."

While Genie was across the streambed picking leaves, and Abby was arranging rocks, Josh

looked toward the mouth of the canyon and remembered the day they'd driven Annie's band of Kiger
mustangs across the rangeland and into the box canyon to prevent them from being captured during a
helicopter roundup. They'd almost lost the herd that day, when in a panic, the horses headed for the
rim of the butte before he and Ryan managed to turn the band. It wasn't the stampede that held his
focus now but what happened after they'd contained the horses, when Annie threw herself into Ryan's

arms and cried like a baby, and Ryan closed his arms around her and stroked her hair. He'd known
Ryan had a thing for Annie, but it wasn't until that moment that he realized the hold Annie had on him.
Not an intentional hold. Annie was just Annie. It was the kind of hold that had Ryan giving up his
dreams for her…

"You want to help make my castle?" Abby asked.
Josh glanced down at Abby's circle of rocks and saw that there was more water than there had

been a few minutes before, which puzzled him. He looked toward the mouth of the canyon, but the
stream bed remained dry there, and if a flash flood had been triggered in the mountains miles away, it
would have to come from that direction. But as he watched Abby arranging rocks, the water where
she crouched was unquestionably growing wider. Figuring a spring on the hillside might have opened,
he looked up the wash and saw that rocks that had been dry five minutes before had trickles of water
cascading around them. Within seconds the flow of the water increased. And then it hit him.

"Run for high ground! The dam's going!" he yelled across the streambed to Genie.
Genie looked toward him like she didn't understand what he'd said, so he yelled louder, "The

dam on the stock pond! It's breaching! Get to high ground!"

The water was widening fast. Already it spanned the creek bed and was rising. Rushing for

Abby, he grabbed her around the waist and raced for the canyon wall. Grasping her hands he
maneuvered her around behind him and pulled her arms around his neck, and said, "Wrap your legs
around my waist and hold on. We're going up the hill." Abby clamped on, and with her legs and arms
wrapped around him, Josh launched himself onto a boulder. Grasping a fistful of roots he pulled
himself up, with Abby clinging to his back like a monkey, while moving from boulder to boulder as he
struggled to find his next handhold.

He glanced back momentarily to see Genie attempting to get up the opposite wall of the canyon

but not having the strength to pull herself up, and already water was up to her knees. Once high
enough to escape the rising water, he grabbed Abby's arms from around his neck and pulled her off
him, then removed his shirt, and said to her, "I'm tying you to a tree with my shirt so you'll be safe
while I go get Genie."

"No," Abby cried, while grabbing his legs.
Prying Abby's arms from around him, and ignoring her panicked cries, he braced her against the

tree so her back was to it and quickly wrapped his shirt around her and tied the arms together. "You'll
be safe," he said, then turned and raced back. But as he descended the sidewall of the canyon, he saw
that the water was up to Genie's waist and she had no place to go, so she remained trapped in front of
a steep wall with her arms around a tree, and was holding on for her life as the water rushed around
her, but he could see that she was slowly losing her grip.

And then came the sound he'd only heard about, like the rumble of thunder accompanied by the

loud rush of wind. He'd read that canyon walls could amplify sounds as water from a flash flood
rushed in, but he'd never imagined it could sound like a freight train.

Knowing he had only seconds to get to Genie before she could be swept away, he launched

himself into water that was black and swirling with debris, and struggling against the current,
maneuvered around limbs, and twists of roots, and matts of sage and other debris as he fought his way
toward Genie. Grabbing her arm, he tightened his hand around it and started for the opposite side of
the canyon while shoving his way through limbs and debris to get to where he'd scaled the canyon
wall with Abby, their only means of escape.

The water continued to rise as he fought his way across, while pulling Genie along with him, but

the current wasn't as strong as before. The water was also carrying with it greater masses of debris,

including huge limbs and vast tangles of roots, and he realized the reason the current had slackened
was because the mouth of the canyon was blocked, and in minutes the water could be fifteen feet high.
But the moment the dam of limbs and debris would give way to the deepening water, a current he'd
never be able to fight would be strong enough to carry them miles away.

Feeling strength he didn't know he had, he tugged himself, with Genie clamped against him,

through the debris-strewn water to where he'd scaled the canyon wall with Abby, but when he went to
release Genie's arm to help her up, she looked disoriented and confused. By now the water was up to
the top of the lowest bolder and rising, so dragging Genie's arm around his neck, he clamped his other
arm around her waist, and hanging onto her with all his strength, managed to get up onto the next
boulder up. Grabbing fistfuls of roots, he continued pulling himself and Genie upward, gradually
making his way to where the rocky canyon wall broke into a wide terrace before merging into a gentle
slope.

Once up on relatively flat land, he flopped onto his back, while holding Genie against him, and

tried to catch his breath. When he realized Genie wasn't moving, he looked over and saw that her eyes
were closed, and her head was turned sharply, like she was unconscious.

"Genie?" Her eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion then shut

them again.

"Honey, open your eyes," Josh said.
Again Genie opened her eyes, and this time she looked at him, bewildered. "I don't know what's

happening. My head…." Her eyes shut.

Josh saw a gash on her head and the dampness of blood where she'd been hit with moving debris.

"Don't close your eyes babe," he said. "You need to stay with me. Come on, keep those pretty eyes
open and talk to me."

Genie opened her eyes again, but this time Josh found himself looking into the eyes of someone

stricken with fear. Then her eyes sharpened, and she said in a frantic voice, "Abby! Where's Abby!?"

"Tied to a tree," Josh said. "Hold on, honey, I'm picking you up." With Genie in his arms, he ran

toward where Abby was tied to the tree, and when Abby saw them coming she reached out with both
hands and started crying hysterically, like the relief of seeing him released all her fears. After setting
Genie down, he rushed over to Abby and said, while untying the shirt, "Honey, you're okay, Genie's
okay, we're all safe."

Hastily he unwound his shirt from around Abby, then lifting her in his arms, he held her little

shaking body against him, and for a few minutes let her cry it out. Then carrying her over to where
Genie lay, he lowered himself to the ground, but when he set Abby beside him, she crawled up
against him and burrowed her head in the curve of his arm. Placing his hand on the side of her face, he
stroked her cheek and gave her a little kiss on the forehead, and she settled against him. On lying
back, he opened his other arm to Genie, who moved close against him. He felt brush and sharp prairie
grass digging into his bare back, and he wanted to go over to the tree where he'd tied Abby and get his
shirt, but he was too keyed up to do anything but lay with his arms around the two most precious
people in his life and stare up at the darkening sky while trying to let some of the adrenaline subside.

After some minutes had passed, he felt a palm gliding over his chest.
Turning his head, he looked at the beautiful, pale, wet, woman in the curve of his arm, who

looked back at him and said, "Thank you for saving Abby and coming back for me. You're an amazing
man."

Josh moved his arm further around Genie and she snuggled closer to him and tightened her arm

around his chest, like she needed to be in close contact with him after the terrifying ordeal.

For a while he lay silent while trying to figure out what to do next. They were on the wrong side

of a canyon filled with water, and they couldn't chance swimming across because at any time the
debris dam at the mouth of the canyon could break through and take them and a canyon full of water
with it, so the only way back was a long hike across the Double J Ranch, but before they'd get half
there it would be dark, and they had no flashlights. If it was only him, he'd hike back, but he wouldn't
leave Genie and Abby alone, and he couldn't take them with him. Genie got a hard enough hit on the
head to knock her out, which concerned him.

"How is your head?" he asked.
Genie raised her hand to her scalp above her temple, and replied, "I feel a big knot and my head's

throbbing."

"Then we'll stay here," Josh replied. "My guess is that the horses took off for the ranch when they

heard the dam burst, but if they didn't run off, when we don't return tonight, Matt and the others will
know something happened and come looking for us. I told them we were riding out to see the
petroglyphs so they know where we are. They just won't know if we survived when they find out
about the dam. Meanwhile, we'd better stay here and rest some until they find us."

Genie settled against him and closed her eyes, but he could see that she hadn't passed out again,

but was exhausted. He looked at Abby, who had her eyes tightly shut, like she wanted to block out the
world, and kissed her on the forehead, and said, "Think about your birthday party, honey, and try to
rest." She said nothing, but he could feel her relax against him.

Sometime later, as darkness began to close in around them, Josh heard Abby's easy breathing and

knew she was asleep, so he gave her another little kiss and cuddled her close. But when he turned to
Genie to do the same, she spread her palm against his chest and raised her lips to meet his. It was a
long, extended, open mouth kiss that stripped him of all logical reasoning, leaving his mind muddled
with thoughts of keeping this woman and her little sister in his life, he didn't know how long.
Maybe… forever. That thought was okay for now because tomorrow his mind would be clear again,
but between now and tomorrow would be a long, restless night.

CHAPTER 7

Genie awakened confused and disoriented, and with a throbbing headache. Still, she was certain

she'd heard a shrill whistle. After a few minutes, her mind began to focus on what had happened and
where they were. It was dark, but there was a half moon, and in the dim light she made out Josh
beside her. His arm was stretched out, like it had dropped away from her while he slept, but for the
longest time he'd held her close. She raised up slightly and saw that his other arm was still around
Abby, who was nestled against him with her head tucked into the hollow of his shoulder.

The whistle came again. Looking into the darkness, she was certain she saw lights bobbing up

and down. Placing her hand on Josh's chest, she shook him and said, "Wake up." Josh rolled his head
back and forth, like he was coming out of a deep sleep, so she shook him again.

This time he raised his head, glanced around, and seeing her, said, "What's going on?"
"Out there," Genie pointed. "Lights. I think they've come looking for us. I heard whistles."
Josh eased his arm from around Abby and pulled himself up. While standing and peering into the

night, he said, "Looks like two lights." Raising his thumb and index finger to his mouth, he let loose
with a high, shrill whistle that pierced through the night. Almost immediately, he received a whistle
response.

"It's Ryan," Josh said. "Stay here with Abby. I'm walking out to where they can see me." Again

Josh whistled, and again he got a response. "Helloooo," he called out. "Over here."

The lights were coming toward them faster now, and Genie heard hoofbeats. Moments later, the

forms of two riders, one leading a horse, emerged from out of the darkness.

Josh waved his arms and called out, "We're over here."
One rider was off his horse and racing toward Josh. And then she heard Ryan say, "You scared

the hell out of us."

Matt reined in and dismounted. "Is everyone okay?"
"Genie's got a bad knock on the head and Abby's pretty shaken, but otherwise we're fine," Josh

said. "Did the horses make it back?"

"Yeah," Matt replied. "They showed up about the same time CJ called to tell us the dam broke

and to stay out of the canyon. Someone in a private plane spotted it and reported it. Deke and Seth
took off on the trail to the canyon. They found the horses halfway between the canyon and the ranch.
Ryan and I brought along Mack. We weren't sure what we'd find here." He turned to Ryan. "I hope you
brought your cell because I left mine behind."

"I did." While Ryan was calling the men to let them know what was happening, Matt said to Josh,

"I've been after CJ to stabilize that dam. The thing's been seeping for months. Where are Genie and
Abby?"

"We're over here," Genie called out. "We're okay."
"Thank God." Matt turned to Josh. "I'll take Abby in front of me and you and Genie can ride

Mack. I didn't take the time to saddle him so you'll have to ride bareback."

"No problem," Josh said. "What time is it?"
"Around ten-thirty, I imagine. CJ called about nine-thirty and we started out right away."
"I guess we all drifted off some," Josh said. He walked over to where Genie was sitting with

Abby on her lap, and said to Abby, "Come on, honey, you're going for a ride with Grandpa Matt.
Genie and I will be right behind you." When he reached down, Abby raised her arms to him so he

could lift her out of Genie's lap then clamped her hands around his neck and buried her face against
his cheek, and said, in a muffled voice, "Will you stay wiff me?"

"Sure," Josh replied. "I'll be right behind you on a horse with Genie."
"Will you go away like Daddy does?" Abby asked.
When Josh didn't reply, Genie said, "Josh lives here, honey. He won't be going away." But even

as she said the words, Genie knew that, although she and Abby would be returning to the ranch to
visit Annie, Josh was only there for the short term.

It bothered her that Josh would probably be gone the next time they visited. She wanted him in

her life. The episode with the dam breaking was a life-changing experience for her, whereas what
Josh did was precisely who he was—a man who'd put someone else's life before his, which he did
every time he entered the rodeo arena.

For her, when the dam burst and she was clinging to a tree for her life and waiting to be swept

away, it was with the knowledge that Josh had carried Abby to safety, so in those terrifying minutes
while she was slowly losing the strength to hold on, she felt an odd sense of peace that Abby was
okay, and she was resigned to being swept away. And then, in the middle of a raging torrent of black
water swirling with debris, she felt Josh's hand on her arm...

"Here you go," Josh said, while handing Abby up to Matt. Abby settled in front of Matt, and Josh

walked back to where Genie was sitting on the ground. Reaching down he took her elbow in one
hand, and slipping his other hand into the hollow of her armpit, helped her up with amazing
gentleness, like she was fragile and he was afraid she'd break. It was a small thing, but it touched
Genie deeply. But when she stood, she had to grab onto Josh's arms for stability. "Are you doing okay,
honey?" he asked.

"Just a little dizzy," Genie replied.
"Can you stand by yourself while I go get my shirt?"
"Maybe." Genie shifted her hands from Josh's arms and braced them against his bare chest, and

for a few moments she became absorbed by the feel of warm, solid muscles against her palms. She
was no longer dizzy, but she didn't want to move away either. If it weren't for the fact that Matt, Abby
and Ryan were only a few feet away, she would have put her arms around Josh's neck and kissed him
in a way that would complicate her life significantly, because each time she kissed him she wanted to
kiss him more, and feel his arms around her, and remain there for long periods, maybe indefinitely…

And fantasizing over what she wanted and shouldn't have was foolish and reckless.
Removing her hands from Josh's chest, she said, "I'm fine now. All I need is a hot shower to get

all the crud off, a fistful of Tylenol for my head, and a good night's sleep."

"I'd take that headache from you if I could," Josh said. He squeezed her arm and left to get his

shirt. On returning, he tossed the reins over Mack's head and launched himself onto his back. After
scooting onto Mack's rump, he said to Ryan, "Give Genie a leg up. With that knot on her head I want
her in front of me where I can keep an eye on her."

Saying nothing, Ryan grabbed Genie by the waist and lifted her up to where Josh could pull her

the rest of the way. After maneuvering herself just behind Mack's withers, Genie sat up straight while
Josh shifted forward.

Curving his arms around her, Josh said close to her face, while sending little puffs of air against

her ear, "Lean against me and we'll take it easy on the way back."

After Genie was settled back, Josh said to Matt, "We're ready."
Matt snapped off the flashlight and he and Ryan urged their horses into a leisurely walk.
Tipping her head back, Genie said to Josh, "We're riding back in the dark?"

"Yes," Josh replied. "Light messes up a horse's night vision. They know the way back. Matt and

Ryan only used the flashlights to find us and catch our attention. Meanwhile, close your eyes and try to
sleep off that headache and we'll be home before you know it."

"I don't want to sleep," Genie said. "I like what's happening right now."
Josh tipped his head until his lips were close to Genie's ear, and said, "I'm not sure I'm getting

what you mean. You like riding bareback or you like it that we're on our way back?"

"Neither," Genie replied. "I like being where I am. Things are different now. You saved Abby

and risked your life for me and I'm a little overwhelmed. I feel things I don't want to feel and I don't
know what to do about it."

"You feel things for me?" Josh asked.
"I did from the start," Genie replied. "That's the part I'm having trouble with, but what I feel

doesn't have to impact you in any way because it's just feelings. They come and go."

"Oh man," Josh said. "You're hitting me with a lot of stuff I'm not ready for."
"I know," Genie replied. "I told you I was overwhelmed with what you did, but I also told you it

didn't have to impact you in any way. I just wanted you to know."

Josh lowered his head and kissed her temple, and Genie tipped her head, while saying, as he

kissed the side of face and along her neck, "I'm complicating things, and umm… I like that and…
tomorrow things will be back to normal."

"I hope not," Josh said. "I'm not ready for Nurse Ratched again. I'm enjoying this much more,

although there were some merits to my ice water bed bath, but maybe next time you could do what you
did before, but we could dispense with the ice packs, the water and the wash cloth."

"No, we can't," Genie said. "Abby needs stability in her life and what I'm doing right now is

foolish and it's getting you worked up, but tomorrow we'll start over."

"You know what?"
Genie turned her head slightly. "What?"
Josh kissed close to her lips. "You're sending me so damn many messages I'm having trouble

keeping up."

"I know," Genie replied. "I'm having trouble keeping up too. I'm saying things I'll regret

tomorrow, so maybe you'd better just ignore it and I'll be quiet."

"I have a better idea," Josh said. "Why don't you give this badass bullfighter a chance to show

you that I'm pretty good at what I do and we'll see where it takes us?"

"It will take us to bed," Genie replied, "and I'm not ready for that right now."
"Babe, you can't be telling me things like that."
"I know. I told you I'd regret what I'm saying, tomorrow. I'm being totally illogical."
"Okay," Josh said. "Let me try to lay things out in a logical way. You're telling me that

bullfighting's a badass profession but maybe the bullfighter isn't a badass man."

"The bullfighter is an amazing man," Genie replied. "That's the problem. But we've been all

through this before, and nothing's changed."

"Honey, everything's changed. You've just told me in five different ways that you've got a thing

for me, and I've had a thing for you from the day you walked into my hospital room and told me you
were my nurse, and you're a little overwhelmed because I did what any man with gonads would do,
and by tomorrow you'll have your head on straight, which means you'll come to the realization that I
did what any man with gonads would do, and I'll be back to being a badass bullfighter in a badass
profession. But while you'll have your head back on straight, I'll still be fantasizing over Nurse
Ratched, except now Nurse Ratched's telling me she wants to go to bed with me, and it's going to take

a hell of a lot of rope jumping, followed by a string of icy showers, to deactivate things."

"I hope Abby isn't too traumatized by what happened and that she'll soon forget it all."
"Is this a different conversation?" Josh asked.
"Yes," Genie replied. "I need something to take my mind off you jumping rope and taking icy

showers. I'll be glad when tomorrow comes."

"So will I," Josh said. "Maybe by then I'll find a way to get my head back on straight too."

***

Genie was surprised when Josh didn't stop by the following morning. She did learn from Ruth

that he'd asked about them, and when Ruth assured him that they were okay, he left. After two more
days went by, and Josh kept himself busy everywhere but in her vicinity, Genie knew he was avoiding
her, and with good reason. He'd been crystal clear about where he stood.

Maybe after I've run out of bends and buttes and rodeos I'll be ready to settle down…
"Knock, knock."
Genie looked up to find Annie standing in the doorway. "Come on in," she said.
"Are you okay?" Annie asked. "You didn't come down for breakfast."
"I think so." Genie reached up and felt what was now only a small lump with a tiny scab.
"Mom said to tell you that Dad's taking Abby for a horseback ride just around here, and after that

Mom and Abby will be collecting flowers for Mom to paint. Mom's been doing that for greeting card
companies for years and she thought Abby would enjoy the outing and learning about the wildflowers
around here. I hope it's okay. I told Mom I'd let her know if it wasn't."

"It's okay," Genie said. "It's actually a good thing. Abby was getting too fixated on Josh and it's

better that she shift her affections to your dad. Your folks are amazing. They've taken to Abby like
she's their true grandchild."

"They actually love it," Annie said. "Cody's special to them because he's mine, but Abby's

special to Mom because she missed that age with me, and Dad's just being a grandpa. He loves that
role. So what's going on with Josh?"

"I don't know what you mean."
"Yes you do. Ryan said he's not talking again, which happened the last time you were here and

again at the wedding when you left without telling him goodbye. So, what happened out there on the
hilltop after the dam broke?"

"Nothing," Genie said.
"Okay, you're not talking either, which means something big happened. You were out there

together a long time waiting for help. You two didn't—"

"Of course not," Genie said.
"Then you really meant it when you said nothing happened?"
"Well, actually a lot happened," Genie replied. "Josh saved our lives. He didn't give any thought

to himself. He just grabbed Abby and took her to safe ground and tied her to a tree then came back for
me and dove into water that was filled with debris and rising fast and had a current so strong it should
have carried him away."

"Then I don't understand why he's clammed up."
"Okay then, if you really want to know, I pretty much poured out my heart to him about how I've

felt from the start, and I also implied that I wanted to go to bed with him."

Annie looked at her, perplexed. "Then I don't understand why he's avoiding you. Ryan's been

saying all along that he's had a thing for you since his hospital stay, so why should he be keeping
himself scarce?"

"Because he feels a matrimonial noose tightening around his neck. After I told him how I felt,

suddenly he's everyplace but where I am, which is good I suppose, because it will give me a cooling
down period. I don't know what it is about that man that has me behaving the way I do, but I need to
get a grip on things. And why are you smiling?"

"Because I was right about you and Josh all along. You two are absolutely meant for each other

and the only people who haven't figured it out yet are you and Josh."

"You are so wrong about that," Genie said. "He's given no sign of deviating from his original

course which is to throw himself in front of bulls, and he knows how I feel about that. And since he
has no intention of changing course, to get me off his back he's decided he'd better get the hell out of
Dodge."

Annie laughed. "He'll be back. Trust me. I've gotten to know this man and he's as mixed up as you

are about all this, and like you, he doesn't know what to do about it. Actually, it's kind of amusing
when you're on the outside looking in. Ryan said Josh hasn't been this prickly since his last girlfriend
dumped him."

Genie eyed Annie with puzzlement. "Last girlfriend? Is having a string of girlfriends a pattern of

his?"

"Not really," Annie said. "Josh had a thing for the sister of one of his rodeo buddies, but she

wanted a commitment, and while Josh was trying to make up his mind she ran off with another rodeo
buddy. It was kind of a repeat with the next girl Josh liked. Both times it happened Josh was pretty
hard to be around. The problem is, when women start pressuring him for a commitment he backs off
and the women find men who aren't afraid of commitment. It will change when Josh finds the right
woman, which he has, but neither of you know it yet. When you two work out the details everything
will be fine."

Genie gave an ironic laugh. "There's just one small factor you left out in this exercise in futility. I

have a little sister who comes first, and she needs a fulltime dad who'll be around when she needs
him, and I want a husband who'll be around when I need him. Actually, I need to restate that. I'm not in
the market for a husband at all right now because I still haven't figured out what I want to do with my
life, and now I have just a little over two weeks to decide."

Annie reached out and placed her hand over Genie's, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make

light of this. I know you're going through a bad time with losing your mother and trying to decide
about your job and having Abby to raise. I just hope you'll give Josh a chance."

"A chance for what?" Genie asked.
"I don’t know. Maybe to prove he can follow his dream and have you too. He really is good at

what he does. You need to watch him. Not all rodeo clowns get banged up. There's one who's been
doing it for forty years and he loves what he's doing."

"That coming from a woman who wouldn't marry a man unless he gave up bull riding is a little

ironic, don't you think?" Genie said.

"That's completely different," Annie countered. "Every time a bull rider is bucked off he runs the

chance of being trampled, or gored, or crushed beneath the bull."

"And you don't think it's the same for the bullfighter?" Genie said. "They throw themselves

between the cowboy and the bull, and Josh would do whatever it takes to protect the cowboy, even if
it means getting trampled in the dirt. That's what sent him to my hospital."

"Okay then, we've come full circle," Annie said. "And maybe you're right. Maybe it's just that I

want you here, and Ryan wants Josh here, and we're throwing two people together who are a
mismatch, so why don't we set Josh aside for now and go for a leisurely horseback ride to the hot
spring where we can soak in the pool. It's very therapeutic."

"Maybe you're right," Genie said. "I was sitting here thinking that maybe it's time we leave, but

Abby's party is coming in a few days and it would be selfish of me to take her away from that, and I
still haven't made up my mind about my job. Maybe sitting in the hot spring pool can help clarify
things, and maybe it will take my mind off Josh. It's really kind of pathetic the way it is with me over
him. He's just a guy who's put together especially well, and there are lots of guys like that, ones who
don't have a fixation on bulls. Do I need a bathing suit?"

"No, we can sit in our underwear. It dries fast."
"Okay then, let's go."
They turned out of the bedroom into the hallway, but when they started down the stairs to the

living room, Genie was shocked to see Josh standing by the front door, looking her way, like he was
waiting for her, which he affirmed, when he said, "We need to talk."

"About what?" Genie asked.
Josh's gaze darted to Annie, then back to Genie. "We'll talk about that when we talk." Which

clearly meant whatever he had to say wasn't for Annie's ears.

"Okay, I know when I'm not wanted," Annie said. "Adios." She scampered down the stairs and

out the front door, leaving Genie staring at Josh.

"Let's go to the barn where we can talk in private," Josh said.
"You still haven't told me what we need to talk about?"
"Us."
"This is a very bad idea," Genie said. "It took three days for me to get my head screwed on

straight after all the things I told you, and if we talk in the barn, you know as well as I that we won't
just talk, and afterwards you might not disappear again for three days so I can straighten myself out
again."

"I think I have a solution to this thing we have for each other."
"What? I go back to nursing and you go back to the Dancing Moon Ranch for good?"
"Would that solve things?" Josh asked.
"It would for me," Genie replied. "I'm still undecided about nursing, but with you back at the

Dancing Moon Ranch I'd no longer be distracted, and maybe I'd be able to make up my mind. You do
know you've been a distraction, don't you?"

"That's why I gave you three days… and me," Josh replied. "Come on." He turned and started

across the front porch, and even though Genie knew she should make a statement by turning in the
opposite direction and heading up the stairs, she followed after Josh, who didn't touch her or talk to
her the entire way from the house to the barn. But once inside the shadowy interior, he pulled her into
his arms and kissed her hard, and she responded by combing her fingers into his hair and kissing him
back, and molding her body against his while curving one leg around his calf. It was as if she couldn't
get enough of him, and he responded in the way any man would respond to a woman who was
practically crawling up him—hands moving over her body and a kiss that seemed to have no end.

When they finally had to stop for air, Josh said, "That's the way I figured it would be."
Genie looked at him, perplexed. "Why, because I told you I had a thing for you during the ride

back from the canyon?"

"No, because we've got some kind of chemistry going and I wanted to test and see if it was all in

my head. It's not. You put as much into that kiss as I did."

"Is that why you brought me here," Genie asked, "to run a test?"
"In a sense," Josh replied. "I figure if we let this thing we have for each other run its course then

maybe we can get back to life as we knew it before."

"Maybe that would work for you," Genie said, "but for me there is no getting back to life as I

knew it before, because during the before, I had a mother and a father who loved and took care of
Abby, and even though I was a little disillusioned with my job, I could handle it. Mom getting sick
and dying changed everything, and now my goal is to pick up all the pieces and put them back
together, but in a different arrangement, and Abby is a big part of it. Besides that, sleeping with a man
while the relationship runs its course doesn't work for me."

Josh stared at her, but during his silence Genie could see the muscles bunching in his jaw, like he

was grinding his teeth, and his lips were compressed, like he was trying to hold back a response, and
the intensity of his eyes had definitely deepened.

The long stretch of strained silence was broken when they heard someone running toward them.

Genie looked back to see Abby, who rushed into the barn and up to Josh with her arms raised. "You
came back!" she cried.

Josh picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and

clinging to him, she said, "You left like Daddy does. You said you wouldn't and you did." She tucked
her face into Josh's neck.

Josh rubbed her back, as he said, "It's a big ranch, honey, and I had a lot of things to do, but I

never left. I was still here on the ranch."

Abby raised her head and looked at him with tear-filled eyes, and said, "Then you won't ever,

ever go away?"

Josh looked over the top of Abby's head at Genie, who went to take Abby from Josh, but when

Genie took Abby by the upper arms, Abby shook her shoulders to dislodge Genie's hands and
clamped onto Josh's neck.

"Sweetie," Genie said, "Josh has a job that sometimes takes him off, just like Daddy does, and

even though they both want to be with you, they can't always be around."

Ignoring Genie, Abby looked at Josh, and said, "But you won't leave and you'll be at my party?"
Josh smiled, but Genie could tell it was a troubled smile. After a long pause, Josh replied, "Sure

I'll be there. You'll be turning four and that's too important to miss."

Abby smiled, and her eyes brightened with tears of happiness. Genie couldn't be sure, but Josh's

eyes looked brighter too—a man who was beginning to understand the impact he was having on a
little girl who was using him to fill a void in her life, and he was finding it a little overwhelming.

"Can you give me another widing lesson?" Abby asked.
"If Genie says it's okay," Josh replied, while peering over the top of Abby's head.
Looking at Abby's eager face, Genie said, "I thought you and Grandma Ruth were going to pick

flowers."

"It's okay," Ruth said, from just outside the barn. "Abby caught sight of Josh and headed straight

here. Collecting flowers has taken a back seat."

Abby raised her hands to Josh's face, sandwiching it between her small palms so he was looking

directly at her, and said, in a pleading voice, "So, you can teach me to wide now?"

"Okay partner," Josh said, "let's go saddle up Dewey." He lowered Abby to the ground and took

her by the hand. As they walked off, Abby glanced back at Genie, and all the worries of moments
before were gone, replaced by a smile that said it all. She had chosen the man she wanted in her life,
and in her child's mind she had no reason to believe Josh would not be there permanently. And Genie

was more troubled than ever.

CHAPTER 8

Josh cross tied Dewey between two posts and gave Abby a small brush they reserved for kids,

and said, "Okay, honey, we'll give Dewey a good brushing before saddling him."

Taking the brush, Abby looked up at Josh, and said, "Like when Genie bwushes my hair?"
"Yep, like that. So, you brush Dewey's front leg and I'll take care of the rest of him."
"Dewey's a gweat big horse," Abby said.
"He is that," Josh replied. "Pretty soon you'll have a small horse to brush, one that's not much

taller than you."

Abby stopped and looked up at Josh. "Will it be a weal horse like Dewey or a horse like Ali

Bongo?"

Josh looked at Abby, puzzled.
From her stance inside the doorway, Genie said, "Ali Bongo's a comedy magician."
Josh hadn't heard Genie enter and was surprised to see her. After their heated kiss in the barn just

before Abby rushed in, he wasn't sure what to expect next. He still had no idea where that kiss would
take them. "I thought Ali Bongo was a horse," he replied.

Genie took a few steps toward him, while saying, "His real name was William Oliver Wallace.

He dressed in Oriental clothes and wore gold, curly-toed slippers and had a turban on his head. One
of his tricks was to chase after a large silver ball that flew around the stage and try to bash it with a
mallet. Dad showed Abby a video of Ali Bongo's act, and Abby named her stuffed horse after him."

Josh eyed Abby, who was waiting for a response about the pony, then glanced at Genie and

wondered how much she'd heard. From the questioning look on her face, he knew she'd heard the
exchange and was waiting for an explanation. Looking at Abby, he said, "She's a real horse. A pony.
My brother's bringing her here for the party so you and the other kids can ride her."

Abby started jumping up and down. "We'll have a weal horse to wide."
"Honey," Josh said, "don't be jumping up and down near Dewey. You have to stay quiet around

horses so they stay quiet."

Abby stopped jumping and reached out and patted Dewey's leg and said, "I sowwy," then started

stroking with the brush again.

Josh glanced over at Genie, who was clearly waiting for further explanation about the pony.

Obviously she suspected there was more. "Okay," he said, deciding to chance facing another Nurse
Ratched dressing down. "The pony's name is Fancy, and Adam's bringing her here to stay for a while.
Abby needs a kid-size pony to groom and saddle. Fancy was Maddy's pony and she's as docile as
Ferdinand."

Abby started to jump up and down, then caught herself, and said, "Then I'll have a weal pony of

my own?"

"You will while you're here," Josh explained.
"Can I stay here forever?" Abby asked, while looking up at Josh.
Josh stroked her cheek with the pad of his finger. "Forever's a very long time, but before then

you'll grow up and do lots of things and this ranch will always be here for you to visit."

"I don't want to go away," Abby said. "I want to stay here wiff you and Fancy and Ferdan."
Josh glanced at Genie, who shrugged, and said, "You do have a problem."
"Yeah, well, we'll work on it." After Josh had saddled and bridled Dewey, he grabbed the child's

helmet and led Dewey into a corral and said to Abby, who had trailed along beside him, "You ready
to ride by yourself?"

"Like a weal cowgirl?" Abby asked.
"Yep, like a real cowgirl." Josh put the helmet on Abby then lifted her into the saddle.
While Josh walked alongside Dewey with Abby aboard, Genie stood outside the corral

watching, her arms folded across the top rail. A few moments later Ruth joined her.

"Abby has really taken to Josh," Ruth said.
"I know," Genie replied. "She misses Dad and she's latched onto Josh to fill the vacancy."
"How is your father?" Ruth asked.
Ruth's question caught Genie by surprise. She still had trouble imagining Ruth and her father in a

relationship, with Ruth happily married to a man who was about as far removed from Sebastian
Matthias as any man could be. She also hadn't expected to hear Ruth say anything that would draw
attention to the affair, such as it was.

"Dad's kind of in limbo right now," Genie replied. "He misses Mom and Abby. They used to

travel with him everywhere and now it's just Dad and his manager and driver on the bus, and a crew
of stagehands trailing along in other vehicles."

"Your father has a bus?" Ruth asked.
Genie nodded. "He bought it after he and Mom… umm… got together again after they had been

separated. His being away was what caused the problems."

After a very long stretch of awkward silence, Ruth said, "It's good the way things worked out.

Sebastian was never right for me, but he had a charismatic personality and was very handsome, and
before I knew it I found myself rushing headlong into something that never should have been. It's hard
to explain."

"Not so hard," Genie found herself saying.
Ruth gazed at her, and after a moment, she said, "I've noticed that you and Josh seem to be

attracted to each other."

"Josh saved our lives," Genie said.
"I know. He was afraid he was going to lose the two of you."
Genie looked at Ruth. "Josh told you that?"
Ruth nodded. "He was clearly disturbed."
Genie came close to telling Ruth that Josh was probably more disturbed by what happened

during the horseback ride back to the ranch than the rescue, but decided against it. In two weeks she
and Abby would be leaving so it was pointless to engage Ruth in a heart-to-heart discussion about
feelings she didn't understand herself.

When she said nothing, Ruth added, "You've done some riding now so you should go on the next

overnight. I'd love to look after Abby. Matt and I get such a kick out of her. She comes up with the
funniest expressions."

"I know. She cracks me up sometimes," Genie said. "I'm not sure about the overnight though. It

could be awkward."

Ruth looked at her, curious. "Awkward in what way?"
Genie sighed. She didn't know how much to get into with Ruth about Josh because she didn't even

know Ruth, but she did feel a connection to her, strange as that was. "It's just that with Josh, things are
a little uncertain right now."

"Love gets complicated," Ruth mused, "but the outing will do you good. So, you plan on going,

and Matt and I will look after Abby." Without waiting for a response, Ruth turned and left, and Genie

wondered what it was that made her feelings for Josh so transparent to Ruth. She'd said nothing about
loving Josh, only implied that there was something between them.

A few minutes later, Josh announced to Abby that the lesson was over. After he'd unsaddled and

unbridled Dewey and turned him out, Josh handed Abby a dog biscuit, and said, "If you give this to
Jeb, who's under the chuck wagon, he'll let you pet him." He pointed to where a large wagon was
parked off to the side of the stable.

Abby took the dog biscuit and scampered off, and Josh pulled Genie out of sight of the open

doorway and into his arms and kissed her, long and hard, and as before, she kissed him back, but with
even more passion than before. She had no idea what was coming over her. She'd never felt like she
was on the cusp of losing control, not even with Cal when they were engaged, but with Josh, there
was no talk of marriage, yet she felt like doing exactly what Josh suggested…

Why don't you give this badass bullfighter a chance to show you that I'm pretty good at what I

do and we'll see where it takes us…

But when Josh moved his hands down Genie's sides, and his thumbs followed the contour of her

breasts, she placed her hands on his wrists, and said, "I'm enjoying what you do far too much, and I
admit there's a chemistry between us, but we need to cool things down. I plan to go on the next
overnight, but only if I'm certain we won't go creeping off into the night to have a love fest under the
stars."

"No problem," Josh said. "I'll be way too busy to even think about creeping off for a love fest."

But the smile that followed told Genie a very different story. The problem was, the idea of making
love with Josh under the stars was an idea she was finding hard to set aside.

***

For the rest of the week, Genie and Abby spent time with Annie and her menagerie, as Ryan

laughingly called Annie's three ducks, who laid giant eggs, her two milk goats and their five kids, her
dozen laying hens and Quincy the rooster, and a single turkey named Benjamin, who would live out
his life there, all of which came running up to Abby when she shook the can of grain. It was one big
happy barnyard. They also spent time watching Ryan working the Kiger mustangs, and Abby got to
give grain to the hinnies, which Genie learned were a cross between a Kiger stallion and a female
burro. Annie managed to talk Ryan into purchasing five burros from the Bureau of Land Management,
to breed to their two Kiger stallions, in an effort to raise a line of Kiger hinnies with zebra markings
on their legs, and the first foal was a little hinny that Annie named June because that was the month
she was born.

On Annie's insistence that same week, Genie also tagged along on the trail rides with the guests,

while Annie looked after Abby. Although Genie felt the frustration of seeing Josh at the head of a
string of riders and not being able to talk to him or touch him, she was beginning to feel comfortable
on a horse. Josh matched her up with a big gentle bay named Chester, and she'd brushed him, and
saddled and bridled him like the guests were doing. She'd even trotted along with the rest of the
riders, which had her holding onto the saddle horn, and before the ride was over they did a short
canter, which had her again holding onto the saddle horn.

By the third day out, when they were up on a high hill and had stopped to see the view, Josh

broke from the front of the pack and rode back to where she sat on Chester, and said, "You need to let
go of the saddle horn and work on your balance."

"I don't know whether I'm ready to do that yet," Genie said.

"You're ready," Josh replied. Instead of turning and riding to the front of the pack, he sat silently

staring at Genie, long enough for her to say, "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Josh replied. "I'm having a hard time keeping my hands off you. It's frustrating having you

along and not being able to do that."

"I could skip tomorrow's overnight," Genie offered.
"Not an option," Josh said. "I have plans for that." He turned his horse and called to the riders to

follow, and as Genie took her place in line, all she could think of was having a love fest under the
stars, and that's the kind of thoughts she had to quash, permanently.

Shortly after dinner, when Genie didn't see Josh in the stable getting things ready for the

overnight, she figured he was in the barn jumping rope. Ever since his comment about having a love
fest under the stars, she'd been reconsidering going on the overnight. She and Josh were both geared
up for it, and she was setting herself up for heartbreak by allowing herself to continue on the same
course she had with Cal, so she decided it was safest to renege on the overnight and instead, spend
the time with Annie.

However, on stepping into the barn, instead of hearing music accompanied by the swish of Josh's

jump rope, she heard sounds like metal pounding against metal. She knew Josh was a farrier, but the
energy behind the pounding seemed excessive for shaping a horseshoe. She tracked the sound to a
large back room that appeared to be a vacated machine shed where, in the middle of the concrete
floor, stood what was in the process of becoming a life-size horse made out of horseshoes welded
together. Josh was standing at the anvil pounding on a shoe, but when she stepped into the doorway,
he caught sight of her and stopped and waited for her to speak.

Genie stared at the horse, which was welded to a metal framework base. It had high arches in its

neck and tail, and one front leg was raised. "This is beautiful," she said. "No one, including you, ever
mentioned you were an artist."

"I'm not," Josh replied. "Pounding horseshoes helps work off frustration when jumping rope for

an hour doesn't."

Genie circled the horse, both amazed and baffled that Josh could make such a remarkable piece

and not talk about it. Nor had Annie mentioned it, and now she wondered why. Annie had been very
verbal in trying to get them together, so it seemed odd that she hadn't pointed out this talent of Josh's.
"Have you done many of these?" she asked, "A few smaller pieces," Josh replied. "It depends on how
many old horseshoes I have laying around. This one's for Ryan and Annie. They want something out at
the road to advertise their Kigers."

"Then you're just giving it to them?" Genie asked.
"No," Josh replied. "It's a down payment on a parcel of land. They have more than they need, and

I want a place to hang my hat when I'm not on the rodeo circuit."

"That's it? Just to hang your hat?"
"For now."
"What about at your folk's ranch?" Genie asked. "According to Annie, your dad set aside parcels

for each of you."

"He did," Josh replied, "but by the time you cut the place up the plots are impractical for

ranching, and Adam's wanting more land, which is why Ryan sold his piece to him, so if Adam can
come up with the money, I'll sell him my piece too. Besides, I'm beginning to like the wide open
spaces here, and I could have a pretty nice spread by the time I'm ready to settle."

Which, Genie realized, was a long ways off. There were still all those rodeos to follow.

Returning her attention to the horseshoe sculpture, she placed her hand on its back, and said, "How

long did it take you to make this?"

"I don't know, I did it during my off time," Josh replied. "Maybe a couple of months."
Catching sight of a drawing on the workbench, Genie lifted the paper and saw that it was a

beautifully-executed drawing of a bucking bull. "Did you do this too?" she asked.

"Yeah. I do posters for rodeos," Josh replied. "That was the illustration for the Sisters Rodeo

poster, but I mainly drew it to show the city council. They commissioned me to do a horseshoe
sculpture of a bronc to put at the entrance to the rodeo grounds, but I wanted to do a bucking bull
instead, since this is cattle country, so I used that to convince them. They liked it."

"Then they're paying you for the bull sculpture?"
Josh nodded. "$6500 bucks." He started pounding on the horseshoe again.
"That's a lot of money for two months during your off time," Genie said, wondering why Josh

couldn't pursue horseshoe sculptures instead of the rodeo lunacy, but Josh was making too much
racket to hear her. Glancing beyond him, she caught sight of a poster taped to the concrete block wall
of the building. Walking over to it, she saw that it was the same bucking bull except it had a rider on
its back, and it was in color, with lettering and information about the rodeo. When the clang of
pounding horseshoes stopped momentarily, she said, "Can I have this?"

Josh shrugged. "Sure. There are a stack of them in the bunkhouse."
Genie removed the poster from the wall and looked at it more closely, while saying, "How do

you do this? It looks almost like a photograph, but I know it isn't."

"The originals are pastels," Josh said. "I do them in the evening to pass the time since I don't

much like TV."

Genie set the poster on the workbench, and before Josh started pounding again, she said, "I'm not

going on the overnight. Maybe that will help some of your frustration, and mine."

Hammer paused in his hand, Josh stared at the horseshoe for a few moments, like he wasn't sure

what he'd heard, then looked at Genie, and said, "What do you mean by your frustration? Women don't
go through what men go through. Having the hots for a woman who's always just out of reach does a
real number on a man."

"I'm not out of reach now," Genie said.
"Are you telling me you're available?"
"No, I'm telling you I'm frustrated too, which is why I decided not to go on the overnight."
"You know what, babe? You're still sending me a crapload of mixed messages." Josh tossed the

hammer onto the workbench, and walking over to where Genie stood, pulled her into his arms, and
said, "And frustrated or not, I want you on that overnight." He kissed her, and even though Genie had
been prepared to go into a long-winded colloquy about the futility of heading into a relationship that
was a dead end, she wrapped her arms around Josh's neck and kissed him back. Caught up in the
circle of his arms, and hearing her own soft moans of pleasure reverberating in her throat as Josh's
mouth and tongue connected with hers in a long sensual awakening, she knew, about halfway into the
kiss, that she would be going on the overnight.

***

Before setting out on the trail ride to the campsite, Josh announced to the group that whereas the

ride took the better part of two hours, it looped around and circled back so the campsite was only
about twenty minutes from the ranch if there was an emergency, which had Genie relaxing some. After
the incident with the dam breaking, she liked the idea of being closer to home.

The day was comfortably warm, and the two-hour ride leisurely, following along the stream bed

of a wide canyon for a distance before making a winding zigzag path up a hillside through a series of
switchbacks. Somehow Josh managed to work it so Genie was riding directly behind him and at the
head of a string of a dozen-and-a-half riders, so when they stopped at vista points, she and Josh ended
up side-by-side on their horses. It hadn't escaped her when Josh's horse sidestepped toward hers, and
his leg brushed against hers, and when he caught her eye and winked and smiled, she knew he'd done
it intentionally.

Other times he'd send subtle signals—demonstrating to her the proper way to hold her reins by

wrapping his hand around hers and toying with her fingers overlong while rearranging the leathers,
and when he pressed his palm to the small of her back to remind her to sit straight, his hand remained
longer than necessary, and the little pat before he removed it was like an intimate touch. There was
also his hand lingering on her calf when he stood by her horse while reminding her to keep her heels
down, and the little squeeze of her leg afterwards definitely sent a signal.

But she also thought Josh was being obvious, so when they stopped by a spring that trickled up

between rocks so everyone could get a drink, and Josh was waiting on his horse beside her, she said
to him, "You're not being very subtle."

Josh glanced around, and when he saw that no one was within hearing distance, he said, "I know,

but I'm trying to discharge some frustration. It's not working so well, but I have my jump rope with me
in case we don't get a chance to sneak off for our love fest."

"No love fest," Genie said, "but I wouldn't object to a long kiss behind a big rock. I liked the

taste of your tongue, but I couldn't figure out what it was."

"Sen-Sen," Josh replied. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small foil packet that

was, diagonally, half red and half gold, and said, "My grandmother bribed us during church with
these. They lasted through the sermon and kept us quiet." He lifted up the folded corner and tapped a
tiny black square into his palm. "In case you don't know what Sen-Sens are, they're tiny licorice
landmines that pack a wallop."

Instead of looking at the tiny black square, Genie found herself staring at the packet, which she'd

seen Josh slip into his pocket earlier and thought, at the time, was a condom. She found herself
smiling because she'd been prepared to set him straight, and all the while he'd been preparing for
another long kiss.

"Okay, this isn't good," Josh said, catching her smile and connecting it to the foil packet. "You

just put an image in my head that's making my pants tight, and I don't think jumping rope will cure it."

"Then maybe we'd better skip the kiss behind the rock because if you start sucking on those things

it will end up being another long kiss, which will make your pants even tighter," Genie said. "And just
for the record, you had that problem the first time I came into your hospital room to take your vitals
and check your bum, so I'm not entirely to blame for it now."

"That was the first time it happened while I was there," Josh pointed out. "The other nurses on

the floor didn't cause that reaction."

"Why me then?" Genie asked.
Josh eyed her with amusement. "You want me to go into detail? It could get pretty graphic."
"No, just a short explanation. I'm curious."
"Okay then, you're put together right, you have beautiful long hair a man could get lost in, and if

the skin you keep covered is as tempting as what I saw from my vantage point when you bent over to
change my ice packs, I could think of a whole lot of ways to activate the nerves beneath it. You want
me to keep going?"

"You got your point across," Genie said, "but now I know we'd better skip the rock kiss."
"For your benefit or mine?" Josh asked.
"Both."
"Then it's no problem," Josh said. "I brought along an extra jump rope."
"You're not serious?"
Josh laughed. "No, but based on our last kiss maybe I should have." He slipped the Sen-Sen

packet into his pocket, then raising his hand, put his thumb and index finger to his mouth and blew a
loud, shrill whistle to get everyone's attention. "Okay guys and gals. Time to move on."

The riders mounted and took their places in line as before, and they started out again, but now, as

Genie watched Josh's broad-shouldered back and firm male butt swaying in the saddle, the idea of
jumping rope didn't seem so farfetched. She was definitely frustrated, and a long, heated kiss behind a
big rock wasn't all that was dominating her mind. She couldn't seem to set aside the love fest, just as
she couldn't earlier, when she'd thought the packet in Josh's pocket was a condom and she'd tried to
justify reasons why it would be okay to act on it.

Relieved that she no longer had the choice, she turned her attention to the trail ride and the

magnificent panorama of hills and buttes and gorges, and the fact that she hadn't touched the saddle
horn since they started out, just to prove she could ride without doing it.

It was another half hour before they reached the campsite, which was on a wide flat area on top

of a high hill, with a faraway view on one side and a grove of aspen trees behind. A large open
shelter housed a barbecue grill, a cooking area, and several long picnic tables. A short way from the
shelter was a combo restroom and dressing room, with one side for men and the other for women.

Ryan had only just arrived driving the chuck wagon, with his horse tied behind. The light rubber-

tired wagon was pulled by a mule that looked barely winded. A canvas top, supported by several
bowed metal strips attached to the wagon box, made it look like a covered wagon. The hinged door of
a large box-like cabinet at the back end of the wagon opened up and dropped down to form a table,
revealing compartments for utensils, supplies and provisions for cooking.

While Josh and Ryan unloaded the food and set up for dinner, Genie sat at a table at the opposite

end of the shelter, chatting with several guests, having decided that keeping her distance from Josh
would also keep her from obsessing over him. He was dominating far too much of her thoughts, and
again she had to remind herself that a relationship with a rodeo bullfighter was not in her best
interest. Odd that the words, not in her best interest, seemed to have replaced her earlier words, was
a dead end. Yet nothing had changed. Like Cal, Josh was a man whose goal was to follow a
performance circuit while tempting fate…

"I could use some help with the cooking," Josh's voice came from behind.
Genie turned around and saw a definite gleam in his eye, which she found unsettling as it stirred

up a cauldron of feelings she didn't want to acknowledge. "What about Ryan?"

"He's corralling the horses."
"I thought you did that."
"Not this time."
Genie glanced around at the group of people at the table, whose eyes were darting between the

two of them. She also saw slight smiles, like they knew what was going on, even though nothing had
happened… yet. "I suppose I can help." She turned on the bench and followed Josh to where he'd set
a large stainless steel platter stacked with frozen hamburger patties just to the side of the grill. "That
wasn't very subtle," she said.

"I know, but subtlety's never been one of my strong suits," Josh replied.

"Incidentally, I loved the ride here. I didn't hold onto the saddle horn the whole way, even during

the canter," Genie said.

"I'd kiss you if I could," Josh replied.
"Because I didn't hold on to the saddle horn?"
"No, because I'm going a little crazy right now wanting to, which is why I need you to help me

cook. If I kept looking over my shoulder to watch you, the hamburgers would burn. And maybe you
could move a little closer. There's still some space between us."

Genie eased sideways until their arms touched, and when they did, Josh bent over like he was

going to kiss her, then stopped short. "Okay, I can get through this," he mumbled, then started placing
patties on the grill.

"What am I supposed to be doing here?" Genie asked.
Josh handed her a spatula. "Looking busy."
As Genie arranged and rearranged patties, she said, in a thoughtful voice, "Josh?"
"What, babe?"
"Did I make a mistake by telling you how I felt?"
"Yeah, a big mistake," Josh replied, "but Pandora's Box is wide open now and it's too late to stuff

it all back in."

"I guess I really complicated things then," Genie said.
"That, you did." Josh tossed a handful of waxed paper rounds that he'd removed from between

the hamburger patties into a plastic garbage pail.

"I know why it's complicated for me, but why is it complicated for you?" Genie asked.
"Because you've got me thinking things that don't fit in with my long-term plans," Josh replied,

"but I'm working through it."

"Just for the record, I'd never ask you to give up bullfighting."
"I know, babe. That's the problem," Josh said. "If you gave me an ultimatum, I'd probably give it

all up then resent you for making me do it, even though you didn't make me do it."

"It's called compromise," Genie said. "That's what Ryan and Marc did with their wives, and they

seem happy."

"They are, but I'm not my brothers," Josh pointed out.
"I know. You're much more than your brothers," Genie said. "Even following your badass

profession you're a better man. Well, maybe not better—all of your brothers are great guys—but what
you're doing isn't self-serving like riding bulls. You're doing it to keep other guys safe. Like I said,
you're a remarkable man."

"Telling me things like that isn't helpful right now," Josh said. "Now I want to nibble on your

neck. You liked it when I did, didn't you?"

"Yes," Genie replied. "I like everything you do, and even though I don't have the physical changes

a man goes through, I do get strong urges when you're around, and it makes me want to act on them,
but making love also binds souls, and that's for all eternity, so it's not something you do simply to
satisfy urges. It's a spiritual thing."

"And you can't see yourself bound to a bullfighter for all eternity," Josh stated.
"Bound to you, yes. To a bullfighter, no," Genie replied. "It's as simple as that."
"Honey, there's nothing simple about that statement. You just gave me an ultimatum, and I don't

know what in hell to do with it."

"For now, I guess you'd better do a lot of rope jumping, and maybe I'll learn to jump too. Maybe

it could shift some excessive progesterone from where it is now to other places."

Josh eyed her with awareness. "Are you telling me you've got a serious case of the hots for me,

the kind that settles waaay down low?"

"That's an interesting way of describing it, but yes, that's about it," Genie replied.
"Oh man. What I need right now is an angry, aggressive, fighting bull to play around with to help

defuse some excessive testosterone. It works every time."

Although Genie knew Josh was kidding, she also knew there was some truth in what he was

saying. From what she'd observed of the cowboys at the rodeo they all seemed to be overly endowed
with testosterone, which might be the reason why they continually tempted fate. What she didn't
understand was why, after so many of them had been seriously injured, they kept going back for more,
Josh being a prime example. "You might be joking about the testosterone," she said, feeling the old
anger rising, "but in playing around with bulls you stand to lose a lot more than that. After your last
experience you should not have to be reminded of that."

"My last experience was over three years ago," Josh said, "and nothing's happened since."
"And because of that you think you're invincible," Genie replied. "Do you need yet another

reminder of what the state of your lower body was in after the bull got to you? Next time you might
not be lucky enough to stay intact."

Josh slapped a hamburger onto the grill, and said in a curt voice, "I suppose if I live to be a

hundred and somehow we managed to be together you'd never stop reminding me of that." He slapped
another hamburger onto the grill, and when it split apart from impact, he mumbled a couple of
expletives Genie couldn't decipher.

Deciding she didn't want to be around a man who was angry because she was pointing out the

obvious, she said, "Actually, you've probably got that right, if we manage to be together." She handed
him the spatula and went to join the ranch guests.

Maybe it was time to start shoving stuff back into Pandora's Box.

CHAPTER 9

During the barbecue, which was managed by Josh and Ryan, Genie made a point of staying clear

of Josh, not glancing his way, or speaking to him when she went up to put food on her plate. Instead,
she made an attempt to get to know the guests, deciding it was more productive than sitting alone and
fixating on Josh, which would lead to frustration because of a situation that would never change.

After the meal was over and Ryan had left on his horse to return to the ranch for the night, and the

campers were sitting around talking, Genie made a point of joining in the conversation, although on
occasion she couldn't help glancing in Josh's direction, but never long enough to catch his eye and she
got the impression he was also trying to avoid eye contact with her… that he was actually trying to
avoid her, and with good reason. She was fixated on what could happen to him, and that wouldn't
change as long as she had deep feeling for him.

It wasn't until everything at the chuck wagon and the cooking area was cleaned and put away, that

Josh stepped forward and whistled to catch everyone's attention, and said, "Guys and gals, we're
going to do some square dancing. I brought along some square-dancing outfits, so come on over and
see what you can find. There are shirts and bola ties for you gents too."

Genie looked to where an array of outfits were draped over a table, and after Josh turned away,

she walked over with some of the women and started shuffling through the outfits. She was trying to
decide between two skirts when Josh came up from behind, took her by the arm, and said while
steering her out of the area, "Can we talk away from here for a few minutes?"

"I guess," Genie replied, making no attempt to pull free.
Once out from under the shelter, Josh maneuvered her behind the chuck wagon, and said, "Okay,

honey, I'm apologizing. I got irritated earlier, and I'll acknowledge that if I came close to losing my
male equipment to a bull again I might give it up, and I'll admit that bullfighting's a badass profession
in that it can bust a guy up some, even if it's also a noble profession in that it keeps other guys from
getting busted up, so now that I've said all that, maybe you could stop giving me the cold shoulder and
give me a kiss instead."

Genie looked up at Josh, whose face was solemn, and with his broad-shouldered frame outlined

against the evening sky, and light from the low sun shining in his direct gaze, all she could think was
that she wanted him in every way. Slipping her arms around his neck, she said, "I guess I have no
choice."

"I didn't just issue an order," Josh said, while curving his hands behind her. "You do have a

choice."

"No I don't. Not when you're around." Genie raised her lips to meet his, and when his arms

closed around her she threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer and captured his mouth
in a long, slow kiss that had her wanting more…

On hearing voices approaching, they broke the kiss just as a couple of women rounded the corner

of the chuck wagon. On seeing them, the women looked surprised, then aware, but said nothing and
continued on.

"So much for wranglers not mingling with guests," Josh said. "So we'll continue this later.

Meanwhile, I brought along something for you." He reached over the sideboard of the wagon and
grabbed a plastic bag that looked like it came from a clothing store. Opening it, he pulled out a dress
that was obviously new, and held it up.

Genie eyed the frilly thing, which was mostly pink, except for the bodice, which was white with

tiny flowers trailing across it. The dress had puffy pink and white gingham sleeves with lace on them
—not a dress she'd wear anyplace except maybe on a high hill away from civilization, even if it did
bring back fond memories of a time far in her past—but the earnest smile on Josh's face obliterated
any thought of suggesting that the dress looked like it was from another century.

"Then you bought this?" she asked, hoping someone had given it to him because if he bought it

she'd feel that much more obligated to wear it someplace beyond the campsite.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "I saw it on a rack at Pine Grove Farm and Ranch and it looked like

something you'd wear since pink is your favorite color."

Genie eyed him with curiosity. "How did you know that?"
"How did you do the thumb trick?" Josh asked.
"I can't tell. It's a magician's secret."
"Okay then, what's it worth to you to find out how I know pink is your favorite color?"
"It's not worth anything. It was just a lucky guess," Genie said. "I'm relatively small in stature and

I have long hair, which makes most people think I'm a girly girl, so it would be natural for you to
assume pink is my favorite color."

"Then is it also natural for me to assume your favorite dog is a Morkie?"
Genie eyed him with bafflement. "You must have gotten that from Annie," she said, but knew

she'd never mentioned her love of Morkies to her. When Josh just stood there smiling, she said, "Okay
it was another lucky guess. You assumed because I like pink and I'm small in stature that I also like
tiny dogs that fit into big purses."

"You want to tell me how you did the thumb trick now?" Josh asked.
"No, you just made two lucky guesses," Genie replied.
"I suppose I could have," Josh said. "With over four hundred breeds of dogs in the world, one in

four-hundred isn't bad odds. I think it's interesting that pistachio is your favorite ice cream though.
Since pink is your favorite color, I would have thought you'd like strawberry better."

"Who have you been talking to?" Genie asked. These were all things she'd never told Annie or

anyone Josh would have known. She couldn't remember ever telling any of it to anyone, except maybe
in casual conversation, because none of it was important.

"Am I right about the pistachio?" Josh asked.
"Well… no."
"Babe, don’t ever try to lie. It's written all over your face." Josh gave her a light kiss this time,

and said, "So, admit it's pistachio."

"Okay then, it is."
"Now, do you want to tell me how you did the thumb trick?"
"Not really. So far you haven't told me anything that matters. You could have gotten that

information anywhere."

"Okay, honey, get ready for the next one." Josh kissed the tip of her nose, and planted a sound kiss

on her lips. "Your favorite book is A Tale of the Wind by Kay Nolte Smith."

That caught Genie up short. To her knowledge the only people who would have known that were

Dimitri, her father, and her mother, and she was certain Josh had had no contact with any of them,
even before her mother died. Totally baffled, she said nothing.

Josh grinned, and said, "I'll trade my source of information for the thumb trick. Are you ready to

barter?"

"No," Genie said. "I'll figure it out. We probably have a mutual friend," though she couldn't

imagine who that could be, but keeping Josh guessing about the thumb trick was now a power play.
Her father had also drummed into both her and Dimitri's heads to never give away their magic, no
matter what the size of the carrot being dangled in front of them. But she was curious, actually more
than curious, to know how Josh had learned things about her that were so hit and miss, except for the
book. But like her thumb trick, there was a simple explanation.

Determined to snuff out her curiosity, she held the dress up, and said, "It's very… pink," because

she couldn't think of anything else. It looked like it belonged in Little House on the Prairie. But then,
so did Josh, with his day old beard and blue bandana, and worn and weathered hat. She'd never had a
thing for rodeo cowboys before, like some of the nurses at the hospital, but the cowboy look was
definitely growing on her.

"Is it okay then?" Josh asked. "You didn't say anything more about the dress except that it's pink,

which I knew was your favorite color when I bought it. Did I mess up?"

"Oh… no," Genie said, and tried to sound sincere. "It's… really… perfect for… tonight."
Josh took the dress from her and draped it over the sideboard of the chuck wagon, then looking

both ways, pulled her to him and kissed her again, another long, slow kiss. But after the kiss ended, he
said, "You hate the dress."

"No I don't," Genie replied, while trying to process the fact that kissing Josh was now a part of

being with him, but now she could imagine him being a gentle bear of a lover in bed, all male, but
very attentive to awakening the places hidden from his view, especially those places…

"You're smiling," Josh said.
Genie looked at him with a start.
"You said you didn't hate the dress then smiled."
"I wasn't thinking about the dress I was thinking about… other… things."
"Okay, you're having those thoughts too. There's a way to fix it. All we need is to get everyone

bedded down early and sneak off to the aspen grove."

"I hope you're joking most of the time," Genie said, "because if you aren't, you're making things

even more complicated than they already are."

"What's complicated about two people who care about each other wanting to share their bodies

for enjoyment and spiritual bonding? You know I care a lot about you, don't you?"

"I suppose you do," Genie said, "but for most women, including me, there has to be a commitment

before sharing a man's bed, and making a commitment means making compromises. I don't think you
could do that, at least not with your bullfighting, and since I'd never ask you to give it up, a
commitment's out, which brings us back to square one."

"Okay then, let's approach this another way," Josh said. "While you're here at the ranch, could

you set aside your preconceived notions about bullfighting and give me a chance to convince you that
it's no different than being a firefighter or a policeman or in the military?"

Genie said nothing because she needed time to think. The problem was, Josh had a point in that

some professions were inherently dangerous, yet brave men pursued those professions in spite of the
danger, and selfless women stayed with them because they loved the men and wanted to help them
follow their dreams…

"Honey, give me this chance," Josh said. "Give me through the Pine Grove Rodeo. If you're not

willing to do that for us then at least give me a reason why."

"Okay then, I'll give you a reason," Genie said. "I was engaged once. He was a motorcycle stunt

driver. I was there when he launched his motorcycle over thirteen cars, except that he only made it
over twelve. He flipped over, landed head first and broke his neck. They carried his body off. He

also asked me to give him a chance to show me that he was good at what he did. I'm over it now, but
after that I vowed I'd never allow myself to love a man who tempts fate."

"Then you're not willing to give me a chance," Josh said, in a flat voice.
"I don't know," Genie replied. "What all would it entail?"
"Having some faith in me, watching me work with practice bulls, coming to the rodeo and

watching me there," Josh said.

Seeing the look of expectation on his face, Genie sighed heavily, and replied, "Okay then, I'll try

to see things your way, but only through the rodeo."

The worried look on Josh's face vanished, replaced by the broadest grin Genie had ever seen.

"Thank you," he said. "Now go put on your pretty pink dress and I'll go set up the CD player." Lifting
the dress from the sideboard he offered it to her.

Taking the dress, Genie gave him a quick kiss, then walked over to where the overnight bags

were set randomly about, grabbed hers from the pile, and headed for the ladies' dressing room. After
twisting her mane of honey-colored hair into a coil on top of her head and impaling it with a couple of
wooden pins to keep it out of her face, she slipped into the dress. As she was leaving, she glanced in
the mirror on the wall and had to hold back a giggle. Now she looked like someone out of Little
House on the Prairie.

When she walked toward Josh, the expression on his face told her clearly that he liked the prairie

look, maybe even better than the rodeo cowgirl look, which he affirmed, when he said, "When I saw
the dress I knew you'd be my kind of woman in it."

Genie laughed. "Your kind of woman in this?" she said, while spreading out her arms and

displaying pink gingham and lace. "With all your rodeo involvement, I'd think you'd like the cowgirl
look, with tight jeans and a bust-hugging, western-cut shirt."

"I like that on you too," Josh said, "but you really look pretty in that dress, like you belong on the

homestead. Meanwhile, I've got to get the dancing started, but this conversation isn't over. Later
tonight I want to spend some time alone with you so we can start figuring out a way to make things
with us work because I intend to have it done by the time the rodeo rolls around."

Genie said nothing because the time of the rodeo would take her right up to the time when she'd

have to make a serious decision about the direction of her life, and the one direction she knew it
would not take was she and Abby trailering along with Josh from rodeo to rodeo, even if he could
convince her he was quicker than the bulls. But she did want some time alone with him later, if only
to sit with him under the stars and have his arms around her and snuggle close.

***

After whistling for everyone's attention, Josh announced, "Time to start hopping, guys and gals.

We'll be doing a few traditional, four-couple square dances, but before we start, I need a gal to help
demonstrate some dance moves." He looked directly at Genie, who was across the floor from him,
and held out his hand.

A rustle of quiet voices reaffirmed what Josh already suspected, that the campers knew

something was up between him and Genie, which didn't bother him, but must have bothered Genie
because she was batting her eyelids nervously, and her smile was more like a grimace. Still, he'd
decided at the outset that his time on the overnight with Genie would not be spent playing cat and
mouse in order to hide their relationship from the campers. "It's okay, babe," he said to Genie across
the floor, "they're on to us now and we're among friends." Everyone laughed.

Genie offered a self-conscious smile before stepping over to Josh and taking his hand. Lacing his

fingers with hers, Josh raised her hand high, and said to the campers, "This is my girl, Genie, and
that's spelled g-e-n-i-e, like the magic lantern. She comes by her name honestly though because she's
also a magician." He looked down at her then, and said, "You ready to tell me the thumb trick yet?"

Genie shook her head, and Josh laughed and said to the others, "It's an inside joke, so setting that

aside, Genie and I will start with a do-si-do and take you through the basic moves, so partner up and
follow along with us."

As the campers broke into couples, Josh leaned toward Genie, and said, "Annie told me you

knew how to square dance. Was she right?"

"She's right, but I haven't danced in a while," Genie replied.
"It'll come back," Josh said. "Is it okay that you're my girl?"
"We never discussed it and it really is premature," Genie said. "We're a long way from resolving

things and I don't want you to think it will all work out because, to be honest with you, I don't see how
it can. But I like the idea of being your girl, at least for a little while."

Josh couldn't help smiling because as far as he was concerned, he'd won half the battle with

Genie. Raising his hand to get everyone's attention, he said, "Okay folks, fold your arms for a do-si-
do." Turning to Genie, he added, "You ready, babe?"

"I'm ready," Genie replied.
Folding their arms, they passed around each other, first back-to-back, then face-to-face. Josh

smiled at Genie at that point, and as their eyes held, Genie paused for a moment and stared at him, as
if she'd lost track of things, so he took the opportunity to give her a quick kiss, which had her batting
her eyelids before collecting herself and completing the do-si-do. Glancing beyond her at the smiling
faces, Josh winked at the crowd, which brought another round of laughs.

"Now, promenade by connecting right hand to right hand." He reached across Genie and took her

right hand with his right hand. "And left hand to left." He repeated with their left hands. "And with
both partners facing the same direction, circle the ring counter clockwise... guys on the inside, gals on
the outside, so fall in step with us."

A couple joined in, then several others, and before long, little clouds of dust were billowing into

the air as couples promenaded around the flat clearing in a wide circle. When Josh looked at Genie,
her eyes were alive and she was smiling broadly.

After demonstrating an elbow swing, a grand right-left, an allemande left, and a few others, Josh

announced, "Now that you folks know the basic moves, we're ready to do the Grapevine Twist, so
form a square and remember, when circling, it's guys' hands palms up, gals' hands palm down, and
elbows slightly bent to keep the circle round."

After they'd finished the walkthrough, Josh held Genie's hand up and said, "I've got to manage the

music so my gal needs a partner."

An older man, whose wife nudged him to go ahead and dance while she sat on the sidelines,

walked over and stood next to Genie, and Josh turned away from them and clicked on the CD player.
A combo banjo, fiddle and harmonica began a lively round, accompanied by the rhyming patter of the
caller saying, "Take that lady, by the wrist, around that couple with a grapevine twist, back to the
center with a figure eight, then around the gent and don't be late…"

It was one of several CDs Josh and a couple of buddies put together back at the Dancing Moon

Ranch to be used when a live combo wasn't available for their Friday night dances. To get things
going, he started clapping in time. Those on the sidelines joined in, and before long the scene became
a swirl of music and dancers accompanied by stomping feet and clapping hands.

Leaning one shoulder against a post, Josh folded his arms and watched Genie, something he liked

to do. More accurately, something he was becoming preoccupied with.

Ever since she showed up at the ranch she'd taken over his mind. When he was away from her he

relived the things she'd said and done, so it was like having her with him every minute of the day, and
no matter what he was doing, he couldn't shake thoughts of her. Nor could he figure out why he was
stuck on a woman who was opposite in every way from the woman he'd always imagined himself
settling down with someday, which, until recently, had been a someday far into the future. But as he
watched Genie dancing, she was like a bright star in his life, and from the sparkle in her eyes, and the
brilliance of her smile, she was clearly enjoying herself.

She also danced with energy and enthusiasm, and he couldn't help thinking that she wasn't so out

of her element at the ranch. In fact, he couldn't help wondering why she'd learned to square dance. At
the Dancing Moon it had been a regular Friday night event for ranch guests from as far back as he
could remember, so he'd grown up taking part in it, mostly because it gave him a chance to check out
the pretty girls whose families were staying at the ranch, but Genie was a nurse and a city girl, a
definite disconnect.

After about forty-five minutes, he saw that some of the couples were sitting on the sidelines, and

others seemed to be losing steam, so he announced the last dance. He was also anxious to get on with
his evening ahead with Genie. He had no idea what he expected to achieve when he got her alone, but
whatever it was, he'd be laying out the foundation for something he had less than two weeks to
accomplish.

CHAPTER 10

While the campers, who had broken into small groupings of families and couples, unrolled and

arranged their bedrolls and sleeping bags for the night, Josh came over to where Genie had set up her
pad and sleeping bag and was sitting cross-legged on it while talking to an older couple, and said, "I
could use your help over at the chuck wagon."

Genie looked askance at the woman, who'd been telling her an amusing story about how she and

her husband met, and said to the woman, "I'll be back to hear the rest of the story."

The woman patted her arm. "It's too beautiful a night to spend with an old married couple, honey.

You two enjoy the evening and I'll finish the story in the morning."

Josh offered his hand to help Genie up, and after she was standing, he continued holding her

hand, while walking with her and saying, "Something I've been curious about all evening. What got a
city girl like you into square dancing?"

"I'm not a city girl by choice," Genie replied. "The city's where my job is. My fondest memories

are of visiting my grandparents in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. Grandpa was a coal
miner and Grandma raised eight kids on a tiny plot of land that had chickens and pigs and a couple of
milk goats and a vegetable garden where I could dig in the dirt and eat my fill of tomatoes and peas."

Josh looked askance at her. "Your father's folks or your mother's?"
"Mom's," Genie replied. "The family was poor, so Mom left home like all the other kids did

when she'd finished high school. She made her way to Nashville where she got a job in a nightclub. A
couple of years later, Dad was contracted at the same nightclub for a few weeks and he spotted Mom,
who was real pretty, and offered her a job as his assistant. They were married shortly afterwards."

"So, when did you start square dancing?" Josh asked.
"When I was around ten," Genie replied. "During summer vacation from school my brother,

Dimitri, always wanted to tag along with Dad, but I wanted to go with Mom to visit Grandma and
Grandpa, and dancing was big there. Grandpa had a naturally loud, deep voice, so he was caller
because he could be heard over the band, but most of the people didn't need to hear his calls because
they'd memorized the figures and combinations, so Grandpa just had to announce the dance or set, and
the band would start up, and off the dancers went. I can also do a really mean clog dance," she added.
"Clogging was a big thing with Grandma. She had leather-topped shoes with wooden bottoms, and
she'd get up there and strike the floor with her heel and toe, or both, with her heel keeping up the
rhythm with a heavy downbeat."

"Do you still go there?" Josh asked.
Genie shook her head. "Grandpa died of emphysema and lung complications from so many years

in the coal mine, and Grandma just up and died a few months later. I think she just wanted to be with
Grandpa. I like to think that my mom is with them too. I don't think she ever really left West Virginia.
So where is it we're going?" she asked, as she continued walking with Josh.

"Over here," Josh replied. He tugged her over to where he'd set up his bedroll, which butted up

against the stump of an old juniper tree. "But before we start in on working out a solution for us I need
a kiss." Pulling Genie to him, he covered her mouth with his, and Genie responded by curving her
hands around his neck and combing her fingers into his hair, and drawing him closer until the kiss
became a long, open mouth kiss, with tongues entangling, and breaths quickening, and little moans
escaping Genie's lips.

Josh broke the kiss long enough to pull Genie down with him onto the sleeping bag. Curving his

arms and legs around her, he drew her tighter to him and again covered her mouth with his, until
Genie felt almost overcome with wanting what she was determined not to have.

Breaking the kiss, she drew in a long ragged breath, pressed against Josh's chest to put some

space between them, and said, "We both know where this is leading and it's way premature. We're
supposed to be finding a way to merge our lives, not our bodies." She moved to sit on the bedroll
beside Josh.

"I suppose," Josh replied, while dragging himself up to sit beside her.
"Okay then," Genie started in, "you said you wanted to talk about how to make things work with

us, so you have to be the one to start because I keep drawing a blank. You love what you do, and I
couldn't live with it, and I'll never ask you to give it up, so that leaves little to work with."

"Maybe we could set aside my bullfighting for now and concentrate on you," Josh replied. "This

is a two-way street. It's not just about me."

"Okay then, what do you want to know about me?" Genie asked.
"Why you're thinking about quitting nursing? You're a good nurse. I gave you shit when I was your

patient because I was trying to get your attention, and you'd had it with me, and it took an ice water
bed bath to cool me down and convince me I was the biggest pain in the butt on the floor."

"Having you as my patient has nothing to do with it," Genie said. "I went into nursing because I

wanted to help people get better, but I also wanted to make deep connections with my patients and
develop working relationships that would bring them to a better state of health."

"Which is another black mark for me," Josh said. "When you tried to develop a working

relationship, instead of me doing what you wanted, I gave you a lot of bull crap about how pretty you
were—well that wasn't bull crap, it was the truth, but with my own self-interest in mind—and instead
of doing what you asked, I rang the bell to get you back in my room so you could do it for me and I
could look at you some more. The problem was me not you. I was flat on my back, with a couple of
grapefruit between my legs, while trying like hell to be smooth."

"I've had other patients like that and it was okay," Genie said. "At least I was interacting with

them, but the way it is now, before I can even implement a recovery plan for my patients, they're
either sent home too early or shipped off to a nursing facility rehab as soon as a bed is available,
leaving me frustrated because whatever plan I'd set up was a moot point."

"You still would have made a difference during the time you had them," Josh said. "I know you

did with me."

"No, I didn't," Genie replied. "You're still fighting bulls."
"I'm not talking about bulls. I'm talking about following the instructions you laid out for when I

got home, which wasn't easy to carry out with my brothers making jokes about the size of my balls,
and my mother fussing over me like I was about to lose them, and Maddy not even talking to me
because she was too embarrassed."

"If the hospital hadn't sent you home so soon it would have been taken care of there. Another

major frustration, patients being sent home too early only to be readmitted days later because they're
worse."

"That's the nature of a bureaucracy," Josh said. "Its goal is to make sure nothing's run efficiently,

and your job is to figure out ways to get around it. Meanwhile, the patients still need good nurses like
you to help them get through the worst of it."

"That's what I thought when I started into nursing," Genie said. "The problem is we're being

assigned far more patients than we can handle, which means never-ending paperwork. And then

there's all the charting… endless charting, but we have to do it to protect our licenses. It's like being
in a circus, a three, four, five or six-ring circus depending on how many patients I'm assigned. We
spend our time racing from ring to ring to perform for the masses, which are our patients and their
families, who cheer or boo us depending on how we're doing. We're the people in the crowd yelling
popcorn-peanuts, while attempting to fill patient and family demands for whatever they need or
want...medications, denture paste, nail clippers, pillows, blankets, all kinds of food. We're also the
comic performers, aka the clowns, with the gowning and gloving. And we're the jugglers, and
gymnasts, and handlers who work with exotic animals, also known as doctors, who need to be lead
through hoops and around obstacles, but who can be unpredictable."

"Bulls are unpredictable too," Josh said, "which is why you watch videos and study their moves

so you can be ready for them. It should be the same with doctors. Eventually you figure out their
idiosyncrasies and work around them."

"That's true to an extent," Genie said, "but there's also the nurse-patient relationship, which can

be likened to an aerial act, with me being the catcher and the patient the flyer. Sometimes it goes
without a hitch, but other times the grip slips, and depending on the patient's safety net, i.e. age, health
and constitution, they can be brought back to fly again or the nets are weak and they fall. When that
happens, I relive the moment over and over and over, while trying to figure out what went wrong and
how it could have been avoided. And I question myself and my skill and just want to go back and fix
things. And when a patient dies, it's like a part of me dies too."

"Honey, did something bad happen?"
"Yes," Genie replied. "My mom died and things are different now. I feel adrift and I'm having

trouble letting go."

"I know the feeling," Josh said. "When something takes a wrong turn, the moment replays over

and over in your head, but when you finally come to the realization that you did your best and nothing
could have changed the outcome, you have to let it go."

"That's the problem," Genie said. "I can't let it go. These things stay with me."
"Honey, come here."
"Where?"
"Right here." Josh patted his chest. "Sit between my legs and lean back and set everything aside

for now and look up at the stars."

Genie let out a soft sigh then turned around and settled back against Josh. Josh closed his arms

around her and she tipped her head back until it rested against the hollow of his shoulder. For a while
she said nothing, her attention focused on the closeness of Josh's arms around her and the realization
that she didn't want him to let her go. But gradually her attention was drawn upward to a sky
resplendent with stars.

"I've never seen as dark a night before, or stars as brilliant, like billions of pinpoints of light in

an otherwise black sky," she said

"That's because Harney County has the lowest ambient light in the country," Josh replied. "It's

what scientists call a dark place because with less than 7500 people in 10,000 square miles, it's one
of the few regions left in the country where it's far enough away from city lights so the night sky's truly
black. It's also common to see the Aurora Borealis here. It shows up like a faint green or red glow on
the northern horizon, like the sun's coming up in the wrong place."

Genie pulled Josh's arms more snugly around her, and said, in a dreamy voice, "I think I'd like to

stay here until morning."

Josh kissed the side of her face. "That can be arranged."

"Not without a convoluted explanation to my bedroll mates, but I'll stay a while longer since we

haven't worked things out."

"The answer's up there," Josh said, looking skyward. He took Genie by the shoulders and moved

her away from him, and said, "Lie down and put your head on my lap and don't try to think. Just look
up at the stars and listen."

Genie scooted around and settled with her head on Josh's lap, and said, "I presume you mean for

me to listen to the coyotes. I hear them, but they're a long way off."

"Not coyotes." Josh leaned toward the edge of his bedroll and pulled something out of his pack.

Genie caught the flash of metal and realized it was a harmonica.

"I didn't know you could play," she said.
"I've been playing all night," Josh replied. "The square dance music was me and some guys who

used to get together and jam."

"Annie never mentioned it," Genie said.
Josh let out a little chuckle. "You and Annie do a lot of talking about me."
"Annie's done most of it," Genie said. "In case you haven't figured it out, she and Ryan are

matchmakers."

"Maybe Annie is, but not Ryan," Josh replied. "He and I aren't getting on so well."
"I've noticed," Genie said. "He's happily married with his boots planted firmly in Kincaid soil

and you're still free to follow your dream and he no longer understands that concept."

"I'm not so free anymore," Josh replied.
"Sure you are. You're not tied to this job. You can go and do anything you want."
Josh said nothing. Instead, he lifted the harmonica to his lips, and with his left hand holding the

harmonica, and his right hand cupped around it, started playing the low, doleful strains of Home on
the Range, but for the first time in her life, on hearing the tune, Genie actually felt the unsung words
of a place where deer and antelope played, and skies were cloudless, and heavens were bright with
light from glimmering stars. In fact, it was like the words were all around her and she was surrounded
by everything in the song. And as the melody lifted into the night, the image of an iconic cowboy came
to mind, a lonely, solitary figure riding the vast plains with only his horse for company. It was a sad
sound, like the wailing of the coyotes in the distance. It was also a tune filled with soul. Filled with
Josh's soul, like he was telling her something...

You're still free to wander around while following your dream...
I'm not so free anymore...
Maybe he was that wandering cowboy who was feeling like he was losing his freedom, even

though she wasn't asking him to give up his dream for her, and never would.

When the last notes faded off in a quiet vibrato, Genie felt a little overwhelmed, but after her

heart settled some, she said, "That was sad, but beautiful. I don't know how you get so much soul out
of a simple instrument, or how you can get such a rich sound."

"Have you ever studied a songbird when it sings?" Josh asked.
Genie thought about that. Numerous times she'd watched birds at feeders and heard their songs,

but she'd never really studied them when they sang. "I suppose not," she admitted.

"A songbird doesn't sing with a closed beak," Josh said. "It fills its diaphragm and opens its beak

as far as it can, and that's how its tiny body produces a big sound. Its voice box is like a single brass
reed in a harmonica, but whereas a songbird uses a single reed, with a ten-hole harmonica there are
twenty reeds, so the combinations are endless."

"That still doesn't explain how you put so much soul into what you just played."

"There's more soul in a harmonica than any other instrument because the player's body is part of

the sound, all the way from the diaphragm through the chest and throat and nasal cavity. That's how
you get the soulful sound. There's this feel inside your mouth that goes on inside the harmonica. The
first time you feel it, it's thrilling, and once it's learned you never forget."

"I know. It's subconscious competence," Genie said.
Josh looked askance at her. "Maybe you're right." Lifting the harmonica to his mouth, he started

into a lively rendition of Ghost Riders in the Sky, a song she was familiar with because it had once
been incorporated into one of her father's acts, with the illusion of red-eyed cows with blackened
horns and steely hooves thundering across the stage in a mist, and words in the accompanying ballad
almost making the image real. As Josh pumped out the notes, the chords and phrases were so fast and
intricate it was as if several people were playing harmonicas at the same time. When he finished,
Genie said, "Okay, I'm a little star-struck. That was pretty amazing. You must have started playing
when you were very young."

"Around twelve," Josh replied. "Dad got us all harmonicas one Christmas because he said

cowboys needed music out on the range and with harmonicas we could keep our music in our pockets
and have it wherever we went. My brothers messed around with it some and gave up, but when I
started blowing I knew I was onto something. But it took some time to figure out that it's one of the
easiest instruments to learn to play, but one of the toughest to master."

"To play like you do, you must spend hours practicing. When do you do that?" Genie asked.
"Pretty much every time I'm off on my own… moving cattle, looking for strays, most nights

before I go to bed. Playing connects me to things."

"Things like what?" Genie asked.
"I don't know. Just things. I play and I get ideas, like making use of a pile of discarded

horseshoes. I was in the bunkhouse playing I Ride an Old Paint one night, and in my head I saw those
old horseshoes moving out of the pile and connecting together, and what came was a horse." He
tucked the harmonica back into his bag, then moved Genie's head off his lap and turned her around.
"Enough about harmonicas. The only reason I played was so you could connect."

"Connect to what?" Genie asked.
"Me." Josh pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and she kissed him back, another long,

passionate kiss. When it finally came to an end, Josh said, "I think we made some headway tonight."

"Why would you think that?" Genie asked. "We didn't work anything out."
"Yeah, we did," Josh said. "You're starting to fall in love with me."
"What makes you think that?"
"Are you?"
"Well, yes."
"Then the rest will work itself out."
It came to Genie that Josh was one of those eternal optimists who rolled with the punches and,

like rolling out of the way of a charging bull, trusted that Fate had nothing dire in store for him. But
she was a realist, and whereas contemplating the glory of the night sky while listening to Josh's
beautiful music might have worked its magic by having her fall in love with him, he'd still be going
back into the bull pen, and that issue was completely unresolved.

CHAPTER 11

The following morning the overnight campers returned to the ranch. As the riders who'd already

unsaddled their horse were turning them out, Abby, who was walking toward Genie and Josh while
holding Matt's hand, broke loose and rushed up to Josh, and said, in an excited voice, "The baby
horse was in a gweat big bubble. Me and Gwampa saw it!"

Matt laughed, and explained, "It happened while Ryan and Annie were in Burns for Cody's

checkup. One of their Kiger mares was due to foal so I took Abby with me to check on her and we got
there right after she'd dropped her foal, so now Abby's a real ranch girl who's seen her first foaling."

Abby raised both hands for Josh to pick her up, and when he did, she sandwiched his face

between her hands so she had his full attention, and said, in an even more excited voice, "I got to
name the baby horse. I named her Zebwa Girl because she has stripes on her legs like the zebwas in
the book Gwampa wed to me."

"That's a good name," Josh said, while thinking he'd like to have been the one to read the book to

Abby and have her cuddle up against him and ask questions and shove the page aside so she could see
what was coming next, the way the kids did at home.

"I'll feed the horses," Matt said. "A reporter from the Pine Grove Gazette just showed up to

interview you. She said she's a half hour early because she has to get her questions together. She's in
the living room at the house."

"I totally forgot about that," Josh said. "You sure you're okay finishing things up here?"
"I'm fine." Matt looked at Abby. "Don't forget, bucko, Grandma's expecting you to go with her to

pick flowers. She's waiting at the playground."

"Yeah!" Abby wiggled out of Josh's arms and ran toward Ruth, who was standing across the way

in an area outfitted with swings and a slide.

Matt left to tend the horses, and Josh and Genie headed for the house. But as they were passing

the barn, Josh took Genie's hand and tugged her inside.

"What are you doing?" Genie asked. "There's a reporter waiting."
Josh glanced out the wide expanse of the open doors and pulled Genie toward the back of the

barn, while saying, "The reporter isn't expecting me for thirty minutes, which I want to spend with my
girl." He led her into the room where the horse sculpture stood and pulled her into his arms and
covered her mouth with his, and she responded with eagerness, moving her hands up and down Josh's
back. As the kiss held, he cupped her breast and she gave out a little moan of pleasure, inviting him to
unsnap her shirt, but when he started making his way down her chest, Genie said, in a ragged voice, "I
like what you're doing but this is going beyond what we've established."

"We can reset things later," Josh said.
"No, we can't." Genie replied. "Not only are there guests roaming around, but we're on the verge

of doing something untimely, so we need to reel things in." She moved his face away and re-snapped
her shirt and turned away from him, leaving Josh sucking in a long breath and combing his fingers
through his hair, and attempting to set aside what was going on below his belt.

As he tucked the loosened tails of his shirt back into his pants, he looked over to see Genie

running her hand over the horse's face and trailing her fingers along the interwoven horseshoe
segments of its mane, like she needed to put some distance between them, which worked for him too.
He was getting in way deeper with Genie than he'd expected, deeper in the sense that he was

beginning to justify things in ways that went against his long-range plan, which frustrated him, like
when he was a little kid and tried to shove square blocks through round holes. There was no way to
make it work.

"You have a gift you need to explore," Genie said. "You already have a commission for a bucking

bull, and this horse is a wonderful piece, but it's also a form of art whose time has come. Everyone is
into recycling. Scrap art is even attracting the notice of galleries and museums, so what you're doing
fits right in."

Josh found his mind divided between a very potent sexual need, and what Genie was saying.

Finding it hard to concentrate on the latter, but forcing himself to do so, he said, "I'm not interested in
selling to galleries and museums. I only do it because it gets rid of a pile of old horseshoes and I like
seeing what comes out."

"And what comes out is remarkable" Genie replied. "This will be a beautiful piece out on the

highway, and it will also attract attention. You've taken something that's common on ranches all over
the country, and instead of horseshoes ending up in a rusty pile outside an old barn they're transformed
into something that enriches other people's lives. It's also the perfect form of art to add to the
curriculum at universities and art schools."

"I'm a farrier and a bullfighter," Josh reminded her.
"And a musician and an artist," Genie added. "You told me you got the idea for the horse while

you were playing your harmonica, but you still had to be enthusiastic enough to carry it out. I don't
believe you just randomly started welding horseshoes together."

"Not randomly, but not planned either," Josh said. "I started with some hooves and made my way

up the legs and the horse started moving around on the way up and that's what came out."

Genie trailed the pads of her fingers over the horseshoe muzzle, like she was petting the horse,

and said, "But you still got a lot of joy out of doing it, didn't you?"

Josh eyed the horse. Yeah, he'd enjoyed putting the thing together, especially when what he'd

initially planned began to take a life of its own, like when he started to make the first welding of a
right front hoof to the platform that the horse was standing on and he got the feeling the horse wanted
to raise its hoof, and when he welded his way up the front of the horse, he visualized the horse
arching it's neck and looking down at the pile of horseshoes and wondering how he'd end up. He even
found himself talking to the horse, but he had no intention of telling Genie. She was on a roll with the
horseshoe art, and it was taking him away from what he loved most, which, he suspected, was her
purpose. Still, putting the piece together had been both challenging and satisfying. "I liked doing it
okay," he finally admitted.

"I think you liked it more than okay," Genie said. "You liked it enough to take on another

commission, and if you follow the design you drew on paper it will be a magnificent piece that could
well become a landmark at the Sisters rodeo grounds, just like the horse sculpture will become a
landmark for Annie and Ryan's ranch."

Josh laughed. "The whole idea of both pieces is to start paying off the land I'm buying from

Ryan."

"Then you're not looking forward to making the bull sculpture?" Genie asked.
"Sure, I am," Josh replied, "but I don't intend to make horseshoe sculptures a fulltime career, if

that's where this is going."

Genie walked up to Josh and put her arms around his neck and kissed him, and said, "You told

me when we were on top of the hill that, because I was starting to fall in love with you, the rest would
work itself out. Maybe it has and you haven't figured it out yet. "

Josh pulled her to him. "Are you still falling in love with me?" he asked.
"My feelings haven't changed," Genie replied. "Is this one way?"
"Not anymore," Josh said.
"Then you feel the same way?" Genie asked, while holding his gaze.
"No, you've got it backwards: you feel the same way," Josh clarified. "I fell in love with Nurse

Ratched back when she was a pain in my already painful butt because I liked the way she took care of
me."

"That's actually called transference," Genie said. "A patient occasionally falls in love with a

nurse because the nurse unknowingly reminds the patient of a significant figure from their past, maybe
the patient's mother, although the patient may not be aware of this. When it happens, patient sometimes
behaves inappropriately as a defense mechanism."

Josh knew for a fact that Genie, the nurse, had not reminded him of his mother. He also suspected

all her Nurse Ratched behavior had some underlying cause. "What if it happens the other way around
and the nurse transfers feelings to the patient?"

"Then it's called counter-transference," Genie said, "in which case the nurse would need to do

some self-exploration and identify and understand herself better in order to find appropriate solutions
to her problem or she could behave inappropriately due to defense mechanisms."

"Like giving the patient an ice water bath?"
Genie looked up at him wide-eyed and said nothing and Josh knew he'd nailed it. He smiled.

"That's why you did it, wasn't it?"

"No," Genie insisted. "You were the one who was a total pain in the butt."
"You were flustered and didn't know what to do."
"That's just not so."
"Yes, it is so." Josh gave her a peck on the lips. "I was flat on my back and completely at your

mercy, and when you bent over me to do the ice packs I got a whiff of something fresh and sweet
coming from a place I wanted to explore."

"No, you didn't," Genie insisted.
"It was jasmine," Josh said.
Genie looked at him, clearly surprised that he'd managed to ferret out that information too. It was

becoming a game, keeping her wondering about Morkies, and pistachio ice cream, and the book, and
now jasmine oil. He'd get an explanation for the thumb trick yet because her curiosity to know how
he'd learned all the random things about her would finally get the best of her. "You're interested in
aromatherapy, and jasmine's an aphrodisiac, and you put it on to get my attention, which is why I was
having my male problem whenever you were around."

"That is so not true," Genie said.
Josh lifted her chin so she was looking directly at him, and said, "You're lying again, babe.

Besides, you can admit it now that we've both admitted we love each other. So did you?"

"Well, maybe to get your attention initially, but not for the other reason."
"They are one and the same," Josh said. "When you're around me, jasmine oil or not, I have my

male problem, but I'm learning to live with it. It's also helping me increase my jump-roping time. So
are you ready to tell me the thumb trick yet?"

"No, and you're getting me off track," Genie said. "So, back to making horse shoe sculptures. If

you make a sculpture every two months, between that and being a farrier, you wouldn't need any other
job to pay off your ranch, and when your work is being shown at galleries and museums around the
country, your tall, muscular, rugged good looks would be a refreshing change for patrons of the arts."

Josh was mildly amused at her attempt to transform a die-hard bullfighter into what he had no

intention of becoming. "Yeah, I imagine if I showed up in ratty jeans, and scuffed boots, and had a
bandana to hold my long hair back, and was wearing a leather vest over my bare chest with the tattoo
of a genie lantern on it, I'd get some notice."

"I can see you refuse to take what I'm saying seriously," Genie said, "but can you at least be a

little open minded and think about it? I'm being open minded about your bullfighting, and being in a
relationship is all about learning to compromise."

Josh decided it was time to burst her bubble because it was floating off into another dimension.

"I didn't just weld a bunch of horseshoes together. All the details of the face and mane and tail, and
even each hoof, had to be made by heating and shaping and chopping horseshoes, then the welds had
to be ground so they were smooth, and the entire piece still has to be sandblasted and heat treated and
buffed out and coated with a black finish. By the time I'm done I will have worked on it at least three
months, and I'll know every horseshoe welded in place and probably be seeing them in my sleep."

"Is that a negative thing?" Genie asked.
"I suppose not," Josh replied. "It's better than some of the dreams I've been having lately. But

when I put together the bucking bull he'll require a certain amount of detail so it's clear he's a bull, not
a cow, or I'll end up with Annie at the entrance to the rodeo grounds protesting bucking cows, but
making a bull's doodad out of horse shoes will remind me of what I'm missing and elicit even more
erotic dreams than the ones I've been having since you arrived, which will have me waking up in the
morning and needing to play around with some live bulls to get rid of all my excessive testosterone,
unless you can think of another way to take care of the problem."

"Would making love every morning and night get you to stop playing around with bulls?" Genie

asked.

Josh looked into a pair of eyes that had lost all their humor. "When we make love, wherever and

whenever it takes place, it will not be with conditions," he said. "It will be to express true, deep
feeling of love, but only after you've come to terms with my bullfighting."

Genie eyed him with exasperation. "I agreed to keep an open mind but there still has to be some

compromises."

"I'm working on that," Josh said. "Meanwhile, I need to get on over to the house so I can answer

a bunch of questions about what it's like to be a bullfighter, so you might as well spend the time with
Annie."

"I'd rather listen to the interview," Genie said. "I'll make myself scarce, maybe sit in the corner of

the room and read a magazine."

Josh felt uncomfortable with that. The reporter would focus on the danger aspect, and Genie

would hear things he didn't want her to hear. But it seemed he had no choice.

On arriving at the house, Josh met the reporter, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-forties

and looking more city than ranch in slacks instead of jeans, and slip-on shoes instead of boots. Genie
excused herself to do exactly what she said—sit in the corner with a magazine, which he knew she
had no intention of reading.

After he and the reporter settled into overstuffed chairs across from each other, the reporter

referred to her notes and started in by saying, "Statistics show that eighty-nine percent of all rodeo
athletes are injured in a single season and that an average of two die. Since bullfighters have the
highest rate of injury among all rodeo performers, with those odds, why do you do it?"

Josh glanced over at Genie who was acting like she was reading, and said, "Once you start

bullfighting it becomes addictive. It's a hardcore adrenaline rush, knowing you just saved a cowboy.

That feeling's hard to find anywhere else."

"It's my understanding that bullfighters have to be chosen by the bull riders. Is that true?"
Josh nodded. "Being chosen for this job is a badge of honor because a group of bull riders have

faith that I'll put myself between them and the bull and take the hit if it comes to that."

"So if a young man is interested in becoming a bullfighter," the reporter continued, "what advice

would you give him?"

While trying to ignore the fact that the woman he loved was in the process of evaluating whether

he was potential husband material, he said, "I'd remind the guy that being a bullfighter isn't a game.
When the bull comes bucking out of the chute you'd better be ready to throw yourself between the
rider and two-thousand pounds of pure animal menace in a moment's notice because that's your job,
so you need to learn the fundamentals and do them right. Agility and footwork are important, which is
why I jump rope and jump every conceivable jump rope move, the ones they do in international
competitions. But I don't do competitions. I just employ the methods to keep my reflexes quick."

Genie was looking his way now, like she'd connected with the jump rope spiel, and her face was

thoughtful, which gave him some hope …

"What kind of training is required before you start in?" the reporter asked, drawing his attention

away from Genie and the absorbed expression on her face.

"For me, nothing," Josh replied. "My first time was as a fill-in for a bullfighter who didn't show.

I agreed to step in, and the next thing I knew, I had on a protective vest and football cleats and was in
front of a bucking bull. I got a little banged up, but after that I spent a lot of time watching and talking
to top bullfighters and studying videos so I'd know the disposition of every bull I'd be facing. As for
conditioning, the main thing is practicing footwork. A good bullfighter has to be able to anticipate the
bull's next move, be agile enough to get in between a downed rider and a bull intent on trampling him,
and be in good enough physical shape to dart out of the way and have the bull give chase, that, or be
able to take the beating a charging bull can dish out. Anything to give the rider time to escape. Then
after the rider's safe you can play around with the bull some and put on a little show, which gives a
bullfighter a better chance of getting more jobs and higher pay."

He didn't look at Genie this time, but he didn't have to. She was taking it all in and what she was

hearing reaffirmed what she'd already concluded. Bullfighting was a badass profession...

"How do you play around with a bull?" the reporter asked.
"Basically you play tag," Josh replied. "You're it, but instead of running off, you tease the bull

into coming after you then try not to get hooked. A good move is to jump over the length of him when
he comes at you, which leaves him wondering where you went."

He couldn't help smiling because that maneuver always got the crowd laughing when he left

behind a baffled bull. But when he glanced at Genie, she wasn't smiling. She was looking at him like
Nurse Ratched again...

"It's my understanding that you're a farrier," the reporter continued. "Is that your primary

profession, or is it bullfighting?"

"Being a farrier and working here on the ranch as a wrangler pays the bills for now," Josh

replied, "but my goal is to be a top professional bullfighter who bull riders trust to keep them safe. I
also like to put smiles on faces and make people forget their problems for whatever length of time I'm
in the arena."

The reporter shifted, like she was winding things up, and said, "So, can you describe a typical

day in the life of a bullfighter?"

"Sure," Josh replied. "It begins with a denial that your chosen profession also happens to the

most dangerous sport on the planet, followed by a quick examination of various bruises and
lacerations while wondering what happened, followed by a second denial that it was just an off day
and it won't happen again. Then you pad up, cover that with screwball clothes that include wide
suspenders, paint your face like the deranged man you are, and go out and try not to get killed while
drawing the attention of an angry bull away from the other deranged man in the rodeo ring, the bull
rider, who is by then on the ground."

The reporter laughed, then looked at him curiously, and said, "Last question. If you had a son who

wanted to follow in your footsteps, would you encourage him?"

Josh hadn't intended to, but found himself looking at Genie, who was staring at him like she too

was waiting for his answer. "I think I'll leave my options open for now," he said, which he realized
was the kind of answer Genie would not want to hear, which she affirmed when she got up and
started across the room toward the front door. The look on her face was both troubled and
determined.

Josh stood and turned toward her. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"Out to do some thinking," Genie replied.
By now Genie was opening the door. "Wait!" Josh called out.
Instead of waiting, Genie walked through the open doorway and snapped the door shut behind.

Josh looked at the reporter, and said, "Are we done?"

"Yes, I suppose," the reporter replied. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah, something you didn't cover in the interview," Josh said. "Right-minded women don't

marry bullfighters, but I'm going to try and change that." Leaving the woman stuffing papers into her
bag, he took off after Genie, catching up with her as she was starting up the road toward Annie and
Ryan's house. "We need to talk about this," he said, while falling into step with her.

"There's nothing to talk about," Genie replied. "You pretty much summed up your job during the

interview and it's not something I could live with on a daily basis."

"Then that's it?" Josh said. "We're nothing more to each other than a couple of people on a ranch

who'll go our separate ways when you leave here?"

"I don't know," Genie said. "Being with you last night was like being given a little spot in heaven,

and in a perfect world I'd like to spend every night and day with you, and even grow old with you, but
this isn't a perfect world, and now we're back to reality."

"Reality being that you don't intend to give me a chance," Josh said.
"It seems pointless now," Genie replied, "but I told you I would so I will, even if I don't hold out

much hope because things are as they are and neither of us plans to budge."

"Then if I still have my girl for another week, I want a kiss." Josh had barely pulled Genie

toward him when her arms were around him, and their lips came together, and it didn't matter that
guests were roaming about because they were a couple, and he'd somehow figure out a way to keep
them a couple.

After the kiss ended and he was still holding Genie in his arms, he said, "You and Abby wouldn't

have to trail around after rodeos. I'd be gone some, but when I'm home we could have nights under the
stars and all the rest." It came to him, after he'd said the words, that sometime between when he saw
Genie in the barn that first day, and now, the idea of keeping on the move and following rodeos had
lost some of its luster, and having Genie and Abby in his life on a permanent basis had taken hold, yet
he didn't know how to reconcile that because he still had no intention of quitting bullfighting, and
Genie had no intention of marrying a bullfighter.

It was as simple, and as complicated, as that.

CHAPTER 12

Genie and Annie stood together just outside the eight-stall pole barn and working arena that Ryan

and Josh had recently finished building. Inside the arena, Ryan worked with Biscuit, one of their
Kiger mares, while her young foal, Zebra Girl, trotted alongside them.

Looking askance at Annie, Genie said, "I need a reminder from a woman whose man gave up

rodeos, as to why I shouldn't insist Josh do the same. He said he would if I asked, but he and I both
know he'd have regrets later and resent me for it. Unlike Ryan, who has as great a love for working
with horses as he did for riding bulls, Josh has no greater love than his addiction to bullfighting. He
even admitted to the reporter that it was an addiction."

"Then things with you and Josh must have progressed some during the overnight," Annie said,

while gently shaking the stroller with Cody sleeping in it.

"They have," Genie replied. "Josh and I are talking long term, as in marriage, though the word

hasn't been spoken, only implied, and since I'm three years into having a thing for Josh, and he's
calling me his girl, I'm finding myself trying to justify marrying a bullfighter. I don't know how it came
to this. Two weeks ago I had my head on straight."

"You came to where you are because Josh is a sweetheart who loves kids and would be a

devoted husband and father, and he's the product of parents whose lives revolved around their kids,
so he'd bring to any marriage his solid family upbringing."

"Except for the fact that we have this little disconnect in that I'm a nurse, and if Josh stays with

rodeos I could end up with him as my sole patient, who resides in a hospital bed in the living room of
our house, with me raising the kids alone. Eighty-nine percent of all rodeo cowboys end up injured,
and bullfighting is the most dangerous job in rodeo. I had a reminder of those statistics during Josh's
interview. They're sobering statistics. Yet, Josh could be a successful artist, which reminds me, how
come you never mentioned anything about his artistic ability, or that he plays the harmonica. Well, not
just plays it, he's amazing on it."

Annie shrugged. "I wanted you to learn things on your own. That's one of the things we all love

about Josh. He has amazing talents but he never uses them to draw attention to himself."

"Maybe he doesn't draw attention with his artistic talents, but he does when playing around with

bulls after a rider's safe, and he does it to get the attention of stock contractors and bull riders so he'll
get higher pay and be more in demand, yet he could create horseshoe sculptures and make more
money that way than what he's doing with those bulls. It's insane."

"I agree," Annie said, "but if you want Josh, he comes with bulls. The thing is, he's exceptionally

good when working with them, so he might be among the small percentage of rodeo cowboys who
never get hurt."

"He's already in the high percentage," Genie reminded Annie. "You forget, we met in a hospital."
"But he's learned from that, and it probably won't ever happen again. You'll have a chance to see

him at the upcoming rodeo and see that he really is amazing."

"I wish I could get out of it," Genie said, "but I gave Josh my word so now I'm obliged to watch

him challenging dozens of bulls, so I'm as insane as he is. The problem is, Josh has an addiction to
bulls, and I have an addiction to Josh. All the warning signs are there. In fact, I have five of the six
warning signs for addiction. The first is repeatedly missing work as a direct or indirect result of my
problematic behavior, that being staying here at the ranch because Josh is here instead of facing my

demons and returning to work. Second is progressively needing to increase the amount of the
behavior to attain the desired effect, which for me is concocting reasons to be with Josh, like going on
the overnight, which almost brought on the next warning sign, which is engaging in risky behaviors
such as having unprotected sex. We didn't do that but still could because of the next warning sign,
which is lying to myself that the problematic behavior is under control, which it is not, because I lay
in bed at night fantasizing about how it would be if Josh were with me, which brings me to the fifth
warning sign, which is continuing the problematic behavior despite persistent attempts by others to
discourage it, others being Abby, who is a constant reminder that following a bullfighter around the
country isn't an option. The only warning sign I don't have is being charged with a criminal offense."

"Actually, what you just described is a strong case for being in love with Josh."
"Okay, I admit, my feelings for him have escalated beyond a Florence Nightingale effect, which

is basically the same as counter-transference in which a caregiver develops romantic or sexual
feelings for her patient. I developed both when I was taking care of Josh, but I figured it was because
I had this gorgeous male body to take care of, and the guy inside was pretty incredible too, but now I
know just how incredible Josh really is. He's everything I want in a husband, except for his addiction
to messing with bulls, and in his case, I think it actually is an addiction. Confronting bulls increases
the level of dopamine in his brain, which activates the pleasure and reward areas of his brain, which
makes him feel positive and good, which in turn makes him want to repeat the behavior that created
the feeling. He justifies it by claiming he's saving bull riders lives."

"Well, he actually is," Annie pointed out. "And since some of those riders are his brothers, he

also feels a family obligation to protect them."

"That's the justification part of his bullfighter addiction, when in reality, it's the dopamine rush

he's after," Genie said. "The biggest problem is the addicted person’s denial about the negative
aspects of their addiction on others. I learned this when I was engaged to Cal and needed to know
why he risked his life doing idiotic things like motorcycle stunts. It all boiled down to getting a
natural high that nothing else could give him, even me. Josh is the same way, but Ryan realized that
having you gave him the same high, so he shifted to marrying you and working with horses instead,
and now he's perfectly contented."

Annie looked at Ryan, and said, in a thoughtful voice, "He is contented, and Josh could be too,

once he realizes there are other means of getting what he does from confronting bulls, whether it's a
dopamine rush from facing the bull, or because he kept someone out of harm's way. Those men are
called heroes, not addicts."

Annie's words brought Genie back to the canyon and images of hanging onto a tree for her life

while water rose and churned around her, and Josh being suddenly there. She knew he hadn't come
after her for a rush of dopamine. He came because that's who he was, a man who gave no thought for
his own life when someone else's was at risk. "Even if what Josh is doing is selfless and courageous,
I still couldn't be married to a man whose job it was to challenge mad, bucking bulls on a regular
basis. He's already the focus of Abby's life, and on her birthday tomorrow he's giving her a pony,
which she'll take as an expression of his love, which maybe it is, and if we were to marry, Abby
would be devastated if anything happened to him, which it eventually would no matter how good he
is, so Abby would worry constantly about what could be next, the way I'd be worrying, so we're right
back to where we started."

Annie gave a little despondent sigh. "I guess I see your point."
"That's what I was afraid of," Genie said. "I was hoping you could give me a reason to justify

marrying him and living with his chosen profession."

"If Ryan hadn't given it up…" Annie shrugged. "Maybe I still would have married him, but then I

would have spent a lot of sleepless nights worrying so I'm glad I didn't have to make that choice. At
least Abby's birthday party will be a distraction. Mom plans to bake the cake and she expects you and
Abby help decorate it, and Adam will have Jesse along when he brings the pony, and Seth, Deke and
Gabe's wives are bringing some grandkids, so with all the activity you can set everything with Josh
aside."

"Until he comes riding in on Ferdinand, dressed like a clown," Genie said. "Ferdinand might be a

teddy bear of a bull, but before the week is over Josh will be in practice pens with bad-tempered
bulls, while trying to get them to chase him."

It came to her that after Abby's party, maybe she should return to Portland to make her decision

about her job. She'd still have a week to make up her mind, although she'd miss seeing Josh at the
rodeo, but at least in Portland she wouldn't be distracted by a man who had her constantly trying to
justify things that were not in her best interest, or Abby's.

But then, if she stayed through the rodeo, she'd still have two days before she'd have to let the

hospital know of her decision, and maybe after the rodeo, the choice would be more clear.

***

Josh glanced around the bunkhouse and decided it looked okay. He'd asked Genie to bring Abby

there early the morning of her birthday so she could open her presents before the pony arrived, but he
also wanted Genie to see how he lived. The bunkhouse was all his since the only other wranglers
who worked at the ranch lived in town, and he wanted Genie to know he wasn't a scumbag, that he
picked up his clothes and kept the place clean. He even hung a few things on the walls to make it a
little homier.

He looked at Abby's presents, both wrapped in rodeo posters because he had no birthday paper,

but he'd tied them with baling twine and even made baling twine bows, so they weren't half bad. Late
yesterday afternoon he'd managed to get to Pine Grove Farm and Ranch before it closed and pick up a
pair of kid-sized boots and a pint-sized western hat, both in pink. He wasn't sure about the pink, but
the sales woman convinced him that little cowgirls always wanted pink. He wanted to be ready with
everything when Fancy arrived, so he bought the gifts with the idea of making this a birthday Abby
would remember.

It crossed his mind that maybe he was trying to one-up her absentee father, who gave her gifts that

popped out of a top hat, but Sebastian the Illusionist couldn't pop a pony out of a hat, and being an
urban dude, and an entertainer as well, he wouldn't think to get Abby a cowboy hat and boots. It
bothered him some that he was in a kind of undeclared competition with the man, but that's the way it
was, even if he couldn't explain it to himself.

Glancing out the window, he saw Genie and Abby coming, so he opened the front door and

stepped back. Abby, spotting him, raced ahead, and with her arms open for him to pick her up, said in
an excited voice, "It's my birfday and I'm four. Is my pony here?"

Josh scooped her up in his arms, and replied, "She'll be here soon."
"What color is she?" Abby asked.
"Mostly black but with some white."
After setting Abby down, he looked at Genie, who was standing in the doorway, eyeing him with

expectation, like she wanted to kiss him but wouldn't because Abby was there, so he took away her
indecision by giving her a short, sweet kiss, having decided that Abby needed to get used to seeing it

happen since the day would come when they'd be a family, though he had less than a week to convince
Genie of that fact.

She was still staring at him wide-eyed, like she wasn't sure whether to chew him out for what

he'd just done, or throw her arms around him and kiss him the way he wanted, when Abby rushed
over to the coffee table, and seeing the wrapped gifts, said in an excited voice, "Can I open my
Birfday pwesents?"

"You sure can," Josh replied. "They're waiting to be opened."
Abby reached for the box on top and started to rip off the paper when Genie rushed over and

grabbed her hand. "Sweetie, you need to look at the wrapping paper first," she said. "Josh painted all
the pictures on it. Here, I'll unwrap it for you."

Genie took the present from Abby and sat on the couch and carefully removed the sections of

tape, which touched a soft spot in Josh because he knew she cared enough to preserve the poster. But
when she flattened the paper against the top of the box and studied the image of the bull and rider, her
expression hardened, a reminder of what she thought of his career.

"Can I open the box now?" Abby asked, when Genie sat immobilized, with the poster flattened

against the box lid and her eyes fixed on it.

"Oh, yes, of course," Genie replied. She set the paper aside and Abby whisked off the lid to the

box then slapped both hands to her cheeks, and said, "It's a weal cowboy hat!"

Josh laughed and took the hat from the box. Setting it on Abby's head, he turned her around so her

back was to him and lifted her up in front of a mirror that was set into an old leather draft horse
collar. "Do you see a cowgirl in the mirror?" he asked.

Abby stared at herself for a moment, then smiled a wide, bright smile, and said, "It's me."
"Yep, it's you," Josh replied, "but a real cowgirl needs boots too." He set Abby on the floor and

picked up the other box. Abby looked up at him, and when he saw the anticipation on her face, along
with the expectation in her eyes that maybe there could be boots in the box, he understood what his
brothers had been going on about with their own kids, that once you become a husband and father your
whole life changes, and keeping your wife and kids safe and healthy and happy becomes your number
one goal…

"Can I open it?" Abby asked, when he stood with the package sandwiched between his hands

while making no move to give it to her.

"I'll do it," Genie said. When she went to take the package, Josh said, "Let Abby enjoy her day.

There are a stack of posters in the back room."

"But she'll want this poster for a souvenir," Genie insisted, as she slowly peeled off the tape,

while Abby hovered over her in eager expectation, a scene that brought a smile to Josh's lips, the two
females so completely engrossed in something as simple as unwrapping a box.

"There you go," Genie said, as she set the box on the floor.
Abby again whisked off the lid. "Weal cowgirl boots!" she exclaimed. Flopping down on the

floor, she grabbed a boot and tried to shove her foot into it but her foot got stuck midway.

"Here," Josh said. "I'll show you how it's done." Moving to an overstuffed chair, he lifted Abby

onto his lap then grabbed a boot, and tucking her toes into it, showed her the loops on the sides, and
said, while slipping his index fingers into the loops, "Use these to pull on your boots. After you've
worn them some they'll be easy to get on, which is important when a cowgirl has to mount her horse
fast."

Abby giggled and shoved her foot into the boot. After both boots were on her feet, she leaned

back against Josh and stretched out her legs on his knees, and bumped the toes of her boots together,

and said in a contemplative, "I have weal cowboy boots now."

Josh looked toward the opened door to the bunkhouse when he heard a vehicle pulling up and

saw Adam's truck with a horse trailer behind it. "Are you ready to meet Fancy?" he asked.

Abby sucked in a quick breath and said, in an excited voice, "She's weally here?"
"Come see." Lifting himself and Abby together, Josh stood, and with Abby hanging onto him with

her arms around his neck and her booted feet wrapped around his waist, he grabbed her new pink hat
and plopped it on her head, and winking at Genie, said to her, "Come on, babe, you can meet the best
little pony in Oregon."

They headed out the door and walked over toward the truck that was pulling up to the stable.
Adam got out and strolled over to meet them, then shifting his gaze to Abby, who was still

wrapped around Josh, he said, "So you're the birthday girl."

Abby giggled, and replied, "I'm four and I'm a cowgirl."
"So you are." Adam's gaze shifted between Josh and Abby, then darted to Genie, who was

standing with her shoulder pressed against Josh's chest, and said, "Nice to see you again. You rushed
off so fast after Ryan and Annie's wedding, none of us had a chance to talk to you. I hope there wasn't
an emergency."

Genie glanced up at Josh, like she didn't know how to respond, so Josh shrugged and said,

"There was. Genie thought she was going to get stuck with a bullfighter for the rest of the evening.
She's thinking it's not such a bad idea now, right babe?"

Genie gave a little shrug. "For the time being."
Josh caught the look of surprise on Adam's face and decided he might as well know what was

going on because the day would come when Genie would be his sister-in-law.

"Okay then," Adam said. "Let's get on with unloading Fancy."
"Yeah!" Abby exclaimed, and clapped her hands.
Josh set Abby on the ground, and while Adam unloaded the small, black and white pony, Jesse

got out of the truck and stood staring at Abby, who stood staring back. Josh, seeing the silent meeting,
said to Jesse, who at age six, was accustomed to leading the pony around for kids, back at the ranch,
"I'll put Abby up on Fancy and you can lead them to the stable just ahead." Both kids giggled then
waited excitedly while Josh clipped a lead line onto Fancy's halter and lifted Abby onto the pony's
bare back, where Abby grabbed onto Fancy's mane.

Genie trailed along with Josh and Adam, but when they got to the stable, she said, "I'd better go

help Ruth with the cake, and we have lots of balloons to blow up."

After Genie left, Adam said to Josh, "So what's the story with you and Genie?"
Deciding to lay it out to Adam, Josh replied, "I'm going to marry her but we have some issues

that need to be worked out first. She has a problem with my being a bullfighter and she needs time to
adjust to that."

"Annie had a problem with Ryan riding bulls and he gave it up for her," Adam pointed out. "If

you're really serious, you might consider doing that."

"I am really serious, but I'm not going to let a woman run my life," Josh said. "If Genie wants to

marry me she'll have to adjust."

Adam let out a short guffaw. "Your problem is you want everything on your terms. Even if she did

adjust, how do you expect to work a nurse into your life? She has to live near a hospital and you plan
to follow rodeos around the country."

"She's thinking about quitting nursing."
"For you?"

"For a lot of reasons, but I don't want to get into them now."
"So what's the deal with her little sister? You told me when you called that her father wasn't

involved in her life."

"He isn't much since he's always booked with shows, so Genie's raising Abby. I'm good with

kids and Abby likes me, so I figure I could get her interested in barrel racing and we'd do the things
Dad did with Maddy. Then if I start raising bucking bulls I'd make enough money so Genie wouldn't
have to work at all and she could stay home with the kids, like Mom did, and yeah, maybe I'd be gone
some for rodeos, but Genie would come to terms with that."

"What I've heard so far is it's all about Josh Hansen," Adam said. "Genie's giving up the nursing

job which to you means she'll be willing to trailer around to rodeos with you when she adjusts to your
being a bullfighter, and you'll fit her little sister into your life by making her a barrel racer so she'll
want to track around with you too, but I'm not hearing anything about you making any concessions."

"Look, I don't want to talk about this right now," Josh said, feeling irritated with Adam, who

didn't understand the situation.

"Fine, have it your way then," Adam replied. "But let me give you a little piece of advice. When

you find a woman who's willing to give it all up for you, you be the one with the balls and give it all
up for her. That way you'll have a woman who'll be with you for the long haul."

The exchange ended when the sight of a large black bus approaching caught their attention. It

pulled to a halt in a graveled parking area near the campgrounds, and moments later, the door folded
open and a tall, impressive man with graying hair stepped from the bus.

"Daddy!" Abby called out. In an instant, she was off the pony and running toward the man, who

caught her up in his arms.

And Josh realized his place in Abby's heart had just been filled by Sebastian the Illusionist.

CHAPTER 13

Genie was shocked to find her father standing on the porch with Abby in his arms. When she

finally found her voice, she said, "What are you doing here, Dad?"

Sebastian Matthias bent over and placed a kiss on Genie's cheek. "There was a minor fire in the

hotel where I was performing and the place is shut down for a couple of weeks. My agent booked us
in a club in Portland and we're on our way there, which gives me a chance to be with Abbycadabby
on her fourth birthday." He smiled at Abby, who tightened her arms around him.

Genie looked beyond her father and saw Josh looking their way. He had Abby's cowboy hat in

his hand, which she suspected Abby lost in her rush to see their father. Josh looked downcast, which
was understandable. He'd planned a party for a little girl who'd captured his heart, and he'd bought
her a hat and boots to go with her pony, and now his clown act with Ferdinand would be
overshadowed by, she wasn't sure what, but Sebastian Matthias never did anything halfway.

"What are your plans now?" she asked. "Have you talked to Ruth and Matt Kincaid?"
Sebastian raised his eyes from Genie and looked beyond her. His expression sobered, as he said,

"Hello Ruth. You're looking well."

Genie turned to see Ruth standing not far behind.
It was some moments before Ruth replied, "Hello, Sebastian."
After a stretch of awkward silence, Sebastian said, "I had a cancellation and thought I could see

Abby on her birthday. I would have called ahead but I misplaced the ranch number."

"That's okay," Ruth said, but in a way that led Genie to believe it really wasn't okay, which it

wasn't, but her father was used to having things his way so showing up unannounced wasn't so much
of a surprise. "We have no vacancies in the campground, otherwise you'd be welcome to stay," Ruth
added.

"We have to get to Portland so we're only here for a couple of hours," Sebastian replied. "My

road crew and I have a little show planned for Abby. If it's okay with you we can set up where the bus
is parked so your ranch guests can see it too."

"That's fine, but we also have something planned for Abby," Ruth countered, in a tone that held a

hint of testiness. "A clown and balloons."

"The more the merrier," Sebastian replied. "Is Anne here?"
"Anne?"
"My daughter."
"You mean Annie," Ruth corrected, in a voice showing clearly her pique at Sebastian's sudden

arrival. "Yes she's here. You really should have sent word in advance or written to her before just
showing up."

"I'm sorry, and of course you're right," Sebastian said. "If she doesn't want to see me I

understand, but when she came to Las Vegas three years ago I was prepared to spend time with her
and her husband, but she never came to my dressing room so I presumed she decided she was better
off not knowing me."

"She probably is," Ruth replied. "I'll tell her you're here and she can decide what she wants to do

about it. I'll also tell my husband since he'll be wondering about your bus. You really should have
called in advance. Our ranch is listed in the phone book."

"Yes, I suppose I should have," Sebastian said, in a sober voice.

Genie could tell from the look of uncertainty on her father's face that he was only just beginning

to understand that he wasn't exactly welcome, which was unusual. Everywhere Sebastian the
Illusionist appeared the red carpet rolled out. Hotel attendants bent over backwards to make sure he
had everything he needed, restaurant managers scrambled to give him the best table in the place,
crowds parted when he arrived. Even his road crew were dedicated men whose purpose was to make
sure life unfolded the way Sebastian Matthias would like. It wasn't that her father was demanding in
any way, only that he was a man people wanted to please.

The tense moment was interrupted when Abby leaned back from her father so she could look at

him, and said, "Daddy, my birfday cake has pwetty flowers on it. You can come see it in the kitchen.
Gwamma Ruff baked it for me."

"Grandma Ruth?"
Abby bobbed her head. "Genie said Gwamma Ruff's special so she's my gwamma now."
Sebastian glanced at Ruth, and his eyes looked troubled, like he was perceiving the fact that as

Abby's father, he was a generation older than he should be, and the woman staring back at him, who
gave birth to his love child, was also of that older generation.

"Daddy, I have a pony," Abby said. "Come see her. Her name is Fancy."
Sebastian smiled, but it was a feigned smile to get around another awkward moment. "Well, of

course we'll have to take a look at your pony," he said.

Abby wiggled around until Sebastian set her down, then she grabbed his hand and tugged him

across the porch and said, while pointing, "Fancy's wight over there. Josh got her for me and he got
me these boots—" she kicked out a foot "—and a cowgirl hat—" she put her hand on her head then
looked at Genie in dismay.

"It's okay, honey, Josh has your hat," Genie said. "You lost it when you jumped off Fancy."
Abby smiled in relief and looked toward Josh, then said to her father, "I can wide Fancy. Come

watch me."

Sebastian glanced back at Ruth, and said, "If my being here is a problem, I have a driver so I can

take Abby in the bus with me and we can visit that way."

"That isn't necessary," Ruth said, "my husband will understand, and your bus is fine where it is.

I'm sure the guests will enjoy the show. I'll also tell Annie you're here. If she wants to see you she can
come to your bus, or maybe watch the show and meet you afterwards, which would probably be
best."

Sebastian nodded vaguely and pressed his mouth into a smile the way he sometimes did when

greeting a crowd he suspected was unfriendly. But then the smile settled into a real one when he said
to Abby, "Okay, Abbycadabby, let's take a look at your pony, and after that I'll set up so you can see
the illusion of the orange tree. I promised I'd show it to you."

"With weal oranges on the tree?" Abby asked.
"Of course, and you'll get to watch them grow," Sebastian said.
"Yeah! I want to go tell Josh!" Abby released her father's hand and skipped on ahead.
"I'd better go with you," Genie said. "Josh needs to know the change of plans since he's to be the

clown at the party."

"Then I don't want to interrupt that," Sebastian said. "I'll plan my show for afterwards."
Genie silently agreed because any entertainment following her father's act would seem lackluster,

even a clown riding a trained Brahma bull.

As Genie walked with her father, she said, "You also have a grandson. His name is Cody and he's

eight months old. This is very awkward what you're doing, Dad. Why didn't you at least contact me

first? I have a cell phone and you have my number."

"I would have but we left as soon as we could, and there was no cell service much of the way

here, so I figured stopping by for a couple of hours wouldn't matter."

"Maybe it wouldn't if you and Annie had met before, but she's twenty-three years old now, and

out of the blue, you show up, but only to see her little half-sister."

"Like I told Ruth, I thought she might be better off not knowing me. She has a father who raised

her so there's been no reason for me to interfere in that relationship."

Genie drew in a long breath. "I suppose you're right," she conceded. "Annie's close to both her

parents, but I guess since you're here, the two of you might as well spend a little time together and at
least satisfy your curiosities. It would make it less awkward if you ever had a reason to come here
again."

As Genie and Sebastian approached Josh, who was standing by the pony while Abby petted it,

Genie said to Josh, "This is our father, and Abby wants to show Fancy to him."

Sebastian stepped forward and offered his hand to Josh, "Sebastian Matthias," he said,

introducing himself.

"Josh Hansen," he responded, clasping Sebastian's hand. But whereas Sebastian's greeting was

genuine, Genie knew from the disturbed look on Josh's face that he was not happy with things.

"She's a fine pony," Sebastian said to Abby. "When you and Genie come to visit it will be nice to

have Fancy here for you to ride."

Abby looked up at her father and said in a firm voice, "I'm staying here forever. Josh is gonna

teach me to wide Fancy and he said he won't ever leave me like you do."

Sebastian eyed Josh in alarm. "What's going on here?" he asked.
"Nothing," Genie replied, before Josh could respond. "Abby, honey, maybe Josh will take you

around for a little ride on Fancy while I explain to Daddy about your party, okay?"

The muscles in Josh's jaw bunched, like he wanted to say something but was holding back, then

he shrugged and said to Abby, "Come on. We'll take Fancy around the stable." He lifted Abby onto
Fancy, and saying nothing more, took Fancy's lead line and walked off.

When Josh was out of hearing range, Sebastian said to Genie, "Abby seems unusually attached to

that man. Is there a reason?"

"Yes," Genie replied. "Josh risked his life to save Abby and me when a dam broke and water

filled a box canyon. After that we were stranded and had to spend the better part of a dark night alone
on a hill. Abby was afraid Josh would leave us and he assured her he wouldn't."

"Who is he?" Sebastian asked.
"He's actually Annie's brother-in-law," Genie replied, and tried to sound indifferent. "He's in

charge of the horses and the trail rides here at the ranch. He's also a rodeo clown, a farrier and a very
fine artist. He made a life-size statue out of horseshoes for Annie and Ryan to put out at the road to
advertise their horses, and he has a commission to make a full-size bucking bull for the rodeo
grounds. He also does the artwork for rodeo posters around the country."

Sebastian held Genie's gaze in the way he did when captivating his audience, although he wasn't

aware of it. Only those who were the object of his gaze understood it because they were looking into
a pair of eyes that could mesmerize, if the person wasn't aware. Genie never knew exactly what it
was about his eyes, but it happened, and Dimitri had the same innate ability.

"And your connection with the man?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
Sebastian waited.

Genie decided it was pointless to try and hide the fact that she was in love with Josh. "I was his

nurse when he had an encounter with a bull at a rodeo three years ago, and if we can work out some
issues we're having, I'll marry him. So now I've laid it all out to you."

After a long stretch of silence, Sebastian said, "Just because you have guardianship doesn't mean

I'll step aside. I'm still Abby's father, and the decisions I make will be with her best interest in mind.
Now, I'd better get the men to set up for the orange tree illusion. Can I count on you to be my
assistant?"

Genie paused, mulling over her father's words about making decisions for Abby, while trying to

decide if they were a kind of veiled threat aimed at Josh, having come right after she'd expressed her
feelings for him. "I haven't assisted you in years," she said.

"You know the illusion," Sebastian replied. "It will come back."
It already had, Genie silently acknowledged. What troubled her most was that Abby would

probably forget all about the endearing clown who came riding up on a big docile bull that was
wearing a hat, because after she sees her father make a tree sprout blossoms and grow real oranges,
that would eclipse everything else.

***

Josh peered into the mirror and saw, staring back at him, the fool he was—a clown who'd soon

be making an ass of himself for a little girl whose father had the power to perform magic. He had no
idea what Sebastian the Illusionist would pull off, but whatever it was, it would be a damn sight more
entertaining than a bumbling idiot with a bulbous red nose and round white eyes outlined in blue,
riding a bull with balloons tied to its tail.

If he had any sense, he'd pack away all the clown makeup, head for Pine Grove, and spend the

rest of the afternoon at Pete's Pub with a half dozen beers, and try to forget the existence of the woman
and her imp of a sister who'd absconded with his sanity. But as he seized a red makeup crayon and
carefully drew a large red ring around his mouth, then exaggerated his lips with it, he acknowledged
that he had no sense, which he reaffirmed by grabbing a makeup sponge and dabbing it into white
makeup cream and filling in the interior of the red ring.

He peered into the mirror again and decided he wasn't done yet. Picking up a blue makeup

crayon, he carefully scored a blue teardrop beneath each eye then sat back and folded his arms.

Yeah, he was a pretty pathetic man, he decided.
Standing, he adjusted his wide black suspenders over his polka-dotted shirt, yanked his multi-

colored beret from the pocket of his oversized pants and stuffed the big pockets of his pants with
small bottles of soap bubbles, and little plastic water pistols, and boxes with eight crayons in them.
Then he headed for the stock barn to fetch Ferdinand.

The road crew of the great illusionist—he realized he was being cynical but couldn't seem to

stop himself—had set up folding chairs, which were quickly being filled by ranch guests, along with
the wives and grandkids of Seth, Deke and Gabe. Abby, Jesse and the other kids sat on the ground in
front of the people in chairs. It had been decided the day before that he'd arrive riding on Ferdinand,
who'd have helium-filled balloons tied to his tail, and his pockets would be filled with party favors
for the kids, after which he and Ferdinand would do their stuff, the cake would be cut, presents
opened, and the kids would take turns riding Fancy. A simple plan that would make a memorable day
for Abby…

Until a big black bus that looked like the kind Darth Vader would ride around in arrived to blow

the plan, or at least put a barn-size damper on it.

As he walked toward the barn, he noticed that the bus was set up like a stage, with a full-length

canopy that rolled out from the side of the vehicle, and which was propped up with poles. A folding
platform created a floor, and a horizontal cross-pole framed the area with side curtains.

When he arrived at the barn, he was surprised to see Genie. "What's going on?" he asked.
"I came to bring you those balloons." She pointed to where a cluster of plastic, helium-filled

birthday balloons were tied to his anvil. "I also wanted to see you before the party got started."

"You mean before I make a jackass of myself out there."
Although he didn't elucidate exactly how he'd be making a jackass of himself, Genie was right on

when she said, "I'm sorry Dad arrived when he did. Abby's happy he's here, but I know it spoiled
your plans for her. I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you're doing, and if you
weren't covered in grease paint I'd kiss you, but if I came out of the barn with bright red lips with a
big white circle around them, people would get suspicious."

Josh tried to find the humor in Genie's words, but the fact was, he was pissed. "Maybe later," he

grumbled. "I could probably use some condolences by then."

Genie put her arms around his neck. "You need to reflect on why you're dressed the way you are,

and it's not to please a bunch of adults. Kids love clowns, and even though Abby's happy her daddy's
here, she'll be far more impressed with you and Ferdinand than with Dad and his illusion. And I
really wish I could kiss you. Would it be hard to put all that makeup on again?"

Josh peered into the animated eyes of the woman he loved and his spirits immediately lifted.

Pulling her to him, he said, "Yeah, but it would be worth it."

But a millisecond before their lips met, Genie stopped him, and said, "The way I'm feeling now

if I kiss you that grease paint will end up smeared all over our faces, but maybe I'll come to your
place later tonight. Will all that stuff be gone by then?"

"Are you serious about coming?" Josh asked.
"I am at the moment," Genie replied.
"What about your father? Won't you be spending time with him?"
"He's only here for a couple of hours."
Josh moved his hands around her and ran them down her back and pressed her to him and said,

"If you're really serious about coming, I'll make sure I'm scrubbed clean, all over."

Genie smiled in a way that had him thinking anything but being a clown, and left.
"Okay, Ferdinand," he said, as he slid back the latch to the stall. "Maybe you could be a little

aggressive this time, like coming at me with your horns. I need to get rid of some excessive
testosterone quick. I have a problem that could be an embarrassment if the kids start asking what's in
my pocket." Ferdinand responded by nuzzling him for an alfalfa nugget.

"Sorry pal. You have to wait until I put your hat on and tie a bunch of balloons to your tail. I'm

not going to be the only fool out there." After completing those two tasks, Josh led Ferdinand out of
the barn and launched himself onto his back.

As Genie said it would be, the kids loved clowns, laughing their high-pitched kids' laughter as

Josh slid backwards off Ferdinand when he sat down, and grabbing for the balloons he untied from
Ferdinand's tail to loop around each child's wrist, and crowding around with big smiles on their faces
when he passed out the party favors. And when it was done and he saw Abby jumping up and down,
telling everyone she knew the clown, then raised her arms for him to pick her up, Josh decided he'd
rather be the biggest fool there, with Abby wrapped around him the way she was, then the man in
tails, top hat and white gloves, who was staring at them, and not in a friendly way.

"Okay, honey," he said to Abby, when she seemed perfectly happy to stay where she was. "I need

to take Ferdinand back to the barn, and I think you're Dad's ready to put on his show."

Abby looked around, and when she saw her father stepping to the front of the makeshift stage, she

grudgingly left Josh's arms and went to sit cross-legged on the ground with the other kids. And Josh
headed for the barn, intending to stay there until the great illusionist was done.

At least that was his plan. But after turning Ferdinand out into the pasture, he found himself

stepping to the open doors of the barn where, on hearing the concerted gasps from the viewers, he
decided to see what the man was all about. He was Genie's father, and if Genie could come to terms
with having a bullfighter for a husband, the man would be his father-in-law …

What I've heard so far is it's all about Josh Hansen…
Deciding to shove aside Adam's comment, which kept emerging like an obnoxious weed, he

walked over to where the bus-stage was set up and was surprised to see Genie standing with her
father. She'd changed into something white and glittery and clinging that her father must have provided
because he didn't imagine she'd brought it to the ranch, but it definitely got his attention the way it
emphasized her female curves. She also looked at ease with what she was doing, which, for the
moment, was angling her body toward her father and holding her arms in a relaxed way, but with her
hands and fingers positioned so they drew eyes away from her to her father, except that he was having
a hard time focusing on the man when he could look at Genie.

But when Sebastian Matthias stepped forward and started speaking, Josh found himself

captivated by the mesmerizing look in the man's eyes and the deep, almost hypnotic quality of his
voice, as he said, "When one witnesses an illusion they perceive something that does not correspond
to what exists in the real world, but if we talk about an illusion with almost two hundred years history
behind it, the illusion that comes to the minds of many is one created by the French illusionist, Jean
Eugene Robert-Houdin. In fact, Robert-Houdin's illusion of the Marvelous Orange Tree was so
extraordinary he took the secret to his grave so no illusionist other than himself could ever perform it.
He began the effect by having an assistant bring onto the stage an orange tree without flowers or fruit
on it."

Sebastian stepped aside, and with a flourish of his hand, directed the audience toward Genie,

who went behind a curtain and came out pulling a low wooden cart. On the cart was an orange tree in
a wooden container. After positioning the cart with the tree beside her father, Genie took her position
as before, directing everyone's attention back to her father.

"Yes," Sebastian said, while studying the tree, "it was an orange tree similar to the one you see

here, a tree barren of blossoms or fruit. Illusionists have tried to learn the mystery of Robert-Houdin's
orange tree illusion but all have failed, and yet, audiences believed what they saw because they
wanted to believe, and maybe that's what Robert-Houdin's illusion was all about—people wanting to
believe that oranges grew before their eyes. And then, perhaps it was magic that has been lost to the
ages."

Sebastian walked to the back of the stage and took something from a small table and held it up.

"What happened next, it has been said, was that Robert-Houdin placed a vial with elixir beneath the
tree and lit the elixir." Striking a match, he set the elixir on fire and placed it under the orange tree,
then stepped behind the tree. After a few seconds ticked by, Sebastian's eyes sharpened, and he
appeared to be looking intensely into the foliage.

Addressing the audience again, he said, "It was told that vapors from the blue flame caused the

leaves of the tree to spread, and as the smoke reached the leaves, blossoms started sprouting." As he
said the words, there was a concerted gasp from the onlookers as blossoms begin to slowly emerge

from within the leaves.

Genie picked up a small battery-operated lantern from a table and walked over to stand beside

her father then raised the lantern above the tree, casting light on it while revealing the presence of
delicate orange blossoms.

Sebastian took a few steps across the stage while appearing to be contemplating something,

because his hand was to his forehead, and his eyes were looking downward, then he moved back to
the tree, and said, "It was also alleged that Robert-Houdin possessed a wand that, when waved it
over the tree, would accelerate time and the blossoms would miraculously begin turning into
oranges."

In an instant, a wand appeared in Sebastian's hand as if from out of thin air, bringing more gasps

from the onlookers. Sebastian waved the wand over the tree, and gradually the blossoms disappeared
and oranges began to emerge in their place.

"Some in the audience doubted that the oranges were real and demanded to see them," Sebastian

continued, "so Robert-Houdin plucked one from the tree…" he picked one of the oranges "…and
tossed it to someone in the crowd." Catching Josh's eye, he tossed the orange over the onlookers'
heads to him.

Josh caught the orange and studied it closely. It had the look and feel of a real orange. Not

convinced, he peeled away a portion of the rind and pulled apart some of the segments and stared at
them, stunned. There was no question, it was a real orange. He looked back at Sebastian, who picked
another orange from the tree and tossed it to Adam, who took out his knife and sliced it in half and
touched his tongue to it before staring at the sections in bafflement.

After tossing all but one of the oranges to the spectators, and giving them some time to examine

them and look back in puzzlement, Sebastian plucked the last orange and held it up. "On rare
occasions it was reported that the larva of a monarch butterfly would leave its milkweed plant and
burrow into an orange where it would finish its life cycle, and that Robert-Houdin, on waving his
wand, would open up such an orange, and from it would emerge a perfectly formed butterfly." His
wand appeared in his hand again, as if from out of thin air, and when he waved it over the orange, the
orange split open, and a black and orange Monarch butterfly emerged and flew away from the
audience and through the opened door of the bus and vanished inside.

"Now enough about Robert-Houdin," Sebastian said, as Genie wheeled the orange tree away and

disappeared with it behind the curtain. "I have another illusion I'd like to share with the young lady
standing in back." He pointed, and when Josh turned, he saw Annie, who looked frozen in place.

"Come on up, don't be shy," Sebastian said, while motioning for Annie to come forward.
For a moment Annie didn't move from her place beside Ryan, but when Ryan gave her a little

nudge, she began making her way forward until she was standing and staring at her father, who stared
back at her. It was a long silent moment, which was finally broken when Sebastian said to the
onlookers, "For the next illusion, I will illustrate the Parable of the Palace and the Pigeons."

He turned toward Annie, as if addressing her only, and said, "Once there was a king whose

palace was ransacked by barbarians. The king was not concerned about the furnishings because they
could be replaced, but for the crown jewels, which had been passed down for generations, he could
not be consoled because the jewels were scattered throughout many lands, the most precious of them
taken to the farthest reaches of the globe. But the king had a daughter, and in her wisdom, she told the
king that they should train pigeons to search for the jewels and return them to the palace. So the king
and his daughter trained many pigeons to recognize the crown jewels and carry them back on their
journey."

As if from out of nowhere, a live pigeon appeared in Sebastian's hand. After the rush of

excitement from the onlookers settled down, Sebastian released the bird, which flew off. "Each day
the king and his daughter released a few more pigeons," he continued, "and after some time, the
pigeons started returning to the palace with some of the crown jewels. One returned with a small gold
bracelet with emeralds set into it, and dropped it in the King's hand."

At that moment the pigeon returned and landed on Sebastian's wrist. Sebastian stroked the

pigeon's breast with the back of his index finger, and when he opened his gloved hand, a gold bracelet
appeared, which he held up for the viewers to see, eliciting a rush of disbelief.

Taking Annie's hand, he placed the bracelet against her palm and closed her fingers around it,

while saying, "The king gave it to his daughter and hoped she would be pleased."

Annie stood looking at her closed palm. It was another long moment when neither spoke, until

Annie opened her hand and moved it toward him, as if to return the bracelet.

Sebastian blocked her hand with his. "There were other princesses in the kingdom, and a prince,"

he continued, "but the king had ignored this one princess and was trying to make amends. The bracelet
was a small token." He closed Annie's hand around the bracelet again and nudged her hand back from
him.

"The pigeons continued returning with jewels," Sebastian said, "but the jewels closest to the

king's heart had not been recovered because the pigeons would not venture far enough to find them
because they were too eager to return home. But the king's daughter, again in her wisdom, knew what
must be done. The palace must be destroyed so when the pigeons returned they'd find nothing but
scattered stones and smoldering wood and would fly to distant lands. And so it was that the palace
was razed to the ground." Sebastian raised his arm and the pigeon took flight.

"The pigeons traveled to distant palaces, where they found the king’s two most precious jewels,

and gathering them under their wings, kept them safe for the long journey home." He'd barely said the
words when the pigeon returned and sat on his shoulder. He reached up and stroked its head, and
when he opened his hand there was a string of pearls in it, which he lowered over Annie's head.
While Annie fingered the pearls, another pigeon appeared and landed on Sebastian's wrist, drawing
everyone's attention to what he held.

"The king rejoiced because the last pigeon returned with what was most important to him, a

locket with a picture of the princess in it, something he'd held close to his heart from the time she was
a small girl." He handed a gold locket on a chain to Annie, who opened it and stared at the tiny photo,
unblinking, because clearly it held a photo of her. She looked at her father with bewilderment, to
which he responded by smiling at her and giving her shoulder a little nudge to turn her around and
send her back to where Ryan was waiting.

Addressing the viewers once again, he said, "So now, my friends, you have seen the impossible

right before your eyes, which is the art of the illusionist. I hope you enjoyed the wonderment of it.
And I believe there is a birthday cake in the lodge."

With that, the onlookers clapped wildly and began walking toward the lodge, with Abby and the

other children running on ahead. And Josh returned to the bunkhouse where he shed the clown suit,
showered and scrubbed off the makeup, then dressed in clean clothes. Instead of heading for the
lodge, however, he decided to check on the pony. But as he was crossing from the bunkhouse to the
stable, he was surprised to see Sebastian break away from a group of people chatting just outside the
lodge and start toward him, like he had something to say. He also noted that the man didn't look very
friendly.

Deciding to err on the side of congeniality, in case he'd read the man wrong, he said, as Sebastian

approached, "Your performance was amazing. I'm sure it left an impression on everyone here,
including your daughters."

"That's what I want to talk to you about," Sebastian replied.
"About Abby?"
"Abby and Genie."
Josh eyed the man with suspicion. "What about them?"
"I understand you're involved with Genie."
"That's correct," Josh replied, deciding not to play games with the man.
"What are your intentions?" Sebastian asked.
"Honorable," Josh replied.
"And my youngest daughter?"
"Your daughters would be a package deal," Josh replied. "I would not take on one without the

other."

"Then I'll be as straight forward with you as you're being with me," Sebastian said. "I went along

with my wife to make Genie Abby's legal guardian, but only with the understanding that Genie would
settle in one place so Abby could attend a regular school, but if Genie chooses to marry a man who
tracks around the country after rodeos, I'll petition the court to annul the guardianship and get Abby
back. Is that understood?"

Josh's first reaction was to tell the man that tracking around the country as a cowboy protector

was a damn sight more noble than fooling people into believing oranges could grow on trees before
their eyes, but Sebastian Matthias was also looking after his youngest daughter's best interest, and in
his mind, having Abby traveling with him on a luxury bus and staying in five-star hotels was far better
than following the rodeo circuit with her big sister and a rodeo bullfighter and staying in a trailer on
the rodeo grounds, though he could make a solid argument in favor of the kinship and camaraderie of
the rodeo crowd over the artificiality of the Las Vegas bunch. Instead, he said, "I don't think you could
be any clearer."

"As long as we understand each other," Sebastian replied, then turned and walked away.
As Josh watched the man walk off, he realized he'd just been issued an ultimatum, and ultimatums

were all about power. Sebastian Matthias had all the game pieces in his hand while the guy who was
involved with his daughter was about to lose his shirt, along with his self-respect, unless he could
come up with his own game plan, a strategy that would now include convincing an illusionist, as well
as his daughter, that bullfighting wasn't a badass profession.

On the other hand, maybe he should suck up his self-respect, forget the lot of them, and keep life

simple. Just him, the rodeo circuit, and a long string of bulls to play around with.

CHAPTER 14

Genie's father was gone almost as suddenly as he'd arrived. Several hours after he left, the guests

were still talking about seeing oranges growing before their eyes, and a Monarch butterfly emerge
from inside an orange and fly off, and pigeons appearing as if from out of thin air with jewels beneath
their wings, and speculating about how it could be. Some of the guests wandered over to where the
bus had been parked earlier, but the field was vacant, almost as if Sebastian the Illusionist had been
an illusion.

Genie found herself also wandering back, and when she did, she spotted Annie standing off by

herself, staring at the empty field. When Annie looked down at her hand, Genie knew, from the way
Annie was studying what was in her palm, that she was holding the locket.

Concerned that Annie might not have taken what their father did in the right spirit, she walked

over to Annie, and said, "Are you doing okay?"

Annie looked up from the locket, and replied, "Actually, I am. I'm just a little surprised. He

talked to my dad."

"About what?" Genie asked.
"Why he stayed out of my life. He told Dad he knew I was happy and that I was being well taken

care of so he didn't want to interfere. He also thanked Dad for being the better man. Dad was actually
kind of impressed with him. I still don't think of him as my father though, and I guess that's the way it
will be, so we'll have your father and my father, and keep them separate."

"That works for me too," Genie said. "What about your Mom? Did my dad talk to her too?"
Annie shook her head. "He just thanked her for letting him see Abby, and she told him she hoped

she could continue to be Abby's grandparent. It's odd, but in a way, I think your dad kind of wants that
role too."

"It's possible," Genie said. "Everyone always assumes he's Abby's grandfather and I think he gets

a little tired of explaining. Mom was in her forties when she had Abby, so everyone thought she was
her grandmother. With me, it's assumed I'm Abby's mother."

"So, if you marry Josh, who would be Abby's father?" Annie asked.
Genie looked toward the bunkhouse, where she knew Josh was waiting for her, and said, "I'm not

sure what Josh's state of mind is after today. He was pretty upset when Dad showed up and eclipsed
what he had planned for Abby, so he might not be thinking along those lines at all anymore, which
would be for the best since my mind seems to be in a decision-making vacuum right now. After this
coming weekend I will have been here three weeks and I'm not any closer to a decision about my job
than the day I arrived."

"Maybe you just need more time," Annie said. "You're trying to mesh your life with Josh's, and

that won't happen overnight."

Genie looked at the bunkhouse again. "It actually could happen overnight," she said. "All I need

to do is accept what Josh does. It's as simple as that."

"Meanwhile," Annie said, "you keep looking at the bunkhouse. Mom already bathed Abby and

put her in her pajamas because she was covered in dirt from playing with the kids, and chocolate
icing from the cake, so before long she'll be sleeping from all the excitement, so you will have the rest
of the evening to spend with Josh and figure it out."

"I wish it was that easy," Genie said, "but I do want some time with Josh."

"Then I'll tell Dad to tuck Abby in bed, since he likes doing that, and that you'll be in later."

Annie gave Genie a little hug and turned and walked away, and Genie headed for the bunkhouse.

She arrived there to find the TV on, which surprised her. Josh also looked disturbed when he

opened the door and saw her standing there. When he backed off for her to enter, yet made no move to
kiss her, she looked at the TV, which was on pause, and said, "What are you watching?"

"Bulls," Josh replied.
When he still made no attempt to kiss her, Genie said, "Is this a bad time for me to be here?"
Josh combed his fingers through his hair, leaving it mussed up in an appealing way, and said,

"Yeah, maybe… well, I guess not."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Genie asked, wondering what had changed between the time when she left

Josh in the barn with Ferdinand earlier that afternoon and now.

"I guess whether you're here or not is up to you," Josh replied. "I need to study some videos of

bulls that I'll be facing at the rodeo, so you might not want to watch."

"I already told you I'd set aside my preconceived ideas about what you do until after the rodeo,

so maybe it should start with me watching the videos with you," Genie replied.

"Fine, have a seat." Instead of pulling her into his arms and kissing her, or maybe tugging her

down to sit on his lap, Josh punched the remote, and when the video started up he sat on the couch
with his elbows on his knees and his eyes fixed on the TV screen.

Genie sat beside him but left some space between them because, from every indication since

she'd arrived, that's how he wanted it. Something had definitely happened.

His eyes fixed on the screen, Josh said, "This bull's the one Jeremy wants to draw. All bulls have

bucking and turning patterns so that's what I'm watching for."

He turned the volume upward, bringing Genie's attention to the announcer on the video… "Curt

Boyd's about to ride an 1800 pound stick of dynamite called Trouble Ahead," the announcer said.
"Trouble Ahead's a bull that's trained to come out of the chute like a Texas twister, and here they
come…"

Genie focused on the screen where a huge tan bull bucked and twisted and kicked so high to get

rid of the rider it looked like he'd flip over, all the while two rodeo bullfighters constantly moved
around the bull, seeming in more danger than the rider as the bull thrashed out with his hooves in all
directions.

A different voice cut in… "This ride started miraculously. Curt was making a whale of a ride,

doing very well and would have won the bull riding hands down, then a half second before victory
he was thrown, and after that, absolute horror…

Josh angled his head toward Genie, and said, "That's one of the bullfighters narrating the video."
There was momentary silence on the video as the bullfighters raced around the bull, trying to get

the animal's attention away from the downed rider, but instead, the bull lowered his head and went
after the rider, hitting him squarely and rolling him over.

The bullfighter's voice-over continued: "Trouble Ahead slammed his horns into Curt's head,

knocking him out cold. Curt's motionless body lay totally unprotected in the middle of the arena,
and as the bull moved in for the kill, all I wanted was to get him off Curt because Curt was
defenseless."

Genie watched the video as the bull jabbed his horns beneath the man and tossed him into the air

like a rag doll, and when the man hit the ground, the bull went after him...

Again, the bullfighter's voice-over cut in: "I saw the bull again moving in for the kill so I threw

myself between the bull and Curt and covered Curt with my body. The bull tried to push me off but

I hung on, knowing I had to keep Curt covered until my team could distract the bull, but Trouble
Ahead kept coming, and even after we were both clear and I thought the bull was done, he
unleashed his fury on Curt one more time. The pick-up men finally lassoed Trouble Ahead and got
him out of the arena so the paramedics could go in and take care of Curt…"

Genie looked askance at Josh, who was staring intently at the screen while the bullfighter

continued with, "Trouble Ahead beat the living hell out of me that day..."

Josh clicked off the video, and for a few moments Genie stared at the blank screen, saying

nothing. But when Josh also sat staring at the screen, she finally said what was foremost on her mind,"
I don't understand how you can want to do that."

"It gets in your blood," Josh replied. "It's the biggest rush a guy can take. Adrenaline courses

through your veins, your heart races, and you feel like your whole body's charged with energy. Then
your main focus is gaining control of the situation. If you mess up, some cowboy's going to pay the
price, but when everything works the way it should and the cowboy walks away with just some dirt
on his jeans, there's no better feeling in the world."

Genie tried to keep her mind open, but watching a video of a bull repeatedly attacking a man, and

a bullfighter throwing himself on top of the man being attacked, then hearing Josh say, it's the biggest
rush a guy can take, didn't compute with her. "Don't you worry about getting injured, that if you mess
up you might pay the price?" she asked.

Josh shook his head. "I can't afford to take negative thoughts into the arena because a strong

mental attitude is crucial to maintaining control. I train and condition for the worst then go into the
arena knowing I can handle it."

Finding no immediate argument, Genie said, "What happened to the bull rider in the video?"
Josh shrugged. "He had a few scrapes and bruises but his protective vest absorbed most of the

beating. The bullfighter took a heavier beating because he was wearing an old-style vest."

Reaffirming again that she would try to keep an open mind in spite of the voices in her head

screaming to her that she was as foolishly reckless as Josh to even consider linking herself with him
in any way, Genie said, "What kind of vest do you wear?"

"One like body armor." Josh went into a back room and returned holding a padded leather vest,

and said, "This thing has multiple layers that are pressed together in a cell pattern that spreads the
impact, and the layers are shielded by an anti-ballistic material that's the strongest man-made fiber on
earth. It's been shot at with bullets from a .38 special, a .357 magnum, and even 9mm Gecos from an
Uzi."

"That's all well and good if the bull comes at you with a semiautomatic," Genie said, "but I don't

see how the vest can prevent thoracic compression injuries if a bull stomps directly on your chest. Put
an egg between the front and back of that vest and step on it and the egg will break."

Josh didn't reply, but Genie knew it wasn't as if he had no argument, but more like he had

something else on his mind because the muscles were tightening in his jaws, like he was holding back
saying whatever it was. And he still hadn't attempted to kiss her or touch her since she arrived. She
was about to ask him outright what was going on when he tossed the vest aside, and said, "This isn't
working," then took her by the arms and pulled her up to stand in front of him, and covered her mouth
with his.

In an instant, Genie found her tongue entangling with his, and her body pressed against him, and

moans of pleasure reverberating in her throat. But when the kiss came to an end, she said, in a
breathless voice, "What isn't working?"

"Self-restraint." Josh kissed the side of her neck and along her jaw and covered her mouth with

his again, and when the kiss deepened, his hands began moving up and down Genie's sides and
following the curves of her breasts and down her spine to press her against him.

Feeling aroused and excited, but also confused, Genie said in a breathy voice, "When I got here

something had happened. You didn't look glad to see me."

"I wasn't," Josh replied, before planting a kiss on her neck beneath her ear. "You're complicating

my life." He shoved his fingers into her hair and pulled it away from her ear and darted his tongue
inside, bringing a short gasp from her followed by a long moan of pleasure. Then he kissed the side of
her jaw, and her lips, and scooped her up in his arms and headed down the hallway, and Genie made
no attempt to stop him. Tomorrow, she'd try to reason through her decision to do what she was about
to do, but for tonight, she wanted Josh's love. All of it.

Once in the bedroom, Josh combed his fingers through her hair, drawing her head back, and

pressed his lips to hers, holding them there until Genie's nerves hummed like hundreds of taut wires.
And when he started unbuttoning her shirt, she allowed him to slip it from her while kissing his way
down her chest and across each breast before removing the rest of her clothes. Grabbing the lapels of
his shirt, he yanked open the snaps and shrugged out of it, then pulled off his boots and stripped off the
rest of his clothes While lying in bed, Josh tangled his hands in her hair, and she pressed her lips to
his, and as she felt the urgency of his need moving against her, frissons of sensual awakening radiated
from the juncture of her thighs and fanned out. With his palm, Josh followed the curves of her body,
his fingers exploring, as Genie's lips moved in breathless pleas. When the ache inside was
unbearably intense, and she was desperate to consummate what was building, Josh moved on top of
her and joined his body with hers. Genie let out a long, low moan of satisfaction and began matching
the rhythms of his movements. Digging her fingers into Josh's back she clung to him until she was
aware of nothing but wave upon wave of erotic sensation spiraling through her.

When her breathing finally became steady again, and her heart rate settled, Genie looked at Josh

and said, "I didn't intend for this to happen."

Josh kissed her on the forehead, and replied, "I know, because now your soul's bound to the soul

of a bullfighter for all eternity. Are you going to be able to live with that?"

"I guess I don't have a choice," Genie said, "but it was untimely."
Josh moved from on top of Genie and pulled her against him, and said, "What's untimely about

two people who love each other consummating their love?"

"I still have to decide about work," Genie replied. "Before my father left, he offered me a job as

his assistant and said he'd put me on the payroll with health and retirement benefits. He knows I'm
undecided about returning to the hospital and he said it would give me a break from nursing while I
made up my mind."

"But mainly it would get you away from me," Josh said.
Genie looked at him, puzzled. "Why would he want that? He doesn't even know you."
"Yeah, but he knows what I do," Josh replied, "so he's dangling a bigger prize in front of you—

healthcare and financial security instead of a badass bullfighter to complicate your life."

Genie didn't want to think about her father's offer because, like her nursing job, it would take her

away from Josh. So, going against every argument she'd had with herself about aligning herself with a
bullfighter, she kissed Josh, and said, "For now I'll take the badass bullfighter, and if he can slip into
bucking mode again and it's as good as before, I'll reveal the thumb trick."

Josh grabbed Genie and rolled her up on top of him, and said, "You want some bucking action,

babe, I'm ready to give it to you." And when he did, it was a fun-filled, rollicking adventure in
lovemaking. But after it was over, and their breaths became regular and their pulse rates settled into

normalcy, Josh said, "Okay babe, you had a really good ride because the bunkhouse is still shaking
from it, so tell me the thumb trick."

Genie looked at Josh, who had the most endearing smile she could ever imagine, and said, "It

was a carrot."

The smile faded, and Josh's brows gathered. "A carrot?"
Genie gave him a little kiss. "All I had to do was hold the handkerchief with the carrot inside

against my thumb knuckle and hook my thumb around the bottom of the carrot and stick pins through it.
I'm surprised you didn't figure it out. But now, I want to know how you know about me and pistachio
ice cream and Morkies and A Tale of the Wind."

"I never promised I'd tell," Josh said. "Besides, I'm holding out until you tell me how your father

did the orange tree trick."

"That, I'll never tell," Genie replied. "It's a trade secret."
"What if we were married?"
"Would you become part of the act? It would mean giving up being a bullfighter."
Josh eyed her with uncertainty. "Is that an ultimatum?"
"No," Genie said, "it's a choice."
It was some moments before Josh said, "Then to clarify things, I don't plan to give up bullfighting

until I'm too old and slow to keep going."

Genie realized Josh had just given her his own ultimatum. If she wanted him, she'd have to accept

what he did, which meant worrying, each time he stepped into the arena, that it could be his last. She
wasn't sure she could live with that. Still, she'd keep an open mind until after the rodeo, even though
she was finding it increasingly more difficult to keep that pretense going.

***

After quitting time the following day, Genie sullenly looked on as Josh instructed Abby on how

to groom Fancy before the riding lesson. She definitely had regrets about the night before. After their
lovemaking, all she wanted was to spend every night in Josh's arms. But now it was even more of a
pipedream than before because her fantasy of Josh giving up rodeo life for her the way Ryan had done
for Annie could no longer be part of the pipedream, no matter how she tried to rationalize things. And
in a couple of hours she'd be trailing along with Josh to the buckout, where he'd be confronting bulls...

"Am I bwushing okay?" Abby asked Josh, as she dragged the brush across Fancy's back, which

was only a few inches above Abby's head.

"You're doing fine," Josh replied. "She's almost ready to saddle up."
"Will I wide by myself?" Abby asked.
"Yes, but I'll be in the corral with you," Josh replied. "You ready to put on your helmet?"
"I want to wear my cowgirl hat," Abby groused.
"Sorry, honey, you have to wear a helmet to ride," Josh said. "How about we'll put your cowgirl

hat on top of your helmet?"

"Like the man with all the hats on his head in my monkey book?" Abby asked.
"Yep, like in Caps for Sale." Josh replied.
Genie looked at Josh, curious. "How do you know that book? It doesn't seem like one you would

have read as a child."

"I didn't intentionally," Josh replied. "Everyone in the family from my dad on down the line had

to read it to Maddy, over, and over."

"Daddy makes the monkey hats disappear," Abby said.
While Josh seemed to be mulling that over, Genie explained, "Our dad bought a stuffed monkey

and several tiny hats, and when he reads the book to Abby, the hats disappear and reappear
somewhere on her."

"Yeah well I can't make things disappear," Josh grumbled, looking annoyed, and Genie realized

he was jealous of her father… jealous because Josh wanted the love of a little girl who'd become
special to him, and her father was now a reality, whereas before he arrived he'd been an absentee
father whose place in Abby's life had been filled by Josh.

Abby, seeming to understand, looked up at Josh and said, "Daddy can't make ponies."
Josh's sober face lifted with a smile. "No, I don't suppose he can." Taking the brush from Abby,

he said, "Okay, time to saddle up." He lifted a child's saddle and blanket from a saddle rack and
tossed it over Fancy's back, and while he explained to Abby what he was doing, he fastened the cinch
then put Fancy's bridle on her. After showing Abby how to mount, he lead Fancy to a corral and
handed over the reins to Abby, and said, "Hold the reins like you did on Ferdinand and Dewey and
give Fancy a kick and tell her to walk."

Abby followed Josh's instructions, and when Fancy started walking, Abby looked back at Josh

and grinned. Genie couldn't help noticing the look of pure pleasure on Josh's face as he watched
Abby, like he was a proud father.

While Abby continued walking the pony along the perimeter of the corral, Josh backed up to

where Genie was standing on the other side of the surrounding pole fence, looked askance at her, and
said, "I hope you don't have regrets about last night because I know I don't."

Genie felt her breath quickening in memory. "Of course I have regrets," she said. "It was

everything I imagined it would be, but now that my fantasy's a reality, I want more."

"Honey, that kind of talk isn't helping right now," Josh said. "It's making my pants tight and it's

still a couple of hours till the buckout when I can get rid of some excess testosterone. But if last night
is the norm for us, if we were married I could get rid of a lot of excess testosterone that way and
probably cut down to thirty rodeos a year and still keep my sanity, and with earnings from
bullfighting, along with a few commissions for horseshoe sculptures, we could get by until the
bucking bull business got going."

"What bucking bull business?" Genie asked.
"It's something I'm interested in doing long range," Josh said.
Genie didn't know how to respond because it was the first time Josh had mentioned anything

about raising bucking bulls. It was also the first time he'd talked outright about marriage, as in
planning a life together. But while she was trying to justify marrying a man whose job was as
foolhardy as Cal's had been, Josh said, "Okay, you said you'd give me until after the rodeo and I'm
pushing you, so I'll let things ride for now. You will keep an open mind about this though, won't you?"

"I said I would," Genie replied, "but you have to understand that if we did get married, you'd

have to be prepared to live with a lot of tears and shot nerves and crabbiness every time a rodeo
came around because that's what a rush of that kind of adrenaline does to me."

Josh reached over the top rail, cupped his hand behind Genie's head, and said, "Come here."
Genie looked toward Abby, whose back was to them as she made her way around the ring on

Fancy, then raised her lips to Josh, who kissed her long enough to accelerate her heart rate and
quicken her breathing and have her trying to rationalize why it wouldn't be so bad being married to a
bullfighter, who now wanted to raise bucking bulls, because first and foremost she'd be married to the
man she loved...

When the kiss came to an end, Josh said, "Thank you, honey, for giving me a chance. Tonight

when we return from the buckout, will you come to my place again?"

Merely thinking about their lovemaking triggered a host of erotic reactions that made Genie

anxious to be with Josh again, even knowing it was foolish. "I suppose, since Abby will already be in
bed."

Josh smiled broadly. "I'll need a long hot shower after the buckout so maybe you could scrub my

back. I'm not so good at reaching it."

"Is that all I get to scrub?" Genie asked.
"Babe, you can scrub anything you want. Meanwhile, I'd better round up our little cowgirl and

put the pony away so we can get on over to the buckout."

Genie couldn't help taking note of the way Josh said, our little cowgirl, like a decision had

already been made. But even if she could come to terms with Josh's profession, they were still a
hundred miles from the nearest town big enough to support a job for a nurse, and except for ranch
work, there were no jobs of any kind for miles in any direction. But as she watched Josh walking
alongside Abby, and saw them talking and laughing, she wanted desperately for things to somehow
work out, unrealistic as it seemed.

CHAPTER 15

Josh pulled his truck onto the mowed field where other rigs were parked for the buckout, and

after changing into his football cleats and putting on his protective vest, he wrapped his arm around
Genie's shoulders and they made their way between the parked rigs. As they were walking, Genie
slipped her arm behind Josh's waist, which prompted Josh to smile at her, and say, "This is the first
time I've felt like you're really my girl. At the ranch there are too many eyes on us, but here, we're just
a rodeo couple making our way through a parking lot."

"Except that I'm wearing pass-along western wear and I can't ride a horse very well."
"That's okay, honey, you're still the best looking buckle bunny here." He pulled her close and

gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"What's a buckle bunny?" Genie asked.
"A chick who makes herself available to cowboys who win competitions," Josh replied. "You

need a championship buckle to wear though. I'll have to dig one out."

"You actually have one?" Genie asked.
"Sure, I have several," Josh replied. "I rode bulls a lot of years before I switched to bullfighting.

The thing is, when a cowboy gives a bunny his buckle, he expects her to stay the night in his rig."

Genie snuggled against him, and said in a low, suggestive tone, "Sorry, cowboy, I can't stay the

night, but give me an hour and I'll make it worth your while."

Josh stopped long enough to kiss Genie square on the lips, and say, "Babe, you make it worth my

while just breathing." When he straightened up to continue, instead of walking on, he stood where he
was and stared straight ahead.

Genie followed the direction of his gaze and saw, smiling at them, a tall, dark-haired man, who

was cowboy from head to toe—Stetson, western shirt, jeans, chaps, a wide belt with a big oval
buckle, and boots with spurs. Except for the shadow of a mustache and the stubble of a trimmed beard
on his chin, he looked identical to Josh, and she knew it was Jeremy Hansen.

Josh eyed his twin, and said in a voice that held a hint of irritation, "I didn't think you were

coming until the day before the rodeo."

"That was my original plan," Jeremy replied, "but when I heard about the buckout I figured I

could use a few more rides under my belt before the rodeo, so I decided to come early. The place is
pretty rundown though, and that sign over there… the guy's got to be kidding." He pointed to a huge
hand-painted sign on the side of the stock barn, with the words: BILLY BREE'S BUCKING BULLS.
FOUR TIMES THE BAIL, BUCK, BLITZ AND BELLIGERENCE IN EVERY BULL.

Josh eyed the sign with skepticism. "No one around knows anything about the guy or his bulls, but

according to Matt, the place was abandoned for a number of years and a guy named Fitzsimmons
moved in recently. It's my first time here, but it beats driving eighty miles to the next nearest practice
pen. Do you remember Genie?"

"Sure, we all remember Genie," Jeremy replied. "Good to see you again, but you cut out of the

wedding reception before all the fun began."

Genie gave Jeremy a tentative smile. "I had… things to do."
"We all figured that out," Jeremy said. "Josh was a pitiful mess back then because you wouldn't

give him the time of day, but I see he's managed to get it all together."

Genie glanced up at Josh, who looked perturbed, as he said to Jeremy, "Where do you plan to

stay while you're here?"

"With you in the bunkhouse," Jeremy replied. "Ryan said you were the only one there."
"I am, but you might have run it past me in advance."
"I didn't think I needed to." Jeremy's gaze shifted to Genie, then back to Josh, and he said, "Okay,

I get it. Don't worry. After the buckout I'll head for the pub in Pine Grove. How late does it stay
open?"

"Till around two," Josh replied.
"Then you have until two so make the most of it," Jeremy said. "On the other hand, I might end up

staying in my rig for the night; there's an interesting crop of buckle bunnies here who plan to head for
the pub. Meanwhile, I'd better sign in and pick out a couple of bulls. See you in the dirt." He tipped
his hat to Genie and turned away.

As he walked off, a woman wearing glittery boots, hip-hugging jeans and a halter top knotted at

her midriff and dipping low to expose an ample amount of cleavage, strolled over to intercept Jeremy
and started up a conversation, to which Jeremy responded by scanning her torso, winking at her, and
squeezing her arm, like they'd made a connection. Jeremy continued on after that and the woman hung
back and smiled to herself.

Josh let out an ironic laugh. "There's your buckle bunny," he said. "If her luck holds out she'll be

wearing that prize buckle of Jeremy's when she leaves his camper in the morning."

"You sound pretty happy about it," Genie said.
"I'm not worried, if that's what you mean. I said if her luck holds out, which it won't. Jeremy's

onto these women, but he still enjoys the fringe benefits."

"Speaking of which, our love fest is off. You'll have to scrub your own back."
"Why?" Josh asked. "Jeremy won't be back until late."
"I know, but I'd be mortified if he came back early."
"He won't," Josh said. "He knows what's up."
"I know," Genie replied, "which is another reason why I won't be coming. I loved what happened

last night, and there's nothing I'd like more than a repeat of it when we get back to the ranch, but
watching Jeremy with that woman, and knowing what they'll be doing later, seemed to cheapen what
we had planned because we haven't made a commitment because we still have a major problem to
resolve, so until that time, we need to let things cool off."

"I am committed," Josh said, "but we'll talk about it later. Meanwhile, I have to get on over to the

practice pen and let them know I'm available." He gave her one last kiss and walked over to a group
of men who were gathered around several time-worn chutes with weathered side boards and slatted
wooden doors that hung slightly askew.

Cowboys wearing protective vests, chaps, and boots with spurs, lined the outer perimeter of the

pen, which was made of tubular-steel livestock panels, clamped together, end to end, to form an
arena. On the opposite side of the pen from the chutes stood the old wooden bleachers with seats that
looked splintery at best, evident by a couple of people sitting on it, who'd brought cushions, like
they'd been there before.

While waiting for the bull riding to begin, Genie stood at the fence surrounding the pen and eyed

the surroundings. Not only were the chutes derelicts from the past, but the small house looked like it
hadn't seen a coat of paint in a quarter century and the covered front porch had a definite slope to it.
The barn and bull pens were in better shape. The tin roof of the barn was still intact, the wooden
structure looked like it could withstand a sizeable wind, and the bulls were contained in large
enclosures made, like the arena, of individual livestock panels that looked new. In fact, the bull pens

were the highlight of the place.

"Okay men, line up and select your bulls," an older wrangler with a white beard, long scraggly

hair, and wearing a floppy leather hat, called out from his perch on a platform above the chutes.
"Bulls with yellow ties on their horns are jump-kick practice bulls for beginner and intermediate
riders, and red tags are the turn-back spinners for the pros. Several bulls have been brought in by
ranchers around so you'll have to ask them about their stock."

Glancing across the arena, Genie saw Josh and another bullfighter standing on either side of a

chute that had a bull and rider in it, and a man stood ready at the gate. A couple of seconds later, the
man opened the gate and the bull vaulted out of the chute, with the rider clenching the rope with a
gloved hand, and the other hand waving in the air, all the while a dull-sounding bell attached to the
bull rang out repeatedly. An instant later, the rider was on the ground, while Josh and the other
bullfighter waved their arms at the bull to get his attention and send him running for the exit. Not long
after the downed cowboy had climbed the fence, the next bull was released. After a series of spins
and bucks, that rider was off, and Josh and the other bullfighter again danced around the bull,
distracting him, while the rider ran for the fence.

By the time several more riders had been bucked off without incident, while Josh did little more

than jump around the bulls while the riders were on them, and wave his arms at the bull until the
riders were safely on the fence, Genie began to wonder if most rodeos were this uneventful, although
this was not a rodeo, she reminded herself...

"This is a pretty disappointing showing," a voice came from behind.
Genie turned around to see Jeremy approaching. He had on a protective vest and was holding a

braided rope with a bell on it, so she assumed he was about to ride. "Why do you think it's
disappointing?" she asked. "No one's gotten hurt."

"No one's had much of a challenge either," Jeremy said. "I don't know who's been working with

these bulls, but they're not very rank."

"Because they're not mean?" Genie asked.
"No, because they don't have much action. The only reason most of those guys went off before the

timer is because they're inexperienced. You ever see Josh working a rodeo with pro cowboys and
rank bulls?"

No," Genie replied. "This is the first time I've watched him at all."
"He's one of the best bullfighters out there. If he keeps going the way he is, he'll make it to the

National Finals," Jeremy said. "As long as he's one of the bullfighters when I ride I know I'm in good
hands, and not because I'm his brother. He's the same with any cowboy. One time I got hung up and
couldn't get my hand out of the loop, and when I tried to free it the bull hooked me with his horn and
threw me to the other side. The next thing I knew, Josh was on the bull's back. He managed to release
my hand and when I hit the ground he threw himself on top of me and stayed there, taking a hell of a
beating from the bull."

Genie tried to digest everything she'd just heard, but it was like trying to swallow liver. "Didn't

you worry that Josh could be seriously injured?" she asked, wondering what kind of man would want
his brother out there risking his life.

"Sure I worried," Jeremy replied. "When I was pinned under him I told him to get the hell off,

that I was fine, but he wouldn't budge, and since I was flat on my face, and he's as big as I am, I was
stuck."

"How badly was he hurt?" Genie asked.
"You should know," Jeremy replied. "He landed in your hospital."

Genie looked at Jeremy with a start. "He was protecting you when…" She paused.
"He got rear-ended by the bull," Jeremy completed Genie's thought. "Yeah, that made me feel

pretty shitty too when he came home from the hospital walking bowlegged because he'd gotten nailed
in the nuts to keep me from getting the same treatment. I figured if he couldn't make kids after that I
owed him big time."

"He can make kids," Genie said, then realized she needed to qualify that comment. "That is, when

he was in the hospital he had no trouble… umm. He needed ice packs… there… and..."

"That's okay," Jeremy said. "He told me about it."
Genie looked at Jeremy, wide eyed. "He did?"
"Sure. He wanted me to know he was still a functioning male. He said it happened every time

you walked into the room."

Genie felt her cheeks grow hot with memory. "That's because I was the one who had to apply the

ice packs. Obviously that wasn't enough to make him give up bullfighting though."

"Challenging bulls, whether on top or on the ground, gets in your blood," Jeremy said.
"Did you ever get injured badly enough to think about quitting?" Genie asked.
Jeremy laughed. "No, but that's because bull riders have short memories. Our brains get

scrambled every time we ride. When we get bucked off, no matter how busted up we are, the first
thing we want to know is how long before we can get back on again. There's also prestige that goes
with bull riding. We're like the rock stars of rodeo except instead of groupies we have buckle
bunnies, and there are lots of those to go around, which makes it pretty much fun."

"Getting busted up doesn't sound like much fun to me," Genie said, thinking that Jeremy had a lot

of growing up to do, while wondering if he ever took life seriously.

"Like I said, we have short memories. It's all about making the National Finals, which is where

the money is. I know a rider who had his bull-riding spurs plastered into his cast so he could ride
with a broken leg, that's how important it is. "

"Then you plan to be a professional bull rider?" Genie asked.
"For the rest of the summer," Jeremy replied. "It's paying off my college loans and it's a lot more

fun than working. I’m not looking forward to growing up. I’m enjoying myself too much right now and
it's all about riding bulls and having fun. And speaking of having fun, I'd better hike my buns over to
the chutes and get ready to ride." He turned and headed toward the chutes.

"Wait, I'll walk with you," Genie called after him, curious if maybe he wasn't joking and had at

least gone to college, even if he hadn't graduated. When she caught up with him, she said, "Are you
serious about college?"

"Sure," Jeremy replied. "It wasn't half bad though. I went on a rodeo scholarship and was on the

college rodeo team, and I also competed on my own on weekends during the school year, but summers
are all mine, except now that I've graduated, my dad expects me to get a regular job in the fall. But
until then, there are rodeos in droves across the country, so I'll try to hit as many as possible in hopes
of snagging a spot at the National Finals Rodeo. This has been a good year."

"What was your major?" Genie asked, still having trouble imagining Jeremy as a college student.
"Livestock management," Jeremy replied. "I figured it would be more useful than engineering,

which was Josh's major to start with, but then he switched to animal science."

"Wait, you're kidding about Josh," Genie said, while trying to match Jeremy's long strides.
"What? About Josh majoring in engineering or going to college?"
"Well, both."
"Actually, Josh started out in engineering, since he was a math whiz in high school, then he

decided he didn't want to end up with a desk job in the city and switched to animal science. Well, I
see they're loading my first bull so I'd better climb into the chute."

Genie stayed where she was and watched from behind the fence. Josh was directly across from

where she stood, but he was focused on the chute gate and didn't notice her. She glanced over to see
Jeremy stretching his arms and back then putting on a glove, so she knew he was next. The following
rider managed to stay on longer than the others, but not the full eight minutes, but then a couple of
minutes after he'd left the arena, the chute door opened, and the bull with Jeremy on its back vaulted
into the pen.

The bull immediately went up on his front feet while hurling his back feet high in the air. Then the

bull went into a spin while bucking, all the while Jeremy stuck to him, seeming to stay square on the
bull while it bucked and spun. It seemed no time at all when the buzzer sounded, and a moment later,
Jeremy hurled himself off the bull and rolled to the side. Josh was immediately between Jeremy and
the bull, dancing around close to the bull to distract it while Jeremy got himself up, grabbed his hat,
and ran for the fence.

It wasn't until the bull was heading for the exit chute that Genie found herself releasing a breath

she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She was relieved that it had been another uneventful ride,
except that Jeremy definitely stood out among the riders because of the way he stuck to the bull.

For the rest of the practice, Genie sat on the bleachers. To her relief, none of the riders seemed to

be hurt, although many were thrown to the ground like rag dolls. Still, they got up and either ran for
the fence, or if the bull had exited, dusted themselves off and walked away.

After the old cowboy with the beard announced that they were done, and the riders and what

appeared to be their families and girlfriends began funneling toward the parking lot, she spotted Josh
and Jeremy standing near the bull pens, talking. When she joined them, Josh curved his arm around
her shoulders, and said, "That wasn't so bad, was it babe?"

Genie smiled, and replied, "I suppose not. You're not even very dusty."
"Yeah, but I'll still need a good hot shower when we get back." Turning to Jeremy, he said, "So, I

guess you're off to Pete's, since you seem to have connected with a bunny."

Jeremy's eyes fixed on something not far from where they stood, he said, "I think the grass is

greener just ahead."

Genie followed Jeremy's gaze and saw a woman, who looked more cowgirl than buckle bunny,

standing near a bull pen just across the way from where they stood. Josh reaffirmed what Genie
thought, by saying to Jeremy, "I wouldn't mess with that one. She looks all business."

Jeremy smiled. "She's not. She's just acting that way. I saw her looking over here."
"I did too and she didn't looked impressed with what she saw."
"That's because you've never learned to read these women," Jeremy replied. "Just watch a pro in

action, little brother." He squared his shoulders and strode over to where the woman stood.

Josh eyed his brother in annoyance. "He's been pulling the big-brother card all our lives because

he was born five minutes before me."

"You're better looking though," Genie said.
"We're identical twins," Josh reminded her.
"No you're not." Genie stroked Josh's chin. "Jeremy has stubble here and I like a clean-shaven

man. Meanwhile, I'm curious to see how a player plays, so maybe we could move a little closer and
watch and listen." She tugged Josh a few steps closer to where Jeremy was, and pretended to be
looking at a couple of bulls in a pen.

Josh let out an ironic laugh, and said under his breath, "If the woman is a buckle bunny, I hope

she's clever enough to beat Jeremy at his own game."

"My guess is she will be," Genie said, then turned her attention to Jeremy…
"I'm new around here," Jeremy announced, as he approached the woman. "Do you know of a

place to go, maybe a pub? I could use a beer."

"There's Pete's Pub in Pine Grove," the woman replied. "It's a cowboy hangout."
"Great," Jeremy said. "If you're free, maybe you could join me and give me a rundown on what

there is to do around here since I'll be here through the rodeo."

The woman scanned the length of Jeremy, stopping midway to stare at his buckle, then raising her

eyes to meet his, she said, "Are you a pro or do you just wear that buckle for show?"

Jeremy squared his shoulders again, and replied, "I've been pro for five years. You might have

heard of me, Jeremy Hansen."

"No, can't say as I have," the woman replied.
Jeremy looked as if a little of the wind had left his sails. Then he glanced over the pens and the

bulls milling around in them, and after stroking his chin for a couple of moments, said to the woman,
"I can't say much for these bulls. They're pretty flat. I was looking for some challenge here."

The woman eyed Jeremy with annoyance. Planting her hands on her hips, she said, "You know

what, cowboy? I've got a bull named Wild Card that's ranker than any bull you've ever ridden, who
comes spinning out of the chute like a cyclone. He could flatten you and that flashy buckle you're
wearing so quick you wouldn't know what hit."

"What do you mean you've got a bull?" Jeremy asked.
The woman pointed to the hand-painted sign. "I'm Billy Bree Fitzsimmons. I own this place. And

just for the record, I don't hang out at Pete's, I'm not a buckle bunny, and you can take that cinched-on
hardware you're so proud of and peddle it somewhere else." Turning abruptly, she strode off.

Josh laughed and walked over to rap Jeremy on the shoulder. "Now that I've seen a pro in action,

I'll take my buckle bunny and head for home."

Jeremy eyed Josh with irritation, then looked back at the woman, and said, "She might own this

place, but some of that spitfire was show. She's interested."

Josh let out a loud guffaw. "Keep dreaming, cowboy!"
Jeremy said nothing, but spotting the woman who'd approached him earlier, who was now

leaning against his rig, he headed toward her. She smiled as he approached, and when he got up to her
he said something that made her laugh, then he grabbed the end-ties of the knot holding her halter top
closed and peered down the front, to which the woman laughed and playfully swatted his hand while
giving a little shimmy. He opened the door of his truck and she slid inside and sat in the middle, and
they drove off.

While eyeing the rear end of the truck, Josh said, "Jeremy thinks he's God's gift to women. I'm

looking for the day when he finally gets serious about one and she gives him crap." He glanced up at
the hand-painted sign. "Someone with four times the bail, buck, blitz and belligerence of Jeremy."

Genie laughed. "You mean someone like Billy Bree Fitzsimmons."
Josh smiled and got a look on his face like maybe that was worth considering. Then the smile

faded, and he said, "Meanwhile, we still have some evening left, and even if the bed at my place stays
cool, you could still come so we could talk and maybe do other things."

"You're right about talking," Genie said. "I learned some things about you from Jeremy and you

have some explaining to do."

"Oh boy, this doesn't sound good," Josh said. "Jeremy and I are twins, but that doesn't mean we

agree on things, at least not when it comes to women. What kind of things did he tell you?"

"That you went to college and have a degree in animal science."
"Why did he bring that up?"

"I don't really think that matters," Genie said. "The point is, you've talked about marriage, but you

never mentioned anything about going to college. Why not?"

"Because right now I'm concentrating on being a bullfighter."
"When were you planning on telling me?"
"I don't know," Josh said. "I don't want pressure from you or anyone else about getting a job that

ties me down. Working for Matt, I'm free to bullfight three-day weekends as long as I put in the extra
hours."

"Then you don't plan to use your degree?" Genie asked.
"Eventually," Josh replied. "I majored in animal science because it included genetics, breeding

and artificial insemination, which would fit in with my plan to raise bucking bulls, but that's sometime
in the future, when I'm done with rodeos."

Genie wondered why everything had to be about bulls. "Why not raise cattle?" she asked. "They

don't come after you with horns."

"I'm not interested in cattle when one good bucking bull can bring upwards of fifty thousand

dollars," Josh replied. "Matt's willing to convert some of his stock to buck-herd stock and go in with
me to buy a good American Bucking Bull, which is one of the best bucking breeds. I'd manage the
young bulls and get them ready for sale to stock contractors, and Matt and I would split the profits."

Genie said nothing as she mulled it over. The problem was, for years she'd imagined marrying a

doctor, then in three days that plan crumbled when Josh landed in the hospital and she found herself
falling in love with a man who was about as far removed from a doctor as any man could be, who
was also living miles from any place where she could find work. And now a plan to raise bucking
bulls had entered the picture and she didn't know if that was a plus or a minus. Long term, it could
mean Josh putting down roots because he'd have a piece of land and a reason to stay, but he'd also be
working with bulls. "What does raising bucking bulls entail?" she asked.

"Basically, turning young buckers out on pasture and supplementing that with high quality feed,

making sure they get exercise, and monitoring and controlling every aspect of their lives. When
they're two years old, chute training begins so they get used to standing in chutes and being touched,
and later, mechanical dummies are strapped to their backs and released by remote. That's when you
know if you have a potential bucker."

"That's it?" Genie asked, thinking it didn't sound too dangerous. Two-year-old bulls couldn't be

all that formidable.

"That's it for starters," Josh replied. "The ones showing promise are entered in competitions for

young bulls where mechanical dummies are used, and when the bulls are around four, actual riders
can be used. That's when you cull the best buckers. If a bull doesn't buck out of the chute, it doesn't
return to the arena and it isn't used for breeding."

For some reason, handling and moving around four-year-old bulls didn't sound as dangerous as

being in a rodeo arena with full-grown, angry ones. But they were still bulls with the potential to do
serious harm. "What about Annie?" Genie asked. "She'd probably be protesting your operation for
mistreatment of bulls."

Josh let out an ironic huff. "Bucking bulls have the cushiest life of any animal. After their eight-

seconds is over in the rodeo arena, the flank strap's removed and they basically hang out with the

other bulls for the rest of the weekend. Because they're only worked eight seconds a rodeo, they work
less than five minutes a year, while also getting royal treatment. Owners have been known to house
their bulls in stalls with mattresses, and the entire herd is treated like family. My young bulls would
have better treatment than Annie's Kigers."

Genie had no argument for that. "What about your involvement with rodeos?" she asked. "Would

you still be bullfighting?"

"I don't know," Josh said. "After you left last night you had me thinking some."
"Thinking about what?"
"Us and what I have to do to get you to marry me."
Genie looked at Josh, whose face was serious, and she realized he was on the verge of giving up

his dream for her, but that wasn't a compromise. He loved bullfighting, and from what she'd heard, he
was unusually good at it, and maybe she was being unreasonable, wanting him to give up what he'd
worked years to achieve. "I've been thinking too," she said, "but I don't want to say anything yet. I told
you I needed until after the rodeo, just to make sure."

"Which way are you going with this?" Josh asked. "Making sure it works, or making sure you

make the right choice?"

"Making sure we can both be happy," Genie replied. "Meanwhile maybe we could go to your

place after all."

"To talk?" Josh asked.
"That too," Genie replied, "after I've scrubbed your back."
Josh smiled, curved his arm tighter around her, and headed for his truck.
Thirty minutes after they'd returned to the ranch, Genie found herself in Josh's bed, nestled

against him. After the hot shower in which they'd soaped each other thoroughly and made love, then
dried each other off, Josh's body was warm against hers, and he smelled like the kind of soap her
grandmother used to make in a big enamel pot. Sometimes the soap smelled like a pine forest, and
other times it would be rose or jasmine scented from the essence of oils her grandmother made by
soaking pine needles or flower petals in oils. But Josh smelled like her grandmother's soap did, the
times when she added nothing to it, the way her grandfather liked.

Nuzzling Josh's neck, she said, "I could become addicted to the smell of you after a shower."
Josh tightened his arms around her. "I'm already addicted to having you here like this." He rolled

onto his side so he was looking at her, then kissed first one eyelid, then the other, and made his way
down to her lips, and the hollow of her throat, and said, "Bulls give me an amazing rush, but they can't
give me what I get from you."

"I don't want to think about bulls right now," Genie said, as Josh kissed his way down her body.

"They've come between us enough." But even as she said the words, images of the bull in the video,
repeatedly attacking the rider, began to surface, along with the thought that Josh would be in the arena
with that bull in a few days...

Trouble Ahead beat the living hell out of me that day...
"Honey, I feel you tensing up," Josh said. "Just relax and enjoy what I'm doing."
"I am enjoying it," Genie replied. "It was the video of the bull. It came to mind for a moment."
"No bulls," Josh said, and started making his way back up her body.
"Umm, that feels good," Genie said, and was determined to shove all thoughts of bulls aside, and

as Josh continued what he was doing, she felt her breath quickening, and her body awakening with the
anticipation of making love one more time before she'd have to go back to the house. But then it
would be the last time until after the rodeo, because Jeremy would be staying in the bunkhouse....

He's one of the best bullfighters out there. If he keeps going the way he is, he'll make it to the

National Finals …

Genie didn't want to think about that either. It was a reminder of how many more bulls Josh

would have to face to get where he wanted to go…

Josh moved his body up hers and whispered against her ear, "I love you, honey. You're the only

woman I want."

"I love you too," Genie replied, and knew without question, it was so…
He stayed there, taking a hell of a beating from the bull…
Images of Josh in the hospital began to emerge. Throwing all of her stress and anxiety into their

lovemaking, Genie felt her body filling with need, and as they again consummated their love,
adrenaline surged through her accompanied by an explosion of erotic sensations unlike anything she'd
ever experienced, and almost simultaneously, she knew Josh was experiencing the same high level of
fulfillment...

And she knew then that Josh would put the same passion into saving a cowboy when it came

down to it, as he had with her only moments before. It was a very troubling realization.

CHAPTER 16

The day of the rodeo arrived far too soon for Genie's peace of mind. During the days leading up

to it, she'd gone on all the trail rides so she could have that time with Josh, and the hours in between,
she and Abby spent with Annie, where Abby could enjoy Annie's menagerie, or she and Abby would
take short hikes, or Abby would tag along with Ruth to find wild flowers while Genie visited with
some of the ranch guests. And every day after he was off work, Josh gave Abby a riding lesson on
Fancy then did his workouts with his jump rope.

But evenings, after Abby was in bed, were hers and Josh's. Jeremy helped Josh with the horses

some, but he made a point of heading for Pete's Pub in the evening. Genie didn't know whether he and
Josh had an understanding, or if Jeremy had found a bunny warren complete with bunny for the
evening, but he made it clear that he wouldn't be back until late, so she and Josh had those few
precious hours together at his place...

The National Anthem drew her back to reality, and as she stood with a crowd that seemed to be

mostly families, and listened to a young woman sing the anthem in a heartfelt way, Genie couldn't help
feeling a sense of the true American spirit. When she'd gone to the St. Paul Rodeo she'd gone with the
attitude of finding everything she could wrong with rodeos because she was trying to keep a barrier
between her heart and a man she couldn't seem to shake from her mind, but now she truly wanted to
understand what drew Josh, and his brothers, and the participants, and all families surrounding her to
the lifestyle. And it was clear to her now that rodeo was a lifestyle, the culmination of years of
ranching and working with livestock and raising kids who were involved in every phase of it and
loved the life they were leading. Still, as the rodeo got underway, she dreaded the idea of watching
Josh.

She and Abby sat on the bleachers with Annie, Ryan, Matt and Ruth, and somewhere in the

crowd were Grace and Jack Hansen. Jeremy told Josh, before the rodeo, that both their parents were
coming. Josh was surprised, not so much that they would be driving the better part of three hundred
miles to get there, but that their mother was coming, though he didn't expand on that, and Genie didn't
ask. Jeremy also implied that she was coming to check out the woman in Josh's life more closely,
which made Genie wonder how much Grace Hansen knew. Although the relationship was three years
in the making, their declarations of love were very recent.

For the first half of the rodeo Genie actually enjoyed watching the tie-down roping, bareback

bronc riding, team roping, saddle bronc riding and muttin' busting for kids, which included boys and
girls as young as six coming out of the chute on sheep, which had Abby standing up and clapping and
eager for more. Then came intermission, a time to relax some and let Abby go on a few carnival
rides, and buy an ice cream bar and a small plastic bucking bronco with a rider on it.

It wasn't until they were returning to the bleachers, when they walked past a lineup of three

trailers that made up a portable medical facility that included physicians, orthopedists and trauma
specialists, and Genie saw the ambulance waiting, that she truly began to feel the rise of fear that the
bullfighting competition—Josh's first event—was coming up next. She couldn't decide if it was good
or bad that he'd drawn first spot, then decided it was good because he'd be done with it seventy
seconds after the event started, but during those seventy seconds, she imagined it would seem like
hours.

She tried to calm her nerves by reminding herself that, even though the seventy seconds would

seem like hours, at least he wouldn't have to worry about protecting anyone but himself. After that she
could relax through the rest of the bullfighting competition, then the steer wrestling and barrel racing,
but after that would come the event she dreaded most. Bull riding. It was the last event, and with a
lineup of more than a dozen bull riders, Josh would be facing bulls that many more times…

"Next up is freestyle bullfighting," a voice blared over the PA system. "Bullfighters each get

seventy seconds to showcase their skills. Judges look for bulls to be aggressive and hot. The hotter
and faster and harder the bull is for the bullfighter, the higher the score. Bullfighters are scored on
speed, agility, aggressiveness, showmanship, ability to control and maneuver the bull, and
handling of the barrel. If the bullfighter stays tight and close to the bull, he scores higher."

"Look there!" Abby exclaimed, while pointing.
Genie looked across the arena where Josh stood waiting for the bull to be released from the

chute. With his face painted like a clown, and wearing football cleats, shin guards, athletic shorts
covered by a denim over-wrap with multi-colored bandanas fluttering from the side pockets, and with
wide black suspenders over a red shirt, he looked comical, which had her curling her fingers into her
fists because what he was about to do was anything but comical.

Abby, who was sandwiched between Genie and Ruth, said, "Is Josh gonna wide Ferdan?"
Genie looked at Abby, who had no concept of what was about to take place because her only

experiences with bulls had been riding Ferdinand and watching Josh put him through his tricks. "No,
honey," she said. "Josh won't be riding a bull, he'll be… sort of playing tag with it, but it won't be
Ferdinand."

"Like playing Harry Says?" Abby asked.
"Well, I suppose, in a way," Genie replied, then realized she was doing exactly what she'd gotten

after Josh for doing. Leading Abby to believe bulls were overgrown pets you could play with. But for
the moment, she didn't want Abby to be alarmed…

The announcer cut into Genie's thoughts: "These cowboy protectors are the invisible angels of

bull riders—the men most spectators don't even notice; their number one priority is protecting a
rider from an angry bull, which means jumping into bad situations and sometimes straight-out
wrecks. So before this event begins, ask yourselves, what would this world be if we didn't allow the
seeds of bravery to grow in young men like these who risk their lives to help others? Why do they
do it? Because God gave a special gift to a handful of our population to walk where others dare
not walk, and do what others dare not do... "

On hearing the announcer's words, Genie found tears welling. Maybe Josh was an invisible angel

because that's what he'd been the day the dam burst…

"These contestants are working toward qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo and winning

the title, Bullfighter of the Year, and wearing that honor in the form of a trophy belt buckle,
because that means they're the person cowboys want looking out for them when they come out of
the chutes on top of a ton of raging, twisting bovine fury. And now, number one on the list is Josh
Hansen from Sheridan, Oregon, and the name of the bull is Hitchhiker…"

Behind Genie, the voice of a man, who was obviously a bull rider, said to the man beside him,

"If it wasn't for those guys I wouldn't do it. They're right in the middle of it, and if it means taking a
hooking, they take the hooking. Whenever I finish a ride I always go up and thank them, but a lot of
riders don't. I've watched Josh Hansen though. In my estimation he's right up there with the best of
them."

"I've noticed him too," the other man said. "He's fast and he works close to the bull, whatever it

takes to distract him. That's the kind of bullfighter I want when I'm flat on my back, someone with

nerve enough to get between me and the bull and take a hit."

Genie turned around and looked at the men, who were focused on Josh, and a little frisson of

pride rippled through her. She had an urge to tell them that she was the woman Josh wanted to marry.
Why that thought surfaced now she couldn't figure, but it made her feel special to be loved and wanted
by a man who was one of only a few in the population with a special gift to save others, even if that
gift was also coming between them...

"The bulls in this competition are purebred Mexican fighting bulls," the announcer said. "What

sets them apart from rodeo bulls is their attitude. They're just plain mean. For centuries they've
been bred to hurt anything they see, and they have the stamina and aggressive nature to continue
the fight. They're also smaller and faster than rodeo bulls, so a bullfighter thrown in the air by its
speed and power more often than not will find himself staring eye-to-eye with a bull that's agile,
smart, powerful, and wants nothing more than to run him through…"

Genie had barely digested that image when the chute opened. At once, music with a fast-action

beat started up and a black bull with white horns exploded into the arena and charged after Josh who,
Genie saw with horror, had his back to the bull, like he didn't see him coming. But an instant before
the bull made contact, Josh launched himself, face up, curled his body, and rolled off the back of the
bull, landing on his feet behind him.

The crowd shouted with wild enthusiasm, while above the din, the announcer yelled in an excited

voice, "Did you see that backflip over the top of the bull? That was amaaazing! And what a way to
open his freestyle bullfight. That bull is left dazed and confused…"

The bull spun around, and catching sight of his target, lowered his head and went after Josh, who

darted and zigzagged while dodging the bull's repeated attempts to hook him with his horns, all the
while the fast-action music continued, the hyped-up crowd yelled and cheered, and Genie sat frozen,
hands clasped, unable to utter a word.

Then the bull stopped and planted his feet. But while the bull was sizing up the situation, Josh

rushed him and teased and poked and pulled on the bull's horn and slapped the bull on the nose, then
moved in closer, so close he was up against the bull's ribs while the confused bull spun around, trying
to get to Josh as Josh moved in tight circles…

"What he's doing is called making rounds with the bull," the announcer explained. "This is

when a bullfighter steps into the bull's pocket, which is up against his ribs. As long as he stays in
the pocket while stepping in tight circles the bull can't get him."

Sitting stiff, her breath caught in her throat, Genie wondered how Josh would get out, when in an

instant, Josh dug in his cleats and ran toward the bull's rear. The bull came around, and with his head
lowered, aimed for Josh, who faked one way, then spun the other, confusing the bull further when he
dragged his hand over the bull's back as the bull rushed past…

"He's a bad bull," Abby said. "Ferdan doesn't run after Josh."
"I know," Genie replied, as Josh darted out of the path of the bull. "Ferdinand's a nice bull.

Rodeo bulls aren't nice, but Josh knows how to get out of the way so he won't get hurt."

"If Daddy was here he could make that bull disappear."
"Daddy does illusions," Genie said. "He can't make things really disappear. He just fools people

into believing they do—" She paused when the bull planted its feet and pawed the ground, sending
sprays of dirt and dust rising. All the while Josh scissor kicked and waved his arms, goading the bull
to come after him. The bull, taking on the challenge, dug his hooves into the dirt and headed for Josh,
who pirouetted out of the way.

The game of tag came to an end when Josh grabbed a padded barrel and held it in front of

himself, taunting the bull to come after it. While the bull was deciding, Josh set the barrel on end and
jumped on top, straddling the rims, while waving his arms. Again the bull pawed the dirt. Then
lowering his head, the bull aimed for the barrel and stormed forward. An instant before the horns
connected with the barrel, Josh did another flip over the bull and the barrel went flying.

"Another back flip," the announcer yelled in an excited voice. "Josh Hansen isn't a barrel man,

but he knows how to anticipate the bull's moves and use them to—"

The sentence was cut off when the buzzer sounded.
"Folks there's the whistle." After a moment's pause, the announcer said, "Ninety-two points for

Josh Hansen! That sets the standard for this event and it's going to be a hard score to beat, so Josh
Hansen is that much closer to making the National Finals!"

All around people were shouting, and on the bleachers where Genie sat, Matt, Ruth, Annie and

Ryan, with Cody in his arms, were standing and cheering, which prompted Genie to stand too, though
this big win for Josh would add to his enthusiasm to stay exactly where he was, fighting bulls until
something happened to make him quit.

As pick-up men on horses guided the bull toward the exit chute, and Josh waved to the crowd

while jogging out of the arena, Abby said to Genie, "I need to pee."

"Come on then," Genie replied, glad for an excuse to leave and not risk Abby seeing something

bad happen to one of the next bullfighters.

Once among the concessions, Genie let Abby go on a couple more carnival rides, biding time

until that event would be over. But all too soon she heard the announcer's voice blaring over the PA,
"That's it folks! The freestyle bullfighting's over and Josh Hansen, with a score of ninety-two, has
won the competition!"

The crowd cheered, along with the rumble of people standing on the bleachers.
Genie wasn't worried about the bull wrestling and barrel racing that was coming up, so hanging

onto Abby's hand, they made their way back to the bleachers. But before Genie knew it, the barrel
racing was over, leaving the one event she dreaded…

"Coming up next is the event everyone's been waiting for," the announcer's voice blared over

the PA system, "the one that's considered the most dangerous in rodeo. Bull riding. So fasten your
seatbelts folks because you're in for a rough ride…"

People who'd been milling around the concessions began filling the bleachers, while the

announcer kept a dialog going with the rodeo clown, who was standing inside a barrel...

"You've got a pretty safe place out there," the announcer said. "Your buddies are the ones facing

the bull while you're holed-up inside a padded barrel."

"That's because I have more sense than those guys," the clown replied. "I'd rather roll around

in a barrel than try to outrun 1800 pounds of angry beef that's out to get me."

While the crowd was taking in the exchange and laughing, Genie had her eyes fixed on Josh, who

was standing ready. Then time seemed to speed up… the chute opening…a bull bucking out… the
rider thrown off… Josh jumping in front of the bull to distract it, the bull hooking him and tossing him
into the air, sending him landing on his back. Josh jumping to his feet like nothing happened, and
waving his arms to distract the bull from the rider, who made for the fence, while Josh and the other
bullfighter herded the bull toward the exit chute.

Right after that, the next bull and rider came out of the chute. After a half dozen more riders had

taken their turns, without serious incident, a bull came bucking out of the chute, and after a few
seconds of spinning and bucking, hurled the rider off. Before the rider could roll out of the way, the
bull bucked and jumped on top of him. Josh rushed up and grabbed the bull's horns and held on until

the other bullfighter managed to pull the cowboy away. But when the bullfighter moved aside for the
cowboy to get up, the man lay there, immobile. All the while, Josh was distracting the bull by jumping
and waving his arms and getting the bull to come after him. When Josh finally got the bull heading
toward the exit chute, medics rushed into the arena and closed in around the rider. By then, the man
appeared to be pulling himself up, but when he stood, his leg gave way and he had to be carried out
on a stretcher.

"Those are bad bulls," Abby said again. "Is Josh going to die like Mommy?"
Genie looked at Abby in alarm. "Of course not," she said. "Josh has on a big thick vest that keeps

the bull from hurting him."

Abby gripped Genie's arm and said nothing, just sat staring across the arena at Josh who, with the

other bullfighter, positioned themselves on either side of the gate, while the barrel man stood inside
his barrel some distance away, all waiting for the chute to open.

"The last rider is Jeremy Hansen and he's riding a bull named Trouble Ahead who's anything

but rider-friendly," the announcer said, "Trouble Ahead comes out of the chute like a spinning top,
but when the ride's over, look out, because Trouble Ahead's not finished."

It came to Genie that this was the bull Jeremy wanted to draw, the same bull as the one in the

video, that repeatedly went after the downed rider. Having made that connection, she sat with her
hands clasped together, and Abby clinging to her arm, while repeating to herself, like a mantra, that it
would be over in eight seconds. She also knew she couldn't watch Josh do this again. While he was
getting his adrenalin rushes, she was going through hell.

"Jeremy Hansen comes from three-generations of rodeo cowboys," the announcer said. "His

father and grandfather were champion bull riders, and his brother, Josh Hansen, is one of the
bullfighters down there. Josh just won the freestyle bullfighting event, and man did he put on a
show. This young gun is smokin' hot!"

From behind came the voice of one of the bull riders, saying, "About this time Jeremy Hansen's

strapping himself to 1,800 pounds of snorting, murderous rage capable of bucking him off and
stomping his head into a sticky paste, and you can bet your sweet saddlebags he's glad his brother's
there to distract that hell-spawn until he's able to scramble his spurs to safety."

Genie had barely digested that image when the gate swung open and a huge brindle bull with

forward-curved horns lunged out of the chute and immediately went into a fast spin, while at the same
time, coming down on his front legs while sending his back legs shooting almost straight up in the air.
As the bull continued to buck and spin, Jeremy rode like he was attached to it, all the while Josh and
the other bullfighter were dancing around the bucking bull, inches away from hooves that could kill
them in an instant. And then the eight-second buzzer sounded.

Jeremy let go of the rope and rolled off of the bull's hindquarters and hit the ground. He was in

the process of getting up when the bull pivoted and charged him from behind. Josh was immediately
around the bull, waving his arms to distract him long enough for Jeremy to get up, but when Jeremy
tried to scoot away, his boots had no traction and the bull slammed into his back and knocked him flat
on the ground. An instant later, Josh was on top of the bull, pulling on his horns and turning his head
upward, but the bull dipped his head, sending Josh plunging to the ground. Josh had barely hit the dirt
when he was up, scrambling over to where Jeremy was pulling himself up, and threw himself over his
brother as the bull came at both of them.

The bull slammed into Josh from the side while the other bullfighter waved his arms for the bull

to come after him. When the bull turned, Josh lifted himself off Jeremy, who got to his feet and raced
for the fence. Josh had just regained his footing when the bull pivoted and came after him again,

hooking him and tossing him in the air. He'd barely hit the ground when the bull slammed him yet
again. The other bullfighter jumped and waved for the bull to come after him, but the bull was intent
on going after Josh, slamming into him once more. It wasn't until pickup men on horses lassoed the
bull that they were able to herd out of the arena, leaving Josh laying immobile. Medics rushed in and
crowded around him, while Genie sat frozen, too stunned to move until Abby screamed, "He's dead!
You said he wouldn't die. You lied. I hate you."

Genie immediately snapped out of it. By then the medics had Josh strapped to a stretcher. But

when they lifted the stretcher to leave the arena, Josh raised his head and gave a thumb's up.

Genie shook Abby, whose eyes were tightly shut while she clung to Genie's arm, and said,

"Come on, honey, he's okay. We'll go see him." By now Abby was sobbing and shaking and choking
from the tears trailing down her face and clogging her throat, so Genie picked her up, and said, as she
elbowed her way through the crowd, "Please, let us pass, we're family."

On hearing her words, a man, who appeared to be a security guard, stepped in front of her and

parted the crowd, while saying, "Let the man's wife and daughter through."

It was a slow, laborious process as the man ushered them down the steps of the bleachers, while

slowly making their way through what seemed like a solid wall of people, and after guiding them in a
wide arc through the darkened area below the seats, they finally arrived at the medical units, where
the security guard led them inside.

On seeing Josh, who was sitting on a cot, Abby wiggled out of Genie's arms and threw herself

against him, while sobbing and crying in a ragged voice, "Don't die like Mommy."

"I'm okay," Josh said. "The bull was playing tag and he got too rough." He peered over Abby's

head at Genie, who was swiping a tear from her cheek, and offered his hand for her to take, while
saying, "Honey, come here." When Genie took his hand, he said, "I'm sorry what I put you and Abby
through, but what you saw rarely happens." Glancing around, he added, "Meanwhile, you remember
my mom and dad don't you?"

It wasn't until then that Genie looked beyond Josh and saw Grace and Jack Hansen standing at the

back of the room, with Jeremy beside them, but Genie was too upset to do anything but nod. Grace,
whose gaze shifted from Genie and Josh's clasped hands, nodded to Genie. "Of course, it's nice to see
you again." Turning to Josh, she said, "Are you sure nothing's broken?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Josh said. "I told the medics when I was on the stretcher that I was okay. This is

just routine."

"You will have the doctor check you though," Grace said.
"Yeah, Mom, I don't have a choice, so stop worrying."
About that time a medic stepped out from an adjoining room and handed Josh a cup of water.

Setting Abby down, Josh popped a couple of pills in his mouth, swallowed them in one gulp, and said
to everyone, "As soon as those babies kick in I'll feel like a million bucks."

Genie looked at him, unnerved. "You were knocked around like a rag doll and carted out on a

stretcher, and you act as if nothing happened."

"It didn't really," Josh said. "Getting tossed around isn't bad because I had on my vest. It's landing

and not knowing where the bull is that's the worry, but my bullfighting buddy's always there to take
over when that happens."

Jeremy stepped forward and gave Josh a light rap on his shoulder, and said, "Since you're still in

one piece I'll head for the pub." But before leaving, he gave his mother a hug, and said, "Stop
worrying, Mom. He's not even scraped."

After Jeremy left, Josh said to his parents, "You two go on back to the ranch. I'll be there as soon

as I can get away from here."

"Okay, son," Jack replied. He gave Josh's shoulder a squeeze, then he took Grace's arm and

turned her away, while saying, "It's okay, honey. Josh is fine."

Genie said nothing, but it hit her that this was a small sample of what her life would be like if she

married Josh. She didn't know if she could live with it, yet she couldn't imagine walking away from
Josh either.

CHAPTER 17

While the doctor checked Josh, Genie and Abby stood outside the medical unit with Annie and

Ryan, who was holding Cody. Matt and Ruth left for the ranch as soon as they knew Josh was okay.

Annie, looking at Abby with concern, said to Genie, "Ryan and I are heading back now. We can

take Abby if you want, and maybe she could stay the night and help me collect eggs and feed the baby
goats, and our second baby hinny needs a name."

Genie looked at Abby, whose face was still blotched from crying, and said, "You want to go with

Annie?"

Abby looked at Genie with teary eyes, and replied, "I want to stay with you and Josh."
"It's going to be a while before we can get away," Genie said, "but we'll be home as soon as the

doctor makes sure everything's okay, which it is because we just saw Josh and he's fine. You go on
with Annie and feed the baby goats and help think of a name for the baby hinny."

Seeming satisfied, Abby looked at Annie, and said, "Can I name it Angel?"
"The baby hinny's a boy," Annie replied, "and Angel's more of a girl's name."
"No, Angel's a boy's name," Abby said, with a little hint of attitude, which Genie viewed as a

positive sign because the incident with Josh was behind, at least it was for Abby.

"Criss Angel," Genie said to Annie. "Another illusionist."
"Okay then, Angel it is," Annie said. "So let's go sprinkle some water on Angel's head and

christen him." She offered her hand, which Abby took.

As they were walking off, Genie glanced around, startled to see Dr. Stafford, one of the doctors

from her hospital in Portland. He recognized her about the same time she spotted him. Crossing in
long strides toward her, Dr. Stafford said as he approached, "Did you get the message I left on your
cell?"

Genie looked at him, puzzled. "I haven't checked my messages in a few days. What was the

message?"

"To get in contact with me," Dr. Stafford said. "There was a rumor going around the hospital that

you might not be returning and I wanted to find out if it was true."

"Actually, there is something to it," Genie said, and realized she'd just made a decision after

deliberating for over for a month, even though she had no alternative job. "I have my little sister to
look after now, and at the hospital with the understaffing, mandatory overtime, and irregular hours, it
doesn't work for me anymore, so I'm looking around some and trying to decide what to do."

"Maybe I can help," Dr. Stafford said. "The reason I was trying to contact you was because

Health and Human Services is setting up a clinic in Pine Grove to serve southern Harney County, and
I'll be the physician there and I need a nurse assistant. I knew you recently got your RN license, and
your leave papers said you were at a ranch near here, so it seemed like a good fit."

"Did you come all the way here to tell me that?" Genie asked.
Dr. Stafford shook his head. "I'm here looking for a place to live. It's just me and my wife now so

we don't have to worry about kids and schools."

"Is the job full time?" Genie asked.
Dr. Stafford shook his head. "Three days a week." He reached into his billfold and pulled out a

business card. "Here's where you can reach me," he said. "I'm looking to fill the position as soon as
possible."

While Genie looked at the card, Dr. Stafford gazed off at the hills and buttes and rangeland that

stretched into the far distance, and said, in a brooding voice, "It's pretty barren here. I can see why the
population of Harney County's so low. There's not much around to attract a person."

"It grows on you," Genie said, while looking off at an entirely different vista from what Dr.

Stafford was seeing. Dr. Stafford saw barren hills. She saw buttes that were catching the lowlying sun
and turning them into reddish gold, and mountains in the distance with little peaks of white from the
winter snows, and slopes with groves of aspen and juniper and high-mountain mahogany, and sage-
covered foothills dotted with cattle.

About that time the door to the medical unit swung open and Josh appeared, ragged, and rumpled,

and covered with dust, but with his face now scrubbed free of grease paint. Catching sight of Genie,
he smiled at her and said, "Okay, babe, I'm good to go. You ready?"

Dr. Stafford eyed Josh with a blend of concern and curiosity, then said to Genie, "I'll be in

touch," and walked off.

"What was that all about?" Josh asked, as he approached.
Genie shrugged. "He used to be one of the doctors on staff at my hospital, but he'll be working at

a clinic in Pine Grove when it opens," she replied, while slipping the business card into her purse.
She wasn't ready to share the information with Josh. She was still shaken by the incident with the bull
and concerned about Abby's reaction to it, and she needed to resolve that first before telling Josh
about the job offer, and maybe making a lifelong commitment to him.

During the drive back to the ranch, Josh said, "Will you come to my place tonight? We need to

talk about what happened with the bull since it doesn't happen very often."

Genie, who was sitting beside Josh in the truck, with his arm curved around her, said to him, "I

agree we need to talk about it, but with your parents at the ranch, it would be awkward being at your
place because they might think we were having sex, even though we wouldn't be because you're too
sore right now, but I wouldn't want them to jump to that conclusion."

Josh kissed her on the side of the face, and said, "Babe, I'll never be too sore to make love to

you. As for my parents, they'll be gone most of the evening with Matt and Ruth. They've been invited
to a neighboring ranch so they won't be back until late, and Jeremy won't be back until Pete's closes
since all his buddies from the rodeo will be there, along with every buckle bunny in the county. So
we'll have the place to ourselves."

Genie smiled and nestled closer against Josh and rested her hand on his thigh. She couldn't seem

to get enough of being with him, and already she felt her anticipation growing.

On returning to the ranch, she went to Annie's house to check on Abby and bring her a change of

clothes for the next day, along with pajamas and a couple of bedtime books for Annie to read to her.
But when she arrived, she was surprised to find Grace Hansen there, but then she realized Grace was
not only Annie's mother-in-law, she was a doting grandmother as well. She was also a person Genie
wanted to talk to alone, though she had no idea how to do that, or how to initiate the conversation she
wanted to have. But her opportunity came when Grace told Annie that she needed to get back to the
house because they were going out, which was about the time Genie was ready to leave, so Genie
said to Grace, "Mrs. Hansen, may I walk back with you? I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes if I
could."

"Of course, honey," Grace replied. "We can talk on the way to the house."
As they started out, Genie said, "It's about rodeos. Jeremy mentioned that you don't go very often,

and since I didn't grow up in a rodeo family I'm having a hard time trying to adjust to… what Josh
does, and he's talking about… that is, we're discussing…" She stopped, uncertain how to bring up the

extent of her involvement with Josh.

"Honey, I'm aware of your relationship with Josh," Grace said, "and I also understand your

concern since I've lived with the same concern from the time my sons were big enough to crawl onto
the back of a young bull."

"Then how do you do it?" Genie asked. "Isn't the stress wearing?"
"It could be if I let it," Grace replied. "The thing is, when I made the decision to marry Jack, I

knew he was from a rodeo background and that it would always be a part of our lives because that's
who Jack was, and I'd already decided I wanted Jack."

"Then he was still riding bulls when you married him?" Genie asked.
Grace shook her head. "He'd been out of it for a few years and thought he was getting too old to

get back in, so he transferred his love for bull riding to the boys. Rodeo's a lifelong passion that starts
at a very young age. Before my boys could walk, Jack would get down on his hands and knees, with a
baby on his back holding onto his head, while he crawled around the floor, and by the time they could
walk, the boys would climb on top of him and grip with their legs and hold on tight while Jack
bucked, and then they graduated to sheep, and calves. They were competing in Little Britches Rodeos
by the time they were five, and riding young steers in it by the time they were eight, and they all loved
it. But Jack also sent them to bull-riding schools so they'd learn from the pros and get a good
foundation."

"Didn't they get hurt?" Genie asked.
"On occasion," Grace replied, "but when you raise boys that's going to happen, whether it's

breaking an arm by falling out of a tree, or popping wheelies on a bike, or riding the farm stock. It's
been a good life though, and it's actually made our family close. On rodeo days when the kids were
growing up, we all got up at the crack of dawn because the boys had to get their chores done before it
was time to head out, so they'd work together to make sure they got everything done, which created a
sense of closeness and camaraderie, with them all working towards the same goal."

"I never thought of it that way," Genie said. "I did notice that many of the spectators at the rodeo

were families."

"Ranch families," Grace said. "Like Jack's family, many come from a long line of ranchers,

which means rodeo folks. I look at it this way. My boys could be into drugs or racing hot cars or
engaging in any number of risky behaviors that kids get into these days, but with bull riding they're in
danger for only eight seconds, so I weigh that against all the hours they could be spending doing things
that were just as dangerous, and I'm thankful they're in rodeo. It's a family sport, and kids become
involved with wholesome things like raising stock to show at the fair, and preparing for rodeos. But
they didn't just ride bulls when they were growing up. They tried their hands at all the other events,
then began to narrow it down as they got better in one area."

"But you still don't go to rodeos very often," Genie pointed out.
"True," Grace replied. "Watching makes me nervous, so a long time ago I decided to attend the

ones that were important to the kids and avoid the rest. My kids now tell me that every time I went,
something happened, which seemed to be the case… probably because they knew I was sitting there
fretting and stewing and it affected their concentration. So I stay home and put it in the Lord's hands
and no longer worry."

"Would you stay home if it was your husband riding?" Genie asked.
Grace pondered that for a moment, then said to Genie, "I think what you're really asking is, if you

were married to Josh, should you stay home, and I can't answer that for you. I do know that my sons
will give up their dreams for the women they love. Ryan did in a sense, but he also had a love for

working with horses that filled the void. With Josh though, his dream is rodeo, but he'd still give it up
if it came down to that. So in the end, you'll have to make that decision."

Genie looked at Grace, who'd stopped walking and was waiting for her response, and said,

"Thank you, Mrs. Hansen. I think you just made my decision for me." She knew then that somehow
she'd have to come to terms with Josh's bullfighting and accept whatever years she'd be given with
him, and who knows, maybe he'd decide on his own in a few years to set it all aside and follow
another dream, one more compatible with maintaining her peace of mind.

***

Genie snuggled up against Josh, and in the aftermath of their lovemaking, she said, "Is your

marriage proposal still open?"

She felt Josh's arm tense around her, like maybe he'd given it second thought, then he raised up on

one elbow so he could look at her, and said, "Yeah, but I've been giving it a lot of thought, and seeing
what my mother has gone through over the years, and knowing how stressed you are, and seeing how
upset Abby was, I'm thinking about just giving it up."

Genie shoved him back down and kissed him, and said, "That's no longer an option. I'm not your

mother, and I can adjust, though I might not go to many rodeos, and it would be best for Abby to avoid
them too."

"That's what I mean," Josh said. "As long as I'm out there challenging bulls, you and Abby would

worry, and I want the two of you to be happy. I'm okay being a farrier and maybe making some more
horseshoe sculptures. And I already have enough money saved from my rodeo earnings to go in with
Matt to buy a good bucking bull to start off the bucking bull business."

"I'd still feel like you're giving up your dream for me," Genie said, "and you've worked for years

getting to where you are, and I have to admit, you're absolutely amazing… your timing, your agility,
and I'm not just talking fighting bulls. You're pretty amazing in bed too."

"That's because you give me the same rush the bulls do," Josh said, "but when the bull leaves the

arena that rush is over, but with you, I'd have you in bed all night, so the scales tilt in favor of you."

Genie knew they still had not come to a satisfying compromise because there was still that world

championship bullfighting buckle out there waiting for Josh to claim, and he was actually very close.
"I think I might have a workable solution," she said.

"I thought we just figured it out," Josh replied. "I'm really okay giving it up."
"No, you're not," Genie said. "But even if you are, I'm not. I'm your buckle bunny and I want to be

able to wear that world champion bullfighter buckle. It's a status thing with us buckle bunnies. But,
even if you don't make it to the world finals, you still have to promise that I'll be your bunny."

Josh looked at her soberly. "Honey, are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Genie said. "But after the finals, maybe you could be a barrel man instead. I

think I could even attend the rodeos if I knew you could jump into a padded barrel to get out of the
way of the bull. And maybe you could work up an act with Ferdinand, like some of the intermission
acts with other rodeo clowns."

"There's one problem," Josh said. "Your father."
Genie looked at Josh, baffled. "What does he have to do with any of this?"
"He told me that if you married me and started tracking around the country to rodeos, he'd

petition the court to get Abby back, and that's not going to happen."

"There's no reason for Abby to go to any rodeos," Genie said. "Annie and Ruth both love looking

after her, but most of the time I'll be here, except when I'm working at the clinic in Pine Grove three
times a week."

"What are you talking about?"
"That doctor who was at the rodeo… he needs a nurse in his clinic, which will be a county clinic

in Pine Grove, and he offered me the job."

"Is that what you want?" Josh asked. "You don't have to work if you don't want to. I make enough

so you could stay home with Abby."

"I want to work," Genie said. "I love nursing, just not the frantic kind of nursing at the hospital.

This job would be perfect for me. I'd also be free to go to some rodeos with you, if you're a barrel
man. As a bullfighter I'd probably pass because I'd make you too nervous with all my fretting and
stewing and wringing of hands."

"I tell you what, babe. How about I'll promise to quit altogether after I make it to the world

finals. That's been my goal from the start, and I'm thinking that between raising bucking bulls and
having you in my bed morning and night, that will give me enough adrenaline rushes, except that
maybe I'll be a barrel man for a few years too, and include Ferdinand."

Genie waited for him to go on, and maybe include bullfighting, but when he said nothing more,

she said, "Are you sure, sweetheart? You'd be happy being a barrel man? You don't get the rush of
adrenaline you get bullfighting, or the prestige, and I want you to realize your dream."

"I already have realized my dream," Josh said in all seriousness. He kissed her then, long and

hard, and in a way that left no doubt. And then he added, "And yes, I'm absolutely sure about being a
barrel man. Besides, a really good four-year-old bucking bull can cause a little rush of adrenaline too
on occasion." Before Genie could question just how much adrenaline a four-year-old bull could
cause, Josh distracted her with another long kiss, and by the time it was over, she decided she had no
choice but to do as Grace Hansen did and simply put it in the Lord's hands and enjoy the man she'd be
spending the rest of her life with. Oddly, she felt at peace.

EPILOGUE

Two months later

Genie cuddled closer to Josh, and after her breathing finally settled into normalcy, she said,

"That was absolutely sublime, even better than seeing that long, long shooting star the night of the
meteor showers. I hope you felt the same rush of dopamine I did."

"Dopamine?" Josh laughed. "That wasn't dopamine coursing between us babe, that was pure

lust." He kissed her on the temple. "Now it's your turn to put out. A promise is a promise."

"My brain got a little scrambled from what just happened," Genie said. "I don't remember any

promises."

Josh propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. "Okay then I'll give you a

reminder. You promised if I showed you some of my aahhh oohhh say other talents, which I did, you’d
grant me one wish.

Genie tipped her head up so she could see his face, which in the glow of billions of stars peering

down at them reminded her of an Olympian god, and said, "Okay then, since you definitely fulfilled
your end of the bargain, what's your wish?"

Josh planted a kiss on her lips. "I want to know how your dad did the orange tree trick."
"You already got the thumb trick out of me," Genie replied. "I can't give away all of our secrets."
"Okay, then I guess I'll have to ration my special talents, and I have a whole arsenal of them in

mind to get you breathing heavy and shaking up the earth again."

Genie chuckled. "I did do that, didn't I," she said, feeling a residual tremor that had her wanting

to start in again.

"Yes, ma'am, you did," Josh said. "In fact, Mrs. Hansen, you were bucking around so much I

thought I was back riding a bull, but what happened with us beat any bull ride I've ever had." Bending
over, he kissed the side of her neck.

Genie felt another little tremor. Running her palm over the hard, firm muscles of Josh's back, and

feeling them bunch beneath her touch, she said, "Compartments."

Josh darted his tongue into her ear, eliciting a gasp from her, and said, "Compartments?"
"Umm… but what you're doing has me thinking about other things."
"Me too." Josh moved down, planting a kiss on her chest. "What about compartments?"
Genie glided her hand down his bare butt, and said, "If you roll onto your back I'd like to enlist

one of my special talents doing something I think you'd enjoy."

Josh chuckled. "Misdirection won't work this time, babe. What about compartments?"
Genie let out a little snort. "I should never have told you about misdirection." Lifting her foot, she

pointed a toe and dragged it slowly up Josh's bare leg and back down again, then pressed her breasts
against him and cuddled up again.

Josh dragged her on top of him. "You were talking about compartments, and we were talking

about orange trees, so now we have an orange tree with compartments, right?"

Genie glided her hand down his side so her thumb grazed his groin. "Maybe I'd rather talk about

grapefruits in a cluster of two."

Josh laughed. "Sorry, babe, you can try all the misdirection you want, but this time I won't be

distracted. Besides, you owe me my wish. What about compartments?"

Genie drew in a long breath. "Okay, have it your way," she said. "The tree is an automaton with

dark green compartments located throughout its fake foliage. You insert oranges in the compartments
in advance. The compartments are hidden beneath orange blossoms so viewers don't see them." She
trailed her tongue along the length of Josh's neck.

"That's only half the trick," he said. "What happened to the orange blossoms? In your dad's trick

they appeared then disappeared and the oranges grew right before our eyes."

"Dang-it," Genie said, realizing all the misdirection she could conjure wouldn't distract Josh

now. "After I tell you the secret, you'd better do something that really has me shaking up the earth
again."

Josh grinned. "That, I guarantee. In fact, I've already pumped fuel into my duel carburetors and

my flag's up. So then, you were saying something about hidden compartments. Go on."

With some effort, Genie managed to shove aside the image of the carburetors and flag, and said,

"Okay, the tree has small, dark green levers in it. You set up the tree so the levers are in back, facing
away from the audience. One lever inserts and retracts the orange blossoms, but while you're doing
that you incorporate some dialog. So while the viewers are listening to your dialog and watching
orange blossoms miraculously appear, you operate the other lever, which sets the compartment device
motion. Before then, flaps have hidden the oranges, but once set in motion, the orange blossoms are
retracted and the flaps are slowly peeled back from the oranges so they appear to be growing on the
tree. At that point the trick is complete, and the only thing left to do is pick the oranges and toss them
to the audience so they know they're real."

"What about the butterfly?" Josh asked.
"That's a remote-controlled automaton, so now you know the entire secret."
"That's it? A fake tree, a couple of levers and a fake butterfly?"
"That's about the extent of it," Genie said. "And now that I told all, I want to know how you

learned all those things about me. You've been holding out for months, and if you don't tell me now,
all my special talents will probably just drift off with the Milky Way."

"A Ouija board?" Josh offered.
"No way," Genie replied. "I've read that rodeo cowboys are too superstitious for that."
"You're right," Josh said. "Okay, I'll come clean because I don't want the Milky Way cluttered up

with your special talents. It was your newsletter questionnaire form, the one that was sandwiched
between my discharge papers and the handouts in my release folder."

Genie looked at Josh in bafflement. Then it all began to fall into place—the form she'd

completed, while at work, for her Get to Know You profile for the department newsletter at the
hospital. After all the time she spent on it, it turned up missing. She'd rifled through all of her papers,
and looked everywhere she could think to look, but it had simply disappeared.

Having learned that, she tried to think of everything she'd written on it, but other than the

information Josh had teased her with, she couldn't remember a thing.

Eyeing her with amusement, Josh said, "So, our house should have glass across the front and face

west so we can watch the sunset from the living room since all you saw from your apartment were the
buildings across the street."

Genie remembered taking a lot of time while contemplating the question about her dream house,

as if by providing a detailed description of what she imagined, she'd somehow set into motion the
building blocks for a cedar house with a view. She never specified the view though, because she had
no location in mind…

"Okay, honey," Josh cut into her thoughts. "I've told all, and you've told all, are we ready to shake

up the earth again?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm with you," Genie said. "Make it worth my while and I might tell you how

Dad made the playing card float, spin, and fly around the cake during the wedding reception.
Generally, even simple levitation requires a great amount of concentration, or even being in a trance
state, but Dad perfected it so you can do it with much less concentration."

"Your dad's actually kind of an okay guy," Josh mused. "I could learn to like him."
"He grows on you," Genie said. "Incidentally, how do you like being called Daddy?"
Josh smiled. "It's the greatest feeling in the world… well, one of the greatest. Are you sure your

dad's okay with what I came up with?"

"I actually think he's a little relieved," Genie said. "After all, he is a very grand man, like you

told Abby, and he's also her daddy, so calling him granddaddy works for her, and for Dad. He really
does want what's best for Abby, which is why he's willing to relinquish being called Daddy for being
called Granddaddy. It's really quite brilliant of you. But Abby also came up with the perfect solution
to you being Daddy and me being Genie. So being Abby's earth Mommy, and our mom being her
heaven Mommy, works perfectly. Besides, when we have kids they won't get confused because we'll
be Mommy and Daddy to them all. And talking about kids, I know a trick that can create kids out of
thin air." She bent down and kissed the side of Josh's neck and started making her way down his
chest.

"Are we talking about misdirection here?" Josh asked.
"No, sweetheart, we're talking about making the earth shake again."
Josh laughed. "Give us a couple of minutes and it will register on Harney County's Richter

scale." He rolled over and covered Genie's mouth with his, and when they came together, and were in
the throes of passion, Genie managed to open one eye long enough to see a star speed across the sky
in one magnificent silver arc. What followed after that was pure ecstasy.

###

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DESCRIPTION: Cutting the ties for Jeremy Hansen meant taking a job three hundred miles from the Dancing Moon Ranch, where he
could be his own man, but when he meets Billy Bree Fitzsimmons, his perfect mate, a woman whose passion for raising bucking bulls
matches Jeremy's passion for riding them, Jeremy also finds himself drawn into circumstances in which cutting the ties takes on a whole
new meaning when he's forced to choose between his family, and the woman he loves and never seeing his family again.

PROLOGUE: BUCKING THE ODDS

Crane Butte Rodeo – Harney County, Southeast Oregon

Okay, so he got the unluck of the draw, Jeremy Hansen conceded, as he prepared to ride a bull

that was ironically named Wild Card. He'd seen the bull in the sorting pen earlier and the thing looked
about as wild as an old sheepdog. Still, something about the name sounded familiar, though he
couldn't place it.

"Hansen, you're up next," someone said, while rapping him on the shoulder.
Without glancing back, Jeremy slipped on his glove, and holding one end of a leather tie-string in

his teeth, started the wrap that would tie his glove in position. After rubbing rosin on its leather palm
for a good grip, he climbed the rails.

As he stood on the rungs over the bull, chute men swarmed around him. One fed the bullrope

beneath the bull. Another pulled the rope straight up so Jeremy could rub his gloved palm up and
down on it to make his bind before setting his hand. Another fed the flank strap under the bull to the
stock contractor. Most bulls became restless at this point, raking their horns against the rails or trying
to jump out of the chute, but this bull stood like he was half asleep. Jeremy glanced back as the stock
contractor adjusted the strap. The man was small, and he wondered who he was, but when the man
glanced up to see if he was ready, Jeremy looked into a pair of hazel eyes fringed in long dark lashes.

"I guess we meet again, cowboy," Billy Bree Fitzsimmons said.
In an instant, Jeremy was back at a buckout and an encounter with a woman he'd pegged as a

buckle bunny, who turned out to be a stock contractor. She'd let him have it after his derogatory
comment about a flat bull he'd ridden, a bull that just happened to belong to her…

"I've got a bull named Wild Card that's ranker than any bull you've ever ridden, who comes

spinning out of the chute like a cyclone…" she'd said that day.

Jeremy let out a snort of irony. Wild Card better wake up fast. He also realized why the bull's

name hadn't registered before. Billy Bree Fitzsimmons had sidetracked him with her looks, just as she
did moments before, but he'd better start focusing fast or he could find himself stomped into the dirt or
tossed straight to cowboy heaven.

Lowering himself onto a bull that remained immobile, Jeremy felt another wave of irritation. He

was confident about sticking on for the eight seconds, but there was no way this bull could bring a
high enough bull score to boost Jeremy's average for a chance at the national finals.

Shoving that unsettling thought aside, he planted his hand against the bull's back, and a chute

helper laid the bull rope across his palm. Closing his fist around it, he worked each finger to make a
tight fist, then punched his fist to stick the rope to his palm.

Things moved fast after that and in a matter of seconds he situated himself squarely on the bull,

shoved his feet and legs forward, scooted his hips close to the handhold and tucked his chin to his
chest. Raising his free arm into the air, he nodded for the woman to tighten the flank strap.

An instant later the gate opened… and Wild Card shot out of the chute like a cannonball and

immediately went down in front, launching his hind legs straight up in the air, sending Jeremy sharply
forward by the force behind the kick. At once, the bull turned back, starting a whirlwind of jumps and
whips and spins while Jeremy hung on with all his strength, completely blindsided by the rankness of
the bull. Determined to conquer this pack of bovine dynamite, he lightly spurred the bull on one side,
then the other, sending a mixed message. Turn this way, boy… No this way… I'm over here now…
each kick a whisper to 1800 pounds of bucking rage. But Wild Card ignored those spurred whispers,
maintaining the offensive.

Three seconds into the ride Wild Card launched all four feet off the ground, sunfished and

reversed directions, and with one last upward thrust, sent Jeremy catapulting off his right flank and
landing in the dirt.

"There you have it," the announcer called out. "No score for Jeremy Hansen."
While attempting to swallow his humiliation, Jeremy picked himself up out of the dirt and jogged

toward the fence, all the while eyeing the big red bull, who appeared to be making a victory lap
around the arena before heading for the exit chute.

CHAPTER 1

Harney, County, Southeast Oregon

Jeremy pulled his truck to a halt in front of a century-old stock barn where, on its weathered

siding, a signboard bearing a string of hand-painted words read: BILLY BREE'S BUCKING BULLS.
FOUR TIMES THE BAIL, BUCK, BLITZ AND BELLIGERENCE IN EVERY BULL.

He clamped his jaws together. Not only was he still pissed over his failed attempt to ride a bull

he'd seriously underestimated, but it set him back in his run for the national finals, and now he wanted
another crack at that bull.

When Billy Bree Fitzsimmons told him she had a bull that was ranker than any bull he'd ever

ridden, she wasn't just tooting her horn. Wild Card was one of those once-in-every-once-in-a-while
kind of bulls, the kind that could make it to the National Finals Rodeo. In the two months since the
Crane Butte Rodeo fiasco the bull had bucked in rodeos around the region with a 100% buckoff
record while earning pro-quality bull scores, along with acquiring a string of pro bull riders just
itching to take the challenge. Yet, bulls like Wild Card didn't just appear from out of nowhere, but as
far as he could determine, Crane Butte was the bull's first out.

Climbing out of the truck, he scanned the bull pen and spotted the dark red bull, who stared at

him in curiosity. He was an impressive bull, stout in the shoulders where his power needed to come
from, and of a size that could handle a big man, yet agile enough to buck high and spin fast. If it wasn't
for the asymmetrical horns, he'd be a perfect poster bull.

Then he reminded himself that he wasn't there to size up a bull or try to negotiate a practice ride

on him—though that idea was fixed firmly in his mind—but the reason he was there wasn't likely to
get him any closer to accomplishing that ride.

Turning, he looked toward a small building with a sign sticking out from its weathered siding that

read, OFFICE, then he noticed another sign over the door that read, THE BUCK STARTS HERE.
Maybe it did with Wild Card, but the bulls he'd ridden during the buckout there a few months back
didn't come close to that rank bull. The thing was an anomaly.

Catching sight of some movement in his peripheral vision, he looked toward the stock barn and

saw an older man with a scraggly beard and unkempt hair standing in the entrance, staring at him. It
was the same man who'd been there the day of the buckout a few months back, so he assumed the man
worked there. Strolling over to where he stood, he said while approaching, "I'm looking for Billy
Bree Fitzsimmons. Is she here?"

The man eyed him closely, like he was sizing him up, and replied, "If you're here to ride bulls,

Wednesday's buckout night."

Jeremy shook his head. "I'm here on other business."
Again the man looked at him closely, so closely Jeremy felt uncomfortable. It was the man's eyes.

Intense. And aware. Not the dull look of an aging, uneducated wrangler.

Pointing with his thumb toward the house, the man said, "Billy's inside. Keep your distance from

the Rottweiler though."

Jeremy glanced toward a house that looked barely habitable. He also noted the busted boards and

rotted gates of the old bucking chutes. He made a mental note to address that issue too, as he crossed
the dusty grounds toward the house. Stepping onto a porch that sloped downward, he rapped on the

front door, prompting some skirmishing inside followed by a series of hostile barks. A couple of
seconds later the door opened and Billy Bree Fitzsimmons appeared, her hand clasping the leather
collar of a Rottweiler that stood well over two feet at the shoulders and no doubt topped the scales at
130 pounds. She released the dog's collar and said, "Diesel, sit."

The dog promptly planted his butt on the floor and stared at Jeremy who, deciding he didn't want

to challenge this dog by staring back, shifted his gaze to a pair of scuffed western boots and work-
worn leather chaps, and made his way up a shapely female form clad in faded jeans and a snug
western shirt, to a face framed by a tangle of chestnut hair with golden highlights, and focused on a
pair of hazel eyes darkened with annoyance.

Billy Bree Fitzsimmons let her gaze drift downward, and focusing on his belt buckle, said with

irony, "Looks like someone else went home with the Crane Butte Rodeo buckle." Raising her eyes,
she added, "If you've come to try your hand at Wild Card again, cowboy, he's not available for
practice rides."

Ignoring her reference to an event he wanted scratched from the record, as well as from his

memory, Jeremy said, "Cattle have been reported missing from the Red Rim Ranch and I'm checking
the area to see if strays have wandered onto neighboring ranches. Horses aren't missing, but I need to
see the ownership papers for all your cattle."

Bracing her hands on her hips, Billy said, "You can't just come barreling in here demanding to

see papers for my stock. Who do you think you are you anyway?"

"Jeremy Hansen, in case you forgot the name," Jeremy replied, all the while trying to keep his

eyes from drifting downward to where the woman's shirt lay open a few snaps to reveal a sweat-
dampened chest and the hint of cleavage.

"I don't keep track of bull rider's names," Billy said, "so why should I remember yours?"
"No reason in particular, but you might want to remember it now," Jeremy replied, flashing his ID

card. "I'm the Harney County brand inspector. I need to see the papers on your stock."

The woman looked unnerved, and some of the spitfire was gone when she said, "I have to dig

them out of my files. Do you need them now?"

"If you want to square this away, yes," Jeremy replied.
"What happens if I can't find them today?"
"Then I'll be back. One way or another you have to prove ownership, whether it's bills of sale,

registration papers, out-of-state brand inspection papers or affidavits," Jeremy said. "Are your
animals branded?"

"Brands aren't required in Oregon," Billy clipped.
"True, but it helps prove ownership," Jeremy said. "I noticed your stock trailer has South Dakota

plates, and since Oregon law requires a permit for all livestock entering the state, I'll need to see
transportation certificates."

The woman's eyes widened, like she was caught by surprise, which made Jeremy suspicious. In

fact, the whole exchange seemed fishy.

"We just moved here a few months ago and things are still in boxes and the papers are not

accessible right now," Billy said in a softly feminine voice that sounded distinctly like a woman
trying to talk a highway patrolman out of a ticket.

"Okay then, I'll need to take a look at your stock," Jeremy said.
"What for?" Billy asked.
"To check breed, sex, ear and flesh marks, and old brands."
The woman attempted a smile he knew was feigned, and said in the same sugary tone,

"Determining sex is easy. My bulls are in the bull pens and my cows are behind the barn in the cow
pen. They're all cross breeds, they don't have any ear or flesh marks, and like I said before, they don't
have brands, but they all have ear tags."

"Anyone can attach ear tags, but they don't mean anything without papers." Jeremy started off for

the bull pen.

"You can't just go over there and start looking at my bulls," Billy yelled after him.
"Actually, I can," Jeremy called back. "If papers aren't produced, brand inspectors have the

authority to enter any premise for the purpose of examining animals for brands, marks, or other
evidence of ownership."

Billy marched across the grounds, with the Rottweiler ambling along beside, and catching up

with Jeremy, said in an assertive voice, "Those are bucking bulls. You can't climb in there and start
fooling around with them."

"You've got cattle chutes, and those animals have been handled," Jeremy said.
Climbing the steel tubing of a livestock panel, he hiked his leg over and landed inside a bull pen

with four young bulls whose ages he pegged at around two years old. As he figured it would be, the
young bulls looked at him curiously and did nothing. Approaching them slowly, he separated the first
from the others and herded it into the chute where he checked it over. Although it had an ear tag, there
were no markings or signs of a brand, so he released it and herded the next. After checking the other
two, he climbed into the next bull pen. As with the younger ones, the five bulls in the pen, which he
judged to be three and four-year-olds, stared at him but did nothing.

He decided to leave Wild Card for last because he wanted to inspect him thoroughly. There was

something suspicious about the whole setup. A bull of that caliber could have been stolen and moved
across several states to be used for breeding, and Harney County, being remote and sparsely
populated, would be a good place to set up a base of operations.

When he released the fourth of the five older bulls and was walking toward Wild Card, Billy

called out, "Wild Card acts docile but he can be mean so you might want to skip him. And I do have
papers."

"I don't see them," Jeremy called back, "so I'll be checking this bull." He glanced over at the

woman, who looked worried, which again had him wondering.

After herding Wild Card into the chute, he inspected his right side for a brand. Finding none, he

reached over the bull's back, but on placing his hand on the bull's side he felt the grisly hard formation
of a brand. Climbing over the chute, he took a closer look, which verified it. "You want to explain
this?" he asked, while noting the characters of the brand.

"Sure," Billy replied. "He was injured. It's a scar."
"In the shape of a B43? Why did you claim this bull wasn't branded?"
"Brands aren't required in Oregon so I didn't think it was any of your business whether my stock

was branded or not," Billy replied. "Besides, he's the only one of my stock with a brand."

"Then I'll give you five days to locate his papers and the papers for the rest of the stock. In the

meantime, I'll check the brand and find out who the owner is." Jeremy realized he was not only
questioning Billy Bree Fitzsimmon's credibility, but in an indirect way he was accusing her of cattle
rustling.

After returning to his truck for his camera and clipboard, he studied the brand more closely,

noting a rise in the middle of the B, like it had been altered from a P. He took photos and drew a
diagram of the brand on a form, then turned Wild Card back into the pen and went behind the barn to
check the cows. After herding each of nine cows into the cattle chute and finding no brands or marks

on any of them, he documented the numbers on their ear tags, left the cow pen and headed for the
bucking arena.

As it was when he was there for the buckout before, the bucking chutes were a maze of loose,

warped, and rotted boards in danger of splintering and injuring a bull or rider while in the chute. He
also noted that the chute doors were more askew than before. Grabbing his clipboard, he filled in an
animal facility form then walked over to where Billy stood glaring at him, her fingers rapping against
her folded arms, the Rottweiler on full alert at her side, and said, "You've got some animal facility
violations that need to be corrected. Since your buckouts are open to the public, the gates and all the
side boards in the bucking chutes need to be replaced."

"I'm aware of all the repairs needed but I can't afford them so they'll have to wait," Billy replied,

"so if you're finished, I want to get back to what I was doing."

"I guess I didn't make myself clear," Jeremy said. "You don't have a choice about the chutes. I'm

also the livestock and animal facility inspector and that's the law." When he ripped the form from the
pad and thrust his hand out, the hackles on the Rottweiler's back went up, the dog curled his lips back
and bared his teeth, and low growls rumbled in his throat.

Eyeing the dog with uncertainty, Jeremy said, "You might want to contain that dog. I don't think

you want a citation for having a vicious dog not properly controlled."

"He's controlled," Billy said. "He won't attack unless I give the command. Besides, you're not the

animal control officer."

"Wrong." Jeremy slipped another ID out of his billfold and flashed it in front of her. "I assume

you have the dog licensed in Harney County. He's not wearing a tag."

"He's licensed but he lost his tag," Billy replied.
"Then you'll need proof of licensing or you'll have to buy another tag."
Looking at him, dubiously, Billy said, "I want to take a closer look at your IDs. It seems fishy that

you could be that many inspectors. With cattle missing from a neighboring ranch, you could be sizing
up my place to come take my stock too."

Jeremy was mildly amused at her attempt to negate things by pointing a finger him. Pulling his ID

cards from his billfold he handed them to her, and while she was scanning them, he said, "Harney
County doesn't have funds for three inspectors so they combine the jobs. I'm authentic. You have five
days to tag the dog and come up with transportation certificates and ownership papers for your stock,
and two weeks to complete the work on the chutes."

"What if I don't do any of that," Billy challenged.
"Then the place will be shut down and the animals impounded until it is done," Jeremy said. He

indicated the man with the beard. "Is he your only ranch hand?"

Billy nodded. "He's all I can afford right now."
Jeremy took another look at the man. He was old and wiry, and in general looked pretty unfit for

a ranch hand. Still, the repairs didn't require that much work. Returning his gaze to Billy, he said,
"Those old bucking chutes are so weathered your man should be able to kick the boards loose, and
replacing them with new boards shouldn't take more than a couple of days."

"I don't have materials for the chutes," Billy said. "As it is, I'm operating on a shoestring."
Jeremy couldn't dispute that. The only area in the whole place that didn't need repair was the bull

pens and bucking arena, which were made up of standard tubular-steel livestock panels clamped
together. Peering into a pair of hazel eyes that now looked desperate, he said, "Look, I don't make the
rules. I only enforce them. You have to make the repairs on the chutes or the buckouts will be shut
down until the repairs are made."

Billy looked down at the paper, which gave him a couple of minutes to study the woman. How

he'd pegged her as a buckle bunny when he was there before was a mystery now. She was all cowgirl.
The scuffs on her boots were there from down-in-the-dirt work, her chaps were worn from riding
hard, her hands were calloused from work, and her bust-hugging shirt and sweat-dampened cleavage
was… holding his attention.

Raising his gaze, he met a pair of eyes with dilated pupils. He also noted that her nostrils were

flaring slightly, and her bottom lip was caught between her teeth, which made him wonder. She might
be all spunk and spitfire, but that didn't mean she wasn't interested in him, a thought that was nagging
at him, like riding the bull again. The fact was, his interest in both the woman and the bull was
running neck-and-neck at the moment.

Then a frown drew her brows inward, and she said, "Can I still hold my regular Wednesday night

buckouts for the next two weeks? I really need the income."

"I suppose, as long as you and your ranch hand are working to fix the chutes during that time."

Jeremy looked toward Wild Card and felt a little spurt of adrenaline as the thought of riding him again
took hold. "Will you be bucking all of the older bulls during the buckout?" he asked, while trying not
to sound too hopeful, but he was itching to get back on that bull.

"All except Wild Card," Billy said, "but my Brahma-Mexican cross over there could give you a

run for the money." She pointed to a black bull with white horns. "His name is Vortex, and if you want
to know why I named him that, ride him on Wednesday and find out, if you haven't given up riding
bulls for a cushier job."

"I'm still riding," Jeremy said. He eyed the black bull. It had the Brahma hump and powerful

shoulders, but it was smaller than Wild Card, which didn't mean he couldn't buck and buck hard.
Without all the weight to maneuver around he could be quicker too.

Taking on the challenge, he said, "I'll see you on Wednesday, and I just might give that bull a run

for his money too."

Billy gave him an ironic smile. "Good luck then, cowboy. Just a little word of advice. You might

want to be a little better prepared this time."

Jeremy clamped his jaws shut. Yeah, he'd be prepared, if it meant double-wrapping his hand in

the bull rope. More than that, he wouldn't let himself to be distracted by a woman's looks just before
the ride. Shoving that thought aside, he said, "In the meantime I'll be checking brands, so you might
want to be prepared too."

That made her pupils dilate again, but in a different way, like she was on the verge of panic.

What bothered him now was that he already suspected the brand had been altered. If so, he'd be
obligated to report it, and if it proved true, Miss Billy Bree Fitzsimmons would be looking at a Class
A Misdemeanor. He sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that because he had other plans for both
Wild Card and his mistress, and having her arrested didn't fit into those plans.

***

Billy stared at the rooster tail of dust left behind by Jeremy Hansen's truck as it went barreling

off into the distance. The man set her on edge. Not only was he demanding papers she didn't have, and
would be checking a brand that had been altered, but he set her on edge in other ways. It bothered her
that she found him attractive, and being around him made her heart skitter. He was a typical, full-of-
himself, champion bull rider with a following of buckle bunnies, along with a bunny warren on the
back of his rig in the form of a camper, and that wasn't the kind of man she wanted, if having a man in

her life was even an option now…

"Who was that and what did he want?" Bill Fitzsimmons asked, as he approached from the

direction of the stock barn.

Billy let out an unladylike snort. "Jeremy Hansen, the guy who rode Wild Card at Crane Butte.

He's also the county brand inspector, animal control officer, and livestock facility inspector. Cattle
are missing from the Riddle Rim Ranch and he wants to see papers for all the livestock."

She pressed her lips together in disgust. She could read between the lines. Jeremy Hansen didn't

just want papers. He wanted another chance at Wild Card, which he wouldn't get on her watch. Even
though he messed up at Crane Butte, he managed to stay on Wild Card for almost four seconds, which
was three seconds longer than any other rider, so she knew he was one of only a few bull riders with
the potential to ride him. But she was aiming for a 100% buckoff record by the time Wild Card made
his way up the ranks to the National Finals, which meant, Jeremy Hansen could try all he wanted to
get a practice ride, but the only way he'd get back on Wild Card would be with a lucky draw at a
rodeo...

"That's a lot of inspectors in one man," Billy's father said. "It sounds a little suspicious. Did he

show you his IDs?"

Billy nodded. "They looked official. He wants to see transportation certificates for the livestock

as well as ownership papers, and we don't have either."

"Then I'll contact Moretti," Bill said. "How long do we have to get them?"
"Five days," Billy replied. "How did Mario Moretti he mess up on this?"
"Oversight," Bill replied. "Moving livestock isn't his area."
"There's another problem," Billy said. "Jeremy Hansen's in rodeo and knows bucking bulls. After

checking Wild Card's brand he could connect the dots." She waved the paper in her hand. "We also
have two weeks to rebuild the bucking chutes or we'll be shut down, and the only lumber around here
is rotten. But even if we did have the wood, all my power tools are stashed in a warehouse
somewhere with the rest of our stuff and it could be months before they get here. Can Mario Moretti
get us money to hire it done?"

Bill shook his head. "He made that clear when he advanced the money for the stock pens, but next

time he comes with the transportation certificates you can take it up with him."

Billy drew in an extended breath as she watched Jeremy Hansen's truck disappear in a haze of

dust. In a perfect world she might want to know the man better, but this wasn't a perfect world. It was
a world fabricated by Mario Moretti, and she was weary of the lies. All her relations and interactions
with people were based on the carefully constructed cover story Mario Moretti had worked out for
them, and the bottom line was: follow the program and you live; break the rules and you die.

CHAPTER 2

Billy stared at the rooster tail of dust left behind by Jeremy Hansen's truck as it went barreling

"Who was that and what did he want?" Bill asked, as he approached from the direction of the

stock barn.

Billy let out an unladylike snort. "Jeremy Hansen, the guy who rode Wild Card at Crane Butte.

He's also the county brand inspector, animal control officer, and livestock facility inspector. Cattle
are missing from the Riddle Rim Ranch and he wants to see papers for all the livestock."

She pressed her lips together in disgust. She could read between the lines. Jeremy Hansen didn't

"That's a lot of inspectors in one man," Billy's father said. "It sounds a little suspicious. Did he

show you his IDs?"

Billy nodded. "They looked official. He wants to see transportation certificates for the livestock

as well as ownership papers, and we don't have either."

Bill shook his head. "He made that clear when he advanced the money for the stock pens, but next

time he comes with the transportation certificates you can take it up with him."

Billy drew in an extended breath as she watched Jeremy Hansen's truck disappear in a haze of

***

Jeremy pulled his truck to a halt in the lineup of rigs parked in the field for the Wednesday

evening buckout at Billy's place, and when he was climbing out he saw his twin, Josh, heading
toward him. As Josh approached, he said, "Where's your camper and what's with all the lumber?"

Jeremy opened his pocket knife and started slicing through the twine holding several stacks of

2x12s that were angled between the truck bed and the top of the cab, while saying, "My camper's at
the ranch behind the bunkhouse, and the wood's to repair the bucking chutes."

Josh smiled in wry amusement. "It seems you've given up buckle bunnies then. When did this

transition take place?"

"It hasn't yet," Jeremy said. "I gave Billy Fitzsimmons a citation for work that needs to be done

here and she doesn't have the money to do it, and I want to ride bulls, and if the chutes aren't fixed I'll
have to shut the place down until they are fixed, so this is my solution. Grab the other end of this stack
of boards and make yourself useful. We're setting these over by the chutes, just outside the arena."

Josh hefted several boards out from the truck bed while Jeremy lifted the opposite ends from the

cab, and as they were walking with the boards on their shoulders, Josh mused, "And the fact that Billy
Fitzsimmons eclipses all the buckle bunnies around is a little added incentive for you to be her unpaid
ranch hand. I get the picture."

"I'm not interested in Billy Fitzsimmons," Jeremy said, while marching in long strides toward the

chutes. "I'm interested in her bulls. She's got a Brahma-Mexican cross that could be a challenge and
I'm here to ride him."

Josh let out a short, ironic laugh. "If he's anything like the bulls you rode here before, you won't

get much more than a few bounces."

Jeremy lowered his end of the boards to the ground. "Yeah, but if he's anything like the bull I rode

at Crane Butte I'll be in for a helluva ride, but this time I'll be ready so I won't make an ass of myself."

"No one's saying you made an ass of yourself at Crane Butte, at least not in those exact words,"

Josh said, but with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Jeremy eyed Josh with a blend of curiosity and annoyance. "What exactly are they saying?"
Josh let out a little ironic guffaw. "That the great Jeremy Hansen drew a wild card and was

routed by a rookie bull."

Jeremy clamped his jaws, more determined than ever to ride Wild Card and ride him at the

National Finals. But there was another question about the bull. "I'm not sure Wild Card's a rookie," he
said, while heading back to the truck for more boards. "When I checked his brand it looked altered,
and Billy Fitzsimmons made excuses for not producing papers. I haven't had a chance to research the
brand yet, but I will later this week."

The subject was dropped for the moment while Jeremy and Josh retrieved the rest of the boards,

but as they were crossing the grounds toward the truck after carrying the last stack of lumber to the
chutes, Billy came rushing up with them, also from the direction of the chutes, and said to Jeremy,
"Why are you unloading lumber here?"

Jeremy scanned her torso before catching himself, a habit he'd have to break if he wanted to get

anywhere with this woman, but the image of a bust-hugging shirt and a tiny waist remained.
Determined to focus on her face, which he also found distracting, he said, "It's to repair the chutes.
The wood was laying around our place unused and I figured it would do more good here."

"It's new lumber," Billy pointed out. "There are bar codes stapled to the ends of each board."
"Okay then, it's my donation to the cause," Jeremy said. "You have bucking bulls, and I'm

addicted to riding bulls, and I don't want to have to shut this place down, so the lumber's to fix the
chutes. You might be gracious enough to thank me though."

Billy eyed him with suspicion. "If you're thinking you can ride more than bulls around here, think

again, cowboy. I'm not available."

"I figured that out the last time I was here for a buckout and asked you to join me at the pub for a

beer and you told me to take a hike," Jeremy replied. "Now, do you want the lumber or do you want
me and my brother Josh to load it back in the truck? It's your call."

Billy folded her arms. "What's the catch?"
Jeremy found himself focusing on the feminine curves above her folded arms, and when he caught

himself again, and looked up, the expression on Billy's face reminded him of her dog when he'd
bared his teeth. "No catch," he said. "I assume you have a crowbar to take the chutes apart and power
tools for your ranch hand to do the job."

Billy looked off to where the old wrangler stood checking in riders and assigning bulls, and said,

"We don't have any power tools, and my ranch hand hurt his wrist a couple of weeks ago and can't do
any heavy work right now."

Again Jeremy wondered at the operation. It was more than odd that any ranch, no matter how

small, would not have power tools, and having a ranch hand who couldn't work didn't make too damn
much sense either. "Then who does all the work around here?" he asked.

"Me," Billy replied.
Jeremy eyed her with skepticism. "You're telling me you manage the bulls and the rest of the

livestock by yourself?"

Billy braced her hands on her hips. "You think ranch work's just reserved for men?"
Jeremy couldn't help smiling because she reminded him of a banty rooster. Small in size, but

aggressive and feisty. "I'm not questioning your ability to work," he said, "only your strength to handle
bulls."

"I can handle bulls," Billy said. "I wouldn't be in this business if I couldn't."
Jeremy glanced around, and taking in the shabbiness of the place, began to understand why it was

in the shape the way it was, with only Billy to keep it up. But that didn't explain the old man. "What
about your ranch hand? Doesn't he help with the bulls at all?" he asked.

"Like I said, he hurt his wrist," Billy replied. "Right now he does the domestic things around

here."

"Then he lives in the house with you?" Jeremy asked.
Billy nodded. "I'm pretty much his family and he has no other place to live."
"Oh, man," Jeremy said, more to himself than to her. It seemed she'd taken in the old guy out of

compassion. "Okay then, I'll fix the chutes," he conceded, while thinking maybe that wouldn't be so
bad. The place was in need of a lot of repairs, but having Billy Fitzsimmons around to look at while
he did them could make the job a whole lot easier.

"If you're thinking you'll get to practice on Wild Card by doing some work around here then think

again," Billy said. "The only rider that will be on his back outside of rodeos will be an electronic
dummy, but you can ride my other bulls in exchange for the lumber, and I'll figure out a way to fix the
chutes myself."

"Without power tools?" Jeremy asked.
"I have a hammer and hand saw," Billy replied. "I'm not new to fixing things."
Jeremy glanced toward the stack of lumber. It would take her a week to cut through all those

2x12s with a handsaw, and he wanted a reason to hang around. "I told you I was helping out so I
wouldn't have to shut this place down, so I'll fix the chutes. No strings attached," he said, even though
he still intended to ride Wild Card outside of rodeos. It would take some diplomacy to pull it off

though, and he was out of practice with the kind of woman that wasn't star struck by championship
buckles. Buckle bunnies were a dime a dozen, ready to get something going about the time a bull rider
was walking out of the arena, and they guaranteed a night of hot sex, no strings attached. On the other
hand, Billy Fitzsimmons guaranteed no sex, except if he did manage to pull that off there would be
strings. But she was the first woman he'd met that made him want to stick his neck in a noose.

"Okay then as long as we understand each other," Billy said. "But you'll get a good ride on

Vortex, guaranteed." She looked at Josh. "You here to ride or watch?"

"Neither," Josh replied. "I'm here to bullfight."
"Good, I could use you right now so go sign up and I'll see you cowboys at the chutes."
As she walked off, Josh said with a snicker, "Vortex?"
Jeremy laughed. "Yeah, it kinda makes me think I might get a good ride out of him. You said

you're here to bullfight. Is it okay with Genie or did you slip out unnoticed?"

"Genie and I don't operate that way," Josh said. "She knows I'm here, but she's not worried about

these bulls. Meanwhile, I'd better go get geared up. See you in the arena."

Jeremy returned to the truck to put on his protective vest, and after rubbing rosin on his bull rope,

he looped it into a coil, grabbed his gloves, and headed for the bucking arena.

Standing with a line-up of other bull riders, his boot propped on the tubular steel rung of a

livestock panel and his arms folded across the top, he watched the riders as they came out of the
chutes. One of the bulls was a bull he'd ridden when he was there at the buckout before, but the bull
seemed to buck harder now, like he'd been worked some. The other bulls, some brought in by a
couple of ranchers in the area, were pretty good buckers too, but none bucked like Wild Card. As for
the Mexican bull, so far only one rider had come out on him and the bull spun so fast the rider was off
in less than two seconds. Since no other riders tried to ride him after that, he assumed the bull was
above their skill level, or the riders shied away from Mexican bulls in general because of their
reputation for being just plain mean.

Knowing he'd be up next, he went through his usual procedure, but this time, when he lowered

himself onto the bull, the animal rasped his horns against the wooden walls of the chute, tearing out a
chunk of rotten wood, then attempted to climb the chute, sending one hoof cracking through a board
and splintering off a piece of wood. The bull settled enough for him to get positioned, and Billy, with
the help of a couple of cowboys, fastened the flank strap.

Giving the nod, the gate opened and the bull shot out of the chute with a lot of speed and power

then went down in front, kicked high, and went into a fast spin, but Jeremy managed to match the
movement of the bull and spur him some as he spun while kicking, and even though the bull extended
his hind legs high, he didn't unseat Jeremy, who rode out the eight seconds.

Still, it was a bull to take note. He was young and had some way to go, but he was definitely a

bull on the rise. Following the dismount, Josh took over from there, jumping and waving his arms to
get the bull's attention long enough for Jeremy to make a beeline for the fence. After that, Josh played
around with the bull some to practice his bullfighting maneuvers then sent the bull heading for the exit
chute. Jeremy rode a couple more bulls, neither of which were much of a challenge, but they gave him
a chance to work on his timing, technique, and mental calm.

When the buckout was over and the riders were heading for their rigs, Josh walked up to Jeremy,

who was waiting just outside the arena, and said, "That Mexican bull's a pretty rank bull. And
speaking of rank bulls, which is the one you rode at the Crane Butte Rodeo?"

Jeremy looked toward the bull pen, and spotting Wild Card standing a little distance from the

others, he said, "He's the dark red with the crooked horns."

Josh looked to where Jeremy was pointing, and after staring at the bull for an inordinate amount

of time, he said, "That bull's a dead ringer for Little Yellow Jacket. Look at the way one horn points
upward and the other downward, like Little Yellow Jacket's did, and he's the same dark red. He's also
a Brahman Angus cross. If the old bull was still alive, I'd swear this was him. That bull's got to be a
close cousin, if not a son. You might start your brand search with that in mind. This could be a stolen
bull operation where straws of semen are sold through the black market to breeders who turn up with
outstanding bucking bulls. It's a multi-million dollar industry that's not immune from corruption."

"I can't imagine Billy Fitzsimmons and the old man being involved in something like that,"

Jeremy said, "but I'll know as soon as I get the report on the brand."

"In the meantime, you might want to stay clear of the woman," Josh said. "I've seen the way you

look at her, and if you get involved in a personal way you could find yourself drawn into something
you might not be able to get out of."

Jeremy knew Josh meant well, but he could make his own decisions about Billy Bree

Fitzsimmons and how involved he wanted to be with her, but to get Josh off his back, he said, "Don't
sweat it. All I intend to do is fix her chutes, nothing more." The problem was, he might find it hard to
ignore the nothing more part of his plan. The woman had definitely caught his notice. More than that.
She had him doing exactly what Josh accused him of doing, being her unpaid ranch hand.

After Josh left, Jeremy walked over to where Billy was putting grain buckets out for the young

bulls, and said, "Your Mexican bull's a good bucker. Where did you get him?" He thought the question
was innocuous enough not to raise suspicions, but the bull was definitely another potential winner,
and from the looks of the place there wasn't enough money on hand to buy top bucking stock, much
less the expensive fodder and grain needed to maintain bucking stock.

"I bought him from a livestock dealer," Billy replied. "Vortex was in with a load of feeder cattle

from Mexico. His horns were lopsided so he couldn't be used for fighting since horns have to be
symmetrical for a bull to face a matador."

Jeremy was tempted to ask a half dozen questions about her other bull with lopsided horns, like

where she'd gotten him and who was his sire, but decided not to start probing into Wild Card's
extraction. He'd learn what he needed to know when checking the brand. "I'll be over to fix the chutes
this weekend if that works for you," he said.

Billy's gaze shifted to the old man, who was standing on the porch, watching them. "I'll let my

man know," she replied. "He worries about strangers coming around since the place is so isolated."

Her comment struck Jeremy as odd. The ranch wasn't exactly in the middle of a ghetto. "Not many

people would challenge the Rottweiler," he said, "and crime is almost non-existent in Harney County,
but I'll show your wrangler my IDs when I come to fix the chutes. What's his name?"

Billy batted her eyes a few times, like she was caught off guard, before replying, "Bill."
"So you're both Bills," Jeremy mused, wondering at the coincidence.
"It's a common name," Billy pointed out. "We laugh about it some."
"So then, what's your real name?" Jeremy asked.
Billy looked at him with a start. "What do you mean?"
Jeremy shrugged. "The name Billy. It's not a girl's name."
Billy exhaled slowly, like she'd been holding her breath, and replied, "My father wanted a boy

and he got me, so he named me Billy. That's also my given name, not Bill or William."

Jeremy eyed the man on the porch, then looked at Billy, and said, "Then your father was Bill or

William?"

"No, I'm a junior. His name was Billy. Billy Bree… umm… Fitzsimmons."

Jeremy caught the pause and said nothing, but the questions were quickly mounting. How did a

woman and an old wrangler come to have pro quality bulls? Why were they living on a ramshackle
ranch in the far corner of Harney County? Why would the brand on a pro-quality bull be altered?
Where were the ownership papers? Who, exactly, was Billy Bree Fitzsimmons?

CHAPTER 3

Billy eyed her father, who was standing outside the gate looking off, like he was in deep thought.

She was beginning to get used to his beard and mustache and long untidy hair, but she'd never get used
to the restless look in his eyes. He'd been uprooted from everything he loved and had spent years
working towards and had been forced to block it from his memory, and now he was a broken man.
His melancholy was the result.

She scanned her surroundings. The arid, wide open country wasn't so different from what they'd

left behind, with juniper scrubland, and sage-covered hills separated by wide canyons, like it had
been in Nevada. In fact, she was gradually getting used to the place, though the ranch needed so much
work she didn't know where to start. She hadn't counted on that when Mario Moretti squared away the
deal. At least it accommodated her animals, but she also needed help with them, and all the cowboys
of high school age had been shipped off to a public boarding school seventy-five miles north.

"Dad?" she called out to get her father's attention. "You ready with the gate?"
Her father's eyes sharpened, and he said, "I'll be ready when you are."
Billy cut a two-year-old brindle bull named Dust Devil from the rest, and drove him into the

chute. After mounting an electronic, remote-controlled bucking dummy on his back, cinching its girth
and tightening the flank strap, she said to her father, "Okay, open the gate."

From her stance, Billy watched the young bull buck out of the chute while kicking and spinning to

eject the dummy rider from his back, and after an especially high kick, she hit the remote, releasing
the dummy and flank strap, and Dust Devil settled into a trot and headed for the exit chute. Jumping
down from her perch, Billy jogged over and opened the gate, and Dust Devil dashed into the pen with
the other young bulls. She snatched up the flank strap from the dirt, then hefted the 24-pound dummy
over her shoulder, but as she was returning to the chute to buck another young bull, she saw Jeremy
Hansen's truck pulling up to the stock barn.

"Why is that man coming here on Saturday?" her father asked. "County workers don't work

weekends."

"He's here to repair the chutes in exchange for riding bulls," Billy explained. She had avoided

telling her father about Jeremy until now because he'd start worrying, and she didn't want to add more
stress.

"How much do you know about him?" Bill asked.
"Not much about his family or personal life," Billy replied, "but he's pretty well known in rodeo

circles, and I can use his help fixing the chutes."

"Just don't get too friendly with the man," her father warned.
"Don't worry, Dad. He's the last man I'd want to be involved with," Billy assured her father, even

though she was uncertain about her own words. But to make sure she didn't act on her uncertainty, she
fastened the top snap on her shirt and slipped her bandana out of her back pocket and tied it around
her neck. If that didn't send a clear message to Jeremy Hansen that she was off limits for anything
except business, she'd set him straight verbally the next time he eyed her the way he did the buckle
bunnies he was used to having hanging all over him.

"I'll head for the house," her father asked. "I don't want him looking from you to me and noticing

we have the same color eyes."

"Good idea." Propping the electronic dummy over the chute rail, Billy left the arena and strode

over to where Jeremy was climbing out of his truck. Instead of a western shirt, he wore a navy blue T-
shirt that stretched tight across his broad shoulders, and when he turned to face her, the way his hip-
hugging Wranglers clung to him reminded her that he was as male as her bulls. She looked up to find
the hint of a smile on his lips and realized she'd inadvertently scanned the length of him. Then his eyes
settled on her bandana, and he said, "Okay, I get the message."

While she was mulling over his straight forward comment, Jeremy reached into the bed of his

truck and grabbed a leather carpenter's belt with an array of tools hanging from it and fastened it
around his hips, while saying, "Show me where the power is and I'll get started."

Billy scanned his muscular torso defined by the T-shirt, and eyed the tool belt around his hips,

while thinking he looked pretty good as a carpenter. He still had the rugged cowboy look, but the tool
belt reminded her that he had other skills she could use. "The nearest outlet's in the stock barn," she
said, while wondering if he was a man who could ever settle for one woman.

"My saw draws a lot of power so I hope it doesn't overload the circuit," Jeremy said. From the

bed of this truck he snatched up a coiled electrical cord and looped it around his shoulder, lifted out a
toolbox, grabbed a power saw, and headed for the chutes in the arena.

Trailing alongside him, Billy said, "The wiring's old, but I've had a lot of things plugged into the

strip outlet at the same time, and the power still stays on."

Jeremy looked askance at her. "Then there's a circuit box in there?"
"No, it's a fuse box, but we have extra fuses."
"Oh great. Fuses," Jeremy said, with irony. "Then you'd better unplug everything in there while I

set up at the chutes and string the electrical cord."

In the stock barn, Billy studied the network of cords plugged into a 6-outlet strip, while trying to

decide which to unplug. She couldn't unplug the electric fence charger or the refrigerator with the
medications and supplements for the stock, and the pump that went to the old hand-dug well fed the
water troughs, so that had to stay.

While she was deliberating, Jeremy came in and walked over to where she stood, and staring at

the mess of wires, let out a whistle between his teeth, and said, "It's a wonder this place hasn't gone
up in smoke. I'd issue another animal facility citation but since you don't have money to fix the chutes
you probably don't have money to put in a new circuit box either, so I'll pick one up at the hardware
store in town and put it in myself, unless you want to hire an electrician, which would mean paying
travel time from Burns as well as for installing the box. And all of that old wiring needs to be
replaced too."

Billy also stared at the wires. Not only were they covered with dust and cobwebs, but the

insulation was so old it was crumbling in places. "I suppose I have no choice but to let you do it," she
said, "but I'll figure out a way to pay you for it."

"I can think of one way right off the bat," Jeremy said.
Billy looked askance at him, her first thought being that he'd just made an outright proposition,

buckle bunny style. Then she realized it was the other proposition. "I told you before I don't want
anyone riding Wild Card outside of rodeos. I want him to live up to his name and stay a wild card.
That was what you were implying, wasn't it?"

Jeremy gave her a wry grin. "Would I have had any other options?"
"No," Billy said, "which still leaves the matter of paying you for the circuit box and wire. I'll

have a little money after the first of the month. I'll pay for everything then."

"How about you let me work with your other bulls in exchange? Your remote dummy is okay to a

point for the older bulls, but they need live riders too. I can work them and dismount when they

perform well so they'll learn what they need to do to unseat a rider."

Billy was concerned about Jeremy Hansen hanging around asking questions and maybe starting to

see a resemblance between her and her father, but what he was proposing was exactly what she
needed for her bulls. She had barely gotten started in the business when Mario Moretti appeared
unexpectedly in her life to turn it upside down, and now she was starting over. But having a bull rider
with Jeremy's expertise to work with the bulls would give her a fighting chance to compete against the
big time rodeo stock contractors out there. "What about Wild Card?" she asked. "Would you expect to
ride him too?"

"Not as part of the deal," Jeremy said, "but the offer's wide open. You want him to make it to the

National Finals, and I want to ride him, and he'd get there faster with me on his back than a dummy
because he'd also learn to feel the weight and movement of a rider gripping with spurs."

"Except that if you draw him in one of the upcoming rodeos where he's scheduled to buck, you'd

have a good chance of breaking his 100% buckoff record."

"Okay, no Wild Card," Jeremy said. "Meanwhile we need to unplug all those cords or my saw

with blow a fuse. In fact, I'm willing to bet the fuses in the box are rated too high for the circuit and
that's why they haven't blown yet, which is like having a time bomb in an old barn like this. It could
go up in smoke any time." He opened the door to the old rusted gray fuse box and let out another
whistle. "Just as I thought. You say you have extra fuses?"

"Right up there on that cross beam," Billy said, pointing above.
Moving behind her, Jeremy placed his hand on her shoulder, sending her heart fluttering like it

had a tendency to do when he came too close, then reached up and lifted from the beam a small box
that was faded with time. After blowing off the dust, he looked at the writing on the box and said, "If
the circuit blows, I suppose these will keep the place going until I can pick up the circuit box on
Monday. I'll get a roll of 120 outdoor wire too, and some electrical tape and wire nuts."

"Are you sure you know how to do this?" Billy asked, while staring at the outlet strip with the

line-up of plugs in front of her, yet vividly aware of Jeremy standing behind her as he studied the
wires. At least she thought that's what he was doing, even though he was so close she could feel his
breath on the top of her head, and his hand holding the box of fuses was in an arc around her, almost
closing her in, and his other hand was still on her shoulder, and neither of them were moving, and she
wasn't sure why...

"I've done a lot of wiring," Jeremy replied. He set the box back on the cross beam, gave her

shoulder a little squeeze, and said, "Don't worry. I've never short-circuited a job yet. For now, unplug
that strip and plug me in and I'll go get started on the chutes. My brother, Josh, is coming to help, but
in the meantime you could hand me the boards. It would make the job go faster."

"I'll help in a few minutes," Billy said, while trying to regulate her breathing, which seemed to be

a little dysfunctional at the moment. "I need to let Diesel out so he can bring the cows in."

Jeremy eyed her with curiosity. "He's a cattle dog?"
"He thinks he is," Billy said. "It's different the way he does it though, but he gets the job done."

For some reason she found herself holding Jeremy's gaze, and he was looking at her like he had
something to say. She wondered if he was thinking about riding Wild Card, but the look on his face
was more inward, like it had nothing to do with bull riding. Then, saying nothing, he turned and
headed toward the chutes.

For a moment she watched him walking away. It was different seeing him in a T-shirt and jeans

and with a big leather belt with tools hanging from it. In an odd way, he reminded her of Wild Card—
powerful shoulders, a lean hard torso, a butt with just a little bit of a swagger, and a lot of stuff

hanging from leather around his middle, bouncing and swaying, like a cowboy in chaps, an overall
image that made her smile.

On returning to the house to get Diesel, she found her father asleep in the recliner. The first time

she found him like that in the middle of the afternoon, she'd thought it was from stress and exhaustion
over the hastiness and abruptness of the unplanned move, but now she suspected he was depressed
and just didn't care to stay awake much.

Eyeing the big black Rottweiler, who was crouched on his belly with his head lopped over his

front paws, she said, "Diesel, come. Time to roundup stock." Diesel was up immediately and heading
for the door, spinning around in excitement when he got there, and when she opened it, he loped on
ahead. He knew the routine well.

Three times a day she turned the cattle into a ten-acre fenced pasture that butted up to the arena,

where they could run free and get some grass and exercise, but Diesel got them exercising even more,
which was important for keeping all of them in condition for breeding and the cows for calving. It
also got them bucking some, even the cows, when they saw Diesel coming, like they enjoyed the game
of chase the dog to the cow pen. She let the cows out in the morning, young bulls around midday, and
the older bulls for a longer stretch in the afternoon.

After crossing the cow pen to a wide stock gate that opened into the pasture, she glanced over

and saw Jeremy watching her, which sent a little rush of adrenaline through her. Turning back to the
gate, she opened it wide and said to Diesel, "Okay boy. Bring them in."

Diesel immediately took off, but instead of chasing the cows, the cows grouped together in a

herd, and when Dolly, the lead cow, took off after Diesel, the rest of the cows loped along behind like
a swarm of bees following a queen. For a while Diesel led them on a merry chase, running first in one
direction, then looping around and leading them in the opposite direction before running in a wide
circle around the perimeter of the pasture and back to make a figure eight before heading straight
through the open gate. Once the cows were in the pen, Billy closed the stock gate, and said to Diesel,
"Good boy," and gave him a dried pig's ear.

After graining the cows, she joined Jeremy at the chutes. He'd already cut up a stack of boards

that appeared to match the length of the boards he'd removed from the first chute, and he was in the
process of nailing on the new boards. Stopping what he was doing as she approached, he stood,
dropped his hammer into a leather loop on his tool belt, and draping his hands on his hips, said to her,
"The dog is an interesting herder. Did you train him to lead the cows in?"

"No, he trained himself," Billy said. "It's the best way I know to exercise the stock. Some

breeders hook their bulls up to walkers, but since I can't afford one, I just turn the bulls out into the
pasture so they can graze and buck and play, and after a while, I tell Diesel to bring them in and that
gets the job of exercising the bulls done without a whole lot of hassle. The bulls learned what the
game was all about from watching the cows."

Jeremy eyed Diesel, who was crouched on his belly, chewing the last of the pig's ear, and said,

"Did you find his dog tag? There's no record on file of a Rottweiler. If he strays off and starts running
with livestock he could get himself shot."

"He never leaves here, and I'll find his tag," Billy said.
She picked up a board and handed it to Jeremy, who slipped the hammer from his belt, took the

board from her, and crouched to continue. "So," he said, as he nailed the board to the chute frame,
"how did you come to find this place? Matt Kincaid, the owner of the ranch where I live, said the
property was abandoned a few years back. Word going around at the time was that it was a write-off
for a mobster, and when the Feds caught up with him the IRS took the property for back taxes. A

neighboring rancher wanted to buy the place but the property was tied up in court and he thought the
family of the mobster might still own it and didn't want to get involved."

Billy felt another shot of adrenaline, but for a very different reason, as she primed herself for

answering a barrage of questions about a background that didn't exist. She'd done it before, and it was
getting easier now, but she still found herself stumbling some, like trying to explain how she came into
possession of a ranch that could be exactly as Jeremy described. But Mario Moretti's tentacles spread
out far and wide. He knew everybody and anybody who was in the mob. He knew their habits, and
where they were, and what they did, and even how they thought, so if the place had been owned by a
mobster, Moretti would have known.

Focusing on her practiced answer to the question, she said, "A friend who knew I was looking

for a place where I could raise bucking bulls saw it on Craigslist and gave me the phone number. I
was a little concerned about buying property that way, so I had a lawyer check over the papers to
make sure it was legitimate, and it was." Handing Jeremy another board, she added, "Once the house
is painted inside and out it will be a decent place to live."

Jeremy wasn't wearing his hat and it was the first time she'd noticed that he had nice hair, the

kind of hair women would like to have, dark, and shiny, and just curly enough to hold a wave, the kind
of hair that might feel nice running through fingers. Which was a reminder that a slew of buckle
bunnies had probably done just that.

"You look pissed," Jeremy said. "Did I say something wrong?"
Billy realized she was frowning, but she found the thought of women running their fingers through

Jeremy's hair disturbing, even though she had no intention of becoming involved with him. "I was
thinking about what all it will take to get the house ready for painting."

Jeremy stood and looked toward the house. "It won't do any good to paint it if the roof leaks and

rain runs down the inside walls. That roof is so old, it needs to be stripped to the rafters and sheathed
with new plywood before reroofing."

Billy looked toward the house. "If I win the lottery I'll put it at the top of my list. Well, maybe

below the foundation work needed on the barn, and buying more livestock panels so I can separate the
bulls for feeding, and jacking up the front porch on the house so I can close it in for a mud room, and
putting a new roof on that." She signed, just thinking of all that work.

Jeremy braced his hands on his hips, and continuing to stare at the house, he said, "I suppose I

could strip off the worst of the old shingles on the main roof and patch it with new ones to get you
through the winter, but next summer you'd better start thinking about a replacement. The barn's solid
enough and would go another hundred years with some foundation work and a new roof, but if I
owned the place I'd bulldoze the house and start over."

Billy looked at Jeremy with misgiving. Repairing the chutes, and replacing the wiring and adding

a circuit box, and offering to strip off the old roof shingles and replace them with new… He seemed
determined to stick around, and she wondered why. Paying the ten-dollar fee each, to ride a few bulls,
was a lot cheaper than spending hours of his time making repairs to a place that wasn't even his,
unless he thought it would get him a ride on Wild Card. "Once I sell a couple of young bulls I'll have
the money to get a few things done around here," she said, "but if you want to climb up on the roof and
patch it some, that's okay, as long as you understand that—"

"Wild Card is off limits," Jeremy added, with a droll grin.
Billy couldn't help taking note of the grin. It was kinda cute. Jeremy didn't have frown lines on

his forehead or around his eyes, or scowl brackets around his mouth. His was the face of a happy
man, a man who smiled a lot.

Taking another board off the pile, she handed it to him, while saying, "That's fine if you want to

work with the bulls, but for liability reasons I'll need a bullfighter here when you do."

"Don't worry," Jeremy said, while taking the board, "My brother, Josh, looks for reasons to

bullfight. He'll come anytime." As he was nailing on the board, which only took about three swings of
the hammer per nail, his eyes were on his hammering, but Billy could tell that his thoughts were
elsewhere, which he affirmed when he said, "So, you found this place on Craigslist. Where did you
live before?"

Billy was tempted to change the subject, but decided to just be done with all the usual getting-to-

know-you questions, and she was well prepared for this one. She'd rehearsed it many times, along
with the questions that were sure to follow. "Aberdeen, South Dakota. Have you ever been there?"
she asked, before continuing with the rest of the fabrication.

Jeremy shook his head. "I competed in the Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City a couple of

times, but that's about it for South Dakota."

"It's nice there," Billy said. "I was born and raised on a small cattle ranch near Aberdeen."
"And your parents are still there?" Jeremy asked.
"No, my mom died when I was a teen, and my father died a few months ago."
"I'm sorry about that," Jeremy said. "How did you get into raising bulls?"
Billy shrugged. "When I was growing up we went to rodeos and I was always fascinated by the

bulls and decided I'd raise bucking bulls someday." At least that was true, but in another very
different section of the country.

After hammering in another board, Jeremy said, "Since yours was a ranch family, you must have

a slew of brothers and sisters. I'm guessing a couple of sisters and three brothers."

"No siblings," Billy replied. "I'm an only child." She felt a surge of anger, followed by a longing

to go back to a time when things were as they were, not as she held them out to be…

"I have six siblings," Jeremy said. "A lot of times I used to wish I was an only child, but now I'm

glad my wish didn't come true. It's good having a big family." Planting another board against the
framework and holding it in place with the heel of his hand, while also holding the nail, he said,
while hammering, "So, why did you decide to leave all your friends and family and move a thousand
miles away from home?"

Billy knew it was an innocent question on Jeremy's part, but it made her choke up some. She

looked over to find him watching, like he wanted more than just a quick answer. Like he wanted the
truth. Which, of course, was her imagination. Often she'd find herself reading ulterior motives into
people's reactions.

Reaching for another board, mainly to have a reason to look away from his probing gaze, she

said, "I left because of the cold snowy winters. Here, it's drier, so I won't have to worry about
animals being up to their bellies in muck."

Jeremy set the hammer aside and walked over to where she was standing, and placing his hand

on her shoulder, he said, "You know what I think? I think you moved away from home and you miss
your friends and family, and that old man you're taking care of is replacing what you left behind. You
and Bill need to come to the Kincaid Ranch and meet Matt and Ruth and their daughter, Annie, who's
married to my brother, Ryan. They have a son, Cody, and Josh is there with his wife, Genie, so there's
a lot of family."

For some unaccountable reason, tears filled Billy's eyes. Disconcerted, she batted her eyelids

while saying, "I need to let the young bulls out to exercise." But when she turned to go, she spotted a
black SUV coming up the drive. It pulled to a halt in front of the office, and a tall, dark-haired man in

his mid-forties stepped out. He raised his sunglasses slightly and looked around, and catching sight of
her with Jeremy, made no move toward them. He was wearing his usual jeans and a black leather
jacket that never laid flat because of the shoulder holster and semiautomatic pistol beneath it, and in
his hand was a folder, so she knew Mario Moretti had arrived with the fabricated transportation
certificates.

TO BE CONTINUED… Here's the link to Amazon:

Bucking the Odds

BOOKS BY PATRICIA WATTERS

DANCING MOON RANCH SERIES

Prequel: Justified Deception

LIVING WITH LIES TRILOGY

Book 1: Righteous Lies

Book 2: Pandora's Box

Book 3: False Pretenses

THE LIES UNCOVERED TRILOGY

Book 4: Uncertain Loyalties

Book 5: Becoming Jesse's Father

Book 6: Bittersweet Return

CUTTING THE TIES TRILOGY

Book 7: Cross Purposes

Book 8: Dancing With Danger

Book 9: Bucking the Odds

BOUND BY LOVE TRILOGY

Book 10: Forbidden Spirits

Book 11: Imperfect Magic (late 2014)

Book 12: Sheer Combustion (early 2015)

Sequel: Finding Justice (mid 2015)

HISTORICAL ROMANCES

Colby's Child

Perilous Pleasures

Miss Phipps and the Cattle Baron

Her Master's Touch

Come Be My Love

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

In Hot Pursuit

Broken Promises

Adversaries and Lovers

Never Too Late

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Patricia Watters gave up city life and now writes from a log cabin nestled in the evergreen
forests of Oregon. An author with Harlequin and Avon-Harper Collins in the past, Patricia specializes in romance, and she invites you to
visit her website and drop her a line. She responds to all notes.

http://www.patriciawatters.com/

Document Outline

CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
EPILOGUE
BOOKS BY PATRICIA WATTERS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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