The Cowboy Meets His Match

“Eat up, boys,” he said, purposely not mentioning Erin’s name. After all, she wanted to be treated like them. “We need to be getting back soon.”

“Well, I’ll be danged!”

Jake looked down the table at Bobby Ray, sitting across the table from Erin and staring at her.

“I knew there was something about you,” Bobby Ray continued, “but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It just came to me like a lightning bolt. You’re Erin Walker.”

Putting her glass aside, she leaned back and crossed her arms, her face calm and straight. “That’s my name.”

Bobby Ray glanced at Jake, who smiled. He had an idea where this was going and knew it would be interesting.

Shaking his head, Bobby Ray leaned forward. “No. I mean yes, you are, but I mean the Erin Walker, the barrel racer. I’ve seen you compete.”

She didn’t say anything at first, then spoke directly to him. “Did you rodeo, Bobby Ray?”

His nod was short and quick. “I did, back in the day. Team roping. By the time I really got the hang of it, the younger cowboys were catching up. I decided it must not be for me.”

“He’s not being honest,” Jake said, from his end of the table. “He and his partner won several competitions.”

Bobby Ray shook his head. “Not enough to keep me in it. It’s a tough life. And an expensive one, if you aren’t on the winning side more than the losing.”

Erin didn’t respond at first, leaving Jake to wonder what was going through her head.

“It takes more than talent,” she finally said, giving Bobby Ray a smile Jake wished she’d bestowed on him.

“Well, you’ve got that, for sure,” the wrangler answered.

“What’s it like, Erin?” Kelly asked. “Traveling around the country.”

She gave a little one-shouldered shrug. “It’s like living life as a gypsy. Sometimes exciting. Sometimes just a lot of driving. This is such a beautiful country, and I’ve been lucky to see so much of it. But the rodeo circuit, like everything else, has its ups and downs, pros and cons.”

Jake had never thought her life had been easy, but this was the first time, except for when she’d talked about Firewind, that he’d caught a note of loneliness in her voice. Most of the time it was spit and fire. The years had changed her, at least a little.

Standing, he announced, “We’d better be getting back.”

The others started moving, and while he walked on to the cash register, they left the café. When he finished paying the bill, he found them waiting on the sidewalk in front of his truck and joined them.

“Maybe Erin should sit in front, this time,” Gary said, opening the front passenger door.

“I’m fine in the back,” she answered quickly. “You and Jake need the extra leg room.”

“Less crowded with you in the front,” Jake pointed out.

“Maybe another time,” she said, without looking at him.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then he walked around the front of the truck and climbed in. “Let’s get a move on, boys.”

They’d reached the outskirts of town when Bobby Ray leaned forward. “Were you going to look into that cattle sale down in Wichita Falls?”

“I plan to,” Jake answered.

“I hear they’ll have some nice horses, too.”

“It’s two weeks away, so I’ll check into that more closely before I go. Can’t have too many horses,” Jake said, and glanced in the rearview mirror. Erin didn’t seem to hear him as she stared out the window. If only he knew what she was thinking. Or maybe it was best that he didn’t.

The rest of the ride back to the ranch remained quiet. As he turned the truck into the ranch yard, he tried to think of something he could have Erin do that would keep her nearby.

He’d just gotten out of the truck and closed the door, when he saw her catching up with Bobby Ray, heading for the large corral. The nearly windless day helped carry her voice, so he watched and listened.

“I noticed you were having a little trouble this morning, Bobby Ray,” she said, matching his stride.

“Slow reaction speed,” he answered.

“I think we can fix that.”

He turned his head to look at her. “You think so?”

“Yeah, I do. Would you mind if I gave you a few tips? I learned a lot doing ranch work during breaks.”

He stopped, still looking at her, and Jake waited. Bobby Ray was a good ol’ boy, and Jake wasn’t sure how the cowboy might take her offer.

“You’d do that?” Bobby Ray asked.

“Only if you want me to,” she answered.

He pulled off his battered cowboy hat and scratched his head. “Well, now, ma’am, I can’t say it would hurt me, if you know what I mean.”

“We all started at the beginning and had to learn,” Erin said. “Sometimes more than once.”

“That’s the truth.” He replaced his hat and then offered her his arm. “I’d be honored if you’d give me some tips on what will make my ropin’ better, Miz Walker.”

Her smile was bright, and she looped her arm through his. “Then let’s get to it. And it’s Erin.”

Jake watched them enter the corral and thought again about what she’d said at the café. He’d followed her career for many years and knew she’d had several good wins, almost making it to the National Finals a few times. But he also knew it took money to get from rodeo to rodeo. Considering the cost of gas, entry fees, food, feed and vet care for her horse, and everything else, it could get expensive. Was that why she’d come home? She’d admitted that her new horse was in need of more training. If she hadn’t been winning and had paid out more than she’d won, it made sense that she’d left. The question now was whether she intended to return to her rodeo life or if she’d left it behind and wanted to move on to something else.

He didn’t know if he wanted to hear the answer. When he did, maybe he would ask her. Until then, he would wait and see how things worked out—or didn’t work out—between them.

At quitting time, he stood in the yard, praising his men for a good day as they climbed into their vehicles. When they started their engines and began to drive away, he noticed that Erin had already started for home.

“Can I give you a ride?” he called to her.

Facing him, she walked backward and kept going. “I don’t mind the walk, but thank you.”

When she turned back, he lengthened his stride, catching up with her, before she’d gone too far. “More exercise?” he asked, stepping up to walk beside her.

“It can’t hurt.”

“You look fine to me.” As soon as it was out of his mouth, he regretted saying it and was thankful she didn’t have a quick comeback. “It was nice what you did with Bobby Ray today.”