New Year, New Man: A Kiss on Crimson Ranch / The Dance Off / The Right Mr. Wrong

When everyone else had left, Sara turned to Josh. “I know they’re just joking with all of the compliments. Trying to be nice.”

“Those guys don’t do nice.” He scrubbed one hand across his face.

She put her fingers on his arm, shocked at the tension in his corded muscles. “What’s the problem?”

“Is Noah your type?”

“What?” The question took her aback.

“At first I thought it was Ryan, the slick Hollywood bit. But maybe you’d like slumming with a bad boy. Tell me, which way is it going to go?”

Sara sucked in a breath. “You are way out of line, Josh. My idea was to spend the night holed up in my cabin. Alone. But April convinced me to come out here to meet your friends. It was hard as hell since I was sure they’d give me the same once-over I get every day in L.A. then make a big deal about who I used to be. But you know what? Those guys were nice. And sweet. And funny. I don’t get that a lot and would appreciate if you’d stop raining on my parade with your bad attitude.”

She whirled away but he held her wrist. She wouldn’t turn around but felt his heat against her back. “I’m sorry,” he said finally.

“Fine. Now let go.”

He didn’t release her. “You deserve someone nice, sweet and funny. You deserve someone whole. I hope you find that man. Even if it’s one of those guys. Any of them would be lucky to have you.”

She looked over her shoulder and her breath caught at the stark pain in his eyes. “What do you mean whole?”

He dropped her arm. “Never mind. Let’s go eat.” He moved past her without another word.

As he walked from the room, her gaze caught on the slight limp in his gait that became more pronounced at the end of a long day. She couldn’t answer for herself, but she was certain he didn’t deserve the self-inflicted solitude he seemed to carry as his burden. He’d had everything in his life taken from him. Not the slow unraveling that marked her failure, but one instant that stole his future and challenged a reputation he’d built for years.

At least she knew that she could go back to acting if given the chance. His days on the back of a bull were done. She couldn’t imagine the strength it had taken him to move on, to start over on the ranch and with Claire. How could he think he was anything less than whole? His strength of character was deeper than most of the men she’d known combined.

The question remained: What did she want in a man? Her eyes roved over his strong body as he disappeared around the corner, a shiver dancing along her spine. It had been years since she’d considered dating after a string of relationships with would-be actors had left her hollow inside.

Josh was 100 percent real man. As she followed him into the dining room, the thought crossed her mind that she might not even be up for the challenge that he held.

Once again, she reminded herself it was a good thing she was only on the ranch for the summer. For any number of reasons.

Chapter Eight (#ulink_f8c02a91-7775-5b43-b14d-373348b77dae)

Josh sat through dinner with a chip on his shoulder and a pit in his stomach that prevented him from enjoying any of the delicious food April had prepared. Not so for his friends, who dug into heaping dishes of enchiladas and all the trimmings with the gusto of a pack of NFL linebackers.

What ate at his gut even more was the way Noah and Manny continued to flirt with Sara right in front of his face. Her rich, musical laughter filled the dining room as she immediately slid into the rhythm of their close circle as if she’d been a part of it for years.

That got him, too, because she was so different from any of the girls he’d met on the circuit. The ones he’d known his buddies to date throughout the years. The “buckle bunnies,” as they were called, were a special brand of groupies, and it was rare to find a true love, like Dave and Brandy, when you were on the road in cheap motels and seedy diners for weeks at a time.

He took another pull on his beer and groaned inwardly when he heard the front door slam shut. One more complication for his evening.

“Daddy? Sara? Whose truck is that in the driveway?”

Claire came into the dining room, and out of the corner of his eye, Josh saw Bryson sit up straighter.

Down boy, Josh thought to himself, giving a mental eye roll at how much he sounded like an old geezer.

He got out of his chair to stand next to Claire. “Claire, I think you’ve met Dave and Brandy. The guy who looks like his twin is his little brother, Noah. That’s Manny at the end of the table and Bryson next to him. Everyone, this is my daughter, Claire.” He pointed a finger in Bryson’s direction. “Off-limits,” he ordered, placing a protective arm around Claire’s shoulders.

“Dad,” Claire said with a groan, “don’t embarrass me.”

“Hi, sweetie,” Brandy crooned. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Hey.” Claire gave a small wave and shifted uncomfortably next to him. “I’ll just go up to my room.”

He wondered what could be wrong with Claire. There wasn’t a more welcoming group than this bunch, but he got the sense that Claire was ready to bolt. Sara stood before Josh could answer. Her eyes met his for a brief second before she turned to Claire. “Did you have a good time with your friend?”

“Sure, I guess.”

“Come and sit next to me. We can be newbies to this group together.”

After a little push from Josh, Claire shuffled toward Sara and sank into the empty chair next to her.

Noah took up the conversation without a beat. “Did you hear about the last event?” he asked Josh.

“I don’t get a lot of bull-riding news out here,” Josh said without emotion. “And that’s the way I—”

“It was awesome, man. I rode Big Mabel and after six seconds she really let loose. I hung on like never before, legs back and chin down just like you taught me. You wouldn’t believe the high. I was in the zone like never before. You have no idea.”

“I have an idea,” Josh grumbled as he took his seat again.

“Five thousand dollars, dude. The biggest purse this season and it was all mine.”

Manny leaned over and thumped Noah on the head. “Shut up, amigo.”

“No, it’s fine.” Josh took another drink of his beer. “I want to hear everything.” He turned to Bryson. “How’s your first season going?”

Sara rubbed her hand along Claire’s back as she kept one eye on Josh. “Are we still going shopping this weekend?” she asked quietly.

“Sure.”

“What’s wrong, honey?”

“Do you think they blame me for what happened to Dad? I mean, maybe they hate me. It was my fault he—”

“Stop,” Sara said, hoping to soothe the young girl before Josh noticed her distress. “What happened to your dad wasn’t your fault. We’ve been over this. These are his friends. I think he’d want you to enjoy tonight, not to beat yourself up.”

“You’re right.” Claire smiled, although it looked more like a grimace.

Sara laughed softly. “That’s a start.” She grabbed the plate of brownies April had brought out a few minutes earlier. “Let me share something I’ve learned over the years. Chocolate is often the best medicine.”

Claire’s smile turned genuine. “I like that philosophy.”

With Claire happily nibbling on the brownie, Sara turned her attention back to Josh. His full focus was on Bryson as he nodded at something the young bull rider said. To a casual observer he’d looked relaxed, but Sara noticed the tension that radiated from his jawline down through his shoulders. His fingers gripped the beer bottle with a white-knuckled grasp.

It must be so difficult for him to listen to stories from a new crop of bull riders. She knew what it was like to have failure tap you on the shoulder and ask for advice in the form of a new generation of rising stars.