Arizona Cowboy

“My chemistry teacher, Mrs. Benton, taught a unit on cutting-edge technology. She said lots of jobs in the future are going to be tied to green energy.”

“Sounds interesting.” And way over Clint’s head.

“Mrs. Benton said green jobs pay well.”

“You’re a smart girl.” His comment erased the frown line across Lauren’s forehead.

“You think so?”

Why did she act surprised? “You’ll be successful at whatever career you choose.”

She opened her mouth then snapped it shut.

“What?”

“Mom said you don’t like to talk about your childhood.”

“She’s right, I don’t.” Clint had lost count of the foster homes he’d been raised in—some decent, but most best forgotten.

“How come you didn’t go to college?” she asked.

“Got sidetracked by rodeo.” Because P.T. owned a rodeo-production company, Clint had taken a liking to the sport. Rodeo had given Clint a worthy goal to focus on and a way to put the pain of a lonely childhood behind him and find his own identity.

“Mom said you rode bulls.”

Hadn’t he discussed his rodeo days with Lauren? He and his daughter really were strangers. “I rode a few broncs, but mostly bulls.”

“Did you get injured a lot?”

“Enough.” Clint wiggled the crooked pinkie on his left hand. He neglected to tell Lauren that he’d continued to compete with the broken finger and as a result the bone had never healed properly.

“Cowboys who rodeo are crazy.”

“Teens who dye their hair neon-pink are crazy.” The comment tugged a smile from his daughter.

“Why’d you quit rodeo?” she asked.

“Got too old.” Thirty was old by rodeo standards. “After I retired from competing, I became a bullfighter.”

“What’s that?”

Happy Lauren appeared interested in his past, Clint looked for ways to draw out the discussion. “A bullfighter protects a fallen cowboy by distracting the bull.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Yep, but in all the years I worked as a bullfighter I only got gored once.”

“Was it bad?”

“Split my thigh from knee to hip. Luckily, the wound wasn’t deep.” Afterward, P.T. had convinced Clint to quit bullfighting and become the official foreman of Five Star Ranch. By then, Clint had been more than ready to retire his bright-colored jersey, shorts and socks.

“The worst injury I ever suffered was a sprained ankle during badminton practice. I had to use crutches for a week before I could put weight on my foot.”

“Sprains can be tricky.” Neither Liz nor Lauren had shared that incident with Clint. How many other events in his daughter’s life had he never known about? He headed for the door. “I’d better go. P.T.’s waiting.”

“Is P.T. okay?”

“He’s fine.” Lauren knew about the old man’s cancer and felt sorry for him. Clint was relieved that beneath his daughter’s disgruntled, unhappy exterior resided a sympathetic heart. “P.T. wants to discuss the summer’s rodeo schedule.”

Lauren sat straighter in the chair. “Does this mean I have to go to the rodeos with you?”

“Looks that way.” Clint grabbed his hat from the hook by the back door.

“Cool.”

Her comment brought Clint up short. “I thought you couldn’t stand cowboys and ranching.”

“Some of the cowboys are cute.”

Even though his gut insisted his wayward daughter wasn’t a virgin, the last thing he wanted to deal with this summer was his daughter’s love life. “We leave for Yuma in an hour.”

RACHEL STOOD IN HER father’s foyer searching for the right words to break the tension. She settled on… “Your home is beautiful.”

“I expect you don’t remember living here.”

“No, I don’t,” she said, refusing to lie. She motioned to the terra-cotta tile. “I like the floor.”

“The kitchen’s in the back.” P.T. cut through a great room with an adobe fireplace and chunky furnishings—cowboy furniture. The kitchen was large and airy. A colorful mosaic-tile backsplash in deep gold, blue and red popped against the whitewashed walls. The cabinets were a dark distressed wood—the space above them held an array of brightly painted metal roosters. A wooden chopping block served as an island. P.T. caught Rachel studying the décor. “Anne—” he cleared his throat “—your mother had a rooster fetish.”

“I like them.” Rachel wondered if the bold, colorful fowl were indicative of her mother’s personality.

“This was Anne’s favorite room in the house.”

The love in her father’s voice when he spoke of her mother pierced Rachel’s heart. Why couldn’t he offer her a smidgen of that affection? She shifted under his scrutiny.

“You look like your mother,” P.T. said.

Rachel had seen photos of Anne Lewis and agreed she was every inch her mother’s daughter. “I could use a drink.”

“Where are my manners?” Her father fetched a glass from the cupboard. “Lemonade or iced tea?”

A green-apple martini would have been better. “Iced tea.” Rachel stared out the large picture window overlooking a courtyard. Trellises covered with red bougainvilleas had been mounted against the adobe wall and mounds of pink and yellow lantana grew in several planters. She couldn’t picture the father she knew as someone who nurtured flowers. In the center of the patio sat a fountain with a bucking horse that spewed water from its mouth.

P.T. set Rachel’s tea on the bistro table then leaned a hip against the butcher block. “That’s Dust Devil.” He pointed to the fountain. “He’s the reason Five Star Ranch exists.”

“How’s that?”

“Anne caught Dust Devil being abused by a stock contractor.” P.T. stared unseeingly across the room as if reliving the moment. “Your mother gave that cowboy a piece of her mind and threatened to call the authorities on him if he didn’t hand over Dust Devil to her. Anne had a soft spot for abused animals and she convinced me that it was my duty to provide a sanctuary for retired rough stock since I made a living off them.” P.T. rubbed his chin. “Your mother was an astute woman, so I listened to her.”