CHAPTER ONE
Austin Locke shut off the engine of the old mini school bus remodeled into a motorhome. It died with a clanking sound that made him flinch. The thing had two hundred thousand miles on it. Who knew how much longer the patched-up engine would last?
In the seat behind him, Casey laid down her magazine. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “We’re here?”
Here was the Tulsa Expo Center for a week-long rodeo. “We’re here, Princess. We should let the horses stretch their legs for a bit.” They’d stopped every six hours since leaving Phoenix to let his horse and Casey’s pony out. Here, they could set up the panels to make a small round pen so they wouldn’t have to stay cooped up so long in the trailer.
She folded down one corner of the magazine into a dog ear, then unfastened her seatbelt. Thin as a string bean, Casey unfolded her legs, then rose in a stretch. Mousy blonde hair fell over her shoulder, streaming from the low ponytail they’d fashioned at twenty till six this morning when they hit the road after a couple hours of sleep in a campground. She was tall, like him, even for a seven-year-old. Not the petite, fine-boned build like her mama.
Austin swallowed hard. Alaina would be here this week. Serving her duties as Miss Rodeo USA. Would she come find them, or would he have to hunt her down as usual?
“After we let Tiny and Jacko out, can we get something to eat? I’m starving, Daddy.” Casey tugged at the too-short sleeves of her flannel shirt.
“Sure, we’ll find something soon.”
They had to get some shopping done while they were in Tulsa. She was way overdue for a wardrobe upgrade. He knew better than to think Alaina would want to take Casey for an afternoon. Saddled with that chore again. Casey seemed okay with whatever clothes he picked out for her, but that wouldn’t always be the case. Someday she’d probably want something besides jeans and sweatshirts.
He opened the motorhome door and stepped out into the warm Oklahoma afternoon. The horse trailer shifted as Tiny and Jacko moved around, anxious to be out again.
Casey darted around him to unlock the trailer. “Hi, guys.”
Tiny made a little whickering sound in his throat.
Austin untied the pony first, then backed him out of the trailer. He handed the gelding off to her and went back for Jacko. The big blue roan gelding nuzzled at his pockets in search of a treat, but Austin didn’t have anything to share beyond scratching the quarter horse’s ears.
While Casey held the leads, he set up the panels. It would’ve been easier to do with two adults, especially getting the first two connected, but he’d had enough practice that given a little time, he managed.
In less than twenty minutes, he’d gotten the pen together, had Casey fetch fresh water, and had hay hanging from one of the panels for them.
“They’ll be okay here, right?” Casey slipped her hand into his. “Nobody’ll bother them?”
He’d padlocked the panels together, but judging by the amount of stock trailers pulling in around them, sooner or later someone they knew from the circuit would get here and set up too. Nobody would mess with his stock. “They’ll be fine. Let’s go get some dinner.”
Up until about a year ago, he would’ve slung her up onto his hip and carried her back to the motorhome. She’d grown a lot during the spring. Holding Casey’s hand would have to do. He was grateful she wasn’t mulish and sarcastic like some kids her age were starting to act. Hopefully his sweet little girl would stick around a lot longer.
She climbed into the motorhome at the same moment a pink Hummer pulled into the lot. A big diesel truck pulling a fancy horse trailer followed it. In swirly script across the side, the trailer read, Alaina Rey.
His heart jumped into his throat. He gave a feeble wave, but it was doubtful she saw it. Alaina would never even glance toward something as old and ugly as his motorhome. For all the good she did with charity work and rodeo advocating, she seemed oblivious to what was right in front of her.
“C’mon, Daddy.”
Casey’s call yanked him away from a hundred memories of Alaina. “Coming.”
He drove them to a buffet where at least the food seemed fairly healthy for a growing girl and they could sample desserts that they’d each picked out. They’d spent a lot of time on the road, eating fast food, which made it hard to get the right vegetables into Casey’s hands. Sometimes he felt like the worst parent in the universe. Eventually, he might have to give up traveling the circuit to give her a permanent home. She didn’t make friends easily in this lifestyle and someday, she might even resent him for dragging her across the country all the time.
They got their drinks, then scooted their tray toward the front of the line. He reached for his billfold and his hand slid into an empty pocket. Panic flared to life. He reached into the other pocket, but came up empty.
“One adult, one child? That’s twenty-three dollars and seventeen cents.” The cashier, probably still in high school, sounded bored. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she stared at him.
“Um...give me a second.” He tapped his other pockets, but his wallet was gone. “Case, you seen my wallet?”
“No.” She squinted at him through her glasses. “Did you leave it in the motorhome?”
“Oh, yeah. I bet I did. Run out and look for me?” He handed her the keys, then gave the cashier an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
Casey took the keys, then bolted out the door.
She arched an eyebrow at him. “I need to check out those other people.”
Half a dozen other patrons waited for their turn.
“Sure.”
He waited for Casey to return while the cashier rang up another couple. Racking his brain for the wallet didn’t help. He’d had it when they stopped for gas on the interstate in Stroud. But he hadn’t checked when they arrived at the Expo Center.
What if he’d dropped it out there? Would someone turn it in?
Casey jogged back into the restaurant. “I couldn’t find it, Daddy.” She held out the keys to him. “I’m sorry.”
“I guess we’ll have to look in the horse trailer. Sorry, Princess. We have to go.” His heart sank. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“Oh-kay.” She cast a wistful glance at the food bar.
He could practically hear her stomach growling.
“Excuse me, sir?” A woman in jeans, boots, and a straw cowboy hat stepped out of line.
“Yeah?” He was anxious to get back to the Expo Center.
“I’d like to pay for your meals if I can. Your little girl looks hungry.” The woman gestured to them. “You can pay me back sometime. We’ll swap phone numbers or something.”
Austin looked down at Casey. She wore a worried frown.
They were already here. Casey was hungry. His hunger had turned to worry, but he couldn’t neglect her needs. “That would be okay. As soon as I find my wallet, I’ll get you the money.”
The woman smiled, then extended her hand. “I’m Natalie Corbin.”
Austin nodded and took her hand. Her grip was strong and firm. “You do breakaway roping.”
“You’ve heard of me. Wow.” She laughed. Her blue eyes sparkled. “Nice to meet you.”
“Austin Locke. This is my girl, Casey.”
“Casey and Austin.” She pointed at him. “Team roping, right?”
He smiled. “Yeah. My brother is coming across the state to meet us tomorrow. We’ve been roping together since we were kids. I do saddle broncs too. We’re aiming for all-around cowboy this year, aren’t we, Case?”
She nodded. “He’s pretty good. I’m going to be a barrel racer someday.”
“Are you?” Natalie nodded approvingly. “Don’t limit yourself, though. You join the WPRA and do whatever events you want.”
“My mom does barrel racing,” Casey whispered. She looked down at the carpet.
Austin rested his hand on her shoulder. “She does. We appreciate you getting dinner. We’ve been on the road all day with just a couple of breaks for the horses.”
“It’s no problem. I hope someone would do the same for me.” She pulled a wallet from her purse, gave the cashier her debit card, and purchased the meals. “You guys want to join me? I’m traveling by myself, which I don’t usually do, but I’d like the company.”
“I’m good with that. You okay with it?” He nudged his daughter.
“Yeah, it’s fine with me.”
“Great. Pick us out a table, Miss Casey.” Natalie tucked her things away, then picked up the tray with her drink on it.
Casey led them toward the buffet and they dropped their things off at the table. She waited patiently for Austin, just a few feet away, edging close to the station where the plates and utensils were stacked.
“Thank you, Natalie. She was pretty hungry and I hated to take her out of here. I really hope I find my wallet. I do have a checkbook in my motorhome, but I know this place won’t take a check. I can pay you back right away.”
She shook her head. Her auburn hair was pulled away from her face with a clip. “It’s no big deal. I’m glad I could help.”
“You have my eternal gratitude.” He joined Casey by the plates and they picked out one red, one blue. He helped her at the different dishes, then they carried the plates back to the table.
Natalie joined them after a moment. For a slender woman, she’d packed her plate and carried a salad plate. “Find a bunch of goodies?”
“I like this restaurant. Mostly because of the desserts.” Casey began digging into her food.
“I love them too. I make myself a little sampler plate and work my way through them. Why stop at one?” Natalie started eating her salad. “I drove in from Kansas. Not too far, but long enough that I didn’t relish the idea of staying in my motel room all evening. I’m boarding my horse Moose at a friend’s place while we’re here.”
“We bring a portable pen for our horses,” Casey piped up. “We hardly ever leave them anywhere. It costs lots of money and Daddy doesn’t trust just anyone.”
“Gotta respect the horses. They don’t have any control over where we go, so we have to make them as comfortable as we can.” Austin cut his fish filet into bites. “They’re our friends and part of our team. No horses, no rodeos.”
“You can usually trust a man who takes good care of animals. Something important to remember, Casey.” Natalie winked at the girl. “You have a motorhome that you’re staying in at the Expo Center?”
“Yep. We go all over the place in it.”
“Sounds homey. It has to beat some of these motels you find along the interstates.”
“It’s okay.” He shrugged. “About time to upgrade.” How we’re ever going to find the money for that... He shoved the negative thought away. Even if he had to take some odd jobs, he’d find a way to keep them floating.
“I’m thinking about getting one of those trailers with living quarters. I don’t need a lot of stuff when I’m on the road.” Natalie stabbed a bite of mashed potatoes. “Simple is better. So where are you from when you’re not following rodeos?”
Austin sucked in a breath. “Not too far from here. Ever heard of Swells, Oklahoma?”
Her brow furrowed. “That’s the little town that Miss Rodeo USA is from too, right?”
“Yeah.” No matter how much Alaina would like to forget it. Her parents had been divorced and she claimed Tulsa as her hometown, but they’d grown up together in Swells. High school sweethearts, right up until she’d stabbed him in the back.
“You know each other?”
“You could say that.” He cast a quick glance at Casey.
She’d cleaned her plate and sat anxiously watching him. They almost never talked about Alaina. Not since he’d gotten tired of Casey’s almost never-ceasing questions and he’d snapped at her one evening after Jacko turned up lame.
Casey seldom cried--at least where he could hear her--but she’d gone to her bunk in the back of the motorhome that evening, smothering sobs in her pillow. He’d apologized, and they’d moved past it, but he still felt rotten for snapping. And it was clear Casey hadn’t forgotten.
“I love traveling the circuit and meeting new people. I haven’t crossed Alaina’s path yet. Maybe this time. Oh, I guess I could’ve told you that I’m from Big Cabin. So, we’re all Oklahoma natives. It’s always good to be in the state.” Natalie smiled. “Love my hometown and I’m proud to represent it.”
“We don’t get back to Swells much. It’s small. Not a lot there. I think there’s a committee trying to revitalize it. My parents aren’t alive anymore. Just me and Casey. Home is wherever the motorhome settles.”
“Can I have dessert now, Daddy?”
He wasn’t supposed to let her go to the food bars on her own, but she was so grownup, he didn’t feel bad about it. They were only a few feet away. She could hardly get into any trouble.
“Sure, Princess. Be careful, okay?”
A smile perked up the corners of her mouth. “It’s just right there. You’ll be able to see me the whole time.”
“I know. Grab something good for me.”
“I will.” She slid out of her chair and went to get another plate.
Natalie watched her go. “Cute kid.”
“The best.”
“She’s quiet. Well-mannered. So few are these days.”
He shrugged. “She mostly has me for company. I feel bad about it. She really doesn’t have any friends her age. It must be boring to hang out with me all the time.”
Natalie scoffed. “She has her dad and her own horse. She gets to see the world. What more does a little girl want?”
A permanent home? A mom? A yard to play in? Hell, maybe someday she’d like to ride a real bus to school instead of muddling through the homeschool course work he’d set her up with so they could keep moving. He wasn’t a genius by any means and he had to work almost as hard as her to keep up with the curriculum.
“If you’re still worried about that money, Austin, don’t. There’s no need to freak out over it. If you don’t even pay me back, pay it forward to someone else.” Natalie peered at him over her glass. “Karma will pay you back tenfold.”
He laughed. “You believe that?”
“Totally.”
“You seemed so down to earth a minute ago,” he teased.
“Okay, okay, maybe it’s not karma so much as how you look at things. I try to stay positive because what’s the point of being a downer all the time?” She sipped at her straw.
He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “I just try to stick with the present and live in the moment. If something good happens, great. If something bad happens, I do my best to fix it. I never thought it might have happened because of my earlier actions. This is too much philosophizing for me. I have a tiny brain.”
“Oh, stop. You’re probably as smart as the average man, at least.” She winked at him, then turned her smile on Casey as she returned. “What’d you bring?”
He wasn’t too smart or he wouldn’t keep falling all over Alaina every time they were close to one another. She clearly had no use for him. Certainly no use for her own daughter. If he had any brains at all, he’d forget Alaina. Maybe it would be easier if her mother didn’t send him money from time to time for Casey’s care. It would be a lot easier if they didn’t keep running into one another at the same rodeos. Or maybe it would never get easier because he was a fool.
“You want a bite?” Casey held a forkful of cheesecake in his direction.
“Absolutely.” He leaned forward and took it. He met Natalie’s smiling eyes.
She propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her palm. At least she seemed amused by them sharing a dessert plate. Alaina said it lacked manners and helped spread diseases. Natalie excused herself to get her own plate.
“She’s nice.” Casey stared after the other woman. “I hope we see her again.”
“She is nice.” Most of the people they met were, although there were some types he didn’t want hanging around Casey. “I’m sure we’ll see her around.”
“We could watch her event.”
“Maybe she could give you some tips if you want to try breakaway roping.”
“That’s okay. I don’t want to bother her.” Casey dropped her gaze. “She’s busy, I bet.”
That had been Alaina’s excuse for far too long.
He didn’t get the feeling Natalie would say anything like that. “I’ll ask her. All she can say is no. If she does, then no big deal, right?”
Casey shrugged. “If you want.”
“She was nice enough to buy us dinner. I doubt she used up all her nice.”
Casey glanced up. “I don’t know…”
“Don’t know what?” Natalie set her plate on the table. “Were you two talking about me?”
“Well, to be honest, we were.” Austin leaned forward. “Were your ears burning?”
“Only a lot. Did he say nice things about me, Casey?”
Casey nodded. “He did.”
“Oh, good. So, what did he say?”
Austin nudged Casey. “Tell her.”
“He said you’re really nice and maybe...maybe if you weren’t too busy, you could show me how to do breakaway roping?” Casey squeezed her hands together. “But we don’t want to bug you. It’s okay if you can’t. I might not even be good at it.”
“Not good… She sets a horse better than most adults!” Austin leaned back. “She’s a natural.”
“I could show you. It’s not like I have a busy schedule or anything. I only have one event. Not like your dad with his team roping and his broncs. We should definitely hang out.”
The sparkle that came into Casey’s eyes almost melted Austin’s heart.
“Thank you, Miss Natalie.”
“Pfft. We’re friends. It’s just Natalie, Casey.” She took a pen from her purse, then jotted down her phone number on her receipt. “Call me any time. I have a demonstration tomorrow at two in the afternoon if you guys want to watch. You can meet my horse. He’s a big, goofy guy, but serious about his job. Come get me early. We can do lunch.”
She fairly bubbled over with enthusiasm.
“We don’t want to take up too much of your time.” His events were a couple of hours apart, both in the evening tomorrow. They had all day to do whatever. Getting there to see Natalie rope was no problem.
“Oh, please? It’ll be fun.” Natalie folded her hands together as she coaxed him. “You know you want to.”
He laughed. And it felt good. He and Casey were both serious types. They did like a good comedy movie and they loved the antics of their horses, but it seemed like lately they hadn’t had much to laugh about. Natalie changed that. “Okay, okay. We’re in.”
“Great!”
Casey beamed. “I can’t wait.”
“Me either. This will be so much fun. I can already tell you’re going to be great at breakaway roping. I’ll bet you come by it honestly since your dad’s been roping so long.”
Austin’s good humor faded as tension built in the pit of his stomach. He forced a smile. “You bet.”
“I’ll try my best,” Casey promised.
“We should get going and check on the horses and for my wallet again. Let Natalie finish up her dinner. I’ll give a you call tomorrow.” He rose. “C’mon, kid.”
“Thanks for entertaining me.” Natalie stood as Casey did. “Hug for my new friend?”
Casey looked at him quickly, then stepped around the table into Natalie’s embrace.
Natalie hugged the girl like they were old friends who had been apart for a long time.
“Thanks again.” He tipped his hat at Natalie.
“Any time. I mean it.”
He almost hated to leave, but it was obvious Casey was getting tired and he had to find his wallet. Besides, it wasn’t like Natalie was all that interested in him. She’d taken a shine to Casey. Which could be both good and bad. Casey needed a strong female influence. But she almost might be heartbroken when they pulled out of Tulsa at the end of the week.
If only Alaina hadn’t become such a bitch…
He’d spent too much time thinking about that. Wasted way too many years hung up on her. Now all he could do was focus on Casey and hope he was doing right by her.