Chapter Five
Chase took the abundance of teasing comments heaped on him since he arrived at the rodeo in stride. His friends felt it their duty to razz him about getting married with so much fanfare and in such a public manner.
“Where’s the little wifey?” one of the bareback riders asked, giving Chase an elbow in the side. “She tired of you already?”
“She’s sitting with Ashley, waiting for me to win this thing.” Chase gave his friend a cocky grin.
“I saw part of the wedding on the news earlier,” Huck Powell said, thumping Chase on the back. The champion bull rider was the best in the business and the one man Chase needed to outride if he wanted to take home the title and championship buckle. “I’m sorry Mara and I couldn’t be there for the ceremony. Our youngest started the day by upchucking all over her bed this morning which caused a drastic and entirely nasty reaction from her brother.”
Chase shook his head. “Bet it didn’t faze Katie Jo.”
Huck laughed. “It seems my oldest daughter is way too much like her old man.”
“Then she’s full of determination and pluck,” Chase said, grinning at the man he liked and respected, and considered a good friend. “Are you really gonna retire this year?”
“I’m considering it. If I don’t do something different, my kids will be grown and I’ll have missed it all.” Huck sobered and glanced into the stands where his wife sat with their three children among friends. “We’ve got a good thing going with our ranch and I think I’m ready to focus on riding horses for fun instead of bulls for work.”
“I’m still gonna do my best to beat you tonight.” Chase smirked as the two of them walked behind the chutes, waiting for the bulls to enter the chutes.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Huck said, slapping Chase on the back again. “Now tell me more about this girl you married. From the coverage we saw on the wedding, she looks like a nice girl.”
“She is nice, really nice,” Chase said, surprised by the woman Ashley had selected to win the prize. He’d expected someone pushy, tacky, or at the very least expecting things from him he wasn’t willing to deliver. Jessie had been unassuming, sweet, gracious, and easy to talk to. Despite his reluctance to admit it, he had more fun with her that afternoon than he’d had in a long time.
She didn’t ask him for anything, didn’t expect anything from him, which was why he insisted on buying her a handful of trinkets. He’d been astounded when she’d tried to pay him back for the bracelet he’d purchased from a vendor. Most women would have taken it and demanded more. Instead, tears had glistened in her big blue eyes and made something foreign but not entirely unwelcome grip his heart. From what little she’d said, he had the idea that Jessie hadn’t been given much in her life, including affection or attention. It wasn’t any hardship to lavish some on her for the few hours they were together.
For one day, he wanted her to feel special and cherished. The look on her face after he kissed her assured him he’d done his part.
In truth, he hadn’t meant to kiss her. He fully intended to walk away and never think of her again. However, something in those entrancing eyes called to him. Before he knew what had transpired, he was kissing her quite thoroughly and ardently right there in front of her hotel.
The worst part was he couldn’t get the kiss out of his mind, or how much he wanted to continue kissing her. Although he seriously doubted she had a lot of experience kissing men, her reaction to him, to his affections, set his blood on fire and generated an insane wish that he’d married her for real.
Since she’d been such a good sport and made the entire time they were together unexpectedly pleasant, he planned to acknowledge her after his ride. It was the least he could do for all the hoopla he and Ashley had put her through with the fake wedding.
Things had gone better than he expected with it, though. He’d already signed two new sponsor contracts because of all the publicity it created. Shoot, if he’d actually married her, he’d probably have more sponsors contacting him than he could handle.
He grinned derisively. If he’d actually married her, he might not care about sponsors or rodeos or world championships. If that one kiss was any indication of the sparks lighting up between them, he would take her home to his ranch and never leave.
Thoughts of spending the winter tucked away with her in his arms spiked his internal thermometer to an uncomfortable level.
“Is Jessie as tall as she looked on TV?” Huck asked as they watched the bulls enter the chutes.
Chase nodded. “She’s just about as tall as Kenzie Morgan or Kaley McGraw.”
Huck shot him a rascally grin. “Bet she fit in your arms just right when you gave her the kiss that had all the women swoony at the end of the ceremony. Even Katie Jo was watching all moony-eyed. I am for sure in trouble where my daughter and romance is concerned.”
A laugh rolled out of Chase. “You better keep your eye on that girl, Huck. Some young buck will swoop in and steal her heart before you know what’s happened.”
“I’ll nail his hide to the barn wall and not even blink.” The man stiffened as a dark scowl crossed his typically upbeat features. “Nobody better mess with my little girl. Why, I’ll…”
Chase snorted and whacked Huck on the back. “A little over protective there, Dad?”
Huck glared at him. “Just wait until you have kids, Chase. You’ll completely understand.” The seasoned cowboy shook a finger at him. “Are you gonna stand there jawing all evenin’ or are you gonna get on that bull and give me a little competition.”
“You better ride for all your worth, Huck, ‘cause I plan to win.” Chase grinned at him.
The two men exchanged a friendly handshake before they got ready to climb on their bulls. When Chase was young and green, Huck had taken him under his wing and mentored him, helping him become a better rider than he could have been on his own.
Chase was grateful for everything Huck had taught him, for the friendship that had grown between them over the years, but he still planned to ride to win.
Once he swung his leg over the chute, Chase forced himself to block out everything but the ride ahead of him. He needed to take the top score tonight to win the title of world champion. As long as he made the eight second ride, he’d at least place in the top three, but he really wanted to win.
With slow, deliberate movements, he settled onto the back of the mahogany Brahman bull he’d drawn. Although the animal was burly and mean looking, Chase counted himself lucky that he’d landed on one of stock contractor Kash Kressley’s favorite bulls. The bovine might look like he’d take on a twister and win, but he was a good bull that wouldn’t try to stomp a rider and he always gave a good, solid ride.
“Wild Willie will give you a good ride, if you can hang on,” Kash teased as Chase adjusted his leather glove and then ran it up and down the length of his bull rope, working rosin into the rope and his glove. The sticky substance helped him hold on during the ride. At least, in theory, it should.
Chase gave Kash a narrowed glance and pulled the end of the rope over his palm. “Don’t you have something better to do than harass me?”
Kash grinned. “Nope. The only other bull I have here tonight is the one Huck will ride and he’s last out the gate. If I was a betting man, I’d say you two are in for a tight competition this evening.”
“That we are.” Chase made a final adjustment to his glove as someone yanked on the rope, pulling it so tight across his hand, he nearly lost circulation in his fingers — just the way he liked it. He glanced up as Huck stood on the gate and tightened the rope.
Huck smiled at him. “Good luck, kid. Plan to make it the full eight. Let’s give these folks a grand finale to the show.”
Chase nodded. “I’ll do my best, man. Now get out of here and get on your own bull.”
Huck laughed and stepped on top of the gate, across the back of the bull, and came down behind the chutes. “I’m still plannin’ to win!”
“So am I!” Chase adjusted his seat on the bull, rolled back his shoulders and took a deep breath. The bull’s floppy ears twitched beneath his curved horns and his tail switched twice.
Ready to ride, Chase nodded his head and the chute gate swung open. Kash released the flank strap and Willie plowed into the arena, bucking, jumping and twisting.
Many people had told him since he started riding bulls that he was too tall to compete, but Chase ignored them. The average bull rider he knew was around five-eight or so. Standing just a hair over six-feet barefooted, he knew some people thought his long legs gave him a disadvantage. A few had even tried to explain the centrifugal force working against him with every spin of the bull.
In truth, it was part art, part science, part skill, a lot of determination, and a little luck that made him a successful bull rider. If a bull started to spin toward the hand he had lashed to the bull by the rope, he would drive his shoulder toward the leg on the inside of the spin with his free hand above his head, aligning it to his body. If the bull twisted in the opposite direction, away from his riding hand, he could drop the elbow of his free hand, while keeping his hand up, to preserve his balance. A touch of his hand to himself or the bull meant he was disqualified.
While some viewed his height as an obstacle he had to overcome, Chase looked at it as a bonus. His legs might be long, but so were his arms and that helped him be able to ride out some of the spins, bucks, and twists that would unseat riders with much shorter arms.
Chase didn’t think of any of that as he worked to keep his rhythm. The bull reared up then kicked out its back legs before twisting sharply to the left. Chase started to slip to the side. Not about to fall off this close to the buzzer, he tightened his hold with his thighs and prayed he’d stay on for the full eight seconds.
Willie came straight up in the air then twisted to the right as the buzzer sounded. Chase released his breath and reached down to free his hand from the rope. Giving the tail of it a hard yank, it came free from his glove and he jumped off the bull, landing on his feet. Mindful the bull wouldn’t try to stomp him into the arena dust, he tossed it a quick glance as Wild Willie docilely trotted out of the arena. Chase waved his hat at the cheering crowd.
“Now that’s how you make a great finish, folks,” the announcer said in a loud, theatrical voice. “Let’s hear it for Chase Jarrett. That cowboy just scored an eighty-eight point ride. He’s definitely in the top two. And if that isn’t enough to get excited about, that boy got himself married to a sweet gal this afternoon. Give him another hand!”
He made a point of searching out the blue-eyed, brown-haired girl sitting with his cousin, aunt and uncle, and her friend. With a rascally wink, he blew Jessie a kiss and the crowd went wild. She offered him a shy smile and a brief wave of her fingers in return.
Full of adrenaline and exhilaration, Chase jogged out of the arena, unable to wipe the grin off his face.
He removed his gloves and dropped them with his bull rope then hurried over to the chute where Huck prepared to ride. As he’d done for him, Chase helped pull the rope tight and held out an arm for Huck to grab for balance when the bull beneath him started to get squirrelly.
“You okay?” Chase asked as Huck settled lower onto the bull’s back and wiggled his gloved fingers, making sure the rope was tight.
Huck gave him a quick glimpse and a wide grin. “Are you trying to steal my thunder? First, you draw my favorite bull and then you had to go and get married today, making you the crowd’s favorite.”
Chase chuckled. “As long as you are competing, you’ll always be the crowd favorite, my friend. Besides, Jessie and I aren’t really married. You know that was just a publicity thing Ashley put together.”
Huck frowned. “But it said on the news that you…” The bull shifted and tossed his head.
Chase wanted to know what the news had said about his mock wedding, but he’d have to find out later. He swung over the chute and watched as Huck nodded his head and the chute gate swung open.
This bull was wiry and ornery. He turned and twisted, bucked and reared, doing his best to unseat Huck. Chase held his breath when it looked like the bull might achieve his goals. Huck shifted to one side, but before he lost his balance completely, he righted himself and kept on riding.
Chase was amazed how well Huck rode the cantankerous bull that had a record of dumping off forty-seven of the last forty-nine riders.
When the buzzer sounded, the crowd rose to their feet, clapping and cheering.
It was going to be close, but Chase had a feeling Huck had just won the championship.
“Well, folks, you’ve seen a lot of great cowboys compete tonight, and some awesome animal athletes, too. Two of the very best are so close in their scores in the bull riding it is going to be a win by a single point. Give a big hand to Huck Powell, the winner again this year with his eighty-nine point ride.”
Chase felt a conflicting blend of emotions as he congratulated Huck on his ride. Happy for his friend, he also experienced the pang of disappointment that he’d come so close to winning and lost by a single point.
Next year, he was winning that title if it killed him.
After the closing ceremony, Chase made it a point to speak with Huck’s wife and kids, wishing them a safe trip home the following day, and congratulated Huck again.
“That was so close. I feel bad taking the championship from you, but not bad enough to give you the gold buckle,” Huck said shaking Chase’s hand. He leaned closer to him and dropped his voice. “I wanted to go out on a win, Chase. It’s time for me to retire. Next year, you’d better be the one who wins this thing or I’ll hunt you down and give you what for. Got it?”
“Man, I’m sure gonna miss seeing you on the circuit, but I wish you all the very best of everything.” Chase gave Huck a brotherly bear hug. “Will you at least come watch me when I’m in Santa Fe at the rodeo?”
“We’ll be there to cheer you on,” Huck said, then pointed to the seats where Ashley sat with her folks, Jessie, and Stacey. “Now, you better go on over there and say hello to your wife. I think you broke a few thousand hearts today when you put a ring on that girl’s finger.”
Chase offered him a lopsided smile. “Surely not that many.”
Huck laughed and gave him a shove toward where Ashley waited with Jessie. “Go on and see that bride of yours. For the record, I think you got a fine girl, Chase. I’d hang onto this one with both hands.”
He rolled his eyes as he hurried away from the Powell family and made his way over to Ashley.
“Hey, cuz! Congrats on taking second place. That’s huge!” Ashley gave him a big hug.
“You did great, Chase. Just great!” his uncle said, pumping his hand in greeting.
“Goodness, honey, those bulls looked so mean and scary. How on earth do you climb on them and go for a ride?” his aunt asked. She asked him the same thing every time they came to watch him ride. His folks had never once been to a rodeo, but Uncle Jack and Aunt Amy had been to several. If he was within a few hours of them, they made it a point to support him by showing up and cheering loudly.
“They aren’t so bad, Aunt Amy.” He kissed her cheek then turned to smile at Jessie. “Did you enjoy the rodeo tonight?”
She nodded, giving him a quick glance before studying the program she held in her hands. The cover featured a picture of him with a handful of other competitors on it. When she raised her gaze to his, she smiled. “You rode very well. Congratulations on placing second. I’m sorry you didn’t win first.”
He shrugged. “It was close and if I couldn’t win, Huck is a pretty great guy to lose to.” Chase shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out and brushing his thumb across the smooth curve of Jessie’s cheek. He knew from touching it earlier it felt as soft as it looked.
“Would you like to come with me to the awards ceremony? It should be fun. I promise I won’t keep you out too late.” Once the words were out, dangling between them, he wondered where they’d come from. He did not intend to ask Jessie to go with him, but now that he had, he hoped she’d say yes. The idea of her accompanying him to the awards ceremony held a great deal of appeal.
He noticed she’d traded the dress she wore that afternoon for a pair of dark blue jeans and a blouse the color of summer roses. The pink shade exactly matched her lips and brought to mind the amazing kisses they’d shared when he left her at the hotel earlier.
Perhaps if she went with him, she’d give him the opportunity to kiss her again. The thought of how sweet she’d tasted, how good her lips felt moving against his, made his mouth water.
Her hair was still pinned up and he wondered, once more, what it would look like down. As his fingers itched to pull out the pins, she appeared to struggle to reach a decision, glancing at her friend and Ashley.
Chase sensed her hesitancy to leave the safety of the group. “You all are invited to come.”
Jack grinned. “I think your aunt and I are going to head back to the hotel. You know, old folks and all that, but you youngsters go along and enjoy. Ashley can fill us in on all the details tomorrow.”
Amy smiled and patted Chase’s cheek. “We appreciate the invitation, honey, but I want to take off these boots, plop down in a chair and watch the news then head to bed. Perhaps you’ll have breakfast with us before we all have to leave in the morning.”
“Sounds like a plan, Aunt Amy. I’ll text you in the morning and we can figure out a time to meet.”
After her parents departed, Ashley gave Chase a slight push toward Jessie. “If we’re going to make it, shouldn’t we get going? The taxi line is probably a mile long by now.”
“It is, but you forget I have a rental and we can take it.” Chase gave his cousin a smug look, took Jessie’s hand in his, and started out of the stands. The electrical current surging up his arm made him cast a quick glimpse at their joined fingers. Each time he took her hand that afternoon the same thing had happened, but he chalked it up to nerves from their fake wedding.
Now, though, he wondered if it was something more. He’d deny it if anyone asked, particularly his bossy cousin, but he was more attracted to Jessie than he’d been to any woman, ever.
Something about her innocent aura and gentle spirit drew him. And he didn’t like it one bit.
He didn’t have time for relationships. He had a championship title to win next year. The last thing he needed was a woman who stirred all the protective, romantic feelings swirling through him every time Jessie looked his way.
Ashley and Stacey carried most of the conversation, as though they were close friends. Stacey had been in constant communication with Ashley, via email, text messages, or phone calls to help her with plans for the wedding. Even though it wasn’t a real wedding, Ashley wanted it to come as close to Jessie’s dreams as she could manage.
Chase knew Jessie had been blown away by everything his cousin had arranged, and he was glad. The girl seemed in need of some pampering and the chance to feel special.
That was why he invited her to go to the awards ceremony with him. It couldn’t be the fact that he just wanted to spend more time with her, to inhale her alluring scent or look into her beguiling blue eyes.
As they arrived at the casino hosting the awards ceremony, Chase left the girls at the door then went to find a parking spot, promising to join them inside.
He jogged through the rows of parked vehicles, took the elevator to the appropriate floor then rushed inside the ballroom. When he saw some wanna-be cowboy who’d already had one or several too many beers lean close to Jessie and say something to her, every cavedweller tendency he didn’t even know he possessed rose to the surface. He wanted to punch the guy in the face and yell at him to leave his woman alone.
Only Jessie wasn’t his.
Regardless, he could pretend she was his wife for another hour or so. What could it hurt to treat her like the most important person in his world while he accepted his award and cheered on his friends as they accepted their honors? It was all harmless. Wasn’t it?
When he accepted his award, he glanced out at the crowd and grinned at Jessie. She offered him a shy nod of her head and a smile that melted the edges off the cynical wall he’d built around his heart years ago.
“Congratulations to you, Chase, and your new bride. It’s not a regular occurrence that one of our champions gets married during the rodeo. Guess she’s your good luck charm,” the emcee said, offering Chase a congratulatory handshake.
“Thank you. It’s all in fun, you know,” Chase said quietly. He wondered why everyone kept talking about him being married to Jessie. Ashley had promoted it as a “bride for a day” event. Perhaps people were confused because of how real it looked and seemed, even to him.
The emcee chuckled. “That’s what they all say until the honeymoon is over. Enjoy it while it lasts, son, and best wishes to you both.”
Chase returned to the table where he sat with Jessie, Ashley, and Stacey. Huck and Mara sat with them along with a few other friends. He draped his arm across the back of Jessie’s chair and pecked her cheek.
As he expected, she blushed, but didn’t move away from him. He drew in a deep breath of her delicious scent and wondered what she’d do if he pulled her onto his lap.
“You really outdid yourself, Chase,” one of his fellow bull riders said, walking up behind him and thumping him on the shoulder. “I thought you were getting married for a promotional contest, but why didn’t you tell us all it was for real? I would have shown up for the ceremony, buddy.” The guy winked at Jessie. “And where have you been hiding this beautiful girl? I’m Cody.” He reached out and shook Jessie’s hand.
“For real? What does that mean?” Chase scowled at him. “Why does everyone keep talking about us actually being married? It was just a crazy publicity thing cooked up by my brilliant publicist over there.” He waved his hand in Ashley’s direction. “Jessie and I aren’t really married.”
Huck and the other cowboy exchanged glances. “Oh, yes you are.”
“What?” Chase tipped his chair over as he lunged to his feet. “What do you mean we’re really married?”
Ashley looked as panicked as Chase felt and Jessie’s face had lost all color. Stacey handed her a glass of water and ordered her to take a sip.
“Here.” Mara Powell handed him her phone. “There’s a clip of the pastor who married you talking on the news earlier. He clearly states it was a real wedding.”
Chase watched as Pastor Randall talked to the reporter about marrying them, what a nice ceremony it was, and how he wished them many years of happiness. When the reporter asked about it being a publicity stunt, the pastor smiled and said he couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen a couple so much in love.
Clearly, Pastor Randall needed to be committed to the loony bin.
“How did this happen?” Chase growled, glaring at his cousin. “What did you do?”
“I… I… this isn’t… I didn’t know…” Ashley stammered. “Pastor Randall must have misunderstood what we needed him to do. He must have…”
“Why did you hire a real pastor?” Chase clenched his jaw to keep from shouting in frustration. “I thought you hired an actor.”
“I wanted it to seem as realistic as possible and Pastor Randall came highly recommended. I didn’t realize… I thought he…” Ashley sniffed and burst into tears, burying her face in the napkin Stacey handed her.
Jessie remained wide-eyed and silent, as though she couldn’t process what had transpired. In his fury, Chase glared at her. “Did you know? Did you plan it that way? You wanted to catch a rodeo star, is that it? Did you corner the pastor before the ceremony and talk him into making it real?” He jerked off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “Was this sweet and innocent thing all an act until you could get your hands on my assets and worm your way into my life? What’s wrong with you?”
Hurt flashed through her eyes but she didn’t lose her composure. Her face paled to a startling shade of white as she slowly rose to her feet although her voice remained politely calm. “Mr. Jarrett, I had nothing to do with this misunderstanding, nor do I have any desire to be married to such an egotistical, obnoxious, vainglorious man. I’m sure there is a way to be granted an annulment since the only way this marriage would be considered real is over my dead, cold body. Good night.”
With that, she grabbed Stacey’s arm in her hand, hauled her friend to her feet, and marched out the door with more starch in her spine than Chase would have deemed her capable of possessing.
The people around them sat stone-faced and quiet until Huck couldn’t contain a grin. “Like I said earlier, Chase, I think you’ve found just the right girl for you.”
Chase clamped his jaw so tight, he thought he might actually crack a tooth before shooting daggers at his cousin. She continued to hide behind the dinner napkin she held in front of her face.
“Ashley, I don’t care what you have to do to fix this, do it. I will not be trapped in this farce marriage, do you understand me?”
She sniffled something and bobbed her head up and down.
Chase released a long, angry breath then walked out of the room, wondering how things had gone so terribly wrong and what he could do to make it right.
Every fiber of his being urged him to run after Jessie and apologize. Even as he said the harsh, cutting words to her, he realized they weren’t true. The girl didn’t have a malicious, conniving bone in her body. He’d lashed out in anger and wounded her. The words had barely left his lips when he regretted saying them, even thinking them.
Jessie was innocent in all this, and he knew it. She was unlike any female he’d ever met before. Something about her seemed so sincere and genuine. From what he could tell, she was a person without any ulterior motives or schemes.
He was wrong to say what he had, and would admit it. However, it was best to let her remain angry. If she’d entertained even a passing notion of wanting to be married to him, by now it was a thought she’d regret.
To make things easier on her, he’d get an annulment and she’d never hear from him again. It sure wouldn’t be easy on him, though. Meeting her had changed everything — especially his heart.