Free A Man's Heart by Lori Copeland

love to ride that animal.”
    â€œYou’re joking. Tom only brings that old bull to events for sentimental reasons. Black Devil’s son, The Terminator, is the one to ride these days.”
    â€œThe Terminator, huh?” She eyed the massive bull. Ladies didn’t ride bulls. Wasn’t that Pop’s philosophy? The community agreed, but not Jules. Like God would strike her dead if she dared to enjoy the life he had given her?
    Joe’s voice broke through her resentment. “Back to your situation. You’re heir to the Blue Bayou whether you like it or not.”
    She didn’t like it. The more she was forced into the role, the more she resented it. She could use some help, thank you. She had helped Pop all of her life, knew her way around a potato planter, but raising a crop, keeping house, managing the bills and settling the estate wasn’t easy. If Crystal would do something other than play with Sophie’s children! Pickup after herself, run a load of wash, cook a meal. Instead, she stood back as though she were a guest in the house.
    Sometimes she wondered if God was punishing her for her aimless spiritual drifting. She’d sure done nothing to grow in faith these days, but God had no reason to be angry with her. She skipped church pretty well on a weekly basis, but she intended to get back in one of these days. She didn’t talk vile like some she knew, and she honored Pop until the day he died. She’d done her duty; she had stayed at Blue Bayou.
    Her gaze drifted back to the bleachers where Cruz and Adan corralled the kids. Most certainly she’d given Cruz a reason to resent her. Her eyes skimmed the once cocky teenager that had grown from an awkward teen to a good-looking man who attracted women like flies to honey. Sophie’s letters said women adored the single bachelor. And Adan had his fair share of female admirers. A group of young women surrounded the bachelors, taking charge of the children.
    Cruz ignored her every possible chance he got. When they passed at the hospital, he barely acknowledged her presence. Lately she went early afternoons so he and Adan could have evenings with Sophie. Tension was starting to wear thin. The brothers talked of moving Sophie to Kennewick, but she begged them to let her stay closer to the children.
    So all right. Cruz was never going to forgive her; she was spoiled and bratty, if you believed his former accusations. Her attention remained on the bleachers where he was now holding up little Olivia so she could see the bronc rides. She’d been the fool; knew it from the moment she broke the second engagement, known it for certain a year into college but pride had anchored her to her goal. She didn’t want more education;she wanted Cruz and babies and a home of her own. For the first time, she allowed the implication of her need to sink in.
    She wanted nothing more in life than Cruz and his babies.
    It was the first time in a very long time that God clearly revealed the missing element in her life. She had been grasping for years to wrap her fingers around this bizarre, unexplainable curse called indecisiveness, and now, in the middle of a rodeo ground, on a hot summer night, he’d addressed her prayer.
    Joe’s voice drew her back. “Saddle up. Calf roping coming up next.”
    Shaken, Jules led Maddy to the pen, her eyes still on Cruz.

Chapter 14

    T ucking her gloves in her back pocket, Jules made her way to the concession stand. She’d taken second in calf roping; Sophie would get a kick about that one, but she’d been busy the last few years and she was a little rusty on her skills. Plus she was getting older. The old bones weren’t quite as limber as they’d been in her teens.
Teens.
She grinned. That had been over a decade ago.
    The concession line was backed up to the porta potties, which were backed up to the arena entrance. Jules threaded her way into line and waited. Up ahead she