Free Cowgirl Up by Cheyenne Meadows Page A

in his seat and straightened out his legs. “Lacey said she was
going out with the girls for dinner tonight. Why didn’t you go with them?”
    Trinity
peered down, finding her boots enthralling. She clasped her hands and blew out
a breath. “I never leave Legacy.” Glancing up, she found a serious expression
on Cody’s face plus a hint of curiosity in his dark eyes.
    “The
barns are secured and guards walk the perimeter each night. He’d be fine for a
couple of hours alone.”
    “Maybe
so, but I’m not willing to take the chance.” She shrugged.
    Leaning
forward, Cody rested his elbows on his knees. “You could go with them next
time. I’ll stay and watch him for you.”
    The
offer touched her deep. Still, she had no intentions of shirking her duty.
“Thanks, but I’d rather stay with him.”
    “Don’t
tell me he has separation anxiety like a dog?” He grinned teasingly.
    She
snorted. “If he has a mare to flirt with, probably not. I, on the other hand,
might suffer great amounts of stress and be unable to quell the strong urge to
rip a pillow apart with my teeth until all the stuffing falls from the sky like
a brief blizzard in June.”
    They
both looked to her pillow resting at the top end of her cot.
    He
laughed, the sound music to her hears while buoying her heart at the same time.
    He needs to laugh more.
    She
made a silent vow to do her part in making that happen.
     

     
    Legacy
zipped by him, thundering out of the arena at full speed. Well, as close as
possible considering the smaller arena gave only limited space for him to hit
all gears. Immediately, Cody checked the large clock at the end of the arena
and cringed. Not his best run and Trinity had no chance to pick up any places
tonight. The story of the rodeo. One night could make or break a participant
with so many factors out of each of their control. They took the good with the
bad and hoped the average worked out.
    He’d
been there before. What seemed like an eternity ago. When things were so
different and his biggest worry revolved around getting from A to B and which
pretty girl to try to lasso for a night of youthful passion.
    Now, he
stood in the same places, but everything had changed. He no longer pursued the
ladies like a young stud set out to start his own herd and he’d figured out
that the world was no longer about fun and games. Survival. That’s what
everything boiled down to.
    “Tonight
wasn’t our night.”
    Turning,
he spied Trinity still astride Legacy walking over. She’d ditched the cowboy
hat this run, allowing her long blonde braid to shine under the arena’s lights.
He found the sight compelling.
    “You
just need a bigger space to work in.” He watched as Legacy lipped at his shirt,
glad the stud seemed to be playful rather than hateful at the moment. While a
hole in his shirt might not break his budget, a hole in his hide might be a
different story altogether.
    They
both watched the final barrel racer fly over the finish line. Her time the best
of the night.
    “I’m
going to Denver next weekend.”
    He focused
on her face once more. “Damn long drive.” The thought of not seeing her next
weekend clenched his gut. They had bonded and he hated to miss an opportunity
to hang out with her.
    “Yeah,
but I need the points.” She sighed and patted Legacy on the neck. “The best I
can figure, I have to hit a few of the huge places in order to have a chance to
make the top twenty-five in the nation and be invited to the finals. The
smaller rodeos, though closer, don’t offer up enough competition and points for
that to happen.” A frown covered her face.
    A need
to kiss the sad expression from her face rolled through him. He much preferred
her teasing and bantering than the serious, worried look. Though he understood
her reasoning and didn’t blame her for the decision, he still didn’t like the
distance she would be forced to travel. Alone. Not to mention new faces, a new
venue, and so many other factors he