A Cowboy's Claim Read Online Free PDF Page B

doesn’t want me riding him.”
    â€œWhy do you think that?”
    â€œHe’s the first horse I’ve competed on that someone else worked with first.” A tiny wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. “Maybe he’s still attached to his previous trainer.”
    Vic checked his cell phone. He still had plenty of time to get to the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. “Where in New Mexico are you and Slingshot headed?”
    â€œMoriarty for the WPRA barrel-racing event. What’s next after Vernal for you?”
    â€œSteamboat Springs, Colorado, tomorrow afternoon, then Laramie, Wyoming, that night.”
    â€œJuly’s a busy rodeo month, but what do you normally do between competitions the rest of the year?”
    â€œRest.” Vic used to spend time with Riley and Maria Fitzgerald at the Juan Alvarez Ranch for Boys in New Mexico, but when they hired Cruz as a wrangler after he got out of prison, Vic hadn’t had the guts to visit. Instead he hid out in cheap motel rooms and surfed the web or read the stash of books he carried on the road with him.
    The bar was filling up. If he left now, he could catch a catnap in his truck before his next ride.
    â€œVic?”
    He swung his gaze to Tanya.
    â€œAsk me.” She tilted her head toward the dance floor.
    He shouldn’t.
    She smiled. “It’s just a dance.”
    What could it hurt? One dance and then he’d leave. He stood and held out his hand. Her fingers slid across his palm and he fought the urge to hold her prisoner and never let her go. He found an open spot on the floor and Tanya snuggled close as if they were regular dance partners—make that lovers.
    He placed his hand against her lower back and she pressed her palm to his chest. The floor was too crowded to move more than a few inches in any direction, so they stood in place, their hips swaying...bumping and oh man. Tanya’s warm body and soft curves put his willpower to the test. If he closed his eyes he could imagine they were alone in a dark room instead of standing in a crowd of sweaty bodies.
    â€œIt’s been forever since I’ve danced.” Tanya’s confession ignited a slow burn inside him. He tightened his arms around her. She felt small and vulnerable, which made it all the more impressive that she could handle a horse like Slingshot.
    â€œHave you ever been married, Vic?”
    â€œNo, ma’am.”
    â€œNever came close?”
    â€œNope.”
    Her fingertip touched his cheek and he jumped inside. “Is it because of the scar?” She leaned back and looked him in the eye.
    He admired Tanya for asking such a direct question. “I’ve never given much thought to the future.” Marriage had never been on his radar. Since he’d been nineteen he’d had one goal—winning a national title. He couldn’t move forward with his life until he put the past behind him.
    â€œMind if I cut in?” a feminine voice interrupted them.
    Tanya stiffened in Vic’s arms a second before she smashed her breasts against his chest. The feel of her sent a rush of blood straight to his crotch. Then she bumped her pelvis—intentionally—against his erection before acknowledging the interruption.
    â€œI’m Darcy.” The buxom blonde batted her butterfly lashes.
    Vic opened his mouth to decline Darcy’s offer, but Tanya beat him to it. “No can do, Darcy.” Tanya’s fingers bit into his arm. “We were just leaving.” She stared at him. “Right, Vic?”
    Tanya’s eyes flashed—from anger or desire, it didn’t matter. He was leaving the bar with her. “We’re out of here.”
    Tanya stepped forward, but Darcy blocked her path. “Where are you leaving to...if I may ask?”
    Tanya slid her arm through Vic’s. “Somewhere more private.”
    Darcy’s eyes widened. “You two are sleeping together?”
    Vic waited for Tanya to