Rodeo King (Dustin Lovers Book 1) by Cheryl Yeko, Char Chaffin Page A

Rosie. He’d worry about making amends with his ex-best friend later. Only
Rosie mattered right now.
    Without another glance at Mason, he
turned and strode from the parking lot.
    As he walked away, Mason called out, “It
took her years to put her life back together. If you care anything about her,
you’ll leave her the hell alone.”
    Caleb stopped, and for one
heart-wrenching moment, he wondered if Mason was right. Maybe he should just
keep on walking until he hit the bus stop, and continue out of town.
    Then images of Rosemary’s contented
smile after he’d thoroughly made love to her, and the hero-worship shining from
his son’s eyes, filled his mind.
    No, he didn’t believe they’d be better
off without him. He’d made the mistake of walking away from her once, and he
wasn’t going to do it again.
    Slowly he reached for his Stetson and
adjusted it before facing his ex-best pal. “I love her. Rosie and Carson are my
world now, and I’m not walking away.”
    Mason’s brows drew into a deep vee. “You
say that now, Caleb, but we all know the rodeo’s in your blood. How long will
it be once your leg heals, before you take off again? Just cut your losses now
and go, before Carson takes a worse hit than he’s already going to. I remember what
Rosemary went through when you put your career above her and Carson.”
    “That’s not what—”
    “Save it, Johnson. She’s done with you.
And once Rosie makes up her mind, there’s no changing it.”
    Caleb’s mouth set in a hard line.
Mason’s words held a ring of truth. Rosie’d always had a mile long stubborn
streak that he’d found adorable.
    But now wasn’t the time for either of
them to get stubborn. He was more than ready to meet her halfway or better.
    He only hoped she could be persuaded to
do the same.
    ***
    “That no good, dirty, low-down, stinkin’
cowboy,” Susan hissed between gritted teeth. She stomped around her kitchen,
throwing her hands up angrily, then shot a glance into the living room to make
sure Carson couldn’t hear them.
    Rosemary snorted as she dabbed away tears.
“Tell us how you really feel, Susie-Q.”
    Instead of driving home, where Caleb
could easily find her, Rosemary had gone to her friend’s house to hide out.
Sitting at the kitchen table, she crumpled the damp tissue in her hand. Maybe
by the time she decided to go home, he’d be gone. But as angry as she was, that
thought still cut through her heart with the force of a chainsaw, leaving pain
and destruction in its wake. Just like Caleb Johnson.
    God. How could I let myself fall for him
again? What a fool I am!
    She’d never meant enough to Caleb for
him to settle down. His career as a rodeo star meant more to him than she or
his son ever would. Well, if he thought he could just waltz into town between
rodeo gigs for a booty call, he was highly mistaken.
    Rosemary glanced at her son, who was
happily playing an Xbox game, with his headphones on. Fresh tears slid down her
cheeks when she thought of how his daddy’s absence would hurt him. Damn you,
Caleb Johnson!
    Susan stopped her angry pacing and came
over to give her a hug. “You want me to send your brother over to break his
other leg? He’d do it too, you know that.”
    Rosemary actually gave the idea a moment
of thought, then released a humorless laugh. “No. I’m not wasting any more
energy on him. It’s my own fault, I should have learned my lesson the first
time.”
    Her best friend pulled up a chair to
plop down in front of her. “Honey, none of this is your fault. Caleb Johnson is
one fine specimen of a man, and any woman would be hard-pressed to resist his
considerable charms. So, give yourself a break. It’s just too bad underneath
that handsome exterior lies a slithering snake. You know, one of those venomous
horned rattlers that can’t be trusted near women or children.”
    At the apt description, amusement
bubbled up inside Rosemary, helping to get her emotions under control. Susan
was exactly