The Bull Rider’s Keeper by Lynn Cahoon Page A

wanted to pick Taylor up since his interviews were over.
    “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Brit wavered.
    He wondered if she’d been talking about giving him the information or the whole idea of him and Taylor together. Had Taylor told her best friend about last night? He snorted. Of course she had. Women. They couldn’t keep a secret to save their lives.
    Then again, he hadn’t kept their night together a secret, either. After all, he had told his mother. He had wanted some sort of approval, or at the very least, support that he wasn’t jumping off a cliff. Of course, that was exactly what he was doing.
    He glanced at the approaching crowd from the airplane. Would she see him if he took off and ran? He could hire her a driver, set her up in a hotel room, maybe even send Barb over to explain he was too busy to see her. He should be down at the barns checking out his tack and staring down the bulls. He briefly wondered which one he would be riding later that night. Lost in his escape plan, he didn’t notice her until she put a hand on his arm.
    “Jesse, what are you doing here?” Taylor looked up at him, confusion evident in her face.
    He pushed aside his fears and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I invited you down. What, you thought I’d just send a car? Or let you take a taxi? What kind of jerk does that?”
    “I just didn’t expect …” Taylor trailed off.
    Jesse reached for her carry-on bag slung over her shoulder, ignoring her pause. “You have checked baggage?”
    When she shook her head, he was surprised. Taylor didn’t seem like the kind of girl who only traveled with one bag, even for a short weekend getaway. He’d expected two, maybe even three more bags.
See, you don’t know her at all.
He brushed away the thought. They had time to learn about each other. As long as she felt the same way, there would be plenty of time.
    He put his hand on the small of her back and maneuvered her toward the exit. “Let’s get you set up at the hotel; then, I’ll take you to the barn and introduce you to the bulls who want to crush me tonight.”
    Taylor laughed. “Sounds like fun. Is one of them named Amanda?”
    “Jeez, you’re never going to let me live that one down, are you? I swear,” Jesse held up a hand in a three-finger Boy Scout salute, “there was never anything between Amanda and me. I was nice to her because she is Maggie’s daughter.”
    They stepped out into the bright Wyoming sunshine. “I believe you, I’m just not sure Amanda does.”
    He let that comment slide. Driving through the edge of town, the two remained quiet in the rental car Jesse had picked up when he arrived that morning. He typically rented, even if the car stayed parked at the hotel the entire weekend. He liked having options.
    They reached the hotel about twenty minutes later. Jesse waited in the lobby while Taylor ran up to the room to drop off her bag and freshen up. He watched the elevator door close behind her, kicking himself for not escorting her.
Slow down,
he thought.
You don’t even know if she likes you.
At least she’d confirmed last night that she wasn’t dating anyone. He thought about her kiss last night, and slid down into one of the lobby couches.
    “Jesse Sullivan,” a man’s voice boomed. Jesse turned and looked into Hunter Martin’s face. “Shouldn’t you be hanging around the rodeo grounds looking for tonight’s after-show party girl?”
    Jesse stood, shaking Hunter’s hand. He liked the guy. Barb had done well for herself. “I figured you’d be staying back in Boise this weekend. Doesn’t Kadi have a competition?”
    The men sank down into the couches, Hunter taking the couch that mirrored the one Jesse was sitting in. “When doesn’t Kadi have a competition? I swear that niece of mine is horse crazy. My dad’s doing cheerleading duty this weekend. Barb and I decided to take a weekend for ourselves.”
    “Mixing business with pleasure.”
    “Summer keeps Barb busy, so I have