Her Montana Cowboy. Valerie Hansen

preferred to go it alone. It was better that way. There were no scheduling conflicts to resolve and nobody minded if he won steadily, outearned his rivals and kept growing his bank account.

      The first saddle broncs were already waiting in the chutes by the time he worked his way around the arena. Mutton busting was over and the winners were proudly waving their blue ribbons while the clown-face-painted bullfighters held them up to the accolades of the crowd.

      Ryan spotted Bobbi Jo in the distance and raised a hand to wave. She responded with a smile and started toward him. She wasn’t his type, but she was a faithful friend, one who was always willing to loan him one of her spare horses if he needed a mount for the grand entry or, like today, for a parade. The fact that she had a small fortune invested in her horses made her generosity even more out of the ordinary.

      “Need help pinning your number on?” she asked.

      “No, I’ve got it. I took the vest off and did it myself.”

      “Humph. I’d have thought you’d recruit your new girlfriend to do the honors.”

      “She’s not my girlfriend. I barely know her.”

      “Give it a week or so,” the pretty barrel racer said. “Then tell me you aren’t interested in her.”

      “Not gonna happen,” Ryan insisted. “Julie’s roots are deep here. There’s no way she’d pull up stakes and follow me all over the country.”

      “Why not? I do.”

      “You’re not here because I am,” Ryan said flatly. “You’re here because this is the best prize money for time spent and you know it.” He purposely changed the subject. “I understand your practice runs were very good.”

      “Not as good as they’ll have to be to beat the others. That older woman from Oklahoma is a racing fool. And her horse is part Arabian, so he never gets tired.”

      “You’ll do fine,” Ryan assured her. “Just don’t knock over a barrel and pick up penalties.”

      “Oh, sure. Like all you have to do is keep from getting bucked off and you’ll win, too.”

      “It’s a start.” He chuckled. “I’ll try to watch your run while they’re getting the bulls moved up.”

      “Thanks.”

      As he left his friend, Ryan recalled how Julie had promised to pray for his success. It must be nice to believe in God so strongly that she could rely on the power of prayer rather than skill.

      He had no such delusions. He was in the competition because he was good at what he did. That was all there was to it. And until he was either incapacitated or got too old to compete well, he was going to keep going. Keep traveling. Keep striving to be the best in the business and take home the biggest purses. Lack of interest in roping might keep him from ever winning all-around titles like Ty Murray had, but his riding would keep him in the spotlight, hopefully for years to come.

      There was nothing more he could ask. Nothing else he wanted out of life, at least for the present.

      In the back of his mind, a thought that was barely there asked, Really?

      Chapter Five

      If the afternoon had been a bit cooler, Julie might have left her ewes at the rodeo grounds until the end of the day. The humidity was low, but once the daytime temps reached into the mid-eighties she decided to ask her youngest brother, Adam, to haul them home for her.

      She rode along. “So what did you think when the time capsule turned up missing?”

      He shrugged. “Beats me. Dad was sure steamed.”

      “At least he kept his cool and got the crowd to move away from the site. I don’t suppose the sheriff’s officers we had patrolling the grounds came prepared to investigate a crime like that.”

      “Not when Cal and the extra deputies were hired just for crowd control,” Adam replied. “There’s a forensics team coming in from Bozeman, but I don’t expect them to find anything.”

      “I agree.” Julie was nodding thoughtfully. “Ryan asked if the theft might have occurred a long time ago.”

      “Ryan? The guy I met by the sheep?”

      “Yes. He’s one of the rough-stock cowboys. I met him this morning and we seemed to hit it off really well.”

      Her brother chuckled. “I want to be there when Dad finds out you’re interested in a rodeo rider.”

      “Why, because you plan to defend my right to pick my own husband?” She had to laugh at the irony. “Give me a break. You have enough trouble keeping the girls at bay with him and Mom shoving them at you. The way I see it, since you, Cord and Austin are all older than Faith and I, you guys should get married and settle down first.”

      “Life doesn’t work that way, baby sister. When it’s time for me to find a wife, I fully expect her to fall into my lap, not show up because our folks have been matchmaking.”

      “Well said.” Julie relaxed, leaned back and sighed. If she allowed herself to accept her brother’s reasoning, she might actually start to believe she’d met Ryan Travers because he was the one for her. Was that possible?

      Not rationally, she argued inwardly. She did enjoy his company, but that didn’t mean there was any deeper meaning to their meeting. Or to the fact that they seemed very compatible in many areas. Given her aversion to city slickers like Wilbur, however, she saw no reason to shun the amiable, good-looking cowboy. As long as Ryan was in town, she could enjoy his company and perhaps discourage her father’s matchmaking, if only for two or three weeks.

      She would never lead a man on, of course, which meant she would have to tell Ryan all about her dad and why she was unwilling to heed his wishes. A smile slowly lifted the corners of her mouth. It could actually be fun to pretend the handsome rider was her boyfriend, particularly if he was in on the ruse and knew all about her father’s crazy efforts to get all his kids married off and settled on nearby ranches of their own.

      Tonight, at the fireworks show, she would set up the amusing scenario. Talk about fireworks!

      If Ryan shows up, she added silently.

      He will. Julie was positive. And since she was going to be back on the ranch soon, she’d freshen up before returning to town for the evening festivities.

      Especially the bull riding. She couldn’t miss that. She’d promised Ryan she’d be there for as many of his rides as possible, and she intended to keep her word.

      A warmth infused her cheeks as the reality of the situation grew clearer. Hers was more than a simple friendly promise. She truly wanted to be present to watch him ride. And to pray for his safety when the chute gate opened and he spent the next eight seconds, and beyond, in mortal danger.

      Closing her eyes as her brother drove toward home, Julie began her prayers for Ryan’s safety then and there.

      * * *

      He’d come in third in the first round of saddle-bronc riding and had hit the ground right in front of one of the TV cameras, so his landing was liable to wind up on the late news. This ride hadn’t earned the best score he’d ever been awarded, but it wasn’t the worst either, and there were more chances coming in the ensuing days. They’d eliminate some of the less able riders this first weekend, add some special former champions the second, then tie up the titles and grand prize money during the third and final series of events. All he had to do was see that he landed in the top ten this weekend, then wait for the next chance and the next and do the same.

      By the time it was all over, he expected to have lined his pockets with plenty of money and maybe come away with a new hand-tooled saddle and bridle, a pair of silver spurs and a couple of fancy buckles, too.

      Barnyard aromas permeated the air. Dust rose in clouds as the livestock was shifted from place to place by