The Cowboy Next Door. Marin Thomas

smiling. A few yards away, dressed in a red-and-white-checked cowgirl blouse, Veronica Patriot hung on Rodriguez like a cloth over a picnic table. Obviously the cowboy wasn’t trying very hard to play up the romance between him and Shannon.

      “Hey, Johnny.” Andy Kramer, a bareback rider, stopped by his side and nodded to Shannon as she removed her protective gear. “Bet you’re glad Dixie quit riding bulls.”

      For sure. Last summer Shannon had convinced Johnny’s sister to compete in a few rodeos, but Dixie had turned up pregnant after the second one and scratched her final ride.

      “You wanna grab a beer when we leave here?” Andy asked.

      “Sorry, I’ve got a date.” He planned to stop at his girlfriend’s apartment and surprise her with a night on the town. He hadn’t seen Charlene in forever and the last time they’d talked on the phone, the conversation had been strained. He hated that they were growing apart, but he’d been forced to put their relationship on the back burner the past year in order to deal with family problems and the pecan farm’s financial crisis.

      “See ya at the next go-round.” Andy walked off.

      Johnny grabbed his gear and strolled over to Shannon, intending to say goodbye, but Rodriguez beat him to her.

      “Can we talk somewhere?” Rodriguez nodded to the stands.

      Shannon caught Johnny’s eye and he asked, “Want me to stay?”

      “Thanks, I’m good.”

      After she left with Rodriguez, Johnny headed for the exit. What the hell had gotten into him? It was one thing to look out for Shannon at the rodeo—another to hold her close when they’d crashed to the ground.

      Cool off, buddy. No harm done.

      Then why had X-rated thoughts drifted through his mind when Shannon had been sprawled on top of him?

      He cut through the rows of pickups to his truck parked at the rear of the lot. Once he stowed his gear, he drove south toward Stagecoach. In an effort to put Shannon out of his mind, he listened to talk radio. Ten miles passed and he hadn’t heard a word the radio host said. Johnny pulled off at the next roadside gas station and bought a coffee in the convenience store, then sat in the truck and stared out the windshield.

      When had he stopped loving Charlene?

      He couldn’t recall the last time Charlene and the word love had occurred in the same thought. Johnny’s memory floated back in time...first one month...then two...then six and finally a year. He couldn’t blame the demise of his and Charlene’s relationship all on his siblings and the farm. His feelings for his longtime girlfriend had been gradually fading, but because he’d been comfortable with the status quo, he’d paid no attention to the signs.

      He and Charlene had been together a little over seven years and he hadn’t asked her to marry him. The last time she’d brought up marriage, he’d recently found out Dixie was pregnant and then he’d gotten word the agricultural company leasing the pecan groves had gone bankrupt. Marrying Charlene would have added another person to his list of responsibilities.

      Unbeknownst to his brothers, Johnny had made the mortgage payment on the farm for the past eight months, depleting his savings—funds that had been earmarked for a house once he and Charlene tied the knot.

      Shannon. When she’d landed on top of him this afternoon, he’d felt a sharp stab of arousal shoot through his body. He hadn’t experienced a physical zap like that with Charlene in forever. He sipped his coffee and winced as the scalding liquid burned his tongue. If anything good had come out of running into Shannon at the rodeo, it was recognizing that tonight he had to end his relationship with Charlene. She deserved better than to be strung along.

      He started the truck and merged onto the highway. An hour later, he took the exit for Yuma. He arrived at Charlene’s complex and parked in a visitor spot, then removed her apartment key from his key ring.

      When he rounded the corner of the building, he bumped into a man. “Sorry.” Together they ascended the stairs to the second story where the guy stopped in front of Charlene’s apartment and rang the bell.

      Stunned, Johnny gaped at the man’s dress slacks and polished wing tips.

      The door opened and Charlene smiled. When she caught sight of Johnny, her eyes widened.

      “Hello, darlin’,” Johnny said. The color drained from her face and he thought she might cry. “Mind if I have a word with you in private?”

      She motioned for Mr. Businessman to enter the apartment, then stepped onto the landing and shut the door. “I can explain.”

      “How long have you been seeing him?”

      “This is our second date.” She sighed. “I was going to tell you the next time I saw you, but we haven’t spoken in three weeks.”

      Had it been that long? “Don’t apologize.” His pride hurt that she’d moved on before they’d officially broken up, but in the grand scheme of things, he was relieved she was making this easy for him.

      “I’m sorry, Johnny. I should have told you I wasn’t happy.”

      She’d given off plenty of clues that her feelings for him had changed, but he’d been too distracted to notice.

      After he handed her the apartment key, she said, “Wait here.” She returned a few minutes later—hair mussed. Obviously the new guy wanted him to know he’d staked his claim on Charlene.

      She held out a cardboard box filled with his toiletries and personal items. “If you’d like, I can fetch the two necklaces and pair of earrings you bought me.”

      They’d been together seven years and that’s all he’d given her? “Those were gifts. I don’t want them back.” He shifted the box in his arms. “Good luck with—” He nodded to the door.

      “Sean. We met at work.” Charlene kissed his cheek. “You’ll always be special to me, Johnny.”

      “Take care,” he said.

      The apartment door closed and the scraping sound of the dead bolt ended their seven-year relationship.

      Johnny left the complex feeling as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He’d had good times with Charlene and she’d been the first woman he’d fallen in love with, but happy-ever-after hadn’t been in the cards for them.

      Once he reached his truck, he decided he didn’t feel like being alone. He’d stop at a bar and properly mourn the end of his relationship with Charlene. She’d stuck it out with him for longer than most women would have, and the least he could do was drink a few beers and pretend she’d broken his heart.

      * * *

      SHANNON ENTERED THE WHISKEY River Saloon—not because she wanted a beer, but because she hoped to find C.J. in the midst of all the rowdy cowboys and buckle bunnies. She needed to talk sense into her partner before his actions jeopardized everything she’d worked so hard for.

      She hated the strain between her and C.J., but if he didn’t rein in his wild ways and pretend they were a couple in public, she’d lose her shot at a national title. Both her brothers and her father had won rodeo titles and she was determined to win one, too.

      If only she hadn’t fallen victim to C.J.’s charm when they’d first hit the road together, but she’d been no match for the womanizing cowboy and had stupidly believed he’d remain faithful to her after they made love. She’d learned her lesson the hard way when the very next day C.J. flirted with a rodeo groupie right in front of her. Whatever romantic feelings she once carried for him had died a quick death, which made acting like a lovesick couple all the more difficult.

      She really didn’t care if he slept with other women, as long as he kept his liaisons private. If fans believed their romance was a big lie, ticket sales might plummet, then Dynasty Boots would pull their sponsorship—and there went her shot at the title.