One Night Rodeo Read Free Page A

considered me kissin’ you all the time.” His eyes searched hers. “But I could ramp up the kisses to spark your memory from a few weeks back, if you’d like.”
    “In your dreams.”
    Kyle chuckled. “I’ll be outside if you need anything.”

    Like a total chickenshit, Celia was hiding in her hotel bathroom.
    From Kyle.
    Kyle . The guy she’d known since she was six years old.
    What the hell was wrong with her?
    Because the Kyle waiting for you is not the same Kyle you’ve known your entire life.
    She dabbed concealer over the bruise on her cheekbone. Contrary to her sister-in-law Janie’s claims, Celia hadn’t been in love with Kyle Gilchrist since her childhood—she’d simply loved to annoy him.
    Even when Kyle was a teenage boy, it took a lot to rile him, unlike her brothers, who were easily provoked. Armed with childish logic, Celia made it her mission to get under Kyle’s skin as often as possible.
    She’d drawn hearts emblazoned with her name on every one of his school notebooks.
    He’d retaliated by stringing up her My Little Pony collection from a tree.
    She’d pushed him into the stock tank.
    He’d held her down and tickled her until she peed her pants.
    She’d put a snapping turtle in his gym bag.
    He’d tied her to the tire swing and spun her until she puked.
    All harmless pranks that demanded retaliation.
    The problem was—Kyle still brought out every combative instinct she owned. Her first impulse was to goad him into an argument, or to fight back when he goaded her, which happened frequently since he’d never outgrown that juvenile behavior either.
    But that had all changed three weeks ago with a kiss. An incredible kiss.
    Tanna had dragged her to the annual New Year’s bash at rodeo legend Del Montoya’s ranch outside of Stephenville, Texas. Celia hadn’t known many people, so she’d been secretly happy to run into Kyle the first day of the two-day party.
    Maybe it was the free-flowing alcohol, but she and Kyle hadn’t sniped at each other once. The lead rope tied around the door handle of Tanna’s horse trailer meant her friend was getting lucky that night, so Kyle let Celia crash in his camper. They’d talked and laughed until the wee small hours.
    The next day Kyle and Tanna were competing in the private rodeo, leaving Celia at loose ends. In the late afternoon she’d headed to a small pond to watch the sunset. It’d struck her how alone she felt most the time,no matter whether she was surrounded by people, on the road, or in the arena—or even at home in Muddy Gap.
    Kyle had tracked her down and somehow sensed her melancholy. The ease of the previous day’s conversation lingered, especially when they talked of home. Of frigid nights and miles of snow. Of the splendor of orange and purple Wyoming sunsets splashing across a pale gray winter sky.
    When she mentioned the New Year’s Eve festivities, Kyle asked, “Have you picked a cowboy to kiss when the clock strikes twelve?”
    “I’ve had enough drunken, forgotten kisses to last me a lifetime.”
    “If that’s the case, you could always lay a hot, wet one on me,” he’d said silkily. “I guarantee an unforgettable kiss.”
    “Like I said, Kyle. Been there, done that.”
    “But not with me,” he insisted.
    “Been there, done that with you.” Celia locked her gaze on his. “You were the first guy who ever kissed me.”
    Kyle shook his head. “Trust me, I’d remember that.”
    “Trust me, you forgot. After a night out partying with Hank, you stumbled into my room instead of the guest bedroom. You stripped naked in front of my sixteen-year-old virgin eyes and crawled into my bed. When I tried to move, you grabbed me and kissed me. With tongue and everything.”
    He wore an appalled look. “I did?”
    “Yep. Then you rolled off me and started snoring. I snuck out and crashed on the couch upstairs. You weren’t in my room the next morning. You never said a word about it, which meant you didn’t remember,