The Rodeo Star's Return (Sapphire Springs Book 1) Read online

  The Rodeo

  Star’s Return

  Sapphire Springs

  Book 1

  Angie

  Campbell

  Copyright 2017 by Angela Campbell

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead,

  or events is merely coincidence. Any unauthorized distribution of this work

  or its characters is not permitted.

  Cover by:

  Erin Dameron-Hill

  Award-Winning Cover Artist

  www.edhgraphics.blogspot.com

  Other books:

  Summer Obsession

  Oh, Baby!

  Reading Order:

  Summer Obsession

  Oh, Baby!

  The Rodeo Star’s Return

  Table of Contents

  Prologue – Sunday, October 21

  Chapter 1 – Friday, April 26

  Chapter 2 – Saturday, April 27

  Chapter 3 – Sunday, April 28

  Chapter 4 – Monday, April 29

  Chapter 5 – Thursday, May 2

  Chapter 6 – Saturday, May 4

  Chapter 7 – Thursday, May 9

  Chapter 8 – Saturday, May 11

  Chapter 9 – Sunday, May 12

  Chapter 10 – Wednesday, May 15

  Chapter 11 – Saturday, May 18 – Wedding Day

  Chapter 12 – Friday, June 28

  Chapter 13 – Tuesday, July 2

  Chapter 14 – Wednesday, July 3

  Chapter 15 – Saturday, July 13

  Chapter 16 – Sunday, July 14

  Chapter 17 – Saturday, August 10

  Epilogue – Saturday, August 24

  Excerpt from His Unexpected Bride:

  Prologue – Sunday, October 21

  Tyler Wentworth just barely resisted the temptation to punch the glass out of the passenger side window of the old pickup. He knew he needed a new rig, but he had always been irrationally attached to the old Ford. It was a faded red and had a couple of dents in it from his grandpa hauling wood in it. There was even a dent in the passenger side door where a deer had bounced off the side of it one night, out on Y highway. To say it was in need of an overhaul, was an understatement.

  His grandpa Wentworth had passed the eighties model truck down to him just a couple of months before he passed on himself. He had kept it with him for the past eight years while he was out on the rodeo circuit. Now that he was back in Sapphire Springs, he planned on putting it in the shop as soon as he got the chance. Right now, he was just wishing the old rig had picked a warmer day to break down. Well, warmer and drier.

  He stood with his hands braced on the truck door and his head bowed, rain water running off his cowboy hat in small rivers. His clothes were soaked to the point that his western style shirt was transparent, and his jeans probably had tripled in weight. He shook his head in frustration. He just had to get himself caught in one of the worst down pours of the year, and now he was soaked and frozen practically to the bone. He would almost swear it was just warm enough to keep the rain from freezing. He felt like he was going to turn into a full-size ice sculpture any second now.

  This kind of rain in October just wasn’t the norm. Of course, Missouri weather never was easy to predict. In another thirty minutes, the sun could be out, and the temperature could be ten degrees higher. He just hoped he didn’t have to stand here another thirty minutes to find out.

  “God, help me,” he mumbled under his breath. He’d already called his parents’ house enough times, his cell phone was dead. So, even if he had other numbers to call, he wouldn’t be able to.

  He swore under his breath. If he had thought before now to get cell numbers for some of his old friends, he could have called someone else before the battery in his phone died. For the time being he was stranded on the side of the road, just outside of town, with a torrential down pour beating down on his head. He’d already been standing there for ten minutes, and there hadn’t been a single soul pass yet. The way his luck had been running lately, he could probably stand there all night without one passing. “I guess I might as well start walking,” he grumbled to himself.

  “Excuse me.” He heard a soft, feminine voice coming from the other side of the truck. He had been so deep in thought, he had obviously missed someone pulling up. “Is someone there? I stopped when I saw the hood partially up and the flashers going. I can’t help you with the truck, but I can take you somewhere. You’d probably like to get out of this monsoon. This weather is really weird for this time of year.”

  Tyler’s head popped up, his gaze automatically turning in the direction of the most angelic voice he’d ever heard. One he hadn’t heard in too many years, but would never fail to recognize. “Lucy? Lucy Cranes, is that you?” he asked, fearing he’d conjured her out of frustration and desperation. He rounded the truck, a smile splitting his face the second his eyes landed on her. She looked just as angelic in his eyes, as she ever had. His day brightened so much, he had to look up to assure himself the clouds where still there, and making their very slow journey across the sky.

  The rain had already plastered long strands of her dark, brown hair to the side of her face and neck, with the part still caught in the clip, starting to slowly slide down the back of her head. She wore a pair of worn blue jeans, with holes in the knees, and hugging her rounded hips, the tips of her cowboy boots scuffed from wear. Her plain t-shirt done nothing to disguise her full shape, despite it’s dark color.

  When she realized where he was staring, her creamy skin flushed pink, and she crossed her arms in front her. “Stop that,” she snapped, shooting daggers from her beautiful, brown eyes. She was a gorgeous sight to behold, indeed. Even if she did look like she could happily strangle him with his own belt.

  “Thank you, God,” he whispered, his face splitting even more at her groan. “Sometimes when God answers your prayers, he sends you an angel in disguise.”

  “Tyler Wentworth,” she huffed, giving him a grim look. “I should have known. I knew you’d never get rid of this truck.” She shook her head. He still looked as sexy as ever in his tight jeans and western shirt, soaked to the bone as he was. He may be eight years older, but the years looked good on him. The rodeo had honed his body, giving him a lean muscular form. His blue eyes danced with mischief, and she groaned again when he gave her that crooked grin of his.

  “Well, hello to you too, Beautiful,” he said, barely hiding a chuckle.

  She gave him a grouchy look, tightening her crossed arms over her chest, like she could make them seem smaller. “What are you doing back in town?”

  “Coming home,” he grinned, throwing his arms wide.

  “For good?” she snorted, giving him an incredulous look.

  “Yeah, for good,” he said, giving her a goofy grin, all his cowboy swagger, out the window with one look at her pretty face.

  “I wouldn’t think small town life would suit you anymore.”

  “When you’re raised country, deep down, you’re always country.” She just raised an eyebrow at him. There really wasn’t much to say to that. “How about that ride?”

  She sighed, pursing her lips. “I guess I can’t leave even you out here in this down pour.” With a shake of her head, she turned and made her way back to her car. He slammed the hood the rest of the way down and retrieved his keys, then followed quickly behind her, enjoying the sway of her hips.

  He climbed in the passenger seat of her little, economy car, giving her a big goofy grin. When he just sat there, she finally huffed. “Are you going to fasten your seat belt?”

  “Oh, sure thing,” he grinned. “I’m not in th
e habit of using one. The ones in the truck messed up a long time ago.”

  “If you’re going to insist on keeping that truck, and I know you are, you probably should check with Phillip to see if he can fix them, or get replacements,” she mumbled, watching him fasten up. Once she was satisfied he was secure, she put the car in gear and pulled back onto the road.

  “Phillip Townsend?” he asked, sounding awed.

  “Of course. Who else?”

  “He owns his own shop now?”

  “Yeah,” she said, frowning at him.

  “He didn’t when I left,” he said with a shake of his head. “He had talked about it plenty of times. It’s good to see he met that goal.”

  “He opened his shop about a year after you left. It didn’t take him long to earn a solid reputation. He’s always busy,” she frowned again. “You mean your parents never said anything to you about it. Did you not bother to ask about everyone here?”

  “Sure, I asked,” he shrugged. “I always thought they kept me fairly up to date. I guess they missed that detail.”

  “I wonder what else they might have missed telling you,” she grouched.

  “What’s wrong, Luce?” he asked, grinning at her, knowing the reaction he was going to get.

  “Don’t call me that. You know I hate when you call me that,” she snapped. “My name is Lucy.”

  “No. Your name is Lucille. We’ve always called you Lucy for short, Luce.” He grinned, just waiting for the explosion. She didn’t disappoint him.

  “Why do you do that?” she screeched, slapping the steering wheel.

  When the car swerved on the slick asphalt, he rethought his actions. They had just reached the busier part of town, and he didn’t want to be the cause of her hitting someone. “Sorry, I’ll stop. For now, at least.”

  “Whatever,” she grouched, slumping down in the seat.

  “So, back to the topic we were on.”

  “What?” she asked, giving him a confused look.

  He chuckled softly to himself. “The news my parents kept me up on.”

  “Oh, yeah. That.”

  He grinned at her, deciding not to call her on being distracted. This time. “I know Luke bought the garage from old man Peterson, and that Mindi and he are getting married in January.”

  “Yeah, finally.”

  “Finally?”

  “They should have married when she graduated out of high school. It started at her sixteenth birthday party.”

  “They’ve been dating since she was sixteen?” he asked, sounding shocked. He knew Luke was a good guy, and Jamie and Carl would have trusted him, but that was still a little surprising.

  “No, they weren’t dating. He waited to ask her out until she came back from college, this last summer. Their relationship was more like a medieval war, without the battle armor and the swords.”

  “Oh, you mean like our relationship has always been?” he chuckled.

  “Yes… No, that’s not our relationship at all,” she snapped, gripping the steering wheel tight enough to turn her knuckles white.

  He just smirked and asked, “So, you’re not married, and my parents forgot to tell me, are you?” He already knew the answer to that question. That was the one thing his mother would not have failed to tell him about.

  “No,” she blushed, refusing to look over at him.

  He breathed a sigh of relief, despite himself, before asking, “Why is that?”

  She shrugged her already tense shoulders and huffed. “I’ve just not found the right one yet, that’s all.”

  “Oh, I was hoping you would say you were waiting for my return,” he said, only half teasing.

  She glared at him, and answered with a snort. “You really are stuck on yourself, aren’t you?”

  He groaned, grabbing his chest dramatically with both hands. “Ouch. You wound me.”

  “I seriously doubt anything could truly penetrate that tough hide of yours. You’ve got crocodile hide for skin.”

  He chuckled, trying not to let his true feelings show. “Let’s see, what else? Lisa is pregnant with James’ baby, but they aren’t engaged. Yet, anyway. I’m sure it’ll happen soon enough. Actually, I seen Lisa and James in Harris Grocery last month.”

  “Last month?” she asked, giving him a dirty look. “Just how long have you been back in town?”

  “Since August thirty-first.”

  “That long, and nobody bothered to warn me,” she grouched.

  “Oh, come on, Baby. Don’t be that way.”

  She just gave him a dirty look and turned to face back out the windshield. “You should probably call Luke to go get your truck.”

  “I would, but my cell is dead.”

  “We’re not far from there. I’ll just drop you off. I’m sure neither he or James would mind giving you a ride home.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” he answered, doing his best not to growl back at her, as she pulled onto the parking lot of Luke’s Garage.

  As soon as he exited the vehicle and closed the door behind him, she pulled off, not bothering to wave goodbye. He was still standing there with his hand raised when Luke walked up.

  “I see your two’s relationship hasn’t changed since high school.” He just sighed and shook his head in response. “Don’t let it get you down. Believe it or not, there’s still hope.”

  He sighed again. “I have to say, it doesn’t really feel like it.”

  “I know you weren’t here to witness it, but my relationship with Mindi wasn’t a whole lot different than your relationship with Lucy. I didn’t listen when Zane and the others told me how Mindi truly felt about me either. Now we’re getting married.”

  Chapter 1 – Friday, April 26

  Tyler had been wondering around Harris Grocery for the last half hour trying to find everything on his mom’s list. Most of the items he at least recognized. It had just been eight years since he had been in here, and he had never really known how the store was set up in the first place. To be honest, he couldn’t tell you if anything had changed, or not. Unlike a lot of the kids in his graduating class, he never worked here. His after-school job had been working with one of the neighboring ranches. Then he would spend the weekends helping his dad take care of the few horses they had for recreation. It had never been his dad’s desire to own a working ranch. He just loved the horses, and kept them for riding.

  His dad may have been happy with just the few horses he had for riding, but it had always been Tyler’s dream to own his own ranch. That’s why he had spent so many years on the rodeo circuit, riding both broncos and bulls. He would spend just enough of his winnings to survive, and deposit the rest into a savings account. He had been hoping to retire by the time he was thirty. After an incident with a young fan, where he had barely escaped with his skin still intact, he had decided to retire early. It had never been his intention to become famous, but due to the level of fame he had achieved, he had socked away more than enough to reach his goal.

  Of course, if it hadn’t been for the fame, he probably wouldn’t have had a fan crazy enough to try and force him into marrying her. While he didn’t believe he would be remembered the way his own favorite rodeo star was, or even come close for that matter, he had probably amassed more in winnings. Unfortunately, his hero had died way too young. If he had gotten the chance to live out his career and truly reach his potential, there’s no telling what he would have accomplished. He had been one heck of a bull rider from all the stories Tyler had heard over the years.

  He shook his head to pull his mind out of his musings, and frowned down at the list once again. He was down to the last item on the list, and he had no idea where to find it. He wasn’t even sure how it was used in cooking. As far as he knew it was something used in baby powder. He only knew that much because one of his friends and his wife have a one-year-old little boy. When he was over at their house visiting the other day, he had noticed the baby powder on the coffee table said with cornstarch.

  “Where
do they keep cornstarch in a grocery store?” he grumbled to himself before turning to head back toward the front of the store. He was thinking maybe he could find Joe and ask him where it was at. It was the middle of the day. The store owner was sure to be there somewhere.

  Just as he looked up from the crumpled paper in his hand, he noticed someone backing around the end of the aisle, like they were trying to sneak away before they were seen. “Lucy?” he called out, doing his best not to chuckle.

  When he called her name, the cart stopped, and he heard a grumbled curse. He grinned to himself, picking up his pace. He managed to catch her at the end of the aisle, and was soon looking into the prettiest brown eyes he’d ever seen. Despite her obvious irritation, he just grinned at her. “Hi, Beautiful. Fancy meeting you here.”

  “Hello, Tyler,” she replied, sounding like she was grinding her teeth.

  “Strange how, when I’m needing help lately, I end up running into you,” he grinned. “I think we should take it as a sign from above.”

  She shook her head vigorously. “No. The only thing strange I find around here, is you,” she snapped in reply.

  “Why would you say a thing like that?”

  “Okay, I’ll bite,” she said, pulling herself up to her full five feet five and a half inches, and crossing her arms over her chest. “How did a nationally known rodeo star end up back in Sapphire Springs? A small town of barely more than fifteen hundred people.”

  He gave her a hurt and confused look. “This is my home. I grew up here. Why wouldn’t I come back?”

  “I wouldn’t think this life would be exciting enough for you anymore.”

  “You came back to work in the hospital doing lab work. You could have gone to some major university to work in medical research. You’re one of the smartest people I know, yet you’re still here. And why? Because it’s home. It’s where you want to be.”

  She frowned, knowing he was right, and she really had no room to talk. Rather than admitting he was right though, she changed the subject. “What do you want, Tyler?”