The Ranger's Rodeo Rebel by Pamela Britton Page A

her own people. We heard later that she’d been beaten to death the next day.”
    â€œOh, Chance. I’m sorry.”
    He shook his head. “Don’t be sorry for me. Be sorry for that woman. You have a choice, Caro. You can either stick with me and be safe, or you can go trotting off on your own and put yourself at risk. After what I saw over there, I don’t trust any man that puts his hands on a woman. James is no exception.”
    She nodded. “Okay. I get it.”
    â€œI hope you do.”
    â€œI was coming back to change. I want to put Rio through his paces. He’s still pretty green, and I’m not sure what he’ll be like in this arena.”
    Rio. Her new stunt horse. He’d watched her practice this past week, marveling at her ability. She was by far and away the best trick rider of the Galloping Girlz, doing things no sane woman should do, like standing on the shoulders of one of the other girls, a stunt he’d never seen before. But no matter how brave she was, she’d be no match for James.
    â€œI’ll watch,” he offered because there was no way he wanted her walking to the arena without him. It was bad enough he’d somehow missed her getting up to feed the horses. If he were honest, he wasn’t angry at her so much as at himself.
    â€œYou don’t have to do that.”
    â€œGo change,” he offered by way of response. “I’ll wait outside.”
    Damn lack of sleep. It made him edgy. And impatient. And cranky.
    But she didn’t leave right away. She held eye contact, her eyes seeming to be as blue as the wild lilac that bloomed in the spring. It was still too early for direct sunlight, but she didn’t need light to shine. A piece of hay stuck in her hair. He told himself to ignore it, but instead he reached for it, slowly, so as not to scare her.
    â€œThank you,” she said softly, but he didn’t know if she thanked him for wanting to keep her safe or for removing the piece of hay.
    â€œYou’re welcome.”
    She entered the trailer and closed the door softly. Chance backed up a step and collapsed into a camp chair he’d set up outside. This attraction thing needed to stop. In a couple months, three at most, he’d be overseas again. Plus, he’d heard her earlier. I’m done with men , she’d said. Never again.
    Bad timing. Bad idea. Bad choice.
    He was a combat veteran, one who took his career seriously, and he needed to stick to the mission—protecting her.
    The trailer door opened, and she paused for a moment. She’d changed into a skintight leotard, one with a silver swath of fabric that ran up her leg, intersected her middle and ended at her shoulder. It left nothing to the imagination. Again.
    Damn.
    He stood up quickly. “Let’s go.”
    She didn’t say a word, simply fell into step beside him. It took her only a moment to tack up Rio—the horse’s special saddle so light it looked as if it required hardly any effort to lift onto Rio’s back. Off-white in color, the saddle was smaller and flatter in the back and, yes, had a saddle horn, but it was tiny compared to a normal saddle.
    â€œArena could be crowded,” he observed as she slipped on Rio’s bridle.
    â€œThat’s okay. There’s always people around.”
    It was early morning, and a crispness hung in the air, typical of mountain rodeos. But the time and temperature didn’t stop people from wandering about. Slack—a section of the rodeo not attended by the general public—would start in an hour or so. Most competitors currently tended to their horses, though a few were already riding.
    Chance scanned the perimeter and sidelines for anyone who might look suspicious, but there was nobody. Everyone was on horseback, which helped eliminate potential threats, unless...
    â€œDoes James ride?” he asked.
    Carolina huffed in laughter as she opened the arena gate.