The Christmas Cowboy: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 1) Read online

  Thoughtfully observing him, Kenzie pulled a water bottle from her bag and took a drink. Once she screwed the cap back on, she turned to Tate. “You said when you aren’t out on the rodeo circuit, you ranch. Where do you live?”

  “South of Kennewick.” The ranch his grandfather started back in the early 1900s and his father made successful through unwavering dedication and plain old hard work had always been his home. “If you head toward Umatilla and take the last exit before you cross into Oregon, we’re about ten miles off the beaten path on the Washington side of the border.”

  “I’ve never driven around much in that area.” In the time she’d been in the Tri-Cities, Kenzie hadn’t done any exploring. She was rarely home long enough to do more than catch up on laundry and visit her one close friend.

  “Are you originally from the Tri-Cities?” Tate asked, wondering where Kenzie grew up. She seemed like the very persona of a fashionable city girl, opposite of the type of girl he thought would someday fit into his lifestyle.

  “No, my family lives in Portland.” Kenzie brushed imaginary lint from her skirt. She knew the next question Tate would ask and beat him to it. “I moved to Kennewick three years ago because I needed to get out of Portland. My best friend lives near Pendleton and encouraged me to move closer. I chose the Tri-Cities area because it works well with my job. I spend a lot of time traveling and being close to an airport is essential.”

  “What made you want to leave Portland?” Tate stretched his legs beneath the seat in front of him. He hated flying, not because he was afraid of the plane crashing, but mostly because he felt cramped and uncomfortable the entire time. Whoever designed the seats must not have taken long legs and broad shoulders into account.

  “Let’s just say the city wasn’t quite big enough to keep from running into my former fiancé and his very pregnant girlfriend.” A flash of anger fired in her eyes.

  At Tate’s raised eyebrow, she shook her head. “It really was for the best. We were at the bakery, doing a cake tasting for our wedding, when a woman ran in and started screaming at Sonny, slapping his face. Apparently, she’d just found out she was pregnant. She demanded he tell me the truth, and he confessed he’d been seeing her on the side.”

  “More than seeing her, I’d say.” Indignant on behalf of the woman he’d just met, he thought her ex-fiancé had to be a certified idiot to mess up a future with Kenzie. However, if the man hadn’t been an idiot, Tate wouldn’t be sitting across from her, enjoying their conversation and hoping he’d see her again.

  “Anyway, I ran into them all the time. Since my job isn’t based in a specific area, it doesn’t really matter where I live. When Megan called and invited me to stay with her for a while, I decided to take her up on the offer. The drive from Helix to the airport in Pasco grew old in a hurry, so I rented an apartment in Kennewick.” Uneasy, she glanced at Tate. “Now you know more about me than you ever wanted to.”

  “Hardly.” He wondered if her skin would feel as soft as it looked as he studied her strong cheekbones and creamy complexion. Popping his knuckles seemed the only way to keep from reaching across the aisle and indulging his curiosity by touching her cheek. When Kenzie cringed at the sound, he stopped and gripped the armrest. “Your friend, Megan - is she, by any chance, Megan Montgomery?”

  “Yes. Do you know her?” Kenzie’s voice carried a note of friendly interest.

  “Yep. I know her husband, Owen. He purchases cattle from us and we’ve bought horses from them for years.” Tate was surprised he and Kenzie hadn’t run into each other before, since the Montgomery clan liked to entertain and often hosted barbecues and dinners. “Megan’s fed us more than a time or two.”

  “Wow. I’ll have to tell Megan I met you.” She made a mental note to call her friend later that evening. “When you say us and we, who else lives on the ranch with you?”

  Tate laughed and the sound resonated somewhere deep and untouched inside Kenzie, drawing out her smile.

  “It’s just me. Well, me and my foreman, Monte, and the ranch hands. My dad moved into an assisted living facility in Richland about a month ago, so I’m still getting used to rattling around the house by myself when I’m home.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Is your father unwell?” Kenzie asked, wondering what type of ailment required Tate’s father to move into a care home.

  “Nothing is wrong with Pop except old age. He turned ninety on his last birthday and finally agreed it was time for him to retire,” Tate said, chuckling. He loved to see the reaction on people’s faces when he told them his father’s age.

  Determined to be a bachelor his whole life, Tate’s father, Kent, didn’t know what hit him when he met a beautiful young woman who turned his world upside down.

  “I can see by the look on your face, you’re trying to do the math and coming up shy a few years,” Tate teased with a knowing grin. “I’m twenty-nine. Pop was nearly sixty when he married my mama. She was in her late twenties. Most folks thought it was quite a scandal for them to get married, but they loved each other. I don’t think Pop ever recovered from losing Mama. I was about eleven when she had kidney failure and died. We all thought she was in good health, but it seemed to hit her out of the blue. It’s been just me and Pop since. He’s done remarkably well for his age, but the winter was hard on him and he was ready to move off the ranch and into town once spring arrived. He’s in great shape, but I still worry about leaving him home alone. He agreed assisted living was a good option.”

  “I’m sorry, Tate. I know how hard it is to lose a parent,” Kenzie said, not wanting to bare her soul to this stranger. “Do you have any siblings?”

  “Nope, but I’ve got a bunch of friends who are as close as brothers and some cousins, however many times removed, who live a few hours away in Grass Valley.” He smiled as they made small talk the rest of the trip.

  When the pilot announced the plane would soon land, they both glanced at their watches. They’d made up most of the lost time.

  “I’ve enjoyed this flight more than any I have in a long time, Kenzie. Thank you for talking with me,” Tate said as they landed and gathered their things in anticipation of leaving the plane.

  “It was nice to visit with you, Tate. I hope you do well at the rodeo.” She genuinely wanted him to win. It was hard to remain cool and aloof around such a warm, inviting personality.

  Despite the alarms sounding in her head to stay far away from him, Kenzie was grateful she had the opportunity to meet the charming cowboy.

  “I do, too. It’s a long way to go to not at least place,” Tate said with the grin Kenzie was starting to think of as his trademark.

  Some irrational part of her wanted to kiss each dimple in his scruffy cheeks.

  Together they hurried through the airport. When they arrived at the point where they would go their separate ways, Tate shifted his bag and placed his free hand on Kenzie’s arm, pulling her to a stop. Gently taking her hand in his, he smiled, trying to ignore the powerful force surging from their joined fingers up his arm.

  “I hope we run into each other again.” He sincerely hoped he would see the beautiful girl another time. Although he’d just met her, he knew she would linger in his thoughts.

  “That would be nice.” Suddenly, she felt very shy. “You never know when we’ll meet at the airport.”

  “Sure don’t, since we both seem to travel frequently.” Tate raised an eyebrow at Kenzie, giving her a beseeching look while shrugging his broad shoulders. “Wish me luck?”

  “Of course.” She smiled and squeezed the hand he still held. Thoughts of how nice his palm fit against hers infiltrated her resolve to walk away and not give Tate another thought. “Good luck.”

  “I meant a good luck kiss.” The smile he bestowed on her had charmed many women into doing his will.

  “Oh, I… um…” With a slim likelihood of seeing the handsome rodeo star again, Kenzie desperately wanted to kiss him. Before she could talk herself out of doing something crazy and completel
y out of character, she placed a warm, moist kiss to Tate’s enticing mouth then stepped back. Her lips sizzled from the brief contact.

  “Ride ‘em, cowboy.” Flushed, her cheeks burned as she turned and started walking away from temptation dressed in a cowboy hat and snug-fitting jeans.

  “Kenzie!” Tate called after her, stunned by the impact of the kiss.

  When she stopped and looked over her shoulder, he shot her a teasing grin. “Make them all dewy-eyed, Miss Dewdrop.”

  Kenzie laughed and waved before racing toward baggage claim. Nearly running through the airport, she caught a taxi and made it to her meeting with five minutes to spare.

  Chapter Two

  Greeted warmly by the leaders of the regional team in Denver, Kenzie quickly began the meeting, going into motivational mode. It took her only a few minutes to have the room erupting in cheers and the women attending on their feet, filled with excitement and energy.

  After the two-hour meeting, she spent another hour shaking hands, visiting with consultants, and scheduling one-on-one appointments for the following day.

  Finally escaping to her room for a few minutes of quiet before she joined the regional leaders for dinner, Kenzie traded her plain blouse for one more suited to a dressy occasion then refreshed her hair and makeup.

  As a corporate trainer for a company that emphasized how their products could make women feel beautiful, Kenzie strived to maintain a polished image. Dressed in suits with tasteful heels, hair styled into a fashionable updo, and makeup minimal but effective, she was the embodiment of a young, successful executive.

  Her current life was opposite of how she pictured herself when she was a young girl, filled with big dreams. Sometimes she wished for the simplicity of the life she had planned, before things changed so suddenly and pushed her in an entirely different direction.

  Anxiously plucking her phone out of her pocket, Kenzie kicked off her heels, sank onto the bed, and impatiently waited for her friend Megan to answer.

  “Hey, girl, how’d your meeting go?” Megan asked, her cheerful voice making Kenzie smile. The two had been best friends since first grade, when Megan’s family moved to town.

  “Fine. I thought I was going to be late because the flight out of Pasco was delayed, but I made it in the nick of time.” Uncertain how to broach the subject of meeting Tate, she decided to jump right in. “I met one of your friends at the airport.”

  “Oh? Who?” Megan asked. The sounds of dinner preparations in the background let Kenzie know her friend worked while she talked.

  “Tate Morgan.” Her thoughts wandered to how good he looked in his boots and Wranglers as he waved goodbye. Cowboys, particularly good-looking, loaded-with-charm cowboys, were a definite weak spot for her and she needed to avoid them at all costs.

  A rodeo south of Portland was how she met her former fiancé. His family had a ranch about an hour out of the city where Kenzie enjoyed riding horses and being in the country until she found out about his girlfriend.

  Burned more than once by a handsome cowboy, she knew they were nothing but bad news. Still, she couldn’t quite stop herself from picturing the intense blue of Tate’s eyes, the dimples in his cheeks, or the way the brief touch of their lips completely scrambled her thoughts.

  Lethal.

  He could be positively lethal to her system if she let her guard down.

  “Tate? You met Tate?” Megan asked in surprise. “And…? What did you think?”

  “He seemed nice enough.” Her feigned disinterest drew a disdainful snort from Megan.

  “Nice enough. Did you lose your eyesight on the way to the airport?” The long-suffering sigh Megan expelled confirmed her frustration with her best friend.

  She’d tried multiple times to set Kenzie up on a date with the man, but the girl always found some excuse. However, she realized she’d never mentioned his name, just that Owen had a friend she really thought Kenzie should meet. “He’s gorgeous, funny, and one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. Are you sure it was our Tate?”

  “Suddenly he’s your Tate?” The smile on Kenzie’s face reflected in her voice. “If he’s so important to you, why didn’t you ever mention him before? He’s more than a little famous in the world of rodeo.”

  “Because I know how you feel about cowboys, especially rodeo cowboys. I’ve invited you for dinner numerous times when he was here, but you always have some flimsy excuse that I let slide because I love you,” Megan said with the slightest hint of humor.

  “You know I don’t want to be set up with a cowboy, any cowboy. Other than Owen, they are all trouble with a capital ‘T’.” A quick glance at her clock confirmed she had a few minutes before she needed to meet her dinner companions in the hotel lobby. “He did seem nice, though.”

  “You met one of the hunkiest and all-around good guys on the planet and all you can say is that he seems nice? Did you suffer a bump to the head in your travels today?” Megan sounded exasperated.

  “What do you want me to say?” Kenzie stuffed her feet back in her shoes and stood by the bed.

  “How about you fell in love with him after one glance and can’t wait to see him again?” Megan prompted.

  “You need to get off that ranch and out more, my delusional friend.” Kenzie laughed derisively. “I didn’t fall under his spell although I’m sure, for a cowboy, he is perfectly nice. I enjoyed talking to him, but that’s it. Unless I run into him at the airport, the odds are high I’ll never see or hear from him again.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Megan said in a tone that meant she was plotting something.

  “Stay out of it, Meg. You know where I stand on the cowboy issue, so just leave it alone,” Kenzie warned, needing to go. “I’ll be home day after tomorrow. Maybe we can have lunch, do something fun.”

  “I’d like that. Just let me know when you want to get together.”

  Kenzie disconnected the call, grabbed her evening bag and hurried out the door, shifting into what she called her trainer mentality. Her job was to keep the consultants pumped up and excited about their Dew businesses. The best way for her to accomplish that was to show authentic interest and enthusiasm in their success.

  A consultant for many years before she moved into the corporate office, Kenzie’s inside perspective on how to be successful, combined with a caring personality, made her a magnet to the consultants she mentored. They all wanted to ask her questions, hear her story, gain some insight into how to do their jobs better.

  After offering encouragement and helpful suggestions to the women at dinner and those she met with the following day, Kenzie was grateful for a good night’s sleep before she had to fly back to Pasco. She left mid-morning for the airport, more than ready for a few weeks at home before her next regional event.

  She breezed through security without any problem. After locating her gate, she bought a cup of coffee and waited for her flight.

  With time on her hands, she took out her laptop and finished typing a report for the corporate office about the training meeting as well as the individual appointments she’d held the previous day. She entered notes about consultants she planned to work with over the next few weeks and saved the report before sending it off to her supervisor, who was also the president of the company.

  Employed by a family-owned business had many benefits, and being able to communicate directly with the president was one she appreciated.

  Finished with her work, she started searching online for rodeo scores, annoyed by her curiosity about Tate’s standings. His blue eyes, dimpled cheeks, and charming smile had invaded her thoughts with unrelenting frequency the past few days.

  “Fancy meeting you here, Dewdrop.” A familiar voice resonated directly above her.

  “Tate!” Kenzie said in surprise, looking up into his incredible eyes, wondering how her thoughts of the man made him magically materialize. “How did you do?”

  “I took first and I’m giving you all the credit.” His engaging smile made dimples po
p out in his cheeks and eyes crinkle at the corners.

  “Me? What did I do?” Confused, she stared at Tate as he took the seat next to her.

  “I’m pretty sure that good luck kiss was just what I needed to win.” Slowly pushing his hat brim upward, he leaned close to her ear and dropped his voice to a deep, rumbling tone. “I might need one before every rodeo.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She fought the shiver snaking its way up her spine at his warm breath on her neck. Unwilling to acknowledge her feelings, she instead changed the subject. “You must have been on an early flight to make this connection.”

  “I generally get up before the chickens,” Tate said, leaning back in his seat and resting his arm along the back of Kenzie’s chair.

  Thrilled and dismayed at the feel of his arm across her back, Kenzie sat up straight, holding herself away from him. She started to say something to him about moving his arm, but clamped her mouth shut when three women close to her age ran up to Tate, begging for his autograph.

  Hastily swallowing back a sigh and putting on his celebrity smile, Tate got to his feet and chatted with the women. He gamely signed the magazines they held out for him and even posed for a few photos.

  One of the fans, dressed in a revealing top with skin-tight jeans and spiked heels, pressed herself against Tate and pulled his head down to whisper in his ear. Kenzie watched as he shook his head and stepped away from the woman.

  “You girls travel safe and have a great day.” Tate waved to his fans as they left then settled into his seat next to Kenzie. The adoration of the women was unwelcome. In truth, he hoped they’d find someone else to ogle and leave him alone.

  At first, he’d been flattered by the attention he received from fans but it grew old in a hurry. Some of his fans, with their cloying perfume and hungry eyes, left him unnerved and feeling somehow tainted.

  Women chasing after him, throwing themselves at him, and propositioning him was an aspect of his career Tate hated. His father raised him with a healthy respect for women along with a set of strong morals. Besides, he was an old-fashioned guy who liked to do the chasing, not the other way around.