Barreling Through Christmas: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 4) Read online

  A porter took their bags and escorted them to their room, located in a corner of an upper floor. When he opened the door, Paige sucked in her breath while Randi released a squeal of excitement.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Randi rushed inside the double-door entry and stood in the marbled foyer, mouth gaping open in astonishment.

  Paige stepped into the foyer and glanced out the oversized windows across from it, taking in a magnificent view of Las Vegas and the hills in the distance. It truly was incredible. “Are you sure this is our room?” She turned to the porter.

  “Yes, ma’am. This suite is almost four-thousand square feet of luxury,” he said, carrying their bags inside and setting them in the foyer. “Would you like me to carry these to the bedrooms?”

  “We can get it from here,” Paige said, handing him a tip. He left with a smile, closing the door behind him.

  “Who is the sugar daddy paying for all this?” Randi asked, running her hand over a marble-topped table with a fragrant bouquet of exotic flowers centered in the middle of it. She bent over and sniffed the flowers then grinned at Paige. “This suite is bigger than our house and your condo combined.”

  “I know.” Paige clasped her sister’s hand, unable to keep her excitement in check. “Let’s see what else is in here.”

  An elegant sitting area included plush furnishings, a large-screen television, gas fireplace, and even a baby grand piano. Double glass doors opened onto a balcony that offered an even better view of the city and the surrounding area.

  “I can’t wait to paint this,” Randi said, pulling open the doors and stepping outside. “This is like something from a dream!”

  “It really is,” Paige agreed, giving her sister a hug. A cool breeze chased them both inside. They explored the master suite, with its pillow-topped bed, fireplace, and sprawling bathroom with a walk-in shower and jetted tub. The second bedroom offered similar accommodations.

  There was even a small workout area in a room next to a small washroom.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Randi said, sinking down on the sofa and relaxing into the soft cushions. “I could happily live here.”

  Paige sat beside her and slapped her leg. “Maybe for a day or two, but after that you’d miss Dave.”

  “I thought it went without saying that Dave would have to move here.” Randi’s smile faded and her face bore a wistful expression. “I wish he could have taken time off work to join us.”

  Paige frowned. “I’m sure he’d have a wonderful time following us around as we search for a model for Elliott’s jeans.”

  Randi smirked. “You never said what the name of this clothing line is going to be.”

  “That’s because we haven’t developed a name for it yet. In the test markets, Elliott called the line Urban Flynn.”

  Randi grimaced. “That’s an interesting name.”

  “Interesting is a rather bland description from you,” Paige teased. “It really is awful. Between the cheesy models and the dreadful brand name, it’s no wonder the line floundered.”

  “And your job is to resurrect it as a whole new line, designed for the manly-man eat-raw-steak-for-breakfast-type cowboy?” Randi stood, bowed her legs, and took a few exaggerated swaggering steps.

  Paige giggled. “Yes, that’s the idea. You have to admit, the jeans looked nice on Dave.”

  Randi gave Paige a dubious look. “What were you doing checking him out?”

  “Eww! I wasn’t. I just meant that he made them look far better than the skinny models Elliott used.” Paige tossed a pillow at her sister.

  Randi threw it back at her. “I know. I’m just giving you a hard time. Come on. Let’s go explore and see if we can find your perfect cowboy.”

  Chapter Three

  “Being here is like strolling through an all you can eat buffet with hundreds of marvelous cowboy derrieres as the pièce de résistance,” Randi mused, turning to smile at Paige as they strolled through the largest vendor show either of them had ever attended.

  Too amused by her sister to be appalled, Paige grinned and nodded her head in agreement. Although she generally preferred a man in a suit to one in jeans and boots, she had to admit a multitude of handsome cowboys surrounded them.

  From the moment they’d stepped into the huge convention hall, Paige had tried to glance covertly at the denim-clad posteriors of men. Her sister made no such attempts. Randi boldly studied any that she thought might fill the role of prime model for Elliott’s new clothing line.

  “What about that one?” Randi asked, grabbing Paige’s arm and motioning toward a tall cowboy standing a few feet away. He filled out his jeans exceedingly well, but he was too burly to be Paige’s ideal model.

  “No. He isn’t the one.” She turned away to study the crowd and continued walking down an aisle past vendors selling Christmas ornaments and jewelry.

  “Oh, that one’s nice,” Randi whispered, drawing Paige’s gaze to a swaggering cowboy making his way down a crowded aisle in front of them.

  “Too bowlegged.”

  Randi fisted a hand on her hip and studied her sister. “You’re terribly picky for someone desperately searching for a cowboy willing to have his butt exploited to benefit your career.”

  Paige swallowed the mint she’d been sucking on and coughed, choking on the candy.

  With feigned innocence, Randi thumped her on the back. “What? I’m just telling the truth.”

  The glare Paige tossed at her only made her laugh. “Come on. The perfect behind has to be around here somewhere.” Randi tugged her down another aisle. The two of them stopped to admire a booth selling hand-knit scarves. “I think I’ll start my own list, like Santa’s, for all the good little boys. See,” she said, pointing to a cowboy who walked by. “Now that’s nice.”

  “Don’t you feel the slightest bit of shame, ogling men’s backsides when you’re a married woman?” Paige took note of a cowboy with an exceptionally attractive face, but when he turned around, he didn’t meet her criteria of what she was looking for in the jean department.

  “No, I do not. I may be married, but I’m not dead. Besides, this is all in fun and I’m only staring at butts to help you. If you think I make a habit of gawking at men’s rumps, you are sadly mistaken. Dave’s cute little…”

  Paige slapped her hands over her ears. “Too much information, Miranda Marie. I don’t want to hear anything about my brother-in-law that will make me embarrassed to look him in the eye the next time I see him.”

  Randi giggled. “Okay. I’ll take it down a notch.” She walked close to Paige, categorizing the men they encountered as they continued meandering through the booths. “Nice. Meh, he’s okay. Oh, that one is nice.” She pointed to a cowboy walking past them and waggled her eyebrows. “Really nice.” Suddenly, she stopped and gaped at a cowboy standing across the aisle, talking to someone behind the counter at a booth selling a variety of tack. “Whoa, Nelly! He’s got to be at the top of Santa’s naughty list with a fine form like that.”

  Paige glanced at the rear in question. Heat spiraled from her midsection to every extremity as she focused on the man’s backside. Without giving a thought to her actions, she lifted her phone and snapped two quick photos of the cowboy’s behind before he began walking away. “That’s the one, Randi. He’s the one!”

  “Well, don’t just stand there. Let’s lasso him and drag him back to Portland.” Randi grasped Paige’s hand and the two of them struggled to make their way through the closely packed crowd as the cowboy moved further away from them.

  “Did you get a look at his face?” Paige asked, nearing panic as they tried to catch up to the cowboy without any success. “Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”

  “No. I only saw him from the back. He has on a gray shirt, doesn’t he?” Randi pointed to a man in front of them wearing a gray plaid shirt. When they were able to see his backside, he definitely wasn’t the same man.

  “Honestly, I wasn’t paying any attention
to his shirt,” Paige admitted. She’d never seen anything quite like the back view of the cowboy they’d just encountered. He wasn’t overly tall, but he was muscular. The way he carried himself, confident and strong, he seemed to possess a raw magnetism that couldn’t be hidden or denied.

  “Look, there he is!” Randi pointed to a cowboy in a gray paisley western shirt turning down a side aisle.

  The two diminutive sisters struggled to push through the crowd. By the time they made it to the side aisle, the cowboy was nowhere in sight.

  Paige and Randi rushed forward and found themselves at a side exit. The man must have left the vendor show.

  Together, they raced outside, but in the milling crowd, it was impossible to see the cowboy in question.

  Thwarted and frustrated, Paige sank onto a bench and placed her head in her hands. “I found the perfect cowboy and lost him in a matter of minutes. Why, why do these things always happen to me?”

  “Oh, suck it up, buttercup,” Randi said, plopping down beside her. “We’ll find him again. I mean, there can’t be too many men with backsides that would claim the all-time world champion title of best cowboy tushie. You did get some photos of him. Maybe we can ask around and see if anyone knows who he is.”

  Paige’s mouth dropped open and she stared at her sister in disbelief. “Are you insane? We can’t just walk up to people and say, ‘Excuse me, does this cowboy’s particularly fine posterior look familiar to you?”

  Giggles rolled out of Randi. “It would make for an interesting way to start a conversation.” At Paige’s horrified look, she sobered and stood, holding out a hand to her sister. “Come on. Someone in this building has to recognize this guy. Just say we’re trying to find him to model in an ad you’re working on and leave it at that.”

  An hour later, Paige decided they’d never discover the identity of the mystery cowboy with the perfect posterior for her client’s clothing line. They’d gone booth-by-booth, asking each vendor if they recognized the man. The vendors who didn’t give them odd looks or outright laugh at them, shrugged and muttered something about seeing thousands of people.

  “Let’s go back to the hotel and rest a while,” Randi said, pointing toward the front exit where they could catch a cab. “You have tickets for the rodeo tonight. Maybe we’ll see the mystery man there.”

  “Maybe.” Paige didn’t hold out much hope for it, though. There had to be some way to find the man in question.

  On the way out of the vendor show, Randi insisted on stopping to try on several pairs of cowboy boots and bought a pair. When Paige refused to try any on, her sister glowered at her. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to wear to the rodeo, but it isn’t going to be a business suit and those heels. Did you bring anything even remotely close to casual to wear?”

  Paige glanced down at her low-heeled shoes. “I have a pair of flats and some dress slacks. They’ll be sufficient.”

  Randi rolled her eyes but didn’t press her further as they walked up the steps leading out of the show.

  In the foyer, a rodeo clown sat on the floor, talking to a group of children.

  As they drew closer, Paige realized he held a storybook in his hands. Intrigued by the spell he seemed to hold over the children, she stopped to listen to him.

  His voice was smooth, though not overly deep, as he read the children a story about three cowboys stuck out on the range at Christmastime, roping steers and wrestling longhorns. Animated expressions filled his face as he showed the children pictures of a cactus decorated with tin cans and a cow parading around as a reindeer.

  Paige took in the white makeup around his eyes and mouth, outlined in black, and the splotch of bright pink makeup on his nose. Broad shoulders and an athletic build filled out the basketball-type shorts and motocross-style shirt he wore. Splashes of neon green and a few sponsor patches sewn onto the sleeves of the shirt highlighted his black attire. He wore knee-high black socks and tennis shoes.

  If not for the cowboy hat on his head and paint on his face, he could have been on his way to shoot hoops with friends.

  Paige lingered as he finished reading the story. The children clapped and cheered when Santa arrived in the story and brought gifts to the three lonesome cowboys. After the clown closed the book, he rose to his knees then signed autographed glossy photos for each of the kids before reminding them if they came to the rodeo that night to stop by before it started and say hello to him.

  “What’s your deal with the clown?” Randi asked as they made their way outside and moved into the line of people waiting to catch a cab.

  A frown puckered Paige’s brow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Stop reading something into everything I do. I merely wanted to see how one man could so easily hold the interest of a few dozen children. Didn’t you notice how they flocked around him?”

  Randi grinned. “I certainly did. However, that sort of thing usually escapes your notice. You are the one who has never been overly interested in children.”

  “That’s because I have to get my career settled first.” Paige pulled out a tube of tinted lip-gloss and started to touch up her lips. Randi snorted beside her, making her hand jerk with an unexpected jostle. Annoyed, she ransacked her purse for a tissue to wipe away the smear.

  “You might want to start with a husband to be the father of the children,” Randi suggested, earning a frosty glare. “Maybe if we can find Mr. Perfect Buns, he’d make a prime candidate.”

  Paige glanced into her compact mirror and wiped away the lip-gloss on her cheek. “For goodness sake, don’t let anyone else hear you call him that. And if we can find my absolutely perfect model again, I might be willing to marry him just to finish this project for Elliott.”

  Chapter Four

  Cooper James signed autographs for the children who’d gathered around him for an impromptu story time and covertly studied two attractive sisters as they walked out the door. Through the big glass windows fronting the convention center, he watched them get in line for a cab.

  He’d glanced up from reading a book to the kids and noticed the women lingering off to one side of the group gathered around him. The two blond females bore a strong resemblance to each other, even though one of them oozed fun and amusement while the other one appeared to be all business.

  Not that Cooper intended to get involved with anyone. He barely had time to take care of himself these days. After breaking up with his last girlfriend in October, he certainly wasn’t in the mood to go down that road again.

  Over the years, he’d had several serious girlfriends. A few, he’d even considered marrying. Eventually, they all arrived at the conclusion he wouldn’t choose them over his career and the death knell for their relationship began tolling. The ultimatums they tossed at him to give up his career as a rodeo entertainer or break up meant that he bid them a less than fond farewell.

  Free and unfettered was how he liked to roll. At least that’s what he told himself as he watched the uptight woman glare at her sister as they slid into a cab. Although she wore her hair in a rather severe upswept style, she had beautiful bone structure with amazing toffee-colored eyes. He wondered if she’d look more like her sister with her hair down and a smile on her face.

  Irritated by the curiosity urging him to chase down her cab and introduce himself, he refocused his attention on the children as their parents herded them away.

  “Hey, Coop! Do you want to join us for an early dinner?” a woman’s voice asked, drawing his attention to an approaching couple.

  Cooper smiled at Kash and Celia Kressley, reaching out to shake Kash’s hand. “How’s it going, man?”

  “Great, Cooper. Couldn’t be better,” Kash said, settling an arm around Celia’s shoulders beneath her mantle of red hair.

  He winked at Celia. “That’s just because you earned the title of stock contractor of the year. Congrats, again, Kash. It is a well-deserved honor.”

  “Thank you, Cooper. It is pretty exciting, but I think the c
hanges we’ve made in the last year made all the difference.” Kash looked down at his wife with love shining in his eyes.

  Cooper laughed. “Well, we all had bets on the fella Celia would end up hogtying and dragging down the aisle. Sorry you didn’t run away fast enough, Kash.”

  Celia playfully slugged Cooper’s arm. “No one was hogtied or otherwise dragged down the aisle. It was all voluntary.”

  Cooper shrugged and held his hands up in front of him, in a show of innocence. “Whatever you say, Seal, just don’t beat me again.”

  She laughed and handed Cooper an envelope.

  A puzzled frown furrowed vertical lines across his brow as he took it from her. “What’s this?”

  “It’s a photo from the rodeo last night.” Celia eagerly watched as Cooper removed the eight-by-ten photograph from the envelope.

  “Wow, Seal! This is great!” he said. She’d caught him standing on top of his clown barrel, waving to the crowd. He took a step closer and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, honey. I love it.”

  “I’m glad,” Celia said, looping one arm around Cooper’s while wrapping the other around Kash’s arm. “Come get a bite to eat with us. We’ll all need to be at the arena soon.”

  “I know. Who would have thought we’d all end up having such a great year. Kash is the top stock contractor, you are one of the official rodeo photographers, and I’m the finals rodeo clown this year. Is your brother going to be able to come to the rodeo?”

  Celia shook her head. “No. Cort and Kaley didn’t want to bring little Grace into the crowds and noise. You should see my brother. He’s turned into such a softy. One look at his beautiful baby girl and he morphs into an overgrown teddy bear.”

  Cooper laughed. “I would like to see that. Next time I’m over his direction, I’ll have to stop by.”

  “Cort would love that, Coop. You definitely should visit him and Kaley. Tate and Kenzie would be happy to see you, too.”

  He nodded and pulled away from Celia. “Let me change and wipe this makeup off. I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.”