Kael (Texas Rascals, #6) Read online

  Cowgirls in showy costumes trotted by on horseback. Ro-

  deo clowns performed antics for the gathering crowd. Ev-

  erywhere they looked there were cowboy hats and boots

  and big belt buckles. Unable to resist joining in on some

  level, Kael had broken out his lucky gold belt buckle for

  the occasion.

  Several people shouted a greeting to Kael, and he raised

  his hand in response.

  “Wow,” Travis said, clearly impressed. “You sure

  know a lot of folks.”

  Kael rested his hand on his son’s shoulder. “When you

  ride the circuit for seven years you get to meet everybody.”

  “I’m going to be a bull rider when I grow up!” Travis

  declared.

  His son’s announcement sent a mix of emotions charging

  through Kael. On the one hand he’d be darned proud to

  have his son carry on the tradition, but for the first time in

  his life the dangers of his chosen profession stared him in

  the face. Did he really want his child risking his life for

  the sake of a sport?

  Shooting Daisy a glance, he saw the comment hadn’t

  been lost on her, either.

  “You can get any ideas like that right out of your head,

  young man,” Daisy said, moving away from Kael and glar-

  ing at him with a look that said, I hold you responsible.

  “Ah, Mom.” Travis kicked at the dirt with the toe of

  his boot. “You never let me do anything.”

  Daisy opened her mouth but snapped it shut before she

  said anything. Kael leaned over to take her elbow and whis-

  per in her ear. “Don’t worry. He’ll forget all about this.

  Next week he’ll be proclaiming he wants to be a fireman.”

  “Just don’t encourage him,” she whispered back. “You

  know my feelings on bull riding.”

  “Settle down, Mama Hen.” He stroked her hair and

  thrilled to the sensation tumbling through his fingers.

  “Come on, I see some good seats up ahead.”

  They clambered over the wooden bleachers, and Kael

  situated his family next to the bull shutes. “Okay,” he said.

  “I’m taking orders. Who wants soft drinks?”

  “I’ll have a ginger ale,” Daisy said, still giving him a

  wary look.

  “Root beer!” Travis said. “And cotton candy.”

  “Be right back.”

  Whistling to himself, Kael started toward the concession

  stands. It felt great to be back in the rodeo arena, even if

  it was as a spectator. Much as he loved his new life, he

  couldn’t deny the pull of the rodeo.

  The robust smell of sawdust, leather and manure filled

  the air, teasing Kael’s nostrils and coaxing his memory. If

  he weren’t injured, if he wasn’t with Daisy and Kael, he’d

  be on the catwalk right now, surveying the bulls and com-

  paring notes with his compadres.

  “Let it go, Carmody,” he said to himself. He got in the

  concession line but couldn’t stop his gaze from wandering

  to the gates where cowboys milled, preparing themselves

  for the upcoming events.

  Suddenly a hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Will

  you look what the cat dragged up.”

  Kael turned to see his ex-manager, Randy Howard, grin-

  ning at him. Randy was a tall man in his late forties with

  a big belly and an even bigger smile.

  “Hey, you old so-and-so.” Kael clasped Randy’s hand

  in a hearty handshake. “How you doin’?”

  “Pretty good,” Randy acknowledged, raring back on his

  heels to get a better look at Kael. “Marriage must agree

  with you.”

  Kael glanced at Daisy in the stands. “Yeah. Marrying

  Daisy is the best thing I ever did.”

  “Must be hard, though, footloose cowboy like yourself

  taking on a ready-made family. Tell the truth, you miss bull

  riding, don’t you?” Randy swept his hand at the hustle and

  bustle around them.

  “Well, it is more than family life that retired me,” Kael

  said, touching his knee.

  “That knee doesn’t have to stop you,” Randy said.

  “You know Tug Jennings came out of retirement last

  month after having that same surgery you’re needin’.”

  Kael hadn’t expected the news to hit him so forcefully.

  His chief competition, Tug Jennings, had suffered a knee

  injury identical to Kael’s three years earlier. To hear Tug

  was back competing after the surgery left a strange hollow-

  ness in Kael’s chest.

  “Whenever you’re ready to have the surgery, just say

  the word,” Randy said. “I’d love to have you back.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Kael smiled.

  “So what are you doing to keep busy these days?”

  “Beekeeping.”

  “Bee what?”

  “I’m helping Daisy run her bee farm.”

  Randy hooted. “Never woulda fingered a wanderer like

  you as a bee farmer. Got to hand it to you, man. I could

  never go in for something so mundane.”

  “Beekeeping’s not mundane,” Kael said, feeling himself

  get defensive. He shouldn’t let Randy goad him or let

  thoughts of Tug Jennings get the better of him. He’d made

  his choice and he knew in his heart it was the right one.

  “Well, listen, I gotta go. Got two cowboys ridin’ this

  afternoon but neither one is as good as you were.”

  As you were.

  The words echoed in Kael’s ears. Words people said to

  has-beens.

  “Good luck with the beekeeping. Maybe you can send

  me a gallon of honey for Christmas.” Chuckling to himself,

  Randy headed off through the crowd.

  Kael pulled the brim of his cowboy hat lower over his

  eyes and pushed aside the rancor seething inside him at

  Randy’s derision. Think of Daisy, he told himself. And

  Travis. You know they’re worth the sacrifice. All Randy

  Howard has got to show for his personal life is three ex-

  wives and two kids that won’t even speak to him.

  Retrieving the refreshments, Kael headed back to the

  stands, the uneasy feeling generated by his encounter with

  his ex-manager reverberating in his head.

  After the rodeo, loaded with souvenirs, they headed for

  Mickey Standish’s party. While Kael drove the few miles

  out of town, Travis chattered nonstop in the back of the

  extended cab. Daisy glanced at her husband. He’d been

  strangely quiet ever since returning from the concession

  stand.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked him.

  “Huh?” Kael jerked his head around to stare at her.

  “What?”

  Daisy’s lip trembled. It was just as she’d suspected. The

  lure of the rodeo had tightened its grip on him. Still, it

  wasn’t an issue they could avoid. She had to know the truth.

  Could Kael really give it up?

  ‘ ‘I saw the way you were watching those bull riders. You

  wanted to be out there, didn’t you?”

  “Please, Daisy, let’s not get into this now.” He sighed.

  “We’re almost at Mickey’s.”

  She clamped her lips together in a tight line and folded

&nbs
p; her arms across her chest. Tears were dangerously close to

  slipping down her cheeks, but she’d be damned if she’d let

  Kael Carmody know exactly how much he affected her.

  He reached over to pat her knee, and she closed her eyes.

  I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry, she mentally

  chanted.

  Kael pulled into the driveway lined with vehicles and

  killed the engine. Immediately guests poured from the

  house, Mickey Standish in the lead.

  “What’s going on?” Kael asked, climbing out of the

  truck.

  “Surprise!” everyone shouted in unison.

  “It’s your retirement party, buddy.” Mickey jabbed him

  playfully on the arm. “We’re glad to have you home.”

  Kael cast a glance back over his shoulder at Daisy who

  sat rigid in the front seat. “Hang on a minute.” He raised

  his hand. Determined, he squared his shoulders and walked

  around to the passenger side of the pickup.

  Daisy watched him come toward her, his brows drawn

  into a frown, his limp slowing him down not one whit. Her

  heart throbbed like crazy; he looked like a man on a mis-

  sion.

  He wrenched open the door. “You cornin’ in?”

  His eyes met hers, and despite the pain welling up inside

  her, Daisy knew she wanted to be by his side more than

  any place on the face of the earth.

  “My friends are throwing me a retirement party. As in

  ‘You’re never gonna ride again, Kael.’ Understand? I’d be

  honored if you’d share this moment with me, Daisy High-

  tower Carmody.”

  He held out his hand and she took it, how could she not?

  Tamping back all her doubts and fears, Daisy allowed him

  to lead her up the driveway, Travis scurrying along behind

  them.

  Mickey and the rest of the guests ushered them inside

  the rambling ranch-style home. Mickey’s wife, Pam,

  greeted Daisy, and she managed to smile and mumble a

  reply. Parties had always made her nervous.

  The smell of barbecue wafted on the breeze along with

  the squeals and laughter of children at play. The screen

  door slammed repeatedly as people flowed in and out of

  the house.

  Overwhelmed by the buzz of activity, Daisy nestled into

  the curve of Kael’s body. She wasn’t accustomed to so

  many people bunched together, and she suppressed the urge

  to run right back to the truck.

  Everyone was all talking at once, whizzing a million

  questions at Kael. His face glowed as he fielded their in-

  quiries concerning his knee, his retirement and his plans for

  the future.

  Daisy’s heart dropped. He loves this, she thought. The

  attention, the admiration, the adulation. Even if he actually

  had exorcised the bull riding demons, how could a man

  like Kael ever be content with an ordinary life? She was

  foolish and very selfish to even expect it of him.

  He was a people person, extroverted and self-confident

  in groups. She was an introvert, shy and uncertain, unless

  she was dealing with folks one-on-one. They were so dif-

  ferent. A myriad of contrasts lay between them. Black and

  white, day and night, bitter and sweet. Why in heaven’s

  name had she ever thought this marriage would work?

  But the one thing that gave her hope, the one gesture

  that had her reaching down inside herself to hold on to the

  tenuous happiness she’d found that night Kael had made

  love to her, was the fact that no matter where his attention

  lay, no matter who he was talking to, he kept his arm

  tucked firmly around her waist.

  “Come on into the den,’’ Mickey said, ushering Kael,

  Daisy and Travis into the overcrowded family room.

  “We’ve got a video show prepared of your rodeo career.”

  “What?” Kael looked stunned and pleased, his gaze

  fixed on the big projection television set in the comer.

  His image was splayed across the screen. Kael was

  decked out in his riding gear, chaps, gloves, hat, boots, and

  he was clinging to the back of a bucking Brahma, one hand

  flailing high in the air, the other tucked under the rope.

  Daisy sneaked a glance at her husband and saw he was

  mesmerized.

  “Sit,” Mickey commanded, pushing Kael down onto a

  leather sofa, “and enjoy.”

  Swallowing hard, Daisy stepped back against the paneled

  wall and willed herself to fade away into the background.

  Kael took Travis on his knee and, leaning his head down,

  carefully explained everything unfolding on screen to his

  son.

  I never should have married him, Daisy thought. It’s like

  caging a wild bird. Misery washed through her and she

  sighed back her sorrow.

  Thirty minutes passed. The show concluded at last, and

  thankfully Mickey hadn’t included the clip of Kael’s last

  ride when he’d gotten stomped by the Texas Tornado.

  Daisy didn’t think she could have tolerated seeing the ag-

  ony that had maimed her man and stolen from him the life

  he loved.

  Travis was beaming up at his father like he was a god

  sent straight from the heavens. People clapped Kael on the

  back, telling him that he was a credit to Rascal. Stunned,

  Daisy realized he didn’t need her, had never needed her,

  and that had been the root of their problem all along. From

  the time she was a young girl, she had always been needed

  by someone. First by her parents, then by Rose and Aunt

  Peavy and later by Travis. The simple truth of the matter

  was that Kael Carmody had never needed anyone, and he

  wasn’t likely to start now.

  Daisy raised a hand to her forehead. She felt hot and

  breathless. There was only one thing to do. Divorce the

  man and set him free.

  Mickey offered Kael a beer and Mickey’s wife came

  around with a platter of hors d’oeuvres. Kael got swallowed

  up in the crowd, and Daisy found herself pushed farther

  and farther away from him until she was standing in the

  kitchen.

  “Mom?”

  She looked down to see Travis standing in front of her.

  “Yes, son?”

  “Can I go outside and see baby calves with the other

  kids?”

  Instinct told her to say no, to protect him as she always

  had, but Kael had taught her a valuable lesson when it came

  to Travis. The boy needed to be around children his own

  age. She couldn’t keep him tied to her apron strings forever.

  “Go ahead, sweetie.” She patted Travis on the back,

  then watched him slip through the tangle of adults and out

  the back door.

  They all leave me, she thought. Mom and Dad, Rose,

  Kael and one day, Travis and Aunt Peavy.

  Emptiness, sad and unrelenting, hammered at her. She’d

  known better than to hope, and yet in spite of her best

  efforts to thwart him, Kael had managed to resurrect her

  belief in love. And oh, how it hurt! Just as sharp and painful

  as she remembered.

  “Here you are.”

  From her p
osition in the comer of the kitchen where

  she’d retreated from the noisy throng, Daisy lifted her chin

  and met Kael’s gaze. Love, clear and certain, swam in his

  eyes. He smiled and she managed to return it.

  “I wondered where you’d gotten to.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” she said. “Go on and have

  fun with your friends.”

  “Daisy, nothing is any fun without you by my side.”

  His tone was serious.

  “Do you mean that, Kael? Truly?”

  “May I be struck dead if I’m lying.”

  She sucked in her breath, unable to wrench her gaze from

  his.

  Kael held out his arm. “Come on.”

  Like a child seeking comfort, she placed her hand in his

  and allowed him to lead her into the den where Mickey

  was calling for a toast.

  “Here’s to the guest of honor,” Mickey said, perching

  himself on the hearth and raising his glass. “One hell of a

  bull rider. Good luck in your new life, Kael Carmody!”

  There was a hearty round of cheers and the clinking of

  glasses. “Speech!” someone hollered.

  “Yeah!” someone else chimed in.

  There were whistles and catcalls egging him on.

  It didn’t take much to convince him. Glowing with good-

  natured sheepishness, Kael took Mickey’s place by the

  mantel and thanked everyone for the wonderful party.

  Standing there, watching her husband and his adoring

  fans, sent a jolt of pride flashing through Daisy. It was easy

  to love Kael Carmody, with his good looks and his agree-

  able ways. He could have his pick of the women assembled

  in this room. And yet he’d chosen her. Why? She wasn’t

  the easiest person to get along with. She was hardworking,

  stubborn and demanded as high a standard from her friends

  and family as she did from herself.

  Every doubt and fear she’d ever had about their rela-

  tionship bubbled to the surface of her consciousness.

  “And I just want you folks to know, that although a

  chapter is closing in my life, a whole new book is waiting

  to be written with my wife, Daisy, and my son, Travis.”

  Kael looked over at her, love shining brightly in his eyes.

  But Daisy couldn’t bear to gaze upon him. He might be-

  lieve himself to be ready to settle down, but she knew bet-

  ter. Kael should have that knee surgery and go back to bull

  riding. It was what he loved most. It defined him. Without