Two To Wrangle (Hotel Rodeo #2)(10)

“Delaney? Do you mean Ty’s ex-wife?”

“Yup. Rosa practically raised her. She followed Delaney out here and eventually came to work for Tom.”

Monica digested that connection along with her food. They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Although Monica found Bob’s company pleasant enough, she was happy when he pushed his plate away. “I hope you don’t mind if I turn in early. I have some briefs I need to review while I’m here. I put your bags in one of the guest rooms down that way.” He inclined his head to the west wing of the house. “Second door on the left.”

“Thanks, Bob,” Monica said. “I’m going to try to get caught up on some reading myself.” With her mind still racing about Tom’s will, she decided another drink and then some mind-numbing reading would be the best medicine. She had an entire week’s worth of Wall Street Journal to catch up on. Perfect bedtime material.

After Bob retired, Monica picked up the bottle of Chivas and a glass, but instead of heading straight to bed as she’d planned, she found herself exploring the rest of the house, something she hadn’t been comfortable doing with Bob shadowing her.

The first door she opened was a bedchamber decorated in navy and rust, shades similar to the owner’s suite at the Hotel Rodeo. Could it be Ty’s old room? If she’d had any doubt, the trophy case that occupied one entire wall confirmed that the room had indeed belonged to Ty.

Overcome with curiosity, she set the bottle down to approach the case. One full shelf was dedicated to football. The MVP trophy cup took her completely by surprise. She hadn’t even known that Ty had played the game.

The rest of the case was filled with photographs, framed newspaper clippings, and at least a dozen gold belt buckles. Sipping the whiskey, she examined each of them, fondly caressing the cool metal. Given Ty’s laid-back manner, it surprised her to learn that he was such a serious competitor. He didn’t seem to have the killer instinct that was so dominant in Evan. The two men couldn’t be more different if they tried. Nevertheless, the buckles were evidence of the steel that lay beneath Ty’s carefree surface.

She poured another drink, wandering the room. Although she suppressed the urge to open dresser drawers, she couldn’t deny the perverse instinct that drew her to Ty’s bed. Glass still in hand, she lay down in the middle of it, wondering anew about the young boy who’d come to live here after losing his dad. The boy who’d played football and then gone on to ride bulls. The young man who’d dropped out of college to live on the rodeo circuit, then wooed and won a Texas beauty queen before almost drinking himself to death.

Had Ty successfully chained those demons? Or did they still haunt him?

Why did the hotel mean so much to him? Ty didn’t just need money. If he was going to make a serious go of it, he needed a partner who knew the ropes in the world of big business. Knowing this, Tom had tried to convince her to help Ty. Now Bob was also applying not-so-subtle pressure. Would guilt finally compel her to partner with the one man in the world who could tear her heart in two?



“You go on in, Rosa,” Ty urged. “I’ll bring the bags in later.”

“Do you want some breakfast?” Rosa asked.

“No thanks,” Ty replied. She was accustomed to cooking for the ranch crew well before sunrise, which was still a good hour away, but living in Vegas had long ago killed that habit for Ty. “I just need to get some shut-eye after that long drive.”

Worn and weary, he’d be in no shape for a confrontation with Monica. His whole life was turning upside down, and he still hadn’t figured out how he was going to deal with it all. Or with her. But he didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was past time to quit thinking altogether.

Right now all he wanted to do was drag his tired ass to bed. A few hours of sleep was all he needed. After that he’d be ready to face whatever his future held.

Not wishing to wake anyone, he didn’t bother with the lights but navigated using the glow of his cell phone, not that he really needed light. He knew the layout of the house like the back of his hand. Finding his way to his old room, Ty threw his hat and phone on the chair, kicked off his boots, and stripped down to his boxers.

Feeling his way to the bed, he flung himself full-length onto the mattress with an exhausted groan, startling the moment his outstretched arm made contact with a solid form. He bolted upright with an exclamation and reached for the bedside lamp. The light flicked on just as Monica sprang from his bed in a break for the door, and then tripped over his cast-off boot.

Half a second later he was glowering down at her. “Monica? What the hell were you doing in my bed?”

She blinked sheepishly into the blinding light. “I . . . ah . . . was exploring the house and got a little sleepy. Must have been the scotch,” she said, her cheeks flaming.

“There are six bedrooms in this place. I can’t help wondering why you picked mine. You couldn’t make it ten more feet down the hall to the guest bedroom? Not that I’m complaining, mind you, I just don’t like this ‘come hither, go away’ game you seem to be playing.”

“That’s not what this is,” she protested, even as her gaze slid slowly over his near naked body. “I came in here because I was curious. I wanted to know what it was like for you growing up here.”

He held out his hand to help her to her feet, his weary body coming back to life the moment his fingers closed over hers. “If there’s something you want to know, all you have to do is ask me,” he said. “Didn’t I prove that just one night ago?”