A Cowboy's Duty. Marin Thomas

and Willie Cash jawing with the cowboys near the bull chutes. The San Carlos Roundup Rodeo took place the first weekend in September—two weeks after he’d learned about Dixie’s pregnancy—and darned if he hadn’t run into one or more Cash brothers at the events he’d competed in. He presumed the men concluded that he’d knocked up their baby sister and weren’t letting him out of their sight.

      Too bad Gavin couldn’t blame his dismal performances on the constant scrutiny. Instead, impending fatherhood disrupted his focus. Dixie was close to eight weeks pregnant and thoughts of her and the baby wandered through his mind 24/7. How was Dixie feeling—did she have any food cravings? Had she gained weight? What about morning sickness—did she suffer from that? The questions hammered his brain nonstop making him irritable and edgy.

      Ignoring Dixie’s siblings, Gavin focused on the bronc he’d drawn for today’s competition. Jigsaw had a proven track record of bucking off experienced riders. The rodeo announcer introduced the cowboys competing in the bareback event, offering stats on the better athletes. Gavin was described as the former soldier turned cowboy, which drew the loudest applause. He was humbled by the fans’ heartfelt appreciation for his service to their country. Once each weekend he felt like a hero even though he was the furthest thing from a Caped Crusader.

      “Let’s see if Tucker can end his losing streak,” the announcer said.

      Gavin climbed the chute rails and eased onto Jigsaw’s back. Keep your balance. An image of Dixie collecting ash from the potbelly stove in the barn flashed before his eyes.

      Stay focused.

      Fearing Dixie would disrupt his thoughts again, Gavin ignored his chute routine and nodded to the gate man. The door swung open, and Jigsaw demonstrated his superiority in the sport. The bronc’s rump twisted in the middle of a buck. Gavin lost his rhythm and his spurring became choppy. Then Jigsaw spun in a tight circle and Gavin was history. He sailed through the air and landed on his belly, the hard ground knocking the wind from him. The pickup men attempted to corner the bucking horse, but Jigsaw evaded capture.

      The earth beneath Gavin shook and instinctively he rolled left. Too late—Jigsaw’s hoof grazed his shoulder and a searing pain shot through the muscle. As if he’d made his point, the bronc trotted from the arena without an escort. Gavin struggled to his feet, his fingers tingling as numbness spread through his arm.

      “Close call.” Willie Cash met Gavin when he returned to the cowboy ready area.

      Arm hurting like hell, Gavin wasn’t in the mood to spar with the Cash brothers.

      “Where’s your next rodeo?” Conway asked.

      “Check with your spies…they’ll know where I’m riding.”

      The brothers spoke in unison. “What spies?”

      “Your brothers. One of you always turns up wherever I ride.”

      Conway grinned. “Johnny said we’re not to let you out of our sight.”

      Gavin wouldn’t have a moment’s peace until he did right by Dixie. He grabbed his gear, wincing at the throb in his shoulder. “See you at the next go-round.” He stopped short of leaving the chute area when he heard Shannon Douglas’s name over the loudspeakers.

      “Folks, we got a special treat tonight before we kick off the men’s bull riding competition. For those of you who haven’t heard, Shannon Douglas from Stagecoach, Arizona, has been riding bulls since high school. She competed in three Five Star Rodeo events this past summer and earned a sponsorship from Wrangler.”

      The JumboTron flashed images of Shannon at the rodeos in Canyon City, Boot Hill and Piney Gorge. Gavin moved closer to the cowgirl’s chute and watched her wrap the bull rope around her hand.

      “Shannon’s about to tangle with Persnickety, a bull from the famed Red River Ranch in Oklahoma.”

      The chute door opened and Persnickety launched himself into the arena. Shannon’s compact body undulated with the bull’s explosive bucks and sharp spins. Gavin glanced at the JumboTron…5…4…3…

      Persnickety reared and Shannon lost her seat, sliding off the back of the bull. As soon as she landed on the ground she scrambled to her feet and ran for the rails.

      “Too bad, folks. I thought Shannon might best Persnickety but not today!”

      Gavin turned to leave when he heard his name called. Shannon jogged toward him.

      “You almost had that bull,” Gavin said.

      “I’ll get him next time.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I haven’t been back to Stagecoach in over a month. How’s Dixie feeling?”

      Gavin supposed Dixie had told Shannon about her pregnancy when she’d scratched at the Piney Gorge Rodeo. “Fine, I guess.”

      “You guess? Aren’t you keeping in touch with her?”

      Gavin didn’t care to go into detail about his and Dixie’s relationship—whatever it was. You’re about to have a baby together and you can’t define your relationship? “I saw Dixie a couple of weeks ago and she looked good.” More than good.

      Shannon lowered her voice. “She’s going to have the baby, right? Or did she…?”

      Stunned, Gavin couldn’t respond. Dixie having an abortion had never crossed his mind, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t crossed Dixie’s.

      “Gavin?”

      “I gotta go.” He left the arena and cut across the parking lot to his truck. He stowed his gear in the backseat, then started the engine and cranked the air-conditioning. While the cab cooled, he grabbed his cell phone from the glove compartment and checked messages. Nothing.