A Cowgirl's Dream Read online

  “I was starting to think you might be avoiding me. But now I see what you’ve been up to, I fully support you hiding out,” Mitch said from the doorway.

  Frankie grinned. “Behold, my masterful confectionary treat that I like to call Frankie’s Fab Pav.”

  Frankie’s breath caught as Mitch advanced, his eyes focused on her … nose? Why the heck was he staring at her nose? Instinctively, she lifted her hand just as he reached forward. For the briefest of moments, their hands touched. Feeling flustered, Frankie dropped her eyes quickly, her cheeks growing hot as he brushed a finger gently over the tip of her nose.

  “You have some passionfruit juice on your nose,” he said, suppressed laughter clear in his voice. Her eyes were riveted to his mouth. She watched as he slowly sucked the liquid off his fingers. “Yep, definitely passionfruit.”

  She blushed harder, feeling foolish for having thought he might have been on the verge of making a move on her. Vexed, she fought the urge to fan herself. “I’m always a hot mess in the kitchen.”

  Mitch still hadn’t moved back. His proximity made the butterflies in her stomach do backflips. “I like the hot-mess Frankie. She’s kinda cute.” He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.

  Her mouth went dry and all power of speech deserted her. Did he just do that? Calm down, gal, and say something witty! Before she could formulate a response, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

  As he stepped back, she said the only thing she could manage. “Huh.”

  Mitch rubbed the back of his neck. “Good huh, or bad huh?”

  Eyes wide, she broke out into a grin. “I would definitely say a good huh.”

  “Everyone will think you two are hiding out in here,” Megan huffed, bustling into the room. She stopped, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Did I interrupt something?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first,” Mitch muttered under his breath.

  Megan tilted her head questioningly. “Sorry, what?”

  “Just that she has made a spectacular dessert,” he pronounced more clearly, not taking his eyes off Frankie. “I better head back. I’m not very good around temptation.” He gave Frankie a conspiratorial wink.

  Megan leveled both of them a hard look before hooking her arm through Mitch’s, leaving Frankie alone to gather the remnants of her scattered wits.

  The fire crackled, sending sparks floating up into the clear night sky. The stars were brilliant in the distance. A few strains of Miranda Lambert drifted toward Frankie, conversation swirling around her. Feeling her thoughts drifting to the events that had transpired in the kitchen, she pulled herself back to the present. She took a sip of her drink, feeling, rather than seeing, the sharp glare being directed at her. Looking around curiously, it surprised her to see Megan on the other end of it.

  Gosh, what now? She sighed. It’s not like I don’t have other things to stress about.

  Deb waved from the other side of the fire, getting her attention. “Did you hear, Frankie? About Cassie?”

  Focusing on her, Frankie leaned forward in her camp chair. “Sorry. What about Cassie?”

  “Her and James are having a baby.”

  Frankie turned toward the couple beside Deb. “Congratulations you guys! How far along?”

  “Just out of the first trimester. That’s actually why I had to cancel going to my last rodeo. It was still too early to tell anyone, but you were an absolute godsend helping look after my stepson while I tried to act like I didn’t want to throw up everywhere. You’d make a great mum, Frankie. You just need to find the right guy.”

  Frankie’s smile froze on her lips. “Um, yeah. I definitely want kids. But you know, the right time and all that.”

  She returned to sipping her drink, desperately hoping that would be the end of that line of conversation. Feeling awkward, her gaze bounced around the faces by the fire before landing on Mitch. His expression was unfathomable as he returned her look.

  As the evening drew to a close, Frankie was surprised Mitch had made no further attempts to engage her in conversation. A sick feeling began to gather in her stomach as she tried not to overthink it. Maybe he just wanted to play it cool while everyone was around. Maybe he wanted to take it slow.

  As Mitch stood and began to make his excuses to leave, Frankie’s feelings of insecurity increased. She joined her friends as they escorted him to his car before bidding him farewell. Frankie desperately tried to find a reason to get her friends to leave her alone with Mitch. But none of her subtle hints worked, and she was forced to simply wave goodnight and watch him drive off. Mitch had given no hints that he even remembered kissing her in the kitchen, and she began to wonder if maybe she’d imagined it all.

  Later that night, she curled up in bed, staring at her phone. She didn’t know if she should send him a message or play the waiting game and leave it alone. She suspected that she might very well go insane while she waited. It was hard not to run through the kiss again and again in her mind, trying to understand what, exactly, had changed after it. Giving an exasperated sigh, she put the pillow over her head and attempted to sleep.

  “I’m sorry he did what?” screeched Deb. “Back up, I want minute details. Megan, get your butt in here!”

  Deb waited impatiently as Megan made her way groggily into the kitchen. Frankie could sympathize. This morning, she felt like a befuddled pigeon that had fallen headfirst from its nest. A miserable night’s sleep would do that to a girl.

  “Can I at least pour myself a coffee before you bombard me?” Megan grumbled. Deb waved her over to the kettle.

  “Okay, from the beginning. Don’t spare any details.” Deb propped herself up on the kitchen bench.

  “This had better be worth it.” Megan took a cautious sip of her brew.

  “Um, so last night, Mitch kissed me.”

  “What? When?” Enlightenment dawned on Megan’s face before it hardened. “It was in the kitchen, right? When I walked in on you two together?” Frankie’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. If she didn’t know better, she would have said her friend sounded jealous.

  “How was it?” Deb asked, leaning forward on her elbows. “Was he any good?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I think so? I don’t really have much else to compare it to,” Frankie stammered, blushing.

  “Well, from what I hear, he has lots of practice,” Megan added sourly.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway,” Frankie said, lifting her chin defiantly. “I must have done something wrong, because he didn’t seem to want anything more to do with me after it.” Tears threatened to spill as her tough façade began to crumble.

  Megan gave a sad smile. “Aww, hun, I’m sorry.”

  Deb looked at her suspiciously before returning her attention back to Frankie. “I’m sure you did nothing wrong. Maybe he just got distracted at the party.”

  “Yeah, right. He kissed me and then got busy being social. Somehow, that doesn’t seem believable.” Frankie was doubtful. Shifting gears, she looked at Megan intently. “And while I’m at it, why have you been so weird lately?”

  “Our little Megan has a bit of a crush on Mitch,” Deb said smugly. “Has since we first met him in kindergarten. I think she’s jealous of the attention you’re getting.”

  Megan’s cheeks grew red and she shifted in her chair. “Fine,” she huffed. “I think he’s hot. But after how he’s acting toward Frankie, he’s a jerk. Anyway, he was your best friend in kindy, not mine.”

  “He is a jerk.” Frankie sniffled. “I just feel like such an idiot. Why are men like that?” she cried bitterly. Megan and Deb wrapped her up tight in a group hug. For a moment, love surrounded her. Her resolve strengthened. “I’ll be fine. You know what? I’ll be better than fine. I’m gonna train and work until I get my dreams. I will become the gosh dang world champ and to bloody heck with men!”

  Chapter 4

  The sweet smell of molasses and hay mingled with the headier musk of horse sweat as coats gleamed and muscles rippled. The steady d
rum of hoofbeats provided the soundtrack to the days that followed. And keeping time with it was the constant chant—world champ, world champ. Frankie was determined that nothing would get in her way, especially a man. Tamboro was the final rodeo for the year. If she could keep momentum and finish in the top three, she could win herself a ticket to the Need for Speed finals in Fort Worth, Texas. Easy.

  Tamboro was a three-hour drive from home, and the girls set off at sparrow’s fart—bright and early. They hoped to give their horses time to settle in and a chance to recover from the drive. Mac stood, his burnished mahogany bay coat glistening in the sun, the defined muscles underneath giving the impression of barely-contained power. As she brushed him, it was clear all her work hadn’t been for naught. Now all Frankie had to do was get her mind back in the game and not get rattled by anything or, should she say, anyone. Both Deb and Megan had assured her they would run interference if Mitch should come anywhere near her before her race.

  “Earth to champ?”

  Frankie looked up to see Megan and Deb looking at her. “Sorry, what?”

  “Deb and I were just going to head on over to the registration tent and get signed in. You about done there and wanna come?” Megan said.

  “Yeah, you know, safety in numbers?” Deb added.

  Frankie placed her brush back in her tack box and shut the lid, picking it up. She stowed it in the trailer. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Deb gave her a sympathetic smile and put an arm around her shoulders. Frankie wasn’t sure if she did it as a show of support or to stop her from bolting at the first sign of trouble. She chose to believe it was the former as Megan fell into step beside them. The short walk to sign in was thankfully uneventful. The friends greeted the handful of people they passed on their way, and the tent was empty upon their arrival.

  “Easy peasy,” Deb said as they started walking back. Frankie gave her a weak smile and jammed her hands in her pockets.

  “Yeah,” said Megan. “That’s the hard bit taken care of. All you need to do now is place tonight.” She gave Frankie a cheery wink.

  “Sure thing. Easy as, mate.” Frankie laughed. Her friends, at last, were lifting her spirits.

  “Bugger, keep walking,” Megan muttered.

  “What?” Frankie looked around them as Deb frog-marched her as fast as she could. “Guys, what the heck?”

  “It’s Mitch!” Megan hissed.

  With a sinking feeling, Frankie finally located him. He was engaged in an animated conversation with one of the stock contractors, throwing his head back as he laughed. Cold, hard anger coursed through her body at the sight of him. Before she could analyze her feelings, her feet were already in locomotion, her steps rapidly eating up the distance between them.

  “Crap,” Deb said from behind her.

  “What the bloody heck do we do now?” Megan looked to her tall friend for guidance.

  “Casually loiter, I guess.”

  Mitch had just finished his conversation when she bore down on him. He seemed startled by her sudden appearance, though her slightly deranged expression might have had something to do with that.

  “Hey, Frankie. How have you been?” His voice was slightly strained.

  “Well, Mitch, thank you for asking,” she snapped. Mitch cringed at her tone. “I’ve been working on my mental toughness.”

  “That’s—”

  Frankie held her hand up to silence him. “Oh, hun. I’m not finished yet. You see, some jerk kissed me and then has ghosted me ever since. Pretty crap timing if you ask me, what with everything riding on this rodeo tonight. Head games and all that. Lord knows I couldn’t think straight when he was around. What an idiot he must have thought I was.”

  “Frankie, I’m—”

  “Still not finished,” she ground out. “Turns out I’m pretty tough. So, you want to tell me why you are all over me like a rash and then drop me like a lead balloon the next minute? Did I completely misread the situation?”

  “You didn’t misread it. I liked you.” Mitch sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. “I like you,” he corrected himself.

  “You have a strange way of showing it.”

  Mitch stared at the ground uncomfortably before finally finding the nerve to look back up and stare into her eyes. “I didn’t know you wanted kids.”

  Frankie’s mouth dropped open. “What? Yeah, like, eventually. One day. Far down the track.” She stressed the word far. “Not now.”

  “It doesn’t matter when you want them. I can’t have them.”

  She blinked rapidly. “Um, okay. Don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself there? I mean, we only kissed.”

  Mitch gave a sad little smile. “Yeah, but I know you, Frankie. You’re loyal. And if I’d let things keep going, and then you found out, you would have been committed and that isn’t fair. And I don’t know if I could have let you go, even if that meant knowing that one day you would hate me for not being able to give you kids.”

  Frankie swallowed. “I—I don’t really know what to say. I think you’re a coward and should have let me have a say. You ran away and made me feel like it was me.” She shook her head slowly. “I need to get ready.”

  Without another word, she spun on her heels and headed back toward Deb and Megan. Her friends appeared to be doing their level best to classify the type of gravel they were standing on.

  “Frankie, I’m sorry,” called Mitch.

  “So am I.”

  Frankie smoothed down her black and teal arena shirt, her heart accelerating as she entered the chute. Three drums, gal. That’s all you need to keep standing. Three drums. Mac began to tense underneath her, his footfalls quickening as he waited for her to give him his cue to go. She gathered up her reins and nudged her legs.

  Mac sprung forward, finally released to run. They cleared the first drum before the commentator even introduced them. Then, just like that, the second drum was completed, and Mac’s ears pricked forward, his attention focused on the task before him. The crowd roared their approval as they rounded the third drum and flew to the finish line. The outside world slowly crept back into Frankie’s consciousness.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for this year’s Australian Need for Speed Champion, Frankie Smith. This little lady has booked herself a ticket to represent Australia at the world event in Texas, and maybe even a chance to earn her Pro Card.”

  “You did it!” Megan squealed as Deb almost pulled Frankie off Mac to give her a giant hug. Mac danced on the spot, the blood still coursing through his veins.

  “I can’t believe it! I mean, I believe you did it!” Deb hollered, jumping up and down.

  Slowly, as the adrenaline left her body, Frankie felt curiously numb. It was as if all the pent-up stress drained from her overwrought muscles, leaving them feeling like liquid. There was still a great deal to organize—travel, a lease horse, and somewhere to train in the States. But for now, all she wanted to do was soak in the moment with her friends.

  Chapter 5

  If Frankie had thought that things would calm down after she qualified, she was sadly mistaken. The local newspaper called to interview her, as did the local news. She still hadn’t found a barn to base herself, or a horse to lease for the event. And it wasn’t as simple as finding just any equine partner either. The horse had to be well-trained and competing at a high level for her to have any chance at all.

  “How’s the search going?” asked Megan after returning from work to find Frankie hunched at her laptop in despair. Again.

  “I feel like a clock is ticking, and every day I can’t find a horse, the more I think of all this effort to qualify, and for what if I don’t find one?” Frankie slammed the laptop shut in frustration. “I give up.” She put her face down on the offensive device in defeat. “Well, not really. That was more for a dramatic effect.”

  “I might have something that may be worth following up on.”

  Frankie’s head perked up. “I’m listening.”<
br />
  “One owner whose yearling I prepped last year—Hernando? You remember me talking about him? Little Brazilian guy? He made his money in waxing?”

  “I think so.”

  “Well, I was telling him about your current predicament, and he thinks he might be able to help or at least put you in touch with someone that can help. He has a niece that lives just out of Fort Worth in a place called Benbrook, and she apparently has just started out breeding barrel horses.”

  “I don’t exactly have time for foals to grow up,” Frankie stated.

  “Yes, but she has bought a nice barrel horse. Hernando said that she planned on getting her campaigned for the next few years before retiring her to the broodmare paddock.”

  “Interesting,” Frankie said.

  “I thought so.” Megan tossed a scrap of paper on the desk. “Anyway, these are her details if you want to contact her. What have you got to lose?”

  It turned out that Gabriella, or ‘Everyone just calls me Gabi’, was more than willing to help. She’d offered an opportunity to try the mare and, if suitable, to lease her for the six weeks prior to and including the Need for Speed World Championship. To top it off, she had a spare room in the bunkhouse of her family’s ranch that she was happy for Frankie to base out of. When Frankie thanked her profusely, she simply informed her that, although she was delighted to help her, she was first and foremost a businesswoman. And a good enough one to recognize it wouldn’t hurt her stud to have a horse running at the event.

  “Are you ready?” Deb asked.

  Frankie leaned against the top rail of the fence, rubbing Mac’s neck as he nosed her for more treats. “What happens if I’m not?”

  “I’d have to give you a thrashing. Now, I suggest you get your arse into gear, so you don’t miss this flight.”

  “No, I mean, what if I’m not ready for over there? Then what?”

  “Then you’ll do what you always do. You’ll train harder, smarter, and you will make yourself good enough. You will go over there and show them what an Aussie chick can do around those cans.”