What We Can’t Have

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Scarlett had been making a damn fool of herself for the past half hour. It was embarrassing, the way she had every red-blooded American male staring her way—correction, their way, since Mason was seated beside her sister on the wooden bench in the covered arena where a cowboy on a bronc had just beaten the record time. She was whistling and yelling, making a spectacle that had every man drooling over how little she was wearing. Her shorts and silky tank with spaghetti straps barely covered her curves and charms. Her dark hair, now past her shoulders, was swept up in a sexy messy bun, making her look more like a beauty queen.

Mason had watched as hot cowboys climbed into the chute on top of one of the crazed horses, each time a different one. These macho cowboys who had come for the competition had more brass than brains, as far as she was concerned. Many of the men were locals, some from the surrounding area, with a few known and unknown additions from other states, all bad boys with no ambition, living for the rodeo and nothing else, the type of guys her father wouldn’t have allowed within one hundred feet of his daughters.

It was easy to see how each of these cowboys lived for this life and the competition, only most would be thrown in seconds from the twisting ball of fire that had only one objective: to unseat the rider from its back. There were bone-jarring thuds, cracks, men flying in the air as if ragdolls before hitting the dirt, rolling on the ground in the split second they had to get out of the way of those crazed horses and their thousands of pounds of flesh and hooves that could come slamming into the ground just inches from the heads of cowboys who didn’t move quick enough or weren’t snatched out of the way by the rodeo clowns. Mason watched in horror, knowing that split second could cost a cowboy everything, even his life, or just break every bone in his body and end his career in a sport that was only for the young. To make it worse each time, she found herself holding her breath, waiting for the cowboy to move, waiting to see if he was okay. She was a damn wreck.

She’d watched each of those macho cowboys, some limping, some jogging away as if this were just another day, some shaking it off, some moving slower than others before climbing out of the ring. She stared, taking in the bloodthirsty sport. She knew each and every one of them would be stiff and sore and bruised from the suicidal ride that had lasted only seconds. She just didn’t get what it was that made these guys want to risk their lives. Did they want to win the purse, the prize? It was just a buckle, a pittance, nothing that could come close in any way to balancing the scales. That was the question that continued to plague her as she sat on the uncomfortable bench: What possessed those guys to risk everything for nothing?

It was all in the hands of fate and came down to the draw. Not one of them knew until moments before which horse he would ride. Would it be one that gave him the edge or would it be an animal from hell? Mason sat tensely on the bench, furious at Scarlett for dragging her along, as she watched the latest cowboy lift his hand as he climbed over the rail. Another one done, so she could breathe a little easier for a second as they waited for the next guy to be called for his turn.

“Mason,” Scarlett said as she took her seat again. The man seated behind her, who had stared at the way she wouldn’t keep her butt planted on that wooden bench, was either disappointed or pleased. Mason thought it was the former, considering her jumping and cheering had given him a better view of her butt cheeks, which were showing from under her too-short shorts. If her parents had any idea where they were and how Scarlett was dressed and carrying on, she and Mason would both be in some serious hot water. “You look as if you’re going to pass out,” Scarlett said. “What is wrong with you? Get up, have some fun.”

Yeah, she was seriously going to kill her sister. “Oh, I don’t know. How about the fact that we’re watching grown men hop on the back of some devil hell bent on killing them for the chance to, what, either break their necks or win some buckle they can show off for years, bragging about how they held on for eight seconds and lived to tell the tale?” She allowed the sarcasm to flow, knowing no one in her family had any idea how much she disliked bronc riding. She found it cruel to both the horse and rider. It was the one event she wished they’d ban. But here was her sister, carrying on like a fool, grabbing her and shaking her, the biggest supporter of this bloodthirsty sport.

“This is so exciting. He’s next,” Scarlett hissed, and her fingers wrapped around Mason’s wrist, digging in a little too hard. It was her latest crush, the cowboy she’d been talking about nonstop for weeks, Justin Broadstone. “Get ready for a seriously drool-worthy cowboy,” she said. “I’m not kidding you. I swear wranglers were created for this man. Wait until you see him. Man candy, got to have him. This guy has it all.”

Mason cringed, knowing everyone could hear how Scarlett had ogled someone so indecently. For a minute, she wished there was an empty seat beside her—or, even better, two rows back—so she could move, but there wasn’t, as the arena was full, everyone going crazy for this ridiculous event. They were all insane. She heard the announcer call his name, and the crowd went wild. Her sister was screaming, jumping again, her breasts bouncing under that tank without a bra. Scarlett had seriously lost her mind.

Mason was so done. Just one more ride, and then she’d drag her sister out of there before she did or said something that got both of them into an even more embarrassing situation—and before she could cause any trouble that would get back to her parents. Mason knew she would get tarred with the same brush. Fortunately, everyone was standing now for the crowd favorite, which helped her to hide, giving her a moment of anonymity, considering they were in the front row, way too close and in the open.

Women were going crazy. Scarlett reached down and yanked Mason by the arm to pull her up from the spot where she was hunkered down, trying to stay hidden. She could see the cowboy, tall, dark hair. Scarlett hadn’t lied: The man was seriously hot as he jogged to the ring, climbed over the rails, and took his seat on the crazed horse, which was already bouncing and snorting. He settled a black cowboy hat on his head. His short dark hair was just a little wavy, and she was struck by how broad his shoulders were. That seemed to set him apart from every other hot cowboy out there. Maybe that was what unsettled her as she watched his focus, his determination. He completely rattled her.

The crowd went crazy when the horse leaped and crashed against the rail. The hot cowboy jumped, and his long legs moved fast. He grasped the rungs of the rail before his leg could be crushed. The team of cowboys was there beside him, settling the horse and getting him ready again, and Mason couldn’t take her eyes off the scene. The black horse seemed to have been spawned by the devil himself, snorting and out for blood. Buckle bunnies were screaming the rider’s name on the other side of the arena, bouncing, having lost every basic shred of decency, hell bent on getting that cowboy to know they existed: “Justin, I love you!” “Justin, I want you!” “Ride that horse and you can ride me next!”

Mason was horrified at the boldness and the blatant sexually descriptive cackling. Her jaw dropped. These women had no shame, and she was embarrassed for them, for him. Justin didn’t seem to notice, which was a wonder, considering one busty woman had a neon pink sign that read, Justin, I’m going to marry you. Some women two rows back, who had been quiet until now, were now screaming out how they were going to suck his c**k and wanted to have his babies. Mason wasn’t sure what strangled sound came from her throat.

Then he looked right at her.

In that moment in time, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole, because she realized he was looking at her as if she’d said those words, making her feel as if she’d tossed herself naked his way. This was worse than she could have imagined.

He still hadn’t looked away. His face was amazing: hard, chiseled, with a square jaw and eyes that seemed to connect just with her, as if it were just her and him. Then he turned away and nodded to one of the cowboys, who pressed his gloved hand to his shoulder as the horn blasted and the chute opened.

Everyone was up on their feet. Mason watched in horror as the seconds ticked by, as if everything were resting on that clock. For a moment she saw things in slow motion as the sounds around her drowned and were muffled. By the way the rider hung on and gripped that rope, it was as if he and that horse from hell were one. Then the buzzer sounded. Justin jumped off the horse, and the crowd went wild as he leaped up onto the rail with a killer smile, dimples flashing. His eyes again landed on her.

“He’s looking this way,” Scarlett hissed. Then she was screaming again, calling his name. She was crazed, jumping just like all the other women who were vying for his attention.

Mason had finally had enough, but she spotted him jumping down from the rail, landing in the dirt, and now walking their way. Her stomach bottomed out. The fans were going crazy. Her legs bolted her upright suddenly, as if they had a mind of their own. She was done.

“We’re leaving now!” she hissed to Scarlett, then grabbed her wrist and pulled hard, putting everything into dragging her sister out of there, elbowing the people beside her as she tried to step around them while they cheered and clapped. Scarlett was hitting her arm, her hand, trying to break the grip as Mason dragged her out to the aisle, to the concrete steps, up the stairs.

“Mason, let go of me right now! What the hell are you doing? Stop!” Scarlett demanded as Mason saw the exit sign just ahead. Almost there, and then she’d shove Scarlett into the used pickup her sister Taz had given to her. Considering she lived in Denver now with her new husband, Jerry, a man who could give her the world, Taz no longer had need of it. Mason had thanked her, a kind sister who was sane and would never throw herself so shamefully at a man.

Five more steps. She could hear the announcer calling the time, saying something else, and the crowd was still going crazy. She stopped listening, as her sister was digging in her heels, but Mason was stronger, more determined. The crowd was going wild behind her again. What the hell?

There was security by the door, two men, and they were looking at her as if she were the one who’d lost her mind. It seemed as if they were blocking her way. Then a big hand touched her arm.

“Hey,” said someone with a deep voice that had her heart taking a nosedive.

Her nerves were so frazzled that she jumped and turned. Seeing the shock on Scarlett’s face alone was priceless, and Mason was positive her jaw dropped as she looked up at the cowboy who had just gone the distance, Justin Broadstone. He was standing in front of her and Scarlett, but he was looking straight at her—unsettling, insane. It was a second or less, but it seemed like an eternity, a moment in time that could have been just her and him. What the hell? For the first time today, Scarlett was silent.

“What the…” She stopped and knew everyone had their eyes on him and her. She hated being the center of attention. There may as well have been a spotlight shining their way, because everyone was watching them, listening to everything they had to say. The door was right there.

“Who are you?” Justin asked.

Scarlett bumped shoulders with her, and she nearly lost her footing. The cowboy’s hand went up, touching her shoulder. Zap! The jolt from his large warm hand was beyond what she could have expected.

“I’m Scarlett Parker,” Scarlett said. “Justin, I just absolutely loved your ride. You’re so amazing. I just love watching you out there, the way you do everything so perfectly. So amazing. There’s no one better, and…”

Oh my good God. Mason was horrified, embarrassed at how her sister was drooling over this man, yet he was giving her no attention. In fact, he glanced Scarlett’s way only a second, but it was as if he’d heard nothing. Then he gave everything to Mason once again, all of his attention.

And damn, his eyes, which she could see close up now, were whiskey colored, amber, lit with a fire she’d never seen before. It was deep and intense, and for a moment he made her feel as if he was looking so deep inside her that he could see every inch of her body, her skin, naked in front of him.

“Your name, what is your name?” he asked her again. This time he stepped closer. She could feel his heat, and it was just her and him. There was nobody getting in between them.

“Mason Parker,” she said, her throat thick.

She heard her sister hiss beside her as the cowboy nodded. He was taking over her space, stopping her from stepping one more foot out that door, as if she were the only person who existed right now. He offered her a crooked smile that reached his eyes, and it was like dynamite. The power and electricity that connected them left her limp and unable to take another step.

“Mason, I’m Justin. That ride was for you,” he said, taking his black cowboy hat from his head and setting it on hers before he was pulled away by the other cowboys she hadn’t seen standing there. He needed to be back in the arena to get his buckle and prize and whatever else, because he was the winner. She stared after him in horror, feeling the heat of the hat on her head and then taking in Scarlett, who was staring at her as if she’d done the one thing she’d never do: betray her.