To Rodeo To Your Heart (COMPLETED)

Chapter 3

Caisson's heart stops as she stares at the once snow covered man. Lord let him be okay! She quickly turns to Jo and unsaddles him. Placing the saddle blankets on the cold body she shakes her head in disbelief before leading Jo to a large stump not too far away. Then she slides onto his bare back and lopes off in the direction of the house.

In the barn she puts a harness on Jo. Then she clips the harness to the small red sled. Jo bobs his head in anticipation making the bells rattle slightly. Caisson smiles and steps onto the board floor. With a click of her tongue and a gentle slap of the reins the sled lurches forward. In just a few minutes she is back at the sign.

After many grunts, sighs and frustrated stomps she gets the guy on the sled and her saddle beside him. Once again she clicks to Jo and they start back to the house. Upon arriving there she wraps the reins around the post on the porch and stares at the guy on the sled and back to the house. "How on earth and I suppose to get him in the house?"

Finally she decides her only option is to heave him inside and hope she doesn't fall in the process.
***

Caisson paces the floor as she listens to the old chime clock tick the seconds by. It had been an hour since she had placed him on a cot beside the fire place with lots of blankets piled on top of him. She is sure he has frost bite the question being how bad? Father God, let him be okay, let him feel Your love and comfort.

The clock chimes telling her that it is ten in the evening she glances at the fridge before waltzing over to it and pulling the ingredients for a sandwich out. Forcing herself to eat she fails to notice the slight movements from the cot.

Gunner blinks his eyes and squints against the bright glow on his left. He turns to the right and sweeps his gaze across the room in front of him. How did I get here? Where is it in the first place? Question by question he becomes more confused.

Sharp movements from across the room catches his eye. He stares intently not believing his eyes. It couldn't be. No it just can't be. How would it happen that I end up at Caisson Beck's house? He catches her looking at him and instantly becomes embarrassed that he been caught staring. The soft movements as she glides towards him have him in a trance.

"You're awake," she comments softly as she sits down in a chair across from his cot.

A slight smile slips to his lips, but it fades rapidly as he moves his legs. Pain shoots through them making him wince.

She steps towards him and forces him to lay back down. "Just be still, you need rest. I'll get you some food and then you are going to relax and get some sleep."

"Caisson, you don't have to do this," he tells her.

A smile slips to her lips and she shakes her head. "You are a bull rider, no body has to do anything for you in your mind, but I am going to do regardless."

His gaze watches her as she moves around the kitchen fixing a plate and then a cup of coffee. When she comes back he notices just how droopy her eyes look and the worried lines that crease her forehead. "Are you okay?"

Her head snaps up. "Yeah, I'm fine why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugs. "I don't know you just look really tired."

She laughs, but he can tell it doesn't reach her voice and eyes. "I've been up since four in the morning, it's midnight now, yeah I'm tired, but I'll make it."

Not convinced, but not wanting to push it Gunner only nods and takes the plate she has extended towards him. Giving her a grateful smile he begins to eat under her halfway amused expression. Before long she gets up from the chair and disappears out of his sight although he can still hear the sound of her boots against the hard wood floor.
When he finishes eating he places the plate on the floor and stares up at the ceiling until he falls to sleep.

Caission smiles and takes the plate to the sink before going into the work room. She pulls out the pair of leggings she had been working on that morning and sits down at her favorite table, the stamping table. She takes the yoke and positions it on the marble tablet. With the basket weave stamp in one hand and the rubber mallet in the other she begins to imprint the pattern on the leather.

A soft knock at the door makes her jump missing the end of the stamp and instead the hammer comes down on her finger smashing it between the hammer and the table. "Dang it!"

"Oh I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"What the heck are you even doing out of bed?" She almost screams as she spins around to face him.

He shrugs. "I just thought I would see what the latest order was."

She takes a deep breath trying to calm her raging nerves. "You have frost bite on your face. Go back to bed before I tie you to it and start calling you my brother."

He laughs and sits down on the chair by the door. "I'm good right here."

She stares at him for a long moment before shaking her head and going back to the leggings. He reminds her more and more of her brother every time he talks, walks, looks at her, heck even when he was sleeping. And he has only been in her company for a couple of hours! She starts to shake her head and mutter to herself, but quickly stops when she realizes how idiotic it would seem to him.

Why do you care what he thinks anyway? Caisson he is just like your family. Rodeo rodeo and more rodeo. Don't let his cowboy charm get to you... you can't risk a rodeo relationship or a relationship at all right now. The business is too good to let it slip even a little. Not to mention your dad. Never would you hear the end of how happy he was if you were to get with someone who remotely liked the idea of rodeo. No there is no way you  can let him get to you.  She tells herself.

"There's just no way," she mutters to herself.

Suddenly she needs the outside. In a whirlwind of motion she stands and speed walks out the door. She doesn't stop until she is in the barn with her arms wrapped around Jo's neck. Just standing there she holds onto his thick winter coat and breathes in the relaxing horse scent. Not until there is a soft knock does she realize how long she had been outside and how cold she really is.

She turns around and sees Gunner holding out her Carhartt coat. Smiling softly she meets him halfway and takes it from him. A shiver takes through her body as she slides her arms in and hugs it to herself. When she looks back up he returns her smile before nodding and turning back towards the house. He could tell she needed to be alone and that means more to her than any words could have.

A/N
I want to dedicate this chapter to for all the encouragement on my other books.