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Prologue

“We’ve found a foal for Star.”

Trinity blinked at her mother. Star, her former champion barrel racing mare and Trinity’s best friend, had given birth less than twenty-four hours before to a stillborn baby. Almost immediately Lora, Trinity’s mother, had signed up Star as a nurse mare in an effort to help the obviously grieving horse and give a needy foal a wonderful mama.

“Where?”

“Golden Aspirations Farm in Gentry.” Her mother collected her purse. “Let’s get moving. The sooner we get Star there, the sooner she can dote on another baby and be happy again.”

Which was all that truly mattered. To them all.

Their world revolved around the mare, once one of the best to take on the cloverleaf pattern at regional rodeos. Probably would have made it to the big time if Lora hadn’t had a quick fling with a bull rider named Buck, ended up pregnant, then traded in her saddle for diaper duty and a job as an elementary school teacher, determined to make it as a single mother and raise her daughter right.

Trinity knew love, caring and the giving nature of her mother. What she missed was knowing her father and getting the opportunity to follow in her mother’s abandoned footsteps. She wanted to surge straight to the summit of barrel racing not just by being invited to the national finals, but by winning. Her best friend, Star, might have been the springboard for her mother, but with the mare’s advancing age, Lora had opted for retirement for the beloved mare and breeding her in hopes of raising the next generation of a speedy and nimble barrel racing horse. That bubble burst yesterday.

Now Trinity’s dreams lay as lifeless as Star’s first foal. Considering they subsisted on a teacher’s salary, a kitchen garden and the fee from breaking a horse now and again, the ability to pay a hefty stud fee remained well out of their grasps.

“What happened to the mother?” Trinity glanced out of the window of the old truck, her mind whirling at this latest development.

“Complications from delivery, I’m told. Perforated bowel from what they could determine. She’s already been rushed off for emergency surgery.”

Being raised around horses all her life, Trinity realized how dire the situation was for the unfortunate mare. Most people wouldn’t bother with the effort, but this mare obviously had an exceptional owner who strove to do right by her animal.

Maybe not all wealthy people were heartless after all.

Couldn’t prove it by her. Not since her father had made a career out of his sport, raked in the prize money and still stubbornly refused to offer up financial assistance to her mother. Since his name and signature were absent from her birth certificate and he refused a paternity test, legal pursuit remained way out of reach. Oddly enough, Lora had never blamed him or held animosity for the man who’d left her pregnant and alone. Instead, she brushed the harshness of life off her sleeve and moved on.

A skill Trinity wished she could learn.

Less than an hour later, they arrived at their destination, left Star in the trailer for the moment and walked into the first barn as they’d been directed. Three people stood waiting, all with thin lips and pensive expressions. Worry emanated from each one in abundance. One of the two men flanking the lady had to be either the farm’s owner or perhaps a manager, leaving the middle-aged woman with silver hair to be, presumably, the owner’s representative. Trinity doubted most top-of-the-line thoroughbred breeders and owners attended the birth of their latest foal.

“Thanks for coming so soon. I’m Jerry. I spoke with you on the phone. This is Mrs. Hunter, the mare’s owner, and John, the broodmare foreman.” He tilted his head toward the woman next to him, then once more toward the other man.

Mrs. Hunter. The name rang a huge bell. Not only did the woman own a few racehorses, she owned some of the best, including last year’s winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Another Victory Gallop had fallen short by a nose in the Belmont Stakes to pulling out the rare and nearly impossible Triple Crown.

Totally amazed and impressed, Trinity studied the woman closer, deciding she liked the lady who stood in the middle of a stable after dark, trying to help a motherless foal even as her mare underwent surgery at the university’s vet hospital.

“Yes, of course.” Lora held her hand out and shook his. “I’m Lora Crocket and this is my daughter, Trinity.”

The others inclined their heads toward Trinity, but her mother held their attention.

“Let’s get the details ironed out so we can unite the colt with his new mother,” the second man said.

“Mrs. Hunter’ is generously offering a nurse mare rental fee of ten thousand, including the care of your mare while here, and the farm has a handful of studs at their disposal both here and at another location, including a couple of quarter horses, to breed her back to as is traditional in this situation.”

The woman pursed her lips. “Thank you, John, but I can speak for myself.” She pinned Lora with her gaze. “If that amount is agreeable to you…”

Lora opened her mouth, but Trinity broke in. “We want her bred to Another Victory Gallop.”

All eyes stared at her.

Jerry blinked. “Do you know what his stud fee is right now?”

“One hundred thousand as of last Wednesday.” Trinity lifted her chin and met their gazes steadily. “An amount we’ll never see.”

Mrs. Hunter studied her for a long moment. “You realize what you ask is way overboard?”

Trinity nodded. “Yes, I do. But I know this— Star was the best barrel racer of her time just like Another Victory Gallop was in his. I know it’s almost unheard of to mate a top-level thoroughbred stallion to a quarter horse mare, but it will work out. Wonderfully so. I just know it.” She poured her heart out, willing the older woman to agree. Her future hung in the balance.

“What do you intend to do with the resulting foal?”

“Ride him to victory at the barrel racing national championships,” Trinity answered truthfully, then held her breath.

Silence reigned.

A ghost of a smile crept up on Mrs. Hunter’s face. “I believe we have a deal.”

Chapter One

Ten years later…

Trinity plopped down in the chair directly in front of Legacy’s stall. The portable tent and stanchions emulated a barn fairly well, considering only the hit-and-miss breeze broke the stifling humidity of early summer. She much preferred to be in a pasture full of shade trees, but at least the thick material offered relief from the sun and the worst of the Oklahoma heat. Not much could be done for the mugginess except a cold cloth, a bath for her horse and the fans blowing constantly at nearly every electrical outlet.

Finally, after years of hard work, she’d arrived. Well, not to her peak destination, but to the first of the large rodeos on the docket for the year. Up to this point, she’d only attended the smaller ones close by—a single night and done. Made for a lot of driving in a short span of time, but she had no choice. Money and points earned punched her ticket to the big dance at the end of the year. Luckily this one filled an entire weekend, giving her a bit more downtime from the driver’s seat of her truck, but it also forced her to camp out overnight. Just par for the course.

She opened the cooler next to her and pulled out a bottle of water, resting until time to groom and saddle Legacy for the first night of events. Even now she could hear the announcer in the large building, muted, but still mostly discernible despite the walls and three hundred yards separating them.

While not the most comfortable, the lawn chair and her cot suited her for the overnight rodeos. Since she refused to leave Legacy’s side, she made do with a few provisions and dreamed of her own small but cozy room at home.

Legacy. He’d grown up stout. Big for a barrel horse, brave, determined and way too smart for his own good. He made up his own mind and followed through, no matter what. Most riders wouldn’t tolerate such stubbornness, but Trinity didn’t mind. They’d been best buddies from day one and he’d do things for her that not even her mother had been able to make happen. Others doubted a thoroughbred could ever make for a good barrel horse, even a cross. She knew better.

After digging a peanut butter sandwich out of her makeshift fridge, Trinity took a bite, not particularly hungry, but knowing she needed something in her stomach before sliding into the saddle for a fast and furious sprint.

A tall, dark-haired man with piercing blue eyes walked up. Recognition clicked, but for the life of her she couldn’t put her finger on why. Her heart sped at the prime specimen he presented, dressed in her favorite outfit—jeans and cowboy boots. “Been a while, Trinity.”

That unforgettable voice from her past did the trick. Soft, sure and low, the baritone timbre still sent shivers down her spine. He could mesmerize the most frightened animal with such a vocal gift. Probably did so on a routine basis if he’d stayed true to his roots. “Cody? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Cody Winters rodeoed, just like she did. Although he was a handful of years older than she, they still crossed paths. He originated from Oklahoma and she from Kentucky, but the circuit knew no boundaries in the Midwest area of the country. Those serious about such a career drove over several states from one event to another, thus running into the same people over and over again.

If you were one of the top names in the business, you could afford to skip the smaller rodeos and focus on the largest ones held all over the continental U.S. and into Canada. There a person could rack up points and prize money in a hurry, giving them the luxury of more time off, although they balanced the reward with extra time on the road, driving all over the place from one big event to the next. Unless you were the names in the business. Some of those owned a plane and simply flew from location to location.

How they got their animals to the rodeo, Trinity didn’t know, but figured it involved a hired hand performing all the hard legwork.

He stepped back, met her gaze and grinned softly. Her belly somersaulted as a small dimple popped in his cheek. The tall frame contained more muscles than she recalled and he’d been built way back when. Now he resembled a sculpted, handsome tank—tall, powerful, meaty and unmoving unless he decided to cooperate. She’d bet her saddle he carried no fat. Not with the way his clothes fit. Not tight, but cut perfectly to give plenty of tempting glimpses with each easy movement of his physique. Combined with a chiseled face, a square jaw that reminded her of a seasoned warrior and twinkling blue eyes sparkling with intelligence and something more, he presented a hot tamale package. Yeah, she enjoyed the eye candy, but drew the line there.

Over the years on the circuit, she’d seen it all. Everything from drinking and drugs to sex. Oh, man was there sex. In the chutes behind the scenes, in horse trailers, in stalls. She’d even caught a couple going at it in the bathroom. Something about attending a rodeo sent people into full-fledged heat. With the exception of her. She knew personally what happened when a woman got careless and downright stupid. She’d lived it. Still heard the mean whispers concerning her parentage and conception today.

“Yep.” His attention turned to Legacy, who at that time decided to stick his head over the stall door. “That’s a beaut of a horse, if I ever saw one.” Cody reached out.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she offered in warning.

Legacy snuffled him in open curiosity for a couple of seconds before making his displeasure known. Just as Legacy showed his teeth, pinned his ears and made to bite, Cody jerked his hand back.

“Damn.” He stared at the big horse with a mixture of annoyance and awe. “Just like his father, from the dappled hide and stocky build to the aggressive temperament.”

Trinity cocked her head. She hadn’t seen Cody in forever, yet he seemed to know lots about her and her horse. She couldn’t say the same since she rarely participated in gossip and had pretty much kept to herself at each stop so far. “You know his bloodlines?”

“Who doesn’t?”

She shrugged. Ever since she’d first showed up on the huge gray stallion with the four white stockings and a blaze, they’d received more than their fair share of attention. Since she didn’t care for the spotlight, it had become a prickly thorn in her side. Not to mention Legacy didn’t play well with others. He bit, he kicked. Basically, he judged a person by his present mood and most of the time they came up short.

His behavior had worsened lately. The blame rested on her shoulders. Since the funeral, she’d been on a roller coaster of emotions, mostly heartache and loneliness, and Legacy picked up on each and every one. As much as she lectured herself to pull it together, she couldn’t quite shake the constant companion of sadness.

Time heals all wounds.

How many times had she heard that particular quote? As many times as her mother said ‘if only’.

“Damn lucky to get a baby out of Another Victory Gallop. I’d still love to hear that story.”

So would a lot of others who barraged her with questions, both media and fellow competitors. Too bad she didn’t feel like talking.

She took another bite and chewed slowly, refusing to give in to Cody’s curiosity.

The click of horseshoes caught her attention. Turning her head, Trinity spotted Lacey leading her paint mare, Candy, down the aisle before opening the door and placing her in the stall next to Legacy. The stud immediately plastered his nose to the bars separating them and nickered. Candy ignored him, turned around and started pulling hay from the net tied in the corner.

Lacey might be a couple of years younger than Trinity, but they meshed well. Both were in the business for the long haul, but not at the expense of their mounts. Their horses came first, something that most riders believed, but not all. She’d been Legacy tested and approved at the first event, which said everything in Trinity’s book. Add in the fact that Lacey didn’t yap all the time, knew how to keep a secret and had a good heart—Trinity counted her as one of the few close friends she possessed.

Cody chuckled and nodded. “Spoken like a true stud.”

Lacey stepped out of the stall and secured the door behind her. She glanced over at them, then gave a lopsided grin. “Legacy keeps trying, but Candy isn’t the least interested.” She chuckled and leaned back against the row of stalls. “Haven’t seen you in a while, Cody. Whatcha been up to?”

“After I burned out steer wrestling in high school, I decided it was time to get serious. Went to vet school after a stint in the military first.”

Trinity blinked. She hadn’t heard that juicy tidbit before. Especially the military part. She eyed him in another light. He carried himself differently than she remembered. More fluid, confident and flowing. His gaze flicked here and there as if constantly checking out his surroundings. Definitely not what she remembered of his actions way back when. Oh sure, he’d always been cocky, but this spoke of something else. More self-assurance and ability than just conceit because the women flocked to him with his link to money and good looks. Pain flashed and departed in his eyes so quickly Trinity wasn’t sure she even saw it. Still, she opted to avoid the whole topic of service. From what little she knew about war, none of it made for great memories.

“Good for you. I always thought you would go in partnership with your father,” Trinity said.

Cody’s family owned a large ranch where his father raised both bucking bulls and horses to provide for the many rodeos around the country each year. Cody had been born into the profession, although he’d made sure to enjoy himself along the way. More than once she’d caught him flirting with a woman, then sneaking off for some alone time after the events were finished for the night. A bona fide playboy, that’s for sure.

Absently she wondered if the term still stuck.

Truth be told, she’d wished she were in the lucky woman’s shoes each night, absorbing all of Cody’s attention, as she’d had a crush on him almost from the first time she’d laid eyes on the strapping, good-looking steer wrestler. Not surprising since every other girl appeared to feel the same way. Only she’d steadfastly refused to act on her whims whereas others jumped in with both feet. Of course, she’d been fourteen at the time, so way too young for his attentions. That hadn’t stopped her from daydreaming.

“I did. Still help out around the ranch, but spend most of my time on the road treating large animals in my practice.” His focus shifted back to Legacy. “Just be careful with that one, Trin. He’s the last horse I want to have to work on.”

“You’re the vet here?” Lacey asked.

“One of a handful, yeah. I signed up to be at all the events for the circuit this year.” He smiled at Lacey, wide enough to show a hint of straight white teeth. “My luck, they’d assign me to that stud and laugh as he kicked the shit out of me. All part of being the new guy on the block.”

“No worries. Legacy’s an angel.”

Cody snorted.

“With women,” Trinity added with a wry grin.

“Like that helps me. A bit short in the estrogen department lately if you haven’t noticed.” Cody shook his head. “Lacey’s been around for a while, but I haven’t seen you, Trinity. When did you come back?”

She met his gaze steadily. “This year.” For the life of her she really disliked this topic of conversation, which inevitably led to the question about her mother.

“Miss the sport?” He tilted his head and met her eyes as if trying to read between the lines.

She didn’t give him the chance as she gestured toward Legacy. “Finally got a horse to get me back.”

“We’re lucky to have her,” Lacey chimed in. “She reminds the rest of us about the good old days.”

Trinity rolled her eyes. Like I’m that much older than Lacey and the other younger riders. At twenty-five, she was hardly ready to be put out to pasture.

“Yeah, those were the good times.” The corners of Cody’s lips hitched up but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Yeah, they were,” Trinity answered on a somewhat sad note. If only she could go back.

His cell phone rang. After plucking it from his belt, he answered the call, listened for a moment then held up his hand. “Got to go, ladies. See you around.” He spun on his heel and strode out of the improvised barn.

“Holy crap. Did you see that ass?” Lacey whispered, still watching where Cody disappeared out into the sunlight.

“Unfortunately.” Trinity sighed. She’d always been a sucker for a man with a great rump covered in Wrangler jeans. Cody possessed one of the finest. She drew in a breath and committed the sight to memory. Because that was’ all it would ever be.

****

Cody couldn’t shake the image of Trinity out of his head as he strode back toward the arena. She had been a gawky girl the last time he’d seen her, just entering the high school circuit. Damn if she hadn’t grown up, filled out and turned out pretty. More than that. Beautiful and downright sexy.

Long, dishwater blonde hair framed an oval face with big blue eyes, the windows to her soul, where he could easily lose himself. From what he could tell from her sitting position, jeans covered a nice curve to her hips while the Western shirt, though loose, hinted at modest yet perky breasts. The top of her head might tickle his chin, but good things came in small packages. Trinity did.

Odd, he hadn’t thought much about her before, when as a freshman in high school she’d attended a handful of the same events as he. He’d noticed her, seen a child, and turned his attention elsewhere. In truth, he’d spoken perhaps a dozen sentences to her in the past, a fact he now regretted.

Now, it seemed fate deemed him worthy of another chance.

He’d been surprised to see her back in competition after such a long absence. He’d thought she’d exchanged her boots for chasing men, and had long since gotten married and popped out a couple of kids like most of the girls who barrel raced as kids. Not that he put them down. No way. Everyone deserved the chance to do what they thought best, even if the phase lasted a short time. Besides, he’d essentially followed a similar path. Well, the part about leaving the rodeo and moving on to other things, anyway. The marriage and kids part, no.

A trickle of longing meandered through his system. Absently, he shoved the morose thoughts aside. He’d come to terms with everything that had happened and moved on.

Yeah, right.

The mocking voice in his head refused to allow him to live in a fantasy. In all honesty it was a good thing, but now and again he wished things could be different.

If only…

Shaking the useless phrase aside, he turned his attention back to the unforeseen yet intriguing contestant by the name of Trinity. After noticing her name on the docket and double-checking, he’d decided he had to have a peek for himself. And was glad he had.

Their short conversation ran through his mind. He recalled her facial expressions, the surprise at his approach, and when he’d called her by name. Also the spark of interest in those baby blues before they’d clouded over with sadness once more.

Curiosity piqued. He’d wager his next paycheck she grappled with emotional turmoil and discomfort instead of anything physical. After all, she appeared healthy as a horse with her trim build and slight rose hue to her cheeks. For all intents and purposes, she looked to be in tip-top shape, which pointed him back to his original assumption. Something must be bothering her.

Racking his brain, he tried to remember any hint of rumor including her, to no avail. Not surprising since he’d been out of the loop for a while, first in the SEALs, then busy in vet school before graduating a few months back and struggling to establish his practice. Now that he’d been hired by the Rodeo Association to help oversee the health and care of the livestock through the long season, he’d no doubt hear a few tidbits. Always did. After all, with pretty much the same group each weekend and ample opportunity for trysts and gossip, word would get around soon enough. He’d just have to either be patient or ask a few subtle questions here and there to appease his inquisitiveness.

On the other hand, that gray stallion of hers proved a hot topic. Understandably so. Best damn horse he’d ever laid eyes on, and he’d seen a lot over the years, both on the rodeo circuit and on his father’s ranch. Despite being only half quarter horse, he had been put together just right. Muscles to his ears and a conformation judges would drool over in the halter class at shows. That horse could get the job done whatever the task, from show jumping to racing to cross-country at the Olympics. While he had yet to see Legacy in action, he didn’t doubt the stud could perform. Hell, Trinity wouldn’t be at this event if he ranked in the mediocre range. No, Legacy had earned Trinity’s place here and, if speculation held true, would carry her all the way to the finals.

Anticipation washed over him at the thought of watching their first run tonight. Odd, since not much had captured his interest and brought excitement to his life lately. Barring a few one-night stands over the past few months, he’d been too busy working and plodding along through daily life to feel any sort of rush. Compared to active duty with the SEALs, jet-setting all over the world, battling the worst of the worst, his life had tamed to a dull beige. He enjoyed his profession, reveled in the slower pace, but still knew his life lacked something important.

Something told him Trinity and Legacy might just change that. At least for now.