Patriotic Rodeo

By JM Nash

Kennedy’s life would never be the same after the horrific night when her husband was brutally taken from her. Kennedy needed to learn to let go. Of her past, her husband, everything she thought her future would be. She kept her heart protected and vowed to never love again, until a young bull rider appeared in town. Tucker Jackson.

One touch was all it took from him. Kennedy felt the fireworks start and knew that her life would forever be changed. Was she ready to let go of the past and move on or would Tucker Jackson end up a distant memory….

• Language: English
• Publisher: JM Nash
• Release date: Oct 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536515831

Book preview

Acknowledgments

To my readers..... Thank you for this incredible journey.  Hope you fall in love with Kennedy and Tucker like I did!

Prologue

One year earlier.....

July 4th

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No, Nathaniel. Please don’t go in there! I screamed. I watched as my husband climbed up the gate and hopped over, landing in the mud. Nathaniel, he is going to kill you. That animal hates you! Please get out of there! I pleaded and begged him. I had hated this bull. Always had, but Nate loved the fear and the thrill. I would never understand it.

He stepped even closer to the beast who easily weighed in at 2500 pounds. I held my breath like I do every single time. For whatever reason I didn’t squeeze my eyes shut this time as he approached the beast. I understood he needed to check out the wound on his back. The animal barely tolerated other animals near him and I wonder how in the hell Nate was going to get close to him. I've voiced my concern again and he just groaned.  He said he had his ways.

Ways my ass. More like a hope and prayer that Patriotic Rodeo didn’t come after him and fork him with his horns. I have seen too many bull riders end up with broken bones and gorged bodies to know that stepping inside of the pen with a large animal is not the wisest choice in the world.

Kennedy, I am not going to touch him. I just want to get a better look.

You are nuts.  Thunder clapped above making not only me jump but both Nate and Patriotic Rodeo. I started to turn and head back to the house when out of the corner of my eye my worst nightmare started to unfold. The bull lunged forward just as the rain started pounding the tin roof of the barn.

Everything started to happen in slow motion. I couldn’t get back into the pen fast enough. My brother Kaleb had scaled the fencing as soon as he saw the big beast spooked, but he was too late. Patriotic Rodeo had Nate pinned down, slowly crushing him. All I could do was scream. Several other ranch hands had jumped in with Nate and Kaleb, trying to help, but by the time they had gotten the bull back and out of the pen, Nate had been crushed. I scaled the fence kneeling in front of my husband as the tears blurred my vision. His chest heaving for air. Slowly the gasp began to fade and then there was nothing. No movement. Paramedics were on their way, but wouldn't matter; Nate was dead.

Chapter 1

I slammed the phone down.  The conversation with my dad had not gone as well as I had hoped. He asked me to stay until the last shipment had arrived tonight. I swear he was beginning to become forgetful in his old age.  I didn’t mind. It kept me from going back to the ranch. For the first few months after Nate’s death I slept on the couch in the lounge in the back room. I couldn’t go home.  Nobody said a word. I doubt anyone would have.

Nate had been gone a year and I had yet to really return to the barn. I wanted nothing to do with bulls, horses or any type of livestock. My world was lost when Nate died. I let my brother run the day to day operations of the Montgomery Ranch while I started working at the Montgomery General Store with my dad and uncle. I couldn’t handle not being busy, but being on the ranch brought too much pain. I couldn’t sell it, but I also couldn’t run it either.

My mother died of breast cancer six years ago when I turned twenty-one. When she died, I never imagined I would have to be faced with a greater pain. In grade school, Nate would always pull my hair, and one day, I turned around and punched him square in the face. I gave him a bloody nose but he never touched me again until we turned sixteen, when he kissed me under the Fourth of July fireworks. My first real kiss and our worlds melded into one.  Inseparable is the only term I can perfectly use to describe us. Nate and I did everything together. We were married at eighteen and we were each other’s first. 

Nearly ten years later, we had just started discussing children and now that dream of having little dark haired, blue eyed boys had faded. Dad told me to give it time. I would find love again. I didn’t want to fight with him over the loss of a spouse, but damn it losing Nate before our lives really began sucked.

I had my head stuck under the counter when the bell on the door chimed letting me know someone had come inside. I had been trying to clean out years of crap my uncle and his wife had just let collect under and in things all over the building. I mean really who needs shit from twenty years ago?

Hello. The deep sexy voice boomed. I gasped as I nearly knocked myself out trying to pull my head from under the counter.

As I stood and brushed the dirt from my hands, I looked up into the most beautiful sapphire eyes I had ever seen. Hi there. How can I help you? I blew the piece of hair out of my face. Damn... of all days to look like death warmed over.

He nodded and bared a full wide smile. This is really stupid of me, but I didn’t book a room or a place to stay and everything here is full and or out of my price range. Are there any other options or a place to rent that's close to here?

I just shook my head. I didn’t say it out loud but he was a ‘naive newbie’.  Well I know Mabel may have a place. If not, I do have room in my bunk house. Shit! Did I just tell this handsome man he could stay on my property? I am nuts or in need of something else to look at besides the men who work for me. Oh Lord please help me and don’t strike me dead.

You mean the little lady at the Bed and Breakfast my friend suggested on the edge of town? The man raised an eyebrow.

Yes, she is a little eccentric, but the biggest sweetheart you'll ever meet. I'd have to agree that when you first meet this feisty woman that you'd never think she was seventy years old.  Her wild flame red hair and her hippy tie-dyed t-shirts make her seem years younger than she is. I've known her my whole life and she's the sweetest woman on the planet, apart from my mother.  She would give you the shirt off your back if you need it and it fit.

Yes, ma’am. I did talk to her. She is full this week; in fact, she's the one who told me to come ask you. He smirked.

That damn woman! I growled out. Mabel, God love her. It wasn’t a month after Nate’s death and she was lining men up for me. I mean really woman!  She kept telling me I should not be alone and I needed some male companionship. I knew what she meant. Sex. She wasn’t afraid to tell you either. I said I was