Obviously, she was in shock. He was pretty sure she'd hated him on sight.

Walking on her knees, Chanel worked her way between his legs until their lips were inches apart. Hesitating for only a breath, she pressed hers to his. The kiss started gentle, but then desperation seemed to consume her. She nipped his lower lip encouraging him to open to her, and he did. Gripping his head, Chanel deepened the kiss, and Maddox found his hands on her back drawing her closer. Finally he lie back pulling her on top of him. Wet drops on his face made him open his eyes, and he realized she was crying.

"Hey," he whispered, pulling away just far enough to speak. He wiped at a tear with his thumb.

"Sorry," Chanel whispered back. "Feeling a lot right now." She lowered her lips back to his. They kissed for a moment before she pulled back. "Make love to me."

His desire was overwhelming, but Maddox was certain she'd regret it in the morning. He could already hear her lashing out, telling him he took advantage of her when she was emotionally compromised. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he gave her a squeeze and rolled so they were lying on their sides face-to-face.

Unwilling too ruin their delicate new friendship, he said, "Not tonight, but I'll hold you as long as you want."

Chanel rested her forehead on his chest for a moment, and then he felt her nod. She wiggled around in his arms until they were spooning. Her perfect b.u.t.t snuggled up to his belly. Maddox held her tight, and they both drifted off in the warm summer night air.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

Late the next morning, Chanel rolled into the hospital parking lot driving Fritz's truck. She'd left Maddox behind, hoping for some time alone with Seth.

Her cousin was propped up on pillows when she entered his room. Fritz and Christine were nowhere in sight. Both of his eyes almost swollen shut, face mottled with bruises, but somehow he managed a weak smile.

"Hey, Chel."

Chanel perched on his bed taking care not to jostle him. "Hey. How're you feeling this morning?"

"They've got some pretty awesome pain meds here."

Chanel smiled. Seth was perpetually lighthearted, even when the s.h.i.t was flying from the fan.

"Where's your mom and Fritz?"

"They went over to the cafe for some breakfast," Seth replied. "Did you take a hit to the face too? You look like a racc.o.o.n."

"Thanks a lot," Chanel said. "That's the last time I save your a.s.s and stay up all night worrying about you."

"In my defense, I can't see too well." Seth grimaced when he raised an arm to gesture at his eyes.

"Sit still," Chanel said resting her hand on Seth's leg.

"You were awesome. I caught a glimpse of you riding Clint before I went out. You're ready for bulls. And Maddox, man, he missed his calling as a boxer."

Hearing Maddox's name spread heat through Chanel's body. They'd awoken on the hill as the sun came up, and he'd held her hand on the walk back to the pickup. Mitch hadn't said a word when she straggled in, for which she was grateful.

"Are you blushing? What're you thinking about?" Seth started to lean forward. He only made it a couple of inches before groaning and sinking back against the pillows. "Did something happen with Maddox last night?"

Witnessing his pain caused Chanel to clench her teeth. Clint better get some jail time for last night. Who knows how far he would have gone if she and Maddox hadn't stepped in.

When Chanel didn't answer, Seth asked, "Speaking of Maddox, where is he?"

"It was a late night, and I knew this was just a quick trip to town to get your mom and Fritz, so I let him sleep." All points were true. He didn't need to know the rest of the story at the moment. She was still sorting through it.

"You're not staying for the finals?" Seth struggled to sit up again.

Chanel shook her head.

"What? That's crazy. You guys can't skip the finals because of last night. That would mean Clint won." If his face hadn't been so puffy, Seth's brows would have furrowed creating what Chanel had dubbed years ago as "the worry tunnel" between his eyes.

Chanel didn't know what to say. He had a point, but they were all tired, and there was comfort in returning to the regular routine.

"C'mon, Chel, you have to rope tonight. That buckle is yours, and I heard the prize check was pretty decent too."

"Seth, I couldn't catch a slow moving elephant today."

"Whatever. Who cares if you catch? Just go. Please? For me? h.e.l.l, I'd go if they'd let me out of here. They're keeping me until tomorrow as a precaution. They seem to be worried Clint smooshed my brain."

"I'd like to smoosh his brain and a few other things," Chanel grumbled as Fritz and Christine entered the room. Christine's eyes were puffy, and she looked ten years older. Fritz looked worn out.

"Mom, you're going to the rodeo tonight right?" Seth locked his battered stare on his mother.

"Oh, honey," Christine sighed. "I'm not up to it. If you feel okay here, I'm ready to go home and sleep for the rest of the day."

"Someone needs to represent," Seth insisted. "Show this town that we won't be pushed around."

"I hate to say it, ladies, but Seth's right," Fritz said, and both women gave him surprised looks.

Seth eased back onto his pillows, a triumphant smile on his bruised lips. "Thank you, Fritz."

The older man's mustache twitched.

Chanel knew they were right too. She could picture the stares and the whispers that would follow them all evening, but they had a point to prove. And not everyone was as terrible as Clint and his buddies.

"Fine," Chanel said slipping off the bed. "I'll do my run tonight. I better go home and try to take a nap, so I don't fall off Vivi and give this place something else to talk about." She leaned in and gave Seth a light kiss on the forehead. "I love you. And after all this, you owe me big time."

It was like dej vu. Maddox was back in the grandstand with Christine, only this time Fritz sat on her other side. Jessi and the Wilkins twins were sitting in front of him. Thankfully, she slipped off with Brad shortly after the dance had begun the night before and missed her brother's beating. Christine had let it slide, but Maddox had a feeling she would've been harder on her daughter on a regular weekend.

Maddox's gut clenched. Though he commended the family for holding their heads high, proving they would not be bullied, he worried about more pain coming to them.

Chanel had drawn to rope second in the finals. The woman ahead of her missed her calf.

"Next up, we have Chanel Eber of the Double O Ranch," the announcer's voice echoed through the speakers. "I'd like to take a moment to let you all know her team-roping partner and cousin, Seth Eber, is on the mend at Clifford's Bend Hospital. On behalf of Clifford's Bend, I want to let the Eber family know that our prayers are with you, and we are all saddened by the events of last night." The audience grew still after the speech. Maddox noticed the stands weren't as full as the previous night, and the spot where Clint's father had held court was conspicuously empty. Fritz wrapped a comforting arm around Christine, and Maddox hoped the announcer's statements were true. Maybe last night rocked this community's little world, and next time-G.o.d forbid there was one-there would be more helping hands.

Maddox studied Chanel's drawn face as she maneuvered Vivi into the box. There wasn't any emotion or sign she'd acknowledged the announcer's words. To Maddox she looked tired but determined. Mitch had stayed behind the chutes with her to keep her calm and to keep an eye on the other cowboys. He'd left the fairgrounds before the fight and wasn't about to let his daughter out of his sight today. The older man had shooed Maddox to the bleachers to watch saying it was probably better if he laid low until Mitch could get a read on folks. Things were more likely to get feisty behind the chutes than in the audience where a lot of families gathered.

It was frustrating for Maddox to be so far from Chanel. When he discovered she'd gone to town without him that morning, he'd been furious. In his mind, she shouldn't be alone right now. At a loss for what to do with himself, he'd gone out to the hayfield where he'd left off on Friday and fired up the swather. Despite the dust and heat, there was comfort in the roar of the engine and the monotony of the work. Plus, he felt useful. His thoughts roamed as he guided the huge machine back and forth. They ranged from that first day on the tractor, how ticked she'd been when she landed on the dashboard, how she felt in his lap, to how her scowls had transformed to smiles as the weeks slipped by. He'd like to think they'd become friends. The tingle on the back of his neck, combined with the quickening of his pulse as memories of the hours on the hillside last night rushed in, made him admit he hoped they were becoming something more. Then doubt raised its nasty head and convinced him she'd turned to him because he'd been the closest warm body.

The question continued to tumble around in his head as he sat on the hard bleacher seat. He snapped back to the present at the sound of the chute cracking open. A white faced red calf shot down the center of the arena. Vivi bounded through the barrier in pursuit, and in no time Chanel's rope was popping free from her saddle horn. Maddox's jaw dropped. He'd never seen the pair move like that. They'd been a blur of motion.

"And that's a new local record there, folks!" The announcer boomed over the loudspeaker. "Two point one seconds for Chanel Eber. Two point one! That's going to be hard to beat, ladies."

"YEAH!" Maddox was on his feet with the rest of the family cheering and hollering, the coil of worry in his gut unwinding. He looked around to find everyone in the bleachers on their feet applauding her run. Chanel tipped her hat at the crowd as she cantered Vivi toward the exit gate.

Maddox couldn't help himself and hurried down the steps and around the arena to meet her. When he found her she was sliding from Vivi's back to give Mitch a hug. There were tears in her eyes when Maddox stepped up to her, but she beamed when she saw him. Chanel allowed him to lift her off the ground in a bone-crushing hug.

"That was awesome," Maddox said into her hair. He settled her back on her feet.

"I'm so glad he made me come," Chanel said. "Let's take my new buckle over to the hospital when this is all over." She got a wild look in her eye, and next thing he knew, she was on her tiptoes giving him a fierce kiss. Maddox settled his hands on her hips, kissing her back.

Mitch coughed in the background, and Maddox lifted his head, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth as if to wipe away the evidence.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Mitch winked at him, a smirk on his lips. Chanel was unapologetic, giving him one more loud smack before stepping back to pet Vivi. "I should get her some water and get this saddle off."

Maddox followed Chanel and the palomino mare to a water trough. An unfamiliar excitement was radiating off her, and all he wanted to do was press her up against the fence.

"Chanel!"

His wandering thoughts were reined in at the sound of a female voice. Maddox recognized David's girlfriend, Faith, jogging across the dusty lot to join them. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and he thought she looked frazzled. Glancing at Chanel, he noticed she'd stiffened. She'd been in too much shock last night to react when the other woman had brought her a cup of water.

"Congratulations," Faith said giving Vivi a pat.

"Thanks," Chanel said. Her expression was flat. The light from a moment before was gone.

Faith shifted and cleared her throat. "Look, about last night-,"

"No, there's nothing to say here. Where is my chicken s.h.i.t cousin anyway?"

"I don't know. That's what I wanted to tell you. When he refused to step in last night, I...I...broke up with him. I know he had issues with his family but never realized it was that ugly. He would never talk about it, so I didn't know specifics. I shouldn't have ignored it." Faith looked down at her boots, her hand still resting on Vivi's neck.

Maddox watched quietly wishing Faith hadn't interrupted Chanel's moment of joy.

When Chanel didn't respond, just stood there like she was waiting for more, Faith stuck her hands in her pockets and continued. "Everyone seemed so nice when we were in school. It was weird he never wanted me to come out to the ranch, but I told myself it was because he wanted to get away from work. I'm sorry I didn't press harder." Faith gave a little shrug and looked at Chanel with pleading eyes. Maddox was starting to feel bad for her. He hoped Chanel would cut her some slack.

"It's not your fault he's a jerk," Chanel finally said. "David manipulates people, wants everyone to conform to his ideas. That kind of thinking sure as h.e.l.l didn't come from our family."

Silence fell over the group. The only sounds were Vivi's deep swallows of water and hard rock music over the loudspeaker while someone rode a bull.

"Apologize to Seth for me, will you?" Faith said.

"Sure," Chanel said and led Vivi toward the horse trailer. Maddox hustled after her, offering Faith a weak smile as he pa.s.sed.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

The hallways of Clifford's Bend Hospital were quiet as Chanel made her way toward Seth's room. Visiting hours were over, but the nursing staff was lax, and Seth was due to be released the next morning. Voices drifted toward her, and she a.s.sumed Fritz and Christine had stopped by on their way home after the rodeo. Chanel had gotten hung up for a while waiting to collect her prizes.

Chanel strode into Seth's room, holding the shiny buckle engraved with a woman throwing a rope from her horse and bedazzled with purple rhinestones out in front of her so it would be the first thing her cousin would see. She froze when she recognized David's broad back.

"What are you doing here?" Chanel said.

David turned. Like everyone else in the family, he looked tired. "Came to see my brother."

"Chel, it's good," Seth said.

Her eyes settled on his bruised face, and she wanted to cry. It wasn't good. He was battered and broken, and this dummy was in here trying to apologize to a.s.suage his own guilt.

"I don't think so," she said.

"I should go," David said.

Chanel stepped to the side to clear a path to the door. It took all of her self-control not to make a flourishing gesture to sweep him out.

"Thanks for stopping by," Seth said. "See you at home?"

David gave Chanel a wary look before shifting his gaze to his brother. "Maybe."

As soon as David walked through the doorway, Chanel closed it and then whirled toward the bed. "What was that?"

"David apologizing."

"Uh huh. I'll tell you what it was. He got dumped last night for not standing up for you. The one person who still kinda liked him bailed because she saw him for the a.s.shole he is. He does not get to waltz in here and play kissy face now." The buckle dug into Chanel's palm as she squeezed it in frustration.

"You don't get to decide, Chel." Seth's voice was low. He always did that when he wanted to calm her down.

She locked eyes with her cousin. As usual, his demeanor was relaxed, peaceful.

"He's pretty tore up about it," Seth said.

"I bet," Chanel replied rolling her eyes. She surprised herself by wishing Maddox were here to listen to this. He'd wanted to join her, but she'd decided she wanted to share the moment with her cousin alone, so she'd sent him back to the ranch with Mitch.

Maybe he could talk some sense into Seth. For some reason Maddox had Seth's ear.

"Stop!" Seth winced as he reached out and caught Chanel by the wrist. "What happened sucks, believe me, but if it brings healing to our family, well then, it was worth it."

"Don't be a martyr."

"I'm not! I'm just accepting what is. Right now, you're acting like David, all bent out of shape because things aren't settling the way you think they ought to."