Rope 'n Ride Box Set Books 1-6 Read online

  Contents

  Copyright

  Buck

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Ryder

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  Ridge

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  West

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  Lane

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Wynonna

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  About Em

  Other books by Em

  Buck

  Rope ’n Ride Series

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright Em Petrova 2016

  Ebook Edition

  Cover design by Bookin’ It Designs

  Electronic book publication April 2016

  SUBSCRIBE to Em Petrova’s Newsletter to keep up to date and for special reader features.

  Buck

  Rope ‘n Ride Series

  Book 1

  By Em Petrova

  It ain’t easy being a rodeo reality star—especially when you’re expected to marry your ex.

  After a TV network approaches the six Calhoun family members about doing a rodeo reality show, they jump on the opportunity for even more income needed to keep their ranch in the family. But now that Buck’s knee-deep in film crews, he wishes like hell he could un-sign his name from that contract. Having his personal business aired is no damn fun, and America doesn’t know his fiancée broke things off with him.

  Channing loved Buck the moment she spotted him on top of his powerful horse. But she’s had enough of his cool, emotionless personality and she wants out. Only she signed up for this reality series, and she needs that cold hard cash to keep her brother out of the hands of the thugs he owes for gambling debts.

  For Buck and Channing, pretending all is well is difficult. Keeping their hands off each other is impossible, and throwing the film crews off their horny scent is a challenge that’s becoming fun. Channing is starting to view Buck in a brand new light. And he sees her true colors when she finds a way to help the whole Calhoun family. Maybe she really will get that wedding ring and his last name.

  Chapter One

  “We’ve got Calhoun and Franklin ready to go, folks. Keep an eye on this pair—they’re hoarding all the winning scores across the country!”

  Buck’s horse quivered in anticipation, and he settled a hand along its neck. “We’ve got this, Havoc. Now let’s wreak some!”

  The chute penning the steer opened and the animal shot forward at the same moment that Buck did. He raced alongside the animal, his lasso a natural extension of his hand. He whirled and tossed, catching the steer squarely across the horns.

  The drum of hooves behind him beat along with his heart—his partner Asher Franklin set his lasso down squarely on the spot of earth where the steer’s back legs would land. He jerked the rope and the crowd came to their feet, screaming.

  Buck didn’t need to look up at the scoreboard to know that was a damn good time. He fist-punched the air, scanning the wall for his family members. They were all there—five Calhouns sporting the same endorsement patches on their shirts as he did.

  He gave them a single nod of acknowledgement, but he saw what his outstanding time had given them.

  Hope.

  He spun Havoc around and grinned at Asher. His partner doffed his hat and held it in the air as their standing was announced. First place. Not bad for team ropers who were the bottom pick last season.

  As he guided his horse out of the arena, he glimpsed honey blonde hair from the corner of his eye. He twisted his head to see his girl, Channing, boots on the bottom rail of the fence and her curves straining forward, her arm outstretched to touch him as he passed.

  Buck caught her gaze and dipped his head in greeting. But not before he saw her happy expression vanish and an invisible steel door slam between them.

  “Damn,” he muttered and dismounted. He hadn’t made her happy for months. He was starting to feel as though she hated him.

  Havoc pranced, and he gave the gelding the praise he deserved. Asher came at him and they did the bro-hug, thumping each other’s backs. Then his family was suddenly surrounding him.

  His chest bursting with emotion, he stood with them and joined hands. All six Calhouns bowed their heads as he recited the words spoken after each one of them earned a sum of money that would save their ranch. “For you, Dad.”

  * * * * *

  Channing stood back and watched her fiancé and his family do that thing in memory of their father, who’d passed almost six months before. Buck Sr. had been the heart and soul of the Calhoun family—he’d also left them in the lurch when the will hadn’t been updated after his first child’s birth thirty-two years before.

  The family ranch was slated to go into a cousin’s hands. A cousin they all despised for his greed. None of them had a doubt that Ennis would mine, drill for oil and subdivide that land to death.

  Cameras flashed and Channing pasted on her smile in case one was aimed at her. But she wasn’t feeling the love right at the moment. Not when Buck had all but ignored her coming off his ride. Would it hurt him to reach out and take her hand as he passed? To acknowledge they were more than acquaintances?

  We’re great at sex and mediocre at everything else.

  It was true. She talked to his four brothers more than she did her fiancé.

  “Get in here, Channing,” Ryder called out.

  Buck’s head snapped up as if he’d just remembered there was another person of importance in his life and she should have a place in their sacred ring.

  She came forward, holding his gaze, aware of the lights playing in his eyes that meant he liked what he saw in her. Yeah, they were great at lusting but their relationship needed work—a lot of work.

  As she neared, Buck snaked out his arm and curled it around her middle, drawing her into their circle. Leaning on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his neck. “Great ride,” she whispered.

  His arm tightened, or maybe it was just a twitch. Either way it was a strong show of emotion from a man like Buck. He was the coolest of all the Calhouns. His poker face was renow
ned in the Oklahoma countryside where he’d grown up. But the man could smile. She’d seen his ruggedly handsome face splashed across newspapers and magazines and was knifed that he reserved his huge, white-toothed grins for America. She only got that head-dip of acknowledgement. You’re my fiancé. You should leap off your horse and climb the fence to grab me and kiss me.

  At least that was her dream. If she went ahead and married Buck Calhoun, she’d be unlikely to feel that loved.

  “Buck, can you give us a statement about how it feels to win this kind of money for your family ranch?” A reporter shoved a microphone between her and Buck. She sidled away.

  It was no secret why the Calhouns had all stepped up their game and each taken a corner of the rodeo. Ryder, Ridge, West and Lane all competed on bulls and broncs, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. And Wynonna was the barrel racer of the family.

  While Buck gave his interview to the increasing number of reporters gathering around the Calhouns, Channing slipped away. She walked up to Asher, who was looking as serious as she felt inside.

  “Awesome snag, Asher. You sheer off half a second every time.” She offered him a smile.

  The tension around his lips didn’t ease even as he returned the gesture. “Thanks.” Whatever was going on with him worried her. Eventually his general unhappiness would ooze over into the arena and then they’d start losing. She’d tried to bring this topic up to Buck earlier in the week and he’d shut her down immediately.

  “Nothing’s wrong with Asher.”

  “Are you sure? He couldn’t look unhappier.”

  “I’m positive.” Buck had given her that trademark head-dip. A year ago, when she’d first set eyes on Buck seated atop Havoc, coming in off one of his losing rides, he’d given her a long, piercing look accompanied by that head-dip and Channing had turned into a knotted, panting mess of want.

  Now the action seemed like a brush-off.

  She pressed her lips together and laid her hand on Asher’s forearm. He was coiled as tight as a snake about to strike but didn’t pull away. Actually, he leaned toward her.

  When he practically fell into her arms, she made a noise of surprise. Then glancing at his face, she realized he was crumbling—falling to pieces.

  “Come with me,” she whispered and hurried him away from the mob of reporters and cameras surrounding the Calhouns. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see Buck’s gaze narrow on her leaving with Asher.

  Part of her thought good, he deserved to wonder why his fiancé was running off with his heeler. But her need to get Asher away from the film crew was top priority in her mind.

  Once they were alone in a long corridor, she grasped Asher’s shoulders and turned him to face her. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s Reese,” he choked.

  “Your wife?” Stunned, a million scenarios ran through her head. Reese had left him, she’d taken his kids back to Argentina, she’d cheated while he was on the road.

  Asher’s big brown eyes swam with tears but he manfully did not let them fall. The muscle in the crease of his jaw flickered. “She’s just been committed.”

  Channing reeled. Now that I wasn’t expecting.

  “Committed?” she echoed.

  “To a rehab facility. Her mother and I had an intervention with her last time I was home and Reese swore she’d get clean, that she’d already laid off.”

  “What was she doing?” Channing couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice.

  “Huffing.”

  Dear God. She tried to picture Asher’s pretty little Latina wife doing such a thing. “Huffing what?”

  “Paint thinner. Jesus, Channing.” He tipped forward into her arms. She held him for a long minute while he broke. They had two little girls at home and the woman was huffing? She patted Asher’s back and let him spend his grief and stress on her shoulder.

  When he lifted his head and met her gaze, she felt like bawling for him. “I never thought something like this would happen in our marriage.”

  “Who does? Life hits you in the gut sometimes. Where are the kids?”

  “Her ma’s got them. And my parents are helping out to give her a break. I don’t think the kids have any idea something’s going on with their mother.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Found a bunch of cans in the garage and thought she was doing one of her flea market projects. Then I found a can in the bedroom, the bathroom…and the kitchen.”

  Channing wanted to throw up at the thought of that disgusting smell and a young mother getting high from it. She wasn’t one to judge, though, and she turned her attention to what could be done for Asher at this moment.

  She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tight. A full-body shudder ran through him and he exhaled as if his emotions had exhausted him. They probably had—the high of their recent win followed by the slam of reality.

  “What you need to do is go home, Ash.”

  “I know. I am. I’ve got a week off before the next competition.”

  She drew back to meet his gaze. “You take what you need and we’ll make Buck understand.” It suddenly occurred to her that Buck may not know. “Have you told him this?”

  “No. Buck’s got his own mess going on with Ennis and the ranch. He only sees the next event and win. He wants that money to buy out Ennis more than anything.”

  She nodded. “I know, but your mental state is worth more. Go home, take care of your family, Asher. I’ll handle Buck.”

  How was anybody’s guess. Buck wasn’t going to take her words into account. They didn’t talk.

  Footsteps sounded. She looked around to find her fiancé standing in the corridor, his hat low but his stance speaking loudly. Tension rippled through his broad shoulders as he came forward.

  “Talk to him, Asher.”

  As they pulled away from each other, Buck strode forward. The dim lighting didn’t offer her a glimpse of his face, and his hat was tugged low. But she had a feeling his expression was the same wooden mask he always wore in her presence.

  “What’s going on here?” Buck’s voice sounded as though he’d gargled spurs.

  Asher stepped forward. “I need to talk to you.”

  “I’ll just go back to our room,” Channing said softly and hurried away as fast as possible. Her mind was a riot but her heart beat too fast and hard. And somehow in that second when she’d consoled Buck’s partner, she’d seen her future.

  She had to break things off with Buck. Life was too short to waste time with a man who wasn’t in love with her.

  * * * * *

  Buck scrubbed his hands over his face and sank to the edge of the king-sized bed he and Channing had been sharing. Their hotel room looked neat—too neat, actually. Her suitcase wasn’t spilling over the dresser and her frilly underthings weren’t tormenting him from the back of the chair.

  Alarms sounded in his head.

  Channing came out of the bathroom and stopped dead when she saw him. Her hands were filled with her toiletries. Their gazes locked, and he felt an icy dread slip into his stomach.

  “What’s going on?” He stood.

  “Umm…” She dropped her gaze and hurried to her suitcase, where she shoved all her toiletries without her usual meticulous packing. “I’m going to leave early, Buck.”

  “Why?” When he’d seen her in Asher’s arms, he’d almost stormed forward and punched his partner’s teeth out. Then his senses had returned and he’d realized his partner would never betray him like that. And Channing wouldn’t either. She wasn’t that type of woman.

  “I just feel it’s best,” she said, concentrating on zipping her bag.

  Buck caught her shoulder and turned her to face him. “Asher told me about Reese. I don’t think anything’s going on between you and Asher, so there’s no need to run away.”

  Her eyes, so blue they hurt to look into them, sparkled with tears. Buck’s chest constricted.

  “Buck…”

  “What the hell’s going
on, Channing?” His voice cracked.

  “Things haven’t been working between us for a while, Buck. And talking to Asher made me realize—”

  “No. You’re not walking out on me. Not right now.”

  “We hardly speak. I’m an extra, a groupie riding around with you to the next event and watching you live your dreams. More than anything I want your family to reach your goal and get enough money to buy out Ennis. But I can’t continue to stand on the outskirts of your life. It’s not really living.”

  He tipped his head back and stared at the popcorn ceiling. Hotel rooms always smelled musty with a trace of disinfectant—until Channing came in and spritzed her perfume around.

  He swallowed hard. “Let’s talk about this more.”

  She shook her head, tears spilling over her high cheekbones. God, she was beautiful, and he wanted nothing more than to sink his hands into her thick mass of blonde hair and let her know it as he drove into her tight body again and again.

  No, his hormones were talking. The highs and lows he’d experienced in the past hour had him galloping out of control. The win, a proposition by a film crew and Asher’s revelation…

  Buck shook his head.

  “Look, it’s better to end things now than when we have two kids like Asher and Reese do.” Channing grabbed her purse and slipped the long leather strap over her shoulder. Looking closer, he saw that she trembled. “Good luck to you.”

  Then she grabbed her suitcase handle and walked out of the hotel room. Walked out on him.

  Just when he and his siblings were about to sign a fucking contract for a reality show—and she was part of the goddamn proposal.

  He slammed the heel of his hand off the dresser where her suitcase had rested next to his duffle. Dammit, he’d lost his fiancée and might have lost his partner all in an hour.

  His cell buzzed, and he yanked it from his back pocket to stare at the screen. Hoping to see a last word from Channing, but instead he met with his sister’s sassy demand for him to come down to the bar so they could continue talking with the production crew.

  Rodeo Realities was what the crew was calling their show. Following six siblings who competed hard to win their events. The stresses of travel, the highs and lows…