That’s what she got for being reckless, she chided herself as she looked quickly away. Weren’t her siblings always warning her that her impulsiveness would get her in trouble someday? She doubted that Meagan would have kissed a stranger in a moonlit garden, leading to all sorts of awkwardness the following day.
Madison had always been the slightly different one in her family. Both her siblings had become surgeons; she’d chosen psychiatry, a much different type of practice. She always teasingly said it was because psychiatry required less time and effort than surgery, which everyone knew was a grueling career. The truth was, of course, that psychiatry had its own demands and challenges that simply appealed to her nature more than surgery. She’d actually considered forgoing medical school altogether and going to graduate school for psychology, a completely different path than her sister and brother, but had decided rather at the last hour to accept the offer from the state medical school. She still wasn’t quite sure whether she’d done so because she truly wanted the medical training or because she had allowed herself to be so influenced by Meagan and Mitch and their mother, who had all urged her to pursue the medical degree.
Now she was the only one in the family still single, still spending many of her weekends at parties with friends, still living in a rented apartment with odds and ends of furniture, still uncertain of her career future when they’d each had their own career paths mapped out almost from the day they’d entered primary school.
She wondered if Jason would agree with her siblings. Mr. Responsibility, BiBi had called him. Settled and sedate, she had implied. None of which sounded like what Madison was looking for—if she had been looking, of course. She was probably no more his ideal match, if he were in the market for a mate. A weekend fling would have been all they’d have had together, had other circumstances not made that so problematic.
She’d have happily settled for that fling, she thought with a faintly wistful sigh. Her brother’s and sister’s certain disapproval notwithstanding, it wasn’t every day a girl had the chance to have her teeth rattled by a charming, handsome stranger. Madison hated to have to pass up such a tempting opportunity.
A burst of cheers brought her attention back to the bull ring where Corinna had just landed gracefully on the mat after finally being tossed from the device by the grinning operator. She’d lasted six and a half seconds into the rodeo-level ride, longer than anyone yet. Madison saw her glance in Jason’s direction as she took her sweeping bow.
Madison’s teeth would remain unrattled this weekend. Nor would she spend the next two days pining over Jason like Corinna. And she wouldn’t use Allen to avoid him, the way she suspected Corinna was using hapless Brandon. Madison was perfectly capable of having a great time without a man by her side, as she’d been doing for most of her twenty-eight years. She could certainly do so for two more days.
Pole bending and barrel racing followed the mechanical bull riding. For those not inclined to ride in the events or watch from the arena bleachers, Gayla was giving rudimentary roping lessons. More archery lessons were also available or the guests could make a beaded bookmark or keychain in a Western crafts session. Something for everyone, indeed, Jason thought drily, joining the small group getting ready to start the pole bending timed runs.
He would ride Pablo in the event, which consisted of completing a cloverleaf pattern around three poles without knocking them down. The competitor who finished in the fastest time would be named the winner. He hadn’t competed in many riding events, but his cousins had sometimes organized this type of race at his uncle’s ranch just for fun. He supposed he could hold his own among this group.
An hour later, he held a second-place trophy, a gaudy, oversized, gold-toned plastic figure of a mounted cowboy on a rather oddly shaped horse on a faux-marble stand. He studied it with a lifted eyebrow, rather relieved he hadn’t won first place, since that trophy was slightly larger. Mike Campbell, one of the other groomsmen, had taken that prize by less than half a second faster than Jason’s time. Catching Jason’s eye over the top of the big trophy, Mike smiled ruefully.
Jason spoke in a wry drawl to the victor. “Congratulations on your win.”
Mike chuckled. “Yeah. Uh, same to you. Going to display that in your medical offices?”
“I will if you’ll put that one in your law office,” Jason retorted without hesitation.
Laughing, Mike shook his head. “I think I’ll let my older son have this one. He’s five. It’ll thrill him to have a real cowboy trophy—the closest he’s going to get from me.”
“It doesn’t seem fair to deprive your younger boy of a trophy,” Jason replied immediately. “I think you should let him have this one, just so he won’t feel left out.”
Mike chuckled again. “I know what you’re doing. But I’ll take it off your hands, anyway. You’re right, Nicholas would probably love to have a trophy like his big brother.”
Jason promptly handed over the heavy plastic prize. Balancing one in each arm, Mike carried them off to share with his wife to take to their boys later.
“That was very generous of you.”
Hearing Madison’s voice, he turned his head quickly. He was somewhat disappointed to find her standing next to BiBi, giving him that same rather distant smile she used whenever anyone else was nearby.
“He thought his boys would get a kick out of the trophies,” he said, choosing his words carefully so as not to offend BiBi by implying that he didn’t appreciate the award. “They can use them to decorate their rooms.”
BiBi didn’t seem miffed by his gesture. “I’m sure they will love them. Congratulations on second place. I watched your ride. You were very good.”
“Thanks. I nearly knocked over one of the poles. Uncle Jared would have given me a hard time about not sitting the saddle more firmly so I could guide Pablo with my legs.”
BiBi smiled. “I met your uncle Jared a couple of times. I bet he was a tough teacher.”
“A great one, though.” Like most of the members of his mother’s family, Jason pretty much idolized the oldest Walker brother, a tough-talking, tenderhearted rancher who’d spent the past twenty-odd years taking in at-risk boys and raising them with his generous, nurturing wife, Cassie. He was a hard taskmaster, but most of the boys left the ranch wanting to be just like him.
“Did you see Corinna take first place in the barrel races?” BiBi asked a bit too offhandedly. “She had a great ride. She was sure Toni Blanchard would win because Toni used to compete in junior rodeo, but I guess Toni had an off day, or Corinna had a really good one.”
“I saw her,” Jason agreed lightly. “I guess she didn’t forget everything she learned in all those riding lessons during summer vacations.”
BiBi nodded, as though expressing her approval that he’d remembered those lessons. “Jason’s family and ours have known each other all our lives,” she said for Madison’s benefit. “We all have so many shared memories, don’t we, Jason?”
Jason shot a quick glance at Madison, seeing a flicker of exas
peration cross her face before she schooled her expression.
He’d been an idiot, he realized abruptly. He’d been unable to understand why Madison’s behavior toward him had changed so suddenly. Now, seeing her with BiBi, it was starting to make sense.