Spurred Read online

  This cowboy is about to learn a whole new set of rope tricks…

  Studs In Spurs, Book 8

  Bull rider Aaron Jordan is willing to do whatever it takes to support his chosen sport. Showing the owner of the pro-tour’s biggest sponsor around town during an event seems simple enough. Until he finds himself all tied up—literally—with a newly divorced, insanely rich cougar.

  Worse, once CeCe Cole gets her hooks into him, Aaron can’t even look at the woman he’s really attracted to—her media manager, Jill Malone—without getting the older woman’s panties in a wad.

  Jill’s job at Cole Shock Absorbers got a lot harder when CeCe won the company in the divorce. But having to listen to the shenanigans going on between CeCe and Aaron in the next hotel room is a new low.

  Aaron is relieved when the event is over and, presumably, his responsibility to CeCe. But extricating himself from her blood-red claws is far from easy, and surviving the wrath of hurricane CeCe could have career-ending implications for himself, the association and the lady he’d hoped to get to know better—Jill.

  Warning: Contains a cougar who likes to play with her prey in ways this poor cowboy never imagined. Two wraps and a hooey doesn’t begin to cover it.

  Spurred

  Cat Johnson

  Dedication

  As with most things, the creation of a book is not a one-person job. This book is dedicated to all those who helped bring it to life.

  Chapter One

  “Jordan!”

  At the sound of his name being shouted, Aaron Jordan stopped halfway across the empty arena. He turned to see Tom Parsons lift an arm and wave him over.

  Frowning, Aaron headed across the dirt toward the man, unsure and a little concerned about why the president of the bull-riding association would want to talk to him. It felt a little like being unexpectedly called to the principal’s office in high school—not good.

  With every step he took, Aaron turned over possible reasons for the summons in his mind. He and the guys had been out at a bar drinking last night, but nothing wild had happened. Hell, he hadn’t even scored with the girl he’d been chatting up.

  Of course, the last event had been a different story. Aaron had had his own hotel room for that event rather than sharing with any of the other riders like he was this week. He had taken complete advantage of the privacy.

  Crap. Was he in trouble for that night?

  Reaching his destination, he couldn’t ponder the circumstances any longer. For better or worse, he’d know soon enough.

  “Yes, sir.” In his oldest pair of cowboy boots—the ones with a hole in the sole—Aaron tried not to feel inferior standing opposite the man. He’d get around to throwing the boots out one day, but damned if they weren’t his most comfortable pair. It was only a small hole.

  “I need you to do something for me.”

  What would Tom Parsons, in his business suit, shiny dress shoes and perfectly cut and combed hair need from him?

  “Uh, a’ight. What d’you need?” Aaron’s relief at not being in trouble with the head of the association was tempered by his curiosity.

  “We’ve got one of the sponsors visiting this event.”

  Still not sure what this had to do with him, Aaron nodded. “Okay.”

  “I need you to play host for me.”

  Aaron lifted his brows. “Play host? Like how? Which sponsor?”

  “Cole Shock Absorbers.”

  Aaron widened his eyes at Tom’s answer. “Cole?”

  Cole wasn’t just any corporate sponsor. They were huge. Like the biggest one of the top three that made the pro circuit possible. Hell, the company logo was on the safety vest of every rider on the tour. The patch was right there, front and center over Aaron’s heart every time he lowered himself onto the back of a bull to ride.

  “Yup.” Tom nodded. “I need you to hang out with the new owner during the event. Give ’em the real VIP treatment.”

  “Wouldn’t one of the other guys be better at this?” Aaron was thinking that Mustang Jackson would be more suited to this duty.

  Not only did Mustang have a golden tongue when it came to speaking to people, he was also ranked in the top five riders this season. In that position, he was a possible contender for the world champion title.

  After a bit of a slump the last few events, Aaron counted himself lucky that he was still hanging on to a spot in the top twenty-five.

  Hell, even Garret was ranked better than Aaron in the standings this season. Why didn’t they ask him to do this? Aaron opened his mouth to suggest Garret instead, having no qualms throwing his brother-in-law’s name into the hat for this questionable assignment.

  “I want you for this.” Tom shook his head and cut off Aaron’s protest before he even had a chance to make it. “Is that a problem?”

  “Uh, no. No problem at all.” What the hell could Aaron say to the most powerful man in the organization? The guy who signed the big cardboard checks they all hoped to win and get photographed with at the close of every event.

  “Good.” Tom looked as if he was going to leave.

  Aaron panicked and took a step forward. “Wait.”

  The man paused, brows lifted high. “Problem?”

  About a dozen, but Aaron narrowed it down to the most pressing. “How am I going to recognize these Cole folks?”

  The older man let out a snort. “Don’t worry. I’ll be around to introduce you, but you won’t be able to miss them, I’m sure.”

  “Okay.” Wondering what the hell that strange comment had meant, Aaron had no choice but to remain in the dark as Tom’s cell phone rang.

  “I’ll see you later.” After a parting glance at Aaron, Tom pulled the phone out of his jacket pocket and pressed it to his ear.

  As Tom walked away, Aaron was left with more questions than he’d had before. What the hell was he going to do to be a good host to these VIPs, and if he did a bad job, how much trouble would he be in?

  “Aaron!”

  Another summons came from behind Aaron. He recognized the voice. This time it was Garret calling him. Aaron pivoted back to face the direction he’d been headed before the strange conversation with the boss had waylaid him.

  Garret stood on the opposite side of the arena. “Come on, bro. We’re going to eat.”

  “I’m coming.”

  When Aaron reached him, Garret tipped his head in the direction Tom had gone. “What was that about out there?”

  Garret had obviously seen the odd meet-up out on the dirt. “Hell if I know why, but they want me to play host to the people from Cole Shock Absorbers during the event today. I guess I’m supposed to sit with them above the chutes in the VIP section when I’m not actually riding.”

  “Like glorified babysitting duty?” His brother-in-law frowned.

  Aaron shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, they’re a huge sponsor and have been for years. They must have been to events before. Why do they need anybody at all to play tour guide now? And why me?”

  “Pfft. Exactly,” Garret agreed a little too readily and enthusiastically.

  It sounded too much like an insult for Aaron’s liking. Like he wasn’t good enough to be their host. “Hey. I’m perfectly capable of doing it, I just don’t want to.”

  “Better you than me. Because if you do fuck it up, I can’t imagine the boss man will be very happy with you. Hell, you better not mess up or Cole could pull their sponsorship. This whole series would probably have to fold without their money.”

  “Jesus, Garret. Shut the hell up.” As if Aaron wasn’t nervous enough about this assignment. He really didn’t need Garret putting shit like
that into his head.

  Garret stopped walking to turn to Aaron. “Just saying.”

  “Well, stop. Come on. I see Skeeter and Riley already waiting on us.” Happy for the diversion, Aaron headed toward the bull pens at a pace fast enough Garret would have to work to keep up. Maybe that would prevent him from talking anymore.

  “Ready to eat?” Skeeter asked, his hand holding Riley’s, just as he usually did ever since they’d started up together.

  Aaron tried not to think that it could have been him standing there with Riley instead of Skeeter. But Aaron was a good friend, and being a good friend, he’d bowed out when Skeeter had told him he had a thing for Riley.

  Still, had Aaron stayed in the running to win Riley, he had no doubt that today he’d be the one helping her haul the bulls to the events and running her stock contracting business. It would be him living at Riley’s ranch and sharing her bed every night, not Skeeter. Instead, Aaron had spent last night in bed alone.

  Aaron pushed that pointless thought out of his head. Hopefully, his host duties wouldn’t extend past the end of the event so he could go out and have some fun tonight.

  Speaking of his host duties, he still wasn’t sure when the Cole people would be arriving. Tom might expect Aaron to be there early to entertain them. “I’m ready. Let’s go quick. I want to get back as soon as I can.”

  “Why?” Skeeter frowned at Aaron. “We have hours before the opening.”

  “Aaron has to babysit the Cole Shock Absorbers people.”

  Skeeter’s eyes widened at Garret’s announcement. “Better you than me.”

  Riley’s brow creased beneath the brim of her cowboy hat. “Hmm, I just read something about that company the other day.”

  “Really? What?” Aaron wanted to go in to this duty armed with any information he could get his hands on.

  “The owners got a divorce. Somehow the wife walked away owning Cole Shocks and the husband wasn’t at all happy. I don’t know all the details, but they went to court over it and he lost.”

  “So you mean Aaron has to play tour guide to Mrs. Cole, not Mr.?” Garret laughed. “Oh, man. Now I think I’m kind of envious you got that assignment instead of me.”

  Aaron frowned. “Why?”

  “Don’t you know?”

  “No. That’s why I asked.” Jesus, sometimes his brother-in-law could really try Aaron’s patience.

  “CeCe Cole is hot. She was a famous super model. That was like twenty years ago, but she still looks pretty damn good to me.”

  “I’m sure your wife, my sister, would be real thrilled to hear that you think so.”

  Garret dismissed Aaron with the wave of one hand. “You can’t scare me. Nowadays, Silver doesn’t care what I think as long as I keep getting up in the middle of the night to give the baby a bottle so she can sleep.”

  Boy, times had changed. Just a year ago, any middle-of-the-night activities involving bottles and babes were of a completely different kind from what Garret was talking about now.

  Aaron loved his new nephew, Jackson, with all his heart, but he still thanked God that the birth of his sister’s baby hadn’t changed his life. At least, not as dramatically as it had changed things for Garret and Silver.

  He was looking forward to a few bottles of beer and a hot babe tonight. In fact, he’d get right on that after the event, as soon as he was done babysitting CeCe Cole.

  Chapter Two

  Inside the cool, dim interior, Jill Malone waited for the driver to open the limo’s rear door.

  The photographer she’d hired was already outside waiting for them. Currently, he was backing away from the car, camera raised and ready as he lined up the angle. He knew to make sure he didn’t miss any good shots as CeCe slid out of the backseat and stepped into the brilliant late afternoon sunlight.

  As the former wife of corporate mogul John Cole, CeCe Cole never arrived anywhere without making a splashy entrance—not even to a bull ride.

  As Jill moved to get out of the car after her boss, CeCe glanced back and extended one hand, palm up. “Sunglasses.”

  Jill glanced around her in the limo. Sure enough, the large-framed designer sunglasses were in a cup holder, right where CeCe must have stuck them. She grabbed them and put them in CeCe’s hand.

  The tall, willowy redhead made even putting on sunglasses look practiced. She slid them on slowly with one hand while the other hand rested on the hip stuck out to one side.

  Once a model, always a model, Jill supposed. Even if it had been close to twenty-five years since CeCe had graced a runway. She hadn’t needed to. Not once she’d married John Cole and his millions.

  Still standing next to the car, CeCe looked around through the dark lenses of the glasses. Jill could only imagine she was appalled at the sight surrounding them. This wasn’t exactly the red carpet at the Academy Awards. There were no paparazzi. No stars. No crowds of bull-riding fans even.

  Hours before the start of the professional bull-riding event, there wasn’t much to see outside the arena entrance than a few trucks in the parking lot. There was not much chance of being seen either, so CeCe’s showy entrance was for nothing.

  “This is it?” CeCe asked. She glanced back to where Jill waited, poised on the edge of the bench seat since CeCe had yet to move out of the doorway.

  Jill resisted the urge to laugh at the question. “This is it.”

  CeCe Cole was definitely out of her comfort zone here. Luckily for all of them, Jill was smack in the middle of hers. Her father had been a competitive roper, and her grandfather before him. She’d been going to rodeos for as long as she could remember.

  “Where are all the spectators? I thought bull riding was a popular sport.”

  “It is. The people will be here soon. I promise.”

  “Well, I certainly hope we’re going to be indoors with air conditioning. It’s hot as blazes out here.” Finally, CeCe stepped away from the limo and toward the building’s doors.

  Jill resisted to comment that of course it was hot, they were in Georgia, and instead took the opportunity to finally slip out of the car. Reaching back in, she grabbed her oversized bag from the seat. She slipped the strap over her shoulder and then had to scramble to catch up with CeCe.

  “So what’s on the agenda?” CeCe spoke as she climbed the staircase to the entrance doors.

  “First, we’ll take some pictures.”

  “Fine. Where do you want me?”

  Jill knew the prospect of being the center of attention would make CeCe happy. She never had been able to resist a camera lens. “In front of the chute with the Cole banner.”

  Inside the building, CeCe halted and turned to Jill. “All I see are beer vendors and greasy food stands. How do we get to this chute? And why has no one from the organization come to greet us yet?”

  “I’m sure they will soon. This is the concourse. We have to go down to the arena floor for the chutes. Come on. I’ll show you where.” Explaining was pointless since she could see CeCe had already stopped listening.

  She motioned to the photographer, knowing where the camera went CeCe would surely follow. Jill dug their VIP full-access passes out of her bag and flashed them at the security guard before leading the way down a few flights of steep stairs.

  Jill drew in the smells of the arena—bulls and shit. Glancing back, she saw CeCe wrinkle her nose. Jill turned away to hide her smile. Manure was definitely not an odor CeCe was familiar with. Nature and the great outdoors wasn’t her thing. The closest CeCe had ever gotten to the horse crowd was at a catered fundraiser to benefit some equine organization.

  Teetering in heels much too high and completely impractical given the venue, CeCe picked her way across the arena dirt to stand in front of the chute bearing her corporate name and logo.

  “Uck. There is absolutely nothing I hate more than dirt. Isn’t there anywhere e
lse to take pictures? Like from up there?” CeCe waved a hand at the platform above them.

  “You’re already down here. You might as well take the pictures and be done with it.”

  CeCe rolled her eyes and let out a breath. “Fine. Take it.”

  Meanwhile, Jill was probably going to be the one who cleaned CeCe’s shoes anyway.

  The photographer jogged back a few feet and then turned to raise the camera. CeCe smiled for the shot and, like magic, it was as if an entirely different person stood before them.

  A few clicks later and the photographer lowered the camera again. “That should do it.”

  “Thank God.” The smile was quickly replaced by a scowl as she glanced at Jill. “Why are we taking these pictures again?”

  As the manager of media and public relations for Cole Shock Absorbers, Jill could have gone into the many reasons why it was important to show the public that, even though John Cole no longer owned the company, CeCe was going to be just as active as he had been. How as a company they needed CeCe to be tied to the corporate branding as strongly as John had been. How it never hurt to have an attractive woman associated with a product when the main consumers of that product were male.

  Jill knew most of her reasoning would be lost on CeCe, so she decided to break it down to the bare bones.

  “These are to post on our social media sites.” When CeCe raised one perfectly shaped and dyed red eyebrow, Jill added, “And to rub it in Mr. Cole’s face that you now own controlling interest in his favorite company, which also sponsors one of his favorite sports.”

  CeCe’s smile appeared again, shining bright and taking years off her age. If CeCe would only smile more often, she could pass for far younger than her fifty-one years. Although no one dared even breathe that number. There was an unspoken rule among those in the inner circle that CeCe Cole would never age past forty-something. At least not as far as any Cole Shock employees were concerned—not if they wanted to remain employed.

  The media was another story altogether. Jill spent a considerable amount of her time making sure CeCe didn’t get her hands on any articles that touted her real age.