Cowboy Mine (3B Ranch Series) Book 1

1

**** Beau Blanton, Professional (PBR) Cup Rider donned the protective vest as he dialed the cell phone and counted the number of rings. He had about half an hour till his ride in the arena on one of the massive, perpetually angry bulls. As with many rodeo cowboys there was a ritual that he and his family carried out religiously. The last few minutes before a ride he spoke with his half sisters, Ava, who was ten, Kassandra, twelve and Eve, seventeen.

Failure to speak with them prior to his rides frequently spelled disaster in the arena. While he had faith in his strength and skill, for some reason he felt he needed all the help he could get today. He didn't have a good feeling today, but wasn't sure if it concerned his ride or something else. Since his mother's fiasco of a marriage to Rodney Smithe eighteen years ago and the many problems the man had created for the family and the 3B ranch, Beau's faith in the Almighty had been shaken. Beau ran his fingers through his hair and slapped his hat against his leg.

'Why did He allow that freakin' jerk to cause so much damage? Why had his father been taken? Why did He allow a beautiful, innocent baby to be born with the birth defects that she so bravely lived with? Why did Lillie, a normally intelligent woman fall for such a selfish, egotistical fraud and treat her own daughter with emotional neglect and distance because of her disability?'

This was the last event of the National Championships Cup Tour and he knew his mother and the girls would be waiting in front of the TV, anticipating his call.

Finally, "Hello, Dad?" A small, excited voice whispered breathlesly.

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at hearing the wonderful little voice. He loved being called daddy and in fact felt more of a father than a brother. By calling him daddy, he knew Ava was alone in the large living room.

"Howdy, kiddo. How's my favorite lucky charm?!" he said into his blue tooth.

"I knew it'd be you! We've been waiting! What took you so long? We almost missed it!" Ava squealed.

She had been born with Spina bifida, a devastating condition characterized by a hole in the spine. Unfortunately, her father, Rodney, had been furious and refused to accept that any child of his could be imperfect. He decided Lillie, his wife, and Beau's mother had been unfaithful, had born the child of another man and then had tried to pass it off as his. He had from that day, wanted nothing to do with his wife or their youngest daughter.

Beau, on the other hand had taken one look at the beautiful baby girl and was completely smitten. When she looked up at him and wrapped her tiny fist around his finger she had stolen his heart.

Disgusted with his step-father, and disappointed with his mother, Beau immedialy took charge of the infant's care and became both brother and father. He hired a full time nurse to ensure Ava's medical issues were seen to. He, his brother, Brett Jr. and their sister Bobbi had taken turns changing diapers, giving baths, and being chief cooks and bottle washers for their little miracle. They had all become adept at providing physical therapy and dispensing the prescribed medication as needed when the nurse was off.

As it turned out, they had been able to arrange their schedules so that one of them was always at home. Beau had become her legal guardian and would have willingly adopted her but his mother, Lillie, had refused to relinquish her parental rights. She was heartbroken that, 'Rodney the runt,' as Bobbi had dubbed him had turned his back on her because of their baby's physical problems. But instead of placing the responsibility for her husband's neglect and abandonment on his vanity and ego, she too, turned her back on the innocent child and still had little to do with her.

"So are you goin' to answer my question?" he asked with a chuckle.

Ava giggled. "I'm ok. Eve, and Kassi are helping Lillie with supper! They're in the kitchen makin' popcorn balls and we've got rootbeer floats! That way we can have snacks when we watch you ride! You are going to win right?!"