Page 21 of Roping My Rival

“Thanks for coming over and helping me tonight. This is so fucking hard to do on my own.”

“Have you asked Dad and Pops for help?”

“Yes, but I don’t want to burden them. They have plans, and I know they love being grandpas, but they need their time together. I don’t want to overstep and ask for more.”

Jesse is exhausted. I noticed after the auction how less bubbly he was and, after a bit of prying, he finally spilled his guts. Since his wife left, he’s not used to wrangling a very active young child and balancing work on his own. Kudos to the single parents out there who do this all the time. It’s not for the faint of heart.

“I’m here for you, too. Please, just tell me if you need me. I can always bring the rabbits over for a reward. She loves the bunnies.”

Jesse grins a tired smile. “She does. Thank you, bro. I might do that.” He sips from his mug of tea and clears his throat. “So…what’s the deal with you and Dane? Do you really hold a grudge because he always beats you?”

Groaning, I let my head fall back on the sofa cushions. “He’s just…I mean…ugh!” There is far too much for me to sum up what Dane is.

Jesse chuckles, and I aim a death glare his way. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m not! It’s just kind of cute how you get so flustered over him.”

“I don’t get flustered!” I huff. I don’t.

Jesse hums and says nothing else. He just sips his tea with his feet up on the coffee table and a stuffed cow on his lap. He has his own problems to worry about. He doesn’t need to poke me about mine.

Not that Dane is a problem.

He’s not.

He’s an irritant at best. Like jock itch.

“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to work with him when all he does is goad me. He’s not a good winner, and he’s been MIA for five seasons. How sharp is he, really? It’s going to frustrate me being so close to him and waiting for him to get his groove back.”

“Being close to him is frustrating?” A playful twitch forms on Jesse’s mouth.

“You’re gonna make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Say what, big brother? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Brothers are the worst.

“He’s attractive, okay? Have you noticed his dimples? There.” I chug from my ginger ale, suddenly feeling nauseous. “He’s nice to look at, and he’s mean to me, but yet here I am, always thinking about him.” Turning to Jesse, I wag a finger at him. “Never repeat that. I can’t believe I even told you.”

Jesse shifts to face me on the couch. “Are you afraid to say anything?” he asks softly. “I don’t think he’s actually mean.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“For the record, he’s not rusty, Warren. Dad watched him rope, and so did I. He’s still got it.” He sips from his tea with a quiet hum. “I noticed his dimples. Good-looking guy.”

Of course, Dane couldn’t have lost his skill while he was away. The guy is good at literally everything without even trying. I won’t address the dimple comment, though. Nice to know it’s not just me, at least.

“He’s all mysterious, though. Like, even when we were on the circuit together, he never stayed for banquets or any of the socializing. He’d win, take his money, rub my face in it and leave. Every time.”

“Maybe he’s not a party guy or a recovering alcoholic or something.”

Shaking my head, I turn to Jesse fully. This idea of Dane now spilling out since my brother pushed the right buttons. “Something has always bothered me. I helped him once after a rodeo. Driving home, I found him pulled over on the shoulder. He ran out of gas. Said his gas gauge was acting up, and he didn’t think he was that low.”

“So, what did you do?”

“Here’s the thing. He had a hose with him, Jesse. A long one. I let him siphon gas from my truck, and he admitted he’d done it more than once.”

Jesse’s eyebrows raise. “You think he steals shit?”