Page 26 of Roping My Rival

“What do you want?”

He smiles easily as he shifts off my truck so I can open the driver’s side door.

“Information mostly. Heard you have a new sponsor and you’re getting back to the rodeo ring.”

“Why does it matter to you?”

His easy smile fades as he leans closer. “It matters because you still owe money, Dane.”

Leaning closer, I hiss in his face. “You said it was clear when I gave you the last thing I owned that had any value.”

He steps away. “Turns out it wasn’t worth as much as we thought.”

I don’t have time for this. This guy is clearly yanking my chain and just trying to extort money I don’t have. Illegal deal or not, I met their conditions and paid more than I was in for. This ended when I gave him my sister’s horse.

“Leave me alone, or I’ll call the cops.”

The man laughs and backs away. “Your sister doesn’t like the flashing lights and sirens. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

He turns to walk away, and I shout after him. “Stay away from my sister!” He doesn’t even turn around. He just keeps walking until he disappears around the corner.

My stomach knots when I remember Darla’s reactions to the flashing lights of the ambulance. An ambulance that I’d called even when I knew it was pointless, but didn’t know what else to do.

The back of my skull throbs with a headache. A headache that warns you more shit is about to hit the fan, and I don’t know if this time will be the one to break me. One man can only weather so much and remain standing.

Putting the truck in gear, I resist the urge to run to my sister. She’s doing well, and the facility has security. I know she can’t be harmed there. If I show up again so soon with no reason, that will concern her more than anything.

The brake job is my priority. Then it’s focusing on the rodeo season.

After pulling into the parking lot of my rooming house, I briefly wonder if I could ask to use the lot at the rodeo school instead of being so open in the parking lot here. I don’t know my fellow room renters, and I don’t want to rock the boat with any of them if the job takes too long and I’m hogging space.

In a perfect world, I would have just stayed at the parts store, but the giant sign announcing no repairs in the parking lot was more than a suggestion. I just need to fix my brakes and not bring attention to myself doing it.

“Fuck it.”

Throwing the truck in gear, I back out of my parking space and head back to the rodeo school.

I’m finished with the front brakes and about to start on the rear pads, when a pair of boots appear near my head.

“Jesse told me you asked to use the school garage for your repairs. When you said you needed to fix your brakes, I assumed you were taking it to a mechanic.”

Warren’s voice has an edge. Like maybe he didn’t even believe I had work to do before roping practice and hates seeing me doing exactly what I said I’d do.

“Well, technically, I’m a mechanic, so you’re not wrong there. I don’t have the papers to prove it, but I know what I’m doing. Brake jobs are pretty straightforward.”

His boots stay in my line of vision, so I move away from the rear tire and sit up to see what he wants. Warren’s face quickly morphs from surprise to indifference when I stare his way. “Is this a problem for you? I asked Jesse.”

“No. I just…what do you mean you don’t have papers to prove it?”

“I never wrote the exams.” Shrugging, I shimmy back down to keep working. Warren’s feet remain. I really don’t know what he wants. I asked his brother if I could use the space, and I told him I needed to do this today. I’ve done nothing wrong.

Yet his feet remain in my periphery, judging me like weathered old men at the country store.

“Do you need help?”

The question distracts me so much that I nearly drop the old brake pad on my face. “What?”

He clears his throat. “Like, do you need someone to hand you tools or something? If we’re a team in the ring, we could…maybe be a team out of the ring.”