Page 28 of Roping My Rival

“Morning, Warren.” He sips from his coffee mug. “Did you know I can read Llama, Llama Red Pajama out loud sixteen times in a row and still not get the voices right?”

The dark circles under my brother’s eyes must match my own.

“She’s still giving you a hard time sleeping?”

“It’s probably a growth spurt the daycare said.” He pauses before sighing. “They gave me a nanny registry and suggested hired help if I need it. Do you think that’s okay?”

Jesse is the strong one. He’s always the pillar when I need it. I’ve never seen him look so…defeated and unconfident.

“Jesse…you have to do something. If you don’t always want to ask Dad and Pops, what are your options? At least a registry would vet the applicants for you, right?”

“Yeah, it’s just… weird leaving her with a stranger, I guess. The daycare was hard enough. I just wish her mom didn’t…. need to leave,” Jesse finishes, and he’s being kind. While I support his ex needing to take space and discover herself, I don’t like that she left her daughter the way she did. Jesse says they talk on FaceTime, but it’s not the same. Maise understands that Mommy had to go on a trip for a while, but it’s certainly taking its toll on my brother.

“You always do what’s right, Jesse. This is just another bump in the road, and you’ll get it sorted.”

His phone buzzes, and after a glance, he nods. “Your steers are here. How did it go with Dane yesterday?”

Many words rush into my mind to describe how it went. All of them are unprofessional. After Jesse encouraged me to build a bond with Dane before we enter the ring, I agreed it was the right thing to do. Finding him working on his truck seemed more attractive than watching him on a horse. He’s so competent and strong. I watched for several minutes before it clicked. Fixing his truck in the school’s garage, Dane seemed more comfortable. Almost unguarded, and it was beautiful.

He was beautiful.

It took all my willpower not to stare while he worked, and let him know I liked this part of him. Then he had to kiss me, and now I’m all tied in knots and dreading working together. How the hell am I supposed to concentrate now that I’ve felt his lips and had his tongue next to mine?

“Warren?”

Jesse’s concerned voice pulls me back to the present.

“Oh…fine.” Standing when I notice Jesse’s eyes narrow, I grab my gear. “I’ll go meet the contractor. We’ll finish in time for the bull riders.”

That was close. Jesse always figures me out before I do, but I’m not about to tell him anything when it was just a kiss. A hot kiss from a beautiful man who happens to be my new partner and biggest rival since I started rodeo. No big deal.

After swinging open the loading gate, I motion for the contractor to back his trailer to the ramp. Once his trailer is in place, he hops out with a wave.

“I brought you twelve steers. I’m not sure how many you plan to use today, but it’s what I could spare. Most of my other stock is in travel right now.”

“That will be just fine, Eric. I appreciate what you can do on short notice. I can help you pen them.”

Eric has been supplying the school with stock since opening day, and I appreciate anything he does for us. It’s been wonderful listening to Dad talk about how well Eric’s business is doing apart from us. I feel like I’ve known him almost as long as Dad has.

The steers leave the trailer easily enough and enter the holding pen. I wave while Eric drives off. As soon as he’s out of sight, a familiar truck and horse trailer pull into the back and parks next to mine.

Dane exits and stretches his back, and a puff of air punches from my lungs. He still looks good, even after I spent the night trying to build him up as an ogre in my mind. So much for that, then.

“Burke.” He upnods when he notices me in the open loading doorway and places his cowboy hat on his head. “Just bring the horse in here, then?”

“Yeah. Right into the ring is fine.”

After closing the stock loading door, I open the smaller one and head outside. Dane has his horse out of the trailer already, and an unwanted smile tilts my lips. “You have the same horse still. Nice. Me too.”

He pats the mare fondly. “Yep. Trigger is my lady. Ain’t that right, Miss Thing?”

Trigger snuffles and nods her head, stretching to bump Dane’s hat. He smiles, and just like that, all I can think about is those lips on mine again. I quickly turn to my trailer.

After unloading my horse, I tie Petey to the opposite side of the trailer from Dane while he saddles his horse. Even with the trailer between us, his deep, gentle murmurs to Trigger drift to my ears, and I die a little inside when he sings a soft song to her.

Jesus Christ, he’s already kissed me, and now he’s singing to his horse. How the hell am I still supposed to hate him now?

When I’m finished saddling Petey, I stroke his neck and whisper to him before leading him to the building. Dane is only a few steps in front of me, and I definitely don’t imagine what it would be like to walk next to him instead of behind.