Page 38 of Roping My Rival

“I care about Trigger. So get in, and once she’s taken care of, you can go back to hating everything about me.”

Without another word, he walks around the truck and slides into the passenger side.

Breathing a sigh of my own, I get back in and turn us around to head to the ranch.

I’ll explain to my dad later, and I’ll be asking Pops if not reporting things is a good idea.

But I’ll keep that to myself.

What choice do I have but to go along with Warren?

I literally have no other options. The farm I board Trigger at is a tiny place about twenty minutes from town. They like having a horse use the fields, and my sponsorship money supplements their income nicely. But I can’t exactly ride her there and ask for a ride back to town.

Warren’s solution is practical and the right thing.

But fuck, I don’t want to get closer or depend on him for this. The man who keeps popping up around me, the man from the casino, he did this. I know he’s responsible, and I don’t like the message.

I also don’t understand it.

I certainly don’t want the golden boy, Warren Burke, involved with my mess. I also have to think of my sister. This weekend’s money could pay for the tires, but it’s money I need for Darla, and she will always come first.

The only positive thing I can try to latch onto here is that I already know Warren’s dad likes me, and he’s a pretty cool guy.

Risking a glance at Warren while he drives, my heart sinks at the furrow of his brow. I don’t want him to worry. I meant it when I said I didn’t want him to care about me. Taking me into your heart and life is a burden no one needs. Yes, he kept me up last night. No way in hell I’d admit that to him, though.

The ball of passion and devotion Warren Burke becomes after he lets himself go is an image I’ll remember forever. He came at my touch, and when I risked a moment to revel in the closeness of another man, and his fingertips danced on my skin…I knew then I’d want him more than I did when I first met him.

His words, though, last night cut deep.

I don’t want to want you.

Just another reminder that I don’t fit in his world, and I’ll always be looking in. It will always be me and my discount produce watching him cut into a steak.

“I’m gonna stop outside the barn and check in with my dad first. He always wants a rundown of the entire weekend.” He winces. “Also, be warned, he’s coming to our next rodeo.”

“He used to always watch you. I remember that.”

Warren puts the truck in park in front of a massive barn and turns to me. “I asked him to stop coming a few years ago. I couldn’t handle the stress. That’s why I took a year off. I wasn’t in a good mental space.” He clears his throat. “So now you know something about me. I’ll be right back.”

He exits the truck, leaving me in silence while I absorb that bit of information. I guess we both have our secrets.

After finally moving my ass and feeling sorry for myself, I open the trailer. Both horses puff and swish their tails, eager to get onto solid ground again.

“One at a time. Trigger, we’re guests here, so I’m gonna take out Petey first.”

Of course, Petey is a dream and exits without trouble, and I tie him up to the side before walking Trigger out. Warren still hasn’t returned, so I walk over to the nearest fence and stare into the pasture and fields beyond. It’s a gorgeous place. Almost serene, and I’m a little jealous my horse will have a nicer home than me. Probably for the rest of her life.

A high-pitched whistle of a groundhog sounds, and after a moment, I spot it on its hill a few meters away. It whistles again, and a laugh sounds behind me.

“We have had a groundhog here every year since I can remember. We always name them the same, even when it’s obvious it’s a different groundhog from last year.”

Warren stuffs his hands into his pockets as he stands next to me.

“What’s its name?”

“Lewis. My Pops feeds them all the time, and I think they just tell their friends to keep making nests here for free food.”

That’s probably the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.