Page 54 of Roping My Rival

He fiddles with a pen on the desk, and the silence between us is thick with something I can’t name.

“Listen, I know we were supposed to practice, but maybe we could—”

I cut him off before he can invite me to do anything that would endear him to me more.

“I should visit Darla. Should I meet you at the ranch on Thursday morning? Tell me when you want to leave, and I’ll come help load the horses.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Um…say 8 A.M.?”

“See you then, Warren.”

Turning on my heel, I leave quickly before he can say anything else that might make me stay.

“Holy shit, look at this crowd…and how many competitors.”

We’ve arrived at our first rodeo stop that’s now in full swing. Dane and I will be on the road for ten days and hitting four rodeos. It took some scheduling to find places we could keep the horses overnight, but thankfully, on these rodeo routes, there are plenty of horse lovers with barns if the rodeo doesn’t provide them.

Normally, on longer trips, I’d take our trailer with sleeping quarters, but it needed repairs that weren’t finished in time. Good thing I’m familiar with the route and could arrange what we needed on short notice. I know Dane doesn’t like to spend money, so I kept it as cheap as possible.

“I don’t remember this place being so popular.” Dane chews at his lip as he surveys our surroundings. “Good thing I thrive under pressure, Burke. This is good.”

Dane nods, his grin cocky and carefree. Something I’ve not seen on him since we aired out our issues. Well, I aired my issues at least. There’s still something up with him I’ve yet to figure out.

“Good thing. It’s a huge field. We need to be our best.”

“We will be.” He turns from the schedule board and smacks my shoulder. “Let’s get ready.”

Our horses rested last night and most of today, just like we did. Petey and Trigger are two horses made for this life. When I saddle Petey, his quiet demeanour shifts as he bumps me with his nose as often as I let him get away with it. He nips at my shirt, eager to go to work.

“You ready to do this, big guy? It’s a good one. Top money. I’ll buy you an apple if we do well.”

A quiet huff of laughter sounds from Dane next to me. “You bribing your horse, Burke?”

My neck heats as I remember I’m not always alone on these trips now. Something I need to get used to.

“No, it’s just…it’s our thing.”

“Will you actually buy him an apple?”

With a sigh, I turn to Dane. His eyes sparkle with good-natured humour. There’s no hint of the mean teases I told him had to end, and this look is so much better on him.

“Yes. I don’t break a promise to Petey.”

Dane swallows hard before turning away to pat Trigger, and if I’m not mistaken, he might have mumbled his own promise to her. I won’t ask, though, because as much as I like the softer Dane, we still have two events to win tonight. Focus is key, and I won’t let him throw me off my game, even when we go head-to-head in tie-down.

We’re still rivals, after all, and I’m going to win.

With a break in the action, ropers can enter the ring for a warmup. Dane is off doing his own pre-event routine, and I’m in mine. Petey knows the drill, and he’s in his zone along with me as we trot around the ring, and I swing the rope above my head to loosen my shoulder.

Tie-down is first, and both Dane and I are in later flights. We watch the earlier riders in silence together, but I know he’s making notes in his head like I am.

“Some of these guys are really good,” he murmurs with a waver in his voice I’ve never heard before.

“Yeah, they are, but you’re one of the best, Dane. You’re finishing with the best of them today.”

He says nothing after that, and we watch until it’s time for us to queue. I’m two riders ahead of Dane in our pack, and I settle into my headspace that doesn’t include thoughts of Dane and why he seems nervous today.

The calf in the chute for me is feisty, and Petey twitches his ears. With a slow exhale, I back us up and nod to the official. The calf exits the gate, immediately heading to the left. Petey turns automatically, and I release my rope off kilter, but it lands with a solid catch around the calf’s neck.