Page 55 of Roping My Rival

The rest happens on autopilot. Petey knows his job and has stopped to pull the line to the calf tight while I dismount and run down the rope to the calf with my piggin string clamped in my teeth. After tossing the calf onto its flank, I gather three feet and wrap them. As soon as my two wraps and a hooey are complete, I throw my hands in the air.

It was a good run. I was clean and fast. Petey knew he needed to adjust to give us a chance, and he did. When the six seconds pass, and my tie remains true, I breathe a sigh of relief and listen for my time as I untie the calf.

“Another new leader, ladies and gentlemen! Warren Burke now has the time to beat with only three riders to go!”

I wave to the crowd as I exit the ring, elated to know I’ll finish no worse than fourth. The next rider bobbles his calf take down and loses too much time. I’m still the leader. Watching Dane line up and prepare sends a pulse of want through me like I’ve never felt before.

“Jesus, Warren, now is not the time to lust after a cowboy. Especially him,” I mumble to myself, but I already know I like Dane more than I should, and he looks damn hot when he’s in the competitive zone. His ocean-blue eyes lack the teasing warmth from earlier and focus on the task in front of him. They’re hard and zeroed in.

He nods to the official, and I hold my breath. A clean catch and flawless execution. His hands are a blur as he wraps his calf and stands with hands in the air. The six-second wait to confirm the calf stays down feels like an hour. Then it’s the rodeo announcer’s voice, confirming what I instinctively knew.

“How about that folks! Give this man a round of applause because Dane Walker is the new leader by a whisker! He’s nudged out his team roping partner by a mere .01 seconds!”

Dane releases the calf and remounts his horse, waving to the crowd like I did. He exits and pulls his horse alongside me. In the past, he’d say things to get in my head. He’d be the epitome of a sore winner. This time, though, he’s none of that.

His smile needs to come out more because when he smiles and nods at me, I’m smiling back when he holds out a fist for a bump.

“We’re not too damn shabby, Burke. Great ride.”

“You were on fire. I’ve never watched such a flawless tie.”

I want to say more, but the final rider is out of the chutes. His catch is clean, and he’s fast, but I don’t know if he’s fast enough. When the announcer says his time, and he finishes third, Dane doesn’t whoop with joy. Instead, he exhales and hangs his head.

“You won, Dane.”

He nods before turning towards me. “Yeah. Can we make it a two-fer weekend? The top two tie-down ropers better be the top team ropers.”

“Fuck yeah, we will. Go do your victory lap.”

Dane leads Trigger to the ring and takes the obligatory ride, waving his hat and smiling. I’m not even mad. I’m second…again. I take a moment to place it, this odd warmth in my chest. I’m proud of him. I know it should irritate me that he beat me again, but he’s on my side for team roping, and honestly, he only won by .01 of a second. A whisker, the guy said. Barely any margin at all, and as far as I’m concerned, we’re equals.

“Want to catch a quick snack before the team event?” he asks.

Dane is still all smiles, and I’m still all stupid for wanting to kiss him.

“Yeah. Probably a good idea.”

After tying our horses at the trailer and giving them water, we make our way to the concessions of the rodeo grounds. Dane passes everything that looks good to me and heads to the trailer operated by the town. It’s the basic hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries. No bells and whistles, and very affordable.

All he orders is a single hot dog for $2. After squirting an obscene amount of mustard on it, he wolfs it down and pats his belly.

“I don’t know how they cook those hot dogs, but they’re so fucking good.”

I groan and roll my eyes with a smile. “Please stop with the hot dog love. You sound too much like my dad. I want the pulled pork sandwich back at that BBQ truck.”

“Okay. Let’s go. There’s still time.”

After queuing in line for my sandwich, Dane points to a picnic table and goes over to sit and wait for me. Once my order is ready, I make my way over to where Dane sits.

His smile is gone as he scowls at his phone.

“Everything okay?” Dane quickly shoves the phone in his pocket and forces a smile.

“Yeah.”

“I got you water.” I pass the bottle to him before taking a bite of the messy sandwich. “Want a bite? This stuff is so good.”

“Why are you being so nice?”