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  “Maybe some things are worth working for,” he said as he gave Bo a backhanded slap to the chest, then headed toward the barn. He needed to get in the right headspace for the competition. After all, he had to put on a good show for the campers.

  And if their camp counselor liked what she saw, all the better.

  * * *

  SLOANE HARTLEY STARED hard at her approaching sister. “You are up to something.”

  Angel made a pffftt sound as she reached Sloane. “I think you have me confused with our brothers. They’re the ones always up to something.”

  Sloane propped her hands on her hips. “I’ve always heard it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”

  “I’m not that quiet.”

  “But you do fly under the radar.”

  “Not hard when my siblings have such big personalities.”

  “I feel as if I was just insulted.”

  Angel gently patted Sloane’s cheek. “Not at all. I like your big personality. And Ben’s approaching bearable now that he’s a married man.”

  Sloane paused her interrogation long enough to get all the campers and Julia settled in the bleachers. As usual, Julia was striking up instant friendships with the other kids, something their mother had noticed and pointed out as proof that there needed to be more grandchildren running around the Rocking Horse Ranch. Well, Neil and Ben were both married now, so Sloane figured the ball was in their procreation court. She sure wasn’t going to be a player in that game, at least not anytime soon. With her luck, never.

  When she sank onto the bleacher seat next to her sister, she resisted glancing toward the barn to see if Jason the steer wrestler was still visible. Yes, the man was wicked good-looking, and she was afraid Angel had noticed Sloane’s awareness of that fact.

  “So, spill. What were you talking to him about?”

  “Him?” Angel asked, all faux innocence.

  “You know exactly who I’m talking about.”

  “You mean the handsome cowboy who couldn’t take his eyes off you?”

  “You sound like Mom.”

  Angel shrugged. “I call it like I see it.”

  “Whatever. Maybe you should ask him out.”

  “Nah. Not my type.”

  “What is your type?”

  Angel leaned back against the empty bleacher behind them. “I don’t know because I haven’t met him.”

  Sure, Angel had a daughter, but that didn’t mean Julia’s father was the kind of guy Angel wanted to spend the rest of her life with. In fact, Sloane wasn’t sure that normally mild-mannered Angel wouldn’t coldcock Dave if she ever saw him again. If she didn’t, there was a long line of Hartleys willing to do it for her.

  “Listen,” Angel said. “All I did was invite him out to the ranch to talk to the kids some more about rodeoing. I saw how interested they were in what he was saying.”

  “You did what? Are you crazy? We don’t know the first thing about him. He could be a creep. Or have a rap sheet as long as my arm.”

  Angel turned partway toward Sloane. “Did it strike you that either of those things is true?”

  “How would I know? I barely spoke to the man.”

  “Well, then, you can cure that when he’s your camp’s guest speaker.”

  Sloane started to protest again but was interrupted by her younger sister.

  “You know I’d never do anything to put these kids, including my daughter, in danger. If it was just going to be us there, I wouldn’t have invited him. But Dad and the guys will be close by. Not that I think the two of us couldn’t take Jason down by ourselves.”

  “You got that right.” If anyone posed a threat to these kids, who already had enough to worry about in their young lives, she’d take them out. A boot to the kneecap could bring down the biggest man.

  Though her instinct told her Angel was right, that this Jason guy was fairly harmless. Except, perhaps, to her peace of mind. The moment she’d met his dove-gray gaze, she’d been thrown off-kilter. That wasn’t a normal state of being for her. She’d come into contact with plenty of handsome men before, so what was it about Jason the steer wrestler that felt different?

  Probably just that he’d seemed to pop up next to her out of thin air. She’d not exactly been startled, rather caught off guard. Just when she’d reined in her initial increased-pulse reaction to his looks, however, he’d gone and been nice to the kids. It was as if he was trying to increase his tally of “I’m an awesome guy” points as fast as he could, before she could even figure out who he was.

  No need to worry about it though. As long as he entertained the kids, she was cool with him talking to them. But it didn’t matter how good-looking or charming he might be, she wasn’t interested in a cowboy only in town for a weekend. They came and went. She didn’t blame them. It was how they made their living or followed their passion. But if she ever ended up serious about a guy—and with her dating history, she wasn’t even sure she wanted that—it wasn’t going to be someone living that sort of nomadic lifestyle.

  Her family had given her roots, and rodeo cowboys like Jason Till were about as rooted as a tumbleweed.

  Chapter Two

  From his seat in the saddle, Jason glanced toward the grandstands. He needed to concentrate on his ride, which was only moments away, but he couldn’t keep himself from trying to catch a glimpse of Sloane.

  The sound of laughter drew his attention back to the area around the chutes. Bo was sitting atop one of the gates and he hadn’t missed where Jason had been looking.

  “I thought you had some sense,” Bo said.

  Jason snorted. “And you’re the authority on good sense?”

  “Never claimed that.”

  Jason shifted his focus to the business at hand as he rode into the box, the steer was loaded into the roping chute and his hazer, Travis Morgan, got into position on the other side of the chute. Jason took a slow, deep breath, visualizing the next few seconds, something he’d done countless times before. He pictured tonight as another step closer to a national championship. Then he gave the chute man a quick nod of his head. The chute opened and the steer took off, shadowed by Travis. The moment the barrier rope around the steer’s neck popped off, Jason gave chase. Maybe a couple of heartbeats passed as he leaned off the side of his horse, got his right arm in position on the steer and let his feet slide free of his stirrups. He dug his heels into the dirt, grabbed the left horn with one hand and the right horn in the crook of his other elbow. He pulled the steer off balance but the animal wasn’t going to make it easy. Jason’s boots furrowed the dirt as the steer tried to free itself. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he managed to throw the steer to the ground. Unfortunately, he ate a bit of dirt in the process.

  He didn’t even have to look to know it wasn’t his best time ever. Cursing, he got to his feet and spit out the dirt as the steer trotted away down the arena. Despite the disappointing score, he took off his hat and waved to the cheering crowd. He wondered if Sloane and the kids were clapping, but he couldn’t see them beyond the glare of the arena lights.

  “Tough one,” Travis said when they met up outside the arena.

  “Yeah, wasn’t my night.” Even though he’d have bet money he was focused, had he actually still been distracted by thoughts of a certain blonde?

  He considered seeking her out in the stands, but a hit of common sense kept his boots planted on the other side of the fence watching the rest of the bulldoggers. Bo was right. There were easier ways to enjoy some female company than seeking out someone who evidently wasn’t all that interested in him. Someone who wouldn’t distract him so much that he lost an opportunity to move up in the standings. Plus, he’d be gone from Blue Falls in a couple of days and on to New Mexico.

  He tried not to think about the long drive and what life was l
ike for normal people who had weekends and didn’t have a longer relationship with the interstate system than they’d ever had with a woman. His parents were lucky they’d both been rodeo competitors. Neither ever had to leave the other behind when they hit the road. But that had never worked for Jason. He’d dated a couple of barrel racers and the daughter of a stock contractor, but none of those relationships had lasted more than a couple of months.

  Why the devil was he thinking about relationships all of a sudden?

  Maybe it had to do with his parents’ upcoming anniversary and his sister’s question—she wanted to know if he could take time to attend a party if she hosted one. Shannon had sounded so hopeful despite the fact that she probably hadn’t intended to. Even though she had been the one to break with family tradition and not go into professional rodeo, she fully understood the importance of competing in as many events as possible, or at least enough with sizable prize money.

  “You coming with us?” Travis asked as Jason removed the saddle from his horse. “Hear there’s a good band playing at the local dance hall.”

  Jason shook his head. “Not tonight. Need some sleep.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re turning into an old fart.”

  “Just wait. You won’t be young and able to operate on no sleep forever.” In some professions, people were just getting started at thirty. But he’d been riding the circuit since he met the age requirement at eighteen.

  Even though Travis was only seven years younger than Jason, sometimes that difference felt like three times what it was. He hadn’t been lying about wanting to get some sleep, but the truth was he just wasn’t in the mood to go drinking and dancing. Not when his mind refused to stop replaying his ride over and over, analyzing what he’d done wrong and how to make sure it didn’t happen again.

  But as he lay down in yet another generic motel room an hour later and stared at the ceiling, sleep didn’t seem to be anywhere in the vicinity of Blue Falls. His thoughts abandoned his poor performance at the rodeo and drifted to Sloane... Was her last name Hartley like her sister’s, or was that Angel’s married name? Regardless of her surname, there was something that he couldn’t put his finger on that kept bringing Sloane to the front of his mind. And he didn’t think it was just because she was pretty.

  Or maybe he was sleep deprived. For some reason he’d been sleeping like garbage lately. He’d been fixated so much on making this the year he got back to the Finals. Maybe he needed a brief break, a few hours to think about something else. Hopefully it would even help him ride better next time.

  He rolled onto his side and turned on the bedside lamp. He picked up the business card Angel Hartley had given him and his phone. He’d take her up on her offer to go speak to the kids about rodeo, see if her sister’s attitude toward him was any warmer in the light of day. If nothing else, it would beat hanging around the fairgrounds all day dwelling on his mistakes.

  Before he could talk himself out of it, he sent Angel a text. He was surprised by how quickly she replied, confirming that ten the next morning was perfect.

  As he turned the light back off, he smiled. It was nice to have something to look forward to, something that wasn’t accompanied by the pressure to win.

  * * *

  “CAN WE RIDE real horses?” Daron asked as Sloane helped a little girl named Alice out of the saddle sitting atop a saddle rack in the barn’s alley.

  “You’ll get to ride around the paddock with us helping you.” The thing she always feared the most was one of the kids getting hurt, and she took every precaution against that happening.

  She held Alice’s little hand until she made her way to the ground via the hay bale steps.

  “So, who wants to learn how to play horseshoes?”

  “We actually have something else planned right now,” Angel said.

  Sloane gave her sister a questioning look for a moment before she realized what she must mean.

  “Is that right?”

  The sound of an approaching truck engine caused a long-suffering sigh to escape Sloane. She got enough teasing from her brothers and not-so-subtle hints from her mother about finding a good man. She didn’t need it from her sister, too.

  “I believe that’s our special guest now,” Angel said with way too much glee in her voice before heading out the door of the barn.

  By the time Sloane gathered up the kids and ushered them outside, Jason was already out of his truck and talking to Angel. He held one of the recognizable bags from Mehlerhaus Bakery. When he spotted her, he lifted it as if she hadn’t been able to see it before.

  “I brought breakfast,” he said.

  Behind him, she saw the front door to the house open and out stepped her brothers. Normally, that protectiveness she saw in their stances would annoy the living daylights out of her, but this time it might actually prove amusing. She barely suppressed a smile.

  “We ate hours ago. Some of us don’t sleep half the morning,” she said.

  He’d probably been partying at the Blue Falls Music Hall until late. On rodeo nights, the place was filled to bursting with cowboys looking for a cold beer, a few spins around the dance floor and maybe a night with a pretty woman.

  She couldn’t knock the place. She enjoyed an evening out dancing and hanging with friends as much as the next person. But for some reason the thought of Jason picking up a woman and spending the night with her, then a few hours later strolling onto her ranch to speak to these innocent kids rubbed her the wrong way.

  He lowered the bag and shrugged. “It’s never too late for pastries.”

  Angel grinned at Sloane. “I have to agree with him there.”

  “Aren’t you two going to introduce us?” her oldest brother, Neil, asked as he descended the steps, followed by Ben and Adam.

  “That’s Jason,” Daron piped up. “He’s a steer wrestler.”

  “Is he, now?” Neil eyed Jason like he did every man who came within close proximity of either of his sisters.

  Jason extended his hand for a shake. “Jason Till. Your sisters invited me out to talk to the kids about the rodeo.”

  “Sister, singular,” Sloane said under her breath, drawing a curious look from Daron and a couple of the other kids.

  Neil took Jason’s hand, and even from where she stood she could tell big bro had made sure Jason knew just how strong he was. A glance at Ben and Adam showed they were doing a pitiful job of hiding their amusement.

  She rolled her eyes. Okay, the scene ceased being funny and strode right into annoying. She wasn’t a damsel in distress and she didn’t need her brothers’ protection. She didn’t have any statistics to back it up, but she sincerely doubted guys who posed a threat showed up with a bag of fresh pastries.

  “All right,” she said. “Pastries for everyone.”

  The kids squealed and jumped up and down, making her smile and ending the testosterone-off.

  She motioned everyone to the campsite in a shady area beyond the barn. The circle of tents surrounded log benches and a fire pit. Flying from a small flagpole was a blue flag with white lettering that said Camp Rocking Horse and sported the outline of the ranch’s brand. The kids seated themselves on the logs, and Jason squatted in the center of the circle. She refused to notice how snug his jeans fit his backside in that position.

  Yeah, right. She’d have to be dead for that to escape her notice.

  “Okay, who likes cherries?” Jason asked.

  Phoebe’s hand and that of another girl named Ginny shot into the air.

  “Good thing I got two, huh?”

  He handed those out, followed by a variety of other Danish and doughnuts. When only one child remained empty-handed, he shifted his attention to Brent, the quietest of the bunch. His story hurt Sloane’s heart, and she’d had to fight the urge to simply wrap the little boy in her arms and tell
him everything would be okay. Of course, she couldn’t know that. She got these kids for a weekend, to give them a little light and fun in their lives, a different environment. But then they had to go back to their group homes or to families that had problems of one sort or another. She’d never counted on seeing them leave being so difficult.

  “What do you like, little man?”

  Brent shrugged.

  “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Okay,” Brent said in the small voice she’d only heard a few times.

  Jason leaned in toward Brent a little. “The best one is still in here. It’s my favorite. Want to see what it is?”

  Brent glanced toward her, and she gave him an encouraging smile. The boy returned his gaze to Jason and nodded.

  Jason pulled a pastry from the bag and placed it on a napkin in his palm. “Behold, the cruller.”

  He said it with such awe and reverence that one would think he was displaying Excalibur rather than a piece of fried dough.

  Angel leaned in next to her and whispered. “He’s good with them.”

  Sloane couldn’t disagree, but even that annoyed her for some reason.

  After handing the cruller to Brent, Jason turned toward where Angel and Sloane stood.

  “What about you ladies?” He glanced down into the bag. “I’ve still got glazed doughnuts and a couple of apple Danish.”

  “Doughnut, please,” Angel said.

  He gave the doughnut to Angel, then shifted his questioning gaze to Sloane.

  “I’m good.”

  Beside her, Angel made a frustrated sound. “She’ll take a Danish.”

  When Jason extended the pastry toward her, she almost kept her arms crossed. But she realized she was being unnecessarily prickly and accepted his offering.

  “Thanks.” When he placed the bakery bag down on an empty log bench, she pointed at it. “Aren’t you having something? It’s only fair since you’ve foisted a ton of sugar and calories off on the rest of us.”

  He patted his stomach. “Oh, trust me. I had plenty on the way out here.”