Page 10 of Head Over Spurs

They continued to walk, passing each barn in the grouping as Maddie pointed details out. Jules hadn’t been paying the bestof attention, and her friend seemed to notice. “Are you okay?” Maddie asked, coming to a stop.

“Sure, just taking it all in.”

“I know it’s probably a lot and happening fast… I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk more or maybe just plow ahead.”

She smiled and said, “Plow ahead. Definitely. You know me.”

Maddie pursed her lips. “Yeah, I do. Which is why I’m worried about how you’re handling things with your dad over this.”

She shook her head. “He sends his best, he understands that you need help, that’s all.” Jules’s gaze carried over Maddie’s head at the scenery behind her as she lied. There was something settling about feeling so small in such a beautifully vast place. “I could use some help figuring out if I’m actually excited about what’s ahead, though,” she admitted quietly.

“We’ll figure it out,” Maddie agreed with a reassuring nod. She dragged one boot across the dirt in front of the other, crossing her legs at her ankles. She was waiting to see if Jules would say more. But Jules didn’t want to say more. Not today, not with the feel of Riley still on her lips. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, savoring the lingering feeling from him taking hold there moments ago. It seemed he had taken hold of her thoughts as well, but that was nothing new.

And just as her mind produced the image of his broad shoulders and strong arms, they appeared before her. In the distance, he exited the barn and crossed over to an old, green truck. There was another man with him now, maybe a bit younger, and Riley pointed for him to grab one of the boards from the bed.

Maddie followed her gaze, a grimace setting across her mouth. “I hope he’s not overdoing it.”

“Who?”

“Riley. He was actually a big deal in the rodeo world beforethis. But he got injured pretty badly while saddle bronc riding. It took him off the professional tour and sent him back home.”

Her stomach lurched, nausea hitting her like a wave. He got hurt. No wonder she couldn’t find him at the season opener in Colorado this year—not that she was looking.

“What happened?” Jules asked, her heart inadvertently racing at the idea of him in pain. It was silly, she didn’t even know the man. And he was clearly fine, based on how he hauled that pile of boards over his shoulder.

“I don’t know the details, only Brett and Grey do, actually. I just know that the team sometimes reminds him to take it easy or asks him if it’s all good still.”

“Does he still compete then?”

“Well, he left the pro circuit and stopped competing in roughstock events. Doctor’s orders apparently. He still does tie-down roping at the Sterling Round-Up; we will go watch him sometime.”

Jules shrugged nonchalantly, but she had a feeling that more time around him was not the answer. She was already struggling to comprehend how she was going to work side by side with Riley. All those long days, out in the summer sun… maybe they took a break and?—

“Where’d you go just now?” Maddie waved her hand in front of Jules’s face.

Turning towards the flurry of tattoos being waved about, Jules blinked rapidly. That daydreaming would certainly have to stop. “Nowhere. But when did he become the wrangler? I thought that was Floyd.”

“A few months ago now, I’d say. Floyd is mostly retired, but still helps. He’s excited to become a grandpa for baby Hayes. I think he and his wife are going to spend all their time with that little one.”

“Good for him,” she sighed. If she had known that Riley wasthe wrangler, would she have agreed to this? She wanted to say no. Yet the moment she saw him today, she’d wasted no time kissing him again. “So,” she ran her fingers across her lips, “what’s next on our tour?”

7

RILEY

“Good God Almighty,” he muttered, letting out a long breath. Jules was truly here, and she hadn’t wasted any time twisting up his mind. He didn’t get a goodbye last time, but that was one hell of a hello. And currently she was strolling down the hill towards the team, catching more than just his attention.

“That’s Jules, huh?” Coop smiled eagerly beside him. He balanced two cans of beer, one atop the other, in a single hand, using his spare hand to undo the top snaps of his shirt.

Beside him, Grey raised an eyebrow and ground out a, “down boy,” followed by a deep laugh. If you didn’t know Grey, he appeared to be quietly intimidating. But the corner of his lip pulled up into a smirk as he took a swig of beer. He was also easily amused by his own wit.

Accepting one of the cans in Cooper’s hand, Riley took a seat on a dining bench and swung one leg over it. Resting the can on the bench between his legs, he cracked it open and stole another glance at the newest member of the team.

She seemed so at ease, bouncing from person to person asMaddie introduced her to everyone. Stopping in front of Gracie and her husband Wyatt next, he watched her eyes dart his way for the briefest moment. So brief, he almost wondered if he had made it up in his head. But as Coop dropped down onto the bench beside him, he asked, “How is there already something happening with you and Jules?”

“There’s nothing happening,” Riley grunted, taking a gulp from the can before him. It wasn’t a lie. What happened between them was in the past, and despite the reaction to seeing one another again, he wouldn’t get pulled back in. She was wild, passionate, and completely able to cut him off at his knees.

“Seems like there’s a vibe,” Coop countered. He snapped his fingers in the air between them before adding, “If there’s not, stop staring at her then, man.”

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