Page 19 of Head Over Spurs

Colton nodded with understanding; he was familiar with the guarded team lead over at Hayes Ranch. That is, guarded to anyone outside of the ranch family. This wasn’t Grey’s scene; he wouldn’t enjoy the rush like Riley did. And Riley could respect that.

“Well either way, looking forward to seeing ya out there tonight. The family come to watch this time?”

“You’ll never catch Piper supporting me competing,” he laughed again, his eyes lifting towards the crowd.

Now that his parents were living in the steady heat of Arizona, there was hardly ever someone in those stands for him. Sometimes Cooper would come. And Grey let Maddie drag him at times. But outside of his fellow ranch hands, Riley didn’t have someone up there supporting him.

It was lonely at times. The only people that rushed to greet him at the end of his event were the same ladies that rushed to greetallthe guys competing out there. And he wasn’t interested in that kind of attention.

His phone vibrated against his denim clad thigh, distracting him from the self-pity he was starting to wallow in. And when he saw the name flashing across the screen, his heart threatened to leap into his throat.

Juliette.

Giving a nod goodbye to Colton, he stepped down from the fence and crossed over to the quietest corner he could find before answering.

“Hello, Juliette. To what do I owe the pleasure?” He tried to hide the eagerness in his tone but was certain he failed.

“Are you busy? I, um, I need help.”

“Are you okay? Where are you?” Riley dragged his hand down the back of his neck and started for the parking lot. He’d call Colton from the truck to take care of his horse. All that mattered was getting to Jules.

“Oh, no. Sorry that probably sounded bad. I just broke down on the side of the road, I’m fine. It’s just, Maddie and Grey are currently otherwise occupied and I didnotfeel like interrupting. And well… you’re the person I know the best around here besides them.”

Forget being lodged in his throat, Riley’s heart soared instead. A full grin split across his face as he weaved through the parking lot. After having a restless night wondering if she was going out and meeting new guys at Wrangler’s last night, he hadbeen frustrated that he had no reason to see her outside of work.

Professional. Why had he agreed to a professional relationship? What did that even mean? But now it looked like he got to see Jules this weekend after all.

“But if you’re busy,” she continued, “I can?—”

“I’m already getting in the truck. Tell me where you’re at.”

Tossing his Stetson on the dashboard, Riley cranked down the windows and ran his fingers through his hair. All the while, only silence carried through the phone. He started driving through the parking lot, waiting for her response.

Finally, Jules admitted, “I’m not actually sure. Everything is way more spread out around here than Denver.”

“Drop a pin and send it my way?”

More silence. Then, “My location isn’t loading.” There was an edge to her voice now, worry creeping in.

“Okay, that’s fine,” he offered calmly. “Just tell me where you were leaving from and what you were headed towards. I’ll find you.”

“I was leaving town, I’m staying in Maddie’s old apartment above the bakery. And I was heading for the Blue Sky Wild Horse Sanctuary. Have you heard of it?”

“Sure have, I’ll head your way. Just stay on the phone and describe to me how far you got.”

The remainder of the drive, he listened intently as Jules described what she recalled passing. She didn’t explain things simply—a street sign, a clear landmark. No, instead she described a cute blue house with a garden out front. She talked about how the road swooped just as a clearing opened, leaving a breathtaking view for the briefest of moments.

And as he turned around that same curve, he couldn’t help but smile. Riley had driven this road more times than he couldcount, and at some point, he stopped noticing the view around the bend.

It really was something.

Then the road straightened, and the terrain leveled once again. Soon, he was pulling up to a vintage car with a stunning woman climbing out of it. She looked like she belonged in a photo shoot for a Mustang ad, the movement of her fringe jacket calling focus to the way her body swayed hypnotically with each step. She came around to the back of her car and jumped up on the trunk, crossing one leg over the other and hooking her bottom heel on the bumper.

She had those same knee-high black cowgirl boots on from their night together. Today though, they were paired with short black denim shorts, showing off her legs that stretched for miles. With red lips and her strawberry blonde hair falling over her shoulder, Jules looked downright sinful.

“Thank you for coming to get me. It was this or walking to the bar up the way. I saw signs that it was close.”

“You were going to go to The Gin Mill looking like that? Were you going to try to replace me?” he asked as he climbed out of his truck and strode over to her.

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