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
