Somehow, I manage to drag my eyes away from him for long enough to take in the others and their groups of kids. Wide, bright smiles are all around the whole arena, laughter and small squeals fill the space. And as if there’s an invisible rope attaching Shooter to me, I can’t help but shift my focus back to him. It feels like I’m seeing this hidden side of him, that maybe I’m not supposed to see. It tugs at something in my chest, squeezing and tightening, watching him teach these eager kids, answering all their questions, and doing it all with that signature smirk of his that would make even the strongest individual weak in the knees.
Dammit.
As if he can feel my gaze on him, Shooter’s head turns, blue eyes locking with mine. Grin blinding at catching me watching him, he winks before returning his attention to the kids like it never happened. Shaking my head with a huff of laughter, I reach into my pocket, where my phone is buzzing away. It’s my dad.
Excusing myself from Jessie and Colt, I step outside of the arena and answer, bringing the phone up to my ear.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Sterling!” The smile in his voice is evident. “You’re on speaker with me and your mom.”
“How are you, honey?” The question comes from my mom. “We miss you!”
“I miss you guys too. I’m good. We stopped at a county fair in some small town in Colorado so some of the group could do some publicity, but tomorrow we head to Elder Village for our next stop.”
“We are so proud of you, son,” Dad says, and I can’t help the grin that grows wide on my face. “Got a little surprise for you.”
“Oh, yeah? What is it?”
I hear my mom giggle before my dad continues. “We’re flying up to see you during Stampede Days.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. “Wait, are you serious?”
“Of course, we’re serious,” Mom quips with a chuckle. “We already spoke to Conrad, and he’s letting us stay in his guest room while we’re there. It’ll only be for two nights, but we couldn’t not come see you in action!”
This is huge, and I’m buzzing with excitement now. There’s still a few weeks left until we’re back in Copper Lake for Stampede Days, an annual seven-day outdoor rodeo and western celebration. It’s a massive event that brings in people from all over surrounding areas. Aside from NFR, this is thehighlight of our rodeo season. Not only is it held in our town, but it’s also a huge weekend for rodeo points. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’ll make or break your season, but it will set the stage for the rest of it.
“What days are y’all coming?”
“The fourth and fifth,” Dad replies. “With the fourth being a holiday, it was easy to get time off work to come, and we’ve been saving up miles on our credit card for the plane tickets.”
Chucking, I card my fingers through my hair. “This is a great surprise, guys. I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.”
“Well, hey, listen,” Dad cuts in. “We gotta get going, son. We just wanted to be able to tell you the news.”
“Keep up the great work, honey,” Mom coos. “We are so dang proud of you!”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you guys.”
“We love you too!”
Hanging up, I shove my phone into my pocket and head back into the arena. It’s not much longer before we’re wrapping up and hitting the road again. The drive to Elder Village isn’t too far; Cope, Shooter, and I stop at the store on our way there to grab food for dinner and breakfast, while the rest of the crew heads straight to the campsite.
Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and baked potatoes are done up on the grill while we all listen to music and drink beer, building a fire, and just hanging out. Everything about rodeo season is redundant. Driving to a new town, staying for a couple of nights to compete, then driving to the next town, repeat. You’d think it would get boring, or you’d get tired of hanging out with the same people, eating the same food, doing the same shit. But there’s nothing boring about it.
It's a miracle that all of us jive together as well as we do. Nights at the campsites are nothing short of a good time.
After a while, when everyone starts trickling off to bed, I decide to take advantage of the showers they have here. Not all sites have full showers. Some are just those quarter insert ones that give you barely enough lukewarm water to wash your hair and body. This place has a full area with locker room style showers, and you bet your ass I’m going to enjoy a nice, long, hot shower.
I’m just stepping into the shower, my phone playing music, when I hear the door to the entrance open. Ignoring it, I stand under the spray, letting the water trickle down on my head. The curtain to my stall opens, the sound alerting me to peer over my shoulder, my stomach lurching into my throat when I see who it is entering my stall.
16
Shooter Graham
Okay, so maybe it’s a teensy bit presumptuous of me to be in here right now, naked with nothing more than a towel around my waist, as I take in Sterling in all his wet, nude glory. I’m also well aware this could blow up right in my face, especially considering how he’s been treating me today. I don’t fucking care, though. Let it blow up in my face.
But I don’t think it will, because underneath the wide eyes and the lips parted with surprise, there’s the desire that matches my own. His honey irises are consumed by pupils, making them appear pitch black. He swallows roughly as he drags his gaze down my body, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, and I catch the faintest of shivers racking through him. His cheeks stain a beautiful pink color that I don’t think has anything to do with the heat of the shower and everything to do with me standing here in front of him.
