Xander practically begged me to come out tonight, and I wanted to say no at first. But then I got to thinking about it, and maybe it’ll be good for me. I’m stuck on the road with these guys, whether Boone and I are speaking or not. I might as well make the best of it. I can’t hole up in my hotel room every single night—I mean, I could, but where’s the fun in that? I’d drive myself crazy. So, reluctantly, I agreed, but now my heart is hammering as anxiety swirls inside of me.
Weaving through the crowd, we find everyone in the back corner of the bar. They’ve pushed together a couple of tables, and it looks like they’ve got a few pitchers of beer already. Xander takes the spot right beside Cope, and I sit beside him. A quick sweep of the table shows me Boone is on the other side, a few chairs down from me, and our eyes meet for the briefest moment before I look away.Of course, he’d already be looking at me.
“Wow, little Wilde finally graced us with his presence,” Shooter teases. “What a nice surprise.”
A smirk tugs on my lips as I flip him off before I pour myself a glass of beer. I don’t know what Boone has told them about why I’m not staying at the campsites, but I’m sure as shit not telling them anything. Xander knows—which in turn, probably means Cope knows too—but that’s it.
One beer quickly turns into many more as the time passes. We all order some food for the table, eating, chatting, laughing, and drinking. The more I have to drink, the happier I am that Xander forced me to come. I was right…this is what I needed. There’s no reason I can’t still have fun with everyone while alsonotletting myself flirt with Boone.
That doesn’t mean I’m not checking him out any chance I get, though. How can I not? He’s fucking gorgeous. He’s currently occupied, playing pool with Daisy, Sterling, and Jessie, so I can safely admire him from my seat without the risk of him noticing. Kind of a win, win, if you ask me.
“How long are you traveling with us?” I ask Xander as I pour another beer.
“Just this week.” He holds out his cup, silently asking me to refill him too. “I don’t want to be away from the animals too long, especially with the new calf.”
“Somebody is looking after them, though, right?”
“Yeah. We had one guy who we’d hired to help my aunt on a regular basis, who also helped with mine and Cope’s animals when we were both gone, but he got a new job in Cheyenne and moved away. The Hendricksons, who live on the other side of us, their son is home for the summer from college, so we’ve got him checking on them twice a day now.”
“Do you wish you were able to stay the whole season?”
“Uh, yes and no.” Xander tilts his hand in a ‘so-so’ motion. “Yes, because I miss Cope whenever we’re apart, but no, because I’d never get any work done if I was traveling the whole season. I get so caught up in everything that it’s impossible to focus.”
“That makes sense.” Movement catches over by the pool tables, and when I look over, I’m blessed with the view of Boone leaning over the table as he takes his shot. A groan sounds in the back of my throat before I can stop it at the sight of his well-worn and dust covered Wranglers stretched over his tight ass.
Xander chuckles, shaking his head. “You got it bad, my friend.”
Groaning, I scrub a hand down my face. “I do,” I admit with a huff. “I can’t even lie.”
“Have you guys talked?”
“Not really. We’ve talked here and there, but never anything worthwhile.”
“What about Jade? Have you talked to her?”
“Nope.” I down the rest of the beer in my glass. When I reach to pour another one, I notice we’re all out. “Shit, I’ll go get us some more.”
Up at the bar, I order a few more pitchers. While I wait, I glance around the room, noting how busy it’s gotten since we first arrived. It’s nearly midnight now, and it’s practically wall to wall packed. A guy who looks to be around my age steps up to the counter. He sets his empty glass down, signaling to the bartender that he wants another. We’re both probably going to be waiting a while with how busy it is.
“Hey,” he shouts over the sound of the music and the chatter.
“Hi,” I reply with a smile.
Now that I’m really looking at him, he appears older than I originally thought. Maybe closer to thirty. His hair is blonde, lighter than mine, and a bit longer too. He smells like expensive cologne, and while it smells good, it’s also a tad overdone, especially for how close he’s standing to me. His eyes are bloodshot and glassy, letting me know he’s either stoned or drunk. Maybe both.
Leaning in, he says into my ear, “You’re cute. Haven’t seen you here before.”
“Uh, thanks,” I murmur, glancing around. My eyes seem to automatically gravitate toward where Boone’s standing and, of course, he’s already looking this way, eyes narrowed. “I’m not from here.”
“Where you from?”
Good Lord, the last thing I want to do is make small talk.“Wyoming.”
“What brings you here then?” he implores, taking a small step toward me, I’m sure to be able to hear me better.
“The rodeo.”
His lips tip up into a grin. “Oh, a cowboy, are you?”
