Trusting Sydney (The Temptation Saga 6)

“You heard me.”

“Wow! I remember that bull,” Sydney said. “I didn’t know you rode bulls, Sam.”

“He doesn’t,” Dusty said.

“I’ve ridden a few in my day.”

“You don’t know Diablo.”

“You rode him, didn’t you?”

“And damn near killed myself and Zach too, if you recall.” Dusty put Sean down. “Go play with your Legos, sweetheart.”

Sam berated himself silently. He had no intention of riding that bull. He’d only said it to impress Sydney. At thirty-three, he didn’t need to be talking himself up to impress some babe. High school had been a long time ago, for God’s sake, yet here he was talking big for a girl.

“You two are both amazing,” Sydney said. “I’d never get on a bull.”

“You just have to understand them, “ Dusty said. “They’re really sweet, beautiful animals.”

“No offense, but every time I watch bull riding, I think those guys are insane.”

Dusty laughed. “Some of them are, that’s for sure. I know the whole town thought I was when I got on Diablo.”

Sam opened his mouth to agree but shut it quickly. Since he’d opened his trap to say he might ride the damn bull, he couldn’t very well agree that his sister had been crazy to attempt it.

And no doubt, she had been crazy.

Dusty was actually really good with bulls, with all animals. She had originally planned to study veterinary medicine, but her illness, and then her marriage and birth of her son, had changed that goal long ago. Still, she helped her sister-in-law Annie, who was the town vet, as often as she could.

“You guys are still offering that half-mil purse, huh? No one’s won it yet?”

“Not yet,” Dusty said. “We have a couple cowpokes try every year. Thankfully no one’s been seriously hurt.”

“Do you still work with him?”

“I take care of him. I haven’t tried to ride him again. Like I said, I gave all that up when I got pregnant.”

“Yeah, I understand.” Sydney’s gaze shot to Sean, who was sitting on the floor with his Legos. “Your little boy is beautiful.”

“Thank you. We think so.”

“So what time are you starting tonight?” Sydney fidgeted a little and played with her hair.

Did she not want to go to Dusty’s shindig? Why on earth not? His baby sister and her hubby threw a party like nobody’s business.

“Around six. Come on over any time. We’ll have a dinner buffet, but it’s a ‘serve yourself and eat when you want to’ kind of thing.”

Sam laughed. “Don’t listen to her. The McCrays don’t do anything halfway. Their ‘serve yourself’ buffet will be an open bar and a huge spread topped with a baron of McCray beef.”

Sydney blinked again. Clearly, the woman was a bit nervous. Because of him? Couldn’t be. Five years had passed since their clandestine liaison. No reason to be nervous.

Course his own belly was doing a series of somersaults.

He excused himself and left the box. He found an empty seat in the rafters and plunked down.

Sydney Buchanan.

She hadn’t changed a bit. In fact, if it were possible, she looked even sexier and more beautiful.