“He’s opened a little bit with me, but I don’t want to push him.”
Stella gave me a grin and went on. “I think Kaci figured once they got married, Brock would walk away from bull riding. Of course, that never happened. Since her death, he’s been struggling, and the mistakes of his past have made him the man he is today. Brock just has to figure out who that man is, and find the right woman to share that man with.”
I took a swig from my beer.
Stella took my hand in hers. “Lincoln, Brock is a wonderful son, an amazing father, and one heck of a good guy. He likes you, I see it, and I’m pretty sure you like him just as much. Just go slow, be patient with him, and let him come to you when he’s ready. He’ll get there, but it might take longer than eight seconds, if you know what I mean.”
I wanted to ask her more, but the sound of Blayze’s voice from the lobby had us both looking that way.
Stella smiled and said, “The gang is all ready for dinner. You’d better call Kaylee and tell her to get down here. Once these Shaw men get hungry, that’s it.”
With a chuckle, I pulled out my phone and sent Kaylee a text to come to the lobby. She texted back that she was already there, talking to Dirk.
I paid for my beer and followed Stella out into the lobby. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in everyone. Brock seemed so happy to be with his family. He loved his job, but I was positive he hated that it took him away from his son.
Blayze ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and began pulling me toward the door. “Sit next to me, Miss Lincoln!”
Laughing, I asked, “Where?”
“At the restaurant, silly!”
There was a steak and seafood restaurant right across from the hotel. Ty Senior had made reservations, so when we got there, we were seated immediately.
“So, what can we expect from tomorrow?” Kaylee asked, tossing a piece of bread into her mouth.
Everyone looked at Brock.
“Well, I’ve got passes for everyone, and a behind-the-scenes tour set up for Lincoln and Kaylee, as well as Mom and Pop.”
“Me too?” Blayze asked.
“Of course for you too.” Brock ruffled his son’s hair. “Then, round one starts. If I qualify, I move on to round two on Sunday. The fifteen/fifteen bucking battle is after that, and then the championship round.”
“What’s the fifteen/fifteen bucking battle?” I asked.
“It’s the top fifteen riders in the world competing against the fifteen highest-ranked bulls at the event. Points count toward the season standings.”
I nodded.
“Are you ready for Tiny Devil and Moonshine?” Ty Senior asked.
Brock nodded. “They’re both good bulls. Moonshine is currently ranked third, and Tiny Devil is tenth.”
Kaylee and I exchanged a look of utter confusion. She made a face, and I tried not to laugh.
“Moonshine is a left-hand delivery, so he’s gonna turn away from your hand,” Ty Senior added.
Brock nodded. “Doesn’t bother me any. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went right.”
Blayze tapped my arm, causing me to glance down at him. “Daddy is takin’ me to see the bulls. Will you come with us?”
I peeked over to Brock. He was still talking to his father. “I’d love to, if your daddy says it’s okay.”
“He will. He likes you. Just like Uncle Ty likes Miss Kaylee. Daddy said Uncle Ty has a crush on her! And I made up a song about it. Wanna hear?”
Kaylee nearly choked on the salad she’d just put into her mouth.
Stella chuckled, and all three Shaw men stared at Kaylee as she grabbed her water. None of them had heard what Blayze said.
“What’s wrong?” Ty asked, clearly worried about Kaylee.
Holding up her hand, she took a drink and managed to get out, “I’m fine.”
Her eyes were watering, and she shot a glance in my direction, shock on her face and in her eyes. I had to admit, I was a bit shocked as well. Ty had seemed to have pulled back on his flirting with Kaylee, and now he acted as if she annoyed him more than anything. Kaylee had told me after they’d shared a kiss at the Blue Moose, Ty had grown distant. I wanted to dig deeper into that, but I needed to focus on Brock first before I even attempted to figure out Ty Shaw.
Kaylee kept coughing, and Ty stood up. “Kaylee, are you okay?”
With her hand lifted in a thumbs-up sign, she nodded.
Ty grabbed her now-empty water and walked over to the waitress to ask her to fill it. I had to admit it was a sweet thing to do. When he came back and handed it to her, I knew Kaylee thought so as well. She seemed awestruck for a few moments as Ty sat back down.