Herd That (The Valentine Boys 1)

“You’re welcome,” I replied huskily.

“If we don’t hurry, we’re going to miss Banks’ ride.”

I turned to see Callum staring at us with disgust on his face.

I felt my face flush and ducked it, turning tail and walking away without another word.

I heard a hard thwack and turned just in time to see Ace’s hand drop back to the ax he was holding and Banks rubbing his shoulder with a grin on his face.

“Never seen him act like this,” Darby said as I approached. “You’re an odd duck, you know that?”

I raised my brows at him. “An odd duck?”

“Yeah,” he said. “You make him smile, and I never see him smile. Never.”

I felt something tighten in my belly at his words, then turned and watched my man wield an ax like he was born to have it in his hands.

All the while, I wondered if maybe I hadn’t already fallen for the man.

Lord knew he made me smile, and I never smiled either. At least not in Kilgore, Texas anyway.Chapter 20Cowboys aren’t easy to love, and they’re even harder to hold onto.

-Food for thought

Codie

I hadn’t been to a rodeo in so long that I forgot what it was like.

The atmosphere didn’t change. Not at all.

The bull riders were still the kings. When one walked by, you damn well knew it.

Why?

Because usually they were accompanied by one or more buckle bunnies—those chicks that were only there for a ride on those bull riders’ dicks. The more public the fucking, the better.

I guess maybe as a kid I’d been shielded from all that had gone on at rodeos.

In the stands it was grand. There was none of the sexual tension. The atmosphere was total excitement and enthusiasm.

But behind the scenes?

Yeah, let’s just say I could practically feel the air of excitement vibrating all around me.

“You okay?” Ace asked, sounding worried.

I looked up at him and gave him a false smile.

“Nervous,” I admitted truthfully. “Worried about Scooby. But I’m also worried about the fact that I don’t know him all that well. That, and my grandfather hasn’t stopped giving me death glares since he saw me arrive with the paperwork.”

Ace followed my gaze to where my grandfather had made himself comfortable in a chair next to the corral for his bull, then turned and shifted his body so that he made himself become a barrier between the two of us

“Y’all are as stubborn as old goats.” He shook his head. “He’s not mad at you, honey.”

My brows rose and I shifted in my seat to look around Ace. I found my grandfather still glaring.

“Could’ve fooled me,” I said softly, returning to my original position. “What’s next?”

“Scooby won’t get chosen since he’s an unknown,” Ace said, forward and to the point. “He’ll be assigned to a rider at random. When it’s his turn, we’ll put the flank strap on him…”

I looked at him wide-eyed. “My grandfather told me it didn’t hurt them.”

He grinned slightly. “It doesn’t. The flank strap doesn’t get anywhere near the bull’s genitals.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“They’ll get him in there.” He pointed across the way at a small holding pen. “There’s where the rider will mount. When the sound chimes, the gate will be thrown open. Hopefully Scooby does what he does anytime we get near him…”

“Buck?” I asked, my belly tight.

“Buck, yeah.”

I snickered.

“Did you mean for that to sound like it did?” I questioned.

He shrugged. “Seemed apropos.”

“Apropos?” I teased, tickling him lightly on the belly.

He blushed lightly and readjusted his cowboy hat.

Did I mention that he looked sexy in all of his hats?

Damn, the man could pull it off.

I never often saw him without one, and honestly, the more hats I saw, the more trouble I had trying to decide which ones I liked best.

This new, dressier black cowboy hat he wore tonight? Well, let’s just say it was pretty sexy indeed.

Ace had outdone himself.

He was in a pair of Wranglers so tight that I could make out the hem of his boxer briefs at about mid-thigh. He had on a chambray shirt that was red and white checkered, and he had it tucked into the jeans, exposing his very big, very shiny belt buckle. It had a mustang with a bull rider on the front with the words ‘TEXAS’ emblazoned on it in gold lettering.

I was fairly sure that I’d have to buy him a new one for his birthday or something.

Speaking of birthdays.

“When is your birthday?” I asked out of the blue.

Ace tucked a piece of hair that’d flown into my face by a gust of wind, and then said, “In about four weeks.” He paused. “Why? Did one of my brothers say something?”

I frowned. “No, but you would’ve told me it was coming up, wouldn’t you have?”

He shrugged. “My birthday isn’t my favorite day.”

It was then that I put two and two together.