Corralled (Blacktop Cowboys 1)

“Because she asked you to.” Kyle stood and stretched. “She’ll probably cool down by morning.”

“And if she’s still pissed off?”

“I guess we’ll deal with it then. Looks like you ’n’ me are bunk mates.”

“Fuckin’ awesome.”

“Sucks worse for me, Hank. I thought I’d be snuggled up to soft, sweet-smelling curves and instead I’m stuck with you.”

“Ain’t no snuggling between us, hoss. You touch me and I’m decking you.”

“Same goes,” Kyle shot back.

Hank flashed his teeth. “But at least you showered and don’t smell like the ass end of a bull.”

“Ditto, buddy.”

They undressed, Kyle down to nothing but skin. Even as a teen, Kyle had slept naked as a jaybird. After the threesomes with Lainie, it seemed prissy for Hank to ask him to put on a goddamn pair of underwear.

In the upper bunk Hank was wide-awake.

Kyle sighed. “I can hear them damn gears spinning. Whatcha thinking about so hard?”

“The EBS. If my tryout goes good, how it’d leave Abe running the ranch, mostly by himself. Especially if Celia is off running barrels.”

Kyle was quiet. Too quiet.

“What?”

“You’re a damn good bullfighter, Hank. I ain’t just sayin’ that. But don’t give up what you’ve got to chase something that maybe ain’t worth it in the long run.”

“You don’t think bein’ in the EBS is worth it?”

“Maybe. I know if I had what you already do, I wouldn’t be chasin’ this rodeo life so damn hard.”

He’d always known Kyle wanted a place of his own in Wyoming, around their hometown and their buddies. The only way Kyle could ever scrounge up the kind of money required to put a down payment on a ranch was to keep riding bulls. So Hank already had the dream Kyle was working toward.

“Just . . . be careful. You can get sucked—or suckered—into doin’ things with the EBS you wouldn’t do otherwise. It’s easy to overlook some of the behind-the-scenes stuff when the big pay-checks are rolling in.”

“Would you go back? If you switched to the EBS second-tier events and hit the top sixty again?” Hank asked.

“I don’t know. Ask me when I’ve been in the CRA for more than a couple events.”

Silence.

“So what’re we gonna do about Lainie?”

“I say we wake her up with an apology she’ll never forget.”

Chapter Fourteen

Lainie was up and dressed early the next morning. By the time she’d roused the sleeping men, she’d knocked back two cups of coffee.

Hank stumbled down from the upper bunk. He wore the bleary-eyed look of a man whose routine had been interrupted. Served him right.

“What’re you doin’ up so early?”

“Says the rancher,” she replied dryly.

“Funny. Maybe me ’n’ Kyle had plans for this morning.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Maybe you and Kyle should’ve gotten up sooner.” She sipped her coffee. “The early cowboy gets to stick his worm in the cowgirl and all that.”

Kyle laughed. “We’ll remember that for next time, sugar. Hank, hand me my duffel, will ya?”

He tossed it up to Kyle without looking away from Lainie. “You still sore at us?”

“Nope.” She addressed Hank. “But figure out a different way to deal with Celia. Adult-to-adult would be a good start.”

“That I can do.”

“You guys want breakfast?”

“Lainie. You don’t have to cook for us,” Kyle said.

“I’m already cooking for me. Might as well add a couple more eggs to the frying pan. Scrambled all right?”

“Sounds good.”

“Count me in.” Kyle hopped down wearing a pair of surfer shorts. She had half wondered if he’d arrive at the table naked. Hank also looked relieved that Kyle had covered up his dangly man bits.

Lainie cracked a half dozen eggs in the electric skillet. Hank set the table and poured Kyle a cup of coffee. Hard to believe they’d never done this domestic scene before. It seemed so routine.

When they finished eating, Kyle flipped open his cell phone and checked the time. “Bein’s I’m on the day driving shift, let’s hit the road and get to Sheridan so I can check in.”

“What’s after Sheridan tonight?”

“Billings has an early afternoon performance tomorrow and Red Lodge has a performance tomorrow night.”

“So we’re not actually camping anywhere for a couple of days?”

Hank shook his head.

“Hank, since you’re driving tonight, you gonna crawl back up in the bunk and get some more shut-eye?” Kyle asked.

A look of challenge passed between them.

“What’s going on with you two?”

“Ask Kyle,” Hank said curtly.

Lainie’s hands stayed curled around her mug. “Kyle?”

Kyle shrugged. “At the ranch Hank had you in his bed all night. I want equal time. It’ll be you and me alone in the back of the camper on the way to Billings tonight.”

Part of her wanted to ask if she had a say in whose bed she ended up in. Another part wished they’d spend time together only as a threesome. Then she wouldn’t have to worry whether each man was getting equal time. Or that she was picking one over the other.