“Gwoss!” Blayze shouted.
A little sense of relief washed over me that he still thought girls were gross. “Listen, I’ve got to go help Uncle Dirk get ready to ride. I love you, buddy. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy! I wove you too!”
I hit end and made my way out of the lockers and back to the chutes. A few people stopped me along the way to congratulate me on the ride; then my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Shit. I’d forgotten to leave it in my locker. I pulled it out, came to a stop, and stared down at the picture I knew for a fact my boy hadn’t sent. If he had learned how to send pictures in a text message, I was in trouble.
No, this was the work of my mother.
I stared at the image of the brown-haired beauty who was bent down and nearly eye level with Blayze. His cowboy hat damn near covered his face, and Lincoln smiled from ear to ear.
Shit, her eyes.
Even if Ty hadn’t told me, I could tell just from this picture that they were green. A green I’d never seen before. My gaze dropped to that pretty little pink mouth. Then my chest did some weird-ass flutter as my eyes moved up and locked on hers. There was something in those eyes, something that called to me in a way I’d never experienced before.
I was drawn to this woman—and that both scared me and annoyed the hell out of me. More so the latter.
She was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. No wonder my kid had wanted a picture with her.
The idea that my brother Ty might hook up with Lincoln bothered me. More than it should have. Why all of a sudden am I jealous of my brother being near a woman I had never even met?
“Brock! You’d better get your ass moving before Dirk climbs into that chute and on that bull.”
Pulling my eyes away from the screen, I pushed the phone back into my pocket and quickly jogged back to the chutes.
The damn TV camera was in my way as I pulled on Dirk’s bull rope.
“Remember, you’ve got a left-hand delivery. He’s gonna wanna turn away from you. Be ready,” I said.
Dirk hit his hand to get it tight in the rope. “Got it.”
“Be ready for him to change directions. He’s known to fade.”
“Got it,” Dirk replied again.
I knew he was moments from the nod, so I didn’t say another word. I let Dirk get into his head.
He gave the nod, and the gateman pulled on the nylon rope, letting the beast free from the cage.
“Get it!” I shouted as I watched Dirk get bounced around. “That’s it!” I cried out. “You’ve got it!”
The bull swung to the left, catching Dirk off-balance, causing him to go down the well. My heart stalled, and I knew I was holding my breath. He got hung, and I watched as the bullfighters attempted to get his hand out of the bull rope.
“Get him out,” I whispered, even though I wanted to shout it.
The bull swung around, and Dirk’s body swung with it. He looked like a rag doll being tossed about. I flinched when I saw the bull come down on him. I closed my eyes and sent up a quick prayer.
After I opened my eyes, my prayer was answered.
His hand finally got free.
“Fucking finally!” I shouted and jumped down, making my way around to the gate where they would bring Dirk through. My heart raced in my chest. I saw him walking, so that was a good sign.
As he walked toward me, he stumbled.
“Shit!” I cried out, making my way to Dirk.
One of the members of the medical team grabbed him. “You okay, Dirk?” he asked.
Dirk’s eyes met mine, and he smiled slightly. “Perfectly fine. Just another day on the job.”
I knew he was lying. He wasn’t fine, but like all of us, he had his poker face firmly in place.
He walked past me and winked. “Find me a blonde. I’m going to need a distraction from the shooting pain going up my side.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Sex is what you’re thinking about right now? How about the fact that you just missed the eight seconds?”
He groaned and then said, “When don’t I think about sex, Brock?”
“I’ll have Cord pick out a girl and send her your way!” I called out.
Lifting his hand, Dirk gave me the finger.
I smiled as I shook my head. He was going to be just fine.
Chapter Five
LINCOLN
The knock on the window startled me, and I bent down and saw Ty and Blayze. I hopped off the stool and called out for Kaylee.
“Kaylee, Ty and Blayze are here.”
She didn’t answer, which meant she had her headphones on and was working.
“Come on in, y’all.”
The screen door opened, and they walked in.
“What are ya doing, Miss Lincoln?” Blayze asked, his big blue eyes gazing up at me. I smiled and dropped down to be at his eye level. I’d met Blayze the other day when I had stopped by the Shaws’ house to give them something I had found in a closet. Blayze had been a little charmer, even after falling out of the tree, and he’d put on a brave face when we all knew he was hurting.
The next day, when he and Stella stopped by to officially welcome me as a neighbor, and Blayze asked for a picture with me, my heart melted. Of course, it helped that he told me I was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. My new little neighbor was charming his way right into my heart.
“I was attempting to hang a curtain rod.”
Ty took a step forward. “How are you doing getting settled in?”
With a grin, I glanced around the house as I stood back up. We’d been in Hamilton a week, and I was already in love with it. “Slowly getting there. I’ve been able to get a lot done in the short amount of time I’ve been here.”
He nodded. “Why don’t you let me do that for you?”
I held up my handy-dandy electric drill. Ever since I could remember, my father had made it seem like I wasn’t capable of handling simple tasks like hanging up a curtain rod. That wasn’t the case anymore. “Nope, I’ve gone my whole life having someone try to help me with one thing or another. This house is different. Everything in this house will be because I did it.”
He frowned. “You won’t be admitting defeat if you let me hang a curtain rod, you know.”
I grinned. “I appreciate it, but I’ve got this.” Glancing between the older Shaw and the younger, I asked, “What brings you two here?”
Blayze proudly held up and displayed a pie. Of course I had noticed it the moment he’d walked in. “Grams said we needed to bring this to you. She sent my daddy a picture of you ’cause she said you were real pwetty and that he’d probably like to see a pwetty girl. He won on his bull the whole weekend. He’s number one!”
I looked back at Ty, confused.
“Brock is a professional bull rider. He was in Tacoma this past weekend. Blayze said he wanted to send him the picture you’d taken with him, so my mother texted it to him.”
My cheeks heated, and I hoped Ty wouldn’t notice. “Oh, I see. Your mother didn’t mention where Blayze’s father was. I just assumed he lived here.”
Ty’s brows pulled in tight, and something resembling anger moved over his face. It was so quick, I almost didn’t catch it.
“Yeah, well, that’s not the case.”
Okay then. I for sure detected a bit of anger there.
“You’re not happy with what he does for a living?” I asked.
“Uncle Ty used to bull ride before he got hurt,” Blayze interjected.
My eyes went from Blayze to Ty.
“Anyway, my mother wanted you to have this as a way of saying, ‘Welcome to your new home.’”
And that was a serious change of subject, I mused. Did Ty simply not like talking about his brother? Or maybe it was the injury Blayze had mentioned. My curiosity had certainly been piqued.
Right then, Kaylee came walking into the living room, her headphones still on, as evidenced by her shouting, “Where’s the ice cream?”
/> Ty’s face lit up, and so did Blayze’s. I had to chuckle at the way they both seemed to gleam at Kaylee. Of course, my best friend was a knockout and currently holding a hammer while asking for ice cream. Who wouldn’t think that was sexy?
Kaylee pulled her headphones off her ears. “Ty! Hi. Oh, wow, that rhymed. Not that I’d tried to make it rhyme or anything. It was just a simple hello that ended up being a hi and Ty. So, yeah, not really trying to be creative with my words.”
Ty laughed while I tilted my head at the woman standing before me. Cheeks red. Lust filling those blue eyes of hers. And she was babbling.
So. Very. Interesting.
“You often eat ice cream with a hammer?” Ty asked while Blayze cracked up laughing like that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
Kaylee held up the hammer. “What? Oh, no. I was going to try to hang up these blinds in the guest bedroom, but I sort of made a boo-boo.”
I turned to face her. “I thought you were working.”
“I was. Then, I got bored and decided to help you hang up the blinds, and I accidentally missed and hit the wall with the hammer.”
I looked down at the drill in my hand and held it up. “This is what I’m using to hang up the blinds and curtains. Not a hammer!”
Kaylee’s face turned red as she held up the screw. “Ohh . . . okay. I thought that little thing didn’t look like a nail.”
My eyes rolled as Ty attempted not to lose it, laughing. Kaylee had been raised in a very well-to-do family. Manual labor was still something new to her. She could help me move furniture around like no one’s business. Loved to help me shop for decorations, but when it came time for the nitty-gritty stuff, Kaylee always disappeared.
Except for now. She truly wanted to help me with this little house. I had a feeling it was growing on her like it had on me the moment I saw it for sale online.
“It’s called a screw, Kaylee.”
“Even I know what a screw is, Miss Kaylee.”
Moving her gaze from me down to Blayze, Kaylee smiled. “My goodness! Who is this handsome cowboy?”
She made her way over to Blayze, who stuck his chest out just a little bit more. I covered my mouth and chuckled.
“My name is Blayze Brock Shaw, but you can call me Blayze. All my friends do.”
Kaylee lifted a brow and looked at Ty. “Yours?” she asked.
“What? No! Heck no. My younger brother’s kid.”
Kaylee looked down at Blayze and winked. “Bummer, I really like kids.”
“He’s with me nearly all the time, since Brock is traveling so much,” Ty stated quickly.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. It was cute how Ty seemed to have a little crush on Kaylee.
Blayze turned to me. “Miss Lincoln, my papa said you bought a horse from him the other day.”
“Yep, your papa is right. Would you like to see him? I could use a break.”
Blayze attempted to stay calm, but his five-year-old self did a few little jumps. “Yes! Uncle Ty, can I go see Miss Lincoln’s horse?”
Ty’s eyes met mine. “We don’t want to interrupt you from working. I know you’re trying to get settled in.”
“Nonsense. Besides, I think Kaylee could use some help with that . . . hammer.”
When Kaylee’s eyes snapped over to me with nothing but a death stare, I simply smiled.
“Come on, Blayze. Let’s go see that horse.”
“What? Now? You’re leaving us alone?” Kaylee cried after us.
Tossing a look over my shoulder, I called back, “I’m pretty sure Ty doesn’t bite—at least not hard, anyway.”
Ty rumbled out a hearty laugh as my best friend’s mouth dropped in shock. The girl was all talk, apparently.
Blayze reached up and took my hand as I walked him down to the barn.
“This barn used to be my daddy’s.”
“Really?” I asked, looking at the barn in front of us. “Did you come here a lot with your daddy?”
He shook his head. “We moved out when I was really little.”
I nodded. I had to admit I was curious about this mysterious Brock Shaw. What would make a man do such a dangerous thing for a living?
I also had no idea where Blayze’s mother was, or even if she was still in the picture.
“Do you like it here?” he asked.
“Yes, very much.”
“Do you like riding horses?”
“I do, very much so.”
“Me too! My daddy taught me. He also taught me how to fish, and I’s can shoot a gun.”
Gasping, I asked, “A gun? Aren’t you a little young to shoot a gun, Blayze?”
“No, ma’am,” he said, crawling up the hay bale that was sitting outside the stall. He smiled the moment he saw Thunder. “He sure is a pwetty horse, Miss Lincoln. Why’s he in the barn and not in the pasture?”
“I’ll turn him out here in a bit.”
“Daddy says I’s born to be on a horse. He’s gonna teach me how to rope when he comes back home.”
I grinned as I ran my hand down Thunder’s neck before giving him a good pat. Blayze mimicked my action and told Thunder what a good boy he was. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him interact with the animal. It was clear he loved horses. And I loved having that in common with my new little neighbor.
Then, out of the blue, he brought up his mother. “I didn’t know my mommy. Do you know your mommy?”
My heart broke for the little guy.
I nodded. “Yes. My mommy was the one who taught me how to ride a horse.”
Blayze smiled. I couldn’t help but wonder how old he’d been when she’d . . . left. “I bet you miss your mommy,” I said, trying to picture what my life would have been like without my mother. I couldn’t even imagine.
“Blayze!”
I let out a scream that spooked Thunder, making him jerk back. Blayze didn’t seem fazed at all by Thunder reacting to my scream. I, on the other hand, jumped and tripped over God knows what. I landed right on my ass.
Before I could even comprehend what had happened, a hand reached down for me to take.
“My goodness, you scared me,” I said as the hand pulled me up like I weighed no more than a feather.
I stumbled, and he righted me. The moment I looked up into his sky-blue eyes, my stomach tumbled.
Then, my heart seized in my chest when I focused on the rest of the man.
He was tall, but not too tall. I was five three, so he had to be five ten, maybe? Built, but not so much that you imagined he lived in a gym half his life. Oh no . . . those muscles were earned with hard manual labor that he most likely did growing up on this ranch. His brown hair gave off that sexy look of a man who likes to run his hands through it.
But his eyes. I was drawn back up to them. They looked . . . confused, maybe even a little bit sad. The way he stared at me made me take a step back. Not because I was afraid of him; it was the intensity of his gaze that threw me off.
That, and he had to be one of the most handsome men I’d ever laid eyes on. The resemblance to Blayze was uncanny.
This had to be the mysterious Brock Shaw.
Brock stared at me for another few moments, then frowned. His eyes no longer looked confused. The look was replaced with one that made me feel like I had just been sent to the principal’s office.
“Daddy!”
Finally, at the sound of his son’s voice, he broke the stare and turned to Blayze. He pulled him into his arms and smiled the most breathtaking smile I’d ever seen. Like his brother Ty, Brock had dimples, but his were deeper, and I’d bet they only showed up when he smiled at his son.
I thought back to a moment ago, when he had given me an icy stare, and I had no idea why he would have looked at me so coldly.
“What are you doing here?” Brock asked Blayze.
“Grams made a pie for Miss Lincoln here. She asked me if I wanted to see her horse.”
Brock grinned wide, but when he turned to me,
his smile dropped. I had plastered on my own smile, but when the icy stare came back, it faltered.
“What are you doing out here in the barn with my son?”
Taking a step away from him, I was stunned by the tone of his voice. I was positive the look on my face was utter shock. “Um, well, your brother is up at the house, helping Kaylee hang some blinds. I offered to bring Blayze down here to show him Thunder.”
Forcing a small smile, I waited for him to crack and give me something. Surely he couldn’t keep that scowl on his face indefinitely.
“So, you thought you’d quiz my son on his mother?”
My eyes widened. “What?” I gasped.
How dare this guy accuse me of that.
Wait. That’s what I had wanted to do . . . wasn’t it?
By my own admission, I’d wanted to know more about both Brock and about Blayze’s mother. But it was Blayze who had mentioned not knowing her.
Placing my hands on my hips, I lifted my chin. There was no way I was going to let this guy talk down to me.
“I wasn’t quizzing him. We were talking, and he was telling me all the things you’d shown him. I’m not privy to any information on his mother, so I wasn’t aware that this was a subject to avoid.”
Brock’s eyes twitched, and he set Blayze down. “Run on over to my truck, buddy. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Blayze lit up like the Fourth of July.
“Bye, Miss Lincoln!” he called out.
I lifted my hand and shouted, “Bye, Blayze! Thanks for the pie!”
Once his son was around the corner, Brock turned back to me. He took three long strides and then was right up in my face. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my body, but I refused to move. The man might be good looking, but he was acting like a first-rate asshole. He leaned in closer to me, and I sucked in a breath, hoping he didn’t notice.
“Don’t ever ask my son about his mother again. Do you hear me?”
My eyes widened yet again, and I could feel my body trembling with anger. How dare this man come walking into my barn and throw out accusations? I may think he’s hot as hell, but a rude attitude quickly makes the good looks vanish.
Taking in a deep breath, I stated, “I didn’t invite Ty to come over and bring your son. They stopped by of their own free will. I wasn’t fishin’ for information on your wife; that is something I would never do. But let me just say, with you not wanting to be a part of the sale, you’ve already made this whole transaction a bit . . . weird.”
Never Enough Page 4
