by Jena Wade
“Jeesh. Doesn’t anyone just have a regular old two-place bumper-pull trailer anymore?” Perry asked as he took in their surroundings.
“Nope. Only you. And we weren’t about to drive up in your rust bucket.”
“That trailer is perfectly sound. It’s just really old.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s just fine. But around here, just fine doesn’t cut it. You need to stand out.”
Perry bit his tongue. After all, Cory was more of an expert on professional competitions than he was. Although Perry was sure that ignoring the snobs would be a better way to handle them, rather than dragging yourself down to their level.
They located Garrett and Tre and parked the truck and trailer next to them.
Perry and Cory hopped out of the truck just as Tre opened the trailer doors. Within a few moments they had the horses out and tied to the trailer, ready to tack up.
Cory opened the tack room and handed Perry his saddle and bridle.
Spice and Denny stood next to one another like old pals, while Cory and Perry saddled them and got ready to ride.
Perry couldn’t help but compare his old, worn down plain leather saddle to Cory’s professionally tooled, perfectly oiled saddle that gleamed with silver plates. At least Perry’s was easier to keep clean and most likely more comfortable.
“We’re all signed up. Show starts in forty-five minutes, and we should be up somewhere in the middle of the pack for round one,” Tre said.
“Round one?” Perry asked.
“Yeah, there are two rounds. If we do well enough in the first round, we’ll move on to the next one.”
“Does Spice have a stronger side?” Cory asked.
“Huh?” Perry’s mind reeled. What exactly had he signed himself up for?
“Left or right. Does she do better cutting one way or the other?”
“Nah. Not really.” Was this something he should be paying attention to?
“Tre, you can take the right, Perry will take the left.” Cory turned to Perry with a serious look on his face. “Once we get one of our number out of the herd, you’ll have to make sure it stays out, while keeping the other cattle from scattering. Tre and I will work together to cut the other two steers from the herd. Think you can handle that?”
Perry latched Spice’s bridle and scratched her forelock. “Shouldn’t be a problem.” Now Cory was making him a little nervous. It sounded easy, but he’d never competed before and apparently Cory thought this was serious. Perry just thought they were going to have fun.
Before they could continue their conversation, a man dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, with a belt buckle that rivaled Cory’s, and a stark white button-down shirt approached. He tipped his hat to Perry, then turned to Cory. “I wasn’t sure you’d be here today.”
Cory smiled and reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Wouldn’t miss it. I told ya, if I wasn’t so damn good at reining I’d make a career out of team penning.”
Perry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Cory’s arrogance.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’d like to talk to you about coming back to California before the finals.”
Cory raised his brow. “Oh? What do you have in mind?”
“We’re putting on a seminar, similar to what we did last year. Only this time, instead of just being for those that can be there in person, we’re going to broadcast it online. Which means a bigger paycheck for our teachers. Derrick’s already agreed. The two of you worked real well together last year. We’d really like to have you back.”
The confidence that usually rode so high on Cory’s shoulders faltered a bit, and he shuffled his feet. Perry kept himself busy adjusting Spice’s tack, trying not to be obvious that he was eavesdropping on their conversation.
“I’ll have to think about it. Leslie and I were putting some ideas together for something we have planned. Honestly, I haven’t thought much about what I’ll be doing.”
The man nodded. “Just let me know. Don’t wait too long; we’d like to finalize the schedule as soon as possible. I’ll e-mail you the information. Once you see what your pay will be, you won’t be able to resist.” He chuckled, then clapped Cory on the shoulder. “Good to see you, Cory, and good luck tonight. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“Thanks.” Cory stared after the man while he walked away.
Perry almost felt like he was intruding, but Cory hadn’t requested that he leave.
Cory turned. “That was one of my sponsors. Last year I helped out with a seminar he put on before the finals.” He shrugged. “Sounds like I might be doing it again this year.”
Perry didn’t know what possessed him to ask, but once he did he couldn’t take back the words. “Who’s Leslie?”
“Only the number one dressage rider in all the world.” Cory grinned as he talked about his friend. “At least that’s what she says. I don’t follow that fancy crap. She and I met a few years ago in Kentucky. We’ve kept in touch. You’d like her. She’s a real spitfire.”
After Cory unhooked Denny from the lead line, he swung up on his back without even using the stirrups. Perry shook his head. He remembered when he used to do that. Now it just seemed silly.
“Let’s go. I don’t have much time to teach you all I know about kicking ass in team penning,” Cory said.
Perry pulled himself onto Spice’s back and followed Cory to the arena, where the rest of the competitors were warming up.
Many people nodded and called out to Cory as they passed, and he smiled politely and waved to them. It seemed like he knew everyone.
Cory was right about one thing—competition seemed to be about who had the best horse and equipment, and who could spend the most money. The saddles and bridles flashed with more silver than a Hollywood red carpet. Some of the horses even had those fake tails that Cory had told him about. Perry’s own tack didn’t have a lick of silver on it. The saddle was well worn to the point that he’d rubbed the tooling clean off. His bridle was plain leather, and he most certainly didn’t put a fake tail on his horse.
“People take this business pretty serious, huh?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. Just wait till we get started. You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Cory clicked to Denny, who sped up at the command. “C’mon, you gotta keep up if you want to run with the professionals.” Cory’s laughter rang through the air.
Spice pranced, wanting to take off after the other horse. Perry shook his head. Competition was getting to his horse already.
This night should prove to be interesting. Especially if he had to spend most of it watching Cory’s ass bounce in his saddle. Perry had never been jealous of a saddle before, but he sure was now.
Chapter Five
Cory kept his eye on Perry and Spice as they warmed up. Perry was right; that mustang had moves. If she were a quarter horse or paint, she could easily wipe out the competition and take the championship title. He could definitely see the connection the man and horse had.
The announcer called for the riders to clear the arena. Cory steered Denny to stand outside the arena along the fence line with the rest of the riders. After a few moments Tre and Perry were at his side.
“Should be a pretty quick night. There’re a lot of damn good teams around here,” Tre said. “Jason’s here, but I haven’t seen Lucas. He’s gotta be around here somewhere though. I’ve never known those two to not ride together.”
“Last I heard those two weren’t getting along. Not sure what the hell they were arguing about, but it didn’t sound good,” Cory said. “If they’re riding together, we can say good-bye to first place.”
“Who’re Jason and Lucas?” Perry asked.
“Team ropers. Champions. Won second place at the rodeo finals last year. All bets are on them winning it all this year. I’ve known Jason forever; he’s come out to the ranch a few times. But I don’t know Lucas that well.” Cory glanced around the area, trying to spot the familiar faces. “I can’t imagine those two not riding together. They’re practic
ally glued at the hip.”
Garrett snorted out a laugh.
“What’s that for?” Perry cocked his head to the side, making him look adorable as he sat atop Spice.
Cory leaned over and lowered his voice. “Grandpa is convinced that Jason is gay, and just not ready to admit it.” He shrugged. “It’s not my business, so I’ve never asked.”
Perry didn’t say anything, so Cory returned to sitting upright, else Perry’s intoxicating scent was going to drive him wild.
He almost hoped Jason and Lucas were here together; not only would it be nice to see old friends, but then he could see how his team stacked up against theirs. A competitive rush filled his veins and for the first time in a long time he was…excited? Was that what he was feeling? It felt almost foreign to him. It’d been so long since he’d had any fun riding, let alone competing.
“What’s that look for?” Perry asked.
Cory snapped out of his thoughts. He smiled and faced Perry. How could a man not smile when looking at Perry? The man looked absolutely delicious, wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, two buttons open at the top, giving just a hint of what was hidden underneath. “Huh? Nothing. I’m just excited. I have a good feeling about this show.”
Perry’s eyebrows shot up, making him look even hotter. Christ. Cory really didn’t want to ride the whole night with a hard-on, but with Perry around that was going to be impossible to avoid. The rides might be quick, but this was going to be a long night for Cory.
Within an hour, their names were called as being one of the next teams in line. So far the times for the night had been pretty good, but Cory was sure they could at least qualify for the next round. Hell, even if Perry just stood in the corner, he and Tre could pen three steers in under ninety seconds.
Finally they were up. Cory’s heart pounded like a hammer. He spared a glance at Perry, ready to reassure the man that he didn’t need to be nervous. But Perry didn’t bat an eye. He and Spice acted as if they were taking a casual stroll around the ranch, rather than entering the arena for a high-stakes competition.
For a brief moment, Cory envied Perry’s cool, but then switched gears to focus on the task at hand.
“Any last questions?”
Perry winked. “Nope. I got this.”
A flutter went through Cory’s stomach. Damn Perry for setting him on edge. He needed to concentrate.
The three riders made it to the center of the arena and stopped, waiting for the announcer to give them the go-ahead and reveal their number.
“Time!” the announcer called. “Three.”
Cory scanned the herd of cattle at the end of the arena as he, Tre, and Perry cantered ahead. “Tre.” He pointed toward a little red steer at the edge of the heard wearing a three flag around its neck.
“On it.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Cory could see Perry pull back before he disturbed the herd while Tre plunged forward, cutting the designated steer that was front and center. Once Tre had the steer out and heading toward the opposite end of the arena, Cory urged Denny forward, splitting the herd to find another steer marked with the number three.
He found one along the fence line and made a beeline for it in order to force it out.
Denny surged forward, head held low, obeying Cory’s every command.
Perry held the herd in place while Cory and Denny forced the steer out of the pack. Once it was heading toward the other end of the arena, Cory and Perry changed positions. Cory held the herd, while Perry kept the two cut steers from trying to rejoin the pack.
“On the right,” Tre called.
Cory reined Denny toward where Tre was pointing. He spotted the final steer just as the announcer gave the thirty-second warning. Quickly, he cut the last steer from the herd. The animal didn’t want to leave, and it took some quick movements on Denny’s part to keep the steer from getting around and rejoining the group.
Perry had the two other steers halfway down the arena, and with the help of Tre, Cory was able to move the last one. Like a team that’d been together for years, they penned the three steers and Cory raised his hand to stop the timer.
Seventy-six seconds. Good enough to qualify.
Hell yeah.
His cheeks hurt from smiling so wide and he gave Denny a pat on the neck. “Nice job, boy.” Denny’s ears flickered like he actually understood the praise, and he pranced forward.
Perry met his gaze and returned his smile. For a moment, he and Perry were the only ones there. There wasn’t a crowd, no loud cheers, everything was silent. Perfect. If every event was like this Cory might actually look forward to competing again. Especially if Perry was there.
“That was a damn good ride, son.” Cory’s grandpa said as he patted Denny on the neck once they returned to their spot on the fence line. “Good enough to qualify.”
Cory pulled his gaze from Perry and nodded at his grandpa. “Yeah. That was good. Fun.”
He ignored the odd look his grandfather shot him; instead, he urged Denny around and trotted back to the trailer. If everything went the way he planned, their team would place, and he would get that date with Perry he’d been wanting.
Cory dismounted and removed Denny’s bridle. He let the horse grab a drink before hooking him back up to the trailer.
Perry and Spice walked up next to Denny, and Perry hopped down.
“You know I might’ve been wrong about that horse of yours,” Cory said.
“I know.” Perry removed Spice’s bridle and put her halter on. He scratched her face and she rubbed against his hand. “She’s the best there is.”
Cory wanted to rub against that hand too. He cleared his throat. “We’ll have to do better in the next round, though. Seventy-six won’t place us very high.”
Perry’s lips twitched into a smile, and all the blood in Cory’s body shot to his groin. Being around this man was like being a fucking teenager again.
“You’ve got a hell of an incentive to make sure we make it into the placings.” Cory’s heart skipped a beat. Yup, just like being a teenager. Nervous flutters and all. “A date with me.”
Perry chuckled. “Yeah, I look forward to that.”
His voice said that maybe he was teasing, but Cory wasn’t sure. Damn, Perry was hard to read sometimes. It was like he could clear all his features and give no hint to what he was thinking. Why couldn’t things just be simple?
* * * *
The sun had set by the time the next round started. Tre, Cory, and Perry had qualified and another rush of excitement rumbled through Cory’s veins. He could barely keep still in his saddle, and his anxiety was bleeding through to Denny, who stomped his feet impatiently while waiting for the next run.
“What do you think, Cory? Same setup as last time, only faster?” Tre asked.
“Yup. That should do it. We need to place in the top five to make it into the money.”
“Money?” Perry’s brow furrowed.
“Yeah, you didn’t think this was all fun and games, did ya? There’s money involved. Top five teams go home with winnings.”
The announcer called their team and the three of them entered the arena.
Nervousness, a feeling foreign to Cory, prickled at his skin. This was something he’d done a million times before. Hell, he’d competed in front of thousands of people by himself. So why was he nervous now?
Spice snorted and sidestepped her way to the middle of the arena. Perry remained calm in the saddle, like this was an everyday occurrence, no different from riding the fence line at the ranch.
That was the source of Cory’s nervousness. He found himself wanting to impress Perry. To do well, so the man might think of him as something other than an immature kid.
“Now or never, Denny. Let’s do this.”
The announcer called go and declared their number, and off they went.
Cory and Denny led the charge to the middle of the pack, not finding any of the right steers. Denny plowed forward, sending the steers in two directions. Tr
e called out as he spotted two of the steers they needed.
Together they cut the two from the herd while Perry held the rest of the steers from scattering.
Once the two were cut, Perry held them in the middle.
“Last one to your left, Cory.” Perry pointed to the middle of the pack where the final steer stood.
“On it.”
While Cory and Denny cut the last steer from the herd, Perry and Spice directed the other two steers to the corral at the opposite end of the arena. Tre followed on the side to block the steers from trying to get back to the herd.
Exhilaration bubbled in Cory’s chest. They made one hell of a team. He and Denny pushed the final steer across the arena as Tre and Perry waited at the gate to help guide the animal into the corral with the other two steers. Cory threw his arm in the air to stop the timer.
The announcer gave them their time and Cory nearly fell out of his saddle.
“Holy shit!” Cory met Perry’s gaze and they both smiled. “I told you once we got started you’d like it!” He raised his hand to high-five Perry.
“You were right. I had a good time.”
Tre scoffed. “We had a hell of a time! That was awesome!”
The three of them walked out of the arena to the trailer where they dismounted and unsaddled the horses.
“When do we know who won?” Perry asked.
“Anxious to know, huh?”
Perry shrugged. “Just curious when I can go home and get some sleep.” He winked and Cory nearly melted to the ground. Luckily he had a hand on Denny’s neck, else he might have fallen. Though he knew he was already starting to fall…for Perry.
* * * *
The drive home felt longer than the drive there. It was two in the morning before they had all the horses loaded up and were driving out of the fairgrounds. Perry wanted more than anything to shut his eyes and sleep, but it wouldn’t be fair to Cory, who had to drive all the way home.
Try as he might to stay awake, he did end up falling asleep, and before he knew it Cory was shaking him.
“C’mon, gorgeous, we’ve got to take care of these horses. Get up.”
Perry blinked a few times. Cory’s face hovered above his. “Shit. Why didn’t you wake me?”
