“Yes, she is, Brooke,” Nicole replied to the little girl as she handed three tickets to the older one. “She’s in here with Ari playing jacks. Would you like to join them?”
“Yay!”
“No!” The teenage blonde glared at the young girl in distaste. “You’re staying with us. Mom said you can’t play with that little brat.”
Paige froze at the venom in the teenager’s voice in addition to her words. Beside her, Nicole bristled, her eyes narrowing. If there wasn’t a wall between them, she’d probably be in the teen’s face. “And which ‘little brat’ are you referring to, Brenna?”
The teen sneered, her face turning ugly, and, at that moment, Paige knew who their mother was. Bridget. Figured.
“I’ll tell Daddy,” Brooke whined.
Her sister ignored Nicole’s question. “You think I give a fuck?”
“But I wanna play with them.”
“Shut the fuck up, you little brat!” Without acknowledging Nicole’s question, Brenna pointed at Paige, surprising her. “Ty, that’s the slut I told you about, screwing the two guys who also screw each other.”
Ty eyed what he could see of Paige through the window. He licked his chapped lips, which disgusted her. “Guess neither is man enough to satisfy you, huh? Whatta you expect from fucking queers? I’d be more than happy to show you what a real man can do, babe.”
Anger scorched Paige. The strong plexiglass was the only thing preventing her from flying through the window and smashing the repulsive leer off the punk’s face. Instead she crossed her arms and scowled at him. “Considering you’ll never be a real man and don’t even know what one is, I’ll pass.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Your loss.”
The two teens laughed as they walked away, dragging the now-crying little girl with them. Paige glanced at Ari and Joey, who’d missed the exchange outside as they played, before turning back to Nicole and Lila. There was a lull in the ticket line.
Lila shook her head. “Those were Bridget’s girls.”
“I figured that out,” Paige replied. “The apples didn’t fall far from the tree, huh?”
“Actually,” Nicole chimed in. “They’re like night and day—two different fathers. Brenna’s was Bridget’s first husband—a bull rider from out of town—but her father made sure the marriage was annulled after learning the guy couldn’t keep it in his pants. Brooke’s dad is a really nice guy, which makes you wonder what he saw in Bridget. That marriage lasted about three years, if I remember correctly. Thankfully, he lives in the next town over and is very involved in Brooke’s life. She takes after him, so I have no problem with Joey playing with her as long as it’s not around Bridget or Brenna.”
“I hope she stays a good kid and her mother and sister aren’t a big influence on her as she grows up.”
“So do I. Anyway, I wonder what Brenna would say if she knew her mother wanted to get horizontal between Shane and Tuck.”
Several people stepped up to the windows, and the women’s unscheduled, two-minute break was over. Pushing the unpleasant encounter from her mind, Paige got back to work.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Let’s go, Tuck! Ride ’em, cowboy!” In the bleachers above the ring, Shane put his pinkies in his mouth and whistled loudly as Ari and Paige sat next to him, cheering. Tuck was down in the chute, settling into his saddle on the bronc that would try its damnedest to buck him off. He was the last participant in this event and needed a score of seventy-seven on his eight-second ride to win the competition. Shane knew it was possible, Tuck’s best score in the past had been an eighty-one. In fact, the man could have gone pro years ago, but that would have meant being on the road constantly, moving from state to state, with no guarantee an injury wouldn’t end his career before he’d seen the big money. So, instead, he’d stayed in the amateur ranks and did it for fun. He’d won numerous times and had a bunch of gold and silver buckles to prove it. Tuck had put the money that’d come with them in the bank for their daughter’s college fund. There was a tidy sum in there, and it would be enough for tuition for any number of schools, depending on what Ari wanted to study.
The aromas of chili, popcorn, fried foods, leather, hay, and dung wafted over the rodeo grounds. A few airhorns went off, and a rodeo clown joked with the crowd while waiting for the signal indicating the next rider was ready.
When the announcer called out Tuck’s name over the loudspeaker, it was met with applause and hollers in support of the local boy. As the guy in charge of opening the chute prepared to pull the rope attached to the gate, Tuck finally signaled he was ready. When the horse was released into the ring, all four hooves left the ground as Tuck held on for dear life. His spurs were touching the horse above the shoulder, as required, when the hooves landed for the first time with a thud in the ring. One hand held onto the reins attached to a halter, while the other hand was above his head for balance as he quickly found his rhythm with the bucking mass beneath him. His feet remained in the stirrups as he was tossed about. The horse spun, twisted, and kicked its hind legs high in the air, trying to throw its rider. Dust and dirt were sprayed into the air every time the horse’s hooves hit the ground. The crowd got to their feet, yelling and whistling as the seconds ticked by. Tuck’s cowboy hat went flying from his head, but he stayed glued to the saddle.
No matter how many times Shane had watched his husband compete, he still held his breath until the buzzer sounded. As she stood beside him, Paige’s lungs didn’t seem to be working either. Her hands were clasped under her chin as she watched the action with wide eyes.
Eight seconds felt like eight hours, but when the time was finally up, and the buzzer went off loud enough for him to hear, Tuck let go of the reins and not-so-gracefully dismounted, rolling and stumbling out of the way of the still bucking horse. The rodeo clown and a few cowboys got between Tuck and the animal, which began to calm down after noticing his rider was gone. Cheers filled the air as Tuck picked up his hat and flung it into the air in celebration. It’d been a great ride but how great depended on the judges. Fifty points were based on the rider, while the other fifty rated the horse’s attempt to rid itself of the man on its back.
All eyes were on the large, electronic scoreboard on the opposite end of the ring. If this had been one of the bigger rodeos, there would have been a replay of the ride on a jumbo screen. All they could do was wait. Tuck’s gaze was on the board as he strode toward the section of the bleachers where his family was sitting, his recovered hat back on his head. Meanwhile the prancing horse had been ushered out of the ring. Tuck put one boot on the bottom rung of the fencing and hoisted himself up, still staring at the scoreboard.
When the digital numbers lit up, announcing a score of seventy-nine, he jumped back into the ring, throwing his hat and hands in the air as the crowd went wild. Shane suddenly found Paige plastered against his chest, her arms around his neck. He picked her up and hugged her tightly, before setting her down again. Swinging Arianna up in the air, he hurried down a few steps to where Tuck was now waiting for them. Shane handed over their daughter, and Tucker walked a short victory lap around the center of the ring with her on his shoulders. It was something he’d done every time he’d won since she’d been eleven months old.
Shane put his arm around Paige’s waist and tucked her into his side. She was breathless and placed a hand on his chest. “Oh, my God! That was amazing! I knew he could ride but actually watching him is a totally different thing!”
He couldn’t help but bend down and whisper in her ear. “I prefer watching him ride you, sweetheart.”
Her cheeks burned bright red, and he busted out laughing. Damn, I love this woman.
Pulling Paige into his arms, Tuck did a simple two-step to the music as they made their way around the dance floor. Several large tents had been set up on the rodeo grounds and cold beer, good food, country music from a live band, and loud conversation were on everyone’s agenda tonight. The competitions were over, and the buckles and p
rize money had all been awarded. Tuck wore his new gold buckle on his belt.
He stared down at Paige. “I know I said this earlier, but you look beautiful tonight, darlin’.” It was the first time he’d ever seen her all gussied up and in a dress, and he’d be damned if it was the last time. The retro, ivory-lace garment draped over her curves, stopping just below the tops of her vintage, button-up boots. The dress was mostly off the shoulder, held up by two thin straps. Not the first time that night, he leaned down and kissed the exposed skin where her neck and shoulder met.
“Thank you. You’re looking mighty handsome tonight too.” She smiled as she brushed her hand over his chest, before returning it to the spot just above his clavicle. “Because of you and Shane, I’ve been getting a lot of jealous glares.” Both men were wearing their best, snug jeans—black for Tuck, dark blue for Shane—crisp, white, western shirts, cowboy boots, and black hats. Tuck wouldn’t exactly call himself handsome, but his husband looked downright fuckable. Even after all the years they’d been together, it still amazed Tuck that Shane was the only man he’d ever been attracted to. Not that he was planning on straying. In fact, if something happened to his husband, Tuck knew he’d never have another intimate relationship with someone of the same gender ever again.
He winked at her as he steered her around a slower couple. “Let ’em be jealous. We’ve only got eyes for you.” Hell, he loved when her cheeks were splashed with pink.
“The feeling is mutual.”
His cock stirred in his jeans at the husky tone of her voice. He was looking forward to taking her and Shane home and fucking them both silly tonight. Arianna was sleeping at Nicole’s house, with the woman’s mother babysitting for the evening, so the trio could be as loud as they wanted throughout the night, which Tuck planned on doing. As they always did the day after the annual Rodeo Bonanza, the owners and employees of Red River Ranch would take the day off, for the most part. Only the bare-minimum of work needed to be done, like feeding and watering the animals. Coins had been tossed to see who would handle the morning feedings and who’d took care of the evening ones. Shane would be getting up early with Seth and a few other hands, before returning to Tucker and Paige in their extra-large, king-sized bed.
Most of the residents of Hazard Falls would be too exhausted from the hectic weekend, so only a few businesses would be opening. Years ago, the local school district had declared the Monday after a holiday, of sorts, so the students would be off as well. During the following week, the townsfolk would work together to take down the tents, other temporary structures, and fencing at the rodeo grounds. Everything would be stored away until next year.
A couple moved in next to them, and the guy hip-checked Tuck. Pulling his gaze from Paige, he laughed when he saw it was Shane, taking Betty Lou for a spin around the dance floor. The two men had been taking turns dancing with their woman all evening, which had obviously caused a stir. Word had spread about the kisses and hugs Shane and Tuck had exchanged with Paige over the past two days.
The men had never been big on public displays of affection between themselves, unless it was during small gatherings with their friends and family, but with Sarah, and now Paige, PDAs had become a normal occurrence. But there were plenty of Hazard Falls residents, and even a few tourists, who’d eyed them with disgust over the past forty-eight hours. Shane and Tuck had made sure that at least one of them was available to come between Paige and anyone who wanted to insult her for being with two men. If she’d needed to go to the ladies’ room, Lila, Nicole, or Lou went with her, although Paige hadn’t figured out yet that her lovers had asked the other women to watch her back. It wasn’t that they thought Paige couldn’t defend herself—they were sure she could—but some of the women in the small town could be downright nasty, especially if they teamed up. Again, they wanted her to become more comfortable in their relationship before she was exposed to the only real downside of it.
The two-step music changed over to one perfect for line dancing. Shane and Tucker lined up with everyone else and put Paige in between them. Lou ended up on the other side of Shane, but she stormed off the dance floor after Lane sidled up next to her. Tuck chuckled when the police officer grinned and shrugged his shoulders before shifting to get between two blonde twenty-somethings.
When the song ended, and Shane went to grab three beers from the bar, Tuck and Paige stood off to the side, trying to cool off. The night air was still humid but seemed to be letting up a bit. Paige waved her hands in front of her face, trying to create even the slightest of breezes. “What’s up with Lane and Betty Lou? She won’t say, and Nicole and Lila said they don’t know the whole story.”
Tuck took her hand and led her over to a table that’d just opened up. After they settled into two of the four folding chairs, he said, “I honestly don’t know what’s going on with them. Nicole probably knows more than I do. She grew up here, like Lou and Lane did. All I know is what Shane told me—they dated their senior year of high school, then broke up after graduation. Lane went and enlisted while Lou stayed in Hazard. She never gave anyone an explanation, to my knowledge, but was really pissed when he came back to town and took a job with the sheriff.” He grinned. “But the sexual tension between those two is freaking unbelievable. I can’t wait to see what happens when it comes to a head.”
“Me too. She talks and acts like she hates him, but she has a hard time keeping her eyes off him when she thinks no one’s watching.”
“I’ve noticed that too.”
“Noticed what?” Shane set a beer down in front of each of them, then took the seat on the other side of Paige.
“Lane and Lou,” his husband answered, simply knowing Shane would understand what he was referring to.
A broad, amused smile spread across Shane’s face. “Oh, to be a fly on the wall when that shit hits the fan.”
“Right?”
Tuck’s sister strode over, frowning. “Hey, guys, Seth sent me to get you. Some asshole slashed the tires and keyed the passenger side of Shane’s truck.”
“What?” Shock then rage coated Shane’s face as he jumped to his feet. “Motherfuckers!” He hurried toward the far side of the rodeo grounds, where he’d parked the vehicle earlier in the day.
Tuck stood to follow, then stopped, glancing down at Paige. She was having such a good time, he didn’t want the vandalism to disrupt it. Lila patted his shoulder. “Go. I’ll stay with her. Make sure he doesn’t kill anyone.”
Despite his sister’s offer, he still wanted to make sure Paige would be okay without them. “Paige?”
There was worry in her eyes, but she nodded. “I’m fine. Go with Shane. Like Lila said, make sure he doesn’t kill anyone.”
Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers, before whispering in her ear, “No worries. I have dirty plans for the two of you later, and they don’t involve Shane sitting in a jail cell.”
And there’s that blush I love to see.
Chapter Twenty-Six
As Lila took the seat Shane had vacated, Paige watched Tucker follow the same path his husband had taken through the crowd. “Who would do such a thing?”
The other woman shook her head. “Not sure, but I have my suspicions.”
Paige eyed her. “Bridget?”
“Or her teenage brat’s boyfriend. Shane had a man-to-dickhead chat with him yesterday.”
Her gut clenched. “Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything to them about that.”
“They would have been pissed if you’d kept it from them.” Lila reached over and patted her forearm. “Listen, Paige. The one thing I’ll say about Tuck and Shane is that they’re extremely protective over who or what is theirs. Yes, they care about you as a woman, but even if you weren’t in a relationship with them, you’re also their employee, and the results would have been the same. They take care of their own.”
A sigh had her relaxing a bit. “I know that.” It was obvious to anyone who knew Shane and Tucker well that they were good men.
“Hey, darlin’, how about a dance?”
A tall, half-drunk cowboy, with a beer gut and the stench of chewing tobacco and sweat permeating from him, grasped Paige’s arm and attempted to haul her to her feet, without waiting for a response. She slapped her hand on the table, trying to gain balance, before yanking her arm from the creep. “Uh, no, thanks.”
“Back off, cowboy,” Lila warned as she stood.
The jackass ignored Tuck’s sister as he leered at Paige. “C’mon, darlin’. I saw you spreading the love with those two guys earlier. Wh-What’s one more?” His eyes were bloodshot, and his speech was thick. He was drunker than Paige had initially suspected. She didn’t recognize him and didn’t think Lila did either, so he was probably one of the many cowboys who’d rolled in with the rodeo.
“Let’s dance, honey.” He reached out to take her arm again, but was suddenly jerked backward.
Lane Myers had him by the back of his shirt, pulling him away from Paige. The police officer towered over him by almost six inches and was in a lot better shape. Instead of his button-down, white, uniform shirt and the shiny gold shield he wore most of the time he was on duty, tonight, Lane was wearing a white polo shirt with the department logo on it. His duty belt, with his gun, handcuffs, keys, and a bunch of other things, sat on his hips over his navy-blue cargo pants. “What’d I tell you earlier about asking permission before laying your hands on a woman? You really want to spend the night in jail before you leave town tomorrow?”
“Naaaw, Occifer,” the man slurred as he swayed on his feet, the alcohol dragging him down. If Lane wasn’t still holding him by the shirt, he might’ve fallen on his ass. “What I really want is a—a sssoft bed and f-fine woman. Nuttin’ wrong with that, isss there?”
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