“This is my brother Cole,” Rosie said—the blonde powerhouse who’d hired Tucker to be her rodeo trainer and manager.
“So great to meet you,” Tuck said.
Tarr moved right into Rosie and gave her a hug. “How was the drive, sweetheart?” he asked, really bringing out his Texas drawl and manners.
“Oh, it was a drive,” she said. “This place is so nice, you guys.” She beamed at Tarr. “I mean, look at this arena.”
“It’s huge inside,” Tarr said. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He stepped that way.
“This is my wife, Rachel,” Cole Young said before Tarr realized he hadn’t met everybody properly yet. He shook Cole’s hand, as well as Rachel’s, sweeping one kiss along her cheek before stepping back to Tuck’s side.
He introduced Bobbie Jo just as Ashton arrived and then took the truck keys from Cole Young.
“My own brother made me ride in the back seat,” Rosie said, giving Cole a death glare.
She wore a pair of jeans, cowgirl boots, and a sweater the color of autumn leaves—bright gold. It matched her hair, and though she barely had any curves at all, she possessed plenty of sass.
“I think you said I could ride one of your horses when we got here,” she said, hope entering her expression.
“Yep,” Tuck said. “Ashton here is going to get yours unloaded, and we’ve got our vet tech to check them.” He shot a look at Tarr.
Tarr pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll text Briar right now.”
“I amso excitedto meet Briar,” Rosie said, a new kind of energy pulsing out of her now.
Tarr abandoned his text-quest and looked over to Rosie. “You’re so excited to meet Briar?”
“Yeah. You know who she is, right?” Rosie grinned at him and followed Bobbie Jo as she and Tuck started toward the arena doors. “She’s only the best trick rider who’s ever lived. I mean, you should see some of the stuff she did from the back of a horse.”
She looked up at Tarr, who stumbled after her dumbly. Briar was a trick rider? “I think you’re thinking of her momma,” he said.
“No, I’m not,” Rosie said. “She was incredible. She was at every rodeo for so long—the biggest ones too. The Stampede, the NPR—everything. She even did halftime shows at professional football games.” She paused just inside the arena and glanced around. “I really want to meet her.”
Tarr wanted to meet that woman too, as he’d assumed Briar must’ve been an ambassador. But a stunt rider?
He quickly fired off a text to her just as Ashton pulled the truck around to the back side of the arena.
“Tarr,” Tuck said.
“I’m coming,” Tarr said, and he followed everyone into the arena.
The scent of dirt and wood reached his nose, and he loved coming in here. It reminded him of the Friday-night lights of the rodeo, and in moments like this, small and fleeting as they were, he did miss his time on the circuit.
“Briar’s right there,” Tuck said. “Looks like she’s got Pumpkin Spice ready.”
Tarr’s attention shot to the other end of the arena, where, sure enough, his gorgeous Briar was leading the pretty pumpkin-colored horse toward them.
“Wow, she’s pretty,” Rosie said, and surely she meant the horse. To Tarr, that statement was all about Briar. Always Briar.
As they closed in on her, Rosie squealed. She ran the last several steps to her and practically yelled, “I am so excited to meet you!”
Briar looked like she had been slapped across the face and then had ice water thrown in her open eyes. She blinked at Rosie rapidly, who grabbed onto her and hugged her.
“Oh, boy,” Tucker said under his breath, and Bobbie Jo gasped.
Tarr simply stared while Cole said, “Rosie, give the woman space to breathe.”
Rosie hugged her tight and then stepped back. She clapped her hands and bounced on the balls of her feet. “I can’t help it. You’re, like, alegend.I’ve watched every single one of your trick-riding videos online. And my daddy drove me to Calgary just to see the Stampede when you were headlining it. You wereincredible.”
