It’s the name painted on the bull’s side in bold red letters: BRUTUS.
“Hey.” I nod toward the corner. “Why’s the mechanical bull called Brutus? That mean something around here?”
June follows my gaze and laughs. “Oh, that. It’s named after a real bull in town. Total legend.”
“You don’t say?”
“Brutus.” She says the name like it’s a curse and a blessing all at once. “He belongs to old Farmer Crawford, but ‘belongs’ is a strong word. That black bull does whatever he wants. He’s escaped his enclosure more times than anyone can count. Just shows up in people’s yards, on the main street, wherever he feels like. Terrorizes the locals on a regular basis.”
Carter and I exchange looks.
“No fucking way,” I say slowly, thinking back to the night we both swore we were going to die.
“I bet it was him,” Carter adds.
June’s eyes go wide. “Wait—you’veseenhim?”
“The bastard chased us down in the pickup.” The memory surfaces, vivid and visceral. That massive black shape appearing out of nowhere, hooves pounding the dirt road, those murderous eyes locked on our truck. “We thought he was a demonic bull sent straight from hell to murder us.”
“It was fucking terrifying,” Carter confirms with a chuckle.
June is laughing so hard she’s wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh God, everyone in town has a Brutus story. He’s part of the local experience. Farmer Crawford believes in letting him have his freedom, which is a nice way of saying he can’t keep the damn thing contained. Brutus knows how to break through gates, fences, anything. He’s basically a four-legged escape artist with anger issues.”
Seth chuckles around a mouthful of ribs, sauce glistening on his lips. June is watching him with that look—the one where her eyes go soft and hungry at the same time, like she wants to devour him but also maybe climb into his lap and never leave.
I know the feeling. I’m pretty sure we all have that look when we watch her.
She catches herself and looks away, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Reining it in. Always reining it in.
“So why put his name on that?” I jerk my chin toward the mechanical bull. “Closest anyone can get to him without dying?”
June takes a sip of her drink. “Brutus used to be a champion rodeo bull. Retired now, obviously, but back in the day, he was legendary on the circuit. Not many people know that part. Most of the stories around here are about him showing up at the elementary school during a fire drill or crashing the Fourthof July parade. There’s even one about him breaking into the mayor’s house and eating his prize-winning rose bushes.”
“You’re joking.”
“I wish.” She grins. “Small-town life, baby. Never a dull moment.”
Carter nudges her with his shoulder, and she leans into him automatically, like gravity. The jealousy that spikes through me is irrational—I know she’s ours, know we’re building something together—but my instincts don’t give a damn about logic.
I want her leaning into me like that.
“Dad’s been grumbling about pulling the circuit from smaller towns if the numbers don’t improve,” Seth says, dragging the conversation back to serious territory.
“He can’t do that.” June sits up straighter, alarm flickering across her face. “So many businesses here depend on the rodeo. The restaurants, the hotels, the shops, this is their biggest month of the year. If the circuit stops coming…”
“Then they lose a major revenue stream.” Seth’s jaw tightens. “I know. He knows. But at the end of the day, it’s a business decision.”
“That’s bullshit,” I say flatly. “The circuit was built on towns like this. Real rural communities with actual farms and ranches, people who live this life every day. Not those bougie fake-country towns full of rich people playing cowboy.”
Seth nods. “I’ve said as much. He’s… considering his options.”
The worry in June’s eyes concerns me. This town matters to her, not just as a business opportunity or a place to live, butreallymatters—the kind of deep-rooted connection that becomes part of your identity.
I get it. The circuit is like that for me. The only home I’ve ever had that didn’t hurt, but I know at the core, it’s my pack with Seth and Carter that keep me grounded.
“I’ll talk to him more,” Seth says, reaching across the table to squeeze June’s hand. “See what’s really going on with the numbers. There might be something we can do.”
She gives him a grateful smile, but I can see the tension she’s carrying in her shoulders. The fear she’s trying to hide.
