How did he know? How could hepossiblyknow?
I shake off the thought and hurry toward Belle, who’s already positioned near the corral fence with her camera ready.
“You look flustered,” she observes out loud, glancing at me sideways.
“Nah, I’m… warm. From the sun.”
“Uh-huh.” Her lips twitch. “Careful there. These rodeo stars only do temporary. Don’t go falling for them.”
“I would never.”
“Sure you wouldn’t.” She laughs and turns back to the corral, where Kai is leading the chestnut mare to the center of the arena. “Come on,Juliet. Let’s get to work,” she says to me.
Juliet. Right. Because I’m definitely not playing the romantic lead in some tragic love story. I’m the sensible one who doesn’t lose her mind over pretty cowboys with captivating smiles and scents that make her want to drown.
Keep telling yourself that, June.
Kai swings onto the mare with fluid grace, settling into the saddle like it’s an extension of his body. Belle starts shooting immediately, her camera clicking in rapid succession as he guides the horse through a series of movements.
He’s incredible up there. Wild and fearless, pushing the mare into sharp turns, sudden stops, a full gallop that ends in a controlled slide. There’s an energy to him, a reckless joy, like he’s doing this purely because he loves it and doesn’t give a damn about anything else.
“Give me something dramatic!” Belle calls out.
“Dramatic is my middle name, boss!”
He clicks his tongue, shifts his weight, and suddenly the mare is rearing up on her hind legs, front hooves pawing at the air. Kai throws one hand up, perfectly balanced, and holds the pose for three heart-stopping seconds before bringing her back down.
A cheer goes up from the cowboys gathered along the fence. Someone lets out a whistle.
“Show-off!” one of them yells, and I glance over to see who’s calling out.
The speaker is leaning against the fence with confidence, blond hair falling to his shoulders, windblown and golden in the morning light. He’s got a short beard, closely trimmed, and green eyes that crinkle at the corners when he grins. Checkered button-up shirt, jeans, boots, nothing flashy—but somehow he looks like he should be on the cover of a magazine anyway.
He’s ridiculously attractive. Not in the wild, dangerous way Kai is gorgeous, but in an approachable way. The kind of guy who looks like he’d be fun at parties and even more fun in private.
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Carter!” Kai shouts back, and the blond one—Carter—laughs.
“Nothing looks bad on me! That’s my whole brand!”
“Your brand is being second best, and you know it!”
“In your fucking dreams!”
The banter makes everyone laugh, including me. Belle nudges me. “Too distracting for you?”
“Nope.” I fan my face with my hand, not even bothering to hide it. “Not at all.”
She grins. “Right.”
Kai finishes his set of shots and brings the mare to a stop, patting her neck affectionately. “How was that, boss? Magic enough for you?”
“Perfect,” Belle says. “Carter, you’re up!”
Handlers move forward to lead Kai’s mare away while others bring in a new horse, a gorgeous black stallion with a glossy coat. Carter pushes off the fence and approaches him, running a hand along his neck, murmuring something too low to hear.
“That’s Shadow,” Belle tells me. “Carter’s horse. They’ve been together for years.”
The bond between them is obvious as the stallion nudges Carter’s shoulder, and Carter scratches behind his ears with affection. When he mounts up, it’s seamless, one fluid motion, like they’ve done this a thousand times.
