His father owned the Westbrook cattle ranch. They raised beef cows—some of the best Angus this side of the Mississippi. As much as Hunter loved working the ranch—and he did love it—he felt a calling to horses. They used the animals every day of the year on the ranch, and they had other horses that they roped off for recreation and sport. He and Maverik had won the National High School Rodeo Finals when Hunter was a senior—it was one of the best days of his life.
All because of a horse.
How could he not want to make a living out of something he loved? He’d bought and trained a few roping horses over the last five years, along with some broodmares, and built up enough savings that he could finally purchase a stud and start breeding his own line. It was a big move, but the Westbrooks had a name in the rodeo world, and he could use that to jump off of and really make a go out of breeding horses.
“You’re right.” He did his best to wipe Zoey from his mind. “I need to focus on training horses and breeding horses and the things that will set me up. My future is at that auction today, and I need to be one hundred percent focused. No distractions.”
“Right.” Maverik nodded.
But as the horse’s tail whipped around and smacked Hunter’s back, he couldn’t help but think that the sting was much like what he’d felt when Zoey had walked off the dance floor.
No. Nope. No way was he going down that trail of thought again. He was a businessman now. “Zoey’s nothing more than a shoeing client,” he said out loud, needing to hear the words himself.
“And a neighbor,” added Maverik.
“A neighbor I won’t have to see,” Hunter added.
“And Brandon’s sister.” Maverik smirked. He didn’t have to say that being Brandon’s sister made the chances of not seeing her next to impossible. The Westbrooks had taken Brandon under their wing, and they saw him all the time. Seeing her was inevitable.
Hunter grunted.
Maverik chuckled.
With any luck, Brandon would schedule the shoeing and Zoey would stick to her side of the fence. And maybe she wouldn’t come to family dinners with her brother. Maybe she was reclusive? It was possible. Maybe.
