He shrugged, leaning against one of the arena panels. “You keep looking around. I’m guessing for her. Unless there’s another girl here you’re trying to find?”
Mikey came sauntering up then, adding in his two cents. “Which, if you were, no one would be judging, least of all me. But then I’d have to repeat my earlier statement because I would have never expected that coming from you.”
“I’m not—” I started to protest, but Keenan threw his arm around me.
“And denial is a river in Egypt, my friend.”
I rolled my eyes, shaking him off. “Shut up.”
“Leave him alone, you guys.” Colter shoved Jake away, the latter making a dramatic show of it, pretending to trip over his feet. “Unless you want me to remind you of the past six months, Mikey?” He raised his brows at the bullrider then turned to Jake. “I don’t think I even have to say anything about you.”
Jake’s mouth pressed into a hard line, like he knew exactly what Colter was alluding to. “Believe me, Colt, I would if I didn’t have morals.”
“Wait, you have those?” Reid teased, covering his mouth with his palm.
Jake shot back a flashy smile. “Hard to believe, ain’t it?”
“Don’t you have to compete?” I muttered.
Jake had grown up competing in both steer wrestling and tie-down roping, but more recently he was only competing in tie-down.
“Ah, yeah, I suppose so. See you on the other side.” He gave us a mock salute then took off in the other direction.
“Up next in the team roping, we’ve got a duo who grew up right here in the Gulch! Give them a big home welcome, folks. Hayden Watkins and Keenan Chase!”
I led my horse into the roping box on the left side of the chute. Keenan adjusted his cowboy hat on the other side, looking to me for the signal. Peanut was ready to run, and I backed her up as far as I could. Once I’d readied myself and checked that Keenan was also ready, I nodded and the steer was released from the chute.
Peanut took off, her hooves pounding against the dirt. I swung my rope over my head, keeping my eye on the honda and my target. When the time was right, I threw my rope, the loop falling perfectly over the steer’s horns. Jerking out the slack, I dallied as Peanut ran past the steerin a curve, turning the animal so Keenan could follow up on roping the legs.
Once he’d caught the hind legs, the time stopped. Keenan let the rope go slack, and my horse followed the steer as it ran, my rope still attached to its horns, guiding it to the end.
“How about a five-point-nine!” the announcer called out.
“Hell yeah!” Keenan pumped his fist in the air.
Once the steer was out of the arena, Keenan and I rode next to each other down the side of the arena to get out before the next team started their run.
I nodded, dipping my chin slightly in acknowledgment, and he laughed.
“Always the stoic one, Hazey.”
CHAPTER THREE
hayden
MAY, SENIOR YEAR
Let’s goooo, Hazey! It’s graduation day!” Keenan ran past me, slapping me on the back, as we headed toward the school entrance from the parking lot. “Bro, I never thought this day would come. Thank fuck, or my senioritis probably would’ve taken me out.”
I chuckled at him. “You’ve had a case of senioritis since the first day of sophomore year.”
“You’re damn right I have. It’s been a long four years, and now I’m ready to spread my wings and fly. Caw caw!” He flapped his arms and made squawking noises as he zigzagged through the cars.
I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone out of my pocket to send a text to Sierra.
I’ll see you in there, Skip
“Hurry up!” Keenan yelled at me over his shoulder.
