Page 20 of A Cowboy in the Streets

Blaine shoved a cookie into his mouth. His eyes rolled back into his head and his face went slack with bliss. “Oh, fuck me.”

Pretty sure that was his O face, right there. Great. I could have happily lived my whole life never witnessing it with my own two eyeballs if James Campos hadn’t waltzed in here with fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, served up in a plastic container that Blaine now nestled lovingly against his chest.

“Hand them over,” Jesse demanded, reaching for the container.

Blaine swatted his hand and pivoted, curving his body protectively around the cookies like a running back cradling a football.

Steven and Jesse exchanged a glance, silent communication passing between them. It did not bode well for Blaine, although he was too busy devouring another cookie to notice. A second later, it was all over. Blaine rubbed his ribs where Steven got him with an elbow and Jesse held the container over his head. He pranced in a circle, holding the container high like a trophy in a stupid little victory dance.

“Will you shitheads cut it out?” I snapped. “You’re going to spook the horse.”

The four of us were at the ring, watching James work Magpie. Only three days into his training with James, and he was coming along nicely. Essie planned to swing by next week, and I had a feeling she was going to be pleased with his progress. That was a relief. Working with Essie was great for our business, and it never would have happened without James.

“If Magpie is going to be a rodeo horse, he needs to get used to chaos,” Blaine pointed out. “Anyway, James has him in hand.”

That was true. I watched as Magpie fidgeted, hopping and tossing his head like a fool, but James kept her hands calm and steady, refusing to fight. Then she opened one rein wide, giving him freedom to turn into it, and urged him forward in a tight circle.

“You got this, James!” Jesse called encouragingly.

I side-eyed him narrowly. The ranch hands weren’t exactly a touchy-feely group. We showed up, we did our jobs, and we got along, for the most part. What we did not do was holler on the sidelines like fucking cheerleaders.

She’d been here less than a week, and already she was making my men as soft and gooey on the inside as her chocolate chip cookies. I saw the way they fell all over themselves to open doors for her or arrange their chores so they happened to be in her vicinity. Dumbasses.

James widened the circle progressively as Magpie settled down until finally they were loping around the full perimeter of the ring. James had a huge grin on her face and, swear to god, Magpie looked like he was having the time of his life. Damn, there was something gorgeous about the way that woman rode a horse. The deceptive ease of her seat. The strong grip of her thighs wrapped around his belly.

Lucky horse.

She gave him his head and let him pick up more speed before gently bringing him back down again. When she brought him to a halt, she leaned forward and gave him a firm pat on the neck. “Such a good boy!” she cooed.

Apparently, my dick was just as dumb as these assholes because it twitched like her words were meant for me. Jesus.

“Damn fine job.” Blaine grinned. “Guess those pretty pink boots of yours were made for riding, after all.”

“So’s that pretty little ass,” Steven muttered as James swung her leg over Magpie’s back and dismounted.

My hand shot out and smacked the back of his head. “The fuck’s wrong with you?” I growled.

“Damn, boss.” Steven rubbed the back of his head. “I’m just saying what we’re all thinking.”

The fact that it was true made it not one whit better. I still wanted to personally remove his eyeballs from his head to keep him from looking at her the exact same way I had. She was just doing her job, and we were all staring at her like goddamn perverts. It was hard to say who I hated more in that moment: him or me.

Oh, who the hell was I kidding? It was me. It was definitely me.

I was her boss. I could hear Brax’s lecture in my head every bit as loudly as if he were standing next to me, shouting in my ear. The fine folks of Aspen Springs liked to claim that we were two peas in a pod, Brax and me, both of us living life with a stick shoved right up the ass. But I knew the nature of that stick was different for each of us.

I had never cared much for rules. Duty was what got my ass out of bed every morning—working my dad’s ranch, keeping the family together as best I could, and making sure Ben wanted for nothing. Brax, on the other hand, liked to say a man had to live his own way. He cared not one bit about duty, but good lord, how that man loved rules. He especially loved enforcing them.

And the way I was looking at James was wrong on both counts. Shirking duty and breaking rules.

“I’m not here to police your thoughts, but you need to keep that shit to yourself. Have some goddamn respect.”

“Yes, sir.”

Disgusted with myself, I pushed away from the rail. “I’ve got work to do. And so do the rest of you. I don’t pay you to stand around eating cookies all day.”

That got their attention. Steven disappeared into the stable. Jesse ducked between the rails to take Magpie’s reins from James. They headed off to the cool-down station out behind the barn, chatting away like old friends.

Blaine gave me a long look.

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