Page 7 of The Undercover Cowboy

“Damn, that girl’s got a laugh that could bring a man to his knees,” Finn said from beside Nash when Dolly stopped to talk with a group of barrel racers.

Dolly wasn’t just a pretty face, though. Beneath her confident exterior lay a sharp mind that put her expertise in social media to good use for the UPRC rodeo. More than once, Nash had found himself impressed by her resourcefulness and grit.

“And a tongue sharper than a knife,” Nash said. And she wasn’t afraid to use it either.

“Y’know, I heard she used to be a professional cheerleader,” Finn continued, taking a swig of his beer. “Hard to believe she traded the big-city lights for this dusty old rodeo.”

“She must have had her reasons,” Nash said.

“Probably aged out,” Finn said. “But damn, I’d hit that.”

Nash wanted to hit him, but he tamped it down. He didn’t have any reason to feel protective toward Dolly. He just didn’t like Finn disrespecting her. But he also wasn’t in the mood for a lecture about his social media presence or lack of it, so he movedthrough the crowd quickly. He wasn’t exactly running away from her—more like walking fast.

“Hey, y’all!” a voice called out from the sidelines, drawing his attention. It was Lila, one of the girls who followed the rodeo all over the country. She held out a bucket of ice with a bunch of beer bottles sticking out. “Thought you might need some refreshments.”

“Let’s get some of that,” Finn said to him with an elbow in his ribs.

“A beer sounds pretty good,” Nash said, even though out of the corner of his eye he could see that Dolly was still trying to get to him.

“That’s not all you can get,” Finn said as they walked over to Lila.

Nash was aware that Lila would gladly go home with either one of them, or both, if the rumors were true. But he didn’t have time for a romp in the sheets, even if he had been interested in Lila’s no-strings offer.

He took the ice-cold bottle with a grateful nod. Yet he still searched out where Dolly was. He had promised to do a few promotional photos for her. If he put it off, it would only make her more determined to hunt him down. Another bull rider, Keith Kilgore, had stopped her and was obviously trying to get her to take a picture of him.

Better Keith than him.

Still, Nash didn’t like the way the guy was aggressively squaring off against Dolly. He wondered if he should step in, but then she said something, and Kilgore backpedaled a few feet before turning tail and running.

Thatta girl.

“Cheers, boys,” Lila said, raising her own bottle in salute.

“Cheers.” Nash clinked bottles with her and tried not to see the offer in her eyes.

He scanned the VIP area instead, trying not to stare too closely at what looked to be a drug deal or an exchange of some illicit goods happening. He didn’t recognize the one doing the selling, but the buyer was Taylor Keating, Barney’s son. Nash sidled a step in that direction to get a better vantage point, but Lila stopped him with a hand on his arm.

Damn it.He hated that this cowboy gig got in the way of him doing his job.

“You did real good today, Nash,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Didn’t beat my time,” Finn said with a frown. And even though Nash had stayed on his bull for eight seconds, his score wasn’t good enough for a second ride.

“Nobody can touch your time,” Nash said, taking a step back so Finn could lean on the railing closer to Lila.

Lila giggled when Finn reached into the ice bucket and slipped a cube down her shirt.

Dolly would have socked him one if he tried that shit with her. When he glanced back at where he saw the exchange happening, both parties had faded back into the ground. Crap! Nash made it a point to find out what Taylor had been buying and who the cowboy was who was selling. He hoped for Barney’s sake that it was not what it had looked like. But if it was, he hoped from the investigation standpoint that the seller had ties to Blevins.

Nash’s phone buzzed. He saw it was a text from Shelby.I’m sorry. I tried to stop this. But I can’t. You’re off the roster for tomorrow and Laredo.

“Son of a bitch,” he snarled.

Lila flinched back and Finn raised his eyebrows.

“Sorry,” Nash said, wiping a hand down his face. “Bad news. I’ve got to go.”

He had to get out of here. Ducking into the locker room, Nash grabbed his gear and went out the back. All he wanted to do was get into his truck and head back to his motel. He would have to find a way to investigate Blevins without being part of the rodeo. It pissed him off because he felt like he was failing Shelby again.

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