Page 8 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

“Hi, Mr. Simmons. I’m Cory, Melinda Stallings’ stepson. She asked me to pick up Princess for her. I’ve got the trailer here. Is the blacksmith finished?”

Matt stood and extended his hand. “Matthew Collins, blacksmith. I’ve got Princess ready to go.”

The cute guy reached into his T-shirt pocket and handed a check to Matt. “Mel said to tell you thanks for doin’ it on such short notice. She and Dad are goin’ on a trail ride with a large group this weekend, and she wants to take Princess. I’ll be happy they’re gone so I can have a party.” Cory addressed the group with an easy smile.

Everyone laughed before Aunt Katie offered him something to eat and drink. He declined the offer of food but accepted the sweet tea.

Uncle Josh looked at Tim and gave a sly wink before he turned back to Cory. “I’ll call Doc Grant to go to your place to check Princess, so you don’t have to wait, Cory. Tim, would you take Cory down to the barn and show him Melinda’s tack? Load up with some grain and five of the bigger hay bales. It’ll save Melinda time when she’s leavin’ and should hold her over for the weekend.”

Tim grabbed his and Ryan’s plates, dumping the bones before he rinsed them and put them into the dishwasher, turning to his short friend. “Ryan, it was fun. Get your dad to drop you off some time so you and I can go riding again.” Tim hugged the boy.

“I’ll remind him, Tim. Thanks again. I had a lot of fun,” Ryan responded.

Tim started for the door. “Hey, Tim, would you ever babysit Ryan for me? It would help me out if I gotta do somethin’ and Mom’s not available. I’d pay ya.”

Should Tim be insulted or happy at the prospect that Matt Collins was asking him to babysit his son? Tim truly liked the boy and had enjoyed the time they’d spent together. In truth, he wouldn’t mind babysitting if Matt was working late.

He would, however, draw the line at babysitting if the bull rider was going on a date or something similar. Tim didn’t need to witness the man dressed for a date with someone else because he was sure his heart would shatter, though he really had no reason to feel that way.

“Well, I’m kind of busy around here but if it’s an emergency, I’ll try to work it out. Just call the house.” Tim’s response was half-hearted at best.

He turned to follow Cory out the back door toward the barn where the truck and trailer were parked outside the front sliding doors. Tim wondered where the rest of the hands were, but he remembered Uncle Josh had given them Saturday afternoon, Sunday, and Monday off for Labor Day.

“So, you live here in Holloway?” Tim asked Cory, trying to make some sort of small talk which he wasn’t great at. He was trying for the sake of Uncle Josh’s business.

“I’m just here for the summer since I finished my masters’ degree. You’re Mr. Simmons’s nephew, I guess. Melinda’s mentioned how cute you were based on when she’s stopped by to ride. I can see she wasn’t wrong,” Cory explained with a bright smile.Thatwas unexpected.

“Yeah, well, I just got back here myself not so long ago.” Tim then explained his project to modernize the farm to make life easier for his aunt and uncle. “I was an IT major. How about you?” Tim led Cory to the barn where the tack room was located.

Cory smiled as he leaned against the doorframe. “You busy tonight? I’d love to have you come over for the party. We have a pool, after all. Clothing optional when the ‘rents are gone.” The hot guy added a wink that surprised Tim.

“Guest list?” Tim went into the tack room and carried out Melinda’s saddle on the first trip, placing it on some hay bales in the hallway of the barn.

The second trip had his arms full of saddle pads, bridles, a few of their lead ropes, and a hay bag. Tim wasn’t sure they’d need it all, but he was familiar with the supplies Uncle Josh sent with boarders when they were taking a horse off the property.

“I went to UVA, so there are a few of my friends who are going to show, but my boyfriend invited some of his friends from NYU. You’re a member of theclan, right?” Cory cocked flipped his wrist, which brought a laugh from Tim.

“You caught me. Aren’t you worried about getting your ass stomped out here in the country? People in town aren’t exactly accepting of our community.”

“You’d be surprised what money can do, sexy. Bring your own condoms and lube. I’ll have everything else. I can guarantee you a good time, Tim. I can already see a few of my friends falling on their knees for you. You are quite the yummy snack.” And there was another wink.

In Tim’s estimation, the tall guy was definitely full of shit because in keeping with the computer geek stereotype, he was on the thin side with very little definition along with his dirty blond hair. Since he’d started working in the office to implement the new system, he didn’t get the physical workout he had earlier in the summer, and his once tanned skin had reverted to its usual pasty shade of antique white.

Tim was about five-nine and weighed about a buck-fifty, having his mother’s and Uncle Josh’s high metabolism. Nothing about him saidsexy.

It wasn’t often Tim thought anyone cruised him as Cory seemed to be doing there in the hallway of the barn. The guy had said he had a boyfriend, but Tim wondered how serious theywere if he was studying Tim’s ass as if it would be the subject of a final exam.

Tim loaded hay into the trailer and made sure there was enough grain for the long weekend. He also loaded watering buckets and a picket line for them to tie Princess outside when she wasn’t being ridden.

After those things were safely in the trailer, the two men added the tack and saddle, and Tim went to get Princess from the stall where Uncle Josh had put her after she’d been shod.

“Hey!” Tim was following Cory and the mare toward the front of the barn. He turned to see Matt Collins trotting toward him with a pissed off expression. Tim waited for the cowboy because he was curious about why the man was chasing him.

“You need something? You’re finished with her, right?” Tim asked, pointing toward the mare in the hallway. Cory continued down the long hallway and stopped outside the trailer to wait for Tim.

“Yeah, um, you’re not gonna go to that party, right?” Matt seemed nervous.

Tim stared at the bull rider, trying to understand what business it was of Matt Collins’ if he went to the party or not. Cory Stallings was a hot guy, and it seemed he thought some of his friends might be interested in Tim. That was enough reason to go to the party, as far as Tim was concerned.

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