Page 122 of Relentless

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Maeve sighed. “Harper!”

Harper had grabbed Sam by the collar and forced the sun-weathered, scowling man on his tip-toes.

“And don’t you ever,” Harper shouted, “And I mean ever, say anything like that about my daughter again, do you hear me?” She roughly yanked his collar again, lowering her voice to a dangerous tenor. “Or I’ll do to you exactly what I did to that bear, but this time — I’ll be sure not to miss.”

Maeve winced, pulling her fingers across her brow as she stepped between them. “All right,” she announced. Taking Harper by the shoulders, Maeve gently steered her away. “That’s enough now, I think he understands.”

“And that goes for my sister, too!” Harper flung over her shoulder.

Even though Maeve knew pacifying her grumpy neighbor would come at a hefty price, there was something healing in her sister’s sharp defense on her behalf. Walking back to her place beside Dallas, she could still hear Sam grumbling the same old insults she had heard for decades.

Feeling Harper pivot, Maeve stepped firmly in her path, pulling her along in the opposite direction.

“Nope,” Maeve insisted. “We’re all done fighting for the day.”

“I’m sick of that guy,” Harper muttered under her breath.

“Oh, trust me, you don’t know the half of it,” Maeve acknowledged, knowing if Harper knew the whole history oftheir challenges with Sam, it would lead to yet another heated exchange.

Oakleigh came beside them, giving Maeve an apologetic glance as she mouthed a quick —

“Sorry.”

Maeve shrugged, intertwining her arm with hers. “Let’s focus on Crew now,” she suggested. “I’ll deal with Sam later.”

She felt Dallas nudge her with his shoulder.

“How 'bout’ I take care of this one?”

“Would you, really?” Maeve sighed, relieved at the thought of one less fire to stomp out.

“You bet,” Dallas replied, leaning over and giving her a peck on the lips. “I’ve been trying to get that old grouch to church for a while now,” he chuckled. “Now’s as good a time as any to have a long talk.”

Maeve nuzzled into his soft shirt, pulling him in for one last kiss before he made his way across the platform.

“Although I’m incredibly supportive of this whole honeymoon, newlywed phase,” Oakleigh chimed in. “I’d just like to remind you that I’m still standing right here.”

Maeve exchanged a side-long glance with Dallas and a quick smile, giving his hand a squeeze before bringing her attention back to the arena.

Crew was below them in the chutes as they prepared Callaway Ranch’s star bull. The handsome cowboy adjusted his signature black cowboy hat, and stood with his hands on his hips as he listened to Sawyer bark a few last-minute strategies.

Maeve observed Big Slim’s bulky, muscular body nearly filling the entire chute. The bull’s glassy eyes brought to mind the vivid memory of Crew’s accident. She recalled the pounding of hooves, and the ominous clang of the bull’s horns against the iron fence as she assessed whether Crew was alive or dead.

She knew that Oakleigh was nervous, the young woman had every right to be. They had bred the beast to be a cowboy killer, and he had earned the reputation as the industry’s fiercest bull. In all his years of competition, Big Slim had yet to be ridden for a full eight seconds.

As Crew prepared to mount up, Big Slim was already bucking fiercely in the chute. Colton and Wade went to work, doing their best to steady the raging animal enough for Crew to settle in, and grip the rope. The moment the seat of his Wranglers touched the beast’s broad back, Big Slim bucked and twisted. Crew snatched the rails, leaping to safety before he could be bucked off in the dangerously tight quarters.

Maeve felt Oakleigh squeeze her arm tight.

“It’s going to be okay,” Maeve reassured again, finding she was also attempting to convince herself.

Harper slipped beside them. “What’s the big deal anyway?” she chimed, obnoxiously. “Isn’t he trained for this sort of thing?”

It was time to decide if Crew was going to ride or forfeit.

When it came to the boy she had practically raised, Maeve knew forfeiting was never an option.

Crew confidently swung his leg over the irate bull, and tightened his grip on the rope. Before Big Slim could react, he flung his hand in the air, and the gate swung open.

---