Page 80 of Stockman's Showdown

‘Can you go keep him company, while I order lunch?’

Craig adjusted his white cowboy hat that only showed off his tan and blue eyes. ‘Sure. But can I trust you to behave?’

‘Always. That’s why I brought my bodyguard.’ She tossed her thumb in Ryder’s direction.

‘What?’ Ryder had to be missing something.

‘Craig…’ She grabbed the cowboy’s wrist. ‘Before you go, we found Charlie’s brother, Harry.’

‘No way.’ Craig listened intently as Bree explained the details.

She was giving far too much information away for Ryder’s liking. Which wasn’t like her, when Bree rarely told Ryder or his brothers the big picture.

‘Thanks for letting me know. I’ll go have a beer with Charlie now. Do you want me to come out home or something? It’s a bit late for me to get you some cupcakes as my couch-surfing fee.’

Bree grinned.

Ryder frowned. Nobody should buy Bree cupcakes but him.

‘Just buy the old man a beer.’ Ryder cut in on this conversation while putting his hand on Bree’s lower back.

‘I will. Hey, Bree?’ Craig swivelled around on the heels of his fancy cowboy boots with their thick Cuban heels. His thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his jeans where his big rodeo champion belt buckle caught the light. ‘Charlie should come to the rodeo. He is a legend, and he has a lot to share with the younger riders. They’d appreciate five minutes of his time.’

‘As much as we both know it’ll do him the world of good, it won’t be long and word will get out that Harry’s been found with another stockman’s wife, which will stir it all up again.’

‘I get it. I’ll keep an eye on him in the bar. Ryder.’ Craig tapped on the brim of his hat and pulled open the door to the front bar where the noise of voices mingled with the jukebox until the door shut behind him.

‘Bree?’

‘Hmm.’

Ryder grabbed her hand before she took off on him. ‘Why doesn’t Charlie want to go to the rodeo?’

‘You should ask Charlie that.’

He spun her around to face him. ‘I’m not going back to playing that stupid game of answering a question with a question where we end up snapping at each other.’ He towered over her.

But the little outlaw only lifted her chin, sneering at him. ‘You’re snapping at me now.’

‘Come on, we promised each other no more secrets.’ Especially after she’d just been talking so openly with Craig only moments ago. ‘Tell me the whole story, not drip-feed me information like some leaky tap I have to keep fixing!’ He wasn’t having any of that, not anymore.

‘Fine.’

He gritted his teeth and waited. How is it that Bree could stir him up so quickly? ‘And…’

‘Jack Price taught Charlie how to rodeo and helped start the local rodeo here in town. He was head of the committee, where many of the original members—who are still involved—haven’t forgotten Jack Price. It’s those committee members who made it hard for Charlie to ride or even visit the Elsie Creek Rodeo, and the rest just followed their lead.’

‘I see.’

‘Do you? This is a small town, and the stockmen out here live to a code. Charlie has had to live with all that talk.’

‘Because his brother ran off with a stockman’s wife.’ Which was a big no.

‘Harry also stands accused of murdering a head stockman.’

He narrowed his eyes at the redhead. ‘Do you believe Harry did it?’

‘No, I don’t. Not after re-reading that letter again at the police station earlier.’

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