Page 21 of Destry

“But you need me.”

“No I don’t.”

"Yeah you do, but you’ll find out later.”

"Destry—"

"Savvy!" Someone called her name, interrupting our moment and it pissed me off. She turned toward the voice, clearly torn, but the job won.

With one last I hate you glare, she shook her head and hurried off, disappearing into the thick of the rodeo.

I watched her go with my smirk deepening because she was about to find out I was the best and worst problem she would ever have.

CHAPTER

NINE

Savvy.

I was exhausted and dirty. Andexhausted! Dust floated through the air, mixing with the scent of horses, and fried food from the vendors lining the entrance but I barely noticed.

I was too busy trying to keep up and also distracted. Most men were annoying but Destry Callahan was fucking infuriating and for some reason, I liked it.

The first full day of the rodeo was a beast, and I was right in the middle of it, running from one task to another. I had already lost count of how many stalls I’d cleaned, how much tack I’d prepped, or how many times someone barked out a last-minute job I had to handle.

It was chaotic, fast-paced, overwhelming, and somehow, I loved it even if I was running on pure determination at this point.

I brushed dust off my jeans, adjusting the hem of my denim shirt as I made my way back toward the holding pens, scanning for the next task that needed to be completed. Cowboys moved in and out, gearing up for the next event with their voices loud and attention focused but mine wasn’t because somewhere mixed up in everything going on around me, I knew Destry was nearby.

I hadn’t seen him in hours since he’d cornered me, stole another one of those addictive kisses, and dropped the hint that there was more to come, but I felt him.

I hated how much that had been sitting in the back of my mind, tugging at me even as I focused on my very chaotic day. The man was relentless, sexy, and starting to get to me.

I finished stacking the last bit of tack for the night and rolled out the tension in my neck and shoulders. My body ached, my jeans were covered in dust, and I could still feel the sweat drying on my skin but I did it. I survived my first full day at the rodeo. I turned to head out and nearly ran into Lou, who stood there, arms crossed, squinting at me like he was surprised I was still standing.

“Didn’t think you’d last the whole day,” he muttered.

I lifted a brow. “That your way of saying I did a good job?”

He grunted.

I’d take it.

“Am I done for the day?” I asked.

Lou gave me one more long look, grunted again, and walked off without another word. I laughed, taking that as a yes, and dug my phone out of my pocket.

I pulled up the schedule, scanning it quickly. The last rounds of barrel racing were about to start.

I had spent the whole day working, barely getting a chance to actually see the events. This was my chance to watch the reason I was here in the first place. I took off across the fairgrounds,weaving through the thinning crowds toward the smaller arena where barrel racing was happening.

The tie-down roping arena was right next to it with only a metal gate separating the two events. I dodged a few cowboys with my eyes already searching for a spot to watch from the gate but instead found the last person I expected to see over here.

Destry leaned against the gate, arms crossed with his hat tipped low, looking like he had been chilling all day. My eyes lingered on the tattoos that covered his forearms and moved up his neck and I groaned, enjoying the view a little too much before I moved in beside him.

“Didn’t take you for someone who liked barrel racing,” I said, adjusting my hat.

Destry tilted his head, glancing at me with that smug ass grin in place. “I’m not watching the barrels.”

---