Page 4 of Roping Reba

“Aww, do I have to? Can’t I just stay with Ms. Reba?”

I smiled wide, knowing my plan was working perfectly. Johnny’s gaze narrowed in my direction.

“Sure, bud. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Jax jumped up and ran to give his dad a quick hug before turning to me. “Can I go play with the kids?”

“Yeah, I’ll come check on you once I have my horse in her stall.”

Back at the barn, I loosened Black Beauty’s saddle straps, my fingers working methodically to free her from the weight. Jax had run off to play, leaving me alone with Johnny. Again.

“That kid never misses a beat with you,” Johnny said, as he worked to cool down and put up his own horse.

“He’s pretty amazing.”

“Thanks.”

I shot him a look. “Not what I meant.”

He smirked, stepping closer. “I know. Just taking the credit anyway, it’s rare you give me a compliment.”

I rolled my eyes, focusing on Black Beauty. “So, these wild horses Jagger has. What’s the deal?”

Johnny ran a hand over his horse’s flank, his gaze assessing. “Rooster told Mac Jagger’s chosen four young mares from the thirteen mustangs they saved. The horses are tough, but trainable. Rooster thought they might suit Mac’s program. Figured you’d have insight.”

“You want my help?”

“I want your opinion, you’re one of the best.” He leaned against the stall, eyes warm with something unreadable. “And maybe a little more than just that.”

Heat flared in my chest. “Not happening.”

Johnny chuckled, stepping even closer. “We’ll see.”

His confidence and his damn charm all made me itch to either punch him or pull him in closer. I turned back to my horse, hoping Johnny didn’t see the flush rising to my cheeks. This man was going to be the death of me.

“You’ve never needed my help before.”

“That’s not true. I always need you.”

“Again, not what I meant.”

“Maybe I just want to spend time with you, like we used to back in the day.”

I raised my eyes to his. “Those days are over, Johnny. We are grown adults now, riddled by the bad decisions of our past.”

“It doesn’t need to be that way, you know.”

“Yeah, it does.”

Without another look in his direction, I finished up with Black Beauty and left the barn. He could deal with Jagger andthe horses on his own. He didn’t need me. He knew it, Mac knew it and I knew it. Rather than dealing with him and our past, I sought out Jax and spent the rest of the afternoon watching him play with the other Rawhide Ridge kids. This was a much better plan than dealing with his annoying father.

CHAPTER 2

Johnny

The sun hadn’t even come up yet, but I knew if I wanted to get a leg up on Reba, I needed to be ready. I stumbled into the dining room of the B&B half asleep and reached for the coffee. I was actually surprised to see an entire spread of food laid out in covered chafing dishes on a buffet.

“What time did Robyn have to get up to make you breakfast?”

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