Page 5 of Roping Reba

“In time for me to enjoy it. Late risers never flourish.” Reba’s snappy voice always got my pulse racing, but this early in the day, I wanted to swat at her like a horsefly.

“I see you’ve woken up with a cheery disposition.”

She raised her coffee cup in my direction and went to clean up her empty plate.

“Don’t run off. We have a meeting this morning.”

“We?”

“Yes, you, me, and Jagger.”

“Why would I have a meeting with you?”

“Because I need your help. We talked about this.”

“Picking horses? No, you don’t. You know how to do your job.”

“Is that a compliment?” I teased as I took a sip of hot, bitter coffee and cherished the burn I felt in my chest as it warmed me.

“No. It’s a fact I can’t argue with, no matter how hard I try.”

“Well, I’m taking that as a compliment. Whether you want it to be or not, you’re stuck with me.”

Reba finished her coffee and moved from the dining room to enter the kitchen. If she thought that would deter me, she thought wrong. I simply took my coffee and followed to where she was now sitting at the table in one corner of the kitchen, slumping down in a chair and glaring at me over her phone. Doom scrolling was her escape. She did it whenever she was mad at me, whenever she was bored with the conversation, and whenever she wanted to mentally check out. Most people thought it was annoying. I thought it was cute. I laughed to myself as I returned to the dining room, grabbed some food and ignored any of the small tables meant for guests to enjoy their breakfast in the dining room. Instead, I returned to the kitchen and sat down at the table with Reba. I knew I’d fucked up with her in the past, but the amount of work she made me do to just have a decent conversation was insane.

“Jax had a great time with you yesterday,” I said between bites of bacon and eggs.

“He’s a good kid.”

“Thanks.”

She rolled her eyes at me again, making my hand twitch. The day would come when I could punish her for all the sass she threw my way, but I still had a long way to go.

“He misses you, you know.”

Reba looked up at me, and I swear her eyes glassed over for a quick second before she stood. “I’ll meet you at Jagger and Moira’s.”

Before she could make her escape, the door swung open, and Jax came barreling in, all energy and excitement. “Ms. Reba!” he shouted, making a beeline for her. He crashed into her legs, hugging her tight. “Are you eating breakfast with us?”

Reba hesitated, her hand instinctively smoothing over his hair. “I was just about to head out, little man.”

Jax’s face fell for a second before he pulled on her sleeve. “Please? Just for a little bit? Papa says breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

I smirked up at her. “Smart kid.”

Reba sighed in mock exasperation but let him pull her back to the table. “Fine. But only for a bit.”

Jax beamed and climbed into the chair beside her, happily chatting away as I handed him a bagel from my plate. “Did you see the new mares yet, Ms. Reba? Mr. Rooster said they are so pretty. I saw him yesterday, and he said Mr. Jagger says I can come over and play with his kids while Papa went there today. Did you know Mr. Jagger has twins? They aren’t identical though ‘cause George is a boy and Gloria’s a girl.”

Reba’s expression softened, and I caught the faintest hint of excitement in her eyes. “That’s sweet and I’m sure y’all will have fun playing. As for the horses, no, I haven’t seen them yet. But I’m looking forward to checking them out. You know I have a weakness for wild horses.”

Jax nodded, his mouth full of bagel. “Papa says they’re gonna need a lot of work, but I bet you could train them super-fast.”

Reba shot me a pointed look. “I guess we’ll see. Depends on if your dad gets in my way.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I wish you could come back with us, Ms. Reba.”

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