Page 67 of Untamed

I watch, holding my breath as Colter pulls his phone from his jeans pocket. His brows furrow as his eyes scan the screen. Then, lifting his head, he searches the seating area. When his eyes finally find mine, a small half smile tilts his lips.

No matter how hard I try to resist, my gaze flickers back to the woman before returning to Colter. Unspoken words pass between us, and I don’t know how he understands but he does. Colter frowns, giving a small shake of his head and some of the tension leaves my body only to return when my eyes shift back to her. My eyes widen when I find her staring straight at me, curiosity sparking in her eyes. A strange chill runs down my spine and I shift in my seat. Then Colter says something, drawing her attention back to him. Whatever he says makes her laugh, her hand landing on his bicep and stroking. I grit my teeth, every fiber of my being screaming to go down there and rip her hand away but know I can’t.

Nova was right. I can’t make a scene.

Exhaling a breath, I force a calm I certainly don’t feel, grumbling under my breath. “So much for him not looking at another woman.”

Nova chuckles before taking a sip of her soda. “Mila, I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. That moody asshole has no interest in her.”

I glance back in Colter’s direction, my eyes flickering between him and the woman, trying to see what Nova is seeing.

After a long moment, I begrudgingly admit that my best friend might be right.

But that doesn’t mean the brunette isn’t interested inmycowboy.

Chapter Forty-Two

COLTER

I can feel the heat of Mila’s gaze on the back of my head as Annabeth talks to me. Despite the urge to reassure my sunshine that she has nothing to worry about, I can’t. Not with most of the ranch here, including her father. There’s no way I’m risking it—not when I’m so close to the end goal. This is what I set out to do when I took the job at Oakridge Ranch, and it’s within my reach. I can almost taste it.

Even though I haven’t said it aloud, Mila should know by now that I only have eyes for her. I might not have said it, but surely my actions prove it. Christ, it’s her birthday today, and I went out into the pasture at five a.m. just to pick her nineteen God damn sunflowers. Annabeth is no threat, even if she’s the only woman aside from my sunshine that I’ve ever had a relationship with.

I haven’t seen Annabeth in years. She’s what you’d call a buckle bunny, and though I knew that, I couldn’t resist what she so easily wanted to give me. What I believed would be a one-night thing turned into a six-month long relationship. She toured with me, bouncing from state to state for competitions. At one point, I stupidly thought we’d be together forever. But then the accident happened, followed… by other things.Annabeth left soon after, and though I’d like to think it’s because of everything that went down between us, I know it was mostly because I wasn’t the king of the rodeo.

As soon as my star fell, she deemed me no longer worthy of her attention.

I’ve heard from a few people, those I still keep in touch with, that she’s since fucked most of the cowboys on the circuit. From the up and comers to the ones sitting at the top of the leaderboard. Including Garrett. He fucked her months before I came to Oakridge and honestly, I don’t give a damn. He’s welcome to her. Annabeth is the definition of a clout chaser. And as long as you win, she’ll be there, waiting to sink her claws in. It’s easy to get caught up in her—hell, I did the same. With her dark brown hair, fuckable lips and a body made for sex, she’s hot. Or at least I thought she was.

Put her next to Mila, and she’s nothing. An uninteresting wallpaper.

“I’ve missed you, Colter,” she purrs, her small hand wrapping around my bicep.

“Sure, you did Annabeth.” I chuckle, the sound harsh, but it doesn’t faze her.

She frowns, before covering it with a sultry smile. “I did. I made a mistake when I left you. If I could take it back, I would.”

I reach up, pulling her hand from my arm. “Well, you can’t. Too much has happened. And from what I’ve heard, you’ve had plenty of fun roping in your next victim.”

Her brows shoot up in surprise. What? Did she really think, just because I was off the circuit, I wouldn’t keep up with things?

“They didn’t mean anything,” she says quickly, lowering her voice to a whisper. “There was just–” she cuts herself off, sucking in a breath. “Look, let’s talk. We at least owe each other that.Youowe me that.” I glance down at her, searching her face. Her eyesare filled with sadness, but I see through it—she’s trying to guilt trip me.

“I’m busy,” I grunt, giving her no room to argue.

Her hand lands on my forearm, squeezing gently. “Please. After you get done, I’ll come find you and we can catch up. We can talk.” She continues but I tune her voice out, my attention drawn to Mila instead. She’s chewing her full bottom lip, worry and hurt written all over her beautiful face as she looks between me and Annabeth.

I don’t realize Annabeth has followed my line of sight, until her annoying voice pulls me back to her. “Oh. So that’s why you’re being so stubborn with me.” She laughs sardonically. “Either she’s just another hot buckle bunny sitting in the crowd waiting for her chance, or you’re already fucking her. So, which one is it.”

My anger simmers, rising with every word she speaks. I glower at her. “That’s none of your damn business. You lost that right when you walked out on me.”

Annabeth rolls her eyes, completely unshaken by my outburst. “Well you didn’t give me much choice, did you,” she grits out, her teeth bared for a moment before she inhales, smoothing the tension from her expression. A saccharine smile forms on her lips, all sweetness and light, but completely fake. “Give me ten minutes when you get done. That’s all I’m asking.” She turns to leave, but pauses, tossing me a sultry smile over her shoulder. “I’ll be cheering you on, baby.”

A low whistle sounds from behind me, and I turn to find Boone Nelson, an old acquaintance from my rodeo days, standing there. We were having an easy conversation before Annabeth interrupted us.

“She’s a piece of work, man,” Boone says with a shake of his head. “I’m not one bit surprised by her being here. All Annabethwants is to be a rodeo champion’s wife. And she’ll do anything to get there.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Yeah? So how come it hasn’t happened yet? She’s been working the circuit for a long time now.”

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