Page 52 of Rogue Cowboy
“I’m sorry, Riley,” Petal said, eyes tearing up while Arlo chewed on her lip and stared at her boots.“We were joking.”
“We wanted to get a rise out of you, but we were also pushing a little,” Arlo confessed, looking younger than fourteen.“We want to show off and get you more clients, but I don’t want Spice to get hurt, and my mom is bringing Beast in a sling thing that she made that matches baby Knight’s sling that my dad will be wearing.I don’t want my family hurt or someone else’s family because I got a big head.”
It was the most chastened she’d ever seen Arlo.She was a great kid, but she’d had a rough patch after her mother passed and before she’d been adopted by Shane and Cross.It had been a couple of years, and they were all adjusting, especially after Shane had the baby.Shane had asked Riley to take Arlo on as a pupil for trick riding and barrel racing so that she had something of her own.
Riley sucked in a deep breath, manifesting cowgirl attitude.“Maybe Cole and I should walk the route with you as spotters.”
“Noooooo!”Both girls had been more excited about riding side by side without Riley leading them while they demonstrated a few riding tricks.Riley remembered being that age—so young and fearless.Gosh.That made her feel old.But it wasn’t as if Petal and Arlo would be unsupervised.Her parents were riding this year along with Boone and Rohan—celebrating the Telford Family Ranch’s centennial—older than the rodeo, which was one of the oldest in the state.
“We’ll see,” Riley said.She could stay off the street and just follow the parade if she kept to the edge of the buildings.That way she could jump in if needed.
“Up you go,” Riley boosted Petal while Cole boosted Arlo.
“Let’s review the approved moves,” Riley said as they walked through the packed dirt and mowed field to find their place in line.
“Dead drop,” Petal began, laughing when Riley opened her mouth to protest.“Don’t worry.Riley.We want you to get more clients so we can be your assistants and earn more horse time.We don’t want to hurt ourselves or anyone.We’re not stupid, and we don’t need you spotting.”
“We want to be entertaining, not traumatizing,” Arlo said drolly.“This is our attempt to be cool high school freshmen, not the clumsy idiots drooling on ourselves after a closed head injury.”
Riley blew out a breath.“There’s an image.”
They arrived at the staging area for the parade, and Riley saw that her family was already mounted up and saving space for the two girls, and relief swooshed through her.With four Telfords, Petal and Arlo would stick to the program and not dare get carried away.Her mom, Sarah Telford, was the epitome of class and kindness, but she had a side-eye that was wicked sharp.
“Was I ever young and blazing with confidence?”she demanded as her father waved for Petal and Arlo to ride in front of him.
The girls were honored, clearly excited.Her father was a smart man who’d raised four kids and had six grandkids, and now he and her mom were happy, proud and able to take a few steps back on the daily ranch work when they wanted.She didn’t want to give them a moment of dark.
“Double that,” her mom said.“I remember having to ride up and grab the reins of Pepper when you were twelve because you were about to switch up into a standing hippodrome.”
Both Arlo and Petal swiveled in their saddles to stare at her.
“Ahhhh, I don’t remember doingthat,” Riley muttered, feeling her cheeks flush.“Stop teasing, Mom.”
“Wish I was.I nearly had a heart attack, and you were grounded from riding for a month.”
Both Arlo and Petal gasped.
“Take that.”Riley tried to save her dignity and authority while Cole openly grinned.
“A rebel on my hands,” he murmured, nearly brushing his lips along her ear and sending shivers cascading through her.“What a shocker.”
“Behave.”She scowled but fought a smile.
Great.She finally got a wicked grin with the hint of a dimple—the one she’d only seen once while paddleboarding in the ocean, and they’d been swamped by a wave and had come sputtering up together.And now they were in front of her family and a huge chunk of the town.
“Why?”he asked innocently.
Petal and Arlo fist-bumped and wiggled their fingers at each other.
“Don’t behave on our account.”Her mom smiled sweetly, shocking Riley.
“Hey,” her dad objected.
Her mom laughed.“Taryn and I have our eyes on you, girls, and apparently you too, Riley’s friend,” she said with exaggerated pronunciation.
“Everyone thinks they’re a comedian,” she groused.“And I never tried that move in a parade,” Riley reiterated.“Mom, did you take your RediMind for memory today?”Riley teased.
“It’s you who’s been forgetful.”Her mom didn’t miss a beat.“I don’t believe I’ve met your young man.”Her mom leaned forward in her saddle and held out her hand to Cole.“Not every day I meet a friend of my son who’s courting my daughter.”
