Page 2 of Cowboy Under Siege

Yeah, something was definitely off with that woman. Jaren was always a betting man, and he’d lay down any amount on his gut instinct about her being right on.

She drifted away with the rider to check out one of the horses that just came out of the ring.

When she patted the mare’s flank, Jaren let out a low whistle. Damn, he wished he had four legs and a mane just to feel her soft touch too.

Casey appeared at his side. “You haven’t stopped looking at her all night. When are you gonna make your move, Abel?”

He reluctantly tore his gaze from the beauty and fixed it on the arena. Two rodeo clowns were performing a country line dance, the crowd on their feet, stomping with them.

He grunted at Casey’s comment. “Who said I’m interested? A man can window-shop.”

Casey’s crooked grin was more than a little cynical. “We’ve been friends a few months now. I’ve never seen you stare at any of the women down at the bar like that.”

“That’s because women findme. I don’t need to go to them.”

“Ahh. You think that beautiful woman will come running over here to ride you the way she did that horse when she carried the flag in the opening ceremony?” Casey nudged his white Stetson up with a knuckle.

Jaren couldn’t resist sending another sidelong look at the woman. His mind replayed her ride around that arena. Her appearance appealed to him on every level, but the way she handled herself riveted him more.

Jaren was trained to read body language, and she’d surpassed what he’d call “tense” and worked her way to “keyed up.”

I have a remedy for that, sweet thing.

He twisted his stare from her and focused on his friend. “Why don’t you stop worrying over my sex life and focus on the fact that you’re about to try to stay on the back of one o’ those.” He jabbed a finger at the broncos corralled off to the side, waiting for their riders in the upcoming event.

Casey hooked a thumb in the waist of his chaps. “I don’t remember saying anything about sex.”

A laugh grated past Jaren’s lips. Several women turned their heads to look at him, but the brunette still wasn’t paying him any mind. In fact, she leaned against a gate, arms folded on the top of it. The move caused her body to arch in ways that had all the blood in his head rushing south.

When the announcement came for the bronc riders to line up in the center of the arena, she bounced on the toes of her boots and hollered with the rest of the crowd.

Casey clapped him on the back. “Watch how it’s done, Abel. Assuming you can take your eyes off her long enough to watch the event.” He swaggered out to the screams of the crowd.

Most of the WEST Protection team occupied a front row. Seeing Casey, they leaped to their feet and cheered.

Casey’s beautiful wife, Emersyn, was the loudest of the group. “Let’s go, Caseyyyy!”

Jaren spent a minute enjoying their enthusiasm before he directed his attention to the packed dirt floor where the bronco riders lined up, a mix of jeans, boots, hats, chaps and grit.

Most of the competitors traveled with the rodeo, but besides Casey, Jaren recognized a few guys from town. As their names were called, each one stood tall and proud.

When a certain tall, broad-shouldered cowboy was announced, the brunette climbed onto the bottom rung of the gate and cheered for him the loudest.

Even that display didn’t stop Jaren from staring at her for most of the event. He didn’t realize how close he’d drifted toward her until the man she rooted for so enthusiastically blasted out of the chute on his bronco.

“Go, Zach!” she screamed with the crowd.

Zach wasn’t doing so good. It wasn’t uncommon to get a bad draw on his horse, and he was definitely struggling. The crowd echoed the highs and lows of his ride, and within seconds he was bucked off.

He pitched facedown in the dirt but scrabbled to his feet and dug in to escape the bucking animal.

As he jogged out of the arena, the crowd reacted with a few disappointed noises and more than a few female catcalls.

The brunette waited for the rider to approach. Jaren couldn’t help but notice some of the tension had left her spine, leaving her looking more carefree, like she did when galloping around the arena with that flag.

He wasn’t the jealous type, never getting invested enough in a woman to feel it, but he held his breath when the rider stepped up to her. To his surprise, she held up a palm to him, and he slapped it in a high-five.

“Next time that buckle is yours, Zach.”

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