Stockman’s Showdown (The Stockmen #4)

Forty-two

Ryder strolled through the car park with the couples, Dex and Sophie, Ash and Harper, keen to get home and claim his prize for riding a damned bull. Never had he thought he’d do something like that. Yet, it worked out to be one of the best nights to go into his memory bank.

‘Hey, I thought Bree was taking Charlie home?’ Dex pointed to Pandora still parked beside Ryder’s ute.

‘She was.’ But that was an hour ago. It had taken that long to drag his brothers out of the bar where they’d been celebrating with Cowboy Craig. Charlie had been with them, before he’d asked Bree to drive him home.

The old man had given Ryder the nod. There was no handshake, no lecture, just a nod, avoiding all awkward conversation of him kissing Bree in front of the entire town.

And he’d do it again in a heartbeat to win Bree over.

‘Oops.’ Sophie tripped over something on the ground.

Dex caught her. ‘Careful, Soph.’

‘What is that?’ Sophie used her phone’s torch to highlight the dusty paddock that doubled as a car park.

‘Hey, that’s Bree’s witchy sack.’ Dex retrieved the leather bag big enough to hide a bottle of gin.

‘Ryder…’ Ash pointed at Pandora’s passenger door where the car keys were hanging in the lock, with the door slightly ajar.

His world stilled.

Bree would never leave those keys in the car, and neither would Charlie. Bree would also never leave her purse in the dirt—but she was smart enough to leave it in a place where he’d find it, right by his driver’s door.

His heart hammered in his chest as he peered across the emptying car park. ‘brEE!’