Chapter 24
Seth pulled into the motel parking lot and shut off the engine a few doors down from Shylo's room. Sunday chores had wrapped up hours ago, but the heatwave hadn't eased in the slightest. Heat rippled above the asphalt as he climbed out of the truck.
Shylo had called twenty minutes earlier.
Her truck wouldn't start, and he'd offered to pick her up before she'd finished asking if he knew anyone who could look at it tomorrow.
That was one problem easily solved.
As he locked the truck, movement near the far end of the parking lot caught his attention.
A man in jeans, a white T-shirt, and a faded ball cap wandered along the edge of the lot, a cigarette pinched between two fingers while he talked on a cell phone.
Every few steps, he stopped, glanced around, then resumed pacing.
Seth barely gave him a second thought.
Motels always had people coming and going, and plenty of guests stepped outside to smoke or take a call.
His thoughts drifted back to Shylo instead.
She'd sounded more like herself than she had the night before. The headache was gone, and she'd even laughed when he teased her about trying to work herself to death.
Still...
Something about last night kept nagging at him.
He could still picture the way she'd frozen in the middle of the conversation, staring toward the bar. Then came the forced smile. The vague explanation. The headache that had conveniently appeared not long afterward.
She'd never given him much reason to think she was hiding something. Aside from being a little skittish when they'd first met, she'd been open, funny, and easy to be around. Last night was the first time she'd seemed genuinely rattled.
He should've asked more questions.
The realization surprised him.
Normally, he never got invested with a woman enough to want to ask tough personal questions. Attraction had always been enough.
But not with Shylo.
Instead of putting distance between them, he wanted to understand what was bothering her. To make sure she knew she didn't have to carry it alone.
Before he could reach her door, it swung open.
Shylo stepped outside, locking the door behind her before turning to him with an apologetic smile.
“Sorry. I didn't want to keep you waiting.”
Seth returned the smile, though something about her struck him as... hurried. Not nervous exactly. More like she wanted to be anywhere except standing in the motel parking lot.
“You ready?”
“Yep.” She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder. “I know we're already running a little late. I don't want everyone waiting on us for dinner.”
“They're family.” He reached for the passenger door and pulled it open. “They'll survive another five minutes.”
“Maybe.” She laughed softly as she climbed in. “I'd still rather not be the reason dinner gets cold.”
By the time he rounded the front of the truck and slid behind the wheel, she'd already fastened her seat belt.
“I'll look at your truck tomorrow after work. Sometimes it's something simple. If it isn't, we'll have Harlan tow it over to his shop.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
“We'll get you back on the road one way or another.”
They pulled onto Main Street, weaving through the light Sunday afternoon traffic. Seth tried a few times to draw her into conversation, but her answers stayed short, and she seemed distracted, every so often glancing out the passenger window or over her shoulder as though expecting to see someone.
He caught himself checking the rear and side mirrors more than once.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Maybe he should ask if everything was okay.
Wasn't that what a boyfriend would do?
The thought nearly made him snort.
What the hell did he know about being someone’s boyfriend? He hadn't had a quote-unquote girlfriend since high school, and that felt like a lifetime ago.
Before he could decide whether to ask, the last of the storefronts and houses gave way to open fields and pastureland.
Shylo let out a slow breath, some of the tension easing from her shoulders as she looked out across the countryside.
“So, does the Rodeo Bonanza create much extra work for the ranch?”
The change was immediate. Her entire demeanor had brightened. Whatever had been on her mind in town seemed to have loosened its grip.
The question he'd been about to ask quietly faded away.
“Not really. We all pitch in somewhere—most of the town does—and except for daily chores, things are put on hold at the Triple-R for a few days.” He lifted a hand to the driver of an approaching pickup. Shane's best friend, Drake Hadley, returned the wave as they passed each other.
“I heard a few locals compete in some of the events. Anyone from the ranch?”
“Tucker does. He's in the bronc riding every year.”
“Really? He's that good?”
“Yeah. He could've gone pro years ago if he'd wanted to. Won enough buckles and prize money to prove it at the semi-pro level. But the pro circuit would've kept him on the road most of the year, and family comes first with Tucker.”
“That doesn't surprise me.” She shifted in her seat, angling herself toward him. “What about you? Do you compete?”
He shook his head. “Not anymore. I broke my collarbone getting tossed by a bronc years ago and decided I'd rather keep all my bones where they belong. Getting back on an animal that doesn't want me on its back stopped sounding like a good idea.”
“Probably a wise decision.”
“One of the other ranch hands, Finn McAllister, competes in the bull riding, though,” he said. “And don't let Lou fool you. She'll spend all year acting like barrel racing is no big deal, then go out there and make half the competition look bad.”
A grin tugged at Shylo's lips. “I heard something like that. I'll have to make sure I catch her run. And Tucker's ride.”
“You won't have any trouble. Half the town shows up for both.”
“So, what do you do at the rodeo if you’re not competing?”
He shrugged. “Whatever Marla Oberman or anyone else on the Bonanza committee tells me to do. Parking, cleanup, hauling supplies, setting up fencing... if it needs doing, somebody does it. Paige usually ends up in the ticket booth with Nicole and Tucker's sister, Lila.”
“It sounds like everybody gets involved.”
“They do. That's part of what makes it such a big deal around here.”
The conversation drifted from there to everything else the Rodeo Bonanza had to offer.
Seth described the carnival rides, the food vendors, and the little kids trying to hang on to a sheep during mutton busting while proud parents cheered louder than anyone else in the arena.
He told her about the pie and chili competitions, the FFA livestock judging, and the rows of prize-winning pigs, sheep, and calves that drew as much interest from some folks as the rodeo itself.
By the time the entrance to the Triple-R came into view, the conversation flowed as naturally as it had during their dinner in Wexler, her laughter coming just as easily.
He liked to think being with him had something to do with it. That, for a little while at least, he could distract her from whatever had been troubling her.
“I'll probably wander over to Bar None's booth a few times,” he said as he parked the truck in his usual spot beside the bunkhouse.
She arched an eyebrow. “To check on me?”
“I was thinking more about the chili.”
“Liar.”
He chuckled. “Maybe a little.”
She was still smiling as they headed toward the main house.
The familiar scent of brisket and fresh-baked rolls greeted them the moment they stepped inside.
“About time,” Shane called from the dining room, though the grin on his face took any sting out of the words.
“Ignore him,” Paige said as she carried a bowl of mashed potatoes to the table. “He was ready to eat twenty minutes ago.”
“I was not.”
Tucker snorted. “You absolutely were.”
Seth pulled out a chair for Shylo before taking the one beside her. “Where are the girls?”
“Arianna's at a friend's house,” Paige said. “And Mya took Ashley to dinner with one of her daughters—Lisa, the one who's pregnant. She figured it was a good chance to show Lisa what life with a toddler is really like.”
“That just means more dessert for us,” Shane said.
Paige swatted him on the shoulder before taking her seat. “Your priorities never cease to amaze me.”
“Hey, my priorities are fine. Dessert comes after you, Tuck, and the kids every time.”
Everyone else laughed, while Paige rolled her eyes.
Seth settled back in his chair, listening to the easy banter around the table. It felt right—like Shylo had belonged there all along.