16. Warren
“Holy shit, look at this crowd…and how many competitors.”
We’ve arrived at our first rodeo stop that’s now in full swing.
Dane and I will be on the road for ten days and hitting four rodeos.
It took some scheduling to find places we could keep the horses overnight, but thankfully, on these rodeo routes, there are plenty of horse lovers with barns if the rodeo doesn’t provide them.
Normally, on longer trips, I’d take our trailer with sleeping quarters, but it needed repairs that weren’t finished in time. Good thing I’m familiar with the route and could arrange what we needed on short notice. I know Dane doesn’t like to spend money, so I kept it as cheap as possible.
“I don’t remember this place being so popular.” Dane chews at his lip as he surveys our surroundings. “Good thing I thrive under pressure, Burke. This is good.”
Dane nods, his grin cocky and carefree. Something I’ve not seen on him since we aired out our issues. Well, I aired my issues at least. There’s still something up with him I’ve yet to figure out.
“Good thing. It’s a huge field. We need to be our best.”
“We will be.” He turns from the schedule board and smacks my shoulder. “Let’s get ready.”
Our horses rested last night and most of today, just like we did. Petey and Trigger are two horses made for this life. When I saddle Petey, his quiet demeanour shifts as he bumps me with his nose as often as I let him get away with it. He nips at my shirt, eager to go to work.
“You ready to do this, big guy? It’s a good one. Top money. I’ll buy you an apple if we do well.”
A quiet huff of laughter sounds from Dane next to me. “You bribing your horse, Burke?”
My neck heats as I remember I’m not always alone on these trips now. Something I need to get used to.
“No, it’s just…it’s our thing.”
“Will you actually buy him an apple?”
With a sigh, I turn to Dane. His eyes sparkle with good-natured humour. There’s no hint of the mean teases I told him had to end, and this look is so much better on him.
“Yes. I don’t break a promise to Petey.”
Dane swallows hard before turning away to pat Trigger, and if I’m not mistaken, he might have mumbled his own promise to her.
I won’t ask, though, because as much as I like the softer Dane, we still have two events to win tonight.
Focus is key, and I won’t let him throw me off my game, even when we go head-to-head in tie-down.
We’re still rivals, after all, and I’m going to win.
With a break in the action, ropers can enter the ring for a warmup. Dane is off doing his own pre-event routine, and I’m in mine. Petey knows the drill, and he’s in his zone along with me as we trot around the ring, and I swing the rope above my head to loosen my shoulder.
Tie-down is first, and both Dane and I are in later flights. We watch the earlier riders in silence together, but I know he’s making notes in his head like I am.
“Some of these guys are really good,” he murmurs with a waver in his voice I’ve never heard before.
“Yeah, they are, but you’re one of the best, Dane. You’re finishing with the best of them today.”
He says nothing after that, and we watch until it’s time for us to queue. I’m two riders ahead of Dane in our pack, and I settle into my headspace that doesn’t include thoughts of Dane and why he seems nervous today.
The calf in the chute for me is feisty, and Petey twitches his ears.
With a slow exhale, I back us up and nod to the official.
The calf exits the gate, immediately heading to the left.
Petey turns automatically, and I release my rope off kilter, but it lands with a solid catch around the calf’s neck.
The rest happens on autopilot. Petey knows his job and has stopped to pull the line to the calf tight while I dismount and run down the rope to the calf with my piggin string clamped in my teeth.
After tossing the calf onto its flank, I gather three feet and wrap them.
As soon as my two wraps and a hooey are complete, I throw my hands in the air.
It was a good run. I was clean and fast. Petey knew he needed to adjust to give us a chance, and he did. When the six seconds pass, and my tie remains true, I breathe a sigh of relief and listen for my time as I untie the calf.
“Another new leader, ladies and gentlemen! Warren Burke now has the time to beat with only three riders to go!”
I wave to the crowd as I exit the ring, elated to know I’ll finish no worse than fourth. The next rider bobbles his calf take down and loses too much time. I’m still the leader. Watching Dane line up and prepare sends a pulse of want through me like I’ve never felt before.
“Jesus, Warren, now is not the time to lust after a cowboy. Especially him,” I mumble to myself, but I already know I like Dane more than I should, and he looks damn hot when he’s in the competitive zone.
His ocean-blue eyes lack the teasing warmth from earlier and focus on the task in front of him. They’re hard and zeroed in.
He nods to the official, and I hold my breath.
A clean catch and flawless execution. His hands are a blur as he wraps his calf and stands with hands in the air.
The six-second wait to confirm the calf stays down feels like an hour.
Then it’s the rodeo announcer’s voice, confirming what I instinctively knew.
“How about that folks! Give this man a round of applause because Dane Walker is the new leader by a whisker! He’s nudged out his team roping partner by a mere .01 seconds!”
Dane releases the calf and remounts his horse, waving to the crowd like I did. He exits and pulls his horse alongside me. In the past, he’d say things to get in my head. He’d be the epitome of a sore winner. This time, though, he’s none of that.
His smile needs to come out more because when he smiles and nods at me, I’m smiling back when he holds out a fist for a bump.
“We’re not too damn shabby, Burke. Great ride.”
“You were on fire. I’ve never watched such a flawless tie.”
I want to say more, but the final rider is out of the chutes. His catch is clean, and he’s fast, but I don’t know if he’s fast enough. When the announcer says his time, and he finishes third, Dane doesn’t whoop with joy. Instead, he exhales and hangs his head.
“You won, Dane.”
He nods before turning towards me. “Yeah. Can we make it a two-fer weekend? The top two tie-down ropers better be the top team ropers.”
“Fuck yeah, we will. Go do your victory lap.”
Dane leads Trigger to the ring and takes the obligatory ride, waving his hat and smiling.
I’m not even mad. I’m second…again. I take a moment to place it, this odd warmth in my chest. I’m proud of him.
I know it should irritate me that he beat me again, but he’s on my side for team roping, and honestly, he only won by .
01 of a second. A whisker, the guy said.
Barely any margin at all, and as far as I’m concerned, we’re equals.
“Want to catch a quick snack before the team event?” he asks.
Dane is still all smiles, and I’m still all stupid for wanting to kiss him.
“Yeah. Probably a good idea.”
After tying our horses at the trailer and giving them water, we make our way to the concessions of the rodeo grounds.
Dane passes everything that looks good to me and heads to the trailer operated by the town.
It’s the basic hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries.
No bells and whistles, and very affordable.
All he orders is a single hot dog for $2. After squirting an obscene amount of mustard on it, he wolfs it down and pats his belly.
“I don’t know how they cook those hot dogs, but they’re so fucking good.”
I groan and roll my eyes with a smile. “Please stop with the hot dog love. You sound too much like my dad. I want the pulled pork sandwich back at that BBQ truck.”
“Okay. Let’s go. There’s still time.”
After queuing in line for my sandwich, Dane points to a picnic table and goes over to sit and wait for me. Once my order is ready, I make my way over to where Dane sits.
His smile is gone as he scowls at his phone.
“Everything okay?” Dane quickly shoves the phone in his pocket and forces a smile.
“Yeah.”
“I got you water.” I pass the bottle to him before taking a bite of the messy sandwich. “Want a bite? This stuff is so good.”
“Why are you being so nice?”
My chewing slows as I search his face. “Well…you’re my roping partner and a friend. It’s a warm day, and if I’m thirsty, you probably are too. I’m just being a decent person.”
He remains quiet again, and I’m so damn confused about this guy.
I bought him water, not a new saddle. It’s not a big deal, but he seems to think it is.
When his gaze finally meets mine again, I hold the messy sandwich out in invitation.
Dane takes it and huffs in annoyance as the sauce drips on his hand.
He still takes a bite, though, before handing it back to me.
“Good, right?” I ask as he chews.
He nods as he steals a napkin to wipe his hands and mouth.
“It is. Messy though.”
“Sometimes the best things are messy.”
I don’t know why those words tumbled out, but they did, and I can’t take them back. Our gazes lock, and I’m pretty sure I’ve pissed him off. He turns away, drinking from the water I brought him, and once I’m finished eating, he stands.
“We should get back.”
I agree with a nod and walk next to him as we travel through the concessions and back to our horses. Several of the ropers stop to congratulate us. Dane says nothing more than thanks and shakes hands when offered, but that’s it.
Once back at our horses, he clears his throat as we untie and head towards the rodeo ring.
“Do you really know all those cowboys that stopped us?”
“Most of them. They’ve all been around since I have.”
“How do you…I mean…do you just talk to them?”
“I didn’t at first. I’m kind of shy, but most of the time I’d sit with them at the banquets or the bars after events, and someone would talk to me. Then it got easier.”
Thinking back on all those years he never joined us, I wonder if he regrets it now. Now isn’t the time for that line of questioning, though, because we have an event to win.
Team roping has a smaller field than tie-down, but the field is still deep.
We’re in the second of two flights, which is both good and bad.
Sometimes watching too many clean runs can get to you.
Thankfully, Dane seems unaffected by all the times posted so far as we move to the chutes for our flight.
We’re the last team to go out tonight. It was just luck of the draw, and we settle into our spots. With each team out, we inch closer, and I steal a glance at Dane.
He turns his head to meet my glance.
“Don’t doubt this. We’re gonna win, Burke.”
“Yeah, we will.”
He faces forward again, and so do I. We load into our chutes, me on the right of the steer and him on the left.
I’m an anomaly in the fact that I prefer to be on the right, even though data shows the chance of me catching clean is lower.
It’s all I’ve done, and it works for me, so data can take a hike.
Petey is coiled and ready to go with the signal.
In my periphery, I spot Dane, set and ready. This is it.
I nod to the official, and we’re out clean.
Petey damn near drives himself, and after my rope lands clean around the steer’s neck, Petey stops and moves to pull the steer and face its feet to Dane.
He has the harder throw with a steer fighting to break free and bouncing all over, but he gets it.
We face each other across the ring, the steer caught between us, until the flag is lowered.
It’s a clean run, but was it fast enough?
The official in the ring comes out to loosen the steer from our ropes and, as it trots down to the exit, we hear the announcer’s voice—finally.
“Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever at this rodeo, we have a tie for first place! Please give these gentlemen in the ring a round of applause because they share first place with the team of Stone and Wallace!”
Dane smiles and waves at the crowd and even manages a polite nod to the other team, but that smile isn’t real. It may be new to me seeing Dane smile, but something isn’t right.
He remains silent at the trailer while we take care of the horses and opts to stay with them while I head to the booth to sign for our winnings.
“Do you want to join the guys at the bar tonight? A bunch of them are heading for beers shortly and invited us.”
Dane shakes his head. “If it’s okay with you, I’d just like to get to our hotel. It’s been a long day.”
“Of course.”
We agreed to drive out early in the morning for the next destination anyway, so it’s probably the best thing to do. There’s a stock contractor with a mostly empty barn this weekend, close to our hotel, that I arranged for the horses.
After stabling them and getting them comfortable for the night, we drive back to our hotel and check in.
“I’m sorry for sharing a room again. With the extra-long travel without the sleeper trailer and boarding the horses, it made sense to save and share.”
The door clicks behind me, and after flipping the deadbolt over, I turn to find Dane standing in the room. His hand runs through his hair after he’s tossed his hat on the small table.
“It’s okay, Warren. Really. I appreciate that.”
The silent ‘but’ hangs there, like a blank thought bubble over his head, and I step closer to him. His throat bobs, and after tossing my hat next to his, I say what’s been on my mind for far too long.
“I made a mistake,” I start before tentatively bringing my fingertips to his chest. “I said I didn’t want to want you, and I was wrong.”
“Warren…”
He wants to fight me, but he also covers my hand with his and tugs me closer with a pained sigh.
“I believe in second chances, and I think we deserve it.”
“I don’t deserve anything,” he whispers.
“Don’t say that,” I plead and bring our chests so close we touch.
Dane’s forced to look at me now, and after a moment, he leans in to feather a soft kiss on my lips. “Are you sure I’m worth it?”
His question slices my heart for more reasons than his not seeing himself favourably. I asked myself that question so many times as a child, a teenager, and a new adult. I know why I had that thought about myself, but I don’t know why Dane does.
And I want to.
If he’s endured anything close to what I have, he deserves another chance at everything. Even if he remains an asshole, I can’t just take him for what’s on the surface. I have to try.
With every ounce of conviction I can muster, I answer him in the simplest way I can.
“Yes.”