Page 16 of Ropers Can’t Tie Knots (Kissing Ridge Cowboys #3)

eleven

Gabe

T his is my third time at Kissing Ridge Rodeo, and it might just be my favourite.

Is it because I’m here with my fake husband, being paraded around like a show pony? Probably.

It’s the most attention Hunter has shown me since he took me on my first-ever horseback ride last week.

What I wouldn’t have done to have him fuck me against a tree right then, but something profound shifted with him that day.

Maybe in me, too, but there was no way I’d push him to do something he didn’t want.

I meant it when I said I’d wait.

Hunter is worth waiting for. I might die of blue balls waiting, but I’m willing to take the risk.

“This man is Neill Dunn. He sponsors the rodeo. I’ll talk you up,” Hunter whispers near my ear, and I want to tell him I can promote myself now, but it’s too late.

“Mr. Burke! I heard a rumour you tied the knot. Is this the lucky gentleman?”

Sparkling blue eyes set on me as Hunter laughs. “Ropers can’t tie knots, Mr. Dunn. Unless it’s a quick release. But yes, you heard right.” Hunter slides his palm to the small of my back. “This is my husband, Gabe Davis. He’s a lawyer here and one of the best. ”

I extend a hand to the man, who shakes it with a warm smile. “Pleasure to meet you, sir. I’d say I’m the lucky one, though. Lawyers can be hard to live with.”

He laughs and smiles at my joke. “I’ll let you two debate on who is luckier, but I think it’s a draw.

I don’t mean to talk business at a fun event, but I need to when the opportunity is right in front of me.

If you have a business card, Gabe, I’d love to chat with you about some rodeo things.

If you’re married to this man, it’s part of your life now, so you’ll understand. ”

Fishing into my pocket, I pull out my wallet for a card and hand it to him. “Business happens everywhere, and I’d love to help, Mr. Dunn.”

He tucks my business card into his front pocket, still with a friendly smile, and I one-hundred percent like the guy.

“Good luck today, Hunter. I’m looking forward to seeing you roping again. Young Levi needs a mentor, and you’re just the man for it.”

Hunter dips his head with a murmured thank you, and Mr. Dunn squeezes his shoulder before leaving us be.

“I can’t wait to watch you today,” I say and tug on his belt loop.

Hunter turns his smouldering gaze on me, and my heart rate jumps under his attention.

“Is that right? What if I fuck it all up?”

“You won’t. But if you did…” Boldly, I tug him closer to me. Close enough to lean in and kiss, which I want to do badly. “If you did, you’d still be a champion to me.”

His gaze flicks to my mouth, and his tongue peeks out to wet his lips. “Good to know, counsellor. Maybe you should kiss me for good luck. ”

“Just for luck? Or something else?”

Hunter doesn’t reply. Instead, he presses his lips to mine, and I melt into him.

My body moulds to his as my arms go around his neck, and I’m lost in everything that’s Hunter Burke.

Hunter’s kiss differs from before. While there’s still desire there, this has something else, and it feels like I’ve earned something I didn’t know I was competing for.

When he finally releases me, I playfully pluck his hat from his head and set it on mine. He chuckles and holds me tight with one arm while taking his hat back with a wicked smile.

“Do you know what the cowboy hat rule is, counsellor?”

Laughing, I step back from him when the announcer’s voice sounds over the speakers.

“Never touch a cowboy’s hat?”

His lips twitch as he bends down next to my ear.

“In the land of flirting with cowboys, the hat is a symbol of who you belong to.” Hunter slides his hands around to my ass and pulls me closer to him.

“If I put my hat on you, it means I’m interested.

You’re mine.” His hot breath is a brand on my skin, and I swallow hard.

“But Gabe…” Hunter nuzzles his nose under my ear, and my knees quiver.

“If you take my hat, that’s a proposition.

You take a cowboy’s hat…you take the cowboy to bed and ride him until the sun comes up. ”

“Jesus fucking….” I can’t breathe because Hunter just sucked all the air from my lungs with that sexy history lesson.

Hunter steps back, tips his hat with a wink and…walks away. Leaving me with my jaw on the ground, a half-hard dick and a whole new appreciation for cowboy hats .

“G-Good luck!” I shout after he’s too far away to hear me because that’s how long it took me to find words to reply that weren’t curses or gibberish.

I walk back to the stands for my seat with Jackson’s parents and Riley, completely stuck in the charged conversation I just had with Hunter. How the hell am I supposed to just watch a rodeo with that playing on repeat in my head?

“Hey, Gabe!” Riley calls out as I bound up the steps. “You look far too concentrated to enjoy a rodeo. Did something happen?”

“Maybe?” Pulling out my phone, I google the cowboy hat rule while telling Riley what happened. He gently takes my phone out of my hand.

“Gabe, don’t look it up. It’s true, and if he said that to you…” He whistles low. “He’s got it bad.”

Riley waggles his eyebrows, and, despite feeling very out of sorts, a smile lifts my lips.

“You think so?”

My heart races again at the thought that maybe this might mean something to Hunter and not just be a convenience. It’s been very lucrative for me so far with all his contacts in town, and he’s received his first advance from the trust, but Jackson was right when he said I had a crush on the guy.

I did before I married him, and while it was purely physical initially, now…now I’m not really sure what it is.

The rodeo announcer carries on, and I listen with half an ear, but it’s enough to know Hunter rides with Jackson in the first half and Levi after the break.

Riley bumps my shoulder with his. “What’s going on, Gabe? Something is off with you. Is it this thing with Hunter? ”

Jackson’s parents whoop and yell, so I glance out to the rodeo ring along with Riley.

He stands and wolf whistles with his fingers and yells out to Jackson, who waves with a smile and a wink at Riley.

Hunter’s gaze locks with mine, and a flush of heat runs through my body.

He tips his hat and winks, and I honest to god feel like my entire body is blushing.

“There is something with you, isn’t there?” Riley lowers his voice. “Something that’s not pretend?”

With a quick glance towards Jackson’s parents, who are chatting with a few others, I bend closer to Riley in my seat.

“I don’t know what’s going on with us, Rye, but…there’s something. He’s…he’s not like the Hunter I met two years ago or even six months ago. He says and does things with me he wouldn’t with anyone else.”

“He’s never had a relationship since Jackson has been friends with him, Gabe. Nothing long-term.” Riley murmurs, and I hear the concern in his voice. “Do you want this to not be fake?”

“Yes? Maybe? I don’t know.” I sigh and run a hand over my face as the first competitors get ready.

“He does something to me, and I can’t ignore it.

That’s as specific as I can get.” A saddle bronc rider bursts from the gate, and we pause our conversation for a moment.

“He took me for a horseback ride last week, and it was heaven, Riley. He taught me what to do, he showed me the fields behind the ranch and he…he told me a lot about his parents and grandparents. Something shifted, and I feel it, Riley.”

My best friend studies me closely and squeezes my hand.

“I don’t know if he’s that kind of guy, Gabe.

He loves Jackson and guards their friendship closely, and he’s accepted me, but…

he’s ne ver given me a reason to believe he wants a relationship.

” Riley gives me a small smile. “I don’t want you to get hurt. ”

Another bronc rider rides, and the crowd roars around us. I know Riley means well, but I don’t want to admit to him it might already be too late for me being hurt. I’m already too attached to the guy.

“Let’s just watch our men. Don’t worry about me.”

“If you change your mind…”

Riley always wants to be my support, and I love him for it, but it’s not the right time to raise my fears.

“I’ll come to you. Let’s have fun.”

Riley nods, picking up on my tone that I no longer want to talk about it, and we turn our attention to the action in the ring.

After the saddle bronc and bareback riders finish, the steer wrestling teams move into position at the other end of the ring. Riley is wound tight. I’m afraid to talk to him in case he shatters in his seat.

“He’s so fucking hot when he does this, Gabe. I never want him to quit steer wrestling. Just gimme one rodeo a year and I’ll die a happy man.”

Riley keeps his eyes glued to the chutes, and while I laugh inside at how manic he is over Jackson and his event, I understand a lot more now.

“Oh my god. They’re up.” He inches to the edge of his seat while the crowd claps for the local team. Jackson’s head nods, and a single, ‘yep!’ carries out. Hunter and Jackson burst from the chutes chasing down the steer, and I view Hunter in a totally different light .

I don’t keep watching Jackson to see if he wrestles the steer. Instead, my attention is on Hunter as he guides his horse to Jackson’s with a single glance over his shoulder to see how his partner did. He rides Dixie up to Jackson’s horse, and his lips move as he pats the horse on the neck.

There’s no doubt in my mind he’s used to being out of the spotlight when competing with Jackson.

His motions are all from the heart because the attention from the crowd is on the man in the ring wrestling a steer.

There’s a fleeting moment of tenderness between Hunter and the horses as he gathers the reins of Jackson’s horse and leads her back.