Page 24 of Stirring Up Trouble (Saddle Up #1)

Blaze

There is not a chance in hell you could convince me to come back to this thing. I’ve never seen so many human beings in one place. Yesterday was one thing but today was utter chaos.

I’d thought being herded out of the stadium like cattle was rough. Being stared at by thousands of eyes as I judge people’s chili was worse. It made enjoying said chili damn near impossible. How was I supposed to take in all the flavors when everyone was waiting for my reaction?

Since I didn’t want to give any of my judgment away as we went, I forced my expression to remain neutral. No way would anyone guess what I was thinking.

My saving grace through it all was the adorable man in the front of the crowd.

Robin had perched himself up front to ensure he had easy access to me. He also wanted to be one of the first to sample the treats as they were given to the audience.

While I might have had a handle on my reactions, my boy did not. I could easily decipher which he liked and which he didn’t. Taking both of our opinions into account, it was easy to declare the winner.

As they called the young man up to claim his prize, he appeared shocked to get the title. I’d been asked to hand out prizes, but since I didn’t want to commit to anything else, I stood off to the side clapping with the audience.

I did hear the exchange between Cam, the winner, and the man who took my spot. “Um. Are you sure you weren’t bribed?”

Did he really think someone paid the judges to let him win?

He’d had to clear his throat as he spoke. If I had to guess, I’d say he was the anxious type. As if that weren’t clear, the lean man with the razor-sharp jawline behind him looked ready to take down anyone who hurt the young man.

Oh, yeah. He definitely could have bribed someone with how protective he’s being.

It felt like everywhere we’d been so far, there were other Daddies around.

I could definitely tell these two had a thing going, just like I noticed the alpaca cutie from yesterday that my boy talked to.

There’d even been a couple who’d caught my attention near the cows yesterday after we left the alpacas.

The younger of the two looked so out of place, it was hard to ignore him.

And the way he was moon-eyed over the cows had the much older man beside him beaming.

Was there some type of beacon summoning all the Daddies to one place?

Ignoring my inner ramblings, I turned to find my boy. We needed to track down the others. I might not be all that hungry, but we only had a limited amount of time before we all needed to get back to our normal lives.

Even though the rodeo lasted two weeks, we’d decided to block off three days to enjoy ourselves. Since I intended to spend tomorrow buried inside my boy, we needed to get the rest of our visiting time under way.

“Jake texted me,” Robin said as soon as I was close. “He said they’re in something called Stampede. He wouldn’t give me any information.”

Before I could tell him we’d hunt them down, the guy behind Robin spun around. “Oh, yeah. Stampede is across the lot in that direction. They’ve got a huge flag and a long line. You won’t miss it.”

We didn’t get the chance to thank him since he took off towards the stage after giving the advice. I tilted my hat in appreciation anyway, then I wrapped my boy up in my arms and stalked towards the way he’d pointed.

“A flag should be easy to find, right, Daddy? Plus, it’s Jake. He’s not going to be quiet.”

Within a few minutes, my boy was proven right. Jake Bellport was loud as could be as he sat atop a mechanical bull operated by someone who was obviously scared of the two massive men currently staring a hole into the side of his head.

For all his love of attention, Jake didn’t seem to mind his Daddies not watching him. Likely because he had loads more eyes on him. Or maybe because he knew they’d be all over him once this was over.

Thinking of how they’d react made me miss my days of riding. It had been a long time since I’d gotten on the back of a bull.

“Why do you look so sad, Daddy?” my boy whispered in my ear.

Leaning back, I looked down at him. “Just thinking about the past.”

“Oh, yeah. You used to ride. I bet that was cool to see.”

“It was.” I sighed.

“Too bad you’re not able to now. You could probably give these people a real good show.”

Something about the way he said it prickled me. He wasn’t challenging me. The words were a simple statement. Yet I felt like I needed to defend myself for some reason.

Weighing the odds, I decided to say FUCK IT and step up to the operator. Sure there was a line, but one of the benefits of my pass after judging the chili contest meant I got to basically be a VIP. The attendant waved me forward, then made me sign a waiver.

I did everything he asked before turning to see how Robin would react. My boy stood to the side, his eyes locked on me as if I were going to vanish.

“It’s ok,” I mouthed to him.

I could understand his hesitation. After I’d explained why I didn’t get deeply involved in competing anymore, he’d been very pro-keeping-me-on-the-ground.

When the ride slowed, Jake cheered like he’d been fighting in battle rather than going the slowest speed on a mechanical bull. He stumbled over to his men, who pulled him close, praising him for all he’d done.

I ignored their display to hop on the big beast in the center of the inflated ring. While it wasn’t a real bull, the thing could buck me off just the same. Best to keep my focus on getting my eight seconds. Anything past that was going to be for fun.

The operator started me up nice and slow. It was a nice speed that helped me get used to being in this position again. I could hear my cousin and Jake calling out their encouragement. Leon and Robin were unsurprisingly silent.

After a minute, the guy cranked it up bit by bit. When it reached the setting closest to an actual ride, I began my internal timer.

Eight seconds.

I only needed eight.

The ride was more muscle memory than I expected. It all came back to me. The feel of the rope in my hand. The way my thighs squeezed its sides. The sound of my heartbeat in my ears.

When I reached eight, I looked over to where my boy had been standing. Rather than looking worried, his expression was full of pride. In that moment, I felt invincible. Nothing could have torn me down.

I kept hold until the guy got tired of my show and slowed things down. When I hopped off, it took a minute to get my balance. Part adrenaline, part ride, I had to focus hard to get back to Robin.

People congratulated me as I passed them. I thanked them as politely as possible until I reached my boy. He wrapped himself around me the second I was close enough to grab. Then he placed kisses all over my face and neck.

I laughed at the display. “What’s all this for?”

“My cowboy is the best out there. These guys wouldn’t have stood a chance with you in the shoot. I’m so damn proud to be yours.”

At his words, I slammed my lips over his. I couldn’t not kiss him after that.

Pulling back, I smoothed his hair back and said the same words I’d been holding in for all these months. While I could have told him sooner, I’d been waiting for the right time. What could be better than this?

“I love you, baby.”

He gasped. “Really?”

“Sure do. Have for a while.”

“That’s good,” he said, his shock fading into joy. “Because I love you too.”

We kissed again, only to be interrupted by Jake shouting, “Cousins!! It’s time to go. No more smooches 'til later.”

Laughing, we moved to do as he said. I could kiss him all I want when we got back to the hotel. I had no problem playing nice until then.

Curious about some of the characters mentioned? I’ve got more for you to enjoy.

Jake, Maddox, and Leon are from Rushing into Love .

Bobby Allen and Elton, along with the other ranch men, can be found in the Coleman Ranch series. (Pssstttt. There’s a preview of book one at the back if you keep turning the page…)