Lucinda was here from The Mustard Seed with a big pot of chili, which she would be serving up to all the attendees after, and Ace Thompson had brought beer all the way from Copper Ridge, since his wife was riding in the event.

There was no pot of cash to be won at the end of this event—this was all for the enjoyment of ranch guests and the townspeople—but Gabe figured chili, beer and Jamie Dodge was a whole lot better of an incentive to ride well than money ever could be. Jamie had never watched him ride.

He would be damned if he was going to embarrass himself.

The roping event was first, opening with Grant and Dallas, who took off like a shot behind the calf, with Grant getting the rope solidly around the calf’s neck, Dallas jumping off the horse and rushing to get three of the four feet tied as quickly as possible. Gabe stood back, his arms crossed, and laughed, banging his boot against the bottom rung of the fence. It wasn’t any kind of record-breaking time, but not bad for a sixteen-year-old kid.

Next, it was Bennett and Wyatt, going out for team roping, and Gabe had a suspicion that father and son had a bit of a bet.

Bennett crushed his son’s time, proving that age and experience triumphed over youth in some things.

As a veterinarian Bennett handled wiggling calves all the time. So while he might not be a rodeo pro, he certainly knew how to get an animal into the position he needed it in.

Wyatt was going right back in rotation for the steer wrestling, and Gabe was going to follow up behind him. The calf was released, but Wyatt was too close behind him. Gabe pounded the side of the fence. “You broke the barrier, Dodge!” he yelled.

The judges—Sheriff Eli Garrett, Connor Garrett and Cain Donnelly—clearly agreed with Gabe’s take on what had happened.

Wyatt had failed to give the calf the appropriate head start, and because of that, he had earned himself a ten-second penalty. And he wasn’t gonna come back from that shit.

Of course, he still had Dane Parker to try to best. But Dane still wasn’t in top form. And Gabe wasn’t too proud to take that advantage.

It was an unfamiliar event for both of them, after all.

But Dane posted an ass-kicking time, getting his body off his horse and to the steer with incredible speed, and getting the animal down on the ground and tied with the dexterity he did not usually associate with bull riders, whom he considered the blunt instruments of the rodeo world.

Dane walked back over to where Gabe was, a hitch in his step. “Let’s see how you do, Dalton.”

Gabe took his position, getting on the horse and getting situated in the pen. And once it was time, he was off. He threw the rope, and the damn steer jerked sharply to the left. He had missed completely. He slowed his horse to a stop and shrugged, looking back at Dane and Wyatt, who were laughing their asses off.