Chapters (43)
- Cover
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Epilogue
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- Readers Guide
- QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
He shrugged his shirt a little straighter on his shoulders. He’d said goodbye to all his friends back home in exchange for the chance at a different life out west. Still, the ranch would feel a lot more like home if people were comfortable enough to give him a hard time. If he knew he could have a barbecue and anybody but Andra would show up.
The crowd tittered with laughter at a joke that came through the speakers, and Stacia rolled her eyes. “What do you think of this announcer?”
“He’s . . . different. Reminds me of a guy in a lawn chair on your front porch, telling stories about everybody he’s known for way too long.”
“Nailed it.” Stacia laughed. “Lucky for you, you’re an out-of-towner so it’s all new. The rest of us have heard the same stories every year since we were trying to ride a sheep in exchange for a half-melted Popsicle.”
LJ’s smile had a hard time making it up to full size. “Yeah. Lucky me.”
“I can’t believe he’s held off until this late in the day to tell his favorite one about Andra. Usually he tells it twice before I hit the bottom of my first beer.”
“Yeah?” He tipped his head toward her, trying not to catch the glare off her sequined tank top. “Which one’s that?”
“You’ll see.”
Despite Stacia’s certainty, it took another five riders before the announcer got to the Andra story, and LJ was ready to excuse himself to get back to work when he finally heard her name.
“We’ve got a real treat for you folks today . . . ” The announcer chuckled, his voice wincingly loud out of the speaker above LJ’s head. “The first member of our next roping team is our former Miss Teen Rodeo Wild Falls and also former Miss Rodeo Wild Falls: the lovely Cassandra Lawler.”
“Wait. I bet it’s coming now,” Stacia said.
Andra trotted her palomino into the arena, waving to the crowd.
“I have to tell you folks, I still remember the day when this little lady nearly forfeited her chance at the Miss Teen Rodeo Wild Falls crown. She got in . . . well, we’ll call it a bit of a disagreement with one of the other contestants about the girl’s enthusiastic use of spurs.”
Andra glanced up at the announcer’s booth and shook her head. Bill rode into the ring, calling something to his daughter and chuckling when she stuck her tongue out at him. LJ leaned in closer to the fence, watching her face while he listened.