Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
It felt like it was someone else who had lived that life. It was the life my parents had mapped out for me. One I never dreamed I would walk away from.
I patted the neck of the quarter horse I was looking at. She nuzzled her nose into my shoulder.
“You’re good with her.”
I smiled and turned, and immediately thought that I’d never seen blue plaid look so fucking good. “I’m good with all the females, cher.” I waggled my eyebrows at her and smiled wider; a huff left her mouth, followed by a light laugh.
“That line normally work for you?” she said playfully, cocking her head and placing her hands on her curvy hips.
I slammed my hand to my chest, spooking the mare. “Sia, baby, I’m hurt,” I pronounced dramatically. I walked slowly toward her. She straightened slightly, but kept my stare until our chests almost touched. I smoothed back a curly piece of hair that had fallen over her shoulder. Her breath hitched as I did so. “I got no smooth talk for the ladies.”
“Sure you don’t.” Sia tilted her chin up at me. “You’re a Hangman. I know what club life is like, remember? Ky is my brother. Hell, but for blood, so is Styx. I know what goes down with you guys. Slut pussy and sucking your dicks. Y’all got no fucking talk for the ladies.”
I rolled my lips together, knowing my dimples had come out in full force when I saw her baby blues flare. “Oof, cher, that mouth.” Sia struggled to fight back her smile. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I like it. Never fucking lose that sass, darlin’.” I could sense, rather than see, Sia roll her eyes. She slapped my chest and tutted. Before she could remove her hand, I took hold of it. She watched as I lifted it to my mouth. I locked my eyes on hers and kissed the soft skin on the back.
Sia pulled her hand away and thrust a shovel into my hand. “You may be a smooth talker, but all I wanna know is how good you are at shoveling horseshit.”
“The best,” I said and started cleaning out the stalls as she put the horses out into the fields to graze.
When they were all done, Sia asked, “You wanna go for a ride?” She pointed her thumb at two horses: one mare, one stallion. “They need exercising. Clara, the girl who helps me out here, didn’t get much chance with them while I’ve been gone.” She pointed to the stallion. “And she daren’t ride him.”
“Recently broken in?”
Sia nodded. “Still goes bucking-bronc at times.”
A familiar sense of excitement zipped through me. “Don’t you know you’re looking at the New Orleans and Louisiana State youth saddle bronc champion? Three years in a row.”
“You’re a bronc rider?”
I tapped my Stetson, lowering my head. “Aubin Breaux at your service, ma’am.”
Her eyes widened. Her mouth fell open. “Oh my God! I’ve seen you!” Her head shook in disbelief. “I used to watch you on Rodeo TV when I was younger.” She stilled. “Wait, I’m only twenty-four. You can’t have been much older than me at the time.”
“I’m twenty-six.”
“And Hush?”
“Same.”
She nodded, seemingly to herself, and then came toward me. “Aubin Breaux.” She sounded stunned. “Your name is Aubin Breaux.” She smiled. “I get the road name though: Cowboy. But . . .” Her head cocked to the side like she was trying to figure me out.
“Ask me, cher.”
“You were set to go places in rodeo. Professionally. Why did you stop?” Her eyes fell to my cut. “And how the hell did you get in with the Hangmen?”
My fucking stomach twisted again; that weren’t my story to tell. I turned back to the stallion. “I’m more interested in this guy than talking about my rodeo past.” I ran my hand down his neck. Sia was still watching me curiously. “You breed them?”
She sighed, seeing I wasn’t gonna give her more information. “Yeah, I breed them.” Sia moved beside me and ran her hand over the stallion’s nose. “But I train them more. Barrel racing mostly.” She nudged my shoulder. “Broncos too. Basically, everything a horse can do in a rodeo.” She shrugged. “I’m pretty damn good at it.” She dropped her hand. “I’d have a bigger business if I wasn’t . . .” Her eyes dropped. “If I didn’t live in hiding. Can’t risk the exposure.”
I tipped my head to the side. “You barrel race yourself?”
“Local champion,” she said, grinning. “Still the title holder ’round these parts.”
“Then why the hell didn’t I see you on the circuit?” I pursed my lips and ran my eyes down her body. “I would have remembered you, cher.”
Her face frosted over. “Because, like now, I was hidden. Big Poppa Willis’s daughter is good leverage for enemies. So we were tucked away and I had to curb my dreams. Had to compete amateur instead of competitive. Still do.” She raised her hands. “But that’s okay, because it’s for the sake of the club, and everything is always for the club.” She put her hand on her forehead and looked up at me. “Sorry. I just get pissed a lot.”