Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“What happened to Jackson’s ankle?” I asked. Camille wouldn’t talk about her patients, no matter how small Majestic was, so I had to rely on town gossip like everyone else.
Way lurched forward and tried to slap a hand over Foster’s mouth, but he didn’t cover it in time. “Snakebite.”
“Motherfucker,” Way hissed. “Thanks, asshole.”
Foster shoved Way’s arm off with a laugh. “What?”
“Now Silas isn’t going to go outside all fucking summer.”
“He got bit by a snake?” I hissed before pinning my husband with a glare. “Way told me snakes are rare around here.”
Sheridan and Camille sighed while Foster simply laughed. “Yeah, no. Not so rare. We probably get, what? A handful of snakebites every summer?”
Sheridan shook her head melodramatically. “As long as you wear your steel pants, you’ll be fine, Silas.”
I whipped my head toward my husband. “You told her?”
He bit his lip to keep from laughing.
“You’re dead to me,” I warned.
Bo turned around from where he’d been distracted by a boy selling popcorn. “Speaking of snakebites, didn’t Janice Godfrey get bit by one in her garden last week?”
Sheridan punched him in the shoulder, which only made Bo shoot her a wink.
Camille exchanged a look with Way and snorted again.
“Oh, you fuckers,” I said, realizing I was being had. “You’re making this up.”
Way said, “Do you know there are more venomous snakebites in New York than there are in Wyoming?”
“Not in Manhattan,” I said with a growl.
“Maybe not. But there are, on average, only twenty-one per year in the entire state of Wyoming. And we’ve only ever had to treat two at the clinic here in Majestic.”
“Two too many,” I grumbled.
Camille sighed. “Jackson didn’t get bitten by a snake. That’s all I can tell you.”
Foster nodded. “I was kidding before. He fell off his sex swing.”
Camille’s jaw dropped open. “That is not true!” I could tell she wanted to tell everyone the truth, but her oath prevented her from saying anything more.
Sheridan looked around before lowering her voice. “I heard it from Aunt Blake, who heard it from Kicky Winshaw that he was carrying Lake up to their bedroom and tripped on the stairs.”
Camille’s silence was very telling. When she didn’t correct Sheridan, we all started laughing and gossiping. It didn’t take long for Foster to warn my sister that one day, she’d have to treat her own brother for doing something stupid like that.
“Way, did you hear how Eden did at the North American qualifiers?” Sheridan asked.
Way shook his head. “I haven’t spoken to her in a few weeks. She’s been pretty busy with her new Petzl endorsement deal. And with Kyle,” he added with a grin. “But she’ll be here for the GrandSmash, and hopefully, we’ll catch up then.”
I ran a hand over Way’s back and clasped his hip. I knew Way was looking forward to seeing his friend—the woman who’d been there for him many times over the years—and I was happy for him. I even liked Eden—she and I had warmed toward each other over the past year, once she’d accepted that I wasn’t going anywhere. The fact that she’d fallen head over heels for a fellow adventure racer had probably helped that along.
The look Way gave me suggested he knew exactly what was going through my mind, but he didn’t seem to mind my possessive little display. In fact, he leaned into my touch, his eyes lit with a teasing gleam…
Which was when Natana walked up and slapped a piece of paper against my chest. “Silas Concannon, First Gentleman of Majestic, you’ve been served.”
My stomach swooped as I grabbed for the paper to see what it was.
The familiar Majestic Rodeo logo was splayed across the top of the flyer.
The Majestic Rodeo Presents: Archery Night!
Join us for fun, food, and archery at the Majestic Rodeo
Featuring: Open, Bowhunter Freestyle, Bowhunter “Outlaw”, Bowhunter Barebow, Traditional Longbow, and Recurve
Cash prizes and custom buckles! Visit our website for more information and to register.
I glanced up at her. “You challenging me, Ms. Whiteplume?”
“You’re dang right I am. After our impromptu target shooting last month, your ass is mine, Concannon.” She shot me a wink.
Way’s cheeks flushed an attractive pink.
“Cowboy?” I murmured after everyone else was distracted asking her questions about the event. “What’s got your dander up?”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing you in a rodeo buckle, for one thing.”
My eyebrows skyrocketed. “Is that right?”
He shrugged. “I’m thinking just the rodeo buckle. And possibly my hat.” My heart did its familiar stampede as I watched my husband’s eyes darken. “While I remind you who your ass actually belongs to.”
Even after a year, my blue-eyed cowboy managed to surprise me… in the very best and hottest ways. “I think it’s time to go home, Mayor Fletcher,” I growled.
He grabbed my hand and rubbed his thumb over my wedding ring—the band of gold I’d never been able to remove and now planned to wear forever—then leaned in to whisper against my lips.