Rodeo Queen by T. J. Kline Read Free Book Online Page B

taillights as he disappeared into the night.

Chapter Four
----
    “S YDNEY ,” A LICIA CALLED . “That’s your cue.”
    Sydney tapped Valentino’s sides, giving him full rein to circle the arena with the sponsor flag snapping sharply in the April breeze. She exited the arena, cursing herself for not keeping her mind on the rodeo. She couldn’t stop replaying what had happened in Scott’s truck. Mike had even asked if she needed a break. As she made her way to drop off the flag at the trailer, she saw Scott leaning on his saddle horn, watching her intensely. His black eyes flared with raw desire for a moment before they clouded over. She was almost convinced that the bright sunlight was playing tricks on her.
    “Good morning, Your Majesty.” Scott raised a hand to his hat brim.
    Sydney winced at his sarcasm, knowing she deserved it. “Scott,” she began. “I need to explain about . . .”
    “Don’t want to hear it,” he warned. He sat up in his saddle and spurred his horse into a lope. Sydney sighed and wondered what chance she really had with this job if they couldn’t even get along for one evening.
    “Don’t know what happened last night, but Scott’s in one hell of a mood today.” Jake handed Sydney the sponsor flag she would be taking for the next event.
    “You guys were fine when you left last night,” Mike pointed out. “A fight?”
    “Yeah, there was a fight.” Sydney took the flag and rode toward the arena before they pressed for answers.
    “F INALLY .” S YDNEY SIGHED as she rode back to the trailer.
    She was mentally exhausted and was looking forward to getting home and relaxing before meeting with Mike the next morning. They would have a lot to discuss about whether or not they could actually make this job offer work. She loosened Valentino’s cinch and carried the saddle to the tack room. She grabbed a pick and began to work out the dirt imbedded in his hoof.
    “Sydney.”
    Her heart skipped at the sound of Scott’s voice, but she refused to meet his gaze. It was the first time he’d initiated a conversation with her all day. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to avoid her. She dropped Valentino’s front hoof and moved to clean the rear hoof. Balancing it against her thigh, she glanced up at him.
    “What do you need, Scott?”
    “I’ll be by the ranch tomorrow around ten if that works for you.”
    She slid Valentino’s foot to the ground and stood with her hand on his rump. “I thought that Mike was coming.”
    “Mike’s taking the stock back to the ranch tonight. He wants me to check out the horses tomorrow and bring everyone back by Thursday.”
    She cleaned Valentino’s other hooves before loading the horse into the trailer. Scott seemed to be waiting for an argument from her, but she was just too tired of fighting with him, trying to prove to him that she was genuine and not out to play games with him or any other cowboy. She closed the back of the trailer and locked it. She made her way to where he waited near the driver’s side of her truck.
    “Anything else?” She didn’t mean to sound short, but she’d been trying to apologize all day, and he’d wanted no part of it.
    He looked as frustrated as she felt. He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair before putting it back on. “Look, about last night. Let’s just forget it and start over, okay?”
    Sydney opened the door, not meeting his gaze. “Scott, from what I’ve seen, you don’t really forget things that easily.” She started the pickup and looked at him through the open window. “But, sure, we can start over if you think you can actually do that.”
    S YDNEY COULDN’T SLEEP. She tried to convince herself it was because someone would be passing judgment on her horses—and, therefore, her work—but that didn’t explain the warmth that spread at the thought of Scott’s dark eyes and his request that they “start over.” She hoped he meant it, because if they couldn’t resolve their