going to get an inch of sympathy from him, given Ryan had competed in bull riding himself, so he had a vested interest in West’s technique and success.
Poor guy.
After they’d had enough, they headed out of the practice arena to help Ryan with whatever needed to be done on the ranch that day. It was part of their way of paying rent while they stayed on the land, given Kellie and Ryan never let them stay in town like other rodeo guys. They always insisted that they stay in one of their ranch cabins or in their trailers on the land rent free.
Or, in Westin’s case, park his truck on their land and sleep under it.
West was weird like that.
“What are we doing today?” Reid asked, clearly pumped up to get going on whatever it was.
Eric laughed once. “Too much D.C. in your blood? Need some dirt and grime?”
Reid nodded without shame and clasped his hands together. “Yes. Please.”
“Ryan, do you have something that can get all that city slicker off of Reid?” Eric called up ahead of them, where Ryan had stopped.
He nodded, grinning. “I think I can come up with something. We’ve got a couple of things going on today, actually. Lost Creek Days starts tomorrow with the races, the carnival, and the Miss Lost Creek pageant. We haven’t been asked to do anything, but I kinda volunteered us to take the ranch guests, if you don’t mind. One of them in particular is really skittish with men, so she might not go, but if she does, we’ll need to stick close.”
They all sobered at once and Ford nodded. “Josie. I can stick with her, if she’s comfortable with that. She was pretty scared of me that first day.”
“That’s because you’re the size of a refrigerator,” Westin told him with a snort.
Ford gave him a look. “I’ll remember that next time you ask to borrow a shirt, Tiny.”
Westin grinned and tapped his hat. “Touché.”
“As for today,” Ryan went on, “my cousin Holt is coming in with some stock we’ll be hosting until the stock auction on Thursday. If we could get the barn and stables cleared out and ready for extra animals, it would help a lot. When he gets here, I could use a few of you to get the animals settled and run them around a bit. I’ve got ranch employees working out on the land today, so this is pretty much our priority.”
They all nodded, knowing the drill and understanding all too well what would be required.
Ryan glanced in the direction of the homestead house, then back at them. “I think a few of the guests are going to be in our neck of the woods. The one Ford and I mentioned, Josie, is going to feed the horses. It’s her first day of chores. She hasn’t felt ready yet. She already knows me, so I’ll take point, but keep an eye out—no telling if it’s a good day or bad.”
This was also something they’d become familiar with. In the last few months especially, as they’d been in and around Lost Creek a lot, they’d met several of the guests at the ranch. Some of them had been far along in their healing and recovery journey, others at the very beginning.
Ford, for one, felt pretty protective of any guest staying at Broken Hearts, and he didn’t see that changing anytime soon.
What would Brynn be doing today?
He gnawed the inside of his lip as the thought flashed through his mind. Their walk last night had been humbling and exhilarating for him, in several ways, and he’d had trouble sleeping as he’d gone over each part of it. Had he helped her with her hurting and angry outburst? Had their conversation lifted any of her burden? Did she trust him as much as he wanted her to?
Was she thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her?
A shard of guilt slashed across his chest, making him hiss softly. There were so many different feelings where she was concerned, personal hopes and wishes that conflicted with the respectful distance he’d always given Kellie’s guests. His concern for an obviously hurting woman was shifting into something less charitable and more affectionate. Less altruistic and more selfish.
He didn’t like it.
And yet . . .
“Any other guests hanging out on our side?” Westin asked. “I want to see what Brynn asks Reid.”
Ford grinned along with the others, while Reid looked confused.
Ryan laughed as well. “I don’t know who’s doing