hat leave his head. Clenching his teeth to keep them from rattling, he made sure to keep his feet and his left hand high. Finally, the beautiful sound of the whistle blared as a rider came up to pull him off the horse.
“That’s what I call a near-perfect ride,” the announcer shouted jubilantly.
The rider released his waist. A swell of exultation ran through Jaxson as his feet hit the dirt with a nimble hop. In two quick steps, he went to his hat and swiped it up in a wide motion before placing it back on his head. He held his hands in the air, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at the leaderboard.
“Eighty-eight!” the announcer screamed as the digital numbers popped up on the screen.
Jaxson’s eyes bulged. Eighty-eight was a personal record. He could do ten rides—or even fifty—and not score as high. Lady luck had certainly been on his side … well, Lady luck and Blue Streak. He could kiss that crazy, bucking horse! Take that, Lucas Romeo!
“I guess the time away did this cowboy good,” the announcer chortled. “A few more rides like that and Jaxson could go to the big leagues.”
Jaxson strode back inside the gate to where Lucas stood. The cousins met eyes. Jaxson couldn’t help but push his chest out a little, even though he knew it was childish to go tit-for-tat with Lucas.
“Good ride,” Lucas said with a nod. His expression was taut, sullen, and it looked like it had nearly broken his face to give a compliment.
“Thanks,” Jaxson said, nodding in return. Lucas had scored eighty-three, the top score of the night, until Jaxson’s ride.
“That was beautiful,” one of the other riders proclaimed as he clasped Jaxson’s hand in a hearty shake and slapped him on the shoulder. Jaxson searched his brain. What was the guy’s name? Clyde?
The man gave Jaxson a speculative look. “I hope that was the start of many more wins to come. You’re a natural.”
Jaxson shook his head. “I don’t know about that.” Now that the adrenaline had worn off, his body was stiff and out of whack. Everyone talked about how rough bull riding was, but few realized that bronco riding was even harder on the body. With the requirement to keep the feet up, the body got jolted around like crazy. He decided to take a chance on the guy’s name. “It’s Clyde, right?”
A wide grin split the guy’s face. “Yep. That’s right.” Clyde turned to Lucas. “You should talk this guy into riding again. Y’all are cousins, right?”
“Guilty as charged,” Lucas muttered. “I think one Romeo is more than enough for the rodeo circuit,” he said stiffly.
“Aw, come on, Luke,” Jaxson taunted, “don’t get your drawers in a wad.” A pleased grin stole over his lips when Lucas smirked. Lucas hated being called Luke. “Second place ain’t all that bad,” he continued.
Lucas’s face turned a shade darker. Jaxson felt a smidgen of guilt for tormenting Lucas. He just got tired of Lucas trying to one-up him all the time. Lucas worked at the ranch and resented Jaxson being in charge. Lucas always questioned every directive or order Jaxson gave. It was exhausting. If Lucas would just get in line, then it would be a lot easier to manage all the other workers.
The vein in the center of Lucas’s forehead throbbed. “It’s a bit soon to be counting your winnings, cousin, considering there are three riders yet to go.”
“I dunno,” Clyde countered, pursing his lips. “A score of eighty-eight is hard to beat.”
“Only because you got Blue Streak,” Lucas mumbled.
“Yep, I’m sure you’re right,” Jaxson said easily. All of Jaxson’s brothers and Zoe got along just fine with Lucas. Probably because Lucas didn’t try to compete with them 24/7. There had always been a friendly rivalry between Jaxson and Lucas. According to Daddy, the two of them used to follow each other around when they were kids, fighting. Things had gone sour in high school when they both fell for the same girl—Lemon Massey. Jaxson’s chest tightened. Strange that even now, after so much time had passed, he still thought of his former girlfriend on occasion. Lemon seemed to be doing well … living it up in LA with her business and her high falutin friends.
“Looks like you’ve got an admirer,” Clyde said looking in the direction of a striking brunette who was giving Jaxson the eye. When she realized he’d noticed her, a hopeful smile fluttered over her lips.
A casual smile drifted over