Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) (23 page)

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              By the time we were done dancing, we were completely out of breath and it was time to leave for the rodeo. Someone knocked on the front door as we were going down the stairs. Starre perked up, glancing back at me with a smile. "It must be Trevor here to pick me up!" She scurried down the remaining steps and flung the door open, her smile dropping from her face.

              I didn't even need to see who was at the door to know it wasn't Trevor as she had hoped.

              "Nova, it's for you," she announced before heading towards the kitchen.

              Gavin stepped through the doorway first, his eyes scanning the room in search for me before landing on me. He stiffened, his eyes flickering over my outfit before his expression hardened and he scowled. Did he hate seeing me in these clothes? Maybe Starre had been wrong about the blue jean shorts after all, they weren't me and seeing Gavin’s reaction proved it.

              Wyatt stepped through the door next, taking off his hat and running his hand through his hair. Even though they looked a lot alike, their personalities were completely different. Even his reaction to me proved how different he was from Gavin. His warm blue eyes took in what I was wearing, and a grin spreading smoothly across his lips, showing the pleasure he felt from seeing me dressed like this. "Come on Cowgirl, we're driving you to the rodeo."

              I guess that finalized it then, I wasn't going to change my shorts.

     "I was going to ride with Starre," I said, thinking about Starre riding alone to the rodeo if Trevor ended up being a no-show.

              "Go ahead, I'm sure Trevor will be here soon to pick me up," Starre assured me.

              Gavin grunted, his expression still dark. "He's not, he's busy," he said bluntly to her, then turned and headed back out the door, "I'll be in the truck."

              "Alright, I'll drive myself then," Starre said, trying hide her disappointment and hurt.

              "I'll ride with you," I offered.

              Starre glanced over at Wyatt and they exchanged a look before she glanced back at me. What was that about? "No, you go ahead with them. I'm going to load up some containers of water before I leave. They can never remember to take enough to drink."

              "Are you sure?" I knew she was trying to play it off as okay, even when it wasn't.

              "Yes, now go!" Starre insisted, moving forward and shoving me out the door.

              Wyatt followed close behind me, barely making it out the door before she shut it behind us. He walked forward, his hand moving to rest on my lower back, guiding me to the truck.

              When he got there, he opened the passenger side door and reached inside. I waited to get in. When he turned around though, he was holding a hat in his hand that wasn't his own. It was solid black, much like his, only this one looked brand new.

              He walked a few steps forward, his hips swinging with a swagger that only cowboys could have, until he was standing directly in front of me. Our chests almost touched as we breathed in and out, our eyes meeting. "You almost forgot the most important part of your outfit, Cowgirl. Your hat." He lifted up the hat and rested it on my head, situating it until he thought it was sitting perfectly. His eyes shone with something that had my breath catching in my throat as he took in my appearance: the hat, plaid shirt, blue jeans, boots, and all. He slowly grinned with contentment.

              "What do you think?" I asked, lifting up my arms and spinning in a circle.

              "You look like you belong here," Wyatt stated.

              I knew that him giving me the hat symbolized something more than what it would mean to anyone else, and his words only backed that up. He was showing me his ultimate acceptance and affection and, most importantly, that he wanted me to stay. Stay at the ranch, and stay with him.

              "Gavin didn't seem to think so," I grumbled, rolling my eyes and attempting to distract myself from his heartfelt action.

              "He did," Wyatt said simply.

              "He still hates me, doesn't he?" I asked. I’d been wondering how Gavin's felt about me for awhile. He acted differently than he had in the beginning, but a part of me wondered if he'd ever actually like me enough to stand being around me.

              Wyatt paused, his eyes watching mine, appraising me silently for a moment. "Emotions can change without someone even realizing it has happened, and it will take them a while to accept that," he touched my chin gently, gazing deep into my eyes, my soul and spoke softly
.
,"He doesn't hate you. He hates himself for not hating you."

              I frowned, trying to take in what Wyatt was telling me. Why would Gavin hate himself for not hating me anymore? Is that why he had lost all the previous steam he’d had been burning me with, but was still as angry as before?

              Wyatt stepped back, leaning an arm on the door and gesturing to the truck. "Let's go, Cowgirl."

              I climbed in, squeezing in beside Gavin, who was in the driver's seat, to make room for Wyatt. My hips were soon pressed between Gavin's and Wyatt's as we drove down the road to the rodeo. I glanced up at Gavin, noticing that his knuckles were white on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched and an angry scowl on his face.

              If anyone would know what was going through Gavin's mind, it was Wyatt. The only problem was, I didn't know how to make things better, and I would probably just make things worse if I tried. Gavin would just have to figure things out on his own.

              In the meantime, I had a rodeo to enjoy.  

              We pulled into the rodeo a while later, parking in the back where we could unload the last remaining horses. Apparently the guys had already made several trips in the truck, getting the rest of the horses and some of the cattle here before they came to pick me up.

              I climbed out of the truck and followed Wyatt to back of the trailer, listening to the horses hooves ringing loudly against the floor as he undid the levers. When he lowered the ramp, two large horse rumps stood impatiently inside. One was the Grullo coloring of Lance, while the other was solid black. I assumed it was Jayden's horse.

              "Do you want me to help lead one of them?" I asked Wyatt. I wasn't really sure what to do at a rodeo. Did people just wander around, or did they sit in the stands until the activities started? Starre wasn't here yet, so I thought it best to stick near one of the guys until she showed up.

              I saw him nod his head as he untied Jayden's horse, handing the lead rope to me before he got Lance and backed him down the ramp. I followed Wyatt, leading Jayden's horse, who kept yanking his head upward against me. His eyes were wide, but not with fear. He only wanted to look around the rodeo and see everything that was there. Someone rode past on a mare and he pranced along a few steps before planting all four hooves on the ground and releasing a loud whinny. It was obvious that Jayden's horse was just as much of a ladies’ man as his owner.

              I tugged on his lead rope, getting him to slowly start walking, though his eyes and head still followed the mare’s movements until she was out of sight. I picked up the pace to catch up with Wyatt, who was tying the lead rope to the fencing of a corral. A whistle zipped through the air, and I turned my head.

              "Sweetheart, if you keep dressing like that, I won't be able to resist taking you for a ride," Jayden insinuated as I watched him move from the fence towards me.

              "I'm sure you'll find a way," I said dryly, unimpressed with his version of flirting.

              "I see you've found Wingman," he acknowledged with a smirk, stepping into my personal space.

              Wait, he said I had found his Wingman, but there were no other guys around, with the exception of his horse. Realization dawned on me, before I frowned at him in disapprovement, "Seriously? You named your horse Wingman?"

              He shrugged, a twinkle in his eye, "Women love horses, he makes the perfect wing man."

              "You're an insufferable flirt," I remarked, rolling my eyes.

              "You enjoy my flirting."

              I couldn't argue with him, I did enjoy his flirting, even if it did go too far sometimes. "You're too cocky," I shot back.

              "I didn't think there was such a thing as a man with too much cock," he emphasized the last word slowly. His eyes were heated as he scanned my body, like he thought his words would cause my panties to instantly drop and he was checking to see if they had. His chest brushed against mine as his face lowered, broadcasting his intentions of kissing me.

              I shook my head to clear away the haze that he was creating in my head, but also to disagree with him, "I think you should take your cockiness, and your horse, and go bother someone else." I handed him his horse's reins, turning around to search for Wyatt.

              Jayden's arm wrapped around my shoulder as he walked with me. "Lucky for you Sweetheart, I don't have much to do at this rodeo, and there's no one else here that I'm interested in spending the day with."

              "Lucky me," I said sarcastically. I couldn't be too annoyed with him though, at least I wouldn't be wandering around the rodeo all alone. "Where's the first event then?"

              Jayden walked over to a large trunk by the fence and opened it, pulling out a bridle. He quickly replaced the halter on Wingman's head with the bridle, and closed the trunk before saying, "Let's go for a ride."

              Jayden swung up onto Wingman's back with ease, before reaching down for my hand. Normally, I would try to get on the horse by myself, but with him riding Wingman bareback, it left me with no choice. I grabbed his hand and hopped upward, but lost momentum quickly, even with him pulling me up by my hand. Just as I started slipping back down Wingman's side, Jayden wrapped an arm around my waist, pulled me up into his lap.

              Wingman threw his head and pranced around, showing that he didn't hold the same patient and calm demeanor as Brooks.

              I moved my leg to the other side of Wingman, so that I was sitting right and had less of a chance of falling off. After my mount up, I didn't need anything else embarrassing to happen. Not that it mattered, Jayden's arm stayed securely around my waist, keeping me in place, while his other arm directed Wingman by his reins.

              Wingman lurched forward into a trot, his strides long, even as he high-stepped. It was a surprisingly smooth ride as we rode across the grounds towards the concession stands. I was glad we were moving quickly, because everyone was staring and it helped us get past them faster. Most eyes just seemed curious, but others, mostly from young women, looked angry. It was like they were trying to glare holes through my skin, and holding themselves back from ripping my hair from my head. The crowd became so thick that we had to slow down, and I realized that the glares weren't just filled with hatred; they were filled with jealousy.

              Were there really that many women interested in Jayden? If so, why was he so intent on being with me? He could easily pick any of the girls who looked ready to kill me.

              I felt his chin brush my neck as he nuzzled me, pressing a soft kiss there as he slowed Wingman to a stop.

              He swung down from behind me and I hopped down after him, barely landing safely before Wingman was shuffling to the side with a snort.

              I spotted Polly ahead of us with a group of other women, all talking and making motions with their hands. A banner above the area read “Pie Tasting Contest,” so I assumed the other women were Polly's competitors. After tasting Polly's pie, I wasn't sure how any of the other women could compete with it. They all seemed to be happy and neighborly and as we approached, I could even hear them discussing different ingredients.

              Polly caught sight of us and smiled cheerily, waving us over to her, "Girls, this is Nova, the sweet, young girl I've been telling ya’ about."

              I stiffened, wondering what Polly had been telling the other women about me. All eyes were immediately on me, some traveling over me with obvious distaste, while others smiled in welcome. Polly introduced me to each of the women, but there were so many of them, and they all resembled each other, that I couldn't keep track of who was who.

              "So this is the incendiary," one of the women said, looking down her nose at me through a small set of glasses. Her lips were squished together like she was sucking on a lemon. "Keep her away from my pie, I don't want her sabotaging the contest by conducting an act of arson on my dessert."

              "She would be doing you a favor. Mr. Keebly would prefer the burnt taste to whatever the hell’s in that disaster you call a pie," Jayden threw back at the prune-faced woman with a grin, even though his eyes were harsh.

              "Jayden!" Polly scolded even as her lips twitched with a withheld laugh.

              "Ah hush, Mildred. This young girl would do no such thing," another old woman commented, patting my shoulder with affection, "and when has your pie ever won a prize?"

              Prune face, or Mildred as the woman had called her, turned even more sour, her face wrinkling up in disgust and anger before she let out a loud huff and stormed away from the group.

              What an old hag.

              "Don't mind her Honey, she's just as sour as the pies she makes," Polly said, smiling at me.

              "Isn't that the truth. Did ya see when Mr. Keebly took a bite of it? I thought he was going to suck his tongue down his throat from how sour it was!" another woman said, half laughing through what she was saying. The other women laughed along with her.

              A man stepped forward with a microphone in his hand, walking around where the pies were laid out. "After taste tasting all of the pies here today and judging the different attributes for each one, we have come up with an outstanding winner of this contest. This is her ninth time in a row winning this contest, so give her a big round of applause for holding the crown, Polly De la Cruz!" The crowd cheered for Polly as she stepped forward, letting one of the women pin a pie shaped crown pendant onto her blouse.

              All the other contestants, aside from Mildred, seemed happy about it, being good sports and clapping along with the crowd. Mildred the prune face grabbed her pie and threw it in a rage into a trash can before stomping away through the crowd.

              Jayden led me off through the concession area, buying hot dogs for the both of us to eat. He took a large bite of one, wrinkling his nose in a half snarl like he was devouring it, then winked at me. It was fun to see this side of Jayden, watching him relax and be himself. Even though he was still flirting constantly, it wasn't with the same heat and intensity as it usually was.

              He led the way to the stands, tying Wingman to one of the corrals. A clown was dancing around in the middle of the arena, a small bull chasing him around as he exaggerated running away from it. After a few minutes, the clown ran back through one of the gates, then came back through a few minutes later, wiping his brow like he thought he had finally gotten rid of it. It came back through the gate behind him, and Landon and another man I didn't recognize rode in to rope the bull. They removed the bull from the arena, the crowd clapping good naturally.

              The crowd was laughing at the clown, enjoying themselves while they waited for the rodeo start.

              I lifted my drink to my mouth, taking a sip from it. I felt Jayden's cheek brush mine as he ducked down, using his tongue to pull the straw from my mouth so he could take a drink from it himself.

              "Hey!" I yelled, pulling the drink away. What was it with this guy trying to steal my food and drink? Didn't he learn his lesson last time?

              Jayden swiftly turned his head and pressed his lips against mine. His tongue ran across my lips, temporarily wiping away the anger I’d felt the moment before. When he pulled back, I could see the confidence that he held in knowing how much he affected me. He winked at me.

              A group of guys rode out through the arena and the announcer began speaking; introducing each rider and to give them a big round of applause for participating. I looked over at Jayden, finding his jaw clenched. It must feel weird to see something he enjoyed doing so much from the outside. If he was feeling this bad now, I couldn't imagine how he would feel later when they were actually doing the bull riding. I needed to come up with something to distract him when that time came.

              I spotted Wyatt helping with some gates around one side of the arena and after most of the riders cleared out, a calf was released and they chased it for a few yard before pulling up and guiding it into a pen.

              "Why did they do that?" I asked Jayden.

              "That's the tester calf, and the others will want to go right in when everything starts, because there's already one inside. Calves are just like people; they can't stand being alone for very long."

              I nodded in acknowledgement at what he had said. I watched as group after group of cowboys took their shot at team roping, doing the same thing that I had seen Dylan and Landon do the other day for practice. Some were fast and had the calf on the ground in the blink of an eye, while others couldn't even get the calf roped.

              When Landon and Dylan appeared in the arena and took their positions beside the pen, I whistled loudly and waved. They glanced my way and tipped their hats before focusing again on what they were doing. When the bell rang and the calf darted out, Lance and Bonnie lunged forward after it. Dylan swung the rope with ease over the calf's horns. While Landon was tossing his rope to get its back legs, Bonnie stumbled, causing Landon's rope to come in at a weird angle. It barely wrapped around one of the back legs of the calf. My breath caught in my throat, but Bonnie straightened up quickly with enough time to help Lance keep the calf immobile while Landon tied it up.

              All in all, it was a great run, but Bonnie stumbling had cost them first place. As long as everyone was okay. My cowboys were better than the other ones out there anyway, no matter what the scores said.

              Arms wrapped around my shoulders from where I sat in the stands, but they weren't Jayden’s. I glanced behind me as Starre climbed over the bench to squeeze in beside me. "Sorry I'm late, I decided to search for Trevor, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I asked some of the guys and they said he hadn't even entered any of the competitions," Starre rambled on, her eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought and confusion. "Do you know where he is Jayden?"

              Jayden's smirk fell from his face and his back went rigid. "I should go help with the broncs and bulls. I'll see you later Sweetheart," Jayden cupped my face in his hands, his lips pressing against mine as his tongue slipped into my mouth to dance with mine for a few toe curling seconds. Even as my senses tingled from his kiss, there was the little voice of common sense that told me he was doing this to keep his lips occupied so he didn’t have to answer Starre. He pulled back, making a point of ignoring Starre as he walked off.