I shake my head and start walking, vowing that I’m gonna keep my ass inside tonight.
The problem is, even as I tell myself that, I already know I’m lying.
Axle
The first two weeks of rodeo school flew by, and a fresh crop of students will be filing in tomorrow.
I’m halfway through setting up the practice chute for this afternoon’s bucking bronc lesson. Which will be the last session we have with this group.
I’ve never been much for riding bucking horses. Always preferred the back of a bull, but the training and mentality aren’t all that different.
I’m lost in my thoughts about how quickly these days have gone and how I wish I’d had more one-on-one time with each of the kids when the familiar rumble of a side-by-side cuts across the arena.
I glance up at the sound.
The Wyoming sun beats down on the dirt. Dust hangs in the air while Royce wrestles with a gate chain on the far side.
Cabe is driving the ATV, but the surprise is the man sitting next to him.
I blink. “What the hell?”
The side-by-side rolls to a stop beside the fence.
Micah Trust climbs out, wearing a huge grin.
Micah is our cousin. His father is our dad’s younger brother, Gabe. He and Aunt Leah live in Casper, which is where we lived before moving here.
I plant both hands on my hips. “What are you doing in Wildhaven?”
Micah shuts the door and leans against it like he owns the place. “Good to see you too, Ax.”
Royce looks up from the gate. His eyebrows climb. “Holy shit. Micah?”
“The one and only,” Micah quips.
I stare at my cousin.
Last I heard, he was working on a ranch down in Texas. Before that, he’d spent time in Montana. Before that, somewhere in Oklahoma.
Micah never stays put for longer than a season.
“What are you doing here?” I ask again.
Micah grins. “I’m here to work.”
I raise an eyebrow.Work?“At the academy?”
Sure, he’s one hell of a cowboy, but he’s never been particularly interested in rodeo.
Before I can ask another question, Cabe hops out. “Nope. He’s here to work for me.”
“With,” Micah clarifies. “I’m here to workwithyou.”
I narrow my eyes. “On the ranch?”
Cabe folds his arms over his chest. “We needed another experienced cowboy because we’re adding to the herd.”
Now I’m even more confused. “What herd?”
