Page 16 of One Reckless Moment

I CAN DEFINITELY BE HER FRIEND… I THINK

CASH

My eyes cracked open to see the sun streaming in through the cheap sheer curtains in my motel room. My head was pounding from lack of sleep and my tongue felt like dry sandpaper. Most of the night I tossed and turned, fighting the urge to break Paige’s door down and see what she was hiding underneath that tiny set she called pajamas. The image of her opening the door in that silky pink set will forever be burned into my memory.

Paige nearly broke my heart last night when she asked why I hated her. I could never hate her. I’d teased her all these years in hopes she’d just move on…but then when I saw her moving on, I got so jealous it made me act like a child.

I rolled out of bed and took a hot shower to clear my head before walking my bags out to the truck. I spotted Paige sitting on the tailgate with her legs crossed, sipping on a to-go cup of coffee while scrolling through her phone. She was wearing a pair of cut off jean shorts with a black tank top and tan cowgirl boots. Her long blonde hair was braided over her shoulder and a tan flat brim hat shielded her face from the sun.

“Mornin’, Boss,” Buck said, tipping his cup of coffee to me as he leaned against the side of the truck.

“You know I’m not your boss, right?” I asked as I approached him.

“You are while we’re on the road.” Buck shrugged and took a sip of his drink. He gestured at a tray of identical cups sitting next to Paige.

“Technically, wouldn’t I be the boss?” Paige chimed in, causing me and Buck to face her.

“No,” Buck said at the same time I said, “Over my dead body.”

“Rude,” Paige scoffed, taking another sip of her drink as I reached for one on the tray with a “C” on the lid.

Taking a sip, I locked eyes with Paige. The little trouble maker had memorized my coffee order years ago. Yet another detail we had to pretend we didn’t know about each other. She knew I liked mine black with two sugars, and I knew she liked hers with caramel and cream.

I shook my head. “Where’s Tweety?”

Buck winced. “He hit the bottle a little too hard last night…but speak of the devil.” He tsked as he looked past my shoulder.

I glanced over to see Tweety sulking toward us with his sunglasses on and his head hung low.

“You better get this shit out of your system now because once events start, I’ll have your asses if you roll up drunk or hungover.”

“Yes, Boss,” Tweety mumbled as he threw his bag into the truck bed next to where Paige was sitting.

Paige giggled as he dropped his head into her lap and groaned. She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled at him softly.

I rolled my eyes as I walked past them, dropping my bag into the trunk and nudging Tweety with my shoulder to keep him moving. He grunted, but picked his head up and moved to the rear door on the driver’s side of the truck.

I smirked, assuming he got the message.

We piled in and started in the direction of Colhead, Montana. It was late April, which meant it was still early for local rodeo events. There were a few we were going to hit before they picked up in June and July so I could get my feet wet and not make a huge ass of myself. We had the event this weekend and then two more over the next two weeks in Eastern Montana.

All of these rodeos were local and sponsored by the Professional Rodeos Cowboy Association. If I won enough money during these events, I could buy my way into the professional circuit next season and really compete for money.

I was happy where I was in life personally and professionally, but if I could make some money on my own, maybe I could afford to buy a chunk of land on Brooks Valley Ranch to build my own place like Walker had. I could make something that was truly mine.

About three hours later, we rolled onto the main drag of the tiny Eastern Montana town and made our way a few blocks to our rental. Mr. Brooks arranged for us to rent a house a little outside of town since all of the events were within about a couple of hours. It was easier to rent this house for the month than to move from hotel to hotel.

Once we pulled in front of the modest two-story house, Paige immediately jumped out and marched up to the front door like she owned the place. She punched in the code and walked through the door, leaving us to tote her suitcases inside like the fucking little princess she was.

The house was modern and clean. There were all-white walls and black accents with light butcher block countertops. The front had a wraparound porch and a single car garage. There were three bedrooms as well as a small loft above the garage that had a bed and a small bathroom.

I dropped my bags onto the floor in one of the bedrooms before joining in the living room where Tweety and Buck were already drinking beers. Buck cracked one open and handed it to me.

“So what’s the move for tonight?” Buck asked, leaning back and taking a long pull of his beer.

“Let’s go out,” Tweety said with a little too much excitement.

I paused, debating how to let the guys down easy.