AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stop hiding behind her skirt,” Mick said.
It was a little embarrassing that she thought he needed help. But truthfully, he was outnumbered. Dylan didn’t want LeAnn in a fight, but he also didn’t want her to get pissed at him for telling her again to stay out of it.
“You tell her to back off. She doesn’t listen to me,” Dylan said.
“I’m not listening to any of y’all,” LeAnn said. “This can’t happen. Mick, you’re trying to sabotage our chance with Sierra Boots.” She looked around as if she expected the sponsor to pop out of one of the back booths. “Let’s just get out of here before things get ugly.”
“It’s already ugly,” Mick said.
Bobby walked up to Dylan, and Dylan tensed for the blow. Fighting against Mick was one thing. Fighting against a brother mourning his dead kin was another. He straightened and stuck his chin out.
“Take your shot,” Dylan said, and dropped his hands. He wasn’t surprised that Mick rushed in to take advantage of his hands being down, but he was surprised when Bobby turned and met Mick’s charge with a fist in his face. Bobby followed it up with another one to the nose, and a shot to the stomach for good measure.
It was over before it began. Dylan didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
“Get the hell out of here,” the bartender said, then pointed at Mick. “And take him with you.”
“Sorry for the mess.” Dylan put a few twenties on the bar.
He and Bobby pulled a dry-heaving Mick up by his armpits and dragged him out into the parking lot. Dylan’s ribs weren’t thanking him for the extra activity, so maybe it was a good thing he and Mick hadn’t gotten into it. Then they walked away from Mick, who was still trying to get back to his feet.
“I appreciate the help. I’d have thought you would have taken a shot at me,” Dylan said, still puzzled that Bobby hadn’t. Reaching down, he entwined his fingers with LeAnn’s.
“That’s not me. Besides, my father gave you a hard enough time. I wanted to apologize for his behavior.”
“He’s entitled to his anger,” Dylan said.
“Yeah, but not at you. Johnny had nothing but good words to say about you, and he improved under your coaching.”
Something tight in Dylan’s chest started to unravel at Bobby words. He hadn’t known that he needed to hear those words until Bobby said them.
“Dad doesn’t really blame you. None of us do. As time goes by, I think he’ll see that. I just want to let you know you don’t have to worry about him. My mother made him promise not to go to any more rodeos.”
“I’m sorry he won’t be there to watch you win events.”
Bobby shrugged. “It means I don’t have to listen to him when I lose. I’m never going to do rodeo as a career. I’m not that talented. I have a job. I work Monday through Friday and travel to the local shows. I can’t travel all the time, like you guys do. But I like it, and it’s fun, even though it did take my brother from me.”
“You’ve got talent,” Dylan said. “Don’t give up on your dream to be a rodeo star.”
Bobby gave a half-smile. “That was more my brother’s dream. My dream is to ask my girl to marry me and settle down in a nice house and raise a couple kids.”
“That’s a good dream,” LeAnn said.
Dylan bit back a sigh. It was a good dream, but one he couldn’t provide for LeAnn. It felt like he didn’t deserve her loyalty.
“I can’t do that traveling from rodeo to rodeo.”
His words hit Dylan in the gut worse than Mick’s fist would have. He nodded. “I get that.” And he did, because he’d chosen the traveling rodeo life over settling down for the last ten years or so. He’d been doing rodeo for so long, Dylan didn’t know anything else. Maybe this job with Mr. Hickory’s bulls would allow him to settle down, but then, maybe it wouldn’t. For now, at least, Dylan still had a few good rides left in him to try and make his fortune.
“My brother didn’t know when to quit,” Bobby continued. “Most of time, that was a good thing. But he had no business being on that bull and he knew it. He told me that you didn’t want him to ride it, and he thought that you were holding him back out of jealousy.”
“I had no idea he felt that way.” Dylan shook his head. “That wasn’t the case at all.”
“I saw that because I had some distance from it. But Johnny would never have been able to understand. I’m not saying that what happened to Johnny was inevitable, but had he listened to you and your coaching, maybe he would have been alive today. And that’s on him—not on you. I just wanted to let you know that.”
“Thank you,” Dylan said, his throat tightening with emotion. “That means a lot.”
They heard police sirens, and the serious mood was broken.
