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She grinned at him, rubbing her hand along his thigh under the table. “Yes, sir.”
He ignored how much her attitude, tone, and words turned him on, standing quickly. “Will four o’clock work? I should be done by then.”
“Anything for you, sir.”
He licked his lips at that before walking away, ignoring the seductive tone she chose. Damn rascal. He didn’t know why Ursula had taken a shine to Bailey, but that could change at any moment. He wouldn’t risk her safety because she wanted to show off whatever training skills she’d learned this week, but he also didn’t want to fight with her. Not today. Today would be a good day.
It was his last day as a trainer, and his last day with Bailey. Monday meant a whole new world for him, and there was no going back. So, when random ranch hands and a few off-duty border patrols showed up, he struggled to not be annoyed when they nodded or waved at him, then found a seat at the picnic table or moved back to the other pasture.
By the time he had finished his last horse, besides Ursula, there had to be at least twenty-five men and a few of the women hanging out waiting.But what really surprised him was when Axel and Nubia walked up and leaned against the fence near him.
“Afternoon, baby. How’s your last day going?”
“Afternoon. I can’t complain. Something I can help you with?”
“Here to see Bailey’s progress. I let her stay the week because she said she could tame Ursula. I want to see if she was bullshitting me or not.”
He kept his face neutral, only nodding in agreement. He was pretty sure she was bullshitting everyone. It’s one of the many things he loved about her.
Loved.
He clenched his jaw at that thought. He hadn’t allowed himself to think that, much less say it, but here it was, creeping up on him at the last minute.
“What’s your take? She make any progress?”
“Sorry, Alpha. I haven’t checked on her while she worked. Zhair stays with her. Said she wanted me to be surprised.”
At that, Nubia chuckled lightly. “She’s something, isn’t she?”
Again, he had to make sure he didn’t react because Nubia watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. He knew there was no hiding that he was hurting from them, but he could try.
“She is.”
He excused himself, hopping out of the round pen to head over to the pasture, linking Zhair as he went.
“Coming to get Ursula. There’s a whole crowd here.”
“No worries. We are bringing her through the fence now. Took her saddle off for you, and she’s been resting for the last couple of hours.”
Right then, he heard the chatter between Lana and Bailey as they rounded the corner, Bailey holding the rope, and Zhair walking behind messing with his phone.“Mom and Dad said they’d be here, and some of my friends just pulled up. Said there were a shit-ton of people here. Does that make you nervous?”
“Hell no. I like an audience. Will make this win so much sweeter.” She flashed a big smile at him and winked. “I should have placed a bet with Nas. Made him kiss my feet or call me the better horse trainer. Maybe get me a trophy that says ‘Better Than Nassau’ in sparkly pink letters. He’d have to kiss it every night before he went to bed, of course.”
Lana giggled, but Zhair snorted. “Bets have already been made. I’m bout to clean up today.”
He frowned at that. “What bets?”
“Bets on everything. How Ursula will act when you ride, if she’ll buck you off, if she’ll buck Bai off, if you can get a saddleon her, if Bailey can mount Urs by herself. You name it, there’s a bet.”
“Now, Z. That’s not fair for you to be betting and you know it.” But Bailey grinned despite getting on to him. “At least split your winnings with me. Fifty/fifty?”
Zhair looked at her in concentration, then nodded. “That seems fair enough. You are doing all the work.”
“None of this is a joke. Someone could get hurt, or Axel could send Ursula away. It’s not a damn rodeo show.” He had fallen in next to Bailey, taking Ursula’s reins from her, and now she reached out and patted his face mockingly.
“But it could be. Don’t be mad you’re not the star. There’s still time.”
He took a deep breath, trying not to lose his shit. This had turned into a three-ring circus. Especially when he watched her walk over to a big group of men, laughing and flirting with them. He wanted more than anything to pull her back, to keep the overly eager young shifters away from her.
