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Franco had stars in his eyes. “Think I could ever give it a try?”
“Maybe in a few years.” As gruff as he was, Kirby was also a great teacher. He might take on a student like Franco if he showed promise. But the kid would have to prove he was a hard worker first. Thatch had renovated half the man’s house before he’d agreed to take him on as a client.
“A lot of riders start out younger than me even.” Franco’s tone made it sound like he was offended Thatch thought he couldn’t do it. At least the kid had some drive, a competitive spirit. That was a good start.
“It’s best to get through high school first.” He wouldn’t miss a chance to steer Franco in the right direction. “And then get good training. That’s the key. When I moved here, I could hardly even ride a horse.”
Franco laughed. “Then I’ve already got a head start. I’ve been riding since I was four.”
“That is a good start, but bronc riding is completely different.” Thatch caught a glimpse of Lyric and Elina. It appeared, based on the girl’s body language, that they were having a one-sided discussion with Lyric doing most of the talking.
Since he had Franco as a captive audience, he mightas well do a little recon work and find out more about their relationship. “So how long have you and Elina been dating?”
“I don’t know.” The kid was still eyeing Notorious. “Eight months maybe.”
“You didn’t tell her Lyric was going to be at the arena today, did you?” He was surprised the girl hadn’t taken off yet.
“That lady’s intense. No offense, man. I know she’s your girlfriend and everything, but…” Franco looked over his shoulder at Lyric. “She freaked out on us in front of everyone at the store. Like she thought I was gonna hurt Elina or something.”
So Franco knew exactly what Lyric thought of him. Interesting. “I hope you’d never hurt a woman.” Thatch watched the kid’s face intently for any sign of guilt.
“Man, I’m not that stupid. I know I shouldn’t have told her to shut up, but she said much worse to me right before that. We were arguing because she wanted me to steal a pair of sunglasses, and I told her hell no.”
Say what? “She wanted you to shoplift for her?” That was a red flag if he’d ever seen one. “Does she ask you to do that a lot?”
“Never. But things have been really tight for her family money-wise.” Franco walked closer to the fence, staring at the bronc again. “Don’t worry, dude. I wouldn’t shoplift, and I wouldn’t lay a hand on her. Elina would hurt me back if I ever crossed a line. She’s much stronger than she looks. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.” Granted, he didn’t know the kid well. But from what he’d seen so far, Franco had a good head on his shoulders. As good as a teenage boy could haveanyway. He wasn’t perfect, but nothing about him indicated violence. So why would Lyric assume the worst before she’d gotten to know him?
Thatch wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. But he was also starting to put the pieces together. Lyric didn’t want to be here at the arena. Her ex-husband had been a rider. It wasn’t too hard to figure out that the man had hurt her somehow. Maybe it was none of his business, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t care about her, fake relationship or not.
“Hey, I’m gonna go find Kirby so we can get this party started.” And so he could ask the man a few questions.
“Sounds good to me.” The kid climbed up on the fence like he wanted a front-row seat.
Thatch wandered behind the barrels until he found Kirby and his assistant Rich talking near the feed storage.
“You finally ready?” the old man grouched. “’Cuz I don’t got all day here.”
“In a minute.” Thatch nodded for Kirby to walk with him. “What do you know about Luke Copeland?”
The man didn’t even hesitate. “Lives in northern Colorado. Still competes some. He’s an asshole from what I’ve heard. Been in trouble with the law a few times earlier in his career for getting violent. Why?”
“I heard his name and got curious.” He glanced to where Lyric and Elina had joined Franco by the fence. So Luke had been the violent type. Now he had a more complete picture.
“Sounds like Copeland will be right here in Star Valley for the Rodeo Days. So you can see him for yourself.” Kirby motioned for Rich to move to the chute gate. “You’ll get to compete against him.” He snorted. “Good luck.”
“He’s competing?” Thatch’s stomach clenched. Lyric’s ex-husband was coming to Star Valley?
“He’s on the list,” Kirby said impatiently. “Doubt he’s gonna be here for the scenery. Now let’s get moving. I’ve got another client coming in half an hour.”
“Right.” Thatch had to battle for focus. Whatever had happened between Lyric and her ex-husband had been a long time ago. Before he’d known her. And she’d made it clear that her past was none of his business. She hadn’t wanted to talk about it, so he would have to let go. But he would be watching over her while Luke was in town.
“Just about ready,” he called to his cheerleaders at the fence. He walked to the bench and pulled on his chest protector.
“You got this.” Franco gave him a thumbs-up.
“Any day now, hotshot.” Kirby stood with Rich at the gate.
