Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Sienna and I laughed at the stereotypical visual he probably got from movies. Though, he wasn’t wrong. “It’s definitely a form of entertainment round here.”
“And Zee might enjoy seein’ you,” Sienna said. “It’s been a while.”
Zach was my best friend from high school, who’d been on the rodeo circuit for years. We texted occasionally, but I’d missed his show the last few years when he’d been in town. But who could blame me?
“Yeah, it would be good to see him,” I replied, then glanced at Julian.
“What do you think?” Sienna asked.
Julian shrugged. “Sounds fun to me.”
Ainsley didn’t enjoy rodeos, mainly because the bulls were scary and she felt sorry for the steers during the roping events. Looking at it from her perspective, I could see her point. Now I wondered if Julian would feel the same. But it would be refreshing to at least get off the farm and do something different.
After corralling the goats from the pasture, we loaded into my truck to drive to the ranch for our family dinner.
It wasn’t until the middle of Mom’s famous chicken fried steak that I noticed my father focusing on Julian, who was across the table from me. Then Hunter seemed to spot the same thing as my father, and my heart clenched.
“What’s that on your fingers?” my father scoffed. “Nail polish?” His gaze instantly swung to me, as if I’d influenced Julian simply by being gay.
The entire table fell silent, and I felt Sienna panicking beside me, which didn’t make a lot of sense—unless it had something to do with Brad showing up about five minutes before dinner and taking a seat beside her.
Julian squared his shoulders. “Ainsley was messing around with makeup, and I was her guinea pig.”
“Looks good on you,” Travis said tongue in cheek, which brought the exact levity needed.
Julian fanned his fingers dramatically. “Right?”
Most people at the table laughed, including my parents, but I distinctly heard Hunter mumble under his breath, “City boys.”
I could feel Julian’s gaze on me as everyone dug back into their food, and when our eyes met, he smirked, which made me think he’d deliberately left the polish on to…what? Challenge my family’s ideals of masculinity? Yeah, I was reaching. But Julian definitely seemed fine in his own skin with or without the nail polish.
A couple of hours later, I was ready to head home. Again, Sienna decided to stay longer, as she and Brad were involved in a conversation with some neighbors who’d stopped by.
At the last minute, Ainsley said she was tired, likely from all the running around with her cousins, and drove home with me and Julian. She dozed in the truck, and I felt a stitch in my chest as I looked over at Julian, who had his arm around her.
“Nice nails,” I quipped.
He smirked. “I thought your brother was going to have a heart attack. But your dad took my excuse well.”
“Probably because it’s you…not his son.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it is what it is.”
After getting Ainsley to bed, we sat on the porch with a beer, but this time staying far apart. It was just as well, since not long after, Brad pulled up with Sienna.
She looked a bit flushed when she got out of the truck. “Night,” she said abruptly before hightailing it inside the house.
As Julian watched Brad’s truck pull away, I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was about those two. I knew I should talk to Sienna about it, but I was too chicken to put her on the spot. Maybe she needed some time to work through her feelings too.
17
Julian
Kerry was taking me to see my first rodeo, and the tension in the truck couldn’t have been thicker, given all the stolen looks and accidental brushes since our kiss, which was honestly beginning to feel like a figment of my imagination. And though we’d gotten to steadier ground by continuing to enjoy the friendship we’d developed, it was hard to ignore the almost constant urges to touch him in more meaningful ways.
I was going to guess it wasn’t any different for him either, and frankly, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Hey, listen,” I said in a hesitant voice. “I’m sorry I… Can we just…”
“Yes.” He blew out a breath. “It’s my fault. I’m the one who kissed you, remember?” I nodded. “I’ll admit I think about it all the time, but I enjoy your friendship too. And I don’t want to ruin—”
“Please stop. No need to explain about Sienna again. And I obviously enjoy your company too. So let’s just…move on.” I lifted my hand to fist-bump him, and when he responded in kind, we both smiled, seemingly settled with our resolution. At least from the outside.
We spent the remainder of the ride talking about stuff I’d never in my life thought of before, like how big a moneymaker rodeos were not only in Wyoming, but in states across the country.