“Let’s go, Tuck! Ride ’em, cowboy!” In the bleachers above the ring, Shane put his pinkies in his mouth and whistled loudly as Ari and Paige sat next to him, cheering. Tuck was down in the chute, settling into his saddle on the bronc that would try its damnedest to buck him off. He was the last participant in this event and needed a score of seventy-seven on his eight-second ride to win the competition. Shane knew it was possible, Tuck’s best score in the past had been an eighty-one. In fact, the man could have gone pro years ago, but that would have meant being on the road constantly, moving from state to state, with no guarantee an injury wouldn’t end his career before he’d seen the big money. So, instead, he’d stayed in the amateur ranks and did it for fun. He’d won numerous times and had a bunch of gold and silver buckles to prove it. Tuck had put the money that’d come with them in the bank for their daughter’s college fund. There was a tidy sum in there, and it would be enough for tuition for any number of schools, depending on what Ari wanted to study.

The aromas of chili, popcorn, fried foods, leather, hay, and dung wafted over the rodeo grounds. A few airhorns went off, and a rodeo clown joked with the crowd while waiting for the signal indicating the next rider was ready.

When the announcer called out Tuck’s name over the loudspeaker, it was met with applause and hollers in support of the local boy. As the guy in charge of opening the chute prepared to pull the rope attached to the gate, Tuck finally signaled he was ready. When the horse was released into the ring, all four hooves left the ground as Tuck held on for dear life. His spurs were touching the horse above the shoulder, as required, when the hooves landed for the first time with a thud in the ring. One hand held onto the reins attached to a halter, while the other hand was above his head for balance as he quickly found his rhythm with the bucking mass beneath him. His feet remained in the stirrups as he was tossed about. The horse spun, twisted, and kicked its hind legs high in the air, trying to throw its rider. Dust and dirt were sprayed into the air every time the horse’s hooves hit the ground. The crowd got to their feet, yelling and whistling as the seconds ticked by. Tuck’s cowboy hat went flying from his head, but he stayed glued to the saddle.

No matter how many times Shane had watched his husband compete, he still held his breath until the buzzer sounded. As she stood beside him, Paige’s lungs didn’t seem to be working either. Her hands were clasped under her chin as she watched the action with wide eyes.

Eight seconds felt like eight hours, but when the time was finally up, and the buzzer went off loud enough for him to hear, Tuck let go of the reins and not-so-gracefully dismounted, rolling and stumbling out of the way of the still bucking horse. The rodeo clown and a few cowboys got between Tuck and the animal, which began to calm down after noticing his rider was gone. Cheers filled the air as Tuck picked up his hat and flung it into the air in celebration. It’d been a great ride but how great depended on the judges. Fifty points were based on the rider, while the other fifty rated the horse’s attempt to rid itself of the man on its back.

All eyes were on the large, electronic scoreboard on the opposite end of the ring. If this had been one of the bigger rodeos, there would have been a replay of the ride on a jumbo screen. All they could do was wait. Tuck’s gaze was on the board as he strode toward the section of the bleachers where his family was sitting, his recovered hat back on his head. Meanwhile the prancing horse had been ushered out of the ring. Tuck put one boot on the bottom rung of the fencing and hoisted himself up, still staring at the scoreboard.

When the digital numbers lit up, announcing a score of seventy-nine, he jumped back into the ring, throwing his hat and hands in the air as the crowd went wild. Shane suddenly found Paige plastered against his chest, her arms around his neck. He picked her up and hugged her tightly, before setting her down again. Swinging Arianna up in the air, he hurried down a few steps to where Tuck was now waiting for them. Shane handed over their daughter, and Tucker walked a short victory lap around the center of the ring with her on his shoulders. It was something he’d done every time he’d won since she’d been eleven months old.

Shane put his arm around Paige’s waist and tucked her into his side. She was breathless and placed a hand on his chest. “Oh, my God! That was amazing! I knew he could ride but actually watching him is a totally different thing!”

He couldn’t help but bend down and whisper in her ear. “I prefer watching him ride you, sweetheart.”

Her cheeks burned bright red, and he busted out laughing. Damn, I love this woman.

Pulling Paige into his arms, Tuck did a simple two-step to the music as they made their way around the dance floor. Several large tents had been set up on the rodeo grounds and cold beer, good food, country music from a live band, and loud conversation were on everyone’s agenda tonight. The competitions were over, and the buckles and prize money had all been awarded. Tuck wore his new gold buckle on his belt.

He stared down at Paige. “I know I said this earlier, but you look beautiful tonight, darlin’.” It was the first time he’d ever seen her all gussied up and in a dress, and he’d be damned if it was the last time. The retro, ivory-lace garment draped over her curves, stopping just below the tops of her vintage, button-up boots. The dress was mostly off the shoulder, held up by two thin straps. Not the first time that night, he leaned down and kissed the exposed skin where her neck and shoulder met.

“Thank you. You’re looking mighty handsome tonight too.” She smiled as she brushed her hand over his chest, before returning it to the spot just above his clavicle. “Because of you and Shane, I’ve been getting a lot of jealous glares.” Both men were wearing their best, snug jeans—black for Tuck, dark blue for Shane—crisp, white, western shirts, cowboy boots, and black hats. Tuck wouldn’t exactly call himself handsome, but his husband looked downright fuckable. Even after all the years they’d been together, it still amazed Tuck that Shane was the only man he’d ever been attracted to. Not that he was planning on straying. In fact, if something happened to his husband, Tuck knew he’d never have another intimate relationship with someone of the same gender ever again.

He winked at her as he steered her around a slower couple. “Let ’em be jealous. We’ve only got eyes for you.” Hell, he loved when her cheeks were splashed with pink.

“The feeling is mutual.”

His cock stirred in his jeans at the husky tone of her voice. He was looking forward to taking her and Shane home and fucking them both silly tonight. Arianna was sleeping at Nicole’s house, with the woman’s mother babysitting for the evening, so the trio could be as loud as they wanted throughout the night, which Tuck planned on doing. As they always did the day after the annual Rodeo Bonanza, the owners and employees of Red River Ranch would take the day off, for the most part. Only the bare-minimum of work needed to be done, like feeding and watering the animals. Coins had been tossed to see who would handle the morning feedings and who’d took care of the evening ones. Shane would be getting up early with Seth and a few other hands, before returning to Tucker and Paige in their extra-large, king-sized bed.

Most of the residents of Hazard Falls would be too exhausted from the hectic weekend, so only a few businesses would be opening. Years ago, the local school district had declared the Monday after a holiday, of sorts, so the students would be off as well. During the following week, the townsfolk would work together to take down the tents, other temporary structures, and fencing at the rodeo grounds. Everything would be stored away until next year.

A couple moved in next to them, and the guy hip-checked Tuck. Pulling his gaze from Paige, he laughed when he saw it was Shane, taking Betty Lou for a spin around the dance floor. The two men had been taking turns dancing with their woman all evening, which had obviously caused a stir. Word had spread about the kisses and hugs Shane and Tuck had exchanged with Paige over the past two days.

The men had never been big on public displays of affection between themselves, unless it was during small gatherings with their friends and family, but with Sarah, and now Paige, PDAs had become a normal occurrence. But there were plenty of Hazard Falls residents, and even a few tourists, who’d eyed them with disgust over the past forty-eight hours. Shane and Tuck had made sure that at least one of them was available to come between Paige and anyone who wanted to insult her for being with two men. If she’d needed to go to the ladies’ room, Lila, Nicole, or Lou went with her, although Paige hadn’t figured out yet that her lovers had asked the other women to watch her back. It wasn’t that they thought Paige couldn’t defend herself—they were sure she could—but some of the women in the small town could be downright nasty, especially if they teamed up. Again, they wanted her to become more comfortable in their relationship before she was exposed to the only real downside of it.

The two-step music changed over to one perfect for line dancing. Shane and Tucker lined up with everyone else and put Paige in between them. Lou ended up on the other side of Shane, but she stormed off the dance floor after Lane sidled up next to her. Tuck chuckled when the police officer grinned and shrugged his shoulders before shifting to get between two blonde twenty-somethings.

When the song ended, and Shane went to grab three beers from the bar, Tuck and Paige stood off to the side, trying to cool off. The night air was still humid but seemed to be letting up a bit. Paige waved her hands in front of her face, trying to create even the slightest of breezes. “What’s up with Lane and Betty Lou? She won’t say, and Nicole and Lila said they don’t know the whole story.”

Tuck took her hand and led her over to a table that’d just opened up. After they settled into two of the four folding chairs, he said, “I honestly don’t know what’s going on with them. Nicole probably knows more than I do. She grew up here, like Lou and Lane did. All I know is what Shane told me—they dated their senior year of high school, then broke up after graduation. Lane went and enlisted while Lou stayed in Hazard. She never gave anyone an explanation, to my knowledge, but was really pissed when he came back to town and took a job with the sheriff.” He grinned. “But the sexual tension between those two is freaking unbelievable. I can’t wait to see what happens when it comes to a head.”

“Me too. She talks and acts like she hates him, but she has a hard time keeping her eyes off him when she thinks no one’s watching.”

“I’ve noticed that too.”

“Noticed what?” Shane set a beer down in front of each of them, then took the seat on the other side of Paige.

“Lane and Lou,” his husband answered, simply knowing Shane would understand what he was referring to.

A broad, amused smile spread across Shane’s face. “Oh, to be a fly on the wall when that shit hits the fan.”

“Right?”

Tuck’s sister strode over, frowning. “Hey, guys, Seth sent me to get you. Some asshole slashed the tires and keyed the passenger side of Shane’s truck.”

“What?” Shock then rage coated Shane’s face as he jumped to his feet. “Motherfuckers!” He hurried toward the far side of the rodeo grounds, where he’d parked the vehicle earlier in the day.

Tuck stood to follow, then stopped, glancing down at Paige. She was having such a good time, he didn’t want the vandalism to disrupt it. Lila patted his shoulder. “Go. I’ll stay with her. Make sure he doesn’t kill anyone.”

Despite his sister’s offer, he still wanted to make sure Paige would be okay without them. “Paige?”

There was worry in her eyes, but she nodded. “I’m fine. Go with Shane. Like Lila said, make sure he doesn’t kill anyone.”

Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers, before whispering in her ear, “No worries. I have dirty plans for the two of you later, and they don’t involve Shane sitting in a jail cell.”

And there’s that blush I love to see.