Riding the Line Read Free

insists he needs on his ranch.’
    Dakota smiled at the mention of their big brother. ‘I’ll do that.’
    ‘You concentrate on getting your ass to Los Angeles, do you hear me? Prairie Dawg Boots is depending on you.’
    Dakota grimaced as he turned off his phone. Yeah, that was just what he needed, a guilt trip about his responsibilities to his new family. Dakota had agreed to help Jay out with the ads for his boot company after the original guy crashed out of bull riding for good. At the time, he’d been glad for the money.
    Now, it seemed he’d become the face of Prairie Dawg Boots, whatever the hell that meant, and the advertising company had built the rest of the campaign around him. He was due to star in his first commercial at the end of the week and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
    Acting wasn’t his thing, but it had been impossible to say no to his brother without creating the kind of commotion that split families apart. The kind of wrangle he’d spent his whole life trying to avoid. So here he was again, about to do something he had no interest in, just to keep the peace.
    He checked his white Ford truck, made sure it was secure and headed back to the motel. He was a cowboy, not an actor, dammit. And if he aspired to anything, it wasn’t fame and fortune, but a secure job in a field he loved.
    A dog barked somewhere in the distance and a lone pickup truck crawled past him. He kept walking, the dust kicked up by his boots shimmered in the orange glow of the street lights. If he missed the shoot, what would Jay do? Kick his ass all the way to Africa probably, and lose a lot of money in the process. He couldn’t do that to his half-brother.
    He quickened his pace as the motel came into view around the corner, an oasis of glaring light in the stifling darkness. Would Jane still be there or would she have dis appeared with her painkillers and the free toiletries from the bathroom?
    Sometimes it was hard having Grayson and Jay Turner for half-brothers. Grayson had their father’s magic touch with money and combined running a horse stud with his business interests. Jay was so damned stubborn and competitive that he’d reinvented himself from washed-up rodeo star to boot maker in a little over a year.
    At least Dakota had been able to avoid contact with his real father. His mother had been the one to end her marriage with Beau Turner and walk away with their young son. She’d remarried and given Dakota a stable home, a new surname and a stepfather who adored him. He’d never faced the uncertainties his brothers had. Maybe that’s why he felt he owed them something and why he was prepared to make sacrifices to keep them happy.
    He walked past the main office, added a bucket of ice from the machine at the corner to his load, and knocked gently on the door of number fifteen. There was no answer so he fished out his key and quietly opened the door.
    Jane lay on her side, facing away from him on the farthest bed. She still had her coat on and her knees were drawn up to her chest. He let out his breath, glad that she’d trusted him enough to stay put. He pulled off his boots, hoped his welded-on spurs didn’t jingle too much and left them and his Stetson by the door.
    A crack of light showed under the bathroom door and he crept toward it. He really needed a shower and something to eat but he hated the thought of waking her.
    ‘It’s OK, I’m not asleep.’
    He paused, his palm flat on the door. ‘Are you sure about that? You look sleepy to me.’
    ‘That’s the painkillers. I’m OK, really I feel much better.’
    He nodded at the grocery bag on the table. ‘Give me a minute to wash up and then we’ll eat some of this junk before we turn in, OK?’
    She sat up and watched him until he closed the door behind him. The small cramped space reminded him of his horse trailer, which he hated sleeping in unless he had to. He stretched out his arms and touched both walls. Yeah, it was just as claustrophobic as