Chapter 4

Although they had been best friends and casual lovers since their high school rodeo days, almost inseparable for more than a decade, the cement of their bond suddenly seemed to be breaking down. Casa struggled with new and troubling notions.

Since the rodeo, he seemed to have stepped into a leadership role. Jason had limited mobility with a bright blue cast on his leg. He’d be laid up for at least six weeks, which put more work and responsibility on the three lead wranglers, but somehow Casa had become the one giving most of the orders, taking charge in a quiet but competent way. At one time, that role would have probably fallen to Spark, but things had undergone a subtle shift recently. New connections had begun to form, links with such power they had begun to erode the closeness the three buddies shared. Casa had started to exert more leadership and initiative, as Stace and Spark were no longer quite as involved as they had been.