Chapter 31: Taming a Wild Horse

Luke was almost out of ideas. How could he get Hallie to see him as anything other than a womanizing jerk? It probably didn’t help that her first impression of him was that of a literally falling-down drunk.

When one of the ranch hands invited him to a barbecue, Luke thought it was a good opportunity to relax and take a break from chasing that stubborn blond.

Johnny drove him to the neighboring ranch where the party had already started. It was another sweltering day, but some of the cowboys were practicing saddle bronc riding in a nearby corral.

Luke and Johnny went over to see the action, grabbing a couple of beers on their way. Pretty soon, they were chatting with the owner of the ranch, a guy in his thirties called Paul and a few of his buddies.

Luke noticed one of Travis’s friends who had threatened him that time at the dance. He was a little leery at first, wondering if another fight was inevitable as the big guy came towards him.

“You’re Ken, Travis’s friend, right?”