Boots and Buckles by Myla Jackson Page A

last night?”
    Grant yanked a coffee mug from the cabinet and slammed it on the counter. “None of your goddamn business.”
    Sam backed up a step. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.” He tossed his hat on a chair and reached for another mug. “Gonna be a nice day for a rodeo.”
    “Yeah, whatever.” Grant poured coffee into his mug, some of it sloshing over onto his hand. He jerked it away and flapped. “Damn.”
    “Here.” Sam pulled a paper towel off the roll and handed it to Grant. “You should put that burn under cold water.”
    Grant jerked his hand away from Sam, grumbling. “I know what to do.”
    Sam stared at Grant. “You got a bug up your butt about something? If so, spit it out.”
    Grant ran his hand under cold water, his jaw tight, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “I got nothin’ to say.”
    “Good, then I’ll take care of the horses while you get your shit together.” Sam left the trailer, wondering what had gotten his partner all jacked up. Grant hadn’t been this surly since he quit binge drinking. If he wasn’t mistaken, the man was angry and frustrated. If he had left with the woman on the dance floor, had she gotten him all hot and bothered then turned him down? It was the only thing Sam could think of. He’d give Grant some room to cool off and get his game face on. Hopefully, he’d be in his right mind when they had to perform that afternoon.
     
    Grant had no one to blame but himself. He’d spent the night tossing and turning after leaving Tacey’s trailer, only to get up in a foul mood with a hard-on that hurt. A cold shower and a fight with the coffee maker only made his temper worse.
    When Sam showed up at the trailer with a smile and an I-just-got-laid look, that was all he could take. More than likely he’d gotten laid by the woman Grant had come to Temptation to win back. He should have felt like a heel for taking his temper out on Sam, but he couldn’t. All he wanted to do was punch his partner in the face.
    Unless Mona had set him straight, Sam didn’t know squat about Grant’s past relationship with the pretty hairstylist. Based on how obliviously happy he’d been when he came into the trailer, Mona hadn’t bothered to enlighten the man.
    Which could mean two things. One: Mona didn’t give a shit about Grant anymore, or two: Mona was trying to get back at Grant by screwing his partner.
    Either option sucked and Grant could do nothing about it. He had no rights where Mona was concerned, and busting Sam’s happy bubble would help nothing. Hell, he had a rodeo event to win before he could get the hell out of Temptation. Away from Mona with the only bright side that Sam would be away from her as well.
    Less than magnanimous, Grant would rather Mona went for a stranger than falling for his partner. If he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want someone else that close to him reminding him of what he’d screwed up and missed out on.
    A few minutes later, Sam entered the trailer. “You ready to exercise the horses?”
    “Yeah.” Grant downed the last of his coffee and headed out. As he passed Sam, he muttered, “Sorry. Must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.”
    “No worries.” Sam threw a blanket over the back of his buckskin. The animal whinnied and shifted sideways, unsettled by the number of horses nearby. “Easy there, Dakota.” He ran his hand along the horse’s neck and scratched behind his ears, speaking softly in Lakota to him the entire time.
    Did Sam treat Mona with as much care as he did his horse? Grant’s gut knotted. Was Sam gentle with her in bed? Did he whisper soft words in his native Lakota to soothe her? Did Mona like it?
    When Dakota stopped dancing from hoof to hoof, Sam glanced up.
    Grant realized he still stood at the top of the trailer steps, his gaze on Sam.
    “You want to talk about it?” Sam asked.
    Grant ducked his head, his cheeks burning. Hell no, he didn’t want to talk about anything. Especially what he’d been thinking.