There, she quickly got down to business, signing up, paying the entry fee and checking out the horse and tack Lori had offered her.
When she was ready to go, Caleb crossed to the competitors grandstand, where he could get a better view. He caught sight of the other Jacobs siblings in the distance, getting ready for their own events, and he had to struggle not to feel like the odd man out.
But once the barrel-racing event started, he got caught up with the cheering, coming to his feet when Mandy galloped into the arena. She made a very respectable run. Halfway through the competition, and she was in second place.
She joined him sitting in the stands for the last few competitors, leaning up against him as they laughed and cheered. She managed to hang on to third place until the last competitor knocked her to fourth, just out of the money.
Caleb gave her a conciliatory hug, telling her he was sorry.
But she shrugged philosophically. “Easy come, easy go.”
“I’ll spring for a corn dog if it’ll make you feel better,” he offered.
She turned up her nose. “What corn dog? I’m holding out for Rio.”
He pretended to ponder for a moment. “I suppose I could do both.”
“Truly?” She blinked ingenuously up at him.
“Yes,” he told her sincerely. He realized in that moment he’d give her anything she wanted.
“You’re a gentleman, Caleb Terrell,” she cooed, threading her arm through his.
“And, dust notwithstanding-” he pretended to wipe a smudge off her cheek “-you, Mandy Jacobs, are a lady.”
Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup today, and her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, but in the sunshine she looked just as beautiful as she had last night. He had trouble tearing his gaze away from her.
Her attention went to the ring. She cheered and gave a shrill whistle as the barrel-race winners received their awards in the middle of the arena.
“You just whistled.” He laughed.
“Bet the girls back in Chicago don’t do that.”
“They don’t eat corn dogs, either.”
“Poor things. They don’t know what they’re missing.”
The team roping had started. Caleb couldn’t help but admire the talent of the cowboys and the rapt attention of well-bred horses. A few of the steers escaped, but most were swiftly roped and released by the cowboys.
“Here we go.” Mandy leaned forward as her brothers lined up in the box. The steer was released, and the men sprang to action, horses hooves thundering, ropes spinning around their heads. Travis took the head, turned the spotted steer, and Seth quickly followed-up with the heels.
The horses stilled, and the flag waved. Their time was five point three seconds, causing Mandy to shout and punch a fist in the air. The time had put them in first place. They released their ropes and tipped their hats to the crowd, acknowledging the cheers.
They shook hands as they rode out of the arena, and Seth playfully knocked off Travis’s hat. One of the clowns retrieved it for him, and the two disappeared from sight around the end of the fence.
Caleb felt another hitch in his chest. His reaction was silly. Even if he did meet his brother after all these years, it wasn’t as if they’d be doing any team roping. Caleb was way too far out of practice. Besides, he was too old to come off a horse.
“Are you hungry?” Mandy asked.
“You don’t seriously want a corn dog.”
“I was thinking a funnel cake. Sprinkled with sugar, please.”
“How on earth do you stay so slim?” Most of the women he knew in Chicago survived on leaf lettuce and bok choy.
“Exercise and clean living,” she answered.
“So, you’re serious?”
“I never joke about funnel cake.”
Caleb shook his head in amazement, coming to his feet. “One funnel cake, coming up. You going to eat the whole thing, or will you share?”
“With you, I guess I could share.”
He gave her a wink and made his way down the worn wooden benches, meeting Travis and Seth at the bottom.
“Nice.” He nodded, shaking each of their hands in congratulations. He checked the board to find them still on top with six competitors left. “Looks like you might finish in the money.”
“Seven-hundred and fifty bucks,” Travis confirmed with a sharp nod. “That’ll pay for the trip.”
“I’m going on a funnel-cake run. Anyone interested?”
“Gads, no,” said Seth. “I don’t know how Mandy eats those things.”
“She’s got a sweet tooth,” said Travis. His level gaze stayed on Caleb for a couple of beats.
Caleb raised his brows. If Travis had something to say, he might as well spit it out.
Seth glanced between the two men.
“You heard anything from Reed?” Travis asked, surprising Caleb.
The question triggered emotions that were close to the surface today, and it took him a second to recover. He shook his head. “Not a word.”
“He still takes first in the steer wrestling every year,” said Travis.
Caleb nodded his acknowledgment but didn’t answer.
But Travis wasn’t finished yet. “Mandy thinks you should talk to him before you sell the ranch.”
The announcer’s voice became more animated over the loudspeaker as the next team of ropers left the box, stirring up a cloud of dust.
“Mandy thinks a lot of things,” said Caleb.
“I’m not sure she’s wrong on this.”
“Well, I can’t talk to him if he’s not here.” Caleb made to leave.
“You can hold off on the sale,” said Travis.
“You’re selling?” asked Seth, an obvious note of incredulity in his voice. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“Yes,” Caleb answered shortly, pivoting in the dust and starting to walk away.
“Whoa,” Seth caught up to him, but Travis, at least, had the good grace to stay behind. “What gives?”
“What gives is that I’m not explaining myself to you and Travis in the middle of a rodeo crowd.”
“Fair enough.” Seth nodded easily, keeping pace. “But what about Reed? He get a say in this?”
“Reed left town, no forwarding address, no phone number.”
“But how can you sell it without him?” Seth paused. “You know, I honestly thought he’d inherit the whole thing.”
Caleb altered his course to angle toward the concession stands. “Well, he didn’t. I did.”
“Not the whole thing.”
“Yes, the whole thing.”
“But-”
“Haven’t a clue,” Caleb preempted the obvious question.
Seth’s tone turned thoughtful. “And that’s why Reed disappeared.”
“I would think so.” They came to the lineup and joined the end.
“Are you getting a funnel cake?” Caleb asked Seth.
“Just keeping you company.”
“Not necessary.”
But Seth didn’t leave. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up again. “Do you need the money?”
Caleb laughed darkly at that suggestion. “The money’s Reed’s. It’s going to sit in a bank account until he shows his face.”
“And the rush is?”
“Has it occurred to you that this is none of your business?”
