Riley was long since gone with Hayley in tow, and Eden and Sean had followed their noses and gone for barbecue, which left Jack leaning against the fence and watching the horses. He was due to judge the first rounds in a few minutes.

"Hey, Jack."

Jack turned at the voice and there was a face from the past. The distant past. Well, the past before Riley anyway. Austin Hemmings with the hoover suction mouth and the come-to-bed brown eyes. "What's it been? Five or six years?"

Jack moved back from the fence and shook Austin's hand.

"Has to be at least six."

"You're looking well."

"You are too."

"Heard you got married." And there was Austin, true to form, cutting straight to the point. "Where is the lucky man?"

"Off finding popcorn with our daughter."

"Hell, never took you as one to be domesticated, Campbell." Austin laughed.

Jack opened his mouth to correct his surname but suddenly what he really wanted to do was end this conversation and move on. Endings were never good but Jack had found Austin cheating on him and that was unacceptable. Not that Austin had thought anything was amiss. He was that kind of guy, strolling through his life with not much regard for others. Still a good-looking guy, he had the muscles of a cowboy and a look about him that spelled trouble. To this day Jack wasn't entirely sure what he'd seen in the other guy, especially now that he was with Riley. Riley was tall, Austin short, Riley was… hell, who was Jack kidding? The minute Riley walked into his life there was no man alive who could compare to his husband. Austin was leaning toward him saying something, words very definitely, but Jack wasn't listening. It was as if he had a Riley radar and when his husband's hard body pressed into him from behind Jack relaxed with an audible sigh.

"Riley Campbell-Hayes." Riley introduced himself and reached out around Jack to shake Austin's hand.

"Austin Hemmings."

Riley's hold on Jack momentarily tightened. There weren't any secrets between them now and Riley would remember what Jack had said about the only serious guy before him. "Pleased to meet you. Was just catching up with my man here."

"Uh huh." Riley was deceptively calm in his response.

Jack smirked inwardly. This show of possession was kind of hot. Austin clearly got the hint and took an awkward step back. All his swaggering bravado had dissipated in a few seconds.

"I need to go now. Nice to see you again." He tipped his hat and drawled, "Campbell."

"Campbell-Hayes," Riley corrected him.

Jack couldn't possibly love this man more than he did at that moment. Turning in Riley's hold as best he could, he reached up with both hands and drew Riley to him for a heated kiss. Right there. In the middle of the crowd waiting for the barrel racing. Right there in front of Austin. Catcalls and wolf whistles echoed around them, just another layer of sound in the noise around them.

"Hayley's gone with Eden for barbecue," Riley pulled back and spoke straight into Jack's ear. His voice was low and growly and all about possession. "You want some?"

Eat? Jack was having a hard time keeping himself from pushing Riley into a corner and kissing him till neither could breathe. Eating was not on his list.

"Mr Campbell-Hayes? We're starting now." The official who had come to find him was checking a clipboard with a smirk on his face and staring directly at Jack and Riley. Jack nodded. Now was his time to be a professional. Riley knew and he stepped back to lean against the fence where Jack had stood. Standing next to Riley, arms brushing, Jack didn't know how he made it through the first round of the racing with his dick hard and uncomfortable against his button fly. But somehow he did.

To see the quarter horses in the unique clover leaf pattern course, around the barrels, men and women alike, was to see poetry. Muscles bunching and releasing as the beautiful animals did what they did best. Jack watched and learned and realized this job wasn't going to be easy. Yes the winner was the one with the best time around the course, but he had the job of choosing best horse, best rider, best anything they could put on a list.

* * * *

The restaurant was quiet and they were really the only people buying drinks at the small bar. Riley imagined it would be jumping in a few hours when the rodeo wound down, but for now it was kind of peaceful. Riley leaned against Jack and thought back over the day so far.

He'd never really had the jealousy thing before. Yes, Eli had mentioned how hot Jack was but that was nothing more than a throwaway comment. Seeing that ex, Austin, cozying up to his husband had made Riley want to come out swinging. Only holding and anchoring himself to Jack had kept him from leaping forward and smacking the guy to the floor. And wouldn't that look good in the papers? Not really.

He sighed.

"Who's pissed in your beer?" Jack asked with a smile.

Riley didn't even pretend not to understand what Jack was saying. His husband was on a high and here he was thinking on things long past. He checked that Hayley was still at the table—he didn't want her to hear what he had to say. He and Jack had promised honesty and that was what Jack was going to get.

"I could have hit Austin, you know."

Jack looked amused. "Only if you'd stopped me from getting there first."

"He was leaning into you."

"He was."

"I didn't like it."

"I didn't either."

"Oh." That was really all Riley could say to that one. Evidently Jack had felt the same way and probably hadn't needed him to interfere at all. "You probably didn't need me getting involved. Sorry."

"Hell, Riley. You draping yourself over me was hotter than a hot thing on a hot day." They nudged arms and Riley knew he had a great big sappy grin on his face. He was so far gone on this cowboy it was unreal.

"Just staking my claim, cowboy," he drawled in his best sleepy Texas accent.

Jack smiled and looked at him up then down. "Riley?" he asked. "Where's your jacket?"

"Under a bull," Eden interrupted as she gathered up Hayley's lemonade and hers and Sean's beers.

Jack let out a snort of laughter. "Under a bull?"

"It's a long story," Riley said with a wave of his hand like it wasn't important.

"Idiot here didn't want it getting covered in shit, was holding on to it and it got snagged on the gate. They opened the gate and there went the white—"