Read Rank for Free Online Page B

unconcerned. “He’s twenty, same as you. Isn’t she almost nineteen?”
    I frowned and glanced at the table again. Shae-Lynn didn’t seem comfortable. Blake seemed smug. The bartender slid two beers over.
    “What are you doing?” I asked Cole. “You know you can’t drink.”
    He rolled his eyes like an irritable teenager before he handed me both beers. He leaned over and yelled at the bartender, “Can I get a Coke too? My keeper says I can’t have a beer.” As he waited, he looked at me. “I forgot my wallet.”
    I shook my head, not surprised, and pulled out cash to pay the bartender. Cole grabbed his drink and headed towards the table where everyone else was sitting. I downed half a beer before following him. A guy asked Rochelle to dance, so Lee-Anne moved over into her seat and invited me to sit in her chair. I handed her the second beer.
    “Thanks.” She tipped it back to take a swig. “You bought a fast horse for Tawnie.”
    “I didn’t buy it for her. She’s just riding it.”
    “Mmm hmm.” She tilted the bottle up for another sip.
    Blake leaned over and whispered something in Shae-Lynn’s ear that made her smile. He placed his empty bottle down on the table and stood with his hand extended towards her. She slid her hand over his and followed him out onto the dance floor. As they two-stepped, I finished my beer and signalled the waitress to bring me another one.
    Rochelle was back, and Lee-Anne was telling her a story that had something to do with her boyfriend, TJ. I wasn’t really listening. Blake and Shae-Lynn danced for three fast songs, and based on how much she was smiling, she must have been having a pretty good time. When a slow song came on, she said something to Blake before walking off the dance floor. He followed her to the bar, ordered a beer for himself and a bottled water for her. They stood at the bar for a while, talking. When he turned as if he was going to head back towards the table, she glanced at me. When he noticed that she was hesitating, he reached over and held her hand to lead her back to the table. I downed the rest of my drink and signalled the waitress to bring me another one.
    Once they were sitting, Blake draped his arm over Shae-Lynn’s shoulder. She stared at the table. He stared at me. “So, Billy, when are you going to start riding with the big boys again?” he asked.
    I was definitely going to get into it with him. I shook my head. “I’m retired.”
    “Why? Did you get sick of me always taking home the buckle?” He laughed at his own joke. Nobody else did.
    “Check the record books, Blake. You never won shit when I was competing against you.”
    He leaned over to shout at Cole. “Hey, who won more when we went up against each other? Billy or me?”
    Cole smiled, happy to get into the middle of a disagreement. “You already know the answer to that question. Billy’s the best God damned bull rider in the country. He’s got a case full of buckles at home to prove it.”
    “Was,” Blake mumbled.
    “When do you expect your collarbone to be healed enough get back to trying to catch my records?” I asked, partly because I wanted to rub it in his face that I was still ranked higher than he was. Also, because I didn’t think he was good enough for Shae-Lynn, and the sooner he shoved off the better.
    He shrugged. “I don’t want to rush it. Besides, I kind of like hanging out here with Shae.” He squeezed his arm to pull her into his chest. “Maybe I’ll take the whole summer off. What do you care anyway? You quit.”
    “I retired.” An urge to punch the smug look off his face flashed through me and I had to cross my arms to resist the impulse. Cole obviously knew I was on the verge of jumping the table because he grinned and moved his drink so it wouldn’t get spilled when I did.
    Shae-Lynn pushed off Blake’s ribs and sat up straight as if she sensed their closeness was what I was pissed about. Interestingly, she was wearing the same old