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could pull a perfect horizontal loop, she turned
the loop vertical and passed it from one side to the other in front of her.
Just as everyone was beginning to applaud, she pulled the Texas Skip and jumped
through the loop as it passed in front of her. Guests gasped in awe as she
bowed and Brent leaned back against the side of the horse, crossed his arms in
front of his chest, and watched as she blushed at the attention.
    Ty jumped from his horse and squared up to her with narrowed
eyes, as if he were challenging her to a duel. She raised an eyebrow and
widened her stance, gathering the rope back into a ready position. He waited
for her to get her loop spinning before he set his own in motion. At first, he
matched her speed. Soon, he challenged her with a trick and she answered in
kind. He pulled every textbook twirl and she did her best to compete.
    She was out-skilled, though, and just when the trick was too
much for her, she whipped her lasso into a frenzy above her head and sent it flying toward Ty. It broke through his loop and
landed over his head and down around his body. When it got to his waist, she
pulled, tightening it, and jerked him toward her. He stumbled forward and she
raised her hands in triumph as everyone around them laughed.  
    “Okay, okay!” Ty called in defeat. “I know when I’m beat.
Hey, let’s everybody get some grub.”
    The crowd dispersed and Mackenna swaggered confidently
toward Brent. The corner of his mouth quirked in a smile as she approached,
tossing the coil of rope onto her shoulder.
    “So, you think you’re handy with a rope now?” he teased.
    “Handy enough to earn a few tips throughout the summer,” she
answered.
    “We get tips on this gig?” he asked in genuine surprise.
    “Well, you don’t,” she answered. “But that’s because you
just work. Fun wasn’t in your job description, remember? Only we performing
monkeys get the coins.”
    “In that case, it’s best left to you then,” he said.
    “Oh, come on Brent,” she urged. “What’s the harm in tossing
a rope around for five minutes? It wows the crowd and you may earn a few extra
bucks at the same time.”
    “The point is it’s silly. If people think you are silly then
they don’t take you seriously when they need to.”
    “What a load of crap,” she dismissed. “People are quite
capable of judging the seriousness of a situation. If the circumstances don’t
warrant it, why be serious all of the time?”
    “Just because I’m hardworking doesn’t mean I’m serious all
the time.”
    “You’re right. It’s the fact that you’re serious all the
time that means you’re serious all the time,” she said with a chuckle. “Look,
Brent, you aren’t any more hardworking than I am or anyone else out here. The
only difference is that we know how to have fun at the same time. And we know how to use a rope.”
    “I know how to use a rope,” he said with a frown.
    “Uh huh” she said sarcastically with a disbelieving look. He
stood taller and narrowed his eyes.
    “I have been a cattleman for six years,” he said forcefully.
“I damn well better know how to turn a rope.”
    “If you say so,” she quipped. “I’m going to go eat. Feel
free to join us when you’re done…working.”
    She walked off and Brent’s mouth puckered into a determined
pout. He untied his rope from the side of his saddle and whirled it rapidly
above his head. Before she was out of range he tossed it, the loop landing
perfectly around her waist as he tightened it gently and tugged her to a stop.
She turned around in wide-eyed shock and held onto the rope, fighting him as he
pulled her toward him.
    He smiled triumphantly beneath his shadow of beard as she
finally stopped fighting and walked back to him. She stopped only when she was
a breath away and planted her hands on her hips. He peered down into her eyes,
glistening with surprise and amusement. They were a clear and medium blue that
he’d only ever seen in one other