Dylan by C H Admirand Page B

twelve, he hadn’t been as careful and had ended up causing one of his grandfather’s horses to have a raw spot where the blanket had been folded beneath the saddle. He’d actually felt the horse’s pain when he saw the damage he’d caused. He never made that mistake again.
    He led his horse out of the barn, put his foot in the stirrup, and settled into the saddle, the motion smooth and fluid, and second nature to him. He’d been riding since before he could walk. With the gentle pressure of his thighs, he guided his mount in the direction he’d seen Jesse ride.
    Half an hour later, he caught up to his brother. Working silently, they got down to the business of checking the herd and making sure the water supply in the south pasture was available. When the herd was grazing on the east side of their ranch, they didn’t have to worry about water; there was a river that ran through their land.
    Garahans had fought and died over that water. But in the end, they’d kept their water rights, and no one had tried to wrest control of it from them again. He shook his head. The things you remember when your body’s beyond tired and your mind’s working on autopilot.
    When Jesse pulled up alongside of him, Dylan let his gaze slide to the left. He didn’t want his brother to think he was plotting on how best to knock him out of the saddle… his little brother had a hair-trigger temper and might just get the jump on him.
    Riding along in silence, he figured they were far enough away not to spook any of the cattle and took his chance. “So, you ready?”
    Interest lit the darkness in his brother’s eyes a moment before Jesse launched himself out of the saddle and into his brother. They fell off their horses and hit the ground hard. Dylan’s shoulder ached like a sonofabitch, but he ignored it, getting in a few well-placed punches to his brother’s ribs.
    â€œShit, that hurt!”
    â€œâ€™Supposed to, you moron.”
    Jesse retaliated with an uppercut, snapping Dylan’s head back. Now his jaw throbbed in time with his shoulder, but he didn’t let that stop him from sucker-punching Jesse. Bending over his brother, he put his hands on his knees and grinned down at him. “You ’bout ready to talk?”
    â€œFuck yourself, Bro.”
    Dylan chuckled. “Can’t. I’m not that flexible.”
    Jesse struggled not to smile. That just made Dylan more determined to get through his brother’s thick skull. “Besides, I’m kind of partial to doing it with a partner… the feminine kind.”
    Instead of smiling, Jesse was now frowning. “They’re nothing but trouble.”
    â€œAmen to that.” Dylan offered his hand and helped his brother to his feet. “But sometimes it’s worth it.”
    â€œI thought she was.”
    They saddled up and rode back to the barn. “You ever think you found the right woman?”
    Dylan’s gut clenched at the thought and wondered if Jesse had meant to stab him through the heart. One look at his younger brother, and he knew it had been unintentional. “Yeah, but I was wrong.”
    â€œI’ve been wrong twice now… with the same woman.” Jesse sighed. “Now I sound like I’m whipped.”
    â€œNaw,” Dylan said, rubbing his hand along his sore jaw. “Just mistaken. Women’ll blind you with their soft, curvaceous forms and sweet-smelling hair.”
    Jesse stared at him and finally asked, “You been blinded lately, Bro?”
    Dylan’s first instinct was not to answer, but knowing how badly Jesse was hurting, he nodded. “I’ve been broadsided by the sweetest little filly with ruby-red lips and siren-green eyes.”
    Jesse slowly grinned at him. “That a fact?”
    â€œYep.”
    â€œWhere’d you meet her?”
    â€œMy last night at the Lucky Star.”
    â€œWell, shit, Dylan. I told Jolene I