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“Once he’s out, we’ll drive you guys back home.” Austin gave a nod, like it was decided.
“No,” Pops said, groaning as he pushed himself up. “You boys are going on to Cheyenne. You’re too close to miss out on getting qualified for Nationals.”
Austin looked at Adam, who gave him a nod. “We aren’t leaving you.”
“What?” Pops glared at him and then at Adam. “We have worked for the last twelve years to get you two here. You aren’t giving it up because your old man has a bit of pain. Do you hear me?” Pops’ hard eyes met both of theirs until they each nodded.
“But Pops,” Adam started, but Pops silenced him with another fierce glare.
“No buts,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do for me here, and the hospital won’t take kindly to you wearing holes in their floors with your pacing.”
Austin glanced at Adam, who gave him a shrug.
“You’ll go on, and you’ll report back how you did. You’ll have to be each other’s eyes now and have to have each other’s backs more than ever.” Pops’ intensity held Austin in his gaze, and he knew what he was saying.
“Mama?” Austin asked, hoping for some support from her.
She shook her head. “Your Pops is right. If you stay here, it will drive you and everyone else mad. He has good care here, and I’ll be with him. We’ll let you know if anything changes. Besides, the next few rodeos are close. You’ll only be a phone call away.”
Uneasiness settled in Austin’s chest, but he saw their stubbornness and knew they wouldn’t budge. “Fine, on one condition.” He met Pops’ eyes. “You get yourself better so you’re on the sidelines by Nationals.”
“Deal.” Pops held out his hand, its hard calluses reassuring against his own.
Adam took his hand next. As a spectator, Austin saw the determination in both men’s eyes. “We won’t let you down, Pops.”
“I know you boys won’t. Besides, you can’t, because Nationals or no Nationals, you’ll always be my champions.” Pops smiled at them as he leaned back.
The nurses came in, unplugging him and adding his IV to the bed, readying him to be moved.
Austin took his mom into his arms. “You call us the moment you find out anything or if anything changes, okay? We’ll be here as fast as we can.”
“And we’ll drop off your rig on our way out of town tomorrow. That way, you’ll have it here.” Adam hugged their mom, too.
The nurses worked quietly, urging them to go so they could move Pops. With a constricted chest, Austin said his farewells and watched the nurses wheel Pops toward the other end of the hospital.
“Well, that sucked,” Adam said.
“Yeah,” Austin said, a tingle of fear racing down his spine and settling in his stomach. Adam had been too young to remember when their first dad was in the hospital, but Austin remembered, and the last look his mama gave him reflected that same fear in her eyes.
They remained quiet on their way back to the fairgrounds where the rodeo was held. Austin couldn’t shake the memories of his first dad’s last days. The prostate cancer had returned and took him quicker than anyone expected. It was like one day his dad was the boisterous, fun-loving man he knew and the next he was holding his head in bony hands, telling Austin he had to be brave and take care of his mom and brother, he had to be the man of the house.
He glanced up at the stars as they pulled into the parking lot. Did I do good enough, Dad? Then he dropped his head. How can I go through this again?
“Someone’s at our trailer?” Adam said, peering over the steering wheel where, sure enough, someone shielded their eyes from the truck’s lights.
“It’s Charlotte,” Austin said, the air suddenly gone from his lungs.
Adam shut off the lights, then backed the truck in. “I’ll see to the horses…give you two some time.”
Austin pulled his eyes off Charlotte, who stood with her hands clasped in front of her. “Thanks, brother.” He gripped his shoulder before Adam gave a nod and slipped out of the truck, walking through the dimly lit parking lot toward the stables.
Austin sucked in a breath and jumped off the truck to face Charlotte. He shifted his weight before taking a step toward her, not sure he could restrain himself if he closed the distance between them.
Charlotte had competed, somehow fully immersing herself into the event as if that focus was the only thing that kept her from crumbling. She felt the excess emotion pushing through her movements, and the audience and judges must have as well, for she beat her score from the last rodeo by a full half a point, giving her a 8.8.
Though she pushed forth a smile and reacted as a winner should, giving the crowd her usual raised hand of thanks, she didn’t feel the joy. Her heart was too wrapped up with a cowboy who had raced after his stepfather…a cowboy who she knew still held together a broken heart from his first dad dying.
After her event, she checked several times to see if Austin had returned, but his truck was still missing. She half feared he would return in the middle of the night and take off before she woke up. She even went through her phone and tried his old number, a number she hadn’t called in eight years. It no longer belonged to him.
