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“You did?” Austin asked, pulling out his phone and standing beside her.
“Of course, you think I could just stand here and watch you two race after Pops leaving in an ambulance and not want to know how things were going?” She shook her head. “What’s your current number?”
He glanced at her phone before she could hide the fact that she still had him as a contact, with his picture and his old number. “Wow…that was a long time ago.”
“Yes, it was. Your number?” she asked again, trying to cover up her fluster.
He gave her his number, then pulled up hers. “See, I still have yours, too.”
She glanced over to see a picture of herself from the spring of their senior year. She was sitting in a field of daisies, one of her favorite places to ride to with him. The image made her heart ache with longing. “Those were the simpler days.”
“Yeah, I guess they were. Sometimes I wish we still lived in them,” Austin said, blinking to focus on her again. “So, yours?”
She gave him her number and then stepped away. The longing to reach for him again was too strong, and if she stayed within the distance of feeling his body heat and smelling his scent, she would end up in his arms again. At that point, she wasn’t sure anything could pull her away…and that was dangerous. She cleared her throat. “We’re headed to Cheyenne next as well. So, uh, I guess we’ll see you then?”
“We were planning on stopping in Buford on the way…they have great burgers.” Austin shifted his weight and toed the gravel below his boot. “Would you want to join us?”
“You mean like caravan?” she asked, her heart jumping in hope and fear, the constant battle that raged within her.
“I don’t want to push you…but, if you were comfortable with that?” Austin’s eyes met hers, pulling at her just the way they used to.
“I’ll have to talk with Emilia, but I’m sure she won’t mind.” Her gaze flicked to Adam. He leaned against the trailer, watching them as if they were the latest binge-worthy show.
“I don’t mind,” Adam said, “if that’s what you were meaning.” He lifted his brows.
Austin’s stomach growled, causing all eyes to shift to him. “Sorry, we haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“Yikes, that’s unheard of for you two,” she said. “I’ll leave you to it then…and, uh, I guess we’ll touch base in the morning?”
“Sounds good,” Austin said, taking a step toward her but stopping himself before he came within touching distance. “Sleep well, and Charly, thank you.”
“You bet,” she said, giving him a smile that held all the love she still felt for him. His eyes burned into her until she slipped between two trailers and into the night. Her heart ached for him, knowing how hard his first dad’s death was on him, and now that Pops was having health issues…it was a lot for him to deal with.
Is that why you brought us back together now, after all these years? She looked up at the stars as if she expected God to send her an answer. In a way He did, for a shooting star sped through the sky leaving her mouth dropped open. She stared at the sky for several moments before finally lowering her head and continuing to her trailer.
God wouldn’t bring them back together only to leave her with another broken heart, would He?
Emilia popped out of the trailer the moment she stepped into the light she had left on for her. “So?”
“They’re running tests, but he’s feeling well enough that he sent the boys back to rodeo.” She came into the trailer and settled into a seat at the table, where Emilia set a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
“I thought you could use a little pick-me-up,” she said, smiling and sitting across from her. “You talked with Austin?”
Charlotte nodded, taking a moment to organize her thoughts before she met her friend’s eyes. “Would you mind caravanning with them to Cheyenne?”
Emilia’s eyes widened as brightness filled them. “Did you…I mean, are you guys…” she put her hands together.
Charlotte sighed in exasperation. “No. I only want to support him as a friend…”
“For now… That’s what your trailing off means, right?” Emilia clapped her hands, then reached for Charlotte’s. “Oh, Char! You need this love. I know you think you’re too busy…but I know you, and I’ve never seen you like this before. And today…” She let go of her hands and landed back in her seat in a dramatic swoon. “The way you rode today was just breathtaking. I almost forgot to do my job, I was so enthralled by your performance.”
Charlotte waved her dramatics away. “I just had to lose myself in it or I couldn’t have focused, which as we know ends up disastrous.”
“Well, yes, it’s quite important to land on the horse…” Emilia said, serious for once. They had seen a gal doing a jumping combination but instead of completing her sequence on the horse, she landed head first two feet from the horse. They rushed her to the ER with a broken neck. Thankfully, the medics had helped stabilize her, and she hadn’t been paralyzed.
“Well, whatever it takes to keep you focused.” Emilia patted her hand. “And I can’t say I’d mind spending more time with that cute brother…though he is a bit young for me, still…eye candy!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “He’s like my little brother, Em.”
