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To me, it would mean everything.
Instead, I turned to Cody, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and planted a kiss on him. It felt all wrong—sticky with the lingering taste of lemonade, and the stiffness of his lips against mine. I was so determined not to kiss one cowboy—the cowboy I’d had a crush on for years—that I was willing to kiss another cowboy for no good reason at all.
Cody pulled back, stunned and blinking. The tips of his ears turned pink.
“What…just…happened?”
A muscle twitched in Beau’s jaw. I swore a fleeting shadow passed across his eyes before it disappeared again. Had that been disappointment on his face? Or was I imagining things? It was impossible to tell now.
“I’d better get going,” Beau said, and I could have sworn his voice had taken on an icy tone. “I’m up next.”
As I watched Beau walk away, I touched my lips and closed my eyes.
Why did I do that?
It felt shallow and petty. The urge to scrub my mouth with soap, run after Beau and apologize made my muscles tense. But that was absurd. I didn’t owe him an apology. In fact, now that he saw me kiss someone else, he might leave me alone.
That thought made an ache settle in the pit of my stomach.
Isn’t that what I wanted? To fall in love with someone who would stay for me? Someone who wasn’t Beau Collins?
Gator was shuttled into the chute again. Beau perched on the fence railing, waiting. My fingernails bit into my palms with anticipation as he settled into position on Gator’s back.
The gate opened. Gator and Beau hurtled into the arena.
One second passed. Then another.
Beau was tossed around like a rag doll, but he kept his seat as he’d promised.
It was the longest eight seconds of my life.
Just as the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the ride, Gator rammed into the fence. The clang of metal echoed in the sudden silence of the arena.
For a split second, my vision went white. There was a blur of horse, cowboy, and unyielding metal fence. Then Beau’s body crumpled and slid to the ground, unmoving.
Chapter Five
Beau
I shifted in the hospital bed, attempting to get comfortable. The right side of my rib cage stabbed at me for my effort. I clenched my teeth and settled back against the pillows.
A jumble of voices echoed in the hallway. Then Bowen appeared on the threshold of my room. With his worn, muddy boots and his black cowboy hat, he looked out of place in the sterile hospital. Just behind his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Cody.
“Hey, Beau. Are you feeling up to entertaining some visitors?”
“Sure. Come on in. Make yourselves comfortable.”
The next thing I knew, everyone was filing into my room—Cody, Johnny, Clive, and Tobias. Grady propped one shoulder against the door frame and crossed his arms.
“Looks like Gator got the best of you,” he said. “Again.”
“Two broken ribs and a concussion might be enough to make me learn my lesson,” I replied.
“We’re real glad to see you in one piece, Beau,” Cody said. “The way that horse threw you into the fence, I thought you were done for.”
I grimaced at the memory—fighting to hold out for eight long seconds, the forceful weight of Gator’s body as he collided with the railing, crushing the air out of my lungs.
“You’re a lucky bastard,” Bowen said, shaking his head. “Walking away with only two cracked ribs, a concussion, and your bruised pride is nothing short of a miracle.”
