Mom.
I ignored it; the book was getting too good to bring that back up.
I could really only deal with so much.
She called again the next morning while I was brushing my teeth. And again, once I hit the road to the next rodeo. And again, as soon as I pulled up to the Nova Luna Stable. And when my pocket began to vibrate as I was settling my boys, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Shit, you’d think she’d give up,” I shouted at no one as I slammed Hook’s stall closed. The door rattled, and I flinched and looked at the now-loose metal latch. “Dammit.”
“Don’t worry.” I heard his voice from behind me, and instantly, my body froze. I slowly turned and saw him, reminding myself to breathe. “I’ll fix it later.”
Wyatt stood in Rusty’s stall, his baby-blue eyes focused on me, a brush in hand, his damn hat on backwards with his hair sticking out at different angles, his voice just as perfect as I remembered.
I huffed out a breath of air.
Not worth it.
“Thanks,” I replied, leaving the stable without another word.
The next day, the latch was fixed.
Forty
Wyatt
“He’sthemillll-iondollarbull rider.” My lips rubbed against the microphone, and I forced myself back to give the crowd a clear voice. “He’s the one that everyone has been watching, the one that is well on his way to the NFR in just two weeks, the one who always, always”—I tapped on the screen, and the music blared to life. Jon Bon Jovi’sIt’s My Life, filled the stadium as the crowd cheered—“gives you a show. Oakes Ashford riding” —I looked down at my notes—“Wild Honey!”
Who the hell names a bullWild Honey?
Furrowing my brow, I finished Ashford’s ride with the same enthusiasm, the same spark that I had before. He definitely gave a show, leaping from the bull and waving his arms to the crowd, and they went wild. Oakes pulled in an eighty-nine to lead the night, and he was the first rider, followed by seven more for Wyoming’s last rodeo of the year, before every cowboy and cowgirl headed to the National Finals Rodeo.
Ever since I had gotten back in the announcing world, I had been behind the microphone at multiple rodeos—each one reminding me how much I loved and missed doing this. That part of me that I had been missing for a year was making its way back into my life, and there was no denying it. I still had it. Once that mic turned on, it was as if no time had passed. The year I missed didn’t exist. My passion for this was still there. I still loved it just as much as I did before my fist connected with a nose.
But the other part…the part that was stronger…hated that I was here without her. That she wasn’t going to be the one I saw right after closing the booth, that she wasn’t going to be the one I was going home with…that we weren’t doing this together.
It was hard enough seeing her at the ranch. Being out with Sam and Hawkins the entire month of October was a good break, but when I got back home and my eyes instantly connected with hers, the rush of the rodeos didn’t seem so important. She was smiling, she was riding, she was always going—she was moving on so fast. The least I could do was attempt to show her I was moving on as well, even though it hurt like hell to do so.
So I did the only thing I could think to do.
Announce.
I flicked the light off in the booth at the same time I felt the buzz in my pocket. I locked the door and pulled out my cell.
Lachlan
Everything is set. The blueprints look great.
Me
Perfect. Thanks, man.
Lachlan
It really does look fantastic. I’ll send you a pic. For the one who wanted no responsibilities, this sure is a lot.
Me
It’s worth it.
