“Do it again, but loosen up.” He turned his back, completely missing the smile I flashed him before I turned Charming and did it again…loosening up just like he said.
Some people went to the gym—which, sure, I loved a good run—but for me, nothing beat training. Riding always got me out of whatever funk I was in. Especially if a certain parental figure caused that funk. And today was no different. We’d been home for two days, and my mother’s words still lingered in the back of my head. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face as she told me I couldn’t do this, that I was wrong, and she was right. That I was slower because of an injury I thought I’d recovered from. I didn’t even have a twinge of pain in my leg anymore, which proved she was wrong, but that moment replayed like a broken projector screen, showing the same twenty seconds over and over. The only thing keeping it out was the fact that I was going to train, that I was going to ride. So, when I finally climbedback into the saddle, I could feel the moment slightly lift, and my energy went right back to where it was supposed to go.
I kicked Charming into full speed, and we weaved in and out of the barrels, his concentration just as focused as mine. This time, no part of me or my gelding touched a barrel. I rounded him a few times, up and down, until even I was out of breath, and we halted right in front of Cash.
He clapped those nice, slow claps you see in movies when the protagonist gets a victory.
“See what happens when you loosen up?” he teased, raising a single brow.
I rolled my eyes and smiled, tilting my head down at him. “I still say I could go tighter.”
Cash shook his head and messed with his rolled-up sleeves, taking a step into the arena. “You’re off tomorrow, and back in the arena Friday. When’s your next trip?”
“Next weekend.”
Which reminded me, I wanted to ask Wyatt to look over the confirmations again. I could probably travel alone this time; I didn’t book myself like I did that first weekend, but a quick check of things would be nice. I made a mental note as I dismounted Charming to ask him that night.
Since he had shown up at my doorstep with pizza, he made it a habit to come over every night since. He brought a different kind of takeout each time, all from his favorite local places, and a new wine or beer. We’d watch an episode, maybe two, and then he’d leave. He never asked me about what happened at Grand Junction. Instead, he’d ask mundane questions as the show played in the background.What’s your favorite color?Turquoise—haven’t you guessed that yet?Yeah, I guess that’s obvious. How did you find this TV show?A commercial, Snow White is one of my favorite fairy tales, and they sold this show well.Snow White? Not Peter Pan? With how much you loveHook, I’d assumed Peter Pan.Have you even seen the cartoon of Peter Pan?! When his answer was no, I gasped—instantly going to the old Disney cartoon. He hated it and halfway through begged me to go back toOnce Upon a Time.
I let him ask his silly questions, and I would answer them with no issue…but when I thought about questions to ask him, I froze. Mainly because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answers.Did you really date Kelly? Did you really keep a running tally of the rodeo royalty queen to sleep with? You wouldn’t have any sway with the judges…right?
I honestly found myself really enjoying the few hours with him every night. I didn’t want to bog it down with stupid questions that wouldn’t change anything. Wyatt wasn’t anything more to me than a friend, and learning the answers may change that. The answers may prove that what I thought of him to begin with was right, or that my mother was right.
Now that I thought about it, when Wyatt was around, I wasn’t thinking about my mother.
That hadn’t even crossed my mind until now. She had tried to warp him, too, and here I was, almost letting her. But here he was, showing up with pizza, beer, and nothing more than a smile as we settled in and watched a stupid cartoon from the fifties. He didn’t seem to have any interest in what his name could do for me…so…why should I?
“How many rides this time?” Cash asked, stepping towards me.
I gripped Charming’s lead. “Three. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I don’t even have to travel far.”
He nodded. “Good, you need some easy weekends like that before summer hits.”
“Summer…” I sighed. “It’s going to be epic. Need help with the barrels?” I motioned behind my shoulder.
He shook his head, “Nah, got another barrel racer coming and she’s too loose.”
“Too tight, too loose—you can’t win, can you?” I chuckle, leaving him alone in the arena to put Charming away.
Glancing at the clock, a small smile spread across my lips when I saw I had enough time for a quick ride on Hook. All I had to do was unsaddle Charming, and then Hook and I could be on our way.
“You needy bastard. I don’t have any more treats for you.” I heard the mumble as I walked closer to Charming’s stall, the grin growing wider as I witnessed Hook pulling on Wyatt’s cap. “I’m out of peppermints because of you.”
“Maybe you should stop feeding him peppermints. Then he would leave you alone.” I clipped, opening Charming’s stall, letting him walk in.
“Your horse,” Wyatt grumbled as he pushed Hook’s nose away, “is a menace.”
“You love him.”
Wyatt scoffed, scratching behind his ears. Then there’s me, ignoring the small flutters in my entire body.
Wyatt smiled. “I do.”
“I was going to take him on a ride…” I began, not really knowing where I was going with this. I pulled on Charming’s saddle, stopping before I could unhook him. “Wanna come?” I finished, shocked at even myself. His jaw opened slightly, a small grin appearing as his whole eyes widened with the same shock.
“Wyatt!” A call echoed through the stable before Wyatt had a chance to answer me, but when I looked behind him to see who was demanding his attention, I couldn’t help but grin.
“Abi and Kyla.” I nodded behind him, watching as his sister and sister-in-law got closer. Finally, I met his gaze, and heblinked, turning to look over his shoulder, only to be handed a baby.
