“Trust in your girl, let her lead you.” Junior nodded.
“You got this girly girl.” Tim patted my other leg.
Stormy started to prance in step as the energy from the crowd and the riders charged up the air.
As soon as the gun went off, we started off at a sedate pace. Weweren’t going to burn ourselves out on the first leg. The second leg came up ahead, Parker checked Stormy’s rate and mine after we had a few sips of water, we started off again. This leg was the longest and the highest up the mountain that we had to endure. We passed six other riders that hadn’t slowed on the first leg and they were paying for it now.
The third leg was the last one before the finish line. On that third leg, we passed ten other riders on their mounts then when the finish line came into view, I let Stormy run her heart out. We passed fifteen other riders and their mounts.
However, when Stormy and I crossed the finish line in third place, I looked for him. I hadn’t seen his all too familiar black Stetson in the crowd. Nor had he been at any of the check-in stations. Parker had been there.
Parker was standing with Pete, and Junior at the end.
I couldn’t help the smile that I had been wearing at hearing we had been third, that it had turned into a frown. He had made me a promise. A promise that he had broken. I just hoped that he had a real good excuse for it. An excuse that I have yet to receive from Travis.
Chapter 11
Travis
“I can’t believe we are almost there. This has been a dream come true for me too.” Maggie said at my side as we made our way to the helicopter.
I laughed as I glanced at my watch, and then I blanched. Fuck, please tell me that that that wasn’t the time.
I whipped out my phone and called Parker.
“Boss.” He said quietly into my ear. Too quietly.
“Has she crossed the finish line yet?” Please tell me she hasn’t, please, please, please.
“Yeah, boss crossed it an hour ago.”
“Fuck.” I dropped my head. I had failed her. The one-woman that I never wanted to let down. I had done that. I have never been so ashamed of myself as I was.
“Can you put her on the phone?” I asked him.
“Ms. Corrine, the boss, wants to talk to you.” I heard Parker ask her, but it wasn’t Corrine that came to the phone, no it was Parker as he said, “Boss she wants to know where you are?”
“Fuck. I’m about two hours from the house.”
I hadn’t heard her response; however I had heard, “I’ll see him tomorrow I guess.” And I knew that I had made a big mistake.
“Before you ask, she finished third.” Then he hung up on me.
“Everything okay?” I heard Maggie ask me.
“No. I missed their ride.”
“Shoot, I wanted to see that ride too. I had a man there with a video camera, I can watch it that way. I wanted to meet Corrine.”
“The two of you should have already met.” I mumbled. Howwas I going to fix this?
Sadly, I hadn’t seen Corrine that day, nor the day after that. So I did what any sane man would do. I texted her and told her that I had a surprise for her, that I would see her in a bit.
That surprise was taking place after I had dinner with Maggie and a man named David.
“So we are right now in the middle of getting the land that butts up to yours to allow the mustangs free roam but also giving them a safety net, so they won’t be harmed. Also, we will have two people on station to watch and make sure the herds expand so we can bring back the once depleting breed of Mustangs.”
I nodded. That would be perfect.
