“Better luck next year, Carson,” he says, grinning.
“You got me this time, Tripp,” I say. I stick out my hand.
He looks at me, surprised by the sportsmanship. He shakes it. “You rode good. Considering the circumstances.”
“Thanks.”
I turn to leave the fairgrounds. The sun is starting to dip. I’m ready to go home. I’m ready to crawl back into bed with her.
“Tex.”
I stop. I know that voice.
I turn.
Joey is standing by the fence. He’s wearing a worn denim jacket, his hat pulled low. He looks smaller than I remember.
The anger that usually radiates off him is gone. He looks tired. He looks uncertain.
I stand there. I don’t walk toward him. I wait.
He shuffles his feet. He kicks a rock.
“I came to watch,” Joey says. “Didn’t know if you’d show up.”
“Good view from the stands?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He pauses. “You rode good. Real good.”
“Second place.”
“Still on the board. That’s more than most.”
The silence stretches between us. The air is thick with unspoken words.
“I shouldn’t have left,” Joey says abruptly. He looks up, meeting my eyes. “That day at the ranch. I shouldn’t have run off.”
“You were mad.”
“I was scared,” he corrects. He takes a step closer. “I saw her. And I saw you all… surrounding her. And I panicked. I thought she was going to break you again. I thought history was repeating itself.”
“She’s not breaking us,” I say. “She’s fixing us.”
Joey nods slowly. He swallows. “I saw the way you looked at her. And Billy. And Seth. It’s real.”
“It’s real.”
“I was a dick,” he says. “To her. To Clara. To you. I said things I shouldn’t have. I let my jealousy get the better of me.”
“Jealousy?”
He looks away. “She was always the one who got away. For all of us. I guess… I guess I just didn’t want to see her with anyone else. Even my brothers.”
He runs a hand over his face.
“I’m sorry, Tex. I’m sorry I didn’t stand by you. I’m sorry I didn’t stand by her.”
I look at him. The stubborn mule. The bull rider.
