“I don’t want you to die, okay?” I shouted. “I don’t want you rushing into something you aren’t ready for. Riding a mechanical bull and a real one aren’t the same. And I don’t—”
“I’m fully aware of the difference, Quinn.” He spoke with such vehemence, such venom that it cut to the bone.
“Then stop being a stubborn idiot. I’m not saying I don’t want you to ride. I will be your loudest cheerleader in those stands when the day comes. But you’re more than just an eight second ride, Hux. You don’t have to prove to anyone that you can do this. We all know you can. Everyone is amazed at your resilience, your strength, your bravery. When are you going to realize…” Isucked in a choked sob as I pressed a hand to his chest. “That the only person who thinks you aren’t good enough, is you.”
Some emotion I couldn’t quite place rippled across his face, shattering the angry mask he wore. His jaw loosened, those beautiful whiskey-colored eyes guttering as most of the fight seemed to leave him. “Quinn… I—”
My vision blurred and I wiped the moisture from my eyes, trying to stop my bottom lip from trembling more than it was. I noticed the quiet that had settled around us, the ridiculous amount of eyes on him and I.Well, that’s just fucking great. I glanced back at Hux one more, whose gaze was aimed my way but not directly on me.
“I’m gonna go. I’m sorry,” I murmured before walking away.
“Quinn, wait!” There was a desperate note to his tone. Gone was the anger, worry and fear, I realized, in its place. But I kept walking—-too raw and broken and angry to try to talk it out right now. We’d both cut deep. And I didn’t have it in me to continue this argument, I just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.
How could the night start on such a high and come crashing down the way it had? I should've kept my mouth shut. Whit’s arm entwined with mine a moment later. “You okay?” she asked softly.
“No,” I choked out as I made a beeline for the exit. I needed fresh air.
We’d just gotten outside when someone called my name. I turned, my heart breaking just a bit more when I realized it wasn’t Hux. Mister Mooney walked toward us.
“Are you alright?” he asked, true concern ringing in his gravelly tone.
“I didn’t mean to upset him. It’s not that I don’t think he can ride. I know he can. Am I not allowed to be scared?” More tears fell down my cheeks.
“You absolutely are, Miss Quinn. I know you love and support him. Hell, even he knows. But one thing you gotta know about us cowboys is we’re stubborn sons of bitches to our very core. Don’t like bein’ told no. Especially not with an audience. Go on and add in the fact that the boy's been drinkin’ and he’s got a bit of a temper, and, well, now we gotta fire to put out.”
I blew out a dejected breath. “I should never have said anything.”
He shook his head, those hazel eyes so similar to his son’s pegging me in place. “Answer me this. If he had his vision and randomly said he wanted to ride again would you still be worried?”
I didn’t even have to fully process his sentence to know where he was going. “Yes. A hundred percent I’d still be worried.”
“That’s what I figured. I know this ain’t about him bein’ blind. You know it too. But that boy’s more stubborn and tougher than a two-dollar steak. He needs time to cool down. Let the alcohol and anger wear off tonight. Talk to him tomorrow.”
I bit my lip to try and stop the tears hanging in the corners of my eyes. “Thank you for coming out and checking on me. Will you make sure he gets back to the ranch?”
He nodded. “I promise, Miss Quinn.”
I offered him what I hoped was a smile and not a grimace. “Thank you. It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you again.”
“I’m sure I will, and it was a pleasure meetin’ you.” Mister Mooney glanced at Whit and tipped his hat. “You as well, miss.”
A warm arm wrapped around my shoulders, and the scent of Whit’s familiar perfume enveloped me. “Wanna see if we can get some ice cream and watch some cheesy rom-coms at the house?”
I sniffled and nodded.
But in the end, not even a night with Whit had helped. My fight with Hux haunted my thoughts, awake and asleep.
Were things screwed up beyond repair?
God, I hoped not.
Chapter thirty
My Fault
Hux
My skull felt likea stake had been driven through it, but the sharp, throbbing pain was nothing compared to the guilt squeezing around my heart as I thought of last night.
