Of course, that would be where Ian was. Rick knew his mate was a kid magnet, and it worked both ways. Kids loved Ian, too. Rick knew there would likely come a time—and probably sooner than later—when Ian brought up the idea of them creating a space in their lives for a child. Or two. Siblings would be fun.
Adoption. Rick hoped that would be the case. He rubbed his heart as his mind harked back to why that was such an important concept to him personally, to give a neglected child a home.
Moving on, he told himself firmly,this is a party. He smiled and raised his glass as Charlie and Pip came running over. “I can’t believe this life you’ve made for yourself.” Charlie always wore a grin, but he was looking around as if he’d seen a glimpse of heaven and couldn’t believe his eyes.
Pip looked up shyly as well. “Did you see they had cake? More than one. Do you know how rarely we get to eat cake? I mean, yes, I’ve got to watch my pounds…”
There was barely anything of Pip at all. He was lucky if he was fifty pounds soaking wet. Although he might be a tiny, scrawny man, he was a darn sight stronger than he looked. “But those cakes! Oh my goodness, my friend, you have really found your niche, haven’t you? Your place to call home.”
Rick nodded his agreement. “It’s definitely different,” he said, “but I do love my life.” And he did.
“You don’t miss the life you had with us at all?” Charlie asked. “You know, the crowds, the rush of excitement. The guys at the ranch are still talking about the fact that you stayed on that damn bull, and I mean, how many years has it been since you’ve gotten on the back of one?”
“Probably more than you could count, given that you’ll need more than ten fingers,” Rick teased with a grin. “That was fun, and yep, it would probably be good in small doses. I won’t deny there are times when I miss it. But being on the road all the time, never having a home…” he sighed and shrugged at the ache, recalling the loneliness.
“It got to the point where my bear just wanted to stop. I wanted to find my person, and to do that, I instinctivelyknew that I needed to settle down. It was time to stop searching and just create a home, you know, the old ‘be open to opportunity’ thing.”
Charlie laughed as he wrapped his arm around Pip’s shoulders. “I know what you mean, but I also know if my Pip here said, nah, we’re done, we’re not doing it anymore, I want a home, I want a house and a picket fence, then I’d stop in a heartbeat.”
Pip cackled as he dug his mate in his ribs with his elbow. “You would drive me crazy in a week,” he said as Charlie tried to dodge away without letting Pip go. “You can’t stand it if you’re not in the thick of the action. And that’s fine,” Pip added, “because that’s who I am too.”
“Thank goodness,” Charlie chuckled sheepishly. “But your mate, Rick?” They all looked across where Ian was laughing at something that Morty had done. “He’s more of a home and hearth type too, isn’t he?”
Rick’s head bobbed. “He is, and that suits me. And I think when you look at all these people, so many of them are mated pairs, you two included, of course. It’s good. It’s a good life. We’re doing well. All of us are.”
“Hey, yeah, so there was something I wanted to ask,” Charlie said, looking up at him, trying to do the whole sheepish thing, which did not work on a man like Charlie at all.
“Just spit it out. What do you want?”
“Well, there’s this championship. It’s in the next town over, next Saturday night. It’s a pretty big deal. And there’s quite a big purse for the winning rider on the night. One man takes all.”
Rick felt a stir of excitement in his gut. “Is this off circuit? Most bull riders ride for points and a cash purse at the end of it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Charlie said, “This is an off-season, more pre-season type of thing, so it is specifically a one-off event. There’ll be a combination of riders there—those who arechecking out their form before the next season, some riders who suffered injuries checking to see if they’ve still got what it takes, and even a couple of retired riders giving it a go for laughs. Could be a fun night.”
“I’ve never heard of a competition like that before.” But then, in fairness, when Rick had been on the circuit that was his life. When the season ended, all he wanted was to find somewhere to shift and scratch his back on a tree.
“It’s a fairly recent thing,” Pip explained. “It seems that some of the guys, you know, possibly like yourself, don’t mind having a ride once in a while, showing the young and up-and-comers how it’s done. I hear that George Rogers is going to be there.”
Rick groaned at the old, familiar name. “Gods, that name is a blast from the past. Is that guy still walking?”
Charlie chuckled and nodded. “Yep. He’s not as good as he used to be, but it’s like you put him on a bull and he’s a freaking barnacle, man. He lets nothing throw him off. It could be interesting to see you two there together. It would be quite a big draw card, and that means more money in the purse. If you think you can beat him, of course,” he said slyly.
“You guys know how to tempt me.” George was the one person that Rick couldn’t beat outright. He won his championships—he had the trophies to prove it. But if he and George were at the same event, they either drew or George won by the smallest margin possible. Rick had never been able to beat him. It was one thing he hadn’t ticked off his to-do when he walked away, and that had been hard.
“You promise it’s only one night? It’s not one of those sponsorship deals where riders are expected to do another three appearances if they do well.” He was just feeling out the situation, nothing more…
“No, absolutely not. It’s one and done and…” Charlie tried that sheepish look again.
Pip slapped his arm. “Just tell him.”
“I kinda already dropped your name when we were all drinking the other night. Apparently, and I heard this third hand, but George spat his beer when he realized that you might be going. Rumor has it, he spent the night on a bender, going on about how you were useless, and could never finish properly, and—”
Rick put his hand up. “Shut up, Charlie. I don’t need to hear all that shit. You know I don’t. But if the purse is going to be reasonable, and it is only one and done…”
He huffed out a long breath. “Guys, I’m not going to deny that it felt fantastic on that bull the other day. Did my body regret it the next morning? Damn straight it did. But yeah, you’re right. Sometimes that spark of adrenaline, yeah, it’s a bit of a rush. I’ll check with Ian, but I’m sure he won’t have any objections.”I hope.“Just let me know when and where.”
Ian came over, resting his arm on Rick’s shoulder. “You guys all look very serious here. Did you forget this is a party? Ooh, are you talking about old times? Are there stories that I need to hear about my mate? You know, perhaps a few embarrassing moments?” he chuckled as he raised his glass to his mouth.
