Page 20 of The Scars We Heal

I grabbed the piggin’ string I’d need for tie-down as well as my normal rope then mounted the horse as Reid loaded a calf into the roping chute. Murmuring soft words of encouragement, I led Bullet into the roping box.

Taking a few deep breaths, I readied my rope over my shoulder, the smaller, piggin’ rope secured between my teeth. I nodded once, and the calf was released from the chute, sprinting straight ahead to the other end of the arena.

Bullet exploded out of the roping box, and I swung my rope in the air, waiting for the right moment to toss the loop over the calf’s neck.

The rope floated through the air and time seemed to still before it settled over the calf’s neck. I dallied my rope as Bullet came to a halt, and the loop tightened, not allowing the calf to go anywhere. Quickly dismounting my horse, I ran over to the calf, lifting it slightly off the ground before flanking it so I could tie three of its legs together with the string resting between my teeth.

After the calf’s legs were secure, I threw my arms in the air for the time to stop then headed back to the horse to loosen some of the slack in the rope. The calf would need to stay tied for six seconds, otherwise there would be a penalty and I’d receive no time. Although this was just practice, we still followed the rules of the game.

Six seconds passed, and Colter and Reid both ran out into the arena to untie the calf.

“Nine-point-seven seconds, Jakey!” Mikey called out. “Not too shabby, my guy.”

In competition, I’d need to be a bit faster, but for practice, it was a solid, consistent time. The most important thing was that the calf stayed tied and didn’t break loose.

“Anyone else need to get some practice in before we call it a day?” Reid asked. “Going once, going twice…” Met with silence, he clasped his hands together.

“All right, let’s go get a beer or two, boys!” Mikey practically leapt in the air. “First round at Rudy’s is on me.”

“Holding you to that, Mike.” Colter patted his shoulder on the way over to the trailer, Bullet following him. Mikey leaned away from the horse, cowering a bit as the large animal passed him.

“Your whole fear of horses thing will never not be funny.” I chuckled.

Mikey rolled his eyes, kicking dust up from the ground. “Least I’m not afraid of dumb shit like you. Have there been any scares in department stores lately?”

I dug my elbow into his gut and pushed off him, knocking him to the side a bit. “Do you see any department stores around here?”

“Maybe I’ll buy a mannequin just for you, Jakey. Set it up outside your window when you’re least expecting it.”

“Vetoed.” I crossed my arms in an X. “You’d probably end up scaring the shit out of Whitley. Think of the child, man.”

“How is that whole arrangement going?” Reid asked over his shoulder as he and Colter untacked their horses.

“It’s great. Cait’s happy, Whit’s happy, I’m happy.”

“Glad to hear it. I really appreciate you offering to let her stay in the guest house to begin with. You’ve really done us a favor. You’re a good friend, and I’m grateful she has you right next door,” Colter added. His expression morphed into something more stern after a couple seconds, though. “As her brother, though, don’t try anything funny. I know it’s not a secret that you hated Adam, among other things. But she’s gone through a lot, and the last thing they need is to get their hearts hurt again.”

My brows furrowed, but I forced myself to relax, nodding in understanding. “I get it, Colt. You’re a good brother.”

“I just hate to see her unhappy. That asshole put a lot of doubts in her head.” His words came out through gritted teeth, like he was biting back frustration and maybe a bit of hatred for Caitlin’s ex.

We shared those feelings. I may not have had the same kind of relationship with Cait that Colter had, but I’d noticed the way her spark had dulled in that marriage, especially early on.

From what I understood, it started with little comments here and there, but eventually built up to even more. I was well aware it wasn’t my place to step in and play the hero, but if there was anything I could do to help her feel more like herself again, I would in a heartbeat.

CHAPTER NINE

caitlin

SEVEN YEARS AGO

Come on. Please, just let me have this one thing.

I squeezed my eyes shut, not daring to watch the progress indicator on the digital pregnancy test for fear of disappointment. I knew I’d have to look eventually, but I was scared. Although, I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid of another negative test or a positive one.

Adam and I had been married for two years already, and while our first year of marriage was great—the honeymoon phase or whatever—the past year had been full of pressure to start a family. His mother, bless her heart, was a bit overbearing and informed me often of how much she wanted to have grandbabies, even though Adam wasn’t an only child and his siblings already had kids.

I’d tried to talk to his mother about it early on, but I quickly learned my lesson that confiding in her about our pregnancy struggles would only make me feel worse about myself.