Page 178 of Lost Trust

“You need someone here year-round. Someone who knows this stuff. Someone who can support you both inside and outside of the arena. Be here handling things while you’re out shaking hands and making deals. Someone who cares whether this place and the people who come through it succeed.” I pause. “I’m not gonna be cheap.”

Bryce’s mouth twitches.

“But I’ll be worth every penny.”

Axle chuckles under his breath.

Bryce studies me for a long moment before leaning further back in his chair. “I have no doubt about that.” He folds his hands over his stomach. “And I’m not looking for cheap.”

I blink.

He looks me straight in the eye. “So, what’s your price?”

I didn’t expect him to ask that fast.

I glance toward Axle, then back at Bryce. “A fair salary.”

Bryce nods.

“Six months recovery time after I get surgery.”

His eyebrows lift, but he doesn’t interrupt.

“A sponsorship.”

That gets a look from Axle.

“And one barrel racing instructor.”

Bryce sits there quietly, a small smile playing on his lips.

For a second, I wonder if I’ve pushed too far.

Then the corner of his mouth lifts. “You want a lot.”

“I’m worth a lot.” I hold his gaze. “And so is she. You know that as well as I do.”

Bryce’s expression shifts, the humor fading from his face.

“She doesn’t belong here. Not yet. Hell, we’re all gonna be put out to pasture here before long, but she still belongs out there.” I glance at Axle. “In the spotlight. Chasing world championships. Hearing crowds chant her name.”

Bryce nods once. “Agreed,” he says. “But how are we gonna make that happen?”

“She needs three things.” I hold up my hand, ticking them off one finger at a time. “First, a few months of training to get her and Rowdy back into competition shape. I watched those two run a pattern the other day when she thought nobody was watching.” A grin pulls at my mouth. “It was something to see.”

I lift a second finger. “Second, she needs money. That’s where you come in, Ax. Should be pretty damn easy to convince the folks at Buck’n Diesel of the benefits of sponsoring a former—and future—female world champion barrel racer instead of a fourth-ranked bull rider. I appreciate the opportunity and you including me, but she’s what they need. Plus, I think the damn drink tastes like piss.”

Axle chuckles. “Careful.”

I grin. “And, Bryce, couldn’t Bull Rope Whiskey use a little estrogen on its marketing team?”

Bryce smirks. “I believe we could.”

I hold up a third finger. “Third, she needs a steady home base. Somewhere she knows Ryder is taken care of when she’s out there shining. A soft place to land between rodeos. Somewhere surrounded by family who’s got her and her son’s backs. A place where she doesn’t have to wonder if she belongs.”

Then I glance between the two of them. “I need all of us for that. The Trust and Storm crew.”

I gesture to the window, beyond it to the sprawling ranch. “She needs a reliable partner. Somebody who can anchor her without holding her back. Somebody to be her safety net while she’s out there chasing dreams—that part’s all on me.”