Page 48 of Cherry Tree Ranch

“Cash,” I say, “you don’t need to be sorry about that. Besides, I did all I need to do for the competition. It was easy.”

“I do need to be sorry. I’m wasting everybody’s time if I can’t get my mind right about riding.”

“It’ll come,” I sigh. “We always come back to what we love.”

“I don’t know if I can. This rodeo will literally determine my career, from my ride to the sponsorship and everything in between,” he says. He sets a fist on the tailgate and looks down. “The semi-final is Saturday. Saturday. That’s two days. I’m going to be a complete embarrassment if I do what I did today. I’ll lose my sponsorship. And, if I don’t qualify, I won’t make it to finals, which means I don’t have a chance to make the performance bonuses.” I listen as he spirals. Then he says, “Or, worse, I’ll get distracted again and break my neck.”

“What do you mean, again?” I ask, taken aback.

He looks at me, his jaw clenched. “I screwed up and got kicked in the head because I was distracted last time.”

“OK…” My stomach sinks. “You mean by me?”

“Yeah.” He throws up his hands. “By you. It’s all too much right now.”

I push up from the ground, but before I’m able to walk away he reaches for my hand. Shocked by his gentle touch, I whip round. Just as I’m about to ask him what’s too much, I see his mom walking our way. I jerk my hand back and give her a polite smile.

“Mom?” Cash says. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d come watch practice for a bit.” She smiles to me and then looks at Cash.

“Mom, this is Dahlia. Dahlia, my mom, Ruth.”

“We never traded names, but we know each other,” she says. “Don’t we, Dahlia?”

I nod. “We do.” I turn to Cash, pretending I didn’t know she was his mom. “Your mom makes the best cinnamon rolls.”

“Is that how you met?” Cash looks between the two of us.

“Yes,” his mom says. “Dahlia sells cherries at the market.”

He feigns ignorance. “That’s right, you told me that,” he says, pointing at me.

“I traded her for a jar a three weeks ago. Dahlia, did you look into that competition I told you about?”

I beam with excitement. “I did. My cherries will be in the competition at the fair tomorrow and Saturday. Thank you again for letting me know about it.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m glad it worked out.” She looks down at her purse and rummages through it for her ringing phone. “Cash, are you already done?”

He nods.

“Then I’ll see you at home.” She answers the phone and walks back to her car, giving me a wave as she goes.

“I take it you haven’t found the right time to tell her you’ve been picking cherries with me?” I say flatly, looking down and fiddling with the end of my shirt, twisting it round my finger. I bet he hasn’t told Kaylee how much time we’ve spent together, either.

“Not yet.”

“Right.” I sigh. “Well, I need a ride home. I can’t get a hold of my mom.”

His eyes are unexpectedly pleading. “I’ll tell her – I promise. And before – I didn’t mean to blame you…” He looks my face up and down. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t your fault you distracted me.”

“No,” I snap. “It wasn’t. If I had known you were going to get hurt, I never would have come to the rodeo in the first place.” I bite the insides of my lip. “So … you ready to go?” I ask tightly, stepping towards him and the truck. “You can drop me off at the bottom of my road. If my mom doesn’t write back, I’ll just walk up.”

“Don’t say you wouldn’t have come,” he demands, surprisingly firm. “The fact you were there has changed everything.”

I eye him, one hand on the truck’s passenger door. “Cash, I wasn’t leaving just now because you jumped off your horse. You know that, right?”

He looks at me, unsure.