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“And you had five chances,” I add.
“I did.” His head nods like a damn bobblehead. “I failed five times. Can you believe it? This angel here could’ve been my new girlfriend.” He waves his arm toward me. “I would’ve given her the world. I would’ve given you the world,” he repeats, facing me.
“Maybe you can try again next time,” I offer.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” Cooper grips Jace’s arm to help him up, but Jace shrugs him off.
“Not yet. I can’t go home before Rhett’s bonus ride.”
“Fine.” Cooper holds out his hand. “But no more drinks, and I’m going to need your keys.”
“Done.” Digging in his pocket, Jace retrieves his keys and tosses them to Coop, who tosses them to me.
I drop the keys in the cash drawer and rush to fill another order. That’s when I hear the announcer on the TV.
“Lucifer has what seems to be an insurmountable resume with twenty-one straight buck-offs, but tonight that could all change as three-time world champion Rhett Allen prepares for the ride of his life. That’s right, Mike, and if anyone can pull this off, it’s Rhett…”
I glance between the TV and my customers as the announcer goes through a series of statistics, but when Rhett comes into view, I can’t help but stop and stare.
Turns out the entire bar feels the same way.
Scuffed-up cowboy boots, jeans, leather chaps, flannel shirt, and his trusty ol’ Stetson make Rhett Allen one of the most ruggedly handsome men I’ve ever seen. Dark brown hair curls out from under his hat, and his blue eyes shine bright under the spotlight.
I’m proud of Rhett and his accomplishments, as is the entire town, but I can’t deny that part of me is bitter about the success he’s found. Maybe it’s because he chased his dream while mine slipped away, I think to myself. Or maybe it’s because his dream stopped including me when I so desperately wanted it to. Either way, it’s a feeling I hate and one I don’t have time to dwell on, so I quickly push the thoughts away.
Cooper climbs up on the end of the bar with his cell phone in hand. He’s been known to videotape the crowd for Rhett. “Hey, everybody,” he yells, gathering the bar’s attention. “Say hi to Rhett.” A wave of hands goes up, and a few people shout out. When the camera makes its way across the sea of people to me, I smile and flip it off. Peeking at me from behind his phone, Coop winks. He redirects the camera toward the crowd as Rhett mounts the bull.
I hold my breath the same way I do every time I watch Rhett give the nod. The gate opens, and Lucifer propels himself forward, bucking and whipping his back end from side to side as he tries his best to throw Rhett off.
A sharp turn to the right causes Rhett to lose his balance, and I gasp as he slides precariously to the side. Somehow, by the grace of God, he’s able to hold on, but it doesn’t last long. Another high kick and sharp turn toss Rhett’s body like a ragdoll, catapulting him toward the harsh, unforgiving ground, and the entire room goes silent. Blood rushes through my ears, my heart drops to the pit of my stomach, and the only thing I can think of is getting to him. Talking to Rhett. Finding out if Rhett is okay.
Adrenaline pushes me forward, and I jump over the bar and rush toward the TV as the crowd around me starts to bustle. All I can see is Rhett’s lifeless body lying on the ground as a team of people coax the bull out of the arena.
Why aren’t you moving, Rhett?
“Why isn’t he moving?” I ask, looking frantically around the room, as though someone here should be helping him. “He should be moving, right?” I turn back toward the TV. “Damnit, Rhett,” I growl. “I need you to move. Fucking move already. He’s so still. Why aren’t they helping? They need to do something.”
The TV cuts to a commercial, and the room erupts in chatter.
My eyes burn as the first tear falls, followed by several more. Desperate and wild, I turn toward the back of the bar. Cooper’s arms hang limp at his sides. The phone in his hand slips out of his grasp, landing on the bar at his feet, and I rush toward him.
“Coop,” I cry. My heart is going crazy as every worst-case scenario flashes through my mind. My hands shake uncontrollably as I wait for him to look at me. “He’s going to be okay. He has to be.”
Cooper’s eyes finally find mine. He climbs down off the bar, pulls me into his arms, and holds me. His heart beats wildly against my cheek, and when his phone rings, I pull back.
With one arm still wrapped tight around my shoulders, he grabs his phone from the bar.
“It’s my dad,” he whispers, bringing the phone to his ear.
For the second time tonight I hold my breath.
“Please tell me he’s alive,” Coop says as he answers.
Rhett
I blink heavily. It takes several seconds to adjust to the light, but when my vision comes into focus, there’s a pretty blond nurse messing with an IV at the side of my bed. I try to formulate some sort of pick-up line, but by the time she looks down at me, my eyelids are drifting shut.
Next time I wake up, the pretty nurse is gone, and it’s my mother standing over my bed. Her eyes widen when she sees that I’m awake.
