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He wanted the distance between them, except he missed her. Missed hanging out with her, missed talking to her, missed just having her smile greet him in the morning.
They spent so much time on the rodeo circuit together that she felt like a part of his life.
And it felt like there was a piece missing.
It took him a month, but he finally came to the conclusion that he needed to stop thinking about Dakota and realize that what happened between them probably ruined their friendship forever.
It was shortly after that that he got an early morning phone call from her, just as he was giving Gina, the daughter of his boss, her first riding lesson.
Gina had been angling for them to be more than instructor and student, and when he informed her that he planned to focus completely on winning a championship and didn’t want to be encumbered with a girlfriend, she insisted to her dad that she wanted him, and only him, to give her riding lessons.
She had been standing at his elbow when he answered Dakota’s phone call. Seeing Dakota’s number pop up on his phone had sent all kinds of crazy reactions going through his body, but he didn’t want Gina to see how he responded to the call.
He hadn’t known what to say to Dakota, hadn’t wanted to talk to her in front of Gina, and hadn’t responded well at all.
Before he was able to call her back when he had time and privacy, he’d heard from a friend who’d seen on the news that she had eloped and married Gregory, and the press was calling them the king and queen of the rodeo, and that had struck daggers into Ryan’s heart.
The woman he considered one of his best friends, if not his very best friend, had gone and married the man who had won the title of saddle bronc champion.
He didn’t think he’d ever get over it.
Fast forward nine years, and here she was, in the same building as him, two of her children with her, and him unable to leave because he promised his mother he would fix up the building for the new owner, which he had not known was Dakota.
Had his mother known? But his mother didn’t know his history with Dakota. All she knew was that he and Dakota had been friends when they’d been children when they’d been around eight or nine years old. Something like that. He’d never told his family that he met her again on the rodeo circuit, although they might have guessed, considering that the folks who followed the circuit were usually good friends. And if not good friends, they at least knew each other.
He had almost finished up for the day, and he decided to quit early. He probably should offer to help Dakota carry her things in from the car, but all she had was her car; there was no U-Haul, no trailer, nothing to show that she brought anything other than what would fit in what she drove.
Maybe her furniture and that type of thing was coming the next day. He’d been upstairs with his mom whenever they had looked at what all needed to be fixed. There was nothing upstairs, not a bed, not a table, just an old stove and refrigerator, which he wasn’t even sure still worked.
He could see occasional movement out front as Dakota went to her car, but she did not walk through the storefront again, carrying her things around the back.
It made him sad. Part of him wished that they could go back to just being friends. The easy camaraderie, the fun laughter, and the way she always got him. Or even when she didn’t get him, she provided a balance for him. No one was perfect, but Dakota had always felt perfect for him.
That night had ruined everything. He felt guilty. He had no idea what she felt, and he allowed that to come between them. Allowed his guilt and shame that he felt for what he had done to ruin one of the best friendships he ever had.
He should apologize.
He cleaned his things up, setting everything aside, and took one last look around, making a mental note of the things that he still needed to do. There was a lot, and he didn’t know where Dakota would want him to focus. But he needed to take a walk to clear his head, and he did the only thing that he knew would help. He went to the stables, got a brush, and started grooming Goldie.
Goldie seemed like the link between Dakota and himself.
Lord, I’m so sorry for what I did. I know You’ve forgiven me, but is there any way to bridge the gap between Dakota and me?
He wanted his friend back. Maybe he wanted more, although he only heard rumors that she and Gregory had separated. He didn’t know for sure they were even true. She could still be married. Or married to someone else.
When his phone rang, he couldn’t believe the relief that surged through him when he saw that it was his mother. She would know the answers to his questions. Although asking those questions would make her suspicious.
“Hello,” he said, putting his phone on speaker and setting it on the hayrack so he could continue to brush Goldie. Her coat shone with health, and he was grateful once again to whoever had her before he had. The horse was in excellent health and had been well taken care of. Whoever had owned her had done a great job.
“Ryan. I just wanted to let you know that Dakota arrived in town. I drove by on my way to the diner and saw your pickup wasn’t there anymore. I thought you might want to give her a hand moving in.”
“I was there when she got there. Did a trailer or something arrive with her things?”
“No. As far as I know, she just has the car.”
“Didn’t seem to me like she could fit much in there.”
“You saw her?”
