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“Whatever.” Elina started to walk away. “This has been real fun and all, but I have to get home.”
Thatch tried to stretch out his upper body, but his ribs locked him down. He was gonna be sore for a while.
“Let me know when you’re riding again,” Franco called, following his girlfriend to the doors. “Next time, I’ll take a video.”
“Great.” Thatch made sure to stand up straight and not wince. He grinned at Lyric. “See? I’m good.” His voice went a little too high.
She shook her head at him.
“You did it, kid.” Kirby gave his shoulder a good whack.
Owwww.
“See ya next week.” The older man hurried away to meet up with Rich by the chute.
“I don’t think you’ll be riding next week,” Lyric told him while he painstakingly removed his gear and stashed it in his bag. “I think you should see a doctor for your ribs.”
“I’ll give it a day or two.” He couldn’t take a break now and risk moving backward. “Besides, after a few yoga sessions, I’ll probably be as good as new.”
“Not sure about that.” Her hand pressed against his chest again.
Thatch did his best not to wince, but he couldn’t hide from her probing gaze.
“It hurts right here, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“I mean, I guess. A little.” But he sure didn’t mind her touching him. Feeling her hands on his body was totally worth a kick to the ribs.
CHAPTER NINE
Thatch was not fine. She didn’t care what the man said. Every time they hit the slightest bump in the road, a subdued groan rumbled in his throat, and his jaw tightened like he was gritting his teeth. Only he evidently didn’t want her to notice because ever since they’d gotten into his truck, he kept trying to make small talk.
“Did you get things all straightened out with Elina?” he asked in a raspymy ribs are killing mekind of voice.
“Not exactly.”All straightened outwould’ve been Elina actually talking back to her. Instead, the girl had mostly ignored her and acted like she hated her the entire time they were at the arena. “I apologized for what happened at the store in quite a passionate monologue. But she didn’t say much.”
Thatch shifted in the driver’s seat with a suppressed grunt. “I’m sure she’ll come around. Give her some time.”
If she gavehimsome time, would the man admit he was hurting right now? “I overreacted.” She could ownup to her mistake. “I never should’ve confronted them in public like that.” She could’ve asked Elina to talk privately for a minute instead of embarrassing her in front of whoever happened to be in the store at the time. “I just… I know how it feels to want to be loved by someone so much that you overlook things you shouldn’t.” She wanted to stop the girl from making the same mistakes she’d made in the past.
Thatch brought the truck to a stop at the intersection and turned his head to her. “I know how that feels too.” There wasn’t as much rasping in the words this time. His low tone hinted at empathy.
Most of the time, Thatch stayed in the realm of joking around, teasing, lighthearted conversation, so this show of compassion was new for him. “Really?” Lyric didn’t mean to be skeptical, but he’d never exactly divulged such a personal emotion.
“Yeah.” He turned his gaze back to the road and accelerated again. This stretch happened to be one of her favorite drives in all of Star Valley—the way the pavement curved and bent and dipped with the rugged landscape as they crawled down the mountainside back into the valley. But right now, she couldn’t seem to look away from the man sitting beside her. Could he truly relate?
“It’s like you almost think you can make everything okay if you just stay the course,” he finally said. “Like all the problems in the relationship will disappear if you can work hard enough. Like the other person will love you if you love them enough.”
“Exactly.” Now she was the one rasping. She couldn’t help it. She never could put her relationship with Luke into those terms, but Thatch’s description was exactlywhat she’d experienced. Every time he mistreated her, she told herself she simply had to do better. To be better. And she could fix him. She could fix their marriage. “Elina’s so young. I don’t want her to get into a bad situation because she’s overlooking things she shouldn’t.” If she could save one other woman from going through the hell she’d gone through, making a fool out of herself in a store would be worth it.
“It’s easy to overlook things.” Thatch slowed the truck, his expert hands turning the wheel to wind down a set of Star Valley’s infamous switchbacks. “She’s lucky to have someone who wants to watch out for her.”
“Elina doesn’t necessarily see it that way.” The girl had treated her like an overbearing mother. “She pretty much told me to butt out of her life.” And Lyric had told her mother the same thing a time or two at that age.
“Why not take a different approach?” He eased on the brakes and paused at the stop sign before turning onto the main highway. “I mean, I’ve gotten to know Franco a little bit already. Why don’t you see if Elina wants a job at the clinic or something? Do her a favor so you can hang out with her in a different context. Then she could see a different side of you. The fun, caring, thoughtful side.”
Had the heat suddenly come on in the truck, or had the man made her blush? She didn’t realize he saw her as all those things. But it felt good to have someone recognize that her motivation was in the right place. “You’re right. I need to try something different.” Begging the girl to hang out like they were besties wasn’t going to work.
Thatch turned onto the highway, and they hit a pothole, jostling them both. A whimper escaped his lips.
