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“How’d you get so smart, partner?”
“I don’t know, but if you’re sad, you should do somethin’ about it.” Luke looked at his feet. “That’s what you’d tell me.”
“What if I don’t know what to do about it?”
&n
bsp; “Come on, Daddy, you know what to do.”
“I do?”
“Sure. You gotta go see the girl.”
Thanksgiving dinner came to an end, and Paige and Mark went home. Renie and Blythe went into town to meet up with friends home for the holiday, and Liv sat out on the porch of the bunkhouse, looking at the stars, not ready to go home yet.
“Mind if I sit here with you for a minute?” Billy asked.
“Of course I don’t mind.” She scooted over, and he sat on the bench next to her.
“Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?” he asked.
“I did. How about you?”
“I did. I’m glad you and Renie were here with us this year. That’s why I’m most thankful.”
“You’re such a good friend to me, Billy, and to Renie, too. What would we have done without you these last few weeks?”
“Livvie, I’m tellin’ you, you ought to consider hookin’ up with a bronc rider. You might like it.”
If Billy Patterson wasn’t so much younger, there might have been a day she would’ve considered it. It made her think of Ben, and how she thought he was younger too. But he wasn’t.
“I want you and Renie to go to Las Vegas with me next week. My mom and dad are going too.”
“We’d love to go. Thanks for inviting us.”
There wasn’t a serious competitive cowgirl, or cowboy for that matter, worth her or his weight in salt who didn’t try to attend the finals every year.
Billy Patterson was ranked second in the world going into National Finals Rodeo, or NFR, the highest he’d ever gotten. Liv missed Jolene and Mary Beth, who would be there too.
“I booked us rooms at Bellagio, hope that’s okay.”
As long as they weren’t staying at Mandalay Bay, Liv didn’t care where they stayed.
The NFR consisted of ten rounds on ten consecutive days. Cowboys and barrel racers earned money by placing first through sixth in any round, and picked up more money by placing first through eighth in the average—cumulative times or points earned during the ten rounds.
At the end, there would be two champions in each event. One was the average winner, who won the NFR by having the best cumulative time or score in his or her event over the ten rounds. The other was the world champion, the person who finished the year with the most money, including what he or she earned at the NFR. For each event, the average winner and world champion might be the same person.
Once Billy got to Las Vegas, he rode better than ever, consistently placing first or second in every round. Before and after each ride, he’d find them in the crowd and wave. She and Renie were the recipients of several dirty looks from girls in the stands whenever he raised his hat and smiled in their direction.
Ben sat in The Goat nursing a coke, a little out of it. There wasn’t enough snow to ski, the boys were with Christine, and he was bored. Worn out from the tour and the emotional roller coaster with Liv, he didn’t want to play, or write songs, or do much of anything.
When he looked at the big screen TV on the other side of the bar, the last thing he expected to see was Liv, but there she was with Junior, bigger than life. The news ticker across the bottom of the screen read, “Billy Patterson, NFR’s Saddle Bronc Champion.” Based on the smile on Billy’s face, it was Liv he planned to celebrate with.
Ben felt as though someone sucker punched him.
22
It snowed Christmas morning, and a beautiful white blanket covered the ground. Liv and Renie were joining the Pattersons later, and Billy promised to take them out on a sleigh ride after dinner.
