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Cole knew me well enough to know I would have been trying to find her the whole time. Keeping my mind on task was the best for my riding.
“It would have. You know how many times I wondered if you would ever show up? Too damn many.”
She looked back at me sheepishly. Her hands pulled at her VIP tags.
“I almost did. Well, I mean I made it to the front gates and realized how stupid it was twice. I had no idea what I would have said to you. I figured you wouldn’t even remember who I was. Plus, I was with someone…”
Every time we talked about the past two years, the stupid mistakes we made I wanted to punch something. Had I just kissed her that night. Not letting her walk away the way I did, our lives would have been so different. She never would have been with someone else.
“God, I think I would have fallen right off the damn bull before I got out of the gate if I would have seen you in the crowd.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck.“Well, I sure am glad I chickened out. Are you sure it’s okay I’m here? Evan and Luke nearly pushed me out the door when I asked if it would be okay. I didn’t want to be skipping work or anything. I brought stuff with me.”
A chuckle bubbled up from my core. Evan and Luke were probably going to be texting me later telling me I owed them for letting her out to play. They knew how hard I worked on the farm so the fact that I had a girl to focus on now, one as beautiful and caring as Hannah, they were ecstatic. “Of course you did. Don’t worry about it. I think they’re all just glad I have something good in my life that isn’t the farm or riding.”
Her head cocked to the side. The second the words fell from my lips I knew I shouldn’t have said it.“What does that mean?”
“You know what, why don’t we talk about this later and not sour this moment?”
My gut turned over on itself. There hadn’t been much time for my skeletons to come out to play yet. A fact I was painfully aware of.Hannah didn’t know about my parents' accident or what it was like growing up for me. She didn’t know about Kelly or the reason Claire and Lilly forced that vacation on me two years ago. The thought of her knowing all that terrified me.
To Hannah my life was picture perfect. For as long as I could maintain that untainted version she saw the better. Her perfection was intimidating. The minute she figured out how screwed up my seemingly pie-in-the-sky life was, she would run. The thought alone made bile rise into my throat.
“Alright cowboy. Whatever you want.”
Raising on her tiptoes she planted another kiss on my lips, her arms wrapping around my neck. Cole walked up behind us whistling.
“Might need to book you two a room if you keep that up. We’re trying to run a family friendly event here.”
Swatting at him as he moved past us, my hand barely connected with him.
“Shut the hell up. Like you and Nicole haven’t done worse.”
Hannah pulled back, her cheeks flushed. Straightening up, her arms dropped off my neck, yet her body stayed touching mine. The heat radiating off her and onto me made my skin feel on fire. A fire I had no intention of trying to extinguish.
“I’d have to agree Cole. I know for a fact you two, well I mean, you know exactly what you’ve done.” She stammered over her confession. Nicole and Hannah were close, so I was sure they probably swapped sex stories by the sound of it.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bryce, we have that dinner tonight. Bring your good luck charm here with you.”
Looking over at Hannah I couldn’t help but wonder if she was my good luck charm. The first time I rode she was there. Then again today, I had my best run in a while. I was one of the few guys who didn’t have some type of ritual or superstition about riding. Now I wondered if Hannah was it for me.
She was the damn near prettiest charm I had ever seen.
“Of course she’s coming, unless she had better plans.”Looking down at her hopefully, she rested her head on my chest.
“I would love to come out with you. If that’s what you wanted.”
“Any time with you is what I want darlin.”
Chapter Fifteen
Hannah
There was something that flashed in Bryce’s eyes when he spoke. I wish it had been a sparkle of love but it was something else. Something dark and afraid. Almost a panic that he was going to say something he shouldn’t.I let it go when he said we would talk later. He didn’t want to sour our moment and having missed him so damn much I wasn’t about to fight it.
“So, I guess I don’t need to make plans for dinner now. Shit. I should have asked you. Do you want to go? You don’t have to. It’s just a thing with my manager. I shouldn’t be long if you don’t want to. I could see if we can reschedule. Wait, no I probably can’t.” His hand pulled at his hair, tangling his fingers between the roughed up mane.
“Take a breath there cowboy.”
