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“You’d think I was making this all up, but I’m not. Zeke considers the rodeo a necessary evil. It brings in money, but it’s dangerous and he won’t let his ranch hands participate either.”
“Well, he’s smart.”
His head reared back. “Aren’t you married to a cowboy? Aren’t your cousins cowboys?”
Bridget pursed her lips to the side and her eyes narrowed. “Yeah. So believe me when I say this. Zeke is a cautious man. He lost his wife at a young age, had to raise his daughters on his own. Everyone in town knows what he’s been through, and no one is going to second-guess his decisions when it comes to keeping those he cares about safe. If he doesn’t want you to compete, it’s because you mean something to him or his family.”
Adam’s jaw slackened. He hadn’t thought about it that way. From what he’d experienced, he was being targeted because he was different or new in the family.
None of that mattered at this point. Faye didn’t want anything to do with him, but he wasn’t about to walk away from this. It wasn’t like he was going to leave his job at the shop to be a rodeo cowboy. Why couldn’t anyone understand that he deserved to accomplish some of his goals?
He scowled at her. “That may be, but it doesn’t mean he’s right. I can choose to do what I want. I deserve to be happy, too.”
“Let me ask you this. Did Faye make you happy?”
“Of course.”
“Then you’re an idiot.” She spun on her heel and headed back the way she came.
“What?” he called after her.
“You heard me.”
He charged after her. “Yeah, I did, and I can’t believe that you’re actually blaming me for this.”
She whirled around to face him, her eyes flashing. “From what I heard, you don’t care about Faye or her family. You don’t care about the people in your life. You care aboutyou. You only want to do what makes you happy, and that’s it. You know what I callthat? Selfish.”
Her words left a sour taste in his mouth. He wasn’t being selfish. Didn’t people say all the time that it was best to take care of oneself before they had to take care of others? His happiness was important. How could he help others be happy if his cup was drained?
When he focused on her again, she’d made it through the door and into the waiting area. His hands balled into fists and he strode back to the car he’d been working on.
Bridget was only saying this stuff because she’d found her true love. He cared about Faye, but did he love her? He thought he did, but then this whole debacle happened, and now he didn’t know.
Adam paced back and forth beside the car. Everything that Bridget had said echoed right along with everything Faye said. It was getting harder and harder for him to be able to rationalize what he’d done.
Perhaps he should have told Faye this morning where he intended on going. Then at least, she would have been able to let the information settle while he slept.
He stopped and raked a hand through his hair. Well, it was too late now. He wasn’t going to withdraw. He needed to know what it was like to be in that arena—to see if he was capable of hanging with the cowboys. It was like he needed to prove not only to himself but to everyone else that he belonged in Copper Creek. He wasn’t just a mechanic. He was so much more than that.
* * *
“You’re looking good out there.”
Adam pulled on the reins of the horse he’d borrowed from Shane and turned around in the corral. The rodeo was in a few weeks, and he needed to get more comfortable on horses he wasn’t familiar with. It was all about confidence at this point. But at this moment, he wasn’t getting that confidence, mostly because his audience was none other than the woman who’d triggered this decision in the first place.
Dahlia rested her chin on her folded arms that rested on the corral bar. Her makeup was done perfectly, and she wore a cowboy hat that shaded her face just right to show off that bright red lipstick she wore. Her head tilted slightly, and she offered him a bright smile. “I didn’t know if you’d follow through with it or not, but I’m glad you did.” She glanced around the immediate area. “What does Faye think about it?”
He cleared his throat and pulled his gaze away from the woman. Being within even a few yards of her made him uncomfortable for some reason. Perhaps it was the way he’d avoided telling Faye about her visit. Or maybe it was because he still harbored feelings for Faye, and he was in denial that their relationship was over. “She’s not too thrilled about it.”
Dahlia pouted. “That’s what I heard. I’m sorry. You deserve so much better than her.”
If she’d heard about their little fight, there was no way she didn’t know that he was no longer dating Faye. But he wasn’t about to point that out. He needed to focus. He’d risked everything he thought he’d cared about for this, and he was bound and determined to prove Faye and her family wrong.
He tugged on the reins to pull the horse around and toward the middle of the corral. Focus. Confidence. If he could handle speed, he could handle staying on the horse, right? He’d watched several videos online to see tips and tricks. The more he watched, the harder it became to maintain that self-assurance.
“When is the competition?” Dahlia called after him.
If only he could pretend that he couldn’t hear her, then maybe she’d leave him be. Adam glanced over toward her to find her now inside the corral and leaning against the bars behind her. She offered him a flirtatious smile.
