AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He turned away from me and, with his teeth, pulled another mouthful of hay from his net as if to say, I will if I feel like it.
“Alright, Gambler, you’re the boss. We’ll head out.” I peeked over him at my little red mare in the next stall, who was happily munching. “You good, Cher?”
Her ear flicked to me, but she went right on eating. She was a pro at travelling; she was a pro at everything. My sassy girl.
I stepped out of the trailer and secured the door behind me.
“All set?” Dad asked. “You can handle this rig?”
He’d bought me the new trailer for Christmas last year. It was a fifth-wheel trailer with living quarters up front, which included a queen-size bed, bathroom, and kitchenette. In the back, there was room for three horses, with padded walls and non-slip rubber mats. Only the best for his girl, Dad had said.
Yeah, I was a bit spoiled, but I didn’t mind. This trailer was bigger than my last one and I hadn’t driven it yet, but I wasn’t worried. I’d grown up on a cattle ranch, and I had been driving since I was tall enough to see over the dashboard.
“Yep, no problem,” I replied.
“Atta girl.”
“Is Wyatt going to be there?” my mother asked, not looking me in the eye.
Why did she have to bring him up?
I balled up my fists. It would be so much easier if my mother didn’t like my ex-boyfriend so much. But even I had to admit he was easy to like; he was always respectful, caring, and just had a simple charm to him.
“No idea.” I lied, abruptly turning and heading for the truck to avoid further questions.
She got the hint.
To be honest, I’d finally given in and checked the rodeo website last night, to see if he was registered. He was. My heart had sunk then fluttered back up, then sunk again. It’d gone back and forth all night, and I’d barely slept.
My parents followed me to the driver’s side door, and I hugged them both goodbye.
“Good luck, sweetie.” My mother had tears in her eyes, as she always did when I left.
“It’s a few months,” I reminded her. “There should be a few opportunities for me to come back and visit when there’s a break in the schedule.”
The more rodeos you competed in, the more points you could earn. These points contributed to our overall standing in the rodeo circuit, and high standings could lead to qualifying for major events, like the Canadian Finals Rodeo.
When I was younger, she had come with me on the rodeo circuit, but now she stayed home with Dad to help run the ranch. They would come out to cheer me on whenever they could.
“Say goodbye to Abby for me.” I told them. My younger sister was away at a riding clinic.
“We will,” my mother answered.
“Keep your eyes up and always be looking where you want your horse to go, not down at his feet.”
“Got it, Dad.” I rolled my eyes and climbed into the truck.
I shoved the key into the ignition and started it up with a loud rumble, then I rolled down the window because what was even the point of driving with the window up?
Mom and Dad waved as I pulled away, the tires crunching on the long gravel driveway. Every acre of home was perfect, from the green pastures on either side of me to the cows grazing in the distance. But it was also quiet and still—two things I was not.
I needed to feel the adrenaline and the pure exhilaration every time I sat on a horse as I waited to burst across that start line and towards that first barrel. I loved my time at home with my family, but I also needed the thrill of the rodeo.
And the thrill that came with kissing Wyatt Collins.
I reminded myself that I couldn’t think about him. I. Will. Not. Think. About. Wyatt.
So what if I could never resist him before? I would this time. Every time we’d gotten together over the last two years, it had ended in disaster and me broken-hearted.
