Page 17 of Lost Trust

“My sponsorship money too.” I look out the window. “I figured it would last longer, and I guess it did longer than most people’s would’ve, but with the bills piling up and without health insurance … my accountant informed me today that the well’s officially dry.”

Bryce says nothing.

“I’ve spent the last year letting people go.” My voice cracks. “My coach. My trainer. My assistant. My housekeeper. My accountant.” I let out a shaky breath. “Today’s meeting was … goodbye. It’s crazy how quickly you can blow through millions of dollars when you aren’t paying attention.”

He nods once.

“But the condo’s on the market. So, hopefully, that will sell quickly, and we can find a place outside of the city. Somewhere small for the two of us with a barn so I don’t have to pay to board Rowdy any longer.”

Bryce smiles. “You still have Rowdy, huh?”

I nod. “We won a lot of races together.”

Rowdy is my barrel horse. My best friend. It would kill me to have to sell him off. He’s family.

“I’m sorry,” Bryce whispers.

“It’s okay. I never really fit in there. The big, extravagant life was Blaze’s dream, not mine. I’ll find somewhere cheaper. Quieter. Something more me.” I laugh weakly. “I have no idea where. I need a job. A real one. The problem is”—I spread my hands—“the only thing I’ve done since I could walk is ride horses and run barrels.”

He chuckles softly. “The ole rodeo rat dilemma.”

“Yep. I got my high school diploma. But I never went to college. And I don’t have experience with anything but horses. I don’t have references outside rodeo. I’ve never worked in an office, and to be honest, the mere thought of being confined to a stuffy cubicle causes me to hyperventilate.” My laugh is humorless. “I don’t even know what I’d qualify for.”

He watches me quietly.

“So”—I lift one shoulder—“I’m probably going to end up working in a bar or restaurant or something, and I know there’s nothing wrong with waiting tables. Honest work is honest work. But it feels like standing at the edge of a canyon, looking across at the life I used to have. And the truth is, I’m scared for the first time in my life. I’ve never been scared of anything.”

“What about racing? You could be back in top shape in no time.”

I nod. “And if it were still just me, I would be on the road tomorrow, but I have a little boy depending on me now, and I can’t. It would cost a small fortune to get back on the circuit since losing all my sponsors—money I don’t have. And Ryder will be starting school soon. I can’t be dragging him from city to city, living out of motels. His father is no help, and my mom is as flighty as ever. She flits in and out of our lives on a whim.” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. “I’ve never imagined being a single mother. It wasn’t part of the plan.”

Silence.

Then realization crashes over me. “Oh my gosh.” I cover my face briefly. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“I just dumped my entire life story on you.” I laugh through fresh tears. “We haven’t seen each other in years, you invite me to coffee to catch up, and here I am”—I gesture at him—“burdening you with all my mess.”

He glances toward the window, thinking.

Then he looks back at me. “What’re you doing this weekend?”

I blink. “What?”

“This weekend.”

A watery laugh escapes me. I wipe beneath my eyes with a napkin. “Nothing special.”

“No plans?”

“Not unless drowning my sorrows in a tub of rocky road qualifies as plans.”

He nods once, as though confirming something with himself. “Good. You wanna come to a wedding?”

I stare. “I’m sorry? A wedding?”

He takes a sip of coffee, as if this were the most ordinary invitation in the world. “In Wyoming. You and Ryder. You can hop on the private jet with me on Thursday.”