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“You don’t go to church,” Eli scoffs.
Maybe I should start, considering the absolutely unholy thoughts I’ve been having about his sister. “Semantics. We’ll be there, as long as Addie doesn’t need to hit a jackpot that weekend.”
He eyes me skeptically. “When did she start letting you make decisions about her runs?”
“She knows a good thing when she sees it, man. I’m more than a pretty face with a nice ass.”
He rolls his eyes. “Anyway, it’s a whole thing. Hazel rented out the dance hall in town, so behave. And for the love of God, if you bring Tracy, don’t let her drink too much. Last time you brought that girl around, she was drunk enough to hit on every cowboy in sight. Me included.”
“No Tracy. Got it.” I definitely won’t be bringing Tracy; that’s for fucking sure. And not because Eli told me not to.
“Oh, and one more thing,” he continues. “Hazel and I decided to grab a hotel tomorrow night instead of spending another night camping. We’re going to return the car, get cleaned up, and sleep in a real bed before heading home Tuesday.”
Sleeping in a real bed sounds nice. Maybe Addie will let me sleep in hers. Nope. Stop it, dumbass. You’re moving past this, remember? Addie is off-limits.
But one thing did just work out in my favor. Eli won’t be around tomorrow night when I need to sneak off for the bull rides. Now, I just have to figure out how the hell I’m going to get away from Addie, though I know full well doing it will probably put an end to whatever we started once and for all. There’s no way she’s going to let me disappear again without an explanation. I’ll refuse to tell her; she’ll assume the worst, and whatever this is between us will be over.
Chapter twenty-one
Addie
Ihaven’t seen Chace since I left camp around noon to work with Dusty. We’d said goodbye to Eli and Hazel, and I headed for the stables. I thought for sure Chace would show up sooner or later, now that we were finally alone on the road again. I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed when he never did.
Something seems to have shifted between us since we left Cheyenne. He’s hardly looked in my direction since the ride here with Eli. I mean, okay, I get it. I didn’t exactly make that drive easy on him, but I didn’t expect him to completely shut down whatever this thing is between us. Even yesterday, while we were setting up camp, he kept his distance. I made some smart-ass comment that I fully expected him to give me a side-eye over, but instead he barely smiled and went back to setting up his tent.
Maybe he regrets what happened between us in the backseat of his truck the other night. For some reason, that thought bothers me more than it should, because I don’t regret what happened. Not even a little. If anything, I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time thinking about doing it again, only this time I want a hell of a lot more than his hands.
I really need to stop overthinking it. Eli and Hazel are gone, so we can go back to normal now. Whatever normal between Chace and me even is at this point.
Despite my bitter disappointment, I’ve decided to throw myself into working with Dusty. If Chace wants to spend the afternoon pretending I don’t exist, fine. I have plenty to do without him.
At some point in the late afternoon, another girl joins us in the training arena with her horse, a pretty little sorrel mare with four white socks who keeps flicking her ears toward Dusty every time we pass. The girl riding her looks about my age, maybe a little older. After a few laps, she pulls up beside me while I’m giving Dusty a break.
“You’re Addie Dawson, right?”
I glance over. “Depends. Am I in trouble?”
She laughs. “No. I saw your run in Cheyenne. You killed it.”
“Thanks.” I reach down and rub Dusty’s neck, unable to stop the little burst of pride that still runs through me every time I think about last weekend's run.
“I’m Alexis.” She tips her chin toward the mare beneath her. “This is Daisy. We don’t run the circuit or anything. Mostly local stuff, but my entire family is rodeo obsessed.”
“Nice to meet you.” I look Daisy over as she shifts beneath Alexis. “She’s cute.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that. She already thinks she’s God’s gift to barrel racing.”
I laugh, and apparently Dusty agrees because he stretches his nose toward her. Daisy reaches right back, and the two of them start sniffing each other like they’ve been waiting all afternoon to meet.
“Well, that’s weird.” Alexis looks between them. “She usually hates other horses.”
“So does he.”
“Perfect. They can be assholes together.” Her laugh is loud and genuine. Okay, I think I like her. Maybe I am capable of making friends out here after all.
We end up working together for the rest of the afternoon. Alexis runs Daisy through the pattern while I watch from the rail, then she watches while I take Dusty through. She points out that he seems to lose a little momentum coming out of his second barrel, and I tell her Daisy is dropping her shoulder going into the first. Before long, we’re trading suggestions back and forth like we’ve known each other longer than an afternoon. The sun is already setting before either of us realizes how late it’s gotten.
“My brothers are putting on an event tonight if you’re bored,” Alexis says. “Nothing serious. Mostly locals, and some guys who come through during rodeo week. It usually turns into one hell of a party after midnight.”
