“Come on, let’s get you in the shower and clean you up better.”
“I want to take a bath,” she said as her fingers ran through my hair. “Will you take a bath with me?”
“Of course I will.” I carried her down the hallway toward the bathroom and set her down on the counter before turning on the water in the tub. “Those legs are pretty scratched up. “
I moved to stand in front of her to inspect her wounds as she pulled her wild, wavy hair into a bun on top of her head, then wrapped an elastic around it.
“Pfffttt… this is nothing.” She chuckled. “You know how beat up I get out there when I’m training and in competitions. This was so fun. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much.”
She raised her arms, and I pulled her tank top over her head before removing her bra as my fingers traced over her perfect tits.
I was happy that Wren was having fun here. She’d been working hard for as long as I could remember. When most teenagers were out goofing off in the river and drinking beers at parties on the weekends, she’d been training.
“It’s good for you to have some fun,” I said, helping her off the counter before setting her on her feet. I removed her skirt and panties, climbed in the tub, and held out my hand to help Wren. She settled between my thighs, her back to my front.
“Yeah. I think that was one of the hardest parts of being away from you all that time.”
“What was?” I asked as my arms came around her, settling on her stomach.
“You always brought out the lighter side of me. The laughter and the fun. It’s just been all business these last two years, andI haven’t been enjoying it as much as I used to.” She sighed, her words still slurring the slightest bit. “I feel guilty admitting that, you know?”
“Why?”
“Because I should be grateful. I’ve been lucky enough to pursue a sport that I love. I’ve had the financial resources, and I’ve been able to reach a level of success that most people would dream of. So saying that I’m not enjoying it makes it seem like I take it for granted. But I don’t. It’s been a dream, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I just don’t know if my dream has changed. And it feels…” She paused as she thought out her next words. “It feels selfish for me to change my mind about a dream that so many people are invested in. My success has become Coach Sharky’s success. My success feels like the last connection that my father and I share.”
I wrapped my arms around her a little tighter. I realized in this moment that Wren had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Because she was right—with success comes responsibility that you can’t really plan for.
“It’s always okay to pivot, baby. You’ve worked hard for so many years, and if you’re ready to change course, that does not make you ungrateful or selfish. It means that you’re living your life. And anyone who loves you should want that for you. And if they don’t, then you have to question their motives. I’m sure Coach Sharky has reaped many benefits from you being the world champion.”
“Yes. It’s tricky, because being back here in Rosewood River, and training here—it’s reignited something in me. I love riding out in the open space. I think Wrax does, too. He never enjoys his time in the arena. He likes open fields and hill work and being free to just run.”
“You’re two peas in a pod. You’re both the same that way,” I said. “So you train here and then you’ll go back and see how it feels.”
“I hope I just know what I want when I go back. Obviously, our last competition was a disaster, and that’s not the way I want to end my career. So we’ll get back out there and take it one event at a time. Maybe that love will still be there, or maybe it won’t. And both are okay,” she said, her voice sounding sleepy now.
“I’ll be able to be there for your first competition back, but I hate that I can’t be there for the big one on Labor Day weekend,” I said. Easton and Henley were getting married that weekend, and I couldn’t miss that.
“Don’t be silly. I hate that I’m missing their wedding. You’ll have to send me lots of pictures. Do you ever think about getting married, Cowboy?”
I chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Yeah, I do. But there’s only one girl I’d spend my life with, and she’s still got some things to do first.”
“Good answer.”
“You sound sleepy, baby. Let’s get you in bed. You’ve got a big training day when you wake up. While you were out tonight, I got a few temporary jumps set up for you to practice on in the ring tomorrow, and Uncle Keaton and my dad agreed to help me build a few solid jumps for you to train on.”
“Why are you so good to me?” she whispered.
“Because you’re my person, Wren.”
Always had been. Always would be.
Wren had been training hard recently as she geared up to start competing again. My father and uncle had built some reallysturdy jumps in their woodshop for her, and Coby, Jonah, and Benji had helped me set them up at different heights with different angles and turns to challenge her. We’d move them every morning so she’d be forced to adjust to the changes constantly.
But her favorite thing to do was to take Wrax out for endurance training and hill work. And my favorite thing was to be out here watching her do her thing.
She was training several hours a day. It didn’t take her more than an hour or two a day to do the books, and some days she didn’t need to do anything in the office at all. She was also working with Melody and Brenton two days a week, teaching them the ropes about riding.
It made her happy, which was what mattered the most.
