“She could gethurt.” Erin aimed that narrowed stare at him. He had to assume Abbie hadnotsaid anything about that kiss or she might be acting a whole lot differently right now—more like excluding him completely from the conversation.
“Can’t keep her in a bubble all her life, you know.” Cliff reached across the center console and squeezed his wife’s hand. Erin wriggled it free. If only she or Abbie knew that Izzy’s name was already on the list and a cute purple helmet was packed in a bag on the back seat.
“The sheep are shorter than Gibbs,” he dared. He didn’t elaborate that it was a shorter distance to fall. Besides, they’d already put Izzy on Gibbs a couple times while Erin was running errands, to help her get the hang of how to hold on. The dog had loved it, too. “Kids do it all the time.”
“Pleeeease!” Izzy continued.
Erin let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll think about it.”
Cliff pulled into the VIP lot, courtesy of Logan’s competitor package. There were perks to his fame, he had to admit, after they passed the already-full general admission parking lot. Anyone who hadn’t arrived yet would be forced to pay for parking from those selling space around town. It felt good to use his status to do something nice for his friends.
It was a little surreal after all this time to be walking toward the arena with Abbie by his side. For two years, he’d gone to all these events alone. Checked his phone every time to see if maybe she’d texted him aMiss youorGood luck. But it was always the same: silence.
“You did it?” he overheard Erin say to Abbie, and his ears perked. “You really put in an offer?”
“I’m not going to get it,” Abbie told her, the excitement dimming in her eyes. He yearned to reach for her hand, but that could cause a whole new set of problems right now in front of Erin and Cliff. One amazing kiss didn’t mean they had anything sorted out. “But Christy thought I should at least put my name in the hat.”
Guilt crept in at what he’d done, but he couldn’t imagine that house going to anyone else. He genuinely hoped Mrs. Hampton would read Abbie’s letter and forget all the other offers on the table, but he doubted it would play out like that.
“Must feel good to be back,” Cliff said, pulling him from eavesdropping on Abbie’s conversation. “Doing what you love in your hometown.”
“It does,” he said, and he meant it. There’d be more pressure to perform well this weekend with the entire town expecting him to win the event, but he’d always managed to quiet the crowd in his mind while he was atop a bull. He could do it here, too.
After he got everyone inside the gates, Cliff pulled him away to grab food for the group. Reluctantly, he let Abbie walk away toward her seat. Now that he had her back, he didn’t much care for being separated. He didn’t want a single moment to transpire that might change her mind.
“You think Erin will let Izzy on a sheep?” he asked.
“We’ll find out.”
If not, that would be another strike against him, he suspected. It’d been his idea, after all.
A couple of fans stopped him for an autograph, and he obliged despite his desire to simply blend in. His sponsors would be happy he was being social, but he had to admit he wouldn’t miss this part once he retired.
They ordered a bunch of hot dogs, nachos, and drinks, and carried their haul back to the VIP section of the grandstands where the others waited for them. Another glimpse into the normal life he sacrificed by leaving.
He had to admit, he was rather impressed with the upgrades. This section was much less crowded, the seats had padded backs to them, and there were even stationary tables for their food. “Someone really poured a lot of money into this,” he mentioned to Cliff. “They must have high expectations.”
“Some guy from California with money to burn, chasing a dream.”
Cliff’s comment had him considering his own dreams and what might come next, after this season. He was young enough yet. He could ride a couple more years, if it came down to it. Most riders he knew retired in their early thirties. But did he want that?
“Thanks for the nachos,” Abbie said, bringing him back to the present moment as he took a seat beside her.
“Of course.” That dazzling smile was for him. What would it take to keep it that way indefinitely? “Abbs, maybe we should talk—”
“Oh, look!” She grabbed his arm and pointed toward a sectioned area of the arena where a gaggle of kids were corralled. “They’re going to do the greased-pig contest!”
Cliff leaned in with a chuckle, saying to his wife, “Be glad we didn’t sign her up for that.”
“I hope Carl lined up Jillian to get pictures for—” Abbie stopped herself, her smile fading into a frown. “I guess I don’t need to worry about stuff like that anymore, do I?”
The despair in her tone tore at his heart. He resisted the urge to take her hand in his own, worried he’d draw too much attention when neither were ready for that. “I’m sorry, Abbs,” he said quietly. “Just try to enjoy the show. Lotta fun stuff tonight.”
He’d like to have a few choice words with Vince, but he wasn’t sure it’d do any good. In fact, he’d probably make things worse. Vince, though stubborn, was a mostly reasonable man from what Logan remembered. With time, he might realize the mistake he’d made in letting Abbie walk out the door.
Or he might not.
The latter gave Logan the smallest reassurance that he did the right thing about the house.
