“Yep.”
“You kept it. You told me you pawned it.”
“I did.” She dropped onto the edge of the bed. Gibbs gave her a side glance then tried to discreetly climb up behind her. The mattress sank instantly, but she didn’t fall back because he curled up behind her, head poking out around her hip.
Erin stated the obvious. “You bought it back.”
“The next day.” That little decision had cost her a pretty premium. Needless to say, she refused to have anything to do with that little shop’s ad fee collection. If it had been up to her, she wouldn’t have sold them ad space in theStarlight Gazetteto begin with.
Erin sat next to her, but Gibbs wedged his giant head between them. “You’ve never really stopped loving him, have you?”
Abbie held the ring tightly between her fingers, considering putting it back on if only to prevent it from falling into the floor vent next. She couldn’t fathom the task such a disaster would create in retrieving it from the duct work. “No.”
“But you said—”
“I’ve followed every event. Watched every snippet of video interview I could find . . . except the rides themselves.”
“You’re really not going tonight?”
“Someone needs to keep an eye on Gus.”
“I can.”
The air suddenly felt stuffy, her throat tight. “I can’t do it, Erin. I can’t watch him ride another bull. I-I . . . Did you know I actually went to Vegas to watch him last year?”
“You said you were going for a story!”
“As soon as I sat in the stands and the first rider came out of the chutes, I lost it.” It was miserable, sitting there sobbing uncontrollably as the people around her gave her odd looks and asked if she needed to call someone to come get her. It’d been nearly impossible to escape that crowd and run, but she managed. “I always see that bull trampling him. Tossing him around like a rag doll.”
She hadn’t realized tears were dropping until one splashed the back of her hand. Gibbs licked her arm and rested his head in her lap. He knew he wasn’t allowed on the bed, mostly because she didn’t have enough room to stretch out if he shared the space, but her need for comfort negated the rules.
“You’ll never have the closure you need if you can’t face this fear, Abbs.”
“I just . . . I don’t think I can.”
“He’s ridden for the last two years without serious injury, right?”
“Just a sprained wrist and a dislocated shoulder.” It was crazy to think of those injuries as minor, but with a bull rider, it was never a matter ofifthey would get hurt. It was always a matter ofwhen. Always sending up a prayer that when that happened, they could recover from those injuries.
“You have to go tonight.”
Her hands trembled as they combed through Gibbs’s soft ears. “I can’t do it alone.”
“Your mom is taking Izzy. Go with them.”
Her objections overcome, she feared she no longer had a choice. “Okay.”
“First, we need to get you cleaned up a bit.” Erin looked her over, unimpressed with her cotton T-shirt and lack of makeup.
“Is that really necessary?”
Erin pulled her up by her wrists and hauled her into the bathroom, a devious twinkle in her eyes. “Absolutely.”
* * *
The hum of music and a talkative crowd waiting for the event to start sifted through the air. Abbie’s mom looked her up and down as they made their way from the overcrowded parking lot to the VIP stands. “You’re a little dolled up tonight,” she said. “Anything I should know?”
“Blame your daughter-in-law.”
