Izzy licked vigorously at her ice cream once her grandma pointed out it was melting fast, but her eyes shot back to the arena each time a rider came out of the chute. He wondered what other thoughts were going through her brilliant mind. He predicted she’d do quite well if she wanted a rodeo career someday.
“Vince tried to call me,” Abbie said nonchalantly. As though she might’ve just mentioned the partly cloudy weather forecast rather than the former boss who crushed her most sacred dream.
“Did he?”
“Left a voicemail,” she admitted, but quietly enough that her mom didn’t hear. “I haven’t listened to it yet.”
“Maybe he came around.”
“Doubtful.”
He wanted to question it, but left it alone. She hadn’t talked at all about what she would do now. As far as he knew, she wasn’t even browsing online jobsites. He wished there was something he could do to fix it. “You should still see what he has to say. People can surprise you sometimes.”
“I’ll listen to that voicemail after you talk to your grandpa.”
“Fair enough.”
They watched the riders, or least everyone did but Abbie, who did a pretty good job of keeping her nose buried in her phone. Izzy buzzed with questions too smart for a five-year-old until it was time for him to return to the chutes and prepare for his first ride of the event.
He squeezed Abbie’s hand, hoping to discreetly pull her attention from her phone for a few seconds. He admired the ring that still looked so perfect on that finger until she finally looked up at him. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise.”
“You can’t promise anything, Logan. You know that.” She tried to smile, but the worry in her eyes dissolved it. “Just be careful, okay?”
He brushed his hand along her cheek, bringing her lips to his own. He didn’t care if Izzy or her mom were watching. Or the crowd. No need to keep it a secret. They would make this work. He would stop at nothing to make sure of it.
* * *
Abbie
“Tornado!”
Abbie couldn’t breathe at the loudspeaker’s announcement. Seemed the universe was set on torturing her. She wished that of all the bulls, this one had been left behind for this particular rodeo. The only thing worse than having to watch a rider on that bull was to watch Logan on him again.
“You okay, Abbs?” Mom asked.
She’d forced herself to tuck away her phone and watch this one. Erin was right. She’d never have the closure she needed if she couldn’t face her greatest fear. “I’ll be happy when this is over.”
With the chutes directly across from the VIP seating, she had much too clear a view of the black and white spotted bull and the rider maneuvering to find his balance behind the gate. Several bodies hovered around that small pen, trying to get Tornado under control. Until the rider was ready and gave the nod, they wouldn’t open that gate.
“You used to love it, you know.”
“That was a long time ago.” Before she spent weeks in and out of hospitals with Logan. He’d been injured plenty through his many years of bull riding, but never like that. She feared she’d have nightmares about it the rest of her life.
“I remember you running into the kitchen when I was cooking dinner to tell me how he did,” Mom said. “At least, for the rodeos I wouldn’t let you travel to. You had such excitement in your eyes.”
“I was young then. Naïve.”
“You were supportive.”
The debate paused as the gate flew open and Tornado shot out, bucking the second he was free. The bull rocked quickly, violently. The rider went flying early, and Tornado charged right at him before his feet even hit the ground, mud churning. If ever there was a bull that held a grudge, it was this one.
One-point-seven seconds.
The bull fighters made quick work of distracting Tornado, but he powered through them. Knocked one down and stepped on a shoulder in his destructive path. Abbie felt like throwing up.
The rider had one leg over the fence railing when Tornado reached him. The pickup man on his horse lassoed the bull and fought to pull him away, but not before Tornado got in a good, hard jab. The rider fell backward, his cry of pain heard across the arena, the crowd stunned into silence.
Her fingers clenched the seat beneath her until Tornado reluctantly allowed himself to be ushered out of the arena. He tried to turn around before the gate was latched, but wasn’t quick enough to escape. She wanted to run. The thought of staying to watch even one more rider made her queasy.
