Part of him didn’t want to admit the truth. Didn’t want to give her anything to worry about the whole night until he rode. If he didn’t mention drawing for his bull, she wouldn’t know until the announcer told the crowd. It wasn’t a secret he felt right withholding from her. “I drew him. I drew Tornado.”
Her face paled. “Can you redraw?”
He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back harder. “You know the rules. I either ride the bull I drew, or I don’t ride.”
“Then don’t ride.” Her voice quivered, eyes shiny with tears. “Please.”
“Abbs, you know I have to do this.”
She sucked in a breath, closed her eyes, and nodded. “I know. I just wish you didn’t.”
“One ride. That’s it.”
“What if you do it, Logan? What if you beat him?”
“Then I’ll get to retire at the end of the season with a sense of accomplishment.” A couple heads turned in their direction, and he pulled her back behind the concession buildings. The last thing he needed was word getting out about his retirement before he was ready to make the official announcement. His sponsors would have a hay day.
“Retire?” That single word brought a hopeful smile to her face. He wanted to share his plans for the two of them. Big plans. But he wasn’t ready to spoil his surprise. Not yet.
“We’ll talk more about it tomorrow, okay?” Drawing her into his arms, he kissed her until they were both breathless. Abbie was a little wobbly on her legs when they broke apart, so he wrapped her arm around his. “Suppose I better say hi to your family.”
“Dad might come tonight.”
His throat constricted, as though the air might have suddenly thickened and made it difficult to breathe. “That so?” The last image he had of Mr. Bennington wasn’t a pleasant one. The red face, the daggers in his eyes. The man swore he’d never forgive Logan for hurting his daughter.
“It’ll be okay. You’ll see.”
The thought that the man might be sitting in the stands now made him more nervous than he ever was on a bull, but he didn’t know how to avoid an inevitable encounter. Maybe he’d simply get lucky and Mr. Bennington wouldn’t show.
“Logan!” Izzy ran right up to him and waited to be scooped into his arms. Before he could manage more than a couple words, a crowd gathered around. His friends, family, fans. “Are you coming to my birthday party tomorrow?”
“I sure am,” he assured her.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Good!”
“Grandpa?” Logan was shocked to spot the older man in the tent, working on a barbeque rib. Even if he hadn’t been scheduled to work tonight, their conversation this morning didn’t seem near enough to mend their relationship. For his grandpa to show up to his event, even though he couldn’t stand bull riding, had to mean they would be okay.
“Couldn’t turn down the free food.” Grandpa let out a deep, gravely laugh Logan hadn’t heard in years. “Heard the new owner went all out on the catering. Did you know they got steak over there?”
Logan set Izzy down when she began wiggling and let her run back to her dad. The innocent little girl had no idea what was in store for her tomorrow. “I thought you had to work toinght.”
“I quit.” Grandpa tossed his cleaned rib bone into a nearby trashcan. “I’ll be by to pick up Gus and his medication in the morning. He’s my dog, too. I’ll make sure he gets all the medication he needs.”
Logan stared, a little dumbfounded. Seemed as if something was in the air lately. “You really quit?”
“Don’t need that other job anymore. I got options.” He clapped Logan on the shoulder, then excused himself to go in search of a steak dinner. It was the closest he’d get to athank youfrom him, and that was okay. It was more than he expected.
* * *
Logan pushed away all thought as he prepared to drop onto the black and white spotted bull that was already agitated from the confines of the chute. The excitement of the crowd faded as though someone turned down a volume dial. Quieting his mind was the most crucial step of riding a bull. His dad taught him that.
Keep it simple. The countermovements to the bull and their timing were everything. If he focused on that, he might just last.
“Ready?” the flankman asked.
