Good. He realized she wouldn’t settle for only the easy items. “I want pages five through eight, and I want the freedom to publish whatever I choose. If the paper tanks because of it—which it won’t, but if it does—I’ll resign, and you can change things back to the way they are now.”
“Four pages?”
By this point in the conversation, she caught on to her entire family eavesdropping from her peripherals. Seemed Vince realized it, too.
“And I want to write the front-page story every other week.”
It had to be an uneasy feeling, relinquishing control of something he’d clutched so tightly for so long. But without her conditions, the paper would never be the way she dreamed. She couldn’t work at theStarlight Gazetteunless Vince was willing to give her the chance to at least try her ideas.
“Maybe I already have a replacement in mind for your spot,” Vince said, but he couldn’t meet her eye.
She patted his shoulder. “You don’t or you wouldn’t be entertaining my demands.”
“You sure drive a hard bargain. I like your gusto. That’s what you’ll need to be successful in this industry, you know.” He cracked a smirk. “Send me the story tomorrow night. Come back to the office Monday morning. Team meeting at nine-thirty.”
Excitement ran through her veins, but she kept it contained. She wasn’t trying to gloat in front of her boss, but it did feel as if everything was finally falling into place. Logan would retire at the end of the season, and they could finally start their life together. Plan a wedding, find a house.
At the last thought, she felt a little depressed. She wondered whose offer had been accepted and what they might do with the property. Her heart would shatter if a developer bought it to tear it down.
“And that was the last ride of the night, folks!” The announcer’s voice roared through the crowd. “What a night! Let’s get ready to congratulate our top-scoring riders.”
Izzy crawled across a couple laps to arrive back in hers. “Did Uncle Logan win?” she asked, bright blue eyes filled with curiosity. Abbie loved that about the girl, and hoped one day soon to have her own son or daughter hungry for knowledge.
“They haven’t announced it yet”—she rocked Izzy from side to side—“but we know he did because of his scores.” She explained how they added together the scores from last night and tonight. “Highest total wins, and Logan had the best scores both nights.”
“Does he get a trophy?”
“Maybe a belt buckle. But mostly, it’s money,” Vince chimed in. “And points.”
Izzy seemed to process this information, surely a dozen more questions buzzing through her busy mind. But she settled on one. “Are there girl bull riders?”
“Some,” Abbie answered, the question leaving her a little uneasy. “But not as many.”
“Do you want to ride bulls, Izzy?” Vince’s question was innocent enough, and no one else might’ve thought anything of it. But Abbie felt a little sick at the thought of her niece on a bull.
“I want to ride horses,” Izzy finally said.
“You could be a barrel racer,” Vince suggested. The conversation between the two continued, but she heard little of it. Suddenly, she wanted to be anywhere else as a horrid realization took root.
Bull riding was in Logan’s blood. Something his dad and his dad’s dad did because they had a calling. She thought she could survive the rest of one season with Logan riding. But how could she ever rest easy if a future son or daughter decided to follow the same career?
* * *
“Everything okay, Abbs?” Logan asked her that evening in the VIP tent, during the celebration the owner put on at the conclusion of the main event. “You seem a little off.”
“Fine.” But her smile was forced, and she was certain he could tell.
“I heard you got your job back.”
No doubt her mom told him. Or Cliff. Her eyes danced back and forth between the two, trying to decide which it had been. Both had been more than interested in that little conversation.
“I did. On my terms.”
“I’m proud of you, you know.”
She kissed him then, hoping it would erase her earlier fears about their future children. It was a simple obstacle they could overcome together.Right?
The owner had opened the gates to the general public, and dozens of people wandered over, crowding the tent. She reached for Logan’s hand, hoping to pull him from the chaos for a private moonlit walk. She had a lot of burning questions about their future.
