I’ve never seen the old man ride, but the way he commanded that bull, you’d think he was born for it. I was sure that unnecessary show would end in me running out into the arena and an ambulance sprint to the hospital. Maybe even an emergency surgery tonight.
The crowd continues to roar—the regulars who come for every event. You wouldn’t think a local rodeo would have so many season ticket holders, but that’s how we do it here in Cole County.
“Tell your boyfriend that’s how you ride,” Wilber’s gruff voice comes behind me. He quickly pulls me into a bear hug. Tears threaten to spring from my eyes, thinking of my grandfather. He and Wilber had been thick as thieves back in the day. It’s why I grew up around the crazy old man. When my grandfather passed seven years ago, it was Wilber and his wife there to help hold my grandmother together every day.
“I’ll be sure to let him know,” I chuckle. “Gramps, do you know, Joy?”
“Sure do. Hear you’ve been keeping these horses in tip-top shape this season. Nice work.”
“Thanks,” Joy beams.
“Ginger, you tell your nana I’ll be around this week.”
“Will do.” Then he’s gone, sauntering off into the crowd, waving his Stetson like the celebrity he is, those same royal blue chaps he’s had for ages flapping out around him.
“Ginger?” Joy questions.
I can only groan. Only my grandmother and Wilber use the nickname anymore. “Long story short, when I was a kid, I went through this phase where all I would eat was ginger. My brothers started calling me ginger because they said I stunk all the time from it. Gran and Wilber turned the nickname into something endearing and just never stopped using it.”
“I’ll stick with River.”
“Thank goodness,” I chuckle.
Chapter 16
Grayson
Theweekpassesina blur. My tech duties have kept me away from practicing and home more than I’m used to. But the best part has been having River here. I’d expected a little pushback when I asked her to pack enough for a few days, but she’d walked up to my front door with a whole suitcase. I’d cleared out drawers for her to put her clothes in, and there was plenty of room in the closet, so it worked just fine.
Better than fine. Our lives seamlessly blended as if they’d always been this way.
She’s been in my bed every night since. We’re blissfully perfect together. She makes me forget all the shit weighing me down, and I make her smile. We’ve talked about everything and nothing. Made love and tended to the animals together every morning, no matter how early her clinic or surgery days started.
She’s always there. A partner in every way that matters.
Each night ends with her curled up at my side, falling asleep in my arms. My whisperedI love you’sfalling on deaf ears. It doesn’t matter that I’ve only known the woman for three weeks. My heart knows what it wants, and it’s her every damn day.
Yet, the past keeps me from telling her. After our breakup, Stacy told me I loved too easily, too hard, and too fast.
Though Stacy was an amazing woman, River has a tougher edge that makes me wary. The exterior she’s built to protect herself from the world is a potential barrier to her falling into a long-term relationship with me. Maybe from falling in love with me at all.
“Gray, your phone!” River calls from the kitchen.
Jogging down the stairs, I catch it on the last ring.
“Hey, Austin. What’s up?”
“One of the cows got stuck in the fence. Tate thought he fixed it, but not well enough. I need you to come out. His usual vet isn’t in town.”
My molars grind. Of course, some shit with Tate would interrupt my blissful bubble with River. I’d deluded myself into believing we could just keep playing house without my brother somehow ruining it.
“Find someone else.”
“Gray, come on. Please.” I don’t have to see his face to know the pained look pulling at his features. The one that speaks of years of dealing with Tate and I’s shit relationship. A not-so-subtle reminder of the effect we have on everyone else around us.
Yet my determination to keep Tate at a distance validates my response. “I said, find someone else. Tate wanted the family ranch. He got it.”
The crack of my phone against the cement countertop makes River jump. For a moment, I’d forgotten she was there. I hate that, once again, she saw me lose my shit over my brother. If she keeps seeing me like this, she’ll find her breaking point and decide a relationship with a mess like me isn’t worth it.
