‘Whoa there, Jesse! You lost your damn mind? The only thing you’ll end up with after punching Miller is a broken hand. C’mon now – Jesse!’
Cole’s eyes flicked to the voice behind as I closed mine for a moment.
I turned to see my buddy Jace and his brother, Jonah, all decked out for the competition just like me. Jace released my arm as I shook it off.
‘You okay?’ Jonah asked, glancing between me and Cole. ‘You want us to back you up—’
‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ Clara suddenly declared, throwing herself into the middle. ‘Simmer the hell down, all of you. Jesse – running after Hestia right now isn’t gonna help, especially if she doesn’t want you to. Cole is just trying to stop you getting hurt some more. And you two –’ she pointed at the brothers – ‘need to mind your business and get the fuck back to the chutes. Now.’
I nodded as they looked back to me to check, tipping their hats with sheepish expressions towards Clara, who kept her eyes on them like a hawk as they left.
Finally clocking the small crowd that’d gathered round, I gritted my teeth and scooped my hat back up off the ground, catching sight of a familiar, long absent face among them.
Tristan Sinclair. As tall and imposing as his older brother and dad, and just as out of place – more at home in suits than jeans, his smart mouth and hard eyes making him a likely target for a post-rodeo brawl.
He caught my stare for a moment, then looked over to Cole, his expression blank.
‘What the hell ishedoing here?’ Cole muttered under his breath, staring just as I had been, watching as Tristan turned and walked off, heading back over in the direction of the stands.
‘Thank fuck Lil’s not here,’ I replied, grateful for the distraction.
Cole nodded, his brow deeply furrowed as he glanced back at me.
‘Look, I’m sorry, I just . . .’
I shook my head, kicking at a couple of stones in the dirt.
‘I get it. I know what you’re trying to do,’ I murmured, unable to help looking towards the parking lot, as if by some miracle Hestia was going to come wandering back.
‘Go on and get outta here,’ Clara urged, holding out a hand to take my competitor number. ‘Ain’t no way you’re riding tonight. Hand it over and I’ll take it back to the office for you. Go get a drink or something, okay?’
The anger was fading as I clenched my jaw, knowing she was right and hating it all the same. Taking the number off and handing it to her, I could feel the pain seeping through me, as though the anger had kept it at bay and now . . . it really fucking hurt.
‘I’m sorry, Jesse,’ she said, holding my hand for a moment as she took my number. ‘Truly, I am.’
Not trusting myself to speak, I walked towards the car park, Cole walking with me, matching my silence.
Other than putting one foot in front of the other, I had no idea what to do next. It was like someone had erased the path I’d been walking until now. All colour had drained away; there was nothing left to say or do. What I’d begun to see as my whole damn future was on her way to the airport and it seemed like there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
‘I need to try,’ I said, stopping abruptly as we neared Cole’s truck. ‘Just one conversation – and if she doesn’t want to know, I’ll let her go. I fucking swear it. I just . . . I’ve got to try, Cole.’
I didn’t bother to shield the gut-wrenching ache that I know was showing in my face. His look in return was one of pity – empathy.
‘I just don’t think she’s going to—’
‘Imagine it was Lottie doing this,’ I cut him off, all but begging, taking off my hat and running my hand through my hair, pulling at it as though it would somehow ease the pain in the rest of my body. ‘Would you just let her go? When you know what she is to you?’
He paused, knowing exactly what he’d do – and exactly what he was preventing me from doing. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping the screen twice until I heard ringing.
‘Hey,’ he said after a moment, then with a glance at me, ‘he’s not great. Look, you know her best. Do you think she might listen if Jesse goes after her, tries to persuade her to stay . . .?’
Nodding, he held the phone out between us, tapping the speaker icon.
‘Jesse?’
Lottie’s voice was strained but firm, Cole’s eyes on mine.
‘Yeah,’ I answered, sensing, deep down, where this was going to go.
