Why did he know all these details? Oh, yes, OCD. I wanted to howl.
Instead, I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing. I had no idea what he was talking about. Bulls were bulls, weren’t they? How many different kinds could there be?
“The…regular kind,” I said.
Dungar and Hail exchanged a look that made my stomach drop to my toes. I was busted, and we all knew it.
“Allie,” Hail said. “You don’t have to pre-pretend to know about rodeos to impress us.”
The kindness in his voice almost undid me. Here I was, lying to the first good people I’d met in forever, and he was being understanding about it.
“I know I don’t have to,” I said, then stopped. Because the truth was, I did feel like I had to. These people had built something amazing together, created this perfect little community where everyone belonged. I wanted to belong too, desperately, and I was terrified that the real me wouldn’t be enough.
“Have you ever actually worked a rodeo?” Dungar asked.
“No.” My cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I haven’t.”
“But you want to help anyway?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“That’s all we needed to know,” Hail said. “Experience would be helpful, but enthusiasm matters more.”
The relief that poured through me was so intense I almost swayed on my feet. They weren’t angry. They weren’t throwing me out. They were being kind about my pathetic attempt to impress them.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t know why I wasn’t truthful about that.”
“People are dishonest when they’re frightened.” That cop alertness was back in Dungar’s eyes. “What are you scared of, Allie?”
I was scared of everything, from the phone calls, scared of Will Carmichael and his syndicate, scared of being found, scared of having to run again, scared of never finding a place where I could stay.
But I couldn’t tell them any of that.
“New places make me nervous,” I said instead. “I wanted to fit in.”
Dungar studied me for a long moment, and I had the uncomfortable feeling he could see right through my flimsy explanation. But before he could push further, the sound of voices outside announced the arrival of the afternoon pottery group.
“Looks like your students are here,” Dungar said to Hail. “I should get back to town anyway. Lots to organize before the rodeo.”
He bumped off the workbench and headed for the door but paused and looked back at me. “Allie? If you ever need anything, anything at all, you come find me. You’re family now.”
Family? It was all I could do not to cry.
It had been so long since I’d been part of anything that the concept felt foreign, dangerous even. Family meant staying, and staying meant being found. It meant giving them a target too, these kind people who didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of my mistakes.
But for an instant, I let myself imagine what it would be like to belong here, with them.
With Hail.
To stop running.
The yearning was so intense it left me breathless.
Chapter 8
Hail
After Dungar left with his kind offer hanging in the air, I found myself alone with Allie again. She stood by the door, looking like she might cry, and I had the strongest urge to wrap my arms around her and tell her everything would be alright.
