It’s not about a line; it’s about the pretty girl blushing at me. I smirk at him, purposefully riling him up. I have no interest in this woman—I was only being friendly. But the normally happy-go-lucky Sterling thinks otherwise, and I love fucking with him.Besides, me and my broken heart could use some cheering up. If it’s at his expense, so be it.
“Olivia,” she answers as I turn back to face her.
“Nice to meet you, Olivia. I also need to check in Knox Ward, please.”
She does her paperwork, and I chat her up, asking how she likes working for the Burning T. I can practically feel Sterling seething from behind me.
She hands me our back numbers. “Good luck.”
I exit the office, biting my tongue so I don’t laugh at the death glare Sterling is giving me. Gosh, why not just fucking pee on the girl, you cave man.
My momentary relapse into the flirty playboy of my past did nothing to soothe the ache. I take out my phone and check it, a wave of sadness sinking into my gut. It’s a waste of time—I know I won’t hear from her.
“You use your day off to get your head out of your ass?” Knox asks, sitting next to me behind the chutes.
I put my boot ties on. Theclangof gates as a saddle bronc horse leaves the chute delays my response. Knox is worried about me and more than a little frustrated. He told me not to get involved with Jessie, and I did it anyway. Now he’s way ahead of me in the standings, and we like to go to the finals together. I’ve been riding like shit since I came back, I know that. But I’ll get it together—I don’t have a choice.
I mumble a response, but it’s not good enough for him.
“What was that?”
“I said I’m working on it,” I snap.
“Go ahead, ask.”
“Ask what?”
“About her. I saw her in Estes,” he confirms.
I finish with my boot tie before I cave. “How was she?”
“Good. Took some Boot Barn wannabe cowboy back to their Airbnb while Kacey stayed with me.”
My head snaps up. “Shewhat?” I ask way too loudly.
A few heads nearby turn our direction.
Knox laughs.
This fucking asshole. “You’re full of shit. And an asshole. Seriously, how was she?”
He sighs and leans back on the gate behind him. “Honestly, quiet. She tried to hide it and act normal, but she’s not herself. You two really fucked this up. I warned you.” He points at me.
“I know. I know.” I take off my hat, scratching the top of my head. “It’s my fault. I fucked up and pushed too hard.”
Knox is quiet for a minute before saying, “I know you miss her. I’ve never seen you like this, but you have to pull it together if you want a shot at the finals. If that means a trip back to Colorado to get her back, then that’s what you do.”
“No. She needs space and time. I’m not giving up on her—she’ll be my first stop come October—but right now, I think the best thing I can do is do what she asked of me and give her space.”
He nods, and we both finish getting ready. I haven’t told Knox the whole story. I refuse to betray Jessie’s trust again, and I know she hasn’t told Kacey about Daryl. If I tell Knox, he’ll tell Kacey, who will tell Carson, and so on. No one in this makeshift family can keep their damn mouth shut, so for now I’ll keep it to myself. As far as Knox and Kacey know, I pushed for a relationship and she pushed back harder.
I worry about her safety every day—what if Daryl does something? Can she protect herself? I check her social media accounts watching for posts and stories to see she’s okay, but she rarely posts.
I catch my finger with my rosin knife. “Fuck.” Without a word, Knox tosses me a roll of tape to stop the bleeding. This is exactly why I’m riding like shit. I need to focus on the task at hand. I have to believe my leaving will make Daryl back off, and she’ll be okay until I can get home and try to work this out once she cools down.
My bull is loaded in the chute. Knox was second out and rode a nice bull easily, as he should. He’ll make it back to the short round.
He walks over to me and slaps the back of my vest. “Your turn. You can win the round on this bull.”
