‘It wasn’t true. I know.’ She didn’t tell Markus that she still loved Benji. He knew what she was talking about. But she did add, ‘I don’t think it changes anything though.’
Markus smiled sadly. ‘Babe, it changes everything. And if you can’t admit that yet, that’s fine. But remember that one day you might look back and regret that you didn’t have the courage to reach out and take it.’
Aware that Maverick and Nina weren’t following the conversation, only looking back and forth between them, Sierra didn’t argue. She just shrugged and walked inside to shower and get ready for work.
She wasn’t in denial. Last night, she had slept in Benji’s arms and those old feelings of love and desire and safety had crept into her heart again, this time with a year of deprivation intensifying them. But the difference this time was that she, more than anyone, knew that love wasn’t enough.
Love didn’t stop bad things from happening. Love didn’t protect you from the world and its random cruelty. In fact, sometimes it was a suffocating reminder of everything you were trying to forget.
Sierra didn’t contemplate the night with Benji further. And she didn’t dally, even though it was Sunday. She reminded herself,You’re fine, and then she showered and changed, and was out the door again before the others had even come in from the porch.
In her office, she sat down and unlocked her computer, dived into the week’s spreadsheets with nothing on her mind but orders and budgets and payroll.
She was an expert at channelling her mind and cutting out distractions and unwanted thoughts, so, by the time Skye knocked on her door and said, ‘Do you have a moment?’ Sierra wasn’t shocked to see that the morning had come and gone while she’d been working.
She waved Skye in as she minimized the open window on her computer. ‘What can I do for you?’ she asked, and reached down one hand to stroke Bandit, who had walked around Sierra’s desk to sniff around.
In the back of her mind, she hoped that the wrangler wasn’t handing in her resignation. With Mav out and Benji filling in temporarily, Hunt Ranch couldn’t afford to lose another employee at the barn. And even though Skye was young – maybe in her mid-twenties – and relatively new to the horse world, she had been doing good work.
Skye took a seat in the plush leather chair opposite Sierra’s. She ran one hand through her short cap of hair and settled her direct, blue gaze on Sierra. ‘I was hoping to ask you for a favour?’
Leaning back in her chair, Sierra crossed one leg over the other and contemplated the other woman. Skye was beautiful. With her short, blonde hair and ice-blue eyes, she reminded Sierra of a cowgirl Tinkerbell. ‘I guess it depends on the favour,’ she replied eventually.
Skye leaned forward in her chair. She rested her elbows on her knees and loosely linked her hands. ‘There’s a rumour down at the barn that you run barrels – and could qualify for the NFR if you had a mind to.’
Sierra’s heart gave a little kick. Still, she remained calm. ‘That’s a bit of an exaggeration. Over three thousand women are members of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, and the National Finals Rodeo is only the top fifteen earners. Besides, competing always took the joy out of barrel racing for me.’
‘What is your fastest time on a standard course?’
‘Sixteen-eight-one.’
Skye’s mouth actually dropped open. ‘You ran a full pattern in under seventeen seconds?’
‘I did.’
‘OnTy?’
‘No. Ty’s fast on the straights, but he’s too big to take the barrels as tight as a smaller horse. I clocked that run on Diablo.’
‘That’s incredible.’
Because Sierra could feel that long-lost pride swelling, she cut it off. ‘As I said, I don’t compete. And you can’t accrue rodeo dollars and qualify if you don’t compete.’
‘Do you teach?’
‘Excuse me?’
‘My mare – Smoking Barrel. She can run. Like insanely fast.’ Skye’s voice filled with excitement just talking about her horse. ‘She’s borderline terrifying when I give her her head, and when I don’t, she fights me for it. Shewantsto go.’
‘Quarter Horse?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And … You want my help?’
‘Ineedyour help.’ Skye cracked her knuckles. ‘I have the guts for it, but I can’t nail down the technique.’
‘Skye—’
