Chapter Fourteen
The Fort Worth,Texas, rodeo was one of Chase’s favorites. They had one every weekend in the fall and winter. They ran a good show and there was good money to be had as well. Still, Chase wondered if he’d been too quick to come back. He’d broken enough bones in the past to know he’d never be fully without pain when he competed. Even after years some of his injuries still ached with the weather. But bottom line was, he wasn’t ready to give it up. Particularly the adrenaline rush that came with competition, with giving it your all and winning. Of course, he also had to deal with giving it his best and it not being good enough. So far the pros had outweighed the cons.
But he hadn’t known Ella then. Assuming he could convince her to give the two of them a shot, how would she deal with him being on the circuit? It was a hard life, especially hard on marriages and relationships. But hell, lots of professions took their toll on relationships.
Ella had told him about her ex, though. That jerk had done a number on her and soured her on all rodeo cowboys while he was at it. Could he convince her that he was no faithless lowlife?
She wasn’t ready to risk it. He was. He’d only held back because he didn’t want to screw up a job she loved and was damned good at. She’d had a weak moment but he knew she’d have regretted it if they’d made love. And he didn’t want to make love with her again unless they were both sure they wouldn’t regret it.
You’re forgetting you told her you wanted a relationship with her and she shot you down.
I didn’t forget. I’m hoping she changed her mind.
He’d wondered if being on the road again might change his mind about other women. Not buckle bunnies but women you could have a relationship with, if you wanted. But nothing had changed. He still liked women. But he didn’t want to make love to anyone but Ella.
He’d drawn a good horse this time. Not like the she-devil who’d tried to kill him, or at the least, maim him. But a good strong horse he’d ridden before and done well with. The horse was a huge part of the score. As it should be.
He soaked up the sounds, the smells, the excitement that was rodeo while saddling his ride. Once that was finally accomplished to suit him, he got ready to ride, adjusting his body to the horse, his seat in the saddle. It took more tries than he liked to be ready but finally, he was.
“Let her rip.”
*
Ella had alwaysthought the phrase ‘with her heart in her throat’ was an exaggeration. But she hadn’t watched Chase ride his first bronc since his accident then. She felt like her heart wasliterallyin her throat. She didn’t have butterflies in her stomach; she had big honkin’ birds. She could barely draw breath until the buzzer rang and the pickup men had helped Chase dismount and turned the bronc toward the exit gate. A short while after that she saw him take his place among the other cowboys watching the events.
She’d watched Phil ride a few times. It made her nervous but if he’d wanted her there more often she would have been. But he said she broke his concentration and asked her not to come after those first few times. She’d agreed, of course, being too naive to understand why he didn’t want her there. It was hard to chase women when your girlfriend was hanging around.
Chase isn’t like him.
She remembered what Hazel had told her. Hazel, who heard a lot of rodeo gossip.“Chase is a flirt but choosy about who he sleeps with.”And what Damaris had said about Chase being a good guy. She knew he was. As long as she acknowledged going in that they likely wouldn’t work because Chase was all in with the rodeo, then she should be able to handle things. She’d had different expectations with Phil. She’d thought they’d be together forever. With Chase she wouldn’t count on that.
Knowing there was another go-round, she stayed to watch. It made her just as nervous the second time. Chase stayed on the full eight seconds on both rides, but she didn’t believe his score was good enough to be in the money. She figured Chase would be watching the others in the saddle bronc event, and probably a lot more of the events. So she waited around until the proceedings were over for the evening. To her surprise she enjoyed the events, not having been to a rodeo in quite some time. Like most of her childhood friends, she’d competed in junior rodeo, barrel racing mostly, and she’d enjoyed it. But once she got older she let competing go.
Chase had told Damaris, who then told her, where he was staying. So she drove to the hotel. And though she saw his truck parked outside, she had no idea which room he was in. A part of her almost chickened out. But she had to know if this craving she had for him was something that could be burned out or if it was more lasting. She wouldn’t count on forever, but at least for a while. As for what it meant to Chase, she needed to know that too.
She left her truck, walked over to stand in front of his, and called him.
He answered immediately. “Ella? Is something wrong at home?”
“No, everything is fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh, good,” he said, sounding relieved. “Usually no news is good news.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I should have known it would worry you.”
“I’m surprised to hear from you since it’s not an emergency. We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”
When she didn’t speak he said, “What do you need?”
Her fingers tightened on the cell phone. “How were your rides? How do you feel?”
“The rides were okay. Not great but okay. Shoulder’s sore but not too bad.”
“Will you be in the money?”
“Won’t know until tomorrow’s go-round. It doesn’t look likely, though.”
“I’m sorry.” God, was that the only thing she could say?
