Then, if he was still in the top twenty, it’d be off to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the Governor’s Cup
Things were getting intense. I could feel the tension starting to rise in Colton. It was time to be there for him, completely and fully.
Despite my ever-growing fear.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“You’re sittin’ too tall, Colt.”
It was late afternoon in the campground. Colton was on his second hour of practice, with Dennis giving his advice and Jimmy ready on a horse as a pick-up man. He was drenched in sweat; it was at least a hundred degrees. He looked exhausted, justifiably so, as his body had been thrown around for hours on the back of that horse.
I leaned my back against the willow tree, enjoying the soft breeze that shuffled through the branches now and then.
I couldn’t watch Colton. The way his body snapped like a whip, growing more violent with every ride. I was on my laptop, catching up on all the work I’d neglected the past few days.
Alan and Dean sat in camp chairs beside me, leaning forward intently.
Joe was wandering around the campground, getting ready to leave early in the morning for Stephenville. I tried to help, believe me, I tried for a good half an hour before she physically dragged me to the tree and sat my butt down.
The morning wasn’tsuperawkward. After I woke with the sun, I wandered back to the camp, trying to get a starton breakfast as a way of saying thank you for all they had done for me. I had managed to whip up some pancakes, throw them on the griddle, and spread some bacon on the cast-iron skilletbefore people started waking up.
Jo spotted me flipping a pancake and slid me away from the grill. I tried to fight back, but she whipped out a spray bottle of water out of nowhere and threatened to spray me if I tried again.
By that point, Colton had woken up, picked me up, and dragged me away.
I was laughing almost as hard as I was last night.
Alan and Dean chatted casually with me while Jo and Dennis finished breakfast, but I could feel the awkwardness.
Jimmy had wandered out right as we sat down at the folding table to eat, feeling the need to pat my shoulder as he walked by.
I wondered at what point they had all called the girls to tell them what happened.
It wasn’t very long after breakfast that Colton got the horses ready for practice.
“Get your weight back in your pockets. You want to be part of that horse’s spine. If you can’t feel his heart beating through your jeans, you aren’t close enough.”
Colton shook his head, his hair whipping drops of sweat off his face.
“Is it always this intense this late in the season?” I asked as I slammed the laptop closed.
Alan and Dean shared a look.
“This is nothin’ yet,” Alan admitted.
“Last year, he was number fifteen. He wasn’t sleepin’, didn’t eat, acted like a grumpy teenage girl all day,” Dean added. “His last ride, he got a bad horse and was off within the first twoseconds.”
“I bet that was devastating,” I sighed. “He was so close.” The interview I had with Jimmy came to mind. “Your brother said Colton doesn’t love advice. Does he listen to your dad?”
“Dad’s probably the only one who can give him advice.” Dean itched the back of his head.
“He was second in the world in his prime,” Alan said, throwing his head toward Dennis. “He’s gotten farther in the rodeo than anyone, so Colton does listen to him. He gets kindatouchy about it though.”
They laughed together like they were sharing an inside joke.
“Stop trying to conquer the animal and start matching him jump for jump. You want to go to Vegas? You’d better start enjoyin’ the fight, because right now, you look like you’re just trying to survive it.”
I made a mental note to go back and research Dennis’ rodeo days.
