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‘Why not?’

‘She was too young, too inexperienced. Too desperate to be loved. And you were too young, too inexperienced with women like her. Too selfish.’

It hurt to hear it, hurt more to know that there was truth in it. He’d wanted Skye back then, and even though she’d taken those steps herself, he’d done everything to coax her towards him. And while he’d promised he’d never hurt her, he had. Not physically. Never physically. But he’d hurt her. He was man enough to admit that much.

‘Maybe,’ his mom continued, ‘you had to lose everything you thought mattered – the bull riding, the fans, the fame – to realize what did matter. The people who love you.’ She nodded towards the window. ‘Skye.’

‘I don’t have anything to give her this time around.’ The words were so immense that he whispered them. ‘Some money, sure. But she has plenty of that. I don’t have a career – just ideas, a broken back and a heart that beats for her.’

Janey just laughed. ‘Baby, you have you. And you are enough. Skye knows that. You were enough for her, even with a broken back. And I think that’s why it was so hard on her when you ended things. It’s you who needed to realize that the bull riding was never what made you. The fact that you were hardworking, passionate, and gritty was what made you so good at bull riding.’ She placed one hand on his cheek, patted him twice, almost condescendingly. ‘Yes, it was what you loved. But there’s so much to love in the world. Always. Sometimes, you just have to be proactive about searching for it.’

TJ knew she was right, but only because he’d had to seek out Skye to find something to love in the world, something to stay for.

His mom took the towel she had folded over her arm and placed it on the bed. ‘How long are you two staying?’

‘Through Rodeo Scottsdale. I don’t know after that. We have a schedule, but with Holden showing up and Skye’s birthday looming …’

His mom shook her head sadly, but TJ didn’t miss the hard and unforgiving glint in her eyes. ‘It curdles my blood to think about what that girl’s been through. And at the hands of her own father.’

Outside, Skye let Smokey graze and lay back on her horse so that she could gaze up at the sky.

TJ was rapt. ‘You wouldn’t think it, looking at her. She doesn’t let anything hold her back.’

‘A lesson for us all, I think.’ Janey moved towards the door, but she didn’t leave right away. She turned to look at him, and when TJ just raised his eyebrows in question, she smiled. ‘It’s good to have you back, TJ. Home hasn’t been quite the same without you.’

TJ ran one hand over the back of his neck. He, too, had seen what Skye had. His parents looked older, tired, worn down. ‘I’m sorry, for putting you through that. It wasn’t fair.’

‘Parenting never is, TJ. But I still wouldn’t change a thing. You and Julia are the best thing we ever did.’

Skye stood in Smokey’s stall, grooming her and humming along to the radio, set to country music, but she felt the moment TJ walked into the barn. He was quiet as a cat, but her body sensed his proximity. Her heart tapped excitedly against her ribs. Her stomach swooped low.

Without turning or stopping what she was doing, Skye said, ‘She’s ready to get back to work.’

‘She has been for a few weeks now,’ TJ said. He crouched at Smokey’s side to better see the faint scar. Apart from the small section that had needed stitches, most of it had already grown hair back.

Skye frowned down at him. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you thought she was ready?’

He pushed to his feet with a small groan. ‘Because you weren’t ready to hear it. And you and Kai were doing well together, so why push it?’

Skye couldn’t even deny it. She ran one palm down Smokey’s glossy coat. ‘I just wanted to be sure she was okay. Seeing her in pain, knowing it was my fault—’

‘Nope.’ TJ took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. ‘You’re not doing that. You’re not taking blame for something that sick fuck did.’

He pulled her into his chest, and Skye wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled in. ‘If it’s okay with you, I’ll ride Kai through Scottsdale. I need a little time to bring Smokey’s conditioning back up.’

‘He’s yours as long as you need him. You know that.’

It was something she’d been meaning to bring up again but hadn’t found the courage to, because she thought she knew the answer already. But now, she tipped her head back to meet his green eyes, asked, ‘Why did you put him in with Tia?’

TJ smiled, but it wasn’t bitter. ‘You know why.’

‘You were going to leave him to me.’ It hurt to say, to acknowledge aloud. It left her cold and scared, although she knew the worst of it had passed.

He nodded. ‘It wasn’t a selfless decision, if that makes you feel better. I trusted – absolutely – that you would love him and look after him despite what happened between us. And, yeah, my folks would have too, but Kai needs a job. You were the next best option.’

‘Thanks for trusting me with him.’

‘Of course.’