Chapter 10
Caden
I drop the barbell back onto the bench press rack behind me, grabbing my phone from the floor and turning off the speaker as I sit up.
“Come again?” I rasp, my chest now heaving for two different reasons.
The team and I are at the Carter U gym ahead of tomorrow’s game, but after what Maverick just said, I’m going to have to pause mid-session.
No way did I hear him right.
“You heard me right,” Maverick drawls, reading my mind, as gravel crunches under his boots on the other end of the line.
“You’re telling me that Carter isn’t going to be able to ride?” I repeat, shoving my sweat-soaked hair back from my forehead, as Austin moves around the rack to swap places with me.
I heave myself up from the bench and move behind the barbell so that I can spot his lifts, tucking my phone between my ear and shoulder so that both of my hands are free.
“He was attempting a ride on the Quarter Horse after we brought some of the cattle down from the valley, but the horse finally snapped and bucked him so hard that he’s fucked his leg.”
“Carter, or the horse?”
“Carter. The horse is dandy.”
“Jesus Christ,” I rumble, staring at the barbell as Austin lifts it. “How bad’s the injury?”
“There’s soft tissue trauma. A fracture. He won’t be riding anytime soon.”
“Can he ride again, ever?”
“Yeah,” Maverick says, and my chest relaxes with relief. “If he looks after himself for the next four months, then yeah, he can ride again.”
“Four months?” I exclaim. “Tell me you’re shitting me right now.”
“I wish,” Maverick rumbles. “You should have seen Ade’s face when we got to the hospital.”
“Where’s Winter?” I ask, hauling the bar from Austin’s hands so he can catch his breath.
“Still at the hospital with Ade, waiting on a couple more details before they come back to the ranch.”
“Was she there when it happened?”
Maverick’s pause says everything that I need to know.
He clears his throat away from the speaker. “You seriously want me to say it?”
I shove my tongue in my cheek. “You’re right. Don’t tell me.”
“Although now that you mention it,” Maverick says slowly, and I feel my biceps flex with tension.
“The main priority is looking out for Carter, and maintaining his pay while he’s healing.
There’s a load of things that he can do at the ranch that don’t involve him getting on horseback.
He doesn’t want to feel pitied, and he’d rather quit than accept a handout. But…”
My jaw clenches as I wait him out, passing the bar back to Austin.
“Yeah?” I ask huskily, my palms hovering just beneath the weight as Austin lifts it.
“Carter’s position at the ranch has been primarily rodeo, right? Like, he does ranch-hand duties too, but we took him on to ride for our brand.”
I stare blankly at the barbell, not sure where my brother is going with this.
“Okay, and?” I rumble slowly.
“And now we have a position open. To ride for our brand.”
And it takes all of one second for me to understand what he isn’t saying.
“Hell no,” I growl, hauling the bar from Austin when he finishes his reps, and dropping it back onto the rack so that I can finally get my phone back in my hand. “That’s out of the question. Don’t even think about bringing Winter into this.”
“She’s the best rider on the fucking ranch! We’ve all seen what she can do in the paddock, Caden.”
“She hasn’t done competitive sport in half a decade, and that shit scarred her for life,” I snarl back to him.
And I’m not even talking about literally – I’m talking mentally. After what happened on the rink all those years ago, Winter hasn’t stepped one foot on the ice since. No way will she want to be anywhere near athletic psychos again.
“If you want the ranch to win big at the rodeo, I’m telling you that she’s our girl.”
“She’s my girl,” I growl back to him, “and this isn’t up for debate. She isn’t one of your ranch-hands to pawn around. Find someone else to fill Carter’s place.”
“Yeah, okay,” he drawls casually. “So, what if I ask her and she’s up for it?”
I move slowly around the equipment, heading away from the guys for some privacy, and I tug my shirt away from my body as my abdomen flexes, my mind in overdrive.
“What, are you saying that you’ve already asked her?”
Because if he has and Winter’s okay with it, then I won’t have any problems about it. But what I don’t want is my family pressuring her into something that she isn’t ready for, because, yeah, she has the skill, but it’s up to her if she wants to show it off at a professional level.
“Not yet,” he rumbles quietly. “And I know where you’re coming from, Caden. But you know even better than I do that, if Winter enters the rodeo, she’s winning every category she’s in for.”
“Maverick,” I say warningly, my breathing growing laboured.
“If you don’t want me to ask her, I won’t. But you know what I think?”
“What?”
He inhales deeply. “I think that you should.”
My chest swells as I replay his words, and I stare at the row of weight discs positioned in front of me.
“Maverick,” I rasp. “I don’t want her under that kind of pressure again.”
“It wasn’t the pressure that made her stop,” he replies. “You know exactly what it was.”
The thought of her ankle, so fair and delicate, and the long pink cut that weaves around it, flashes through my mind.
“I’ve only barely just got her to consider going skating with me again for the first time,” I tell him. “I don’t want to rush her into anything by offering her to take the rodeo position at the ranch.”
“She won’t do it if she doesn’t want to. Just give her the option and see what she says.”
I grip my hair and close my eyes. “I’m really not sure about this, man.”
“What if she actually wants to do it? And what if, when she does it, she fucking loves it? Even if she doesn’t end up doing the rodeo, maybe just training for it would be good for her. Honing her skills, knowing that she’s incredible… that kind of mentality can change someone’s life.”
I stay silent for a long moment before finally opening my eyes, glancing to the side and catching my reflection as my brother’s words sink into my mind.
He’s right. I know he is. But I need to make sure that we go about this the right way.
“Fine,” I murmur roughly. “I’ll talk to Winter. But if she doesn’t want to do it–”
“I won’t mention it again. I promise.”
I swallow hard and nod my head, slicking my hair away from my forehead.
We all know that Winter is the most talented rider at Hartstrings Ranch, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not nervous to ask her about going pro for the upcoming rodeo.
I suck in a breath and turn around, heading back toward the bench-press.
“Okay, man,” I rumble finally. “I’ll ask her about it.”
*
I drag my palm down my jaw, feeling the scrape of my stubble as I lie back on the sheets, holding my phone above my face as I wait for the videocall to connect.
I’ve tried to rationalise this call for the past hour straight, and not knowing how Winter will feel is stressing me the fuck out.
Even if she does enter the rodeo, she won’t be doing the same categories as Carter, which means that certain injuries won’t be possible, but I’m still shit-scared because I don’t want her in danger.
She’s the best rider on the ranch, my subconscious reminds me, and I shove my fingers through my hair as the call finally connects.
Soft pink curls and sparkling eyes come into focus on the screen, and a warm ache spreads through my chest when she shows me her gorgeous dimples.
“Hey, Captain,” she teases gently, and I groan out a laugh as I roll onto my side, tucking one of my biceps beneath my head as I watch her lie back in a pile of pillows.
A pile of pillows that’s back in our room.
A kindling of longing stirs in my chest.
“Hey, beautiful,” I rumble quietly. “You staying at the ranch tonight?”
She nods softly and crushes her cheek against one of the large red cushions.
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “I was already planning to stay, and then after what happened with Carter this afternoon… I don’t know, I just wanted to be close to everyone. The whole ranch is pretty shaken up.”
I tug my hair and murmur, “I’m sorry. I wish I could be there with you right now.”
She peeks up at me from under her lashes, giving me a beautiful little smile before dropping her gaze.
“How did it go at the hospital?”
“It went well, all thing’s considered. Carter’s out of action on horseback for the time being, but I’m just glad that he’s going to be okay.” Then she looks up at me again, this time with flushed cheeks as she glances at my biceps. “You look really good tonight.”
I chuckle roughly and give her a little flex. “Me and the guys just got back from the gym.”
“I can tell,” she whispers softly. Then she rolls onto her side, her eyes doing this naughty sparkly thing as she tugs teasingly at her top button.
I stare at where her fingertips are trailing for a long heated moment, and then I steel my jaw and clear my throat, knowing that there’s something that I’ve got to ask her.
I push my fringe back from where it’s trying to fall and, after a deep inhale, I bite the bullet.
“There’s something that I’ve got to ask you,” I start, already feeling my abdomen tighten.
I’m practically shitting myself. I’ve never asked Winter anything like this in my life. And even though it’s technically a good thing, that doesn’t mean that I’m not worried that it’ll freak her out. She hasn’t competed in a long time, and I’m sure as fuck not going to force her into it.
“Okay,” she whispers, nodding back to me, and looking so relaxed that I calm down a little.
“I want to preface this by saying that you definitely do not have to do it. And the only reason why I’m mentioning it is because there’s a chance that you might want to.
But if you feel remotely uncomfortable with what I’m about to suggest, tell me to shut the fuck up straight away and I swear to God I won’t mention it again. ”
Winter’s eyes grow wide as she shakes her curls, whispering, “Caden, I would never say that to you.”
And I squeeze my eyes shut, stifling a groan, because, yeah, I know that she wouldn’t say that. She’s kind, and beautiful, and perfect, so even if she wasn’t okay with something she’d still be polite about it.
“You know what I mean,” I rasp quietly, feeling my chest tighten as I battle to get the words out.
Half of me is so unsure about having this conversation that, if I think about it too deeply, I might actually not be able to speak.
“Caden,” she says softly, searching my eyes as she reads my mind. “Whatever it is that you’re thinking about, you can tell me, if you want to.”
I press one palm to the base of my throat, trying to calm my breathing as I finally rush the words out.
“The guys at the ranch are wondering if you’d be interested in doing the upcoming rodeo,” I croak, dropping my hand as my chest heaves, and feeling my neck grow hot as I gauge her reaction.
She blinks at me in surprise and then she gives me this shy little smile as she peeks up at me.
“That’s what’s got you all nervous?” she whispers gently, cupping her cheek in her hand as we watch each other.
I nod my head, swallowing thickly, wishing that it was my palm caressing her cheek.
“You don’t need to be nervous asking anything to me,” she says softly.
I rub my hand across my chest and rasp, “I don’t want you to feel pressured. It’s a lot to ask, even if it’s just one rodeo until Carter recovers. And just because you’re amazing at riding doesn’t mean that we expect you to ride for the brand.”
“I don’t feel pressured,” she whispers, her pretty lashes brushing her cheeks as she looks down, “but I don’t know if I’m the girl for the job. The last time I competed in something, it didn’t go so well.”
My jaw clenches at the memory of what happened to her, and I shift on the bed, my shoulders swelling.
“That wasn’t your fault. And we’ll be by your side the whole time.”
“You can’t be by my side when I’m in the pen,” she says teasingly.
“We’ll be watching from the sidelines. And the only person in there with you will be your horse.”
She looks up at me for a moment, contemplation shimmering in her eyes.
Then she says, “Even if I was up for it, hypothetically, Gratitude is too old to compete in the rodeo.”
I rub my stubble, thinking, fuck, she’s right. And he’s the horse that she knows the deepest.
“We have other horses,” I rumble gently, even though I can’t remember which ones align with the rodeo’s restrictions. “And that’s a real smart idea – to think of the whole situation as hypothetical. You could prepare for the rodeo, but you don’t have to compete in February if you don’t want to.”
Simply put, it’s not like we need the money, even if Ade doesn’t like skipping any comps. One year out when we’ve got decades behind us would barely be a scratch on the landscape in the long-run.
But I understand what Maverick said earlier, about how even just practicing could renew Winter’s confidence. And if she wants to consider trying it out, I’m going to back her the whole way.
Her gaze lifts up to mine, her irises sparkling as she twiddles with a soft pink curl.
“Um,” she whispers finally, swallowing as she pulls the sheets around her shoulders. “Can I have some time to think about it? I don’t want to say ‘maybe’, and then freak out tomorrow.”
“Of course,” I say roughly. “You don’t have to make any decisions now. Take as long as you need. And whatever you decide, I’m going to support you.”
If Winter decides against it, then Ade can hire another competitor. She doesn’t need to worry about the ranch and its riding plans – all I want her to think about is if riding pro is something she might enjoy.
“Are you sure?” she asks softly, and I grip my fingers through my hair, breathing out a quiet laugh of relief.
“Yeah, baby. I’m sure. I only want you to consider riding if you think you’ll enjoy it. Don’t think about the ranch – just think about if it’s something you want to try.”
“Even after last time?” she whispers, her brow arched as she looks up at me.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I remind her quietly. “And it’s a different sport this time. Besides, if anyone tries to lay a finger on you, they’ll be six feet under before they announce the runners up.”
“Caden!” she laughs, and I can’t help but grin back at her.
“I promise,” I murmur. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”