19. Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Tate
A s soon as I step out onto the porch and lay eyes on the stables, I breathe a sigh of relief. It was hard to concentrate on the meeting, knowing Joy was so close but I couldn’t see her. Smile, nod, sign, and repeat. There’s still time before the lineup, so I head directly to where I know I’ll find her. I haven’t laid eyes on her since I stole her away for the night.
I find Joy in the tack room putting things away, and I watch her for a few minutes without her noticing me. She’s quietly swaying and dancing as she works. Eventually, I clear my throat, but she can’t hear me over the music in her ears. When she finally turns and sees me, she jumps in surprise.
“I’m sorry,” I say, raising my hands while I wait for her to remove her earbuds. “I tried to get your attention, but you didn’t hear me. I didn’t want to grab you…”
Smiling, she closes the distance between us and presses her soft lips to mine. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have had my music that loud. I just didn’t anticipate anyone coming to find me in here.”
“I missed you. I couldn’t wait another second to look at you.” I kiss her forehead. “I’m sorry my schedule has been so busy since we got back.”
“I thought I saw your truck when I pulled in.”
“You probably did. I’ve been here all afternoon, but I was in a meeting,” I explain.
I wait for her to ask more about why I was here, but she doesn’t. “You’re going to be late.”
I grin at her and place a kiss on her lips, lingering longer than I planned. “You trying to get rid of me, darlin’?”
She takes in a sharp breath and looks up at me through her thick lashes. “No. I—um—just don’t want you to be late. And I want to get this finished, so I don’t miss your ride.”
She’s right. I am going to be late. The meeting took longer than I’d expected, but there was no way this wouldn’t be my first stop. I want to tell her all about it, but I can’t. Not yet. But my nerves are settled just from laying eyes on her.
“I’ll meet you by the gate after my ride.” I brush a kiss along her temple. “Will you be there?”
With a smile and a nod, she returns her attention to what she was doing before I interrupted. As much as I hate walking away, I need to get ready before the opening ceremony. I tune everything out as I make my way to the locker room, passing by cowboys who are doing all they can to stay focused. I remember all too well how hard it was to ignore distractions when I was first starting out. Keeping to myself, I head over to my locker and get ready. I’m still securing my chaps when it’s time to line up.
“Please stand and remove your hats for the singing of our National Anthem,” the announcer says over the loudspeaker.
As soon as that song is over, we return are hats to our heads and take our places around the rolled up American flag, in time for the beginning chords of Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue. Adrenaline pumps through my veins the same way it always does during every opening ceremony. We’ve unrolled the flag in time to the music and pyrotechnics, the crowd cheering along as we do. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony. My gaze collides with Joy’s as I hold my end of the flag.
“…God bless the USA and God bless our troops.” There is a moment of silence before the announcer continues. “Last month we told you about some changes coming to the Cole County Rodeo. Tonight, we are pleased to announce the new ownership. Tate Garrison will be taking over Bolder Ranch. As a long-time bronc rider and bull rider here in Cole County, we are confident that there couldn’t be a better set of hands to keep up with the legacy.”
I zone out as they continue the introductions. There is no easy way to announce an organizational change as significant as this. Even though this place has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, this is still a major change. My gaze doesn’t leave the section of fence where I agreed to meet up with Joy. Even though she knew the ranch was coming under new ownership, she had no way of knowing it would be me. All I can do is hope she’ll hear me out.
I go through the motions, smiling and posing for a picture here and there. It’s all white noise in the background as I prepare for my first ride. Die-hard fans fill any available open seats, and before long, I’m left alone with my thoughts as I get my head straight. Things are much easier when there’s no time to consider the questions or the consequences. Questions and consequences I never had to worry about when I was alone.
All the possibilities run through my head as I make my way into the saddle and give the nod. On autopilot alone, I take control of the bucking bronco I’ve been assigned. He’s not interested in me riding him, but it’s as if I can anticipate every one of his movements. I move my feet and rock my body as if it’s the only thing I’m capable of doing. My feet move in time with his movements, and it doesn’t feel like long before I hear the buzz of the time clock. Eight seconds are over.
The cheering from the crowd is my only clue that I’ve somehow managed to do the right things. Glancing at the gate, I quickly search for the only person I want to see cheering for me. But her spot is still empty. I take my hat off and wave at the crowd before briefly dropping to one knee in thanks, then rush out of the arena before they’ve announced my score. The only thing I’m worried about is finding my girl.
“Joy?” I call her name as I enter the barn. “Joy, are you in here?”
“Do you need something?”
Turning toward her voice, I find her sitting on a bench against the wall. She doesn’t smile at me or move to stand. She also doesn’t look very busy.
“Is everything okay?” I ask cautiously.
“Is everything okay?” she echoes. “Is everything okay? I don’t know, will I get fired if I answer honestly?”
All I can do is stare at her in confusion. It’s clear she’s pissed, but she lost me with that statement.
“You didn’t tell me. You didn’t think I should know I was getting ready to have sex with my boss ?”
My stomach drops. I didn’t even think of it like that. There’s no way I should have pursued her knowing she works at the ranch. When it comes to her, I seem to forget about a lot of things. The expression on her face reminds me why I’ve been happily avoiding relationships before now. Because the look on her face is causing the most painful ache in my chest, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to fix it.
“I swear I didn’t think about it like that. No one knew I was buying this place. I wasn’t specifically keeping you out of it. I was told not to talk about it until they made the announcement.”
“Yeah. But that doesn’t change the facts. I’m not sure I can do this.”
I stand momentarily frozen, her words landing like the strike of a hand. “What are you saying? Just because it changes things doesn’t mean they’ve changed for the worse.”
I don’t want to leave this barn until we get things figured out, but I hear them introduce Gray, and I didn’t get to see him before his ride like I always do. Another reminder of how much easier things were when I was alone. I allowed myself to get distracted, and I’m already letting things fall to the wayside.
“I just need some time to think. It was already complicated enough just with you being tied to the ranch as a bronc rider. But now you’re my boss. It’s a lot to take in,” she says with a sigh of defeat.
“Okay. But promise me we can talk about this. It doesn’t have to be now. Tomorrow?”
“I work at the doctor’s office tomorrow. And then I have to come in here for a few hours.”
I glance toward the arena to try and see if I have time. It looks like he’s about ready. “Okay, I’ll bring you lunch, and we can talk. I’ll be at our spot watching Gray and the rest of the bull riders if you change your mind and want to talk to me tonight. Or stand with me.”
I make it outside just as the gate swings open from the chute and Gray’s bull comes flying out with a purpose. Making my way to the gate, I stop when I hear my name. To my surprise, Joy is rushing after me. I thought, if anything, it would take her some time before she was ready to face me. She smiles hesitantly, but my attention is dragged away by the collective gasp from the crowd.
I turn to see my brother in a heap on the dirt, a bull fighter hovering over him protectively. The bull must have run after him once he’d been thrown off. But that’s not what’s concerning. What’s concerning is that the bull has been corralled, and my brother still isn’t moving. The crowd is silent as I hold my breath and wait. Joy’s arms snake around me in a comforting embrace, and just as I’m about to gently push her away so I can get to Grayson, I see him begin to stir.