Chapter 27
Bodie had learned a couple of things on the way to their next event about riding in an RV with dogs.
He really did like parking the fifth wheel at an RV park and hanging out instead of being at the hotel.
It was cheaper, it was quieter, it was peaceful.
He also learned that being left on their own for as long as it took them to go to an event, dogs got bored. Bored dogs ate things, like furniture. So they had to figure that part out the first few days.
It was fixed by a massive crate that collapsed down. She’d learn, but right now, Amelia was still in her puppy phase, and mattresses were expensive.
“Come on, you two, get in the crate.” He had one more ride today. He didn’t think he was going to make the short-go. It hadn’t been a terrible event, but it sure as shit hadn’t been great.
Amelia looked at the crate, then at him, then lay down right outside it. Earhart took that as his cue and headed for his usual spot, but Cole scooped him up.
“Uh-uh.” Cole stepped up behind Amelia. “Don’t you make things worse, little man.”
“In, girlfriend. Come on. I don’t have time for your bullshit.” He poked Amelia on the butt. “Move it.”
“Breathe, babe.” Cole put a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t really blame her for not wanting to go in again. Go ahead and start the truck. I’ve got this.”
“You sure you don’t mind?” He didn’t mind letting Cole deal with it either, really. He didn’t want to have to force her in the crate. He also didn’t want to come home to an eaten mattress.
“I’ll get her in. Meet you outside in a minute.”
He grabbed his bags and headed outside. He was ready to be done—done with the whole thing, really.
He knew it was ridiculous. He knew that. He was tired and still he had to work. He knew all the things, but he was just desperate for a change, a break, something. Something inside him was just different.
Something inside him was tired of getting on bulls.
He waited a bit before Cole joined him, jogging toward his truck and climbing in the passenger side. “Treats for the win. She’s stubborn when she wants to be, huh?”
“She is, and she’s a baby. We’re in our honeymoon phase, so she’s trying to find out where her boundaries are, seeing what the rules really are.” He got it.
“Honeymoon phase.” Cole snorted. “She understood do-what-I-want-and-get-a-treat, though.”
“You’ve got her number.” And Amelia had his. Those dogs knew he was a sucker.
Cole shrugged, smiling at him. “They’re perfect. You ready to ride?”
“I guess. It’s not been the best weekend for me.” He’d covered one for eighty-two, bucked off the second.
“Today is a new day.” Cole squeezed his thigh. “You know I believe in you. You’ve got this.”
“Thanks, darlin’. I just want to ride my bulls and get on the road. Do I have any signings today?” He usually did, and that was fine. He didn’t mind being friendly to the fans.
“Uh. I might have decided this wasn’t the best weekend for it.” Cole made a face. “I hope that’s okay.”
“I trust you.” Completely. In fact, he believed in Cole more than anyone.
“We’re good then. No signings, just your ride and then we can relax. We can stay the night here or stop anywhere you want. The RV was the best idea ever, babe.”
“I love it. I feel like we’re so free.” Like the world was all theirs.
The drive to the arena wasn’t long, but they both blew out a puff of exhausted breath when they arrived. “We made it.”
“Yeah—” He glanced at Cole. “I don’t know that I want to do this anymore, man.”
Cole nodded and seemed so ready to agree with him. “I’m certainly not going to make you. You want to retire, I’ll figure out the numbers. We’ll be okay. Together, I think we’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t wanna—I would never want you to think that—” Bodie shook his head and sighed. He hated this uncertainty. “I just don’t ever want you to think that I’m taking advantage of you, you know? I mean, seriously.” He held Cole’s gaze. “I love you. You… you’re my person.”
Cole turned in the seat and looked at him, warm emotion in his eyes. “I love you. We just bought our first house together—even if it is on wheels. We have dogs, we’re making a life, right? What’s mine is yours, babe. That’s how this works.”
“Yes. Everything I have is yours.” He reached out, fingers curling with Cole. “Most of it is sitting in a bank account.”
“Not the important part.” Cole leaned over and kissed him gently. “That’s right here.”
He cupped Cole’s face, fingers cradling his lover’s jaw. Oh, fuck him. He was in so deep it wasn’t funny.
He jerked away when a harsh banging shook the truck windows. “What the fuck?”
Pete Church stood there, staring at him. “I knew you were a fudge packer!”
Cole winced. “Oh fuck. I’m sorry. I’ll deal with him.” Cole started to open his door.
“Nope.” Bodie wasn’t going to do this shit. “He can scream all he wants. I don’t owe him a goddamn thing.”
He’d be damned if he was going to be ashamed of his own.
Cole made a hands-off gesture and then turned back to him. “All right. Let’s give him something to talk about then.” Cole reached for him, curling his fingers into his shirt.
Bodie didn’t let himself think about it. He just gave Cole the kiss he wanted to.
Fuck that shit. He loved this man.
Sky and Beck were fucking married.
There was no more banging, and when Cole let him go, there was no Pete Church either. Cole gave him a slow grin. “I guess we’re official.”
“Guess so.” He was scared, exhilarated, excited, and nervous, all at once. “Gotta start out like we can hold out, right?”
“Right.” Cole clapped a hand onto his knee. “I’ve got your back, babe. Time to go ride.”
Cole couldn’t decide if he was terrified or relieved. He was proud of himself, of Bodie. Honesty felt a little dangerous, but liberating at the same time.
He held his head high as they moved through the parking lot. He had no reason not to. He was walking with the champ after all, and if that rider was also his lover, tha wasn’t important to why they were here.
“You ready to kick some ass?” It had been a rough weekend for Bodie, but today was a new day. Maybe it would be better. It didn’t matter to him whether Bodie was on top after finals weekend. Bodie was going to retire regardless. They had a life to get on with.
“I’m going to ride, then we’re going to go home, order a fucking pizza, and love on our dogs.”
Oh, ho!
Pizza.
Impressive.
“Pepperoni? Olives? I’m so in.” They could turn in early and leave at sunup. Or sleep late and leave at noon. They could do anything they damn well pleased. “Maybe a beer.”
“Sounds good to me. I love me some pepperoni.” Bodie was a little nervous, he could tell, but he was keeping his head held high.
“Focus on that ride, cowboy. I want you in one piece. The rest of it is noise, right? Just noise. You know where your mind needs to be. You want me to hang out with you until you’re up?
” Bodie was usually last or close to it.
He wasn’t sure where his lover stood today, but it would still be late in the game.
“I’ll find out which section I’m in. I won’t be riding in the short-go, so we can go after I ride. If I’m in a late section, I’ll come hang out.”
No short-go. When was the last time that had happened? Not this season. Wow.
“Yeah, good. I’ll get a Coke and go find my seat then. Good ride if I don’t see you.” “Good ride” was basically code for “I love you”, and he was pretty sure Bodie knew it.
“Thanks. You need me, you text.” Those pretty eyes stared at him, so serious.
“You do the same, and we have a deal.” He stood there for one more second, then gave Bodie a nod and headed for concessions.
He could hear the whispers, or he imagined he could, so he lifted his chin and refused to let the bastards get him down. It was pretty vain to think that everyone cared enough to be whispering about you behind your back anyway.
“Hey, Cole, what can I get you?”
Man, he came to too many of these things if even the concessions folks knew him by name. “A Coke, please, and a hot dog? Thanks.”
“Of course. How’s it going?” He got a quick grin and his Coke.
“Good. Bodie is healthy and riding, that’s a good day. You?” Ketchup, mustard, a little bit of relish. He was pretty simple when it came to hot dogs.
“Can’t complain. Well, okay. I could.” She grinned at him, gold tooth shining. “But it seems like a ridiculous thing to waste my time on.”
“Right? Keep smiling.” He took his Coke and wandered, looking for a quiet spot to eat before he went to the stands. He ended up leaning against a fence, his Coke on the ground while he used two hands to inhale his snack.
He should have kissed Bodie goodbye before they went their separate ways. That’s what he’d wanted to do.
He would at finals, damn it.
One of the younger guys came up, offered him a smile, a nod. “Are you Bodie’s agent? Are you hiring?”
He squinted at the kid, trying to remember his name. “Hiring?”
“I mean… are you taking on folks? I’m going to be big one day, I know it.”
He smiled. It was refreshing to talk to someone so enthusiastic. “I usually scout talent myself, but I like a rider with confidence. Let’s talk after finals. Are you riding today?”
“Yes, sir. I’m going to get a ninety-point ride and make myself some money.” That was a shit-eating grin if he’d ever seen one.
“All right. I’m looking forward to that.
” He held up a finger and took the last bite of his hot dog, then dug out a business card.
“If you hit ninety today, call me later. If you don’t, then call me after finals.
What’s your name again?” The kid looked so familiar, but he just couldn’t remember his name.
“Pistol. Pistol Simpson. I’m Thierry Simpson’s son.”
Well, fuck him. That was a name he hadn’t heard in a while, but there wasn’t a person in the rodeo circuit who didn’t know it. Thierry Simpson had been one of the best bull riders to ever ride, and this was his son?
He was going to take this kid on, no question.