Chapter 38 Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Seven
Quinn
I was an idiot.
Words I probably weren’t meant to hear rang through my head.
Helping her helped me.
If I weren’t here with her, who would you call to fill in for Sam?
I’m kinda hard to forget…
After my ride, I had one person I wanted to see.
I could watch the bulls from the announcer's stand, and I didn’t care how the night ended just as long as I was with him.
I couldn’t get to him fast enough. But of course, I got stopped by a reporter whom I talked to for a moment before graciously declining any more press.
I got stopped by a few fans, throwing me for a loop when they asked for photos.
And finally, I got stopped by my mother.
She gave me a lackluster hug, said something I didn’t pay attention to, and then I left her standing there with her jaw to the floor when I pulled away, my body aching for Wyatt’s arms around me, not hers.
The rodeo was over, the crowd was dispersing, the lights were dimming, and the one person I wanted to be with seemed farther and farther away.
Until he was right there.
And I heard him talking.
Helping her helped me.
If I wasn’t with her…
Then…Kelly came up.
I’m kinda hard to forget.
The moment I saw him brush her hair off her shoulder, the gleam in her eye told me everything. I knew that move. How many times had he done that to me right before he kissed my neck? How many times did he use that voice right before he touched me?
Every piece began to come together.
Coming to the rodeos.
The fun, flirty banter.
Making sure my mother wasn’t going to be here…that was more for his gain.
All of this—everything we had been through in the last couple of months—was all a play.
He played me.
Wyatt Hartwell made me think he wasn’t the man I thought he was, made me think he…
Sliding the heel of my palm over my forehead, I blocked everything out—even the loud voices in my head telling me how messed up this whole thing was, that I was a complete idiot.
Somehow, I made it back to my truck.
And the entire world froze. Time literally stopped until I felt his lips against my cheek.
The ice that had surrounded me wanted so badly to melt, but I couldn’t let it.
I couldn’t let him keep winning at whatever he was doing.
I wanted to look into his eyes. I wanted to pretend it was all in my head…
but all I could hear was him telling Archie that helping me helped him.
All I could imagine was him kissing Kelly after I finally turned away.
And when I finally looked into his eyes, pushing back the tears, the only thing I saw was all the lies he told me to get here.
“Wait…why?” I heard the surprise in his voice as he shifted in the seat next to me.
“Get. Out.” I repeated, not exactly knowing how to form the words I wanted to say. I could feel my blood beginning to boil. I would snap at any minute if he didn’t just leave me alone…
“Quinn.”
“Helping her…” I finally croaked out. “Helped me get here. If I weren’t with her.” I turned to look at him, and I finally let a tear fall. “That’s all I was to you?”
“I’m confused—”
“I heard you. With Archie. With—” I swallowed, not even being able to choke out her name. “How long were you going to play me for?” My head was swimming, everything was just so loud. I wanted to scream everything at him all at once, if only the words would form.
“Play you…? Quinn, I did—”
“I’m not stupid, Wyatt. Well, maybe I was falling for you, but I’m normally not stupid.” My head snapped away from him, eyes sealing shut as I tried to contain every thought in my head with my palms. “Just get out.”
“No, Quinn, talk to me. What’s going on?” he asked calmly, leaning over the console, his hand lightly touching my forearm.
I ripped it away from him. “You won’t get out? Fine, I will.” My body moved of its own volition, grasping the handle and yanking it so hard I’m shocked it didn’t come off. And then my feet were on the ground, and I was slamming the door behind me.
“Quinn!” he called. I looked up to see him jog around the front of the car. “What the hell is going on!?”
“I came to see you after my ride,” I began. “I heard your voice the entire time. Your voice got me through my ride! I just wanted to be with you so bad, I came—”
“Hold on. You’re mad I wasn’t there after your ride? I had to make sure everything was set and cleaned up. You knew I’d com—”
“I passed talking to reporters. I ran past fans,” I cut him off, my voice getting harder with each word. “And!” I finally screamed. “I think I told my mom I’d call her later. All to get to you, and what do I hear? What do I see?”
His eyes darkened, his brows pinched. “I’m not sure. Care to enlighten me, Quinn?” His voice rose, his own confusion turning into anger behind his eyes. “Because once I closed down with Archie, I had a one-track mind to get to you.”
“Oh, bull shit. I heard you, Wyatt.” Narrowing my eyes, I took a deep breath, trying my hardest to calm the storm that was brewing in me.
It didn’t work. “‘Helping her helped me.’ ‘If I wasn’t here with her, who would you have called?’ ‘I’m kinda hard to forget.
’” I glowered at him, my jaw beginning to shake.
“I heard every word. I saw you with Kelly.”
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, dropping his chin as he removed his hat to run his hand through his hair.
“Yeah. Fuck. So again, how long were you going to play me for? How long were you going to let this go?”
“I wasn’t playing you. Damn, Quinn; I love you.” His eyes softened as he took a step closer. “You know I do. Kelly was coming on to me.”
I flinched and took a step back. “I don’t believe you.
I saw you! I know all the moves you pulled on her!
” I screamed, flinging my arm up, gesturing to where he stood with Kelly.
“Everything I heard back there, everything I saw, only proved that what I used to think about you was right. I’m just a pawn to you, aren’t I?
This was all for your own gain. I bet…” my voice began to shake harder, “the only reason why you were so kind to check the schedule for Miss Rodeo Montana wasn’t to make sure I was ok, but to make sure you wouldn’t get caught. I never pegged you for a cheater—”
“I’m not! Please, listen to what you’re saying. I checked her schedule so your mother wouldn’t bring you down.”
“Save it,” I blared. “You’ve been caught. Wyatt. Hate to tell you, but you’ve been caught.”
“Fuck, Quinn. You’re taking this all out of context. If you’d just listen to me, I was going to tell you everythi—”
“When? Once you get your shot to announce at the NFR? Lord knows I would have been able to help you get there. Or sooner? Put me out of my misery and dump me sooner. How long were you going to string me along?”
“You keep asking that, but you don’t believe my answer?” He was yelling now, his voice close to echoing off the stadium walls.
“Like I said, I heard and saw everything—”
“So, you saw me turn Kelly down? You saw me tell her I was in love with you? You heard me say I was seriously considering asking you to marry me when I saw you? You saw and heard all that then, right?!” he shouted, his arms flying out to his sides, anger radiating off of him.
And I…laughed.
“Marry you!? Wyatt, we’ve been dating—no, I can’t call it that—we’ve been sleeping together—” I paused, another thing sliding into my memory.
“Not even that for only four months! I can’t say dating because we haven’t been on an actual date yet.
I can’t say sleeping together because you barely gave in to my advances a month ago!
” Another puzzle piece snapped into place.
“That’s why you wouldn’t sleep with me, isn’t it?
Not because you didn’t want to rush it, not because you didn’t want to show me I was more, but because you knew you I was never going to stick.
You didn’t want to get too serious and really screw me over.
At least you had that decency until I practically seduced you.
God dammit, this is so messed up. I’m such an idiot.
” I covered my forehead with my hands, my boots coming into focus.
I heard his shaky breaths, each one shorter than the last. Then, the tips of his boots came into my view.
The warmth of his hands covered my wrists, and he pulled them away from my face.
I looked up, meeting his gaze. His eyes were calm, his breath finally steady as he studied me for longer than he had a right to.
Another tactic.
I bit the inside of my lip, tasting blood.
“Listen to what you’re saying. If you please, just stop overreacting and let me explain everything—”
“No,” I snapped at him, yanking my wrists from his grasp, the stupid comment filtering through my senses. “You don’t need to explain anything. You won, Wyatt Hartwell. You played me, and you played me well. I’m done. With you. With this. All of it. Fuck. You.”
He huffed, and his glare darkened, the calm that was there mere seconds ago gone. “Do you wanna know why I punched Archie in the first place? Why I lost my reputation—why no one, for almost an entire year, would hire me?”
Taking five steps away from him, I crossed my arms, my heartbeat vibrating in my chest.
He took two steps closer. “Last October, he was talking shit about you”—he pointed at me—“to other riders and announcers. Saying how ‘that Compton girl’ couldn’t have gone as far as she did with the type of injury she had.
That you were using your dad’s name to gain access.
That you must be sleeping with the judges in order to get shorter times.
That you were a piece of meat for anyone to take, and he’d gladly welcome the fun and make sure you got a good score—just as long as you’d sleep with him, too.
” His eyes were heavy and solid on me. His jaw clenched.
“Do you really think I’d do to you what he was accusing you of? What I defended you for?”
I puffed a breath of air through my lips, my shoulders slumping.
My vision turned red, and suddenly, every single word he said only fueled his lie.
My voice shook. “You have no idea how much I want to believe you.”
“Then believe me. Why would I do that? Why would I chase you and want you only to do this to you? You know me, Quinn. Come on.” His tone faltered, a hint of sincerity filling each void.
But even still…
I didn’t know which words to believe.
I shook my head, dropping my chin only to see a tear fall to the dirt. “No. I don’t think I do. We’re done. This is done. Get your bag out of my truck and leave me alone.”
“Then what?” he asked, raising his hands only to slap his thighs.
I shrugged. “I don’t care what you do. I’m sure Kelly will be happy to help you out.
Hell, you’re a Hartwell. You can make it back to Alpine Ridge no problem.
Just…” I waved him off, ready to be done with this entire thing—forget it even happened.
Forget the entire year if I could. “Leave me alone.”
I climbed in my truck, my hands firm on the wheel.
Wyatt stared at me through the windshield for a moment before he dropped his head, came to the side of the truck, and grabbed his bag.
The moment the door closed, I started the engine…
and left him there, not even looking in the rearview mirror at the giant mistake I just made.