Chapter Nineteen
Shawn’s name flashes on my phone just as I’m finishing a cup of coffee on the porch.
“Morning, Ry,” he says in that too-bright tone that always means he’s about to rearrange my life.
“What’s up?” I mutter, skipping the pleasantries.
He dives right in. “You need to be in Lawton, Oklahoma, this weekend.”
I blink. “Lawton?”
“Yep. Rodeo event. Dry Canyon Distilling is sponsoring it. They’re making the Bull Rope Whiskey partnership announcement there on Sunday night. Then, on Monday, they want to shoot a commercial and a few print ads while you’re in town.”
I rub the back of my neck. “You mean the whiskey deal actually went through?”
“Sure did. They love the idea, and they understandably want to launch ahead of your transitioning from bull rider to horseman. They want to strike while the iron is hot.”
“And before it goes fucking ice cold,” I mutter.
“Nothing’s going cold, Ry. It’s just the right time. You’re coming off your fifth world championship. Marketing gold, man. You’re the new face for the brand with a sustained equity stake. You could end up with hundreds of millions in your pocket.”
“Lucky me.”
He laughs, unbothered. “Whatever. I know you’re thrilled.
You’ve wanted your own whiskey brand for years.
So, go pack light and play nice. You’ll be staying through Monday night.
I arranged a rental for you so you can drive down and see the folks for a day before catching the return flight from Tulsa. ”
Well, shit, that was thoughtful of him. And I do like the thought of seeing Mom and Dad.
“I’ll send over the itinerary—flights, hotel, all that,” he continues in my ear.
I glance out over at the paddocks, the early sun catching on the fence rails. “And what am I supposed to tell my babysitters?”
“You don’t have to tell them anything,” Shawn says smoothly. “Already handled it. Talked to Matty this morning. She said it’s fine.”
That gets my attention. “You called Matty?”
“Sure did. She said someone would give you a ride to the airport in Jackson Hole in the morning.”
“What about Charli? I don’t think she’s gonna be happy about this interruption.”
“Relax, cowboy. You’ll charm ’em again when you get back.”
“Charm isn’t really working for me these days,” I quip.
“No way. Bryce Raintree has finally met a female he can’t get to eat out of his hand? I never thought I’d see the day!”
“Goodbye, Shawn.”
He laughs as I click off the line.
By the time I make it to the barn, I’m already rehearsing what I’ll say to Charli—something professional, calm. Except the sound of voices from Matty’s office stalls me halfway down the aisle. Charli’s voice, sharp and irritated, carries through the half-open door.
“I already have time booked at Parson’s for next week,” she says. “You can’t just spring this on me, Matty. That’s not how training works.”
Parson’s is a ranch in Jackson Hole. Charli told me she was going to arrange for us to use their arena since Wildhaven Storm doesn’t have an on-site bucking chute and gate.
We were supposed to spend time there this past week, but Charli canceled and relegated me to Matty’s office the last three days while she avoided me.
Matty’s voice is quieter, measured. “You’ll have to reschedule, Char. It’s only a week.”
“I already rescheduled with them once.”
“And whose fault was that?” Matty snaps. “Why did you reschedule anyway?”
“It doesn’t matter why. I did it, and I don’t want to do it again.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you,” Matty says.
Charli huffs out a breath. “You send him to a rodeo, and that jackass is going to climb on the back of a bull and hurt himself.”
I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
Matty sighs. “He’s not participating. He’s going for a sponsor event.”
“Yeah, right.”
That’s my cue. I step up to the doorway and clear my throat. “Morning, ladies.”
They both turn. Matty’s expression is composed, professional. Charli’s … is not. Her arms are crossed, her eyes sharp enough to cut glass.
“Come with me,” I say.
Her brows shoot up. “What?”
“If you’re so sure I’m going to get into trouble, come with me. I can probably get some time booked at the arena with one of the bronc riders on the circuit. You and he can team up, run me through the paces.”
Her mouth falls open for half a second before she snaps it shut. “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Bryce. I can’t just pick up and fly to Oklahoma. I have other clients.”
I shrug. “Suit yourself.”
But Matty leans back in her chair, eyes glinting with quiet interest. “Actually, you can. You can reschedule most of them. And the ones you can’t, have Shelby fill in.
It might be good for you to see the rodeo in action, and if Bryce can line up time with a professional bronc rider, that’s a golden opportunity. ”
Charli looks between us like we’ve both lost our damn minds. “You’re serious?”
Matty nods. “Very.”
“Unbelievable,” she mutters.
“Come on, Chuck. This way, there won’t be any pause in your torture.”
She chews at her bottom lip, but I can see the moment she makes up her mind.
“Fine,” she grumbles.
I grin. “That a yes?”
Her glare could melt steel. “Guess so.”
“Good. I’ll call Shawn and have him book you a ticket.”
A truck pulls up outside, and she straightens. “That’ll be my next student.”
She storms past me toward the tack room. I can’t tell if I’ve won or lost here. Either way, it’s a reaction—and that’s better than the week of silence I’ve been enduring.
She’s been ignoring me ever since the hickey incident.
That damn hickey.
It wasn’t intentional. One minute, we were tangled up and breathless, her nails dragging down my back, and the next, I was moving inside her, losing track of all rational thought. The mark just … happened in the heat of it all. But try explaining that to her.
The next morning, I caught sight of it while she was pulling on her boots. Before I could say a word—before I could even apologize—she was out the door.
And after Matty’s party, she confronted me. Accused me of branding her or some stupid teenage bullshit, and it’s been nothing but cold shoulders and clipped instructions ever since.
She canceled our trip to Jackson Hole and parked me in Matty’s office all week, making me watch old bronc riding videos like some football quarterback watching a rival team’s films. Wouldn’t even look at me unless she had to. I’ve been going stir-crazy.
I find her in the tack room, yanking down a saddle.
“You gonna keep pretending I’m invisible?” I ask.
She doesn’t look up. “Depends. You gonna behave yourself on this trip?”
“Define behave.”
She turns then, eyes flashing. “You know what I mean.”
I lean against the doorframe, arms folded. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Charli.”
Her jaw tightens. “I’m not talking about that. I mean at the rodeo.”
“I will, but that’s not what you’re pissed about, and we both know it.”
“You are so arrogant. You think I’m still pissed at you about the hickey.” Her voice echoes off the wood and metal, sharp enough to make the horses in the stalls shuffle. She takes a steadying breath, lowers her tone. “You don’t get it, Bryce.”
“Then what am I missing?”
“I’m pissed at myself that it happened at all.”
That stings more than it should.
“Well, fuck. That’s a first. I don’t usually leave a woman with regrets.”
Her eyes cut to me. “If people find out, they’ll talk.”
“Let ’em.”
She glares. “You really don’t care, do you?”
“About what people say? Fuck no.”
She shakes her head. “Matty’s just getting this place back in good standing. I can’t be the reason our reputation takes a hit.”
What the hell is she talking about?
“I think you’re making a bigger deal out of it than you should.”
That stops her cold. Her eyes flicker with something, hurt maybe, before she looks away. “You’ve got a plane to catch.”
“Tomorrow,” I say softly. “We have a plane to catch.”
She busies herself with a bridle, pretending not to hear.