Chapter ThirteenRock Bottom
My pickup coughs and sputters like it's on its last breath as I pull into the McKendrick ranch driveway.
The scandal has followed me all the way from Texas to Montana, my phone blowing up with notifications I can't bear to read anymore.
I kill the engine and sit for a moment, staring at the weathered farmhouse where four generations of McKendricks have lived, loved, and struggled.
The place looks tired in the fading light, like it knows what's coming.
Yesterday, I heard the WPRA allowed Jo to compete in the Pretty Prairie event. They realized the rumors about me and Jo are just that---rumors. Despite all the drama, she scored several more wins. I'm so damn proud of her.
I sigh wistfully. "Home sweet home."
Thunder's nickering in the trailer reminds me I've got responsibilities that don't give a hoot about my broken heart.
After Pretty Prairie, Jo took off for another WPRA event without even saying goodbye and competed in several more women's events over the past three weeks.
But I'm not as worried about that or my tattered reputation as I probably should be.
Sure, I think about Jo more than I should. But she's the one who bailed on me.
I climb out of the pickup and begin the familiar routine of unloading my horse, the physical labor a welcome distraction from the storm in my head.
Dad's sitting on the porch when I lead Thunder toward the barn.
He doesn't call out to me. No, he just rocks the porch swing while calmly watching me disappear into the barn.
Why did Dad seem...pleased? Or maybe it's resignation because his son fucked up royally.
But as I head for Thunder's box stall, a figure emerges from the shadows across from me.
It's Jolene Callahan.
Her auburn hair catches the last rays of sunlight streaming through the barn's open doors. She's clutching her hat in her hands like a shield. The sight of Jo, here on my family's land, hits me like a bolt of lightning. Maybe I'm delirious. But no, this feels real.
"Jo, ah, what are you doing here?"
She takes a tentative step forward, her boots scuffing against the hay-strewn floor. "I had to see you. After everything that's happened, I couldn't just leave things the way they were."
"You ran out on me, abandoned our plan, left me in the lurch."
Jo hunches her shoulders, biting her upper lip. "Please, can we talk?"
Thunder snorts and tosses his head, sensing the tension between us. I lead him into his stall, buying myself time to process seeing her here. She followed me home. All the way to Montana.
"How'd you even find this place?" I ask, latching the stall door.
"Buck gave me directions." A ghost of a smile tightens her face briefly, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Said you'd need someone to talk sense into you after...after everything."
I lean against the stall door. "Buck should mind his own business."
"He cares about you." Jo steps closer, and I can smell her sweet floral perfume. "We both do, Clay. And I...miss you."
That last part hangs in the air between us, loaded with everything we haven't said to each other. The barn feels too small suddenly, the walls closing in as I try to figure out what to say next.
"The PRCA called me yesterday," she says. "They wanted my side of the story."
"Your side? Two of us were involved, you know. What did you tell the PRCA?"
"The truth." Her eyes meet mine, her expression placid. "Told them our engagement started as a strategy but became something real along the way. That whatever mistakes we made, the feelings between us aren't fake."
I study her, unsure of how I should feel right now. "You told them that?"
"I told them everything, Clay. About the honky-tonk, about Sterling's threats, about how we needed each other for different reasons but ended up needing each other for the same one." She sets her hat on a hay bale and steps closer. "I told them I'm in love with you."
The words hit me so hard that I stumble backward half a step. "Jo...are you sure about this? I mean, you ran away the last time we saw each other."
"I'm so sorry about that, Clay. I know it's complicated.
I know the timing is terrible with everything seeming to fall apart.
" She lifts her chin, her stance defiant.
"But I couldn't let you think that any of this was just business for me.
Not anymore. I love you, Clay. I'll say it ten more times if that's what it takes for you to believe me. "
Thunder whickers softly from his stall. It's the only sound in the barn as I struggle to find the right words. This woman who's turned my world upside down is standing in front of me, laying her heart bare, and I'm frozen like a greenhorn on his first bronc.
"The bank called yesterday," I finally say, my voice rough. "They're moving forward with foreclosure proceedings."
Jo flinches. "Clay, I don't know what to say except I'm sorry. That doesn't mean much, though."
"Four generations of McKendricks managed to keep this place afloat through droughts, floods, and market crashes. Then I come along and lose it all." A bitter laugh spills out of me. "Some legacy I'm leaving."
"You can't give up yet," Jo declares, taking another step toward me. "We can still fight. Together."
"Fight with what? Our reputations are in tatters. The PRCA campaign is gone. I've got maybe two months before the bank forecloses." I shove a hand through my hair, frustration burning inside me. "I've got nothing left to fight with, Jo."
She strides up to me, the distance between us abruptly erased. The determination flashing in those green eyes gives me an ache in my chest. "You've got me, Clay McKendrick. Whether you want me or not. And I will never walk away from you again. Please believe me."
And I do believe her. So, I drag her into my arms and kiss her like the world's about to end, holding nothing back as I devour her mouth and grasp her ass roughly.
A jolt of lust hits me, and I drag her down onto a pile of straw.
We tear each other's clothes off, not giving a damn about ripping anything.
I've just freed one breast when I hear something that stops me.
The distinctive sound of someone clearing their throat.
Jo and I freeze.
"Not that I wanna interrupt, but your ma has dinner ready."
"Dad?" I toss my shirt to cover up Jo's tits, then spring to my knees and gape at my father over my shoulder. "Give us a minute, okay?"
He grins. "Sure thing, kiddo. Guess we better put you and Jo in the big bedroom tonight."
My father walks out of the barn, limping but much stronger on his feet than he used to be. The PRCA pledged a good chunk of change to the fundraising campaign I set up for my dad. He groused about letting family and friends do that, but we all know he's secretly grateful.
"Oh, by the way," Jo says. "The PRCA didn't cancel our interview. They still want to see us tomorrow in Billings."
I gape at her in disbelief. "That's unbelievable news."
"Turns out, people love a redemption story even more than they love a scandal.
" A hint of her familiar smirk reappears.
"Buck's been working his connections, telling everyone how Sterling and Maddie set us up.
Apparently, the PRCA brass are more interested in authentic love stories than perfect PR campaigns. "
My mouth falls open. "They believe us?"
"Oh, more than that---they think we're exactly what they're looking for. A real couple who found love in the middle of the chaos." Jo slings her arms around my neck, her toes barely touching the ground since I'm considerably taller. "They want to hear our story, Clay. The whole truth and more."
I shake my head, not daring to hope. "Even if that's true, it doesn't solve the ranch problem.
Two months isn't enough time for the fundraising money to grow into a big enough pile even if we somehow land the contract.
Besides, my stubborn dad won't let us include the ranch in the fundraising campaign. "
"Oh, you just let me handle that." Jo's smile turns mysterious. "I have a way with stubborn McKendrick men, as you well know."
Suddenly, Dad's voice carries across the barnyard. "Clay! You got company! And we're all getting' tired of waiting for dinner because of you lovebirds."
I glance toward the barn doors to see Buck Hawkins striding toward us, looking more put-together than I've ever seen him. Gone is the weathered Stetson and faded jeans, replaced by a crisp white shirt and a bolo tie that catches the fading sunlight.
"There you two are." Bucks voice echoes through the barn. "Been looking all over for you."
Jo squeezes my arm before stepping back, putting a respectable distance between us as our newest guest approaches. "Perfect timing as always, Buck."
He grins, tipping his hat at Jo before turning his attention to me. "Clay, son, we need to talk business. The kind that might just save this ranch of yours."
I glance between them. "What's going on here? You two cooking something up behind my back?"
"Not behind your back," Jo says quickly. "We wanted to present you with options. Real ones."
Buck leans against a support beam, his expression more serious than I've ever seen it. "Clay, what do you know about syndicated broadcasting rights for rodeo events?"
"Not much. Why do you ask?"
"Because I've been in this business for thirty years, and I've got connections you wouldn't believe.
" He pulls out a folded document from his shirt pocket.
"Ever since this mess with Sterling started, I've been making calls.
Turns out, there's a group of investors looking to create a new rodeo broadcast network---something grittier, more authentic than the polished stuff on the big networks. "
Jo steps forward. "They want real stories, Clay. Cowboys and cowgirls who've struggled, who've earned their place through blood and sweat, not family connections and sponsor money."
"And they want you and Jo to be the face of it," Buck finishes, his wrinkles creasing into a grin. "Not only as competitors, but as hosts. A husband-and-wife team telling the real stories behind the rides."
My head spins while I try to grasp what they're saying. "Husband and wife?"
Jo throws an arm around my waist. "We'd have to actually get married for the contract, Clay. Real marriage, not for show this time. Shouldn't be a problem since we're in love."
"Uh, yeah, that's true."
The barn goes dead quiet except for Thunder's occasional snort and the settling of old wood. I can't stop staring at both of them like they've lost their ever-loving minds.
I feel my brow furrow. "You're asking me to marry you for a business deal?"
"No," Jo says firmly, stepping closer again. "I'm asking you to marry me because I love you. The business deal is just a bonus that happens to solve both our problems at the same time."
Her words hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. I've been so focused on trying to separate the real from the fake between us that I never stopped to consider she might be dealing with the same confusion.
"Jo, I---"
She holds up a hand, cutting me off. "Let me finish, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
She takes a shaky breath, and I can see her hands trembling slightly. "I know this is crazy. I know the timing is terrible."
Buck clears his throat awkwardly. "Maybe I should give you two some privacy---"
"Stay," I say without taking my eyes off Jo. "If we're doing this, we're doing it with all our cards on the table."
"With you, I'm ready for anything."