Chapter Twenty-FiveThe Season Ends
October has become our time for endings.
Not only has the reality show completed its first season, but Jo and I will be ending our engagement.
We haven't split up. Instead, we're rushing headlong into the best kind of ending, the sort that morphs into a happily ever after when we finally tie the knot.
As for the reality series...Miranda wanted us to stay for another season---or hopefully forever---but we politely declined the offer. It's time we got back to normal life.
I'm not sure what normal life means for us anymore. The cameras have been gone for two weeks, and I keep catching myself looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Miranda lurking in a corner with her clipboard.
Jo's different now---more relaxed, but also restless.
She's been spending extra hours at the barn, working with Blaze and trying out some new ideas for the women's roping team.
The rodeo season winds down in three weeks, and Jo is sitting pretty in second place for the WPRA standings.
Close enough to taste that championship and make her crazy with wanting it.
Thunder and I have gotten back on the circuit too, even winning a few more titles.
But we plan on scaling back our rodeo activities somewhat.
Why? Because it's time to get married. I plan on popping the question tonight, after Jo's last rodeo event of the season.
Not that she knows about that. As far as Jo's concerned, we're heading to the Silver Spurs Arena for just another qualifier.
She's been so focused on training that she hasn't noticed me sneaking around with Casey, her father, and her brother while finalizing the details.
My mom and Sarah have gotten involved too.
Jo also hasn't noticed the way my mother keeps calling with random questions about Jo's favorite flowers and cake flavors.
I watch while Jo tightens Blaze's cinch one last time. Her movements are precise, practiced, methodical, deliberate. It's the same way she approaches our relationship ever since the Hollywood types had gone home. Like she's savoring every moment now that it belongs to just us again.
Jo has her face buried in a rodeo magazine and doesn't glance up even when she smiles. "You're staring again, Clay."
"Can't help it. My fiancée's too damn gorgeous not to gawk at."
Jo turns toward me, finally looking my way. "We won't be engaged for much longer. Pretty soon, we'll have to train ourselves to call each other husband and wife."
"Think you can handle that?"
Her crooked smile, the one that first caught my eye more than a year ago, makes my pulse jump. "Might take some practice. Mrs. McKendrick has a nice ring to it though."
Mrs. McKendrick. Damn, I like the sound of that more than I thought I would. The ring box is in my truck, and I struggle against the urge to check on it for the tenth time today. Can't wait to slip that gold band onto her finger---and keep it there for a lifetime.
"You nervous about tonight?" I ask, nodding toward Blaze.
Jo's expression has shifted into that familiar intensity she always has before an event. "Second place isn't good enough. Not when I'm this close." She runs her hand along Blaze's neck, and the mare nuzzles her. "We've worked too hard to settle for second."
"You'll get it." The certainty in my voice surprises even me, but it's true. I've watched Jo drive herself harder than she would push any horse. There's no way that championship isn't coming home with her tonight.
"You sound pretty confident," Jo says, finally looking up from Blaze to meet my eyes.
"I'm absolutely positive you'll win. I've seen what you and Blaze can do." I step closer, resting my hand on the small of her back. "Besides, I've got a good feeling about tonight."
Jo narrows her eyes, studying my face. "You're acting weird lately."
"Am I?" My heart's hammering so hard I'm surprised she can't hear it.
"Yeah. Like you're hiding something." She pokes my chest with one finger. "Tell me what's going on, McKendrick."
I catch her hand and bring it to my lips, pressing a kiss against her callused palm. "Hey, have you heard anything about Brock and Maddie?"
Evasion is always a winning strategy when you're trying to hide a secret from your fiancée. A good secret.
Jo narrows her gaze even more, clearly aware that I'm dodging her question, but the mention of Brock Sterling's name does exactly what I hoped it would.
It distracts her completely. "Maddie texted me yesterday.
Apparently, Brock's been pestering her for another date since that charity auction.
" Jo shakes her head, turning back to adjust Blaze's bridle.
"I told her to run for the hills. Once a snake, always a snake. "
"Can't argue with that." I lean against the stall door, watching Jo work.
The way her fingers move with such confidence, how she communicates with that horse without saying a word---it's like watching a dance they've perfected for years.
"Do you believe Maddie's story? That Brock threatened to splash nude pictures of her across all the social media sites if she didn't spook her horse on purpose? "
"I don't have a single doubt," Jo confirms. "I've gotten to know Maddie over the past year, and I've learned she doesn't lie about that kind of thing. Besides, I've seen how he operates. Remember what he tried to pull with us during filming?"
I nod, remembering how Brock had cornered Jo in the barn that day, trying to convince her that I was only with her for the publicity. The cameras caught it all---his smooth talking, Jo's furious rejection, and my timely arrival that prevented things from getting uglier.
"Miranda cut that whole scene," Jo adds, shaking her head. "Said it didn't fit the 'narrative arc' they were building."
"Probably for the best. I'd have looked like a jealous hothead on national television."
Jo smirks. "You are a jealous hothead."
"Only when it comes to you." I shove my hands into my jeans pockets, blowing out a heavy breath. "Well, at least Brock got what he deserved---banned from rodeo for life. Maddie only got a two-year suspension."
Jo shakes her head. "Feels like she got the raw end of that deal." She checks Blaze's legs one more time. "Maddie was defending herself, and Brock was the one who---"
"Started it all," I finish for her. "I know. But the PRCA had to make an example of them both. At least her suspension's relatively short."
Jo makes a noncommittal sound, but I can tell she's still bothered by the situation. That's my woman---fiercely protective of those she cares about. It's one of the thousand reasons I love her.
"We should head out." I check my watch. "Don't want to be late for the big event."
"You mean my qualifier?" Jo raises her eyebrows. "Since when are you Mr. Punctuality?"
I shrug, trying to keep my expression neutral. "Just eager to see you kick some ass out there. Plus, I promised your dad we'd meet him early."
Jo gives me a look that says she's not entirely buying it, but she finishes with Blaze's tack and leads the mare out of the stall. "Fine, but you're acting jumpy as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."
"Ha-ha." I swat her ass. "Get out there, Jolene, and whup all the other girls.
She grasps my ass, giving it a squeeze. "After that, I'll get to watch you riding the baddest bull in rodeo. You know how that always makes me horny."
The drive to Silver Spurs Arena takes forty minutes, and Jo spends most of it going over her strategy, talking through the cloverleaf pattern for what must be the hundredth time this week.
I nod and make the right noises at the right moments, but my mind keeps drifting back to the blue velvet box tucked safely in my jacket pocket.
I'd moved it from the dashboard when Jo wasn't looking.
When we pull into the arena parking lot, I can already see the crowd gathering. More people than usual for a qualifier, which means word's gotten out about Jo's championship run. The local news van parked near the entrance confirms it.
I nod toward the van. "Looks like you've got some media attention, darlin'."
Jo groans. "Great. Just what I need---extra pressure." She hops out of the truck and starts unloading Blaze. "I hate when the media shows up. Makes everything feel so...commercial."
"Of course reporters are here. It's official, baby. You're about to make history."
She pauses, her hand on Blaze's lead rope. "Don't jinx it."
"No such thing as jinxing anything." I grab her gear bag and sling it over my shoulder. "Besides, after all that reality TV nonsense, a local news crew shouldn't bother you one bit."
Jo rolls her eyes, but I can see the tension in her shoulders easing a little. "At least these reporters won't ask me to cry on cue or manufacture drama with my fiancé."
"That's the spirit." I rest my hand on the small of her back as we lead Blaze toward the competitors' area. "Just another day at the office."
Jo's father spots us before we see him, his deep voice carrying over the pre-rodeo bustle.
"Jo! Clay! Over here!" Hank Callahan waves his cowboy hat above the crowd, and I spot Jo's brother Levi standing next to him, both of them grinning like they've won the lottery.
"Dad's awfully excited for a qualifier," Jo mutters under her breath, but she's smiling as we make our way over to them.
Hank pulls Jo into a bear hug that lifts her clean off the ground. "There's my champion daughter!"
"Dad, I haven't won anything yet," Jo protests, but she's laughing.
"Baloney," Hank waves her off, then claps me on the shoulder hard enough to rattle my teeth. "Clay, good to see you, son."
Levi steps forward, and there's something in his expression that tells me he knows. Both our families know what's coming tonight, but keeping this secret is apparently harder for the Callahan men than I thought it would be.
"Big night," Levi says, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. "Really big night."
Jo narrows her eyes, glancing between her father and brother. "Okay, what's going on? You're both acting so weird that I'm about ready to call a psychiatrist."
"Nothing's going on," Hank says quickly. "Can't a father be excited about his daughter competing in a rodeo?"
"Since when do you get this worked up about a qualifier?" Jo crosses her arms. "And why are you both grinning like idiots?"
I jump in before one of them cracks under pressure. "Maybe they're just proud of you. You're about to clinch the championship, Jo."
She studies all three of us with those sharp green eyes, and I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. Jo's always been too smart for her own good.
"I need to get Blaze settled," she finally tells us, though suspicion still lingers in her voice. "You three can stand around acting mysterious all you want, but I've got work to do."
She leads Blaze toward the competitor stalls, leaving the three of us standing here like guilty schoolboys.
Once Jo is out of earshot, I squint hard at Hank and Levi. "Smooth, guys, real smooth."
"Sorry," Levi grins sheepishly. "I'm terrible at keeping secrets from Jo. Always have been."
Hank chuckles. "Remember when we tried to surprise her for her sixteenth birthday? She figured it out three days early."
"Well, let's try not to spill the beans for at least another few hours," I suggest, checking my watch again. "The surprise won't work if she knows it's coming."
"Speaking of which..." Hank's expression grows serious. "Have you got everything you need? The ring, the flowers, all that?"
I pat my jacket pocket reflexively. "Ring's right here. Your wife handled the flowers, and Casey took care of the photographer." My throat feels tight suddenly. "Think she'll say yes?"
Levi snorts. "Are you kidding me? Jo's been planning your wedding since the cameras stopped rolling. She's got three different venues picked out and a whole Pinterest board dedicated to cowboy wedding themes."
"She's got a Pinterest board?" That's news to me.
"Oh-ho yeah," Hank says. "Caught her looking at wedding dresses on her laptop last week. When I asked about it, she turned red as a tomato and slammed the thing shut."
Relief floods through me, loosening the knot in my chest. "Good to know I'm not the only one thinking about making this official."
"Son, that girl's been crazy about you since day one," Hank assures me, clapping my shoulder again. "Even when she was swearing up and down that she'd never date another cowboy."
I chuckle, remembering how stubborn Jo had been when we first met. "She's still the most hardheaded woman I've ever known."
"Callahan family trait," Levi confirms with a wink. "Now go help her with Blaze before she gets suspicious."
I find Jo in the stall area, methodically brushing Blaze's gleaming coat. Her pre-competition ritual hasn't changed since I've known her---brush, check tack, walk the pattern in her mind, then sit quietly with her horse for ten minutes before heading to the gate.
"Need any help?" I ask, leaning against the stall door.
Jo doesn't look up, but her lips curve into a small smile.
I open my mouth to speak but don't get the chance. Buck Hawkins jogs up to me.
"Kid, we've got something special for you. Your dad came up with the idea."
"What are you old farts up to now?"
"You'll see."