Chapter Twenty-SixThe Big Race
Buck shoves two fingers in his mouth, letting out an ear-piercing whistle to summon...my dad. "Come on, Jeb, pick up the pace!"
Dad is out of breath by the time he reaches us, but he still manages to boss us around. "Come on, Clay. We've got a big surprise for you and Jo."
"What is it?"
My father looks too smug, which makes me worry about what these old farts have cooked up. "Should we tell him now, Buck?"
"Sure, why not."
Dad smirks even more. "It's a race to find out who's the fastest on a horse---you or Jo."
I groan. "A race? Now? Jo's about to compete for the championship."
Buck slaps me on the back. "Exactly why it's perfect timing, kid. Nothing like a little friendly competition between future spouses to get the blood pumping before a big event."
Jo finally glances up from Blaze, hesitating mid-stroke as she brushes her horse. Jo has a canny glint in her eyes that I know so well. "Did someone mention a race?"
"Don't even think about it," I warn her. "You need to focus on your run."
"I am focused," Jo counters, stepping out of the stall. "And beating you in a race might be just what I need to loosen up."
Dad's grinning like he just won the lottery. "That's the spirit, Jo! We've set up a simple course---just around the arena once and back. Nothing that will interfere with your championship run."
I lift my brows. "Don't mind losing to a superior rider then, hey?"
She tilts her up in that stubborn way that means she's fallen into my trap. "If you think you'll win against me, you are sorely mistaken, McKendrick."
"Thunder is bigger than Blaze. You might get hurt because these two troublemakers think a race is a good idea." I glare at Dad and Buck. "What if something happens? What if she falls?"
"Clay." Jo's voice takes on a softer tone, and she steps closer to lay her hand on my chest. "I've been riding longer than I've been walking, and I race every single time I perform at a rodeo. It's called barrel racing for a reason. And a simple lap around the arena isn't going to hurt anything."
The ring box feels like it's burning a hole through my pocket. But I suddenly realize she's right. We're both experienced riders, and I'm being overprotective. "Okay, Jo. Let's do it."
"Thunder's already saddled," Dad informs me, jerking his thumb toward where my horse waits. "Figured you'd see reason eventually."
"You had this planned from the start, for sure." I'm already walking toward Thunder, my competitive streak overriding my common sense. If Jo wants a race, she'll get one---and I'll make damn sure she doesn't win easily enough to get cocky before her championship run.
Jo is already leading Blaze toward the arena, her movements fluid and confident as always.
My fiancée is a force of nature. The mare prances a bit---sensing the competitive energy between me and Jo, no doubt.
Other competitors and their families are starting to fill the stands as the word spreads faster.
Jolene Callahan and Clay McKendrick are about to square off.
I swing up into Thunder's saddle. It's been too long since Jo and I went head-to-head on horseback.
Buck positions himself at the starting line, raising his hat like some kind of makeshift flag. "Once around the arena---that's it. Nothing fancy, nothing dangerous. First one back to this spot wins."
Jo settles into her saddle with her usual easy grace and winks at me. "Hope you're ready to eat my dust, McKendrick."
"In your dreams, Callahan."
We line up side by side, and I can feel the familiar electricity crackling between us. This is how it's always been with Jo---everything turns into a competition, and neither of us knows how to back down.
Buck is clearly reveling in his role as the guy who starts the race. "On your mark! Get set!" Buck pauses, drawing out the moment until Jo and I both lean forward in our saddles. "GO!"
We explode from the starting line amid the thundering hooves and flying dirt.
Jo and Blaze take an early lead, the mare's powerful hindquarters propelling them forward with graceful precision.
Thunder responds to my subtle leg cues, stretching his neck as we surge after the girls.
The arena is large enough to let our horses hit their stride in no time.
Jo glances over her shoulder, that competitive fire sparking in her eyes as she sees me gaining on her.
She leans over Blaze's neck, whispering something I can't hear that makes the mare kick into gear.
"Come on, boy," I urge Thunder, feeling his muscles bunch beneath me as we round the first turn. The big guy has always been good on the corners, and he doesn't disappoint now, cutting the angle just enough to put us neck and neck with Jo and Blaze.
"Thought you'd be faster than that!" I shout, grinning as we blast down the straightaway.
Jo doesn't waste any breath responding. She flashes me a cocky grin, and I respond in kind.
She's beautiful like this---her hair streaming behind her, every one of her muscles moving in perfect harmony with Blaze.
We're shoulder to shoulder as we approach the final turn, close enough that I can hear Jo's rhythmic breathing and see the freckles that stand out against her creamy skin.
The crowd along the fence is cheering. Jo's eyes narrow in concentration as her legs grip Blaze's sides with confident precision.
The final turn looms ahead, and I know this is where the race will be decided. Thunder shifts beneath me, his muscles tensing and flexing as we prepare to make our move. Jo gets ready too, with a subtle adjustment of her position and the way she shortens her reins a fraction.
"Let's show them what we've got," I tell Thunder, and he responds instantly.
We take the turn wide, giving Jo the inside track, but Thunder's powerful stride eats up the ground as we straighten for the final stretch. The cheers of the crowd escalate into a dull roar in my ears as we pull even with Blaze, then inch ahead.
Surprise flashes over Jo's face before hardening into pure determination.
She clicks to Blaze, and the mare digs deep, finding that reserve of energy that has won her so many championships.
We're in perfect sync, stride for stride, as we barrel toward the finish line where Buck stands waving his hat wildly.
"Come on, Clay, kick her ass!" I hear my dad hollering somewhere in the crowd, and when I take a quick glance, I see my whole family cheering.
The finish line rushes toward us. Neither horse gives an inch.
I can feel Thunder's heart hammering beneath me, matching my own.
Jo's eyes meet mine for a split second---fierce, focused, and alive with joy.
This is us at our core, two competitors who push each other to our best and beyond.
We flash past Buck in a cloud of dust, so close that even he can't tell who crossed the finish line first. Thunder and Blaze gradually slow down until they finally halt.
"It's a tie!" Buck announces, throwing his hat in the air. "Photo finish! Never seen anything like it in all my years!"
The crowd erupts in cheers and good-natured arguments about who actually won. Jo and I circle back toward each other, both our horses still prancing with leftover adrenaline.
"Not bad for a nobody from the middle of nowhere," Jo teases, her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling. She's breathing hard, and there's a piece of hay stuck in her hair that makes me want to reach over and pluck it out.
"Nobody? I'm a TV star, remember?"
"We both were, Clay, in case you forgot. But at least I know how to tenderize a steak properly." She grins, patting Blaze's neck. "Good thing it was a tie, or I might've had to gloat."
"You would've lost that bet." I lean forward in my saddle. "But I've got a consolation prize for you."
Her brows furrow. Confused Jo is the cutest version of her.
I bring Thunder up alongside Blaze, then reach over to pull Jo onto my lap. The arena goes silent---until I pull out the ring box.
Jo's eyes bulge, and her lips fall open in shock as she gapes at the small velvet box. Her weight is warm across my lap, solid and real, and suddenly my heart is galloping faster than Thunder ever could.
"Clay McKendrick, what are you doing?" she whispers, just loud enough for me to hear.
The crowd around us has gone completely silent. I can feel a passel of eyes on us, but all I can see is Jo---the freckles that sprinkle her nose and cheeks, the slight tremble in her hands as she grips Thunder's mane for balance. "I'm improvising, Jo."
This wasn't how I planned it, but it'll work. The box feels slick in my sweaty palm. "I was going to wait until after your championship run, but---"
"But you're too stubborn and impatient," she finishes, an affectionate smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. But her eyes are suspiciously bright, and I can feel the smallest tremor running through her body where she's pressed against me.
"Maybe I am impatient," I admit, balancing her carefully on Thunder's back as I flip open the box with my thumb. The simple diamond catches the afternoon sunlight, sending prisms dancing across Jo's face. "But I've also been waiting my whole life for this moment."
Jo's lips fall open, and she swallows hard. "Clay..."
"I had a whole speech planned. About how we've been circling each other since we first met in Tampa. About how no one pushes me or challenges me or understands me like you do."
The crowd has gone silent. Buck, my dad, the championship---none of it matters now. It's just Jo and me, suspended in this moment on Thunder's back.
"But the truth is simple, Jo. I love you. I love how you never let me win anything easily. I love how you talk to your horse like she's your best friend. I love that you put hot sauce on everything, even ice cream that one time."
She laughs through what might be tears. "That was a dare from your sister."
"I love that you accepted the dare." I shift her slightly, making sure she's secure.
"I love your stubborn streak and your competitive fire and the way you hum when you're concentrating.
I love that you're brave enough to chase championships and foolish enough to race me five minutes before the biggest ride of your season. "
"Clay..." Her voice breaks slightly as her eyes turn glossy with tears she's trying to stave off.
"Jolene Luella Callahan, will you marry me? Will you become my wife, my partner, the one person who really knows me and always tells me the God's honest truth. Please, say yes so I can spend the rest of my life trying to keep up with you."
Jo started crying a minute ago, but now the tears are streaming down her cheeks. "Yes, Clay, yes! Of course I'll marry you." She flings her arms around my neck, nearly unseating us both from Thunder's back. "Yes, I'll marry you, Clay McKendrick. Yes to everything you just said."
The crowd goes insane. Buck's whooping carries over everyone else's cheers, and I'm pretty sure I hear my dad yelling something about it being about damn time. But I'm too busy kissing Jo to care about anything else.