Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
hayden
S-sorry.” Sierra’s face flushed, and her mouth gaped as though she wanted to say something else but couldn’t. Instead, she blinked a few times before picking up her fluffball and running off.
My vision was glued to her as she left, and I only lost sight of her when she disappeared behind a row of pickup trucks and trailers.
“Who was that?” Colter asked once Sierra was out of earshot.
“That”—I paused, sucking in a breath—“was Sierra Bayley.”
I’d seen her in passing over the years—on arena jumbo screens and social media posts—but nothing could compare to seeing her face-to-face.
Not much about her had changed, despite the amount of time that had passed since she’d last spoken to me.
Her hair was dark now, nearly jet black instead of her natural blonde.
Even though she ran away from me today, I knew she still carried herself with the same take-no-shit attitude and sass she’d developed in high school. Her TV interviews said as much.
Sierra wasn’t always like that—confident, intimidating, radiant—but I knew she didn’t let anyone see what was underneath her tough exterior.
Only me. Once upon a time.
Blonde hair cascaded over my thigh as we lay on the old, ratty couch in Keenan’s basement.
Sierra’s head lay in my lap, and her bare feet rested on the arm of the couch.
My fingers gently brushed through the tangles in her hair as music thumped around us.
No one at this party—if you could even call it that—seemed to be paying any attention to us, all of them too busy dancing and getting drunk off the cheap liquor Keenan stole from his parents.
“Do you ever worry about the future?” she whispered, looking up at me with her emerald-green eyes.
All the time, I thought. “Sometimes. What are you worried about?”
She fell silent for a moment. “Do you think we’ll still be best friends in the future? Still be…us?”
Without hesitation, I said, “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
I think we’ll be together in every lifetime. Every universe.
I didn’t think there could ever be another version of me without Sierra Bayley.
I didn’t want there to be.
Once bright irises muddled in an instant, her gaze cloudy and exuding sadness. “I hope so.”
Mikey’s laughter brought me out of my temporary daze before his jaw dropped with realization.
“Wait, was that girl your ex? The one you were talking about when we were in Cheyenne?” When I didn’t confirm nor deny, he slapped his knee.
“Hot damn! I didn’t know you had it in you, Hayden. She’s a smokeshow, that’s for sure.”
“Whoa there, Michael. Juniper might castrate you if you’re not careful.” Jake chuckled.
“Hey, I never touched her, man,” Mikey protested, crossing his arms defensively. “No one ever said anything about looking. Besides, I’m sure June would agree.”
I shot him a sharp glare. If looks could kill, he would already be six feet under. “Well, I’m saying something about looking.”
Four heads snapped toward me with widening eyes and raised brows, but I held my chin high, standing my ground. Even if Mikey’s comments were only meant as jokes toward me, I didn’t want them bringing her into it.
Sure, I was quiet and kept to myself most of the time, but Sierra wasn’t just any girl.
No, she was special. She was the type of girl people wanted to go to bat for and defend in rooms and conversations she wasn’t in.
I’d defend her to the grave.
“I was kidding, Haydie.” Mikey raised his hands in resignation. “But I hear ya.”
“Let’s just go,” I grumbled. I didn’t want to stand here and talk about Sierra. Talking about her would only lead to questions—questions I wasn’t sure I knew the answers to anymore.
And the answers I did know weren’t mine to share.
“Man, it’s great to be back in our hometown, isn’t it?” My roping partner, Keenan Chase, patted me on the shoulder after he’d tracked me down.
Keenan was my closest friend growing up.
Our parents were best friends—our dads worked together at the Gulch County Sheriff’s Office before his dad medically retired—so we’d practically known each other since the womb.
We both grew up in Goldfinch, then competed in high school rodeo together before ultimately going separate ways for college.
Keenan had gone to school in Wyoming, and I’d stayed to compete on the SGU rodeo team.
When we graduated from college, we kind of fell out of touch—Keenan moved to Nebraska, and I moved to Silver Creek—but happened to reconnect last year before the NFR.
After a day of playing catch-up, we decided to enter up together for the following year.
It’d be just like old times, except we were much better than we were as teenagers.
“Mm-hmm,” I grunted in response.
“Come on, Hazey. What’s with the sad face?” Keenan poked me in the ribs.
I side-eyed him, eyes narrowing as I scrunched my nose. “That’s just my face.”
“Nah, you’re not normally this…broody. Does it have anything to do with a certain someone whose nickname rhymes with tippy?” He seemed to take the hint with the glare I gave him, because he threw his hands in the air in surrender. “Hey, I was just curious. Have you—”
“We ran into each other earlier. Her dog jumped on me.” I chuckled. “She ran off pretty quickly after, though, so no. And this was the first time I’ve seen her in…”
Five years, my brain screamed in my ear, filling in the blanks I didn’t want to say aloud. You haven’t seen her in five years.
I coughed. “It’s been a long time.”
“Damn, I’m sorry, dude. I know you two were close. I, uh”—Keenan scratched his head—“I don’t know exactly what happened after we graduated, but I’m here if you want to talk about it.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, knowing it probably wouldn’t be something I talked about. With anyone. “I’m going to warm up Peanut Butter.”
Keenan laughed, his eyes squinting to slits as his shoulders shook. “Man, I can’t believe your dad let you name that horse Peanut Butter.”
I shrugged. “I was fourteen.” The name may have been a tad ridiculous, but it was special to me. It meant something.
I started running Peanut two years ago for competition.
I ran her in practice arenas a lot when I was in college and just starting my professional career.
She was young, although competition came naturally to her—a good thing, because two years ago, the horse I ran all throughout my childhood and college suddenly passed.
Team roping required not only a reliable human partner, but also a reliable horse, and Peanut was consistent.
Plus, it seemed special to compete with the horse who grew up with me… and Sierra.
“Hey, girl.” I patted Peanut’s neck, and she chuffed in greeting.
I tacked my horse, careful to double-check all of the equipment to make sure everything was tight and secure, then warmed her up, taking a couple laps around one of the smaller pens behind the main rodeo arena.
When I was on the back of a horse, the world around me seemed to pause.
Equine therapy was a thing for a reason.
The animals were great for emotional regulation because they mirrored a person’s emotions.
A horse could sense your anxiety or stress, so it was important to keep your emotions in check.
Throughout the years, riding became my comfort, my stress relief.
It also didn’t hurt that some of my best memories involved horses and Sierra.
“It’s a beautiful day for a rodeo. We’ve got some talented cowboys and cowgirls competing today. Let’s kick off the fun with bareback riding!” The rodeo announcer welcomed the crowd after the National Anthem played and a prayer wishing safety on all the participants was said.
I hadn’t seen Sierra since our run-in earlier this morning. I was sure we’d both been warming up our horses and preparing for competition, but it still didn’t stop me from looking for her.
“You must be real down bad for that girl, Haydie.” Jake laughed.
I crossed my arms, feigning disinterest. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged, leaning against one of the arena panels. “You keep looking around. I’m guessing for her. Unless there’s another girl here you’re trying to find?”
Mikey came sauntering up then, adding in his two cents. “Which, if you were, no one would be judging, least of all me. But then I’d have to repeat my earlier statement because I would have never expected that coming from you.”
“I’m not—” I started to protest, but Keenan threw his arm around me.
“And denial is a river in Egypt, my friend.”
I rolled my eyes, shaking him off. “Shut up.”
“Leave him alone, you guys.” Colter shoved Jake away, the latter making a dramatic show of it, pretending to trip over his feet.
“Unless you want me to remind you of the past six months, Mikey?” He raised his brows at the bull rider then turned to Jake.
“I don’t think I even have to say anything about you. ”
Jake’s mouth pressed into a hard line, like he knew exactly what Colter was alluding to. “Believe me, Colt, I would if I didn’t have morals.”
“Wait, you have those?” Reid teased, covering his mouth with his palm.
Jake shot back a flashy smile. “Hard to believe, ain’t it?”
“Don’t you have to compete?” I muttered.
Jake had grown up competing in both steer wrestling and tie-down roping, but more recently he was only competing in tie-down.
“Ah, yeah, I suppose so. See you on the other side.” He gave us a mock salute then took off in the other direction.
“Up next in the team roping, we’ve got a duo who grew up right here in the Gulch! Give them a big home welcome, folks. Hayden Watkins and Keenan Chase!”
I led my horse into the roping box on the left side of the chute.
Keenan adjusted his cowboy hat on the other side, looking to me for the signal.
Peanut was ready to run, and I backed her up as far as I could.
Once I’d readied myself and checked that Keenan was also ready, I nodded and the steer was released from the chute.
Peanut took off, her hooves pounding against the dirt.
I swung my rope over my head, keeping my eye on the honda and my target.
When the time was right, I threw my rope, the loop falling perfectly over the steer’s horns.
Jerking out the slack, I dallied as Peanut ran past the steer in a curve, turning the animal so Keenan could follow up on roping the legs.
Once he’d caught the hind legs, the time stopped. Keenan let the rope go slack, and my horse followed the steer as it ran, my rope still attached to its horns, guiding it to the end.
“How about a five-point-nine!” the announcer called out.
“Hell yeah!” Keenan pumped his fist in the air.
Once the steer was out of the arena, Keenan and I rode next to each other down the side of the arena to get out before the next team started their run.
I nodded, dipping my chin slightly in acknowledgment, and he laughed.
“Always the stoic one, Hazey.”