Chapter Four
Chance
I spend the rest of the day aimlessly wandering around the ranch. Sometimes I find myself walking down to the lodge, only to turn around halfway with a frustrated curse under my breath. I know the cutting competition is tomorrow morning, but I barely manage to focus on anything. By the time I go to bed, I’ve resigned myself to the possibility that I’m going to lose spectacularly.
An early alarm has me on my feet around 3a.m., just in time to get ready for the competition ahead. It’s only regionals, but I have to be in the top five to go on to state championships. That’s unlikely with the mood I’m in. All through a quick shower and getting dressed, my mind wanders back to Mia.
Will she look for me today, decide she might want to talk, and then I’m not here? I wouldn’t skip a competition for a woman I just met, but somehow the temptation is a real problem. Half an hour later, I’m heading downstairs to get breakfast and finally to get Constantine ready.
As I’m loading him up, Ma arrives at the stables, still half-asleep and wrapped up in her robe. I step away, letting Bobby-Ray take over the loading process. He doesn’t seem too impressed about that, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he wipes the sweat from his brow as he clucks his tongue and keeps working.
“Ma, you know my run won’t be until around ten, right?” I say as I walk toward her. “Why are you up so early?”
She points over her shoulder with one thumb, in the direction of the lodge still shrouded by the darkness that comes right before dawn.
“Has she spoken to you yet?” Of course the only person thinking about my relationship with Mia more than myself would be Ma. She has an expression betraying deep concern and the fact that she clearly already thinks Mia and I should be together forever. “Is she coming to see you compete? She should, you know. She could be lucky for you.”
“Ma,” I sigh, rubbing at my temple with one hand, “I’m not going to push her any further. She’s going through a hard time as it is. I’m not messing with that.”
Ma pats me on my cheek, but her eyes make her disappointment obvious enough. “She could use your support and you know it. Didn’t Herman say that he could help? Have you told her that? Have you tried again this morning?”
“Seriously? The sun isn’t even up yet.”
“I’m not sure that matters when it comes to love.”
“Ma, listen to me. When I get back this afternoon, I promise I’ll try again, but you have to give her time. Don’t go botherin’ her while I’m gone, okay?”
Reluctantly, Ma agrees not to see Mia while I’m at the competition, but I’m not sure I can uphold my side of the bargain, either. I still don’t want to be the one to talk to Mia first. She needs to approach me, but I don’t think Ma would understand that.
“We’re gon’ be late,” Bobby-Ray calls from the passenger seat of the truck. I know that I’m going to get an earful while we’re driving. “Get a move on, will ya?”
“You hold your tongue, Bobby-Ray!” Ma yells back at him, shutting the ranch hand right up. “Chance, you know this girl is a good one and you’re going to regret it if you let her go without a fight.”
“I won’t.” The words leave me before I even have a second to think about them. “I swear. But I have to go, right now.”
Before she can form any more arguments, I hurry into the truck and slam the door behind me. Bobby-Ray gives me the side-eye as we pull away, muttering something about doing everything around here himself under his breath. I don’t mention that it doesn’t really matter whether we’re late or not. I’m fairly certain that there’s no way I’ll win today, even if Constantine does everything absolutely perfectly.
Not in the mood to speak, I reach over to switch on the radio. It crackles to life with an old country song, breaking up in a huff each time we go over any kind of bump. Bobby-Ray leans moodily against the window, as if he’s playing the lead role in a music video. I don’t have the energy to deal with that.
Maybe Ma’s right and I should try one more time to talk to Mia. She could’ve calmed down enough by now to at least have a rational conversation. She could even agree to speak to Herman to see if he can help her.
It could, of course, go the opposite way. What if she quits her job on the ranch entirely to get away from me? Seems unlikely, but it’s possible.
Besides, I’ve never really understood how to have… emotional… conversations. If Mia does actually want to talk to me about all of this, I could simply come off as cold or callous. I wouldn’t be sure what to say, except for offering Herman’s assistance and promising that I’ll beat Brian to a pulp if he sets foot on the ranch again.
“What’s gotten into your eggs this morning?” Billy-Ray finally speaks, eyeing me suspiciously. “You look like you’ve got the world on your shoulders, and that ain’t no good. You’ll lose today.”
“Got nothing to do with you,” I snap in return, instantly defensive. I square my shoulders and adjust my hands on the steering wheel as we soar over a particularly rough patch of dirt road. “Honestly, if you’d stop sticking your nose where it didn’t belong, your life would sure be a lot easier.”
Billy-Ray huffs at me, crossing his arms with effort, since his jacket seems about a size and a half too small today. “Look, I s’pose it don’t matter what you’re worked up ‘bout, but you ain’t taking it out on me, sure as feathers.”
Normally, I’d find his strange idioms somewhat endearing, but today that’s not the case. Instead, I feel like I want to open the truck door to let him roll out and walk back home. The one reason I don’t is because I wouldn’t be able to compete without him being there to help out with logistics.
The rest of the trip continues in silence, with only the static-filled music from the radio filling the cabin. When we reach the competition site, it’s already buzzing with energy. People are rushing from place to place to get themselves and their horses ready in the dark, strings of light leading them from one area to the other.
I stretch and groan as I kill the engine and finally turn to Billy-Ray again. “You ready to set up?”
He grumbles at me and gets out of the truck, starting to gather our stuff from the back. That is as close to a yes as I am going to get. Quietly and efficiently, I join him in setting up for the day. Once everything is ready, I lead Constantine to his stall and get him comfortable.
Time for breakfast. I leave the stables, half-heartedly cleaning off my hands with a bit of water and a rag.
“You’re Chance Woods, right?” A guy I vaguely recognize from previous competitions blocks my path. I’m still annoyed, but I stop with a sigh. I’m not in the mood for some weird standoff right now. It’s already bad enough that I’m sure this whole thing will go south.
“What about it?” I retort, putting my legs down just wider than my shoulders and standing up straight. If he does want to fight, maybe I can intimidate him into backing off.
“Calm down, big boy.” He holds his hands up peacefully, even taking a step away from me to show he means no harm. “There’s a girlie looking for ya over at the food stands. Said I’d tell ya if I saw ya.”
I frown at him, wondering who it could be. Definitely not Ma. If it was, he would either have recognized her or not called her a ‘girlie.’ Could be Mia, but I don’t know if she’s cooled down enough to talk to me yet. If it is her, today might be my lucky day. Or she’s come to tell me she’s leaving forever.
Either way, I’d better not keep her waiting.
“Thanks, I’ll find her,” I say to the guy before I start walking off toward the food stands, which should still be setting up. I try to keep my pace calm, but my feet want to run. It results in an awkward hurrying half-jog, speeding up the closer I get.
I recognize her instantly, though she has her back to me. Between the rough-and-tumble cowboys and their girlfriends, she stands alone, a hummingbird who traveled too far from the flowers. She’s looking into the crowd, searching for me like a ship for its anchor.
“Mia?” I call out, but my voice is quickly drowned out in the hustle and bustle. I head closer, close enough so that I can touch her shoulder. As soon as I do, she jumps around with a fright, eyes wid e— but when she sees me, she relaxes, a sheepish smile softening her features.
She’s cradling a picnic basket in her arms. One of Ma’s. My stomach growls, having not had a real breakfast yet.
“Chance, uh, hi,” she says, fiddling with a loose piece on the basket. “I wanted to… you know. I think I should talk to you.”
I glance around me, knowing that the gossip bloodhounds will quickly pick up the scent of drama, and Mia shouldn’t have to deal with that.
“Come with me.” I turn away, hoping that she’s following as I walk. I wonder what’s in that basket. I’m suddenly starving, or maybe I’m nervous.
We reach the stable, and I make sure the coast is clear before I sit down beside Mia on a bale of hay next to Constantine’s stall. He huffs behind me, unimpressed that the attention isn’t all on him. Mia sets the basket on the floor and starts fiddling with a fingernail, not looking at me at all.
We’re silent for several tense moments before she starts to speak. “I should apologize to you about everything that I said. I really didn’t expect Brian to show up like that and… Well, I’m used to going through life by myself. Ellie and me against the world, you know?”
I nod but don’t say anything. The relief is palpable, spreading through my stomach like a warm soup. She’s not here to tell me she’s leaving by the sounds of things. Maybe our relationship still has a chance.
“I guess I overreacted. I just don’t want you to get entangled in the messes I’ve made. I don’t think you understand how rough this might get. He might decide to drag me to court. To try to take Ellie from me. I shouldn’t be bringing you or your family into it.”
Turning on the stack of hay, I grab her hands without thinking. She stops talking as I hold them, making sure that she’s looking into my eyes.
“Listen to me, Mia,” I insist, the deep emphasis in my voice threading the words together. “I will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that you and Ellie are together and safe. I’m not going to let him take her, or let him make your life hell. If you let me in, we can be in this together. There are people who care about you on the ranch. A lot. Let us help you. Please.”
She stares at me in surprise, a tear forming at the corner of her eye. It’s clear that no one’s ever told her this. That she’s never had someone standing by her side. It breaks my heart to imagine what she’s been through alone.
“Okay,” she breathes, letting go of my hands to get the basket. “I… I brought you something to eat.”
Mia sits with me for a while as we have breakfast together, my heart lifting with every moment. By the time the food is done and the sun is rising in the distance, I’m more ready for this competition than I have been for any that have come before.
“I’m up at 10. Will you stay?” I ask Mia, who nods with a smile.
“Yeah, your ma gave me the day off. She’s teaching Ellie to crochet an elephant.”
“Oh, a difficult one. Still, Ellie’s a genius. She’ll catch on quickly. Anyway, Bobby-Ray will get you a front-row seat.”
I offer Mia a hand to help her up from the bale, and she takes it without hesitation. I wonder if she sees the corner of my mouth lift as the happiness from that small action drifts through my body. Bobby-Ray leads her off to the stands, prattling about the technicalities of the sport, and Mia pretends to be listening truly intently.
Finally, I turn to Constantine, who’s still clearly annoyed at being ignored. “Come on, boy, let’s get ready. Hope you got a lot of cow in you today.”
By the time nine-thirty rolls around, Constantine and I are both worked up as we head out to the arena. There are five others competing before us. Then it’s our turn. Constantine eyes the herd being rushed out hungrily, a predator watching his prey.
The four helper riders come up behind me, and I give them their instructions. Most of this will be up to Constantine. I’m just along for the ride. I know exactly which cows we’ll aim for, one so deep I wonder if we’ll have to leave it.
As soon as we start, I give Constantine a quick push in the right direction. When he has his target, I drop my hands. The sound of the crowd echoes in my mind, but a quick glance had me pick Mia out from all of them. She’s enthralled, and that pushes me forward.
At two minutes and twenty seconds, we’ve got both cows split from their herd, and the crowd roars around us. It’s a fantastic round, definitely ahead of everyone that’s already gone. A seventy-four at the very least, perhaps even more. As we leave the arena, Mia runs from her spot to meet us.
I almost leap from Constantine’s back the moment we’re at a safe distance, grinning as Mia hurries up to me.
“That was insane!” she shouts, just as out of breath as I am. “I really thought he was going to break his legs.”
I laugh before I throw an arm around her. “I’m thinking that was one of our best rounds yet, little lady. Looks like I’ve got me a lucky charm.”