Chapter 29
29
Brax
W e took two days to haul Pirate from Aspen Springs to Oklahoma City, where the National Reining Futurity Championships were held. James and Adam elected to fly to minimize the time they spent away from Ben. Ben, of course, was more upset about missing the show than missing his dad and James. I had the feeling his granddad would spoil him rotten while we were away.
I had never been all that fond of road trips, but now I saw the appeal. Six hours of nothing but open road, the occasional patch of red brake lights, and uninterrupted time with Essie. I had never had this much time with her, awake and out of bed, and I was fucking greedy for it.
We talked about Pirate, and my plans for reviving the breeding program at Lodestar Ranch, if we could find someone to run it. We talked about Essie’s mom, and how hard she worked. We talked about Zack, and his slow road to recovery. We gossiped about our friends, and the people we had grown up with, and random people we saw at the hotel diner.
There was nothing special about any of it, and that’s what made it so special. The conversation wasn’t heavy. It wasn’t loaded with double meanings and old pains. Two months ago, this wouldn’t have been possible.
Now, it felt like a marriage.
A real marriage.
We stopped in Dalmart, Texas, for the night, at a place designed for people traveling with horses. It was slightly more than halfway to Oklahoma City. I never slept well in strange beds, but with Essie’s body curled against mine in a perfect fit, it felt like home.
At some point during the night, I half-woke with my dick hard and Essie’s fingers tracing the tattoo on my chest. Without opening my eyes, I rolled her sleep-warm body—still naked from the evening’s earlier activities—on top of mine and slid inside her. She hummed softly and pressed a kiss to my neck. We had slow, sleepy sex and then promptly fell asleep again exactly as we were, Essie draped over my torso, my dick still inside her.
Before the sun rose, we woke up and did it all over again.
“You know what we need,” I said, as she slowly merged us onto the highway for the final leg of our journey.
She barely glanced at me, all her attention focused on the road. “What?”
“A honeymoon.”
That got her attention. “Really?”
I couldn’t blame her for being surprised. Honeymoons weren’t common in Aspen Springs. Most people couldn’t afford the vacation, moneywise or timewise. Ranch work didn’t stop for births, deaths, or weddings.
“What made you think of a honeymoon?” she asked.
“This.” I gestured to her and me and the truck. “I like it. No annoying brothers. No meddlesome friends. Just you and me, making up for lost time. I think we deserve that, don’t you?”
“Yes.” She flashed me a small, quick smile. “Could you take the time off?”
“I could, with a little planning. January and April are out because I do a lot of tax work then. I figure summer wouldn’t be great, either, because you’ll want to be showing and training.” I wanted her to know I understood this. That her career was just as important as mine.
I had meant what I said, when I told her I didn’t want her to give up anything for me. I still felt that way about it. Back then, she couldn’t have the life she wanted, unless I wasn’t in it. I was always the thing that held her back, even when she didn’t understand it.
Things were different now. Some dreams she had already accomplished. Other dreams had grown and changed. But Essie living exactly the life she wanted to live, that was as important to me as ever.
I couldn’t be something holding her back. I wanted to give her everything.
She checked her mirrors and nibbled her lip, thinking. “Spring, then?”
“Spring,” I agreed.
And had the pleasure of making my wife smile.
The thing that separated pro and non-pro competitors in the Level 4 futurity championship wasn’t skill. Some of these non-pros—riders who owned the horse themselves rather than being paid to ride by the owner—devoted their entire lives to the sport of reining and competed in the arena year after year. Many of them were quarter horse breeders by trade.
Their spins were just as compact as the pros. Their sliding stops every bit as fancy. Essie and Pirate had their work cut out for them, a fact I was very much aware of as I stared down at the dirt arena, clenching and unclenching the fairgrounds map in my fist until it was damp with my sweat.
She wasn’t outmatched, though. Neither was Pirate. But it would be a real fight.
A hard knot of anticipation twisted my stomach as I sat through the next two riders. They were good. Very fucking good. But Essie was better, and I didn’t think it was the fact that I was head-over-heels in love with that woman that made me think so.
“Pirate has them all beat,” Adam said next to me. He sprawled on the bench, his long legs spread out in front of him and crossed at the ankle. Looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.
As opposed to me, hunched over my knees, both legs bouncing with nerves.
Every competition mattered, but so long as the horse and rider made it through healthy and safe, no single ride could ruin a career. There was always another chance to win, another ribbon to earn. The Futurity Championship was no different. It could make Essie’s career, but it couldn’t break it.
But somehow, I couldn’t convince myself of that today.
Maybe it was that mean little voice in my head that whispered Essie had married me to be here today, and if she lost, she might have regrets about that.
Big regrets.
I could accept losing. But I couldn’t accept that .
“Our next competitor is Ms. Essie Price on Pirate,” the announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers.
“Here we go,” Adam said, straightening in his seat.
I took a breath, trying to calm the storm inside my chest, but it was impossible. I couldn’t have been more nervous if it was me out there on Pirate.
The crowd cheered as Essie entered the arena on Pirate. I didn’t think it was my imagination that the applause was louder and longer than for previous competitors. I had lost count of the number of girls who had caught sight of Essie as we explored the fairgrounds and begged for an autograph or a picture. It was incredible to witness her in her element, and damned humbling to be the lucky bastard who got to take the photos.
Fuck, she was beautiful, sitting so tall and proud on Pirate. They made a gorgeous pair. The white patches of Pirate’s coat gleamed like moonlight against the midnight-black patches. The competition was more about skill than looks, but looks sure didn’t hurt, and Pirate was truly something special to look at.
But then they began, and all I could see was her .
My wife.
Her dark hair lifted as they loped around the ring, revealing a glimpse of rainbow. She looked determined, but more than that, she looked at ease. Like she was having the ride of her life. All her hard work, all the hours spent in Pirate’s saddle, all the hours spent out of the saddle, building their bond? It all led to this moment, where it didn’t look like work at all.
It looked like joy.
The audience seemed to know they were witnessing something special. Watching Essie and Pirate together was like watching a dance. They moved in perfect synchrony, a fluid blend of strength and grace that drew a smattering of applause every time they executed a move. Essie’s body melded seamlessly with Pirate’s as she guided him through circles and flying lead changes with nearly invisible cues.
They were a team. A partnership.
As Essie and Pirate executed perfect spins, the crowd cheered. And then it was time for the showstopper, the move that could be dangerous but never failed to draw gasps from the crowd.
My girl didn’t even hesitate. She nudged Pirate into a lope and then a gallop before bringing him to an abrupt halt in the center of the ring. Pirate did exactly what he was supposed to, dropping his hindquarters on the ground and with his legs stretched out in front of him in a spray of golden sand. After a pause, the stallion was back on his feet and doing a rapid rollback.
Holy shit.
It was perfect.
And Essie? Essie was magnificent.
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause that only got louder as the judges’ score flashed on the screen, putting Essie and Pirate in first place. Essie leaned down and gave Pirate an enthusiastic pat on the neck. And then she looked up to the stands and waved to the crowd, turning this way and that like she was looking for something.
For some one .
I was on my feet, cheering and whistling like everyone else, but my calls were swallowed up by the raucous crowd.
But still, she found me.
Her gaze hit mine like it was pulled there by a tractor beam.
She grinned, happiness radiating from her like a rainbow.
“I’m going down there.” I was already making my way down the stands when I tossed the words over my shoulder.
“There are still two more riders,” Adam reminded me.
But I didn’t care. Even if both competitors scored higher than Essie and Pirate, that would put them in third place. That ride deserved to be celebrated, no matter how points shook out in the end.
Apparently, James agreed, because I found Essie and James wrapped in a hug, swaying side to side as they laughed giddily.
“Brax!” Essie pulled free of James and rushed into my open arms .
I picked her up, lifting her off her toes, and then set her back down again. “Congratulations, hellion,” I murmured against her hair. “That was a hell of a ride.”
“Right? Pirate was amazing!” Her eyes sparkled with joy and adrenaline.
“ You were amazing,” I said, rubbing a bit of dust from her cheekbone with my thumb.
She gave me an impish look beneath her lashes. “I was, wasn’t I? And you know, even if we take third, that’s still a hefty chunk of cash for Mom to buy Sweetie Pie. Plus, Pirate is still young. He’s only going to get better from here. He’s going to be a brilliant sire, I just know it.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Essie was thinking about how her ride could benefit her mom and Lodestar Ranch right now, and really, I guess I wasn’t. I was in awe of her and her big, beautiful heart, but surprised? Nah.
That was Essie, through and through. She wasn’t selfless, and she wasn’t a pushover. But she cared. She cared so damn much.
God, I was so in love with this woman.
“Essie, you did good,” Adam said, coming up behind us.
“Thank you,” she said. “We couldn’t have done it without James. I don’t know if anyone else could have brought Pirate along as fast as she did. When you think about where he was six months ago, it’s honestly a miracle.”
“No miracle,” Adam said, looking at James with that way he had. Like she hung the moon, and the sun and stars to boot. “Just talent and hard work.”
“Maybe,” James said, even though her cheeks turned pink from Adam’s praise. “But I think a lot of his success today was you, Essie. The bond you share…it’s special. I think you know that. He wanted to win for you.”
Essie’s eyes looked suspiciously shiny as she nodded rapidly.
We were so busy feeling good that we almost missed the announcement.
“And in first place, Essie Price on Pirate! Winners, please come to the arena for your victory lap.”
Essie stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. And then the most gorgeous smile split her face from ear to ear.
My wife had just made another dream come true. And there was nowhere I would rather be than by her side when it happened.