Chapter 12 – Jensen #2
Her lips press together, then she rolls them between her teeth—something she does when she’s trying not to react but almost can’t fight it.
“It’s true. You are not special in that regard.
” She pauses for a beat. “But I do think you don’t care enough about yourself.
And that worries the people who care about you.
Ultimately, I can’t force anyone to do anything.
I'm just here to provide guidance. And think of this app as guidance.
Learn from the feedback instead of ignoring it, and maybe it'll help your rides and keep you safe.”
I nod. “Thank you. This…” I swallow. “This means a lot.” It really fucking does.
My grandma tried her best to get me support when I was in school, but she didn’t know what she didn’t know. I’ve built an entire career off instinct and grit, riding blind to everything that wasn’t the chute opening.
Stats? Scores? Improvements? Safety techniques?
Never cared enough to track shit like that or deal with the frustration of getting something wrong.
Dawson was there to train me when we were growing up, but I’ve always done my own thing and let my intuition lead the way.
But this app, this thoughtfulness, it could help me level up.
Better than that, what she’s done is make space for someone who didn't have the same opportunities before.
My mind flashes for a moment to the fifth grade. Those math drills where you got the sheet of paper and had to race to finish. I'd mix up the numbers then get frustrated and be forced to redo everything, crossing out my original responses until I felt like I had it right.
I didn't. I never got it right. I was always last to finish.
But the girl I was crushing on, Louisa, always finished first with an A plus.
Then one day, I overheard her laughing with her friends about my obvious crush and saying she'd never feel the same way.
That was the moment I realized a smart, pretty woman like Louisa would never choose a guy like me.
To women like her, I'd only ever be the thing standing in the way of something better.
But Catalina doesn't seem to see me that way. Or maybe she does. I'm not sure yet. But she's not pitying me or putting me down for what I shared. She's helping.
She smiles and drops down from the gate, her heels hitting the dirt softly. “You’re welcome. I hope it helps.”
She turns to walk away, probably heading back to the training area, loose curls bouncing at her shoulders. Hips swaying in time with the rhythm of my pulse. I watch her go. I don’t say anything more. I can’t. The words all seem caught up in my chest somewhere.
I’ve liked Catalina from the moment she patched me up the first time.
I’ve told her that. But something’s different now.
Maybe it’s because I finally know what she tastes like.
Maybe it’s because she let me see her—not Doctor Alba, not the quiet professional who cares for her patients but pretends not to—her.
Catalina. The type of person she is when you strip away the bullshit of what she thinks she's supposed to act like. A friend. A good woman. A caretaker.
And suddenly liking her means something else entirely to me.
It means respecting her. Her boundaries.
Her career. And that means last night… can’t happen ever again.
She's right about that. It was one time. A moment we shared that I won’t forget.
A line we both know not to cross again. Even if every part of me is still buzzing from it.
I know I can’t do that to her. I won’t push it unless she asks me. Unless she comes to me next time.
Catalina is a good woman. She might even be my friend.
“Hey, Doc!” I call out before she gets too far away.
She stops and turns slowly, walking backward now. “Yeah?”
“What are you doing for our week off?”
She hesitates like she’s trying to figure out where I’m going with this.
“Well… we’ve got the rodeo in San Jose right when we get back, so I didn’t see the point in going home since I’ll be seeing my parents then anyway.”
I remember her telling me that she wished she’d left California sooner.
“You going back to Whitewood Creek to visit your sisters?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No. We’ve got Charlotte after San Jose, so I’ll see them then. They’re meeting me at the arena.”
“So, you’re saying you don't have plans?"
She shrugs one shoulder. "Yeah. I guess I don't. Haven't thought about it."
I wet my lips and decide to go for it. This is something a friend would offer. "You want to come back to Tennessee with me?”
She stops. Her brows raise in surprise. "Um..."
I know what I just said. I said I wouldn’t cross that line again because I refuse to disrespect her request. I won’t cross that line without her permission.
But maybe we can be friends. Maybe I can show her what it means to be friends with me without the benefits, and then she'll decide she wants more all on her own.
Yes, it's a poorly thought-out plan, but I'm desperate to spend more time with her, so I keep talking before she can say no.
“My grandma’s got a spare bedroom at her place.
I’ll take you fishing for the first time if you’d like.
You said you’ve never been. I got a boat and everything.
And you said you wanted to explore some new cities and states.
Why not give the mountains in Tennessee a shot?
We can even stop by Dawson’s ranch and ride the horses. ”
She hesitates again, but this time it’s thoughtful, not resistant. I can practically see the wheels spinning. I think she’d like Tennessee. I want to show her my hometown of Maple Grove.
Finally, she shrugs. “I guess that’s okay. Nashville could be fun. I've always wanted to check it out.”
Ah, the bachelorette party capital of the country. Definitely not Maple Grove.
Normally, I'd come up with some excuse for why we don't need to go into Nashville.
It's not my hometown. Despite what people assume, there’s much more to Tennessee than Nashville.
But then I remember her telling me she hasn't traveled much, and I decide to give her the full tourist experience if that's what she wants.
That's the kind of thing friends do for each other. Just friends.
My smile breaks. “Cool. See you tomorrow morning at the airport then?”
She nods. "Yeah. Okay."
She walks away for good this time, and I watch her go with a smile on my face.
Then I’m left leaning against the gate, my heart pounding like I just rode eight seconds on a bull and took home the buckle, when really all I did was get the prettiest, smartest girl in class to pay attention to me.