Chapter 4
You Proof - Morgan Wallen
Wyatt
I was so screwed. Did I think it would be easy to see her again? To see her and then walk away from her?
I couldn’t believe she’d bought that damn horse. Gambler was a ticking time bomb, and she was playing with fire. Did she have any idea how dangerous he was? How capable he was of hurting her? The thought made my stomach roil.
Even as I fumed, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the wildfire that burned so brightly within her. It was the same fire that had attracted me to her in the first place, that fearless, unstoppable spirit that made her take on challenges others would balk at.
I wanted to shake some sense into her, make her see the risks she was taking, but I knew Kinsley. She was stubborn as a mule and twice as headstrong.
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration coursing through me. I should’ve stayed away and let her handle Gambler on her own, but the thought of her getting hurt...
As I neared the campsite, the guys were all gathered around a fire, their tents pitched in the background.
“Hey, slacker, we set up your tent for you,” Grady announced, pulling a hot dog on a stick from the fire. “You’re welcome.”
“Thanks.” I sank into a folding chair with a heavy sigh, resting my head in my hand.
“Oh, bad mood. So, how’s Kinsley?” Finn prodded.
The group shared an amused glance.
“She got a new horse,” I said.
“Oh, yeah?” Grady asked.
“Mr. Lucky Gambler.” The weight of those words settled like a stone in my stomach.
“Oh, shit,” they chorused.
Silence fell over us then, broken only by the crackling fire. They understood what that girl meant to me—they’d had front row seats to the show—even if I kept denying it.
“You know,” Grady started as we all sat around the campfire. “I think we’re all going to see a lot more action with the ladies this year without Kinsley Jackson around.”
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him. “How do you figure that?” I was curious about where he was going with this.
“I’m glad you asked, Wyatt.” Grady pointed his finger at me as if he was about to reveal one of the world’s great mysteries. “I mean, Kinsley’s great and all, but let’s be honest—she’s intimidating as hell.”
There was no denying that. Kinsley had a way about her, like a force of nature, and yet she was every bit as graceful as a wild rose. Her eyes, strikingly blue, reminded me of the endless Alberta skies and could shift from fierce determination to playful mischief in a heartbeat. And that focus of hers was razor-sharp, whether she was racing barrels or fixing a broken fence. But it was her smile that captivated me, warm and bright enough to chase away the shadows. From the moment I first saw it, I was a goner.
Grady continued, oblivious to my trip down memory lane. “So, when she’s on your arm and you’re hanging out with us, it’s like she scares all the other girls away. Now, when the four of us walk into a bar, the ladies will flock to us. Let me tell you.” Grady leaned back in his chair, nodding his head like he’d made the most profound revelation.
The absurdity of his statement had us all bursting into laughter.
“You’ll see,” he said. “I’m right.”
“I’ve had no trouble in that department,” Rhett said.
Grady leaned in, scrutinizing Rhett with a puzzled frown. “That’s what I don’t get about you. You barely say a word all night, but despite that, you leave with someone’s number.”
“You ever think that the talking is your problem?” Rhett asked him.
Finn and I covered our mouths, trying hard not to laugh.
“No,” Grady deadpanned.
We all lost the battle against laughter. Leave it to Grady to lighten the mood.
A couple of hours by the campfire with the guys was exactly what I needed to clear my head. I hit the sack feeling a lot better, deciding to focus solely on my rides the next day.
Drifter was stiff coming out of his stall the next morning, so I got him tacked up early and took him for a jog in the warm-up area to loosen his muscles. It took a bit, but soon enough, he was moving smoothly under me.
“How’s he doing?” Finn rode up on his grey gelding, Ghost.
“He’s good.”
Ghost fell into step beside us. They were a well-matched team.
We pushed the horses up into a faster gait and circled the arena wide. As Finn and I loped around the perimeter, I couldn’t help the excitement building in my chest. The rodeo grounds were coming to life around us: the sound of hooves against the dirt, the distant lowing of cattle, and the chatter of cowboys and cowgirls getting in some extra practice. The sun was just peeking over the horizon.
Finn pulled up beside me, his face serious. “Is your head in the game, Wyatt?” His blue eyes searched mine. “We need this win.”
I met his gaze steadily. “I’m here, Finn. I’m focused.”
We both knew how important this rodeo was. A win here meant the difference between money in our pockets or leaving empty-handed. I couldn’t blame him for being worried. We used to be a solid team, regularly in the money, but then I met Kinsley and our luck changed. I had let her distract me in the past, and I had let Finn down. He’d eventually made peace with me dating her because he knew how much I loved her, but he had reason to think my mind was elsewhere when she was around.
“Good.” He lingered in the quiet for a heartbeat longer than usual. “I think this is my last year on the circuit.”
Surprise jolted through me, and I pivoted to face him, searching his expression for an explanation. “What do you mean?” I pressed.
He gave a casual shrug. “My folks, they’re not up for the barn work much longer, and they’re considering selling the place. Can’t let that happen.”
“You’re going to take over? Full-time, with the boarding, lessons, and everything that goes with it?” I tried to picture Finn, with his love for independence, trading it all for day-to-day boarding barn management and teaching kids to ride.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he muttered, his gaze fixed on something in the distance and deliberately avoiding mine.
“Is that really what you want?” I probed deeper.
Finn’s passion for rodeo wasn’t something easily set aside. It was in his blood, the same as it was in mine.
“All I know is that I don’t want to lose the farm.”
That, at least, I understood. The day my old man sold our ranch was the worst day of my life. I thought it would always be there, that it would be mine one day, but my dad had pulled the rug out from under me and, in a flash, it was all gone.
“Alright,” I said, “I guess we better make this year count.”
Our last year together riding as a team. I couldn’t imagine doing this without Finn. Would I even try? Honestly, I didn’t know if Drifter and I had much left to give. What did my future look like without rodeo? Thinking about it was like staring into a black hole. I had a lot to figure out.
Finn nodded. “We make it count,” he echoed.