Chapter 21
I Grew Up On Farm - The Reklaws
Kinsley
“ A ny persistent symptoms?” The doctor checked my eyes.
The paper on the exam table crinkled beneath me as I shifted and tried to keep my eyes open. “Nope,” I answered. “Nothing for almost three weeks now.”
Wyatt stood at the other end of the room, arms crossed over his chest, scrutinizing every move the doctor made. He had insisted on coming with me to hear from the doctor himself that I was fine.
“Well, everything looks good. I don’t see why you can’t start riding again, as long as you’re careful.”
“Oh, I will be!”
“You’re sure, Doc? You don’t think a couple more weeks—” Wyatt began.
I interrupted. “Ignore him.”
The doctor chuckled and made a note on my chart. “I promise you everything checks out. I wouldn’t give her the okay to ride if I didn’t think it was safe,” the doctor assured Wyatt. “My daughter would kill me if I did; she’s a big fan of yours and wants to be a barrel racer too.”
“Bring her to a rodeo sometime soon and come say hi!” I offered.
“I’ll do that. Good luck to both of you and come back if you have any concerns.” He smiled as he left the room.
Wyatt gave him a brusque nod.
“You’re pulling that ‘overprotective man’ shit again,” I commented.
“Yup,” he replied, unapologetically.
“It’s sexy as hell.”
The comment cracked his stern fa?ade, eliciting a small grin from him. “Let’s go.” He took my hand and pulled me off the table.
We got to his truck, and he opened my door. I slid into the passenger seat and sank into it, thinking about all the memories this truck carried. That time on the side of the highway in the pouring rain... A shiver ran up my spine.
He got into the driver’s side and started it up.
“Where are we going now?” I asked.
He raised a brow. “What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. I feel like all we ever do is go from rodeo to rodeo. Don’t you want to go out into the real world every once in a while?”
“Not really.”
“You would live in a barn.”
“If only I had a barn to live in,” he muttered.
Damn, I’d walked into that one.
Wyatt pulled out of the parking lot, and I stared out my window, unsure of what to say next. There was a time when talking to him had been so easy. On our first date, we’d done nothing but talk and laugh. That was also the last time things had been easy between us. Yeah, of course we’d had good times since then, but our relationship was like a carnival ride that went up and down—sometimes your belly filled with butterflies, and the next moment nausea took over.
Instead of leaving the city, he drove further in towards downtown.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Out into the world,” he replied.
We parked the truck on a busy street and got out. The area was lined with small trendy shops, cafés, and restaurants. I bounced with excitement.
Wyatt looked around and scratched the back of his head. He stood out in this area with his dirty boots, Wrangler jeans, plaid shirt, and trucker cap. “At least you dressed up for the occasion.” He eyed my attire.
I had opted for a pale blue sundress that day, a change from my regular jeans.
“Oh, c’mon, cowboy. I’ll be beating them off you with a stick,” I joked, grabbing his hand and tugging him along down the street.
We popped into a few stores, browsing through clothes and trinkets. Or, I browsed while Wyatt wandered around looking bored.
I chose a few items—a cute blouse with sunflowers printed on it and a couple pairs of jeans. I took them up to the register.
The cashier rang me up. “$191.25.”
I pulled out my credit card and handed it over. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wyatt’s gaze lock on the card. His brow furrowed and his lips drew back into a thin line, but he didn’t say anything.
The cashier ran my card and handed it back to me, along with my purchase tucked into a bag. “Thanks! Have a great day.”
“You too!”
I looped my arm through Wyatt’s as we stepped back out onto the sidewalk. His body was tense beside mine, and I sensed the unease radiating off him. I didn’t need to ask what was bothering him; I already knew.
We passed several restaurants, but Wyatt turned up his nose at menus advertising sushi or vegan options. A burger joint caught his approval, and if I was being honest, as much as I liked to think of myself as open-minded, nothing beat a good burger. I was cattle rancher’s daughter, after all.
We wolfed down burgers and fries, and I kept quiet while he paid for the food. It was nice to see him open his wallet without a pained expression on his face. He had won his last three rodeos, so I knew he had been cashing some pretty good checks. I was so proud of how well he was doing, even if it was on the horse that should have been putting me in the money.
“Where to now?” he asked as we walked out of the restaurant.
I looked up and down the street, and then pointed to an old building displaying a marquee adorned with glowing lights.
“A movie?”
“Yep, c’mon.” I jogged across the street when there was an opening in traffic.
Wyatt followed behind me. The theatre boasted retro matinees and was playing one of my favourite films.
“Two for Cat Ballou please,” I told the box office attendant.
Wyatt pulled out his wallet again and paid for the tickets. After we loaded up with popcorn and drinks, we found seats in the nearly empty theatre.
“I think you’re the only one who likes this movie,” Wyatt remarked, surveying the deserted room.
“Jane Fonda playing a schoolteacher turned outlaw? What’s not to like?” I settled into the seat, which Wyatt was a little too big for, and started munching on my popcorn.
“You’re still hungry?”
“No, but you can’t go to a movie and not eat popcorn. It’s a rule.”
“Is it?” He smirked at me.
The lights dimmed, and the screen came to life as the movie started.
“You’ve never seen this?” I asked.
He shook his head, but I wasn’t surprised, considering the movie was from 1965.
“Wow, Jane Fonda was hot,” Wyatt said.
I laughed. “I know, right? She totally still is. I used to watch this movie all the time when I was a kid, and I wanted to be her so badly.”
We munched on our popcorn in silence for a while, absorbed in the film. I got through half my bag before I was ready to burst, so I put it on the seat next to me. This left me with free hands, and I wasn’t sure what to do with them. This wasn’t exactly a date, but it kind of was. I mean, it was Wyatt. I was tempted to make out with him.
He didn’t seem to feel any of my awkwardness because he didn’t hesitate to put an arm around my shoulders and draw me to his side. He was the most confusing guy ever. This dance we were doing was giving me whiplash. I had never been so unsure around him before.
We’d broken up and gotten back together a few times, but everything about this time felt different. It was like this was our last chance; we were going to make this work and be together forever, or we wouldn’t, and this would be the end for us.
I laid my head on his shoulder and snuggled in close. His fingers brushed lightly up and down my arm, sending shivers through me.
I would not let him go without a fight.
The movie ended, and we stood up and stretched, blinking as the lights came back on. Wyatt smiled at me.
“Were you awake for the whole movie?” I asked.
“Umm, I’m not sure,” he answered. “It was good, though.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, I guess we ought to get back and take care of the horses.”
He nodded, and we made our way out of the theatre. We left the city and returned to the homey and familiar country landscape.
“Oh, look! Horses!” I pointed out my window at the small herd grazing in a pasture beside the highway.
“I love that you still do that,” he said.
“Do what?”
“You own horses. Your whole life is horses, but you still get excited like a little kid when you see them.”
“Every horse is worth getting excited over.”
“Isn’t that the truth.”
He took my hand across the seat, and we drove back to the rodeo grounds, enjoying the view of green fields and distant mountains blurring along beside us.