Chapter Eighteen
Leo
“You’ve been slacking and I ain’t training no goddamn slacker!” Frank spat in the dirt at our feet.
We were at the arena having a late afternoon practice session. I just went four seconds on a bull before he tossed me like I was a pizza. Not my best work at all.
“I haven’t been slacking,” I lied. I totally had.
I hadn’t been training as hard, my thighs weren’t as strong as they had been because I’d been spending so much time at the ranch when I should have been in the gym.
I’d struggled to find my groove in the last year and if I was honest, it’s destroyed my confidence.
Charlie’s death brought so much change. Kat had stepped up to run the ranch and uncovered a wealth of debt that Charlie had hidden.
But she’d worked hard, the other Cartwright sisters all stepping in to help turn the place around and so far so good.
Redemption had hosted a few events which had been hugely successful and tonight, it played host to the town’s seasonal fair.
I always helped out when I could at the ranch.
Whether it was taking Tilly to school, sorting out meals, helping with the horses and cattle, or ferrying the girls around when they needed it.
Hell, sometimes I just provided much-needed entertainment.
We’d grown closer as a unit and our family had even expanded.
Kat’s best friend Gertie had returned home and was now in a relationship with Tate Wilder, Reverence’s vet and farrier. He was a pretty cool guy underneath all that grump, overcoming a lot in his life. I’d bullied him into being my friend, along with Jack Drayton, Kat’s boyfriend.
Kat and Jack’s story was a little different.
Jack had been the drunk driver who had hit and killed Sherry all those years ago.
Charlie had been visiting Jack in prison for the last decade, and the pair had developed a close bond.
The day Jack was released from prison, he turned up at the ranch looking for Charlie but instead found a less than welcoming reception.
Turns out Charlie had left Jack the title to the small cabin at the back of the main house. The poor guy had nowhere else to go so Kat eventually gave him the cabin in return for his help with running the ranch.
A few of the Cartwright sisters had struggled to accept Jack, despite knowing that it was what Charlie wanted.
Maddy had been able to understand that it had been a terrible accident caused by a silly mistake and so had I.
Sherry was taken from me too, I had as much beef with Jack as everyone else.
But seeing the heartbroken look in his eyes the day I told him Charlie had died, softened my feelings towards him.
Anyway, turns out that close proximity had softened Kat towards Jack too and romance, my favorite thing, had blossomed.
I don’t want to say I played Cupid, but I may have pushed Jack towards making a move on Kat.
Now, definitely all thanks to me, they were in a relationship, with Jack living at the ranch and working on the plans to develop it.
They’d already built the new corral for August to teach riding lessons to the local kids.
Money was starting to roll in to keep the ranch going.
The plan was to take one of the pastures and turn the space into vacation lodges.
With the picturesque mountain views and the chance to participate in the quintessential ranch experience, there was no way this would fail.
We just needed time to build it all. Time and more money.
“My thighs are stronger than yours right now, boy,” Frank scoffed.
I fixed him with a glare. “Now you’re just exaggerating.”
“Am I?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Fine, I’ll get back in the gym.”
“Good, because you’re gonna need to if you want to ride out on that High Octane tour through Canada next month.”
My pulse thudded to a stop. “What?”
One side of Frank’s mouth kicked up. “You heard me. Just because your thighs are shot, doesn’t mean your hearing is too.”
“When did you hear about that?” I asked.
Frank shrugged. “Found out last night. But we’re delayed.”
Frowning, I gathered the rope and started wrapping it around my hand, coiling it up. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it was something Charlie had been working on.”
My throat closed at those words.
“And turns out, they accepted you last year but didn’t realize Charlie had passed, so the communication got tied up. But it doesn’t matter, they want you this year too. It’s a six-month circuit which also includes Stampede if you can score high enough in qualifiers.”
Tears welled in my eyes. Damn Charlie. He’d been working on my career right up until he died almost a year ago.
He said he would help and he’d been more dedicated than anyone in making sure I was training hard, eating right and going for any opportunity that came up, as well as working to find those opportunities himself.
“Why ain’t you saying nothin’?” Frank grumbled.
I cleared my throat. “Just processing.”
“Process it quicker. Charlie’s come through for us here and I don’t see you rushing to accept the place. You gonna bail on an opportunity for the third time?”
“No, I just—”
“Just what, boy?” Frank spat again. “The answer is, when do we leave? I already accepted and told them you were coming.”
“Of course you did,” I rolled my eyes. “I just needed a minute to process, that’s all. I hadn’t expected Charlie’s contacts to come through.”
“It’s just as well they did. You’re running out of chances, especially at your age.”
Frank wasn’t wrong. Bull riding was a young man’s game and I was thirty now, which wasn’t old, but the toll the sport took on my body was making the aches and pains more noticeable and I struggled to bounce back from injury as quickly.
Most bull riders would be considering retiring in the next couple of years.
Frank clapped his hands together and eyed me something fierce.
I grinned at him. “Thank you, Frank. I appreciate it.”
He snorted and limped off, shouting over his shoulder, “Thank me by getting in the gym. I want you in there whenever you’re not sleepin’, eatin’ or shittin’.”
I barked out a laugh. “Yessir.”
Grabbing my gloves and the rope, I left the ring and went to the locker rooms, taking a quick shower and packing up my stuff.
I’d been in a slump with my career since Charlie passed but knowing he continued believing in me until the day he died, along with this new opportunity, gave me renewed hope.
Working out would start again tomorrow. Tonight, I needed to get to the ranch for the fair.
And to talk to Maddy.
*
“Come on, Gertie, you can give me one more,” I groaned, eyeing up the small scoops of chocolate fudge brownie ice cream that Gertie was smushing into my waffle cone.
“What’s it worth to you, rodeo king?” she winked, which earned me a glare from Tate who was keeping guard behind her, arms folded over his huge chest. Most guys were big but Tate was massive.
“I’d answer that but your bodyguard might murder me,” I joked.
Gertie chuckled and glanced behind her at the man in question, her dark curls bouncing. “Ah he’s a sweetie pie really. But I hear you. Fine, a proper scoop.”
My stomach growled as I watched her squeeze on a huge scoop with extra fudge bits sticking out of it. I handed over my cash and dove straight into the cone, moaning at how good it tasted.
“Never stop, please,” I mumbled around the ice cream, brain freeze making me wince.
“I don’t plan on it,” she replied.
“Good. Now, Tate, stop scaring everyone away and come hang out with me.”
Tate’s dark stare flicked to Gertie and she nodded. “You go play with your friends, sugar. I’ll be fine.”
He dropped a kiss on her wide mouth, clicked his fingers twice and then I’m pretty sure he squeezed her ass too.
“Why are you so desperate to hang out?” Tate grunted as we headed out towards the other stalls at the ranch.
I knew he was joking. He used to be something of a loner but reconnecting with Gertie had brought out his sociable side.
Or she forced him, I wasn’t sure which. Either way, we were now friends.
We had a nice little foursome going on with Jack and Max, the owner of The Lonely Bison bar, rounded out the quartet.
“I need to talk to you and Jack.”
“He’s probably buzzing around Kat somewhere. Find Kat and you find Jack.”
We stopped by a few of the stalls, parting with our hard-earned money. Tate bought Gertie an ice cream keychain from a craft stall and I snagged a little flame one for Maddy, before we found Kat and Jack.
“What are you two up to and why do you have chocolate all round your mouth?” Jack frowned at my face, lifting a hand to touch my cheek but I batted him away, turning to Tate.
“I can’t believe you’ve let me walk around all this time with chocolate on my face. Some friend you are,” I tutted.
Tate shrugged. “Your ego could use a little bruising.”
“So could your face,” I shot back.
He arched a brow at me. “Really? You wanna take me?”
“Children, please,” Jack clapped to distract us. Kat snickered behind his shoulder, looping her arm though his and resting her head against his bicep. I turned my attention to Jack, trying to ignore the sharp jab of envy that poked me tonight at seeing these men with their lady loves.
“How are you both loved up and we have no weddings happening?” I asked pointing to Jack and Tate. “I love weddings and you’re being bad friends by not having any.”
Jack hung his head saying, “We’re sorry, we’ll do better.”
Kat snorted. “Not yet you won’t. I’ve got too much on my plate to plan a wedding too.”
“I’ll do it!” I offered. “You know I’d plan the shit out of a wedding.”
Kat just shook her head, a small smile on her face.
I shrugged. “Fine but call me when he finally proposes. Anyway, I needed to talk to you both. I’ve got news.”
“What’s up?”
“I’ve, uh, got a spot on a tour starting next month.”
“That’s amazing, finally!” Jack beamed.
“Yeah congrats, man.” Tate slapped me on the back, knocking me off balance.
Kat eyed me. “Where is it?”