Chapter Twenty-Two
Maddy
“Put the rodeo on, Max! Everyone’s waiting to watch Leo!”
Max ran a tattooed hand through his wavy brown hair. “Shit, is he riding today?” he shouted over the bustle of the bar. The Lonely Bison was packed, most people coming out to support Leo and watch on the TV.
“Yes, so quit asking questions and change the goddamn channel!” I demanded.
Max turned towards the TV and tuned into the rodeo and as it appeared on the screen, a cheer went up inside the bar. My stomach flipped as my eyes desperately glued to the screen.
There he is.
My breath hitched as I caught a glimpse of that blond hair and those wide shoulders I would recognize anywhere. And had he grown a beard? Holy hell, it suited him. My body hummed as I imagined feeling the scrape of that beard against my cheek, the inside of my thigh…
It had been months since I’d seen him. Weeks since we’d even spoken properly.
I tried to ignore my gut-feeling that said there was something else going on.
He needed to focus on training, so he didn’t get injured, that was all.
Bull riding was so dangerous, and I knew watching him tonight would be a challenge but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
I strained my ears, trying to hear the commentary and just managed to catch them talking about which bull he’d drawn.
The camera then cut to the bull waiting in the chute.
It was an absolute beast, banging against the metal bars, trying to get out, huffing, with spit flying from its maw.
My heart began slamming against my ribs.
The program cut to commercials and I blinked away, looking around the bar to distract myself.
Daisy, August and Tilly had come with me to watch it.
Daisy and August for moral support, Tilly likely so she could stare at Max, while insisting it was educational for her future bull riding career.
I couldn’t argue with her, didn’t care really as long as she stayed out of Max’s way.
She was still underage so he was doing us a solid by turning a blind eye to the fact that she was in the bar.
The girls all talked beside me, but my eyes landed on a shadowed presence down the other end of the bar. He didn’t blink, just kept his dark, intense stare fixed on Daisy.
I turned to her, lowering my voice. “Why is Duke Raleigh staring at you so much?”
“Because he’s an asshole,” Daisy grunted, swigging her beer and flipping her red hair over her shoulder.
“He’s staring at you because he’s an asshole?” I wrinkled my nose. “That makes zero sense.”
“Why are we talking about Dickhead Duke anyway?” Daisy snapped.
I stared at her, surprised at her tone. “Girl, you need to get laid.”
Daisy snorted. “Shit, look who’s talking.”
My mouth dropped open. “How dare you? I have been doing everything I can to get laid.”
“We know, we’ve seen your Instagram,” August replied. “Date night tonight, another date tonight, no rest for the wicked,” she mocked, making fun of my Instagram captions.
“Okay, I get it,” I replied defensively.
I had been working overtime to show social media, cough, Leo, cough, that I wasn’t sat at home waiting for him to return.
That I certainly wasn’t missing him so much I could barely breathe most days.
It didn’t matter what I posted though or which man I said I was out with, he didn’t respond to any of them.
Was I pissed he wasn’t taking the bait? Obviously. What gives? He didn’t even ask how any of them went. I was trying to ignore the nagging feeling that I was losing my best friend. I tried to engage him in conversation but after a few replies, he would dip out or leave me on read.
“Anyway, I think Duke is lovely,” August added.
Tilly snorted next to me. “You would.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a romantic, you think everyone is lovely.”
“I don’t think you’re lovely right now,” August retorted. Tilly smirked at her then immediately turned her stare back to Max.
“Duke’s not lovely. He’s a dickhead, trust me,” Daisy muttered.
An expression I couldn’t name crossed her face as she turned to stare at him.
Duke owned the other largest ranch in Reverence, Raleigh Spa and Guest Ranch.
I hadn’t seen it myself, but I’d heard it was very extravagantly built and expensive to visit.
“Is he where you’ve been disappearing off to?” I teased, nudging her.
Daisy’s cheeks flushed as red as her hair. “Absolutely not,” she spluttered.
“How did you get him to give up the cash to help the ranch?” August asked, stirring her drink with her straw.
Back when the ranch was in financial trouble, Kat had approached Duke to ask him for help but he’d refused.
A few months later, a windfall of money came through, enough to clear the debt and Daisy eventually admitted she had gone to Duke for help.
But no one knew how she’d secured the money.
Daisy lowered her stare to her drink and shrugged. “I just asked.”
“Sure you did,” Tilly guffawed.
“I bet you just asked him alright, with arms and legs wide open,” I teased.
August snorted into her cocktail.
Daisy shot me a feral look. “I will tip my drink over your head.”
I laughed. Clearly I had hit a nerve, but I didn’t get a chance to prod further as the rodeo came back on.
“Shush, it’s on!” I waved at them to simmer down, my eyes fixed on the tiny screen. I moved closer to try and get a better view, eager to soak up every minute of him on TV.
Leo climbed onto the bull’s back, helmet and vest in place. He adjusted his seat on the animal and I could see Frank there, speaking intently to him. Then Frank slapped Leo on the shoulder and stepped back. Leo raised his arm, nodded sharply and then the chute opened, the bull flying out.
My heart leapt into my throat at the way the bull contorted, trying to fling Leo off his back. Leo’s strong body held firm, bending in tandem with the bull in ways that looked so damn painful. My eyes flicked to the timer, four seconds down.
The noise in the bar grew louder as the seconds ticked by.
Six seconds.
“Come on, Leo!” I shouted, fists banging on the bar top.
Just after the buzzer went for eight seconds, disaster struck.
Leo angled to the side and the bull leapt high into the air, dislodging him.
Leo fell and slipped half under the bull, the bull’s back hooves coming down on his ribs.
The crowd in the bar gasped and my fingers gripped my drink so hard my knuckles blanched.
The bull fighters managed to distract the beast and chase it out of the arena while Leo struggled to his feet. He turned and faced the crowd, giving them a small wave and tight smile while his hand curved around his stomach. The relief was minimal as I watched him trudge over to the sidelines.
A woman with dark hair ran over to him, pulling off his helmet and vest. She prodded his ribs and he flinched, shooting her a dark stare but she just smiled at him.
That smile turned my stomach.
That was a familiar smile. A personal smile.
A sharp ringing echoed in my ears as I watched their interaction. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear and he smiled. Smiled so wide his dimple popped.
Maddy’s Dimple.
“Oh my god,” I croaked, watching as she helped him to his feet, touching him with a familiarity that I didn’t want anyone having with my best friend. My Leo.
Nausea churned my gut.
Is this why he hadn’t been speaking to me? Because he’d been with her?
“Who do you think she is?” Daisy murmured next to me.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the TV, even as another rider took his turn and the show cut to commercial again.
“She’s his Mr. Wickham,” August replied, a moment later.
“Who’s Mr. Wickham?” Tilly asked.
“It’s who you want before you get your Mr. Darcy,” August replied. I didn’t know what she was saying; she might as well have been speaking French for all I knew.
Later that evening, I left the bar alone and headed back to Leo’s apartment.
I got into his bed and cried myself to sleep.
Because one of my biggest fears had happened; my best friend had found someone new, and he didn’t need me anymore.
That was why he’d barely spoken to me. Every time I closed my eyes, I replayed her touching him and him smiling up at her.
Fuck she was stunning too. Long dark hair, full, curvaceous figure. Beautiful. Just his type.
Why was I so jealous?
Why did the thought of him touching her make me feel sick?
Why did I suddenly feel like my best friend had just broken my heart?
*
“You okay today, Cartwright?” Beamer interrupted, pulling me from my thoughts.
I dropped the dumbbells and turned to face him. “Yeah, why?”
“Because you don’t seem like it? You went through that call this morning like it was nothing. Like you were just going through the motions.”
“Is there something wrong with that?” I grunted as I picked up a kettlebell. The gym at the fire station was pretty well-equipped so I always worked out on shift. The ranch kept me fit but the weights and equipment here kept me strong.
It was just me and our newest recruit, Maggie working out. We were midway through our twenty-four-hour shift and had a call out already for a small warehouse fire which was a cinch to deal with.
“Not for most people. But I know you and I’m worried because you’re not yourself right now.”
I put the kettlebell down and faced Beamer, my temper flaring like it had done far too easily lately. Ever since I’d seen Leo on TV with that woman. Who touched him like he was hers, when really, he was mine.
And I didn’t know what to do with that.
Hence the rage, the temper, the constant work-outs to distract myself.
“Look, I’m fine. That warehouse incident was a breeze, we’ve dealt with much worse. I don’t know what the big deal is,” I replied.
He put a hand on my shoulder. Beamer, as well as being my Captain, was like a surrogate father to me, especially considering how close both he and Len had been to my dad, and how much he’d helped me recover all those years ago when I got injured.