Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Six years later…
Junie’s hands ached from gripping the steering wheel for two straight days, but the pain barely registered. Not with the way her stomach kept flipping and fluttering like a whole swarm of nervous butterflies had taken up permanent residence inside her.
Nibbles snoozed peacefully in the passenger seat, curled up tight against the thick scrapbook she’d spent three long years pouring her heart into.
Every rodeo article, every magazine clipping, every blurry phone picture she could hunt down of Tanner doing what he loved best—they were all carefully tucked between the pages.
She’d chosen each one with trembling fingers and a racing heart, arranging them like a love letter she’d never been brave enough to actually hand him.
I’m not waiting anymore. He’s going to see me as a woman now, not just Kenzie’s friend.
Junie repeated the words like a mantra, her hands slick on the steering wheel as she pulled into the massive parking lot outside the Fort Worth arena. She was nineteen, for heaven’s sake. The awkward girl who used to trail after Tanner like a lost puppy was gone.
Yeah, now I’m an awkward woman.
Be that as it may, it was time to tell him how she really felt.
And this time, he was going to listen.
Her heart hammered against her ribs the whole way toward the stands.
The roar of the crowd crashed over her like a wave, vibrating deep in her chest and making her stomach twist even tighter.
She clutched the thick scrapbook against her body like it was a shield, terrified she might drop it and lose three years of her heart right there on the concrete.
She found a seat high up where she could see everything and hugged the scrapbook closer to her chest. She’d wait until after his rides. She didn’t want to distract him. Not when he was this close to winning the whole damn thing. And then he would be done. This was his last rodeo. He’d promised.
Junie’s breath caught as Tanner and Halo exploded into the arena.
The big bay moved as if he were part of Tanner, as if the two of them shared one heartbeat.
She couldn’t look away. Tanner leaned low over the saddle, guiding Halo through the tight cloverleaf turns in a wild, graceful dance that made her chest ache with pride.
The seconds blurred together. Her heart hammered so high in her throat she could barely breathe.
When the announcer’s voice boomed across the arena, calling out his time as the fastest of the night, pure joy burst through her like fireworks. She shot to her feet with the rest of the roaring crowd, screaming until her throat burned raw.
Only bull riding left. Tanner’s favorite event.
Her plans flew out the window. She couldn’t wait any longer. The thick scrapbook weighed heavy tucked under her arm as she pushed through the dense, noisy crowd toward the rider area, Nibbles safely tucked inside her bag. Every step made her stomach flip harder.
This was it.
Her pulse thundered in her ears as she scanned the area near the warm-up pens. There he was. Tanner. Laughing with one of the other riders, looking so tall and confident in his black chaps and crisp white shirt, dust already coating his boots.
“Tanner!” she called, but her voice disappeared into the roar of the crowd.
She kept moving closer, weaving between people, her eyes locked on him. And then she saw it.
A tall, blonde woman with dangerous curves and bright red lipstick grabbed the front of Tanner’s shirt, yanked him down, and kissed him like she owned him. Junie’s stomach plummeted straight through the dirt floor.
For a second, she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. The thick scrapbook suddenly felt like a lead weight as she pressed it hard against her chest.
That wasn’t just a friendly kiss. That was deep and hungry and way too familiar. The woman laughed softly against Tanner’s mouth, low and throaty. And he smiled. He gave that woman her smile. That same crooked, heart-stopping smile Junie had been in love with for years.
Something hot and ugly rushed up her neck and flooded her cheeks. Her eyes burned fiercely as she fought the sting of tears.
You knew he wouldn’t stay, her mother’s cruel voice whispered in her head. Why would he want to be yours when he can have her? He’s not yours and never has been.
Doubt and shame wrapped her in a vise-like grip. No way would he kiss a woman like that if she was just a buckle bunny.
She tried to tell herself it didn’t mean anything. But it did. It meant he was kissing other women. Women who looked nothing like her.
Everything in her screamed for her to turn around right then. He hadn’t seen her. She could spin on her heel, run back to her car, and drive the entire two days home with her heart in pieces.
But she’d come such a long way. So instead, she forced her feet to keep moving forward.
She had to tell him she was here. She had to at least try.
By the time she shoved through the last of the crowd and got closer, Tanner was already climbing into the chute.
The bull beneath him was massive and mean, tossing its head as if it were itching for blood.
“Tanner!” she yelled, louder this time, her voice cracking with desperation.
He didn’t hear her.
The gate flew open.
Junie watched in horror as the bull exploded out of the chute, spinning and kicking with terrifying power. How could Tanner possibly think riding a beast like that was fun? Somehow, he made the full eight seconds. The moment the buzzer sounded, he tried to dismount. Then everything went wrong.
The bull whipped around faster than anyone expected. Tanner slammed into the dirt. Before the bullfighters could reach him, the massive animal charged and brought a heavy hoof down hard on Tanner’s leg.
The sickening crack cut straight through the roar of the crowd. Junie’s stomach lurched. Her heart seized.
“Tanner!” she screamed, shoving forward through the crowd.
People were everywhere—security guards, medics, other riders shouting instructions. Junie fought through the chaos, desperation clawing at her chest, but by the time she finally broke through the crowd, they were already loading Tanner onto a stretcher.
Her heart shattered.
The same blonde woman who had kissed him earlier was right there beside him, crying as she held his hand. They helped her climb into the ambulance with him like she belonged there. Before Junie could react, the doors slammed shut. Sirens screamed into the night.
And just like that, Tanner was gone.
Junie stood frozen in the dust, her whole body shaking. The thick scrapbook felt impossibly heavy in her arms.
She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
She’d come all this way… and he never even knew she was there.
There was no way she could turn around and drive home without seeing him. Without at least offering to stay and take care of him. God, she wanted to stay. She wanted to be the one sitting beside him, the one he needed.
She drove to the hospital on autopilot, barely aware of the road, with Nibbles curled quietly in her lap. When she reached the surgical waiting room, the lie came out smoothly, even though her voice shook.
“I’m his little sister,” she told the nurse.
They let her through without asking for identification. Thank god.
Only one person was sitting in the waiting area.
The blonde.
Ugh. Up close, the woman was even prettier. Her flawless makeup was perfect, not running despite the tears still glistening on her cheeks. Junie ran her fingers under her eyes and prayed she didn’t look like a raccoon.
Junie rushed over, her heart lodged high in her throat. “Is Tanner okay? Do you know anything?”
The blonde looked her up and down, instantly wary. “I’m sorry… who are you?”
“I’m Ju—” The words died in her mouth. “A family friend,” Junie lied, the words tasting bitter. “From Wilder. His hometown. I told his family I’d check in and give them an update.”
The woman’s expression softened just a little. “I’m Lacey Jo.” Her voice cracked on the words. “They just took him back. It’s bad. His leg…” She swallowed hard, fresh tears spilling over. “They said he’ll need a lot of surgery. And even if that goes well, it’ll be months and months of rehab.”
Junie’s knees buckled. She sank into the chair beside Lacey Jo before they could give out completely, her stomach churning with dread.
For the next few hours, Lacey Jo kept talking.
She never came right out and said they were official, but the way she spoke about Tanner—the easy familiarity, the quiet possessiveness in her voice—made it painfully, sickeningly clear that she wanted to be.
She’d been following him around the circuit for a while now. They’d been spending time together.
Junie sat there in silence, each word twisting like a knife in her chest.
When the doctor finally came out, Junie held her breath, her whole body tense and waiting.
“He made it through surgery,” the doctor said. “But the breaks are severe. As I mentioned before, he’ll need extensive rehab. As for returning to the rodeo”—the doctor shook his head—“I wouldn’t count on it.”
The words landed like a punch to Junie’s chest.
Lacey Jo started crying again, soft, broken sobs that made Junie’s jaw clench. “C-can I see him?”
Of course she asked first.
Junie sat there, throat tight, fighting the unfairness burning through her.
Lacey Jo had only known him for a few months.
Junie had known him for years. She had been there when his parents died.
She had loved him through every rodeo, every win, every loss.
If Tanner couldn’t ride anymore, Junie was willing to bet everything she owned that Lacey Jo wouldn’t stick around for the hard part.
But Junie would.
That’s what real friends were for.
That’s what she was for.
“Do you want me to tell him anything?” Lacey Jo asked.
Junie shook her head, the words she really wanted to say—I love you.
I don’t care if you never ride again. Let me be the one who stays—lodging painfully in her throat.
She couldn’t force them out. So she just stood there, silent and hollow, as Lacey walked through the doors into the Surgical Care Unit like she belonged there.
Junie couldn’t breathe. The air felt too thick, pressing in on her chest.
She mumbled a shaky thank-you to the doctor, muttered something about needing coffee, and walked out of the waiting room on legs that didn’t feel like her own.
She never went back in.
She never left the scrapbook.
She never told Tanner she had been there at all.
By the time she reached her car in the hospital parking lot, the tears wouldn’t stop. She pulled Nibbles tight against her chest, burying her face in his worn, familiar fur.
“He doesn’t feel the same way,” she whispered, voice cracking. Her mother had been right to leave her with her father. “He doesn’t love me, and he never will.”
And for the first time, Junie let herself truly believe it.