Chapter 25
WYATT
The intoxicating scent of popcorn, fried food, dust and manure fills the air as I sit in the stands of the rodeo arena surrounded by my family. Kade is riding tonight, and so the Wilde clan is out in full force.
Even Mom came, and she never comes to the rodeo. Not after what happened with Uncle Kurt. He used to ride, but nearly twenty-two years ago, he was thrown from his bronc and died. It’s part of the reason Kade kept his riding a secret for over a year.
I, for one, am glad that he came clean—even if it wasn’t by choice—because it means we can be here to support him.
It took a long time to quiet the gnawing worry that something might happen to him, but at the end of the day, I want to be here for him, to support him in whatever he chooses to do.
Chloe, Avery, and Autumn have made signs to hold up, not that Kade will notice when he’s being thrown around on the back of his horse. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.
The show hasn’t kicked off yet, but there’s an excited energy pulsating in the air as people find their seats and say hello to friends.
Coming to the rodeo is a community affair, with people from Coldwater and a couple of neighboring towns turning up for the show.
Although I’m only interested in seeing if one particular person is here tonight.
With a beer in my hand, I lean back as the others chatter among themselves. My eyes scan the crowd that’s forming, but I don’t see her. I don’t feel her. I’m like an addict, waiting for his next fix.
“Do you think Wade Maddox is going to be riding tonight?” Olivia shouts over the noise of the crowd.
Autumn lifts a shoulder, shuffling in her seat like she’s uncomfortable. “No idea.” She groans. “Urgh, I wish these seats came with padding.”
Chloe, who’s standing, snaps a couple of pictures of the empty arena floor. “Kade said he’s back to riding properly now, so I should imagine he will be.”
I take a sip of my beer, scanning the crowd as I tune out their conversation.
There’s no doubt that Olivia will make some comment about how she’d ride Wade Maddox—a local rodeo star—or that he could ride her any day.
It’s the sort of comment I’d make, and I don’t need to hear that from my cousin, who’s more like a sister than anything.
At the thought of riding, my mind drifts back to Maddie and how she looked when she was on top of me on Wednesday. She’s been in my head since I had her. I’ve never been this… hung up on a woman before.
Maybe I need to get laid. And not by Maddie.
I keep telling myself that, and yet I’m not doing it. So, maybe I head out after this or call up one of the many numbers in my phone and see who’s around. It’s the only way I’ll know for sure that she hasn’t broken me.
As if my thoughts have conjured her up, Maddie appears in my line of vision. She’s got a pair of aviator sunglasses on; her Stetson sits on the back of her head and she’s wearing a fringe crop top that she’s paired with a pair of bell-bottom jeans. She looks like the cowgirl I now know she is.
Seeing her out in the pasture showed me a different side of Maddie. Sure, we’ve all grown up around each other, but it’s not like I used to hang out with her when we were kids. We barely acknowledged each other, let alone cared what the other was doing.
Growing up, Deacon and I would spend our time hanging out and doing things teenage boys do, at least until the accident. Maddie never factored into that and so I didn’t bother getting to know her. In the years since, we’ve kept our distance despite our ranches bordering each other.
My gaze follows her as she moves through the crowd with her brothers trailing behind.
Every so often, a guy’s head will turn as she passes, but with one look from her brothers they redirect their focus.
I never thought I’d be grateful for a Hart, but as I watch her, I feel the spark of jealousy I had in the diner the other night try to ignite. It never quite catches, though.
“What do you think, Wyatt?” Gracie asks, knocking into me and pulling my attention away from Maddie.
“Huh?” I ask, having missed the entire conversation.
Gracie narrows her eyes before she checks out the crowd. “What, or is it a who, has got you so distracted?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” I can tell she doesn’t buy it by the way her brows reach for her hairline when she moves her attention back to me. “What are we talking about?”
Like a mob of meerkats, Gracie, Olivia, Autumn, Avery, and Chloe all search the crowd, ignoring my question as they perk up in their seats.
“Maybe it’s the woman who gave him the hickey,” Autumn gushes, not even trying to hide her glee.
She’s a true romantic and tries to set everybody up, but when it comes to her own love life, it’s off-limits.
One day, I swear, I’ll get her to spill the beans on who was stupid enough to get her pregnant and then want nothing to do with her.
And when I find out, he’ll get very well acquainted with my right hook.
The emcee calls over the loudspeaker announcing the first event: barrel racing. The women cheer, thankfully having forgotten about finding out who was distracting me.
Standing, I throw back the last of my beer and say, “Anybody want another drink?” Grayson opens his mouth to speak, but I push on. “No? Great. I’ll be right back.”
And with that, I bound down the steps, heading in the direction of the concession stands. If I’m going to get through tonight with them latching on to that hickey like a dog with a bone, then I’m going to need as much beer as I can possibly get my hands on. Thank God Grayson is driving me home.
When I reach the end of the steps, my gaze snags on Maddie’s. Our eyes lock for a split second before she looks away. I shake my head as I sulk off to the stand that’s selling the beer. Damn, now I wish I had something a little stronger. Her dismissal stings.
I’m waiting in the queue when I feel her presence, quickly followed by her rushed words. “Don’t turn around.”
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I rock back on my heels. “What is this, a spy movie?” I ask, even as I do as she says.
I can practically hear the eye roll when she replies, “Very funny, but no. I just wanted to ask if you and Deacon could not get into any shit tonight.”
This time, I do turn around, holding my hands up as I say, “Tell him to stay out of my way and we won’t have a problem.”
“Are you always this insufferable?”
She pushes out her bottom lip, and I shove my hands back into my pockets to keep from reaching out to touch it. I see the tiredness in her face, the way her eyes look a little hollow, and the sight of it gives me pause.
“Asshole,” she mutters under her breath, smirking at me.
Grinning at her, I rock back on my heels and reply, “It depends on who you ask.”
Maddie shakes her head, motioning with her finger for me to turn back around. Reluctantly I do.
She sighs heavily and I feel a pang of regret in my gut for adding to her plate. “Please, Wyatt. I’ve had a long week and the last thing I need is to be a referee.”
I press my lips together, searching for something to say to lighten the mood before settling on, “Damn, I like it when you beg, darlin’.”
“Wyatt,” she warns.
The person ahead of me finishes up their transaction and before I move up to the counter, I reply, “Okay, I’ll stay out of his way.”
She murmurs her thanks, but when I turn around again, she’s gone, leaving me with a hollow feeling in my chest.
When I return to my seat with a bottle of beer in one hand, my focus drifts to her, seated a little way down in the stands.
This is getting dangerous. The more time I spend with Maddie, the more I’m starting to think that maybe I want to be the kind of man who brightens her day instead of making it worse.