Chapter Thirty-Three
“You’re sittin’ too tall, Colt.”
It was late afternoon in the campground.
Colton was on his second hour of practice, with Dennis giving his advice and Jimmy ready on a horse as a pick-up man.
He was drenched in sweat; it was at least a hundred degrees.
He looked exhausted, justifiably so, as his body had been thrown around for hours on the back of that horse.
I leaned my back against the willow tree, enjoying the soft breeze that shuffled through the branches now and then.
I couldn’t watch Colton. The way his body snapped like a whip, growing more violent with every ride. I was on my laptop, catching up on all the work I’d neglected the past few days.
Alan and Dean sat in camp chairs beside me, leaning forward intently.
Joe was wandering around the campground, getting ready to leave early in the morning for Stephenville. I tried to help, believe me, I tried for a good half an hour before she physically dragged me to the tree and sat my butt down.
The morning wasn’t super awkward. After I woke with the sun, I wandered back to the camp, trying to get a start on breakfast as a way of saying thank you for all they had done for me.
I had managed to whip up some pancakes, throw them on the griddle, and spread some bacon on the cast-iron skillet before people started waking up.
Jo spotted me flipping a pancake and slid me away from the grill. I tried to fight back, but she whipped out a spray bottle of water out of nowhere and threatened to spray me if I tried again.
By that point, Colton had woken up, picked me up, and dragged me away.
I was laughing almost as hard as I was last night.
Alan and Dean chatted casually with me while Jo and Dennis finished breakfast, but I could feel the awkwardness.
Jimmy had wandered out right as we sat down at the folding table to eat, feeling the need to pat my shoulder as he walked by.
I wondered at what point they had all called the girls to tell them what happened.
It wasn’t very long after breakfast that Colton got the horses ready for practice.
“Get your weight back in your pockets. You want to be part of that horse’s spine. If you can’t feel his heart beating through your jeans, you aren’t close enough.”
Colton shook his head, his hair whipping drops of sweat off his face.
“Is it always this intense this late in the season?” I asked as I slammed the laptop closed.
Alan and Dean shared a look.
“This is nothin’ yet,” Alan admitted.
“Last year, he was number fifteen. He wasn’t sleepin’, didn’t eat, acted like a grumpy teenage girl all day,” Dean added. “His last ride, he got a bad horse and was off within the first two seconds.”
“I bet that was devastating,” I sighed. “He was so close.” The interview I had with Jimmy came to mind. “Your brother said Colton doesn’t love advice. Does he listen to your dad?”
“Dad’s probably the only one who can give him advice.” Dean itched the back of his head.
“He was second in the world in his prime,” Alan said, throwing his head toward Dennis. “He’s gotten farther in the rodeo than anyone, so Colton does listen to him. He gets kinda touchy about it though.”
They laughed together like they were sharing an inside joke.
“Stop trying to conquer the animal and start matching him jump for jump. You want to go to Vegas? You’d better start enjoyin’ the fight, because right now, you look like you’re just trying to survive it.”
I made a mental note to go back and research Dennis’ rodeo days.
Colton was digging his hand under the riggin’, ready for another round.
He was tenth in the world right now, that alone was more than most cowboys could ever say, but with that look in his eyes, I knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he was number one.
Especially with the bad ride he had last night.
It was a stubborn mentality; it was dangerous, and it scared the life out of me.
Casually, I cleared my throat and decided to test the waters. “Do you know if Colton wants to retire after this season?”
The twins looked at each other and laughed hard.
“Colton? Retire?” Dean snorted. “No. Not gonna happen. They’re gonna have to drag his dead body off a horse, just like Gramps.”
Alan nodded with Dean. “Gramps was seventy-eight the last time he rode a bronc in a county fair.”
My jaw dropped open. “Are you serious?” I don’t think I could stomach watching Colton almost die every day for the next fifty years. I would definitely have a heart attack and die long before he did. “You’re kidding.”
“Colton is so much like Gramps; they were real close,” Alan went on. “Practically broke his heart for a while. Then the season started again, and he was able to take his mind off of everythin’.”
Jo walked up behind her sons and kissed the top of each of their heads. “What y’all chattin’ bout?”
“We were tellin’ Ally that Gramps was ridin’ till he was almost eighty,” Dean informed her.
“And that he and Colton were close,” Alan added.
Jo nodded enthusiastically and took a seat in the dirt beside me. “Russ was Dennis’ dad, so the rodeo blood runs strong in the Nashes. But honest to heaven, he was on a horse every single day of his life. He died a week after his last ride, his poor body just exhausted from so many tough rides.”
I shuddered.
“But he and Colton were as close as they could get,” she sighed.
“He was the one who encouraged him to ride bareback, took him on rides whenever they had free time, all the things. It broke Colton not to make the finals last year, but Russ was right there, adding ideas for this season on what to do differently.”
I looked up at the pasture. Colton slid off the horse and shook his head. Gosh, he was so sweet. I could picture the freckled little cowboy following his grandpa everywhere, wanting to be just like him.
Colton slid under the fence and waved at the audience staring at him.
“Nice ridin’, Tex,” I said with my comfortable accent.
He winked back at me, encouraging a chorus of gagging from Alan and Dean.
“How ya feel?” Jo asked.
Colton shook his arms and let out a long breath. “I’m tired.”
“Too bad!” Dean shouted. “Go shower, we’re going for some real Texas food!”
Jo raised her eyebrow. “We are?”
“Ally’s gotta show us the best place in town to eat!” Alan added, giving his mom a mischievous grin.
“I am?” I laughed.
“I could eat,” Jimmy added, leaning on the fence.
“Oh, I’m starvin’! What we eatin’?” Dennis caught up with the family.
Colton collapsed beside me in the dirt, sprawling his body out. He was breathing hard, sweating so much that the dirt instantly clung to his skin. He moaned contentedly. “I just need to lie here for an hour or so.”
“Not by me,” I said with a teasing poke. “You stink way too bad.”
Colton’s eyes whipped open. “Is that right?”
I nodded.
He grabbed me and pulled me on top of him before I could even realize what was happening. I screamed and tried to fight him, but he locked his hands behind my back and dramatically tried to wipe his sweat on me.
“Colton Nash, you let that poor woman go, right now!” Jo was shouting as she stood up. “You’re hurtin’ her!”
Colton moved his hands to my shoulders and held me up so I could look at him. “Am I hurtin’ you?” He asked genuinely.
I was still laughing so hard I could barely answer, but I shook my head.
Colton looked up at his mom. “She’s fine!”
Jo threw her hands up and walked back toward the trailers.
Jimmy, Alan, Dean, and Dennis followed her, not wanting to see Colton and me flirt any more than they already had to.
Colton leaned to the side and laid me back in the dirt. “Stop horsin’ around, Ally, I need to go shower so we can go eat!”
I put my hand on my chest, trying to catch my breath.
Colton leaned over me, glancing around to make sure his family was really gone, and brought my head up just enough to plant his lips on mine. He kissed me hard, as if he couldn’t get enough. I put my arms around his neck and deepened our kisses.
He lowered my head back down and let out a satisfied noise. “Mmhm, you’re sexy.”
I did my best not to blush and put my hand on his cheek. “You’re sexy.”
He collapsed beside me, tracing my shoulder with his pointer finger. I rested my hand on his ribs, feeling each breath under my palm.
“Want to make out later?”
“Sure,” I laughed at his bluntness.
“Then another date when we get to Stephenville?”
“Yes.”
He leaned forward and planted another kiss on my lips, moaning slightly as he did.
Colton was the one person I shouldn’t fall for, but gosh dang it, I truly couldn’t help myself anymore.
I was falling hard for the bareback bronc rider, and it was terrifying.