I go in a circle and look up and around, the whiteboard in the middle of the room. “It does.” I look at the side where the bulls are in their own separate pens. “How many train in the morning?” I ask.
“Today, it’s just the three of us,” Quinn says, going over to the stands and then grabbing his gloves. “Keith and Reed are going to be here in twenty minutes.”
He walks over to the chute area as one guy loads a bull in its place. I walk over and introduce myself to him, and five minutes later, I’m watching Quinn come out of it. He is bounced off after two seconds. I walk over to him and give him a couple of pointers, and when he tries it again, he stays on longer. When Keith and Reed come into the door, they stop and just look at me.
“Get ready, Reed, you’re up next,” I say, and he just nods, going over to the stands and putting down his bag. He comes back with his gloves on and all he does is listen to my instructions. When it’s Keith’s turn, I see Reed and Quinn sitting there taking in the notes I’m giving him. After two hours of training, the boys grab their bags and head out. Reed stays behind for a second and comes up to me. “What’s up?”
“Chelsea said she spoke with you,” he starts. “She says that you’re sorry about leaving.”
“I am,” I say, walking over and grabbing a water bottle and downing it all. “I can’t regret the path I took because it led me to the military, but I am sorry that I didn’t keep in touch.”
“I heard you were badass,” he says, taking his own drink of water. “Will you tell me about it sometime?”
“Anytime you want,” I say. He nods and then runs to the truck, but I call his name. “Reed.”
He turns around. “Did Chelsea tell you to be nicer to me?” I ask, wondering why his attitude changed overnight.
“She might have,” he says. “Mom also told me I had no choice.”
“Well, I’m happy that we can get to know each other,” I say. “See you later.”
“See you.” He turns and jogs to Quinn’s truck, getting into the back. I’m watching them drive away when Casey comes driving down. After he parks and gets out, I see he’s wearing a suit.
“You’re a little overdressed for the rodeo there, big guy,” I joke, and he smirks.
“My wife likes when I dress up for her.” He winks at me.
“That’s fucking gross,” I say, and he just laughs at me.
“How did practice go?” he asks, and I nod.
“Quinn’s good,” I say. “He needs more confidence in himself, though. He needs to stop second-guessing himself.”
“I told him the same thing.” He smiles. “Boys need a coach. I need a coach. I need someone who’s riding on bulls and who’s good with horses. Basically, I need the best of the best.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m the best there is.”
“Maybe thirty years ago,” I joke. “But don’t you have a coach?”
“We did, we do, but he’s not interested in training the kids anymore. He wants to just do the stuff around here.”
“So he doesn’t want the dirty work.” I shake my head. “When do you have to know?”
“What else do you have going on?” he asks, turning to get into his truck. “We are having dinner at our house. See you tonight at six.”
“Um, I was thinking that I would ease into family functions,” I say.
“Good. See you at six.” He doesn’t let me answer before he climbs back in his truck.
I show up for dinner, and it’s just Casey and his family. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, and talk is very neutral.
The next day, I get to the arena earlier and make notes for the boys. The week flies by, but something doesn’t sit well with me. Every night, I get home, shower, cook, and sit looking over the pictures over and over again. I look out the window, seeing the stars in the sky, and I make a rash decision. I should think about this before I go over there, but it’s been five days, and I haven’t seen her or heard her voice.
Walking up the steps, I see that there is a light on inside. I ring the doorbell, but no one comes to the door. I ring it again, and this time, I peek into the windows. I don’t see anyone there, but the light on, and her car is parked in the driveway. I don’t even know her number to call her, so instead, I walk around to her backyard. As soon as I turn around the corner, I see her lying in the hammock looking up at the stars. I wonder what she’s thinking about. I wonder if she thinks of me sometimes. I wonder if she’s ever sat looking up at the stars and told me how her day was going like I used to do to her. She must sense me here because she looks over at me and looks shocked that I’m here.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, getting out of the hammock. I see that she’s wearing yoga pants and a big T-shirt. Her neck is totally exposed, making me want to kiss her right under her ear. I wonder if she still giggles when you get too close to her ear. “I can’t do this with you.”
“I want my stuff back,” I say, and she looks at me, her eyebrows pinching together.
“I gave you your stuff back.” She shakes her head. “Everything that I had of yours was in the
