Rhett
The ride back to Heaven is too quiet. The dogs are asleep in the backseat, and Mo is a few hundred feet in front of me—though it feels like she’s a thousand miles away. This is the part of the job I hate—the part I’ve always dreaded. I’ve seen my friends go through it with their ladies. Some relationships have made it through; others weren’t so lucky.
It killed me to tell Mo I was going back now whether she likes it or not, but I have to. Not going back isn’t an option. And the longer I wait, the harder it will be to get back on a bull again. Despite what Mo and the doctors think, I have listened. Every warning is branded into my head, but I can’t walk away after an injury—I can’t let a bull decide the fate of my career. Getting back in the arena is something I have to do for myself, to prove I can overcome this, that I can still have this career. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I stop now.
Now Lucifer, he’s a different story. Accepting that bonus ride was purely selfish. They doubled the offer—making it something they knew I wouldn’t turn down—but this time it’s about more than the money. It’s a chance at a rematch, a chance to prove I can conquer that bull. And I will conquer him. This time I won’t walk away injured. I’ll walk away with a hundred thousand dollars in my pocket.
That’s enough to buy Mo the ring she deserves and have plenty left over for a honeymoon—that is, if she chooses to stay with me. And I really need to her to choose me. I need her to choose us.
But before she can do that, I think she has to choose herself. Her life hasn’t been easy, and for the first time in a long time, she has the opportunity to make choices about a future she thought she’d lost. She just has to be brave enough to do it. And I will support her and make sure she follows her heart wherever it leads, even if that’s away from me.
That thought twists my stomach.
My eyes flick from the road to Mo’s truck up ahead.
What will I do if she chooses to go back to school? What if she moves away and we’re right back where we were six years ago, trying to make a long-distance relationship work? Can I handle that?
The answer is quite simply no. I just got Mo back, and I’m not ready to let her go again. I don’t want to live a life between two homes—always passing each other in the wind, hoping for a night together before we have several more apart. With my job, that’s exactly how it could end up.
But my thoughts about my future have been changing.
The logistics of how we could make this work roll around my head for the rest of the drive. Mo passes the exit for her house, instead taking a left toward Animal Haven, but I keep going straight. A couple of minutes, later I’m pulling down my parents’ lane. I put the truck in park and shoot Mo a quick text because I’m sure she’s wondering where I went.
I have to run a few errands. I’ll meet you at Animal Haven in a little while.
Dad is sitting on the front porch when I pull up. I roll the windows down for the dogs, rather than letting them out. We won’t be here long. I just need to get some advice from the person I trust more than anyone.
“Thought I might be seeing you soon. What did the doctors say?”
I shrug and bound up his front steps. “Same ol’ shit, different day.”
His eyes watch me. “Lucifer did some damage, huh?”
“Little bit.”
“When are you heading back?”
Propping my hip against the porch rail, I look at my dad. “You don’t want to try to talk me out of going?”
“Nope.” He tilts his head. “You do want to go back, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” I pause. “I mean, I think so. Hell, I don’t know.”
A slow smile spreads across his face. “What did you really come out here for, son?”
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth and decide to go for it. “How did you know you were ready to retire?”
“I didn’t retire,” he says, waving toward the ranch. “I might not mount the bull, but I trained you and your cousin. I still live the life.”
He’s going to make me spell it out. “How did you know you were ready to give up that part of the life?”
“I was never scared of getting hurt. I was a lot like you; I always heard the doctors’ advice and kept doing my thing because it’s what I loved. And then one day I realized I loved your mom more than I’d ever loved the bull.”
“I love Mo more than I love the bull.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
I look out toward the ranch for a moment. “She scares me more than any bull ever has. Lucifer can break every bone in my body, but those bones will heal. I might not ride again, but I’ll heal. Mo broke my heart, and I’ve never quite been the same. She says she’s all in, swears she won’t leave me again, but how can I be sure? What if I walk away from bull riding to be with her and she changes her mind?”
“Has she asked you to walk away?”
“No, but she was with me at the doctor’s appointment. She heard everything they had to say, and she questioned my return to the PBR. If I’m going to change my life for her, I need to know she’ll support me through all my decisions, even if that means I return to bull riding.”
Dad pushes himself out of the rocking chair. He steps in front of me and lays a hand on my arm. “Then you need to make her show her hand first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Give her the chance to prove herself, and once you have your answer, you’ll be prepared to lay it all on the line or move on with your life.”
Make her show her hand first. I nod. “I think I know how to do that.”
Hope unfurls in my gut, along with a sliver of fear. This could go well or very, very badly. But it has to be done.
“Thanks, Dad.” I wrap him in my arms, clapping his back.
“What are you going to do?” he asks as I jump off the porch.
I open the door to my truck and turn around. “My first ride will be in Charleston next weekend. I’m leaving on Wednesday. You coming?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“You’ll find out then.”
He nods as I hop in.
I tear down the lane and turn toward Coop’s, where I’ll put my plan in motion. At Coop’s place, I print off the documents I need, pack the rest of my shit in my truck, and make the short drive to Animal Haven.
Duke and Diesel don’t even lift their heads when I put the truck in park, and this time I don’t bother shutting off the ignition. I grab the extra badge from the glove compartment, along with the papers I printed at Coop’s. I’ve only used the badge a handful of times—always for one of my siblings—but now I’m going to use it the way it’s intended.
Mo walks out of Animal Haven. She looks exhausted and a little bit sad and definitely like she’s ready to talk, but that’s not happening today.
In three strides I close the distance between us. She startles when I slam my mouth against hers. It’s a frenzied and sloppy kiss—our teeth knock together—and I sure as hell hope it isn’t our last.
When I pull away, she touches her bottom lip and smiles.
“Can we talk now?” she asks.
“Soon, baby, but not today. There’s something I need you to do for me first.” She frowns, but I continue. “Not too long ago you needed my forgiveness. I gave that to you because I believe in us and what we have the potential to become. Now I need you to do the same for me.”
I hold the badge out.
She eyes it curiously as she takes it from my hand. “What’s this?”
“My first ride is Friday night at seven at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia. Take this badge to the guest relations counter, and they’ll show you where to go.”
She frowns and shakes her head. “I can’t afford a plane ticket, Rhett.”
“No excuses, Mo.” I hold out the papers. “I paid for a plane ticket. Everything you need is here.”
Taking the papers from my hands, she looks down at them. “What if I can’t find anyone to cover for me or take care of my dad?”
“Figure it out,” I say.
Her eyes widen.
“Go home,” I continue, my voice softer. “Talk to your dad, think about what you want to do with your life and whether you see me in your future. If you see an us, then get your ass on that plane and be in your seat when I mount the bull. That’s what I need from you right now.”
“And if I can’t get there?”
God, please don’t let that happen. “Then I’ll trust you had a damn good reason.”
Mo blinks, but she doesn’t move. She doesn’t try to stop me from climbing back into my truck, and she makes no attempt to chase after me.
I pick up my phone and scroll through my contact list. Linc answers on the first ring.
“I’ll be back in town in two hours. You up for a late night?”
“I’ll meet you there.”