Cole let out a woot as his four-wheeler hit a jump and caught some serious air. He didn’t normally ride this fast along the narrow dirt road between Tri-21 Ranch and the country store, but it was his twenty-eighth birthday and he would celebrate it in the good, old-fashioned style—with a boatload of adrenaline.

During off-season, when there wasn’t a quarterback to sack on the field, he had to get his adrenaline rush in other ways. Racing down a desolate road seemed a relatively safe alternative. At least he would only injure himself if he bailed, but he never drove that crazy, or in areas where no one would find him.

His ATV rides also provided him with solitude. He enjoyed his quiet time on the ranch to think and reboot his brain after the previous year’s stressful football season. His head was in the game 24/7 when football season revved up in the fall.

Spring training would slowly roll out over the next few weeks, but spring training was nothing compared to fall workouts where the team would be sequestered in dorms and put through intense drills, plays, and mental preparation. Cole gave everything to the Texas Titans, but he couldn’t complain. His income matched his dedication, but he needed that money to accomplish his charitable goals.

His philanthropic endeavors kept him focused on what was real. That and his mother. He could hear her voice. Don’t let all that money, or those sexy dressed women clawing each other’s eyes out to catch you, go to your head. No one he brought home ever seemed good enough for his mom, but, contrary to popular belief, he didn’t date all that much.

The general population thought him to be a determined bachelor. It gave him a mystique that his agent and PR firm capitalized on. It didn’t really bother him either way what people thought, and until he found a hot, spirited girl to hang with, he would appease everyone and acknowledge his preference to remain single.

In reality, he couldn’t wait to find a girl to settle down with, but there wasn’t much settling down as a pro-football player. He considered himself lucky. His married teammates were away from their families for weeks at a time, traveling from state to state. Even when the team was in town, they were almost always training in some fashion. Being a football pro didn’t leave much time for family life when football season rolled around.

Cole shook his head with a sigh. He felt bad for his married teammates; the temptation to cheat was unyielding and ruthless for NFL players. His mother hadn’t been far off in her assessment that lots of girls would claw at each other for a chance at an NFL football player. Unfortunately, many of his teammates couldn’t withstand the temptation. That wouldn’t be him. When he dedicated himself to something, like his dream of being in the NFL, nothing stopped him—and he was determined to love harder than he played on that field. Someday he would find the woman he couldn’t live without, and when he did, he’d do everything in his power to keep her.

His cell phone interrupted his internal thoughts. He pulled off the side of the road into a wildflower patch to answer the incessant ringing.

Cole grunted when he saw the number. “Hey, Dad.”

“Have you cut your hair yet, son?”

That didn’t seem like much of a question—or a birthday salutation. “No. I thought it might help me look more intimidating on the field.” That was a lie, but every time his father pushed him, he pushed back. He couldn’t blame his father for hating his unkempt appearance. He did look like Sasquatch with his long hair and the scruffy beard he’d been growing out since off-season began. His wild locks and wooly beard had been a disguise to keep the press and gawkers at bay, and it proved effective. This past off-season he had only been hassled a few times.

“Son, I need to know if we can plan on you for Mother’s Day.” His father’s deep voice paused. “We’re having a surprise party for your mother at Pineapple’s and you need to be there.”

“Sorry to disappoint again, but I’m being auctioned off next weekend to the highest bidder. The arrangements have already been made by my PR firm and the press to have the date at the ranch the following day, on the eve of Mother’s Day.”

“What?” his father almost shouted. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“I know. It’s for work and to help Vets. Sorry to do this to Mom, but I’ll send her some nice flowers and give her a FaceTime call when you’re all at brunch.”

He envisioned his father’s red face on the other side of the line. Cole had always been a disappointment to his father—this was no different. Unfortunately, he’d become accustomed to the degradation and now just avoided home altogether. He would like to be there for his mom for Mother’s Day, but the auction was mandatory and it would raise money for Veteran Affairs. His mother understood, even if his father didn’t. Cole released a succession of sneezes. “Dad, I need to call you back.”

“Typical.” Click.

Cole’s jaw tightened as he allowed his shortcomings and resentment to sink deep into his gut. He shook the menacing phone in his hand, wound back his arm, and hurled it through the air. It whistled before landing amongst the hairy stems of Indian blanket. He blinked his itchy eyes as his nose dripped with irritation.

He slumped back into his seat and rubbed his palm deep into his cheek with a laugh. “That was stupid.” He needed to get away from here to escape his allergies, not trounce through the beautiful, sadistic flowers. He jumped from the four-wheeler and stomped toward where he believed his phone had landed, only to be forced to stop suddenly another sneezing attack when the Indian blanket lambasted him with pollen.

The flower resembled a Fourth of July pinwheel with its burnt red center and yellow tipped petals, giving off an all-American feel. Texas really was a patriotic place. Texas could, however, take a lesson or two from Wyoming, his home state, on how to throw a Fourth of July firework show—but other than that, you couldn’t get much more patriotic than Texas.

Cole tapped his watch. Glorious ping. Modern technology had once again saved him from his unruly temper and the menacing flowers.