What happened to aiming for the stars and all that?
Lacey was the first person to tell him he should chase his dream. Twenty-four years old, and only one person had thought his dream had merit.
Mack stared at her until she started to squirm in her seat. She’d brushed him off at every turn, and yet something inside him had been more persistent in chasing her than he’d been in learning the ins and outs of the rodeo. Maybe that was the reason.
Perhaps his heart had known that she was the key to gaining that courage—the courage to step into something truly scary.
Now he had two things to fight for.
“What?” she said with a quiet laugh. Lacey ducked her head and moved some of the potatoes around her plate with her fork.
“Nothing,” he murmured, a smile filling his face.
She looked up and her smile mirrored his own.
“I should thank you,” he said quietly.
“For what?” She released another nervous laugh. “I didn’t do anything.”
He pointed to his mouth. “Your gift. See? I’m wearing the smile you gave me.” Mack laughed when she rolled her eyes and released the most exaggerated groan he’d ever heard.
“Will you stop with the stupid lines? They’re so cheesy.”
Mack leaned forward. “If they get you to smile, then they’re totally worth it.”
She blinked at him, sobering, though her eyes still retained that sparkle. “You’re something else, you know that?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”
He was goingto do it. There were some last-minute entries allowed at the rodeo today, and Mack was going to try his hand at the community bronc riding contest.
His palms had long ago gone clammy. His heart beat in a rhythm that definitely wasn’t healthy. There were moments that he thought he might not be able to catch his breath.
But the adrenaline made it all worth it.
A message came in on his cell phone as he wandered the fairgrounds, and he looked down.
Angela:We’re at the rodeo today, maybe we could meet up?
He grimaced.Still, Angela was trying to get him to go on a date. He’d managed to dodge her attempts so far, but this message seemed to indicate that she wasn’t alone. Was Lacey with her? If so, they’d probably brought Bridger.
Mack would have responded to the message if he hadn’t been distracted by the sound of his name being called. His head snapped up just as a small boy barreled toward him. He flung his small body into Mack’s legs.
Together, they nearly toppled over from the force, and Mack let out a laugh when he realized the boy was Bridger. He glanced up and searched the crowd. “Where’s your mother, kid?”
At that very moment, Lacey and Angela emerged from a group of teenagers. Lacey’s concern melted into relief when she saw her son clinging to Mack. Angela merely beamed as the two of them approached.
Lacey immediately dropped down beside her son and pulled him close. “You can’t run off like that, Bridger. I told you to stay close.” She peered up at Mack, and their eyes locked during a moment when the earth practically stood still.
Then all at once, time sped up as Angela looped her arm through his. She laughed as she pulled his hat from his head and placed it on her own. “I just messaged you. We didn’t know you’d be here today.”
It was like she walked around in a cloud of perfume. It was strong even out in the open air. Not inherently bad—but if he had to stay within it, his nose might start to burn. Mack held up his phone and offered her a smile. “I was about to message you back.” Then he glanced down at Lacey, but she wasn’t looking at him anymore. She tugged at Bridger’s shirt, smoothing it out and avoiding Mack’s gaze altogether.
Angela leaned into him. “Well, I, for one, am glad that we bumped into you.” She glanced down at Lacey. “Aren’t you glad, Lace?”
“Hmm? What? Sure. Yeah, really glad.” She got to her feet, her fingers grasping for hair to pull behind her ear when there was none.
“You here with anyone else? Your brothers?” Angela pried. She still clung to his side, and it was making him feel nearly claustrophobic.
