I finally relent, and we snuggle back into the couch.
“Where do you go first?” she quietly asks while she watches the fire.
“Mount Pleasant, Texas. Then Hugo and Durant, Oklahoma this weekend. After that, we’ll head down to Weatherford, Texas, for their Extreme Bulls and Rodeo.”
I can tell she’s getting sleepy. Her breathing has slowed, and she’s fully relaxed into me. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, I doubt she slept much last night.
She yawns and says, “My dad gave me his Rodeo Network login so I can watch. He said not all rodeos are on there, but a lot are.”
“Yeah, I tend to stick to the bigger, higher paying rodeos and they’re aired regularly. I’d love it if you watched. I really want to keep getting to know you. I know it won’t be easy, but you can always call me.”
She nods as she dozes off, resting on my chest.
We both sleep on the couch for a couple of hours before getting up and making dinner. She lets me help, and we move around the kitchen like we’ve been doing this for years. That’s how it’s been with us since day one. She might not have always been open with me, but we fit together seamlessly.
Once my clothes are dry, we both shower.
“Did you leave anything at Jack’s or is it all in your truck?” she asks.
“It’s in my truck,” I answer.
She doesn’t reply, just grabs my hand and tugs me to bed with her.
I pull her to my chest and breathe in the scent of her shampoo.
“Do you think Buck is going to miss me?” I ask.
She chuckles. “I’m sure he will. He might need to buck Chet off just to make himself feel better. Might make me feel better, too.”
“What’s your deal with Chet? I can tell you two don’t get along. It seems he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, but overall, he doesn’t seem so bad to me.”
She yawns and nuzzles softly into me. “That’s a story for a different day.”
I’m still awake long after she’s fallen asleep, memorizing the planes of her face, and how her soft strands of hair feel between my fingers. I want to soak up every moment, because in the morning, I’ll leave, and I don’t know if she’ll want me to come back by the end of the summer.
Chapter 24
Knox
Texas
The first few days on the road have been a complete shit show. It rained in Mount Pleasant and Durant. Thankfully, we had Hugo between the two, which is a covered arena so we could get our gear dried before the rodeo. We also had a flat tire headed to Durant we changed in the rain.
That was fun.
I haven’t talked to Kacey much because of all the chaos, just a few texts here and there. Not to mention I don’t want Trey knowing about her yet. He’ll get too excited and ask a million questions I’m not in the mood to deal with right now.
On the plus side, even with all the bad luck, rain, and mud, we’ve both pulled a couple of checks this week. Now we’reheaded to Weatherford, Texas for the Extreme Bulls and Rodeo. It’s one of my favorites. Great bulls, some of the best bull riders in the world, a nice arena, and a huge crowd that loves bull riding.
Now that I think of it, the draw should be posted by now.“Hey, can you see what bulls we drew?” I ask Trey. I’m driving and don’t want to be on my phone.
“Yeah, as soon as I snap this girl back.” He raises his phone to take a selfie, flipping his ball cap around backwards, repositioning his sunglasses.
“Of course, don’t rush. She’s higher on the priority list,” I drawl sarcastically.
“She’s going to be there tonight. I’m giving her my companion pass. She might have a friend. Want me to ask for you?” He grins. All Professional Rodeo members have a companion pass for one friend or family member to get into every rodeo and watch. Trey tends to use his to pick up chicks.
“I’m good, there’s a gym close to the arena I’ll probably go workout afterwards. Can you please check the draw?”
