Page 102 of Never Left You

Ready. It’s been a long eight weeks.

Me

Find more and sign up. You have a lot of money to rack up.

Quinn

(Saluting emoji) Yes, sir.

Shaking my head, I tossed my phone to the bed. Shutting my laptop and tossing it to the side, I plopped down on my bed, my head hitting the pillow with a thump. The hotel’s comforter was soft against my skin, cool and welcome against the heat from my bare back. Lifting my arms I placed them over my eyes. I had leftthe Hartwell’s ranch shortly after Stetson interviewed me for his project, just in time to give Abi a quick kiss goodbye.

Stetson’s questions were flowing through my head.

What made you want to ride saddle bronc?

What was your childhood like?

What was your favorite part about your job?

If you could change anything about your life what would it be?

The one about my family and childhood was an easy enough answer, and the kid seemed to be excited to learn about my upbringing. Growing up a mixed race with a Black farm hand father and a Caucasian farm owners’ daughter—they were a cliché really—wasn’t easy, but my parents worked together to give me the best life possible. Because of my father, I learned skills around the farm. Because of my mother, I started riding horses. She was a breakaway roper, and my grandfather rode bronc. Their love for the rodeo only amplified it for me. Taking saddle bronc to the next level with rodeos was easy. It was a thrill. Favorite part about the job…the travel and the people I met.

What would I change?

The slight twinge of pain in my leg brought me back to that night, that ride that changed my life completely. It’s the one thing I would change…to an extent.

I don’t remember much of the ride itself; I remember drawing the horse’s name, saddling up, and grabbing the cinch as tight as I could. I nodded, and the chute opened, and the horse flew. Higher than any horse I had ridden before. It was the adrenaline I craved, and even though the horse went up, my weight shifted just the wrong way, and his back hooves slipped. He landed on his shoulder, and his entire body went limp after that, landing directly on my left side. Everything happened in slow motion from that moment on.

I swear I could still hear his spine and neck cracking.

His neck and back had broken, he died on impact, and his entire weight was on my center. I couldn’t move. I was stuck. And pain was radiating everywhere.

I could still hear the crowd release a loud ‘ooohhh’ and the announcer trying to calm them as best as possible until the emergency responders could come and lift the horse, guide him off the dirt, and then place me on the stretcher. By the time I was in the ambulance, I had lost consciousness and woke up hours later in the hospital room. Carolyn was there, and the first thing she said when I opened my eyes was, “Well, I guess this means you’re out for the year…”

NoThank goodness you’re awake,orHow are you feeling. All she was worried about was the rodeos I’d have to cancel. She didn’t grasp my hand to comfort me; she didn’t cry or give me a kiss. She just opened her phone to call my agent to cancel rodeos. No emotion from her.

The surgeries to fix my broken femur and knee kept me in the hospital for a few weeks. I rarely saw Carolyn. I did everything alone. When the physical therapy started, the slow progression I made—the two steps forward and five steps back—only proved Carolyn right. I was weak. Follow-up appointments became a monthly occurrence, and the one Carolyn decided to attend with me, changed my life forever.

So…I guess, if I could change anything but still end up right where I am, it would be to erase the fall. Erase the fall, erase the injury, but have this life.

Taking a deep breath, ignoring the pain, the slight buzz of my phone forced me to pull my arms down. I expected Quinn, but Abi’s name popped up with my notifications, and the simple text brought a smile to my face.

Abi

I hear you talked to Stetson. That was quite the bed time story.

I replied instantly, hoping she was seeing those three little dots with anticipation.

Me

I did, accidentally let it slip you were coming with me.

Abi

Accidentally huh?

Me

---