Page 117 of Never Left You

“Found it. Tell your mom we’ll call her back.” Rhett said faintly.

“Okay, Mama! I’ll talk to you soon.” Stetson’s hand waved in front of the screen.

“Bye bu—” Before I could finish, the screen went dark. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and looked over at Cash. “I guess he was done talking.”

Cash’s eyebrows furrowed, and his free hand came to our joined ones. His thumb rubbed mine, and the slight pressure sent shivers through my arm. I thought about his hands the night before, that same thumb teasing the most sensitive parts of me. I could distract him from his thoughts, at least for now. It wouldn’t fix everything, but it could bring him back into the moment.

I kissed him, forcing his lips apart with my tongue and slipping it inside, instantly feeling the warmth seep through me. I knew he could feel it too—the way his body relaxed, his jaw moving seamlessly with mine, whatever was causing him to tense was lifted, if just for a moment. The feeling that Carolyn had taken away came rushing back. The hope of a future with him was clearer as we kissed, as his hands cradled my face. Everything just made sense with him, and nothing could change that. It would take more than an ex-wife to pull him away from me.

He broke us apart, ending it with a sweet kiss to the tip of my nose.

“Thank you,” he whispered, barely audible over the cheering of the crowd.

I hummed, wanting to kiss him again. He moved, shifting his hips as he reached into his pocket. His brow pinched as he unlocked his phone.

“Rhett is texting me…”

I kissed his temple as he bent to read the text before turning my attention back to the arena for a split second, but his chuckle pulled me back.

“Scratch that. It’s Stetson.”

“Stetson?”

He titled the phone to me.

Rhett

I stol Uncle Retts fone. Are you moms boyfren yet?

I laughed at the grammar, and then looked at my boyfriend. “Well, you gonna answer him?”

He kissed me lightly before typing back his response.

Cash

Yeah, bud. I am.

“Quinn Compton! Born and raised here in Montana, she’s here to show us what she’s got after taking a fall a couple of months ago. That didn’t slow her down. Rounding the first barrel with ease, and look at that turn on the second and off to the third.” The crowd cheered as every move Quinn made was narrated. “From what I’m hearing, this was the horse she took a tumble on—Hook I believe. But look at that! Seventeen point six seconds for Quinn Compton.” The announcer spoke fast—faster than Wyatt on a good day—and I tried to keep my eyes on Quinn but damn…she was fast.

Looks like all that training with Cash paid off.

I jumped, almost hitting the people in front of us, and Cash…

He sat, his body still tense. He was watching, but he wasn’t celebrating.

“Hey…” I sat down next to him. “Did you see?” I squeezed his knee. “Quinn…she came in first.”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “I saw. I…I…” he stammered, standing up. “I’m going to go meet her by the trailer to congratulate her.” He kissed the crown of my head and started squeezing past everyone. “Meet us by the trailer?”

I nodded and watched him leave. It made me think that the kiss we shared just moments before didn’t mean as much as I thought it did.

My head started to swim. What did Carolyn say to him that jogged him so far from me? Barely hearing the announcer and rodeo clown talk about the bulls, getting everyone ready to hype up the riders, I stood and shimmied past everyone, starting to jog once I made it to the clearing. Without thinking, I went directly to her.

“What did you say to him?” I asked the second I opened the door to the box.

There were several families there, not just Carolyn and her two kids, but she instantly turned, her eyes lightly rolling when she saw me.

“Nothing.” She groaned. “Now if you don’t mind—”

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