Page 22 of Never Left You

“No,” Lachlan continued as if I didn’t just shout across the arena. “And it’s damn funny.” He laughed again.

I shook my head and gave him a slight eye roll before turning my attention back to Quinn. I had to focus. I had a job to do. The least of my worries should be why Abi was acting the way she was. I knew why she wasn’t talking to me, even if I tried to joke it off. Five years of silence was too long to pretend like we were still friends. As many times as I thought about reaching out to her in those years, Carolyn would remind me that the phone worked both ways—a saying I grew to hate—and that if our friendship meant anything, Abi would reach out. I was stupid enough to believe her. Then I had my accident. My life stopped the second that horse fell on top of me. Once his entire weight centered on my leg, breaking bones and tearing muscles, I knew it was plastered all over the internet and pro rodeo channels. If you followed the rodeo at all, you knew that Cash Callahan was out for the year—possibly forever. In the back of my head, I knew Abi had to have seen that and despite everything, maybe I thought that would have been enough for her to reach out to me, if she wanted to.

But nothing.

Lachlan visited me in the hospital. So did Rhett, both coming to comfort me and make sure I was ok. Neither one of them mentioned Abi.

At that point, I assumed we were done. The friendship between Abi and me had faded the second Sylas fell off that bull. The second I didn’ttrulycome to the funeral. The link broke.

Even with all of that pent up and buried deep inside that small box in my mind, I had to move forward. Forget it. And a way to do that was to train. Put my attention somewhere else. For now, that comes in the form of a brunette on the white horse whose posture was still too stiff.

“It’s like she’s never been on a horse before,” Lachlan commented.

Glancing his way for a split second, I pushed myself off the gate, the sting of light pain hitting my left leg before I could even acknowledge the force was too strong.

“She had the weight of her horse on her. Of course she's hesitant to get back on.” I opened the gate and stepped out onto the dirt. “Quinn, head over here.”

“How long did it take you to get on the back of a horse?” Lachlan asked. I turned to look at him, furrowing my brow before completely ignoring the question and turning back to Quinn.

He knew the answer to that.

Too long.

“Charming’s out of practice; I’ve been riding Hook too much.” Quinn said as the horse came to a stop in front of me.

“He can feel your body. You’re too stiff. What’s going on?” I placed my hands on my hips, looking up at her as Charming lowered his head to lick something on his leg.

“I’m fine,” she grumbled.

“No, you’re not. Hop off and walk him around the arena. You two need to get back on the same page.”

Quinn looked as if she was going to protest but eventually did as she was told. She led Charming over to the mounting stairs and slowly got off the saddle.

“She’s nervous.” Lachlan stated the obvious as soon as I approached the gate.

“Wouldn’t you be?”

“I’ve fallen off more horses than I can count.”

I glared at my friend, knowing damn well he was more solid on the back of a horse than he was on his feet. That man was more comfortable in the saddle than on the Earth.

“I don’t get it.” I heard a female voice from the inside of the barn. “He seems nice, why don’t we like him?”

I did a quick glance over Lachlan’s shoulder into the stables. Kyla came into view, a straw hat on her head and her arms folded across her chest as she followed Abi.

“He’s an asshole, that’s why,” Abi replied, a quick snap to her tone.

“According to your story, you’re the one who threw a brush at him.”

“He deserved it.”

“Man, you really pissed her off,” Lachlan whispered before patting my shoulder. “Have fun with that.”

I turned back to the arena, glancing at Quinn as she hugged Charming’s nose and walked him around the arena, the slight limp still in her step.

“Walk three times around, then ride. Slow. Let’s not push it,” I hollered.

Quinn gave me a thumbs up before returning her attention to the horse, and I left her alone in the arena to make my way into the barn.

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