Page 84 of Never Left You

He shook his head. Dad could always tell when I was lying. The look on his face, one eyebrow slightly raised, his eyes boring into me, that simple smirk growing as he tried to read my face. I did my best to keep myself composed, even though the buzz in my hand was happening again. Cash really wanted to know my coffee order, didn’t he?

“I asked if you were okay with this?”

“With keeping the numbers up? Yeah, I can do that, that’s easy.”

“No, the percentage we want you to take.”

“Oh.” I paused. “I mean…sure?” I shrugged a shoulder, thesurecoming out in the form of a question rather than a statement, which I was sure gave him the indication that I was indeed not okay with it.

I still had no idea what I wanted when it came to the ranch. I loved it, that was evident, but did I love it enough to make it my entire life?

“Abi?”

“Yes, Dad, I’m fine with it,” I said. Maybe if I said it enough, I’d believe it. “Rhett and Lachlan seem on board…”

“You don’t seem to be on board. You were quiet today.”

I sighed, letting my shoulders drop as I tried to find the exact words to say.

“I’m just a little overwhelmed. I’ll be fine once the numbers are consistently going up. Speaking of”—I stood—“I need to make sure we have enough and place that feed order before dinner. Are we done?”

I could tell he didn’t believe a word I just said. “Yeah…We’re done.”

“See you at dinner, Pops.”

Twenty-Six

Cash

Itwasn’tlongbeforethe entire Hartwell family made their way to the indoor arena for an impromptu rodeo. Quinn simply asked if we could get in a few rides before she headed back to her hotel, and Lottie jumped on that idea. Before I knew it, Stetson grabbed my hand and yanked me towards the arena.

While Kyla and Leo made themselves comfortable behind the gates, everyone started moving. I was almost tempted to suggest we head to the Hartwell Rodeo Arena, but they were in the zone setting up right here at home. Rhett and Lachlan wrangled a few calves, Abi prepared the horses with Quinn, Stetson and I rolledthe barrels out onto the dirt, and Wyatt plopped a cowboy hat on his head and hoisted himself up on a gate, locking his ankles in the railing—ready to announce anything he could, even if it was just his family in the arena.

I couldn’t help but notice his eyes focused on Quinn. He had tried at dinner to talk to her, maybe threw out some pickup lines, but Quinn seemed to have no interest in the playboy rodeo announcer, even rolling her eyes at him a few times. I found it comical that he was trying so hard, knowing that Wyatt was one who could pick up any girl at rodeos, and he was having trouble with Quinn. That didn’t stop him, though. Every time she passed, he would say something to try to get her attention.

“Maybe.” Quinn finally turned to him. “If you would get your ass off the gate and saddle a horse, I’d be more inclined to talk to you.”

Wyatt pinched his eyebrows, and I swear I could see his breath stop. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Abi used the back of her hand to slap my chest, pulling me back to the hustle of getting ready for a ride.

Rhett was up first, using a few different calves to rope, trying to beat his time over and over—each run ending with him bounding to the gate to give Kyla a deep kiss. Kyla’s face was becoming permanently red. Wyatt even got off the gate to rope a calf. Even if his time was seventeen point two seconds, he still tossed up his hands like he owned the sport.

“Stick to announcing!” Rhett called from the gate as Lachlan led the calf into the opposite end of the arena.

Wyatt gave his brother the middle finger before giving Quinn a wink, raising himself back on the gate. “Who’s next? I’d love to see the barrel racers.” He turned to Quinn, waggling his eyebrows.

She shook her head, giving him the most epic eye roll I had ever seen before she turned to Stetson. “Ready little dude?”

Stetson looked up at Quinn and nodded his head vigorously. He ran out on the dirt and moved the barrels to where she pointed, and once he was back to us, he turned and stepped on the gate, his eyes fixed on Quinn as she rode Charming to the back door of the arena.

“Too far. Turn,” I muttered under my breath, and as if she could hear me, she spun Charming. “Get up speed…”

Quinn used her legs, a motion that just weeks ago would have caused her to wince, but today, she was moving with ease, just like second nature.

“That’s it.” I smiled once she took off and rounded the first barrel, her back straight, her ponytail flying behind her.

She rounded the second, Charming’s tail barely clipping the barrel’s side as he passed, and she sped up to the last and third, racing back to the opposite end of the arena before she made Charming halt. The dirt flew up around his hooves, and he reared up, Quinn holding on with her legs.

“And that’s Quinn Compton, the barrel racer who is going to take the world by storm with her eighteen-point two time.” Wyatt shouted across the arena, drawing out her name.

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