Page 36 of Spurred On

She walks up to where I sit huddled in the corner and hops on the desk. “You want to stab your eyeballs out yet?”

That is putting it lightly. “Yes. That was the longest five hours of my life.”

“And just think. You have a whole week of that to look forward to.” Her pointer finger boops me on the nose, and she laughs.

Deadpanning at her, I reply, "This is the worst pep talk I have ever received.”

“Truth hurts, baby. Let's go eat.” I log off the computer, and we head down to the lunchroom.

The cafeteria, if you can really call it that, is just a small order window with some well-worn metal tables and chairs scattered around. The menu list is even smaller, but the woman taking the orders offersme a kind smile, and suddenly I feel bad for judging this place too soon because I get a whiff of the food and my mouth starts to water.

Aspen wastes no time and starts prying the second we take a seat. “So, how are things with Maverick?”

I eye her suspiciously. “What do you know?”

“Literally nothing but my spidey senses are tingling.” She wiggles both her fingers at me, and I can’t help but laugh.

I quickly debate in my head how much I want to divulge. But she’s the only girl I know that knows him. And I think she’s trustworthy enough to give me sound advice and warning if needed.

“Things are, uhm, well…” I chew on my lip, trying to figure out how to word this.

“Spit it out, or I’m going to start making assumptions.” She waves her fork at me before shoveling a bite of salad into her mouth.

My words come out in a rush, anxious to talk to someone about this in person. I updated Erin immediately, but face-to-face girl time is just different. “At the rodeo, some guy called me a buckle bunny and was in my face and rude, and Mav came to the rescue. And well, I haven’t had a whole lot of people in my life looking out for me. I couldn't believe someone would stand up for me like that. He’s something else.” I couldn’t fight the smile that comes to my face if I tried.

She gives me a knowing look. “Maverick is hard not to like.”

“I was one hundred percent convinced based on the way he handled our whole debacle that he was a complete moron—”

Aspen cuts me off. “Oh, he is, but he has one of the best hearts of anyone I’ve ever met. You’ll never find anyone more genuine or loyal than Mav. His schedule is hard to deal with and he can be an annoying pain in the ass, but at his core, he’s good.”

“Yeah, I’m finding that out.” I’ve also wondered why he’s still single, but I guess a life on the road would make it difficult to settle down.

“He’s been through a lot, and he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. His dad left quite the boots to fill, and for some reason, he’s had it drilled into his brain that he isn’t deserving and he has to prove himself.” She shakes her head as she stabs her salad with her fork. “Which is crazy because the man has a work ethic as strong as steel.”

“So you think he’s a good guy?” I ask before popping a piece of cheese into my mouth.

“The best. Your heart would be safe with him. I would tell you if it wasn’t. And if he breaks it I will fuck him up. And he knows I can. A swift kick in the balls renders all men useless.”

“Wouldn’t that be cheating?” I ask before I take a big bite of my chicken sandwich.

“All is fair in love and war,” she says, and I cannot help but laugh.

“I’ll remember that.” And I’ll also remember to stay on Aspen’s good side.

The rest of the day flies by in a flash. Nursing school teaches you a lot, but there’s only so much it can do until you get your hands in it. Aspen held my hand through it all day, and when it was finally time to leave, I left with a smile on my face. This is what I have been working so hard for, and I can’t wait to see what it brings.

Chapter 22

Maverick

This is the longest I have been on the road in a while. A two-week stint and three different rodeos. It’s funny how quickly things change, because I used to love this shit. The different people. The attention. But now there is only one person I want attention from and she’s waiting at home for me.

I gather my stuff for my last ride and head out the hotel door. Sully meets me in the hallway. “You ready?” He looks me up and down as he always does, trying to find a crack in my facade.

“I’m always ready.” Which is usually true, and when I’m not, I’ve learned how to fake it till I make it.

The sounds of boots scuffing against the ground bounce off the walls as we walk. “Alright, for you to remain the top earner, you have to win this one, or Evans will take the lead.” I nod my head as we walk through the hallway. It’s always a tight race to the top. There are new up-and-comers constantly coming on to the scene, hungry to make a name for themselves. That kind of desperation pushes you far. I would know; it’s been my MO for my entire career.

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