Page 72 of Hung Up
“Do I have to get a place down there?”
I shake my head. “Our old vet lived on the property. There’s a cabin near the bunk house that’s unoccupied now that would be yours.”
“Can I have a few days to think about it?” I nod. “Thanks, man. I appreciate you thinking of me.”
Dean walks off without so much as a look back, and Kai and I exchange a look that has us both chuckling. With a slap on my back, Kai gets up, trailing behind Dean to most likely pick his bull for the night, which means I’m left alone with my thoughts once again.
Having Faith at the house with me, on my family’s ranch, felt better, more natural, than I could ever put into words. It felt right. The way she moved and acted with my family, it was like she was meant to be there. And the best part of all that is that she seemed to really enjoy her time. Faith has definitely loosened up since we first met, but she’s never let her walls down completely. Here at the arenas, she’s in work mode—focused and trying to get the job done. At the bars, she’s a little on edge, constantly scanning her surroundings. And at the hotel, she’s either writhing beneath me and clearly trying to keep that last boundary between us, or she’s rushing to get going to the next thing.
But on the ranch? There was a calmness about her that had me stopping to take notice. It wasn’t until I caught her on thefront porch, staring off at the mountains in the distance, that I realized just how tense she’s been. She seemed at peace, and that piece of knowledge has wedged itself into my mind and set off another spark of hope within me.
Maybe our story might turn into my mother and father’s—maybe she might realize that peace is something she desperately wants, and she’ll want it with me.
It seems like the universe is playing some kind of trick on me because as I pace before the bullpen, Faith still hasn’t shown up. Thankfully, I’m in a better headspace where I know I won’t get hurt—as long as this wrap around my ribs does its job this time—but her absence is concerning. And not just to me. Kai has called her three separate times now, and even Wyatt sent her a couple of texts.
It’s not like Faith to be late for anything, let alone miss it altogether.
Especially when it comes to her job.
“You’re up, Hayes.”
My ride is a better one than last time. Someone must be looking down on me because I manage to last for the full eight, but not without some immense discomfort. My ribs will definitely take longer to heal with the exertion I’m putting them under, but I’ll just have to deal with those consequences when that time comes. Staring up at the screen, it takes everything in my power not to break into a massive grin and throw my hat up in the air in elation.
I’ve just climbed back up four spots in the standings.
I’m walking down the hallway, heading toward the locker room to grab my phone, hoping I’ll find a text from Faith waitingfor me. But as I turn the corner, I spot Kai, Stetson, Wyatt, and Rylie standing in a small circle, huddled in the hallway.
“You hear from her yet?” I ask, drawing their attention to me.
Kai shakes his head. “Nope. Still nothing.”
“Are you talking about Georgia?” Rylie fidgets with a notepad and what appears to be a tape recorder in her hands.
“No, Faith,” I tell her, and her eyebrows raise, but a knowing smile tugs at her lips. “I can’t find my good luck charm. Any chance you might know where she is?”
Rylie nods. “Her father made an impromptu appearance, so she got roped into spending the afternoon with him. Much to her displeasure.” I’m about to inquire about it when she continues. “So you’re stuck with me, Pretty Boy. Come on, time for an interview.”
“Only if you promise never to call me that again.” Hearing that nickname come out of someone else’s mouth feels incredibly wrong. “That one’s reserved strictly for Faith.”
“I get it,” she states as we peel off from the other three and start to head toward the media room. “Of course the woman you’re sleeping with has dibs on calling you that.”
I stop dead in my tracks, my eyes widening in surprise. She takes a couple more steps before she stops and turns, looking at me with a satisfied smile. “You know?”
“Of course I know,” she tells me like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.Iknewshe told somebody. “Although it took a lot longer than I thought it would for her to share that information with her best friend.”
“Don’t be too upset about it,” I say as we resume the walk to our destination. “She’s the one who said we couldn’t tell anybody about it.”
“Yeah, well, there’s certain things you don’t keep from your best friend.” Pushing the door open, Rylie lets me walk inside first, but she leaves the door open. I plop down on the couch,kicking my feet up on the small rectangular coffee table while she sets the recorder near my feet before pulling a chair over and sitting opposite me. “Alright, this will be a quick and easy one. I don’t have very many questions for you since she’s almost done with her article. This is basically just filler.”
I shrug. “Hit me.”
“How has it been coming back from your injury?”
“Difficult but manageable. Thanks to my sister, I was able to take some extra precautions so it hopefully won’t happen again.”
She hums. “Your ride tonight seemed to be the one you were looking for last weekend. What happened in Sioux Falls?”
“Truthfully?” She nods. “I was overthinking my injury, and that got me too in my head. Unfortunately, that resulted in my being unable to read the bull and predict his movements like I normally do. It happens to everyone about once a season.”
