Page 22 of Roping the Rodeo Queen
I pull over onto the shoulder."Where are you, Jo?"
"At the arena in Pretty Prairie."I can hear the echo of her boots on concrete in the background."I came early to warm up, then saw this mess explode on my phone.Everyone's staring at me, Clay.Like I'm some kind of fraud."
"Stay there.I'm fifteen minutes out."I check my mirrors and pull back onto the highway, pressing the gas pedal harder than necessary."Don't talk to anyone about this until we're together."
"Too late.Maddie's already here, strutting around like she's won the lottery."Jo's voice drops to a whisper."She just walked by and asked how much I charged you for my 'services.'I nearly decked her."
My jaw clenches so hard I can hear my teeth grinding."Don't give her the satisfaction.That's exactly what they want---for one of us to lose our cool and make this situation even worse.We need to stay calm and figure this out together."
"But Clay, what if there's nothing to figure out?What if this is just...over?"
Something in her tone makes me swallow hard.She's not just talking about the campaign anymore.
"Nothing's over," I assure her with more conviction than I feel."I'll be there in ten.Wait for me."
I end the call and jam the accelerator down to the floorboards.My truck eats up the miles between us, but it still isn't fast enough.My mind races through options, each one more desperate than the last.We could deny everything, but without proof, it's our word against doctored evidence.We could try to prove the photos and audio are fake, but that takes time we don't have.Or we could...
The thought hits me like a lightning bolt.It's crazy enough that it might actually work.What if we stop running from this mess and lean into it instead?What if we tell the truth?That yes, our engagement started as a publicity stunt, but somewhere along the way it became real.For me, it's always been real because I'm in love with Jolene Callahan.
Right now, I need to get to Jo.
I pull into the arena parking lot with gravel spraying behind my tires.The place is buzzing with activity despite the early hour---trailers being unloaded, horses being exercised, competitors preparing for what should be Jo's moment to shine.Instead, she's dealing with a nightmare.
I find her exactly where I expected---behind the stock pens, pacing like a caged wildcat.Her hat's pulled low, but I can see the tension in every line of her body, the way her shoulders curl forward like she's bracing for a physical blow.When she spots me, her posture changes.She straightens up as if drawing strength from my presence.
"Clay," she says, blowing out a gusty breath.
I close the distance between us in a few long strides, pulling her into my arms without hesitation.She stiffens for half a second before melting against me, her face mashed into my shirt.I can feel her trembling, and that realization ignites a fierce protective instinct within me.
"We'll fix this, darlin'," I whisper into her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo."I promise you nobody will wreck your rodeo dreams."
She pulls back just enough to gaze up at me, her green eyes rimmed with red."How?The selection committee meets tomorrow.By the time we get lawyers involved or tech experts to prove the photos are doctored, they'll have already chosen someone else."
"Then we don't try to prove they're fake."A plan is crystallizing in my mind even as I speak."We get ahead of this thing instead of chasing behind it."
Jo frowns, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand."What do you mean?"
"We tell our story first.The real story."I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to meet my gaze."We admit that yeah, our engagement started as a business arrangement.But we tell them what happened after---how it became something neither of us expected."
For the first time since I've known her, Jolene Callahan seems uncertain and vulnerable.I take a deep breath, knowing whatever I say next will change everything between us."Jo, I'm in love with you.And I'm pretty sure you feel the same way, though I get why you don't want to admit it.But I would never ditch you the way your ex-husband did.When it comes to love, I'm a lifetime kind of guy."
A single tear slides down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb."I won't lie to you, Clay.You mean a lot to me, but I'm not ready for a serious relationship, not yet."
"I know that, baby.And it's okay.I can wait as long as you need---even forever."I wiggle my eyebrows and grin."It might be fun keep pretending to pretend we have a fake relationship.Just imagine what a field day Rodeo Dish Magazine will have with that."
A laugh bursts out of her, sloppy but real, and it's the most beautiful sound I've heard all day.And suddenly, I know we'll find a way out of this mess.But I'll need to convince Jo that the plan I just came up with can save our skins.
Chapter Thirteen
Rock Bottom
My pickup coughs and sputters like it's on its last breath as I pull into the McKendrick ranch driveway.The scandal has followed me all the way from Texas to Montana, my phone blowing up with notifications I can't bear to read anymore.I kill the engine and sit for a moment, staring at the weathered farmhouse where four generations of McKendricks have lived, loved, and struggled.The place looks tired in the fading light, like it knows what's coming.
Yesterday, I heard the WPRA allowed Jo to compete in the Pretty Prairie event.They realized the rumors about me and Jo are just that---rumors.Despite all the drama, she scored several more wins.I'm so damn proud of her.
I sigh wistfully."Home sweet home."
Thunder's nickering in the trailer reminds me I've got responsibilities that don't give a hoot about my broken heart.After Pretty Prairie, Jo took off for another WPRA event without even saying goodbye and competed in several more women's events over the past three weeks.But I'm not as worried about that or my tattered reputation as I probably should be.Sure, I think about Jo more than I should.But she's the one who bailed on me.
