Page 80 of A Lot Like Love
“Yeah, why not. There’s nothing a night with Carrie and Big can’t fix, right?”
And there she went making fun of things when inside she felt like her stomach was being shredded by shards of sharp glass. Because Shelly was right. She did love Ryder, only she didn’t want to admit it. Her future didn’t involve white picket fences around some pretty ranch house—if she went back to Ryder he’d tire of her in a few months, maybe a few years, and then what? She’d be back to having a life screwed up by a man she loved and relied on, and then it would be her childhood repeating itself all over again.
* * *
Ryder pushed his thumbs through the loops of his Wranglers and hitched one foot on the rail behind him. He’d just been interviewed by a local news crew and he was posing for his photograph to be taken. Usually he’d bow out of any kind of publicity, but the sponsors expected him to do a few press junkets and he didn’t want to let them down. He was defending his title and it was something he took seriously, the highlight of his year.
“Hey, King! Good luck.”
He waved to a cowboy he didn’t recognize sauntering past, grinning to the photographer and receiving a nod in return. Ryder tipped his hat and wandered off to check the schedule. He had about an hour to kill before his title ride, and he liked to keep himself occupied, not overthink his rides too much. He’d already won the Saddle Bronc Riding title, and his final competition for the event was the bull riding.His favorite.He hadn’t been training as hard as he had every day to not win.
“You ready?” Nate’s deep voice carried across to him and Ryder turned to see both his brothers waiting for him. Nate passed him a soda.
“Didn’t think you’d be hanging around for this one,” Ryder said. Nate disliked a lot of his rodeo work, but he hated the bull rides—Ryder’s last two concussions had been in the ring with a bull.
“Hey, someone has to be here to pick up the pieces,” Nate grumbled.
Ryder ignored what he was saying. They’d both been taking it easy on him the past few weeks, and they’d had fun flying to Vegas together, drinking too much and talking shit. “You seeing the brunette again tonight?”
“You mean the model I met at the bar?” Nate asked with a shrug.
“No, the other hot brunette you took up to your room.” Ryder punched him in the arm good-naturedly. “Of course that one.”
“Hell yeah,” Nate said with a laugh. “Want me to ask her if she has any friends?”
The three of them laughed and Ryder knocked back his soda, pausing to listen to the announcer. He didn’t like hanging around after they announced the rider before him—the organizers would be pissed if he cut it too close.
“Sounds like I’m up soon,” he told them, passing Chase his soda can and stretching out his arms, moving his neck from side to side to limber up. “Wish me luck.”
“You got your helmet today?” Nate asked, voice gruff. His disapproval was obvious even if he was trying to be supportive.
“Yes, Dad, I have my helmet,” Ryder laughed as he spoke, but the smile fell from his mouth faster than it had appeared. He stared into the crowd, certain his eyes were playing tricks on him.
“What is it?” Chase asked.
“Nothing,” Ryder muttered. “I just thought I…”No fucking way.
He caught sight of the long blond hair that had caught his eye, thrown over familiar shoulders, reaching almost halfway down her back. When she turned, her dark brown eyes met his, her expression changing from impassive to surprised. Then a slow smile broke out across her face, one hand raised as she waved to him.
“It’s Chloe.” He could hardly believe what he was saying. Ryder was still staring at her, but he didn’t wave back. After walking out on him a month ago and disappearing, she’d just decided to turn up at a rodeo she knew he was competing in.In Vegas?
“You’re kidding,” Chase said, shielding his eyes from the sun to look. “You sure you’re not seeing things?”
Nate folded his arms and nudged both of them. “Stop staring at her.”
Ryder had already turned away. “What the…” He balled his fists and stared at his brothers. “She’s got a damn nerve,” he muttered.
Chase’s hand closed around his forearm, his brother staring him straight in the eye. “Don’t be an idiot. She’s here, and if she’s here to see you don’t let your goddamn pride stand in the way.”
Nate grunted. “He’s right. Go talk to her.”
Ryder wanted to ignore her and head straight off to prepare for his ride, but she was heading his way and that meant he had less than a minute to decide what to do.
“Ryder,” Chase cautioned. “Don’t be a douchebag. It’s Chloe, for Pete’s sake.”
He didn’t need to be reminded why he had to act like an adult right now instead of being immature and holding a grudge. “Yeah, I know,” he said, watching as she headed in his direction, head down as she navigated her way through the crowd. “You want to give us some space?”
They both nodded and turned, Nate giving him a slap on the back before walking away. “Good luck in the ring. See you from the sidelines.”
