Page 33 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
The barn door creaked open again, and their dad walked in. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” Hunter said.
“Hey, Dad, did you just get back from riding around with Bear?” Wyatt asked.
His dad nodded. “Yeah. We were just putting up the ATVs when I saw you two slip in here. I told Amos and Bear to go on and I’d be along in a minute.”
“Did you get anything figured out?”
“I think so. Bear wants to run cattle and buffalo. We’ve got some work cut out for us first. Can’t just turn cattle out. We’re going to start inspecting the fence next week. It’ll give us something to do while your sister picks out dresses and all that stuff.”
Wyatt stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “Sounds like a good start.”
His dad crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you two doing out here?”
Wyatt shrugged and glanced at Hunter. “Just talking about a bunch of different things.”
“Uh-huh.” His dad narrowed his eyes and looked between his boys. “Like what?”
Hunter shifted uneasily. “Uh, I think I’ll head back inside so you two can talk. My feet are frozen. See ya in a bit.” He smirked, and as he headed for the door, a strong wind rattled the roof of the barn. “I think that storm might be here,” he said, lifting his gaze to the ceiling. “Better not stay out in the barn too long.” He shut the door behind him.
Figured that Hunter would bail on him.
His dad raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
Life? But that was a bit of a broad subject. Wyatt definitely wasn’t up for another conversation about Gabby, but he was curious to know what his dad thought about Wyatt’s future. “Wondering if Bear still wants someone to go in with him on the ranch. Gabby and I checked out the orchard today.”
His dad’s eyebrows raised. “I see. What about the rodeo?”
”I don’t know.” Wyatt pushed off the wall, walked to one of the stalls, and looked over the door. “Can’t stay with the rodeo forever. You’re the one who taught me I need to think long term. This old barn needs work, but I bet it could be turned into a real nice stable.”
His dad remained quiet a little too long, so Wyatt faced him.
“What?” Wyatt asked.
“This isn’t like you.” He straightened and rubbed his chin. “You’ve loved the rodeo since the second you sat on the back of a sheep, mutton busting. You said you’d die a clown before you quit.”
Wyatt scraped at a board with the tip of his boot. “I’m getting old. Aging out. It was a good dream.”
“Yeah, it was.” He lifted his gaze to Wyatt’s, holding it a breath before adding, “That accident spooked you. Getting hurt, that wasn’t easy. Not on the family, and certainly not on you.”
Turning away from his dad, he scoffed. “What are you talking about? I’m not spooked. I ride just fine.”
The sound of his dad chuckling made Wyatt face him again. An amused look greeted him. “You can shovel that somewhere else. What’s keeping you from moving forward? Be honest.”
Shrugging, Wyatt’s gaze dropped to the barn floor. “I don’t know. I get on the bull, and all I can think about is waking up in the hospital. I don’t know what to do.”
That ride constantly played in his mind. He’d wrapped his hand in the rope to hold on, the bull was perfect, and he knew he’d get a lot of points. When the gate opened, everything was going great, and not a second later, he was getting rammed against the wall. It had caught him off guard, and he’d tried to get off the bull. His hand got tangled. After that, he couldn’t remember. Only waking up in the hospital, wondering if he’d ever ride again.
“Well, at least you got back on one. That’s a start.”
“Yeah, but, Dad, what good is it if I can’t finish an eight-second ride. I’m jumping off one or two seconds early.”
Closing the distance between them, his dad stopped a few inches away and placed his hands on Wyatt’s shoulders. “You went through something none of us will ever understand, but I want you to know that we are all proud of you. All of us. Your momma, me, the whole family. We’ll support whatever decision you make.”
Wyatt’s chest tightened. Proud of him for what? Becoming a loser? “Nothing to be proud of. I can’t seem to get back what I had.”
His dad gripped his shoulders tighter. “Son, I’m not proud of you because you win a ride on a bull or get belts or make money. I’m proud of you because of the man you’ve become. I’m proud of you for not quitting. Take a step back while you’re here. Whatever it is that’s missing, you’ll find it. It might be right smack-dab in your face, and you don’t even see it yet.”
