by Leslie North
"Yo!" Ian barked, "Earth to Nate. We're over here talking about you, and you're a million miles away. I'd have thought your ears would be burning, at the very least."
“Sorry, brother. Got a lot on my mind. You know I’m here for business, not pleasure.”
“We do,” Jonah chimed in, “but what we’re talking about may wind up having to do with your business. Can’t rightly say just yet.”
“Alright, I’ll bite. What the hell are you talking about?” Nate asked, the first seeds of discomfort blooming in his chest.
“We were only talking about the winner of the competition. You know, the one you’ll be going up against?”
“Why’s that, you think I can’t take him on?” Nate countered with his patented, ever-so-slightly cocky laughter, “I’m hurt, big brother. I thought you had more faith in me than that.”
"Definitely have faith in you, Nate," Ian answered, smiling and holding up both hands in a mea culpa gesture, "don't go thinking we don't. And I'd be willing to bet good money that you could beat any man who came out of that competition."
“Okay then, that’s more like it. So what’s there to talk about?”
“We were just saying how it might not be a man,” Jonah said, raising one cryptic eyebrow and waiting for Nate’s reaction. As much as he didn’t want to give him one, Nate couldn’t help but take the bait.
“All right, enough of the vagary. Just go on and tell me what you’re getting at, okay? This ain’t just a piece of gossip you’re dealing with here. This is my career we’re talking about.”
“Christ, baby brother,” Ian said, rolling his eyes, “don’t get yourself all riled up. We were just talking about Athena. We reckon there’s a good chance she’ll take that thing down handily.”
“Hold on a minute,” Nate said, feeling stupid and sure he looked stupider, “Athena? You’re telling me that Athena Moore was a part of that competition?”
“Well, sure. She’s the best there is in these parts when it comes to rodeos. Now that you’re not around here anymore. I would’ve thought you’d figure on her being a part of the show.”
Jonah was right, of course. He was so right that Nate had half a mind to sock him in the face for it. Nate knew how important Athena was on the local rodeo circuit. Hadn’t he been thinking about it before Ian and Jonah had shown up? It was idiotic of him not to assume she would want to throw her hat in for the opportunity to go up against the prodigal son “rodeo god” if she had half a chance. If she ever wanted a rodeo career outside of their hometown, she’d need a boost to get started—and the competition around this match could be just the ticket for her.
“Oh, Nate, sorry, man,” Jonah said, looking at him with that speculative way that always made Nate feel like his mind was being read, “we weren’t trying to mess with your head. We were just playing.”
“No need to be sorry,” Nate said with false carelessness, “doesn’t make any difference to me who I go up against. I wish her luck. I’m still gonna kick her ass.”
"I don't know, Nate, you might not want to count her out so easily. Everyone around here loves her. She's really got that something, you know? I don't know how to say it, but you know what I mean," Ian said, his brow furrowed a little with the frustration of not being able to pick out exactly the words he was looking for.
Nate just waved his oldest brother off, but if he'd wanted to, he could have told Ian what he was trying to say. Athena had that elusive "it" factor, the thing that made one person a star while another struggled to get anyone to give him the time of day. Ian mentioned it in an offhand manner like it was no big deal. And why not? He'd never lived or died off of the public's opinion of him. Nate, though, knew all about it, and listening to the way Jonah and Ian talked about Athena, he was almost jealous.
They made it sound so effortless, Athena's charm and sway over the people. They made it sound like maintaining a flawless public image was an easy thing to do and not a skill in its own right. Even if this was just in a little obscure Texas town, Nate understood that easy had nothing to do with it, at least not for him. Maybe it was different for Athena. It made him wonder if she might be ready to make a play for genuine stardom and he couldn't help it; it made him a little uneasy. Here he'd been, thinking the only thing he needed to worry about when it came to Athena Moore was the way her ass looked in her jeans. Now, it was looking like there might be more to the story.
“What’s on your mind, Nate?” Ian asked, his voice a touch gentler than it had been before, “You look a little rattled.”
“Rattled? Me? Please,” Nate shrugged him off with the bravado he was so well known for, “I was just thinking that I hope Athena’s got a good mentor to help her wade through all the PR. You know, if she really does wind up being the one I go up against.”
“A good mentor, huh?” Jonah said with a slow, sardonic smile, “So you’re just worried about her well-being, then.”
“I’m serious, man,” Nate insisted, “things are different once you get to a certain level. It’s one thing being a big fish in a little pond. It’s a whole other animal when you’re a little fish in a great big ocean. Not to toot my own horn—”
“No,” Ian interrupted, shaking his head and laughing, “you would never do that.”
"But if she wins that competition and goes up against me, the ocean is where she'll be headed. I just wonder if she's up for the challenge," Nate continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. He was aware that he was starting to sound dangerously close to pompous, but he couldn't help it. He was still trying the idea of going up against Athena on for size. And, besides, he might sound arrogant, but that didn't mean he wasn't right.
“Come on, little brother, don’t you think you’re selling her a little short?” Jonah asked, his face registering genuine interest now, “I mean, you did it, right?”
“That’s true, I did, but—”
“And she’s sure to come out of the gate with good publicity behind her if she wins against you—and while I’m really not trying to be a dick here, between the two of you, Athena was always the better rider. You know I’m right about that,” Jonah continued, watching him with a level, measured gaze.
“Okay,” Nate answered, trying not to let the comment get to him, “I’ll give you that. She’s got skills, I never said she didn’t. But it takes more than that, man. It takes more than skills alone to get to the top of the rodeo game.”
“And you don’t think she’s got the rest?” Ian asked.
"Look, all I'm saying is that not everyone wins all of the time. Somebody's got to lose, and I don't plan on doing that anytime soon. Don't want to see her get hurt, is all."
The three of them were approaching the bandstand now, and Nate felt his stomach do an uncomfortable little somersault. That was the mayor up on the stage, and standing beside him was the man who had run the competition that would decide who he was to go up against next. Nate hadn't been nervous about it when his competitor was only a nameless, faceless someone, but he was nervous as hell now. Ian seemed to sense it, too, because he slung an arm around Nate's shoulders and pulled him in closer.
“Hey, brother, you could always work with her some. Maybe level out the playing field a little? If it really bothers you.”
“This is probably a useless conversation,” Nate started to say, doing his best to convince himself that he was getting bothered for no reason at all. Then the mayor tapped on the microphone awkwardly and looked around at the steadily growing crowd with a goofy, excited grin.
"Welcome, folks!" he cried, his voice so loud that it sent out a burst of painful feedback before he got his volume under control. "Welcome! I'm sure we're all excited about kicking off the Strawberry Fest, so I won’t be keeping you long. I'd just like to start off with an announcement. We've all been waiting with bated breath for the outcome of that little competition we had last week."
“Here it is,” Jonah said as the crowd around sent up a rousing cheer. Nate sucked in his breath and held it.
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"And here it is, folks! The rider to go up against the one and only Nate Grant. Our very own rodeo darling, the one, and only Athena Moore!"
The crowd went wild with cheers and a swell of excited talk. It seemed that everyone and their mother was over the moon about the pairing. Everyone, that was, except Nate. Nate shared not one iota of the excitement of his fellow men. Instead, he was angry. Because now staying away from her wasn't going to be enough. Now, he was going to have to beat her.
4
“No. Way.”
It was a stupid response, one Athena knew she would look back on with irritation. She had always wanted to be one of those people who was capable of coming up with the perfect response to any given situation, but that just wasn't her. She was quick to reply, never tongue-tied, but she was also quick-tempered, which meant she was more likely than not to say something she would regret before her mind caught up with the fire in her. When it came to perfectly-placed, quote-worthy responses to victories, she'd never been able to nail it. Although, apparently, that was something she was going to have to work on now. Now that she was going to be thrown into the limelight with the "big boys."
“Oh my God!” a shrill voice rang out, loud enough to sail above the din of the excited crowd around her. Athena just had time to look up before her mother launched herself across the few feet remaining between them and threw her arms around Athena’s neck.
“Whoa!” she laughed uncomfortably, “Careful, Mom. If you don’t watch it, you’re going to strangle me right here.”
“Well, we certainly can’t have that, now can we?” Nancy Moore exclaimed without bothering to loosen her hold, “You’re way too important for me to mess with. You’re moving into the big leagues now!”
“Mom, come on, I—”
"Nope!" her mother kept right on going, heedless to the stress she was causing her one and only daughter, "Don't even try it! I know what you're going to say, and don't bother. You're going to be a star, baby girl! You're going to be a bona fide star!"
“Okay, Nancy, maybe let go of her now,” Laura, Athena’s best friend, said, “you may not realize it, but you’re smothering her.”
“Laura Mayweather!” Athena’s mother exclaimed, her hands flying to her heart, which had the benefit of freeing Athena up from her mama bear embrace, “Why on earth would you say a thing like that?”
“Um, because she’s too nice to tell you herself?” Laura answered with a smirk. Athena’s mother began fanning herself, a sure sign that she was preparing for a real show of just how offended she was. Over the top of her head, Athena shot Laura an appreciative glance and mouthed the words “thank you.”
“I don’t know about your mother—” Nancy, which was how Athena thought of her half of the time, started to say with a haughty pout. Laura held up a hand to stop her and snorted laughter.
“But you do know about my mother, Mrs. M. You guys play bridge together every week.”
“I’m just saying, there’s not a damn thing wrong with a mother being excited for her only daughter. Look at her, will you? Just look at her! My baby girl is going to be a star!”
Athena opened her mouth, fully prepared to protest. When her eyes met with Laura’s again, though, she saw a strange look there and stopped. Her gaze followed the trajectory of both her mother and Laura’s gaze as their eyes fanned out over the still growing crowd. She didn’t think she had ever seen this many people together all at one time.
That was when it hit her. Athena looked at the people she had spent all of her life around and noticed them looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. If the local papers were right about the feelings of the town at large, she had been one of the leaders of the local rodeo scene for a while now, but that was all she had been, and Athena suspected that most of them figured that was all she was ever going to be. To see her in a position to go up against one of the only locals ever to really attain something akin to stardom changed things.
“Come on, Athena,” Laura said into her ear, “it’s all right for you to smile now. You’ve earned it. You know that, right? This wasn’t luck, girl. You earned your place in this match.”
Athena looked back at her longtime friend and saw tears in her eyes. Seeing that excitement softened her awe a little, which was good. Laura was right. Athena had earned this. She had been working hard for all of her life, working for goals plenty of people had told her she would never be able to reach. She had every right to be excited about finally reaching that next rung in the ladder. Never mind the fact that her mom had spent most of her childhood telling her that a girl like her was reaching too high with the grand dreams she’d had back then. For the moment, she was just as good as the best rider out there. She was just as good as Nate Grant.
Except, what if she wasn't? Beneath her joy, which felt almost raw it was so damned real, was the same nagging doubt she'd always had. On a good day, Athena had a halfway decent idea of her worth. Most of the time, though, there was a little voice in the back of her head reminding her that she might not actually be able to do it. When push came to shove, when she finally got her shot, she might not be able to measure up.
“Go on, honey!” Nancy’s voice rang out again, “What are you standing around here with us for? You need to get up there on that stage!”
“No, Mom, come on. That’s for the big time people,” Athena objected, embarrassment flushing her cheeks bright pink.
“Which you are now,” Laura reminded her, putting her hand on the small of Athena’s back and giving her a gentle shove, “you know I don’t often agree with your mother, dear, but on this one, we present a united front. That stage, those reporters, they aren’t just here for Nate Grant. As of today, they’re here for you, too.”
Although her nerves were far from settled, Laura's words were enough to get Athena moving. She was no shrinking violet. She had never been, and she didn't intend to become one now. The competitive streak ran deep inside of her, far too deep for a little uncertainty to get in her way. If Nate could stand there smiling for the cameras and answering the questions of eager reporters, then so could she. She didn't know the first thing about giving an interview, but she was damned sure going to fake it until she made it.
“Mr. Grant!” a bubbly blonde woman with blinding white teeth was in the middle of asking eagerly when Athena finally reached the stage, “Tell me, how does it feel to be back home for this match? My sources say that returning to your birthplace isn’t high on your list of your favorite things to do.”
“Sources?” Nate asked with a laugh, feigning shock and making the little gaggle of reporters laugh, “You’ve got sources? Shoot, you should have told me that at the start! If I’d’ve known that you already knew everything about me, I would have sent a cardboard cutout in my place!”
“Come, now,” a walrus-sized, behemoth of a man pushed, “you aren’t going to get off that easily. How do you feel about going up against somebody from your very own hometown? Was that something you’d entertained the possibility of before you made your way here?”
“Well, now, that’s a good question, Mr. Hastings,” Nate answered smoothly, “I can’t say that I did. With the pool including people from five different towns across the state, I didn’t really consider going up against one of my own. Truth be told, I didn’t realize there was anyone active on the circuit around here anymore. I just figured they’d all taken a look at me and decided to hang up their spurs. You know, find something else they might be able to be the best at.”
“Ugh,” Athena muttered to herself, “gross.”
She had half a mind to march up to Nate, take him by the ear, and tell him not to be such an ass. She didn’t care if he was surrounded by a knot of reporters and photographers. That kind of arrogance deserved a good boxing, whether or not his joking statement was entirely genuine.
Instead of physical retaliation, Athena settled for marching up onto the stage and inserting herself into the conversation. Truth be told, she was a little surprised
that nobody had come to retrieve her already. She had a feeling that her and Nate being pitted against each other was the kind of story these local reporters dreamed about. So far, though, only a handful of press people had stopped to take her picture or ask her a quick question or two.
“No way I’m handing you all of the glory for this,” she said to herself, shoving her hands in her pockets and marching up onto the stage. She walked purposefully across the platform and planted her feet firmly beside Nate, who was still busy regaling his audience with stories delivered with his well-known charm. She cleared her throat and took a step closer to him, waiting for him to look at her and maybe even bring her right into the conversation. Instead, he glanced at her in a way that made her feel like he was looking right through her and then went right back to his talking.
So this was how things were going to be between them, then. Earlier in the day, the two of them had been playing flag football and acting like teenagers when they touched. Now, only a little while later, he was acting like she was lucky to even be breathing the same air as him. Although she couldn't for the life of her figure out why, Athena almost got the impression that he was angry at her for being the feeder competition winner. It didn't make any sense. The only reason she could imagine for the change was that he had a problem with his competitor being a woman. She hadn't known Nate for a long time now, but she liked to think he was better than that kind of sexism.
"And what about you, sugar?" the large reporter, one she now recognized as a man associated with a channel dedicated to the rodeo, sent in her direction.
She jumped, startled. She was surprised to be addressed by the man in the first place, but it was more than that. It was the use of the word "sugar" in place of her name. Like she was only there to play dress up, while Nate was the real deal. She wanted to be good and pissed off, only she supposed she owed the man. Being talked down to that way turned out to be what she needed to remember who and what she was. She was no hanger-on, no little kid hoping for the scraps doled out to her by a celebrity. She rolled her shoulders, straightening her back and lifting her chin. She and Nate were on equal footing now. They were officially competitors. With this thought planted firmly in the front of her mind, she smiled sweetly and linked her arm through Nate's.