Second Chance with My Bull Rider

by Allie Bock

  “Why don’t Pete and I come to get you? We can be there in a few minutes. Pack your things and you can stay with us for a while,” she said. A car door slammed in the background and Pete’s voice could be heard talking to Melanie.

  “Okay.” I set the lid on the stew pot. Anywhere was better than being here, where all the memories of Kade were.

  A LITTLE WHILE LATER, Pete’s truck rattled up the driveway and pulled up to a stop in front of the Kisment ranch house. The door slammed and Benny, Melanie’s Beagle, ran around the yard, barking and terrorizing the squirrels and songbirds.

  “Pete and Melanie are here,” Kaleb called from the front porch. I’d just finished packing and grabbed my laptop and suitcase to head to the front of the house. Melanie hugged me hard when she saw me and Pete picked up my bag, carrying it to the truck.

  “Come on. Let’s go to Nanna’s. She has your favorite peach cobbler ready for you.”

  Melanie led me to the truck and slid in next to Pete, so I rode shotgun. I rested my face on the cool glass while he drove the short distance to his ranch. Nanna was waiting on the porch when he put the truck in park.

  “Come on dearie, I have just the cure for a broken heart,” Nanna said.

  Melanie handed me off to her. The old ranch house was warm and inviting like it was giving me a big hug. The smell of chocolatey goodness wafted out as Nanna led me into the kitchen. The worn oak table had seen its fair share of happy and sad events. The chairs groaned when we sat down, and Nanna ladled something out of a huge pot on the stove. I inhaled the chocolatey goodness when she set a steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of me.

  “I added something special for you.” She said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “Little marshmallows?” I asked hopefully. “I love the little marshmallows, especially the colorful ones.”

  She chuckled. “No, my special Bailey’s. The only cure for a broken heart. That’s what my mother made for me.” She patted my arm and sat down across from me. “Now tell me what is going on.”

  Melanie dished out fresh peach cobbler for each of us and Pete excused himself to the barn. I gave Nanna a summary of what happened. More tears flowed from my eyes. Melanie scooped more peach cobbler, and Nanna made more hot chocolate.

  “Now I don’t know what to do,” I dabbed at my eyes before scooping more peach cobbler in my mouth.

  “You do nothing. You had that boy’s best interests at heart. Men are like indoor cats. You can’t tell them to do things. You’ve gotta let them do their own thing. They want to go outside, you let them.” She sipped her hot chocolate. “If they come back inside, they are yours. You can’t make them.”

  “But it hurts so much.”

  “Of course, it does. That’s how you know your feelings for him are real.” She topped off my cup with her Bailey’s. “It will work out in the end. Just wait and see.”

  We finished our hot chocolate and peach cobbler in silence. Melanie sat across from me, twirling her engagement ring around her finger. Nanna picked up her latest knitting project. The needle points clacked away rhythmically. I swirled my cup of hot chocolate, watching the Bailey’s mix with the hot chocolate. It was smooth and sweet. The chocolaty goodness made my heart feel better. The kitchen door burst open. Pete walked into the kitchen and leaned against the wood frame.

  “I saddled up the horses. I think you and Melanie should go for a ride.” He strode to the fridge and pulled out a can of cola.

  “That sounds wonderful.” My words slurred a bit as Melanie giggled. “How much did I have?” Nanna held up the bottle. It was halfway gone.

  “Good thing I saddled my old horse for you.” He held open the door to usher us out to the barn.

  “Go on girls. The cool night air will sober you up.” Nanna didn’t look up from her knitting.

  Pete tied his two horses up to the rail, Gaston, a big grey gelding, and Melanie’s Belle stood next to him. She was a black as night Quarter horse mare. She suited Melanie perfectly. The first time Pete took Melanie for a ride, they beat him in a race. I walked up to the grey gelding and he pushed his soft nose into my hand, blowing out gently.

  “Do you want to go for a ride?” I fished a peppermint from my pocket. He gently picked it up from my palm and crunched it. Pete helped Melanie up into Belle’s saddle and then gave me a leg up onto Gaston’s saddle. I settled myself on his broad back and brushed at his mane. My feet found the stirrups. I pushed my heels down and straightened my shoulders. “Hey, old man, take it easy with me.”

  I gripped the leather reins in my hand and nudged him after Melanie and Belle. We set off at a sedate walk with Gaston hanging his head low, his ears flicked around, catching all the sounds of the night. Melanie led us down a tractor path to a wide-open field. We walked to the center of the field and let our horses graze. The moon rose above and reflected a yellow light down on us. It was full and easy to see out in the darkness. Crickets chirped. An owl hooted in the distance. Coyotes howled and somewhere out in the distance, a wild pig grunted. The horses chewed contentedly on the grass. Melanie scooted Belle over next to Gaston so that she could talk to me without yelling. I leaned back in the saddle and rested my head on Gaston’s rump. It was peaceful at night. The fracture of my heart softened just a bit.

  “This is perfect,” I mumbled. “I wonder where Kade is at tonight.” Melanie’s eyes flashed. She had been talking to him. “Have you heard from him?”

  “Yeah, he said he was almost to El Paso when Pete talked to him.”

  “Hmmm, I hope he is doing ok.” Silence met my statement. Time seemed to go by in slow motion as I watched a few wispy clouds float by the moon. “Was I in the wrong?” The clouds blocked a bit of the moon’s shine before moving on.

  Melanie cleared her throat. “You are not wrong to be worried about his health.” That was all she was going to say, wasn’t it?

  “O.K.” I shivered. “I think I’m ready to go back.” I sat up in the saddle and grabbed the reins. Melanie led us back to the barn.

  THE NEXT DAY, MELANIE and I sat on a couch in the living room of Nanna’s house. She served us fresh brownies and ice cream as a treat after spending the morning riding horses. My laptop sat open to a browser page and Melanie typed furiously onto hers.

  “I don’t know if Kaleb is going to pay me.” I broke the silence. My gum blew out in a large bubble before popping.

  “Why do you say that?” She continued to type on her laptop.

  “The agreement was if I stayed until Kade was better and released.” I popped another bubble. “Kade was never released from care. The doctor recommended not riding but couldn’t stop him if he wanted to go.” I absentmindedly scrolled through my phone. Worry knotted on the bottom of my stomach as my heart slowly bled. I slumped into the pillows.

  “Kade left. There was nothing you could’ve done to prevent that. You didn’t quit.” She looked up from her screen and smiled softly at me. “Kaleb doesn’t seem the kind of guy to not pay you. Give it a little bit.”

  “If he doesn’t pay me, I guess I’ll have to go beg for my job back at the hospital.” I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

  “Do you want to go back?”

  “Not really, I don’t miss the stress or my co-workers.” I sighed. “I’m ready for a change. It was nice to be out at the ranch and get into a routine. Maybe, Kaleb will hire me on as a cook or a stall hand?”

  “It’s going to take us forever to raise the money for the stables if you do that.” She raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow at me. “Plus, if you do that, I’m not asking my parents for help. You’ll be on your own.”

  “How cruel!” I clutched at my chest in mock horror. “You’re killing me, Mel.” She laughed and handed the last brownie to me.

  “Will this make up for it?”

  “A girl can never go wrong with chocolate.”

  Pete walked into the room and plopped onto the couch between Melanie and me. “Move over, girls.” He stole the uneaten brownie from me and shoved
it in his mouth. He reached for the remote to turn on the TV.

  “Hey, that was my brownie!” I swatted him. He smiled a chocolaty toothed smile.

  “I thought you would want to save room for Nanna’s peach cobbler. It just came out of the oven.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded.

  I jumped up and ran to the kitchen where Nanna was holding a piping hot dish.

  “I knew Pete would send you in here for this.” She winked at me and placed a large heap of cobbler in a bowl with peach ice cream. “Here you go. Tell Melanie to come in if she wants some.” She shooed me out of the kitchen.

  Melanie and Pete snuggled together on one end of the couch when I returned. I had the other end to myself. I sat with my back against the armrest and propped my feet up on Pete’s leg.

  “What are we watching?” I asked. A sports announcer was on the screen running statistics.

  “The Bull Riding Finals,” Pete answered. “It is just round one.” He balanced a notebook and pen on his other knee.

  “What are you doing?” I gestured to the small notebook. Melanie rolled her eyes at me like I was foolish to ask.

  “I am keeping track of what bloodlines of bulls do what, so I know who to breed my cows to in the spring.”

  “I forgot you had bucking bull cows.” I settled into the cushions. “How many rounds are there?”

  “There are six. Five regular rounds and one championship round. That’s five days of bull riding.” He rubbed his hands together like a child at a candy store.

  “That’s a lot,” I muttered. I grabbed my phone and looked at the screen. I wanted to text him, and my fingers hovered over the glass.

  “Don’t you dare do it,” Melanie demanded as she yanked the phone from my fingers. “He has hurt you enough. If he wants you back, make him grovel.” Pete gave her a look that I didn’t understand. “I know you disagree, Pete, but he needs to work for her.” She pocketed my phone and crossed her arms.

  We didn’t say anything else as the bull riding had started. The bulls bucked and twisted, throwing guys off. Pete explained how the bulls and riders were judged and who was in each bull’s pedigree.

  “I never knew that stuff,” I said after he was explaining about the different breeding programs around the country. The announcer said Kade Kisment was getting ready to go next. “Excuse me.” I left the room. I couldn’t bear to watch. People described traumatic events like watching a train wreck in slow motion. No thank you. I will go drink sweet tea with Nanna in the other room.

  I walked in and she handed me a glass of sweet tea.

  “I had a feeling you would be joining me soon.” She rocked on her rocker as her knitting needles clicked away. Cheers went up in the living room a few seconds later. “I take it he stayed on.” She winked at me as I got up to rejoin my friends. Relief swept through me. Only five more rounds to go. I sent a silent prayer that he would be safe.

  Chapter 22 November 14th

  Kade

  I walked around Las Vegas in a daze. After riding Red Smoke in the final round a few hours earlier, nothing had felt real. The noise from the crowd was muted. The lights were dimmer. Taxis flew by me and people milled around. I had done it! I won the Bull Riding Finals Championship. Everything that I worked for the last eleven years paid off in beating Jose Garcia. The look on his face when I rode Red Smoke to 95 points was worth the drive out here. I walked back to the hotel and settled on a black bar stool facing a long white counter. The barman poured a whiskey neat the minute I walked in. It was my drink of choice for the last few nights I had been in Vegas.

  “I hear congratulations are in order.” He slung a towel over his shoulder and leaned against the bar. He pointed at the large screen in the corner where I was receiving the world championship buckle and talking to reporters. I nodded as I sipped the drink. “That’s a big win. Drinks on the house tonight.”

  He slapped the counter before walking away. The amber liquid glittered in the fluorescent lights. It stung my throat as I took another pull of the drink. The stool next to me pulled out, and a busty blonde sidled on to it. She had been sitting in the corner with a couple of other girls. They were decked out in what city people call country outfits. Tight flannel shirts tied above their belly buttons, oddly shaped straw hats, enormous belt buckles paired with tiny Daisy Duke shorts that even Lindsay the waitress at Susie’s Cafe wouldn’t wear. The cowboy boots had pointed toes and not an ounce of manure on them. Dee would not be caught dead in that. She would be wearing her jeans and worn-out boots with a T-shirt. A ball cap with a horse would sit on top of her head. I shook my head to clear my thoughts

  “What are you drinking, cowboy?” She batted her extra-long black eyelashes at me as her baby blue eyes latched on my left hand. She leaned her shoulder against mine. I tried not to cringe, so I slid my stool away from her.

  “Whiskey.” I emptied my drink and set it on the counter. The bartender filled my glass before walking away.

  “What’s a handsome guy like you sitting here by yourself?” She ran her hand up and down my bicep. Her fake red nails pinching the skin a bit. I slammed the next drink back.

  “Thank you for the compliment. But I am in a relationship.”

  “But honey, she’s not here. And I heard that you’re a good time.” She purred. She pressed her body into my shoulder. Definitely, a buckle bunny and only interested in one thing.

  “I’m not interested.” Her hand fell from my arm as I pulled away from her to head back to my room.

  I shut the hotel door behind me and sat on my bed. It was lonely in the room. It was sterile with its white sheets and black floors and black and white furniture. I wished I had someone to share this moment with. Delilah was the one person I wished the most was here. My brother, Kurt, was fine, but he already flew home to Dallas. I wanted to see Delilah’s smile and the way her eyes lit up when I looked at her. I wanted to feel her in my arms and to hear her voice first thing in the morning. I missed her more than I thought. I pulled out my phone. No text message or call from Delilah. Kaleb and the rest of my family sent their congratulations. Even my mother and father sent emails from wherever they were on their mission trip. Pete and Damien sent messages. But no message from the one person I wanted contact with more than anything. I sighed. My fingers punched in the numbers for her. It rang four times before going to voicemail. Her voice said to leave a message after the beep. I missed her to my core, and I wished every night she was here with me. I hoped I didn’t ruin what we had forever. I prayed I didn’t mess up so badly she wouldn’t want me back. I hoped that she could understand why I had to do this. I hoped that she had watched me on TV. But all I could say was:

  “Hey, Dee. It’s me. Call me back.”

  Chapter 23 December 20th

  Delilah

  The wind was whipping through the streets, howling between the buildings. The rain slanted down and dribbled down my back. Shivers went up my spine as I ducked into the Post Office. The glass door slammed behind me. The wind buffeted against it. My hand shook as I inserted the key into my P.O. Box, inside was a form requesting a signature. I grabbed it and hurried over to the counter. Eddie, the postmaster, handed me a certified envelope after I signed the form. He gave me a toothless smile, before returning to sorting mail.

  A sort of glee overcame the loneliness I had felt since Kade left. The return address was from Kaleb Kisment. The envelope tore open with a loud rip. My fingers fumbled with a piece of paper. I withdrew a check with a slip of notebook paper folded around it. On the paper, Kaleb wrote: Thanks for everything that you have done. I gave you a bonus for getting him off the couch. Kaleb

  A smiled creased my face as I scanned the note for the second time. I glanced at the check. “Holy cow,” My jaw dropped open at the amount written on the check. “That’s a lot of money.” My finger dialed Melanie’s number on their own accord. She answered on the second ring.

  “Hey Melanie, are you sitting down?”

  “S
hould I be?”

  “I got the money from Kaleb. You’ll never guess how much is in there.” I paused for dramatic effect. Lowering my voice and glancing around the Post Office. “There were sixty thousand dollars in the envelope.”

  She screamed on the other end. I slumped against the bench in the lobby. Sixty thousand dollars! I couldn’t believe it.

  “Did you count all the zeroes?” She breathed.

  “Yes,” I laughed. I scanned the check again. There were four zeroes. “I just double-checked and there are four.”

  Melanie screeched some more. The low tones of Pete’s voice came through my earpiece. “Delilah got paid a load from Kisments!” I cringed as her voice hurt my eardrums. “I’m calling the bank in a minute once my excitement calms down.”

  My head spun with the money. It was what we needed. It would get our therapeutic riding stable off the ground. I leaped into the air and whooped. Eddie looked up from where he was sorting mail.

  “Good news I take it?” He grinned. I nodded before racing to my car as the rain pelted down my back. Nothing was going to ruin my mood.

  I pulled up outside of the bank. Melanie’s little car slid into the parking spot next to me. I waved at her and then waved the check at her. She grinned back at me with a black folder tucked under her arm. We got out of our cars and dashed for the double glass doors of the bank. The warm air on the inside blasted us as I slid my arm into hers and we headed up to the counter. I signed the back of the check with a flourish before handing it over to the clerk.

  “Can you put it in my business account?” I hopped up and down on my toes. She nodded as she typed rapidly on her keyboard. She handed over my receipt, said there would be a day or two hold until the funds transferred, and bid me a good day.

  I turned to Melanie. “Now what?”

  “We should talk to Mr. Dillard. I think he is in his office?” Melanie turned her gaze to his corner office.