by Amy Vastine
“I don’t think I realized it was going to be this big,” Boone said, echoing the thought in her head. “I have a feeling it won’t be so easy for me to go undetected here.”
She always forgot how his celebrity played a part in everything he did. It was very likely a high percentage of people here knew who Boone Williams was.
Jesse was unable to come to the show this time, so Faith had sent her brother along to help manage the horse. Boone’s bad shoulder made it impossible for him to have full control of a thousand-plus-pound animal.
“Do you want me to go check her in while Sawyer and Violet get Sassy set up?” Ruby asked.
“Sounds like a good plan.” Boone put on his sunglasses. He wore them like a shield. “I guess I’ll stick to being more of a spectator today.”
“You can hang out with Levi,” Ruby said, dropping the bomb. “He’s already here, supposedly.”
“Oh, wow.” He sounded worried. “I guess you’ll be having that talk after all. Are you okay?”
“I’m terrified. But the show must go on.”
He grabbed her hand. “It’ll be okay. Whatever happens, I’m here for you. I know you’ll figure this out.”
His support and belief in her gave her the boost she needed. She gave his hand a squeeze and let go so she could check Violet and Sassy in.
The registration area was packed with people. Some teams had several riders and horses competing in multiple levels. Helping Hooves had Violet. She was a one-girl team.
The coach in front of her in line had a list of at least ten riders. His black cowboy hat and boots reeked of money. His dark hair fell over his collar, and he had light stubble on his face. He looked more like a fashion model for some high-end Western clothing line than a riding coach.
Ruby glanced around at some of the other people in line. They all seemed to have a roster of riders. She tapped the man in front of her on the shoulder.
“Excuse me. Am I in the right line? I have only an individual rider.”
He answered, “This is where you stand to check in teams.” He dropped his list, and Ruby bent to pick it up for him. As she was handing it back, she noticed one of the names, and her heart clenched.
Emmy Lou Williams.
Ruby didn’t hear a word the man said as he pointed out where she should check in her individual rider. Boone’s daughter was here. What if he ran into her? What if she said something to him that sent him into another tailspin? What if his ex-wife was here, too? She had to be here. She was like Ruby. She was the one who went to everything. Boone was Levi. No one expected him to show, yet here he was.
Only, Boone didn’t know he was at his daughter’s show. Ruby asked the man if she could see his list one more time. His eyebrows knit together. Maybe he wondered if she was scouting the competition. He let her see, watching her carefully.
Emmy wasn’t in Violet’s class. She had much more experience. With so many people here, there was a good chance their paths wouldn’t even cross. Unless Boone wanted them to. She had to tell him. Prepare him like she’d prepared Violet.
* * *
“ALL CHECKED IN?” Sawyer asked when she found them by Sassy’s assigned stall. Sawyer was a light in a dark room. He always had a smile on his face. His boyish good looks and abundance of charm made him impossible not to like.
“Where’s Boone?” She was anxious to tell him what she’d learned at registration.
“He went to get our water bucket out of the trailer.”
Violet seemed quite content, brushing and talking to Sassy. Ruby needed to get to Boone.
“Can you keep an eye on Violet? I’m going to go help Boone.”
Sawyer gave her a curious look but didn’t question her. Ruby made her way through the crowd, trying to remember where exactly they had parked. She spotted Sawyer’s truck and nearly knocked someone over in her attempt to reach it.
Boone had his arm around a young woman in front of the truck. Was she too late? They seemed friendly, the opposite of what Ruby expected from this particular father-daughter reunion. She noticed a man with his phone out taking their picture. He gave them the thumbs-up, and the woman thanked Boone profusely.
Fan, not family.
“It was nice meeting y’all,” Boone said as they took off. The woman excitedly checked the pictures her friend had taken.
“You’ve already been spotted, huh?”
“I told her I’d only pose for a picture if she promised not to post it to social media until after the show. She seemed trustworthy enough.”
“Emmy’s here.” The words just tumbled out. Ruby didn’t mean to spring it on him with no warning.
“What?” He stepped toward her like he had been too far away to hear her correctly.
“When I was checking Violet in, I was behind a coach who had a list. I saw her name on it. She’s here. She’s competing today.”
Boone paled. “Emmy’s here.”
Ruby nodded. She could scarcely imagine the thoughts running through his head. It had been almost a week since his accident. He had barely had enough time to get over the last interaction with his daughter, and now this.
He picked up Sassy’s water bucket and started walking without waiting for Ruby. She caught up to him and slipped her arm through his.
“Whatever happens, I’m here for you.” She wanted to be as reassuring as he was to her when they first got here, but she wasn’t so sure everything would be okay.
Boone apparently wasn’t feeling too confident, either. He wasn’t ready to discuss how this would all play out.
“We need to get Sassy out and about,” he said. “Get her used to this place so she doesn’t get anxious when the competition starts.”
Sawyer and Violet had Sassy ready to go when they returned. Violet was excited about showing off her horse to her dad.
“Do you want me to take Sassy for a walk around?” Sawyer asked Boone. “I’m not as famous as you are just yet. I don’t think anyone will be stopping me for autographs.”
Boone’s eyes were searching the crowd. There was no telling where Emmy and her horse were. There were four barns on the property, and two of them were being used for the show. Emmy and her horse could easily have a stall in the other one.
“Yeah, that would be good. I already had one photo op in the parking lot. Hopefully once things get going around here, no one will notice me.”
Ruby wondered if he wanted Emmy to know that he was here or not. “I’ll stay with Boone. I’m a pretty good bodyguard. You and Violet take Sassy to get acclimated.”
“If we find Dad, we’ll bring him back with us. Okay?” Violet asked.
Ruby had almost forgotten about her own issues. Levi was here somewhere, as well. This day was getting better and better.
“Sure.” She couldn’t tell Violet no.
“Well, this day is not going the way I expected,” Boone said once Sawyer and Violet were gone.
A nervous giggle bubbled out of Ruby. “Tell me about it.” She took his hand. “Do you want to go look for her? I can come with you or I can stay here. Whatever you want to do.”
He brought her hand to his chest and placed it over his racing heart. “I think I might be having an anxiety attack.”
Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his eye twitched. She encouraged him to take some deep breaths. As if she was helping him through labor, she talked him through the panic and breathed with him to keep him from going too fast.
“What’s the worst thing that can happen?” she asked.
“She could freak out when she sees me and lose the competition and blame me for the rest of her life. There could be some terrible scene that gets recorded on all the cell phones in this place and finds its way to all the national media outlets. Sara could file to have all my rights taken away, an
d I’ll never see my daughter ever again.”
He was much too good at coming up with worst-case scenarios. “Boone, none of that’s going to happen.”
“It could.” His breathing became labored again.
She modeled slow, deep breaths and waited for him to calm his body, at least. “No one is going to make a scene. If you’re worried about seeing her before her competition, then let’s not go looking until we know she’s been in the ring.”
“Maybe I should leave,” he said. Ruby’s face must have given away her opinion on that idea. “I wouldn’t go anywhere but back to the farm.”
“What if she’s glad you’re here? What if your being here makes things better? You let that lady take your picture. When this is all over, she’s going to post that she saw you at this show. How would Emmy feel if she found out you had been here but didn’t make an attempt to see her?”
He grimaced. There was no escaping this. “I shouldn’t have taken that picture.”
“Let’s watch her ride, and then you can say hello. If she doesn’t want to talk, that’s fine. At least she’ll know you were here and that you watched her. That will have to mean something. I know it would to Violet.”
“Will you come with me?”
When he looked at her with those desperate blue eyes, he could have been asking for the moon. There was no way she could turn him down.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BOONE ADJUSTED HIS hat and squinted at the agenda he had been handed on his way out of the coaches’ meeting. He’d felt guilty about leaving Ruby alone before Violet and Sawyer came back, but Sawyer must have lost track of time, so Boone had decided to attend in his place. The sun was shining bright, which seemed ironic given the darkness that threatened to send him back over the edge.
The more he thought about his options, the more he realized he was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t. No matter how he handled this turn of events, it was unlikely to end well. Sara and Emmy weren’t going to be happy to see him but would be mad if they heard he had been there and not shown his face.
“Are you who I think you are?” a man in a bright yellow shirt asked as they exited the meeting area.
“I don’t know. Who do you think I am?”
“You’re Boone Williams, aren’t you?”
At the mention of his name, another man dressed head-to-toe in black stopped and turned back to take a look. His eyes widened for a second and then he took off.
Boone decided to go with the truth and hope for the best. “I am. You are?”
“Oliver Townsend. But I’m nobody. Are you really a coach for a team around here?”
Boone lowered his voice, hoping Oliver would, too. “I’m here with an individual rider. I’m doing a favor for a friend.”
“Like a Make-A-Wish thing or something? How incredibly cool of you.”
“Not exactly. Like I said, just helping out a friend. It was nice to meet you, Oliver.”
“Can I get a picture? And could you sign this show program? My wife is a huge fan. Are you going to be around all day? What class is your rider in?”
He wanted to get back to Ruby and Violet, but this gentleman dressed brighter than the sun seemed to want to hold him up all day.
He tried to find his patience. “I’m here to enjoy the show, not make a big scene, if you know what I mean.”
“Right,” Oliver said, catching his drift.
“But if you have a pen and you’re willing to help me, I’ll sign your program for your wife.”
Oliver lit up. “Great! I’ve got a pen right here. I thought maybe I’d need to take notes.” He rambled on a few seconds more while digging his pen out of his pocket.
Boone managed to sign the program even with his arm in a sling and headed back to the barn on high alert. There were plenty of chances for him to run into Emmy or, worse, Sara.
At least he wasn’t the only famous person here. Sara was sure to attract some attention. She had a highly anticipated album coming out in November. People were champing at the bit to get their hands on it, since she hadn’t recorded anything since their marriage fell apart.
There were also enough people around that they might miss each other. Boone wasn’t sure which to hope for, but first he had to deal with another problem.
Levi Wynn had a rather unassuming presence. He had a bull rider physique—compact but strong. Boone should have expected him to be small; it helped riders when their center of gravity was lower on the bull’s back. Boone had loved the rodeo as a kid, but he didn’t feel like much of a Levi fan.
Violet came running up as soon as she spotted him. “Hey, come meet my dad.”
She tugged him by his good arm and wore the biggest smile he’d ever seen. Having her dad here obviously meant the world to her. Ruby, on the other hand, looked like she was waiting for the firing squad to show up.
“Dad, meet Boone Williams. You know who he is, right?”
“I’ve heard of him.” He extended his right hand before noticing Boone couldn’t shake properly with his arm in a sling. “It really is you. Part of me thought Ruby was pulling my leg.”
“Ruby’s as honest as they come,” Boone replied, flashing her a smile.
“Well, I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is to believe someone like you would be hanging around my two girls.”
The hair on the back of Boone’s neck stood on end. First of all, Ruby wasn’t his girl. She didn’t belong to anyone. Second, there was absolutely no reason someone like Boone wouldn’t hang out with someone like Ruby. She was a kind, compassionate, smart, beautiful woman. Why wouldn’t he spend time with her?
He was about to mention that when Ruby chimed in, “We should probably go to the practice ring. Don’t you think so, Boone?”
The high school–aged riders competed first at the show. Emmy’s group was scheduled two groups before Violet’s. “I was thinking maybe we could go watch the JV and varsity classes ride and then do some practice before it’s Violet’s turn.”
Ruby smiled and nodded. Of course she understood why without him having to say. “I think that’s a great idea.”
Maybe with her by his side, he would survive what was about to come. He certainly intended to do whatever he could to get her through her own family reunion.
“I think Violet should take advantage of as much practice time as she can get. If you don’t want to take her, I can,” Levi said, throwing a nice wrench in the plans.
“It’s not a matter of him wanting to take her,” Ruby snapped. “He’s suggesting we watch some of the more experienced kids, and then she can practice.”
“Mom,” Violet said with a look of warning in her eye.
Boone tried to smooth things over. “If you want to take her to practice, Sawyer can go with you guys. My daughter is in the competition, and I’d like to see her ride.”
All of Violet’s defensiveness disappeared and was replaced by her unending curiosity. She rattled off a million questions without a breath in between to give Boone a chance to answer any of them.
“Emmy’s here? Did you know she was going to be here? When does she go? Are you going to say something to her? Can I meet her?”
“Violet, I’m not sure you should meet her today,” Ruby said.
“Why not? Maybe if I tell her what her dad’s like now, she’ll get it. I would do that, Boone. I could tell her that you’re kind of cool.”
“Oh, wow. Thanks for that glowing reference.”
“You know what I mean.” Violet stuck out her tongue, making him laugh.
“I don’t know what you mean. Why would you need to talk to Boone Williams’s daughter? What is going on here?” Levi asked, understandably confused by their conversation.
“It’s sort of private, Dad.”
Sort of private w
as a bit of an understatement. The last thing Boone needed was to share his personal tribulations with a guy who used to be in love with the woman Boone wished he could be in love with. Or the father of the kid Boone had bonded with because her dad was such a deadbeat.
“Ruby, can I talk to you for a minute?” Levi pulled Ruby outside the barn.
Sawyer hand-fed Sassy some hay. “Well, this whole thing just got super awkward. It’s too bad Jesse couldn’t come today. He’s a little better at this stuff than I am. But whatever you need me to do, I’ll do.”
Boone wished Jesse had been able to come, as well. He was still feeling a tad resentful that Sawyer sang his song better than he did, but the guy was so nice about everything that he made Boone feel like a real jerk for holding a grudge.
His phone chimed with a text.
What are you doing here?
Boone searched the barn for Sara. She knew he was there, but where was she? They were definitely not in the same building. Word must have gotten out that he was on the grounds.
His phone chimed again.
Please don’t ruin this for her.
He dialed her number. He couldn’t explain this over text. She picked up right away.
“Why are you here?”
“I didn’t know you were here. I’m helping out a friend whose daughter is riding in another class.”
“Of course,” Sara said with a sigh. “How silly of me to think you would be here for your daughter.”
He was the bad guy for possibly showing up to see Emmy and the bad guy for being here for someone else. He couldn’t win.
“I’m not really sure how I am supposed to know what Emmy’s up to when she won’t talk to me. But I am glad she’s here, and I plan to watch her.”
“Why would you do that to her? She needs to be focused on riding, not on the father she hasn’t seen in months.”
Boone felt the sting of her words. “Does she know I’m here?”
“No, and I’d like to keep it that way until she’s finished.”
“Fine.” He didn’t care when Emmy found out. He simply wanted to see her. “I’d like to say hello when it’s over. It’s been too long.”