“No. I called in sick.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What? You never call in sick.”
“I know.” He erased the distance between them and cradled her face in his hands. “This couldn’t wait another day. I know I should’ve told you sooner, but I am saying it now. Tanna. I love you.” Then he kissed her.
The kiss wasn’t dueling tongues and unrestrained lust, although it simmered just beneath the surface like it always did with them. But more an affirmation of how he felt.
Question was: did she feel the same?
They reluctantly broke apart. She rested the side of her face against his heart. “Apology accepted. I missed you so much. I hate fighting. Especially with someone I love.”
He tipped her face up. “Can you look at me when you say that?”
“I love you.”
“Aw, sugar twang, that’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.”
She smiled at him. “Felt good to finally say it. Almost as good as it felt to hear it.”
Fletch kissed her again. “We need to talk.”
“I know.” She stepped back. “Have a seat.”
He’d never fit in the bench seat with the foldout table. Damn thing had to’ve been made for midgets. Another bench ran along the opposite short wall. He sat and tugged her onto his lap so she faced him.
“Fletch. We’re supposed to be talking.”
“We are. But we’re gonna stay close like this while we’re talking as a reminder to each of us how right it is when we are close like this.”
“You are such a sweet, wonderful man.”
“But you’re still leaving me. You’re moving to Colorado.”
“I don’t know if it’s moving,” she said in a soothing tone. “I called the Gradskys this morning after Harper talked to me and accepted their offer. So I’m goin’ there to train. We’re bein’ fluid with plans because with all the unknowns, things can change in a helluva hurry.”
“I don’t want you to go,” Fletch said softly.
Tanna froze. “You don’t want me to go, or you’re asking me to stay?”
“Both.” He sighed and shoved his hand through his hair before meeting her eyes again. “I know what this opportunity means to you. A chance to get back doin’ what you love, what you’re meant to do. I’d never ask you not to live your dream, Tanna.”
“But?”
“But there’s already a big hole in my life from you leaving and you ain’t even gone yet. That’s why I stayed away from you. I thought it’d be easy to get used to you bein’ gone. But it wasn’t. Not by a long goddamn shot.”
She blinked at him, wordlessly urging him to continue.
He couldn’t maintain eye contact when he confessed this next part. He stared at an ugly cow figurine, wearing a grass skirt that sat on the opposite counter. “Want to know why I didn’t come to watch you Saturday?”
“Why?”
“Because I’d’ve been happy if you’d sucked. Christ. What kind of man does that make me?”
“An honest man.” A pause. “Would you’ve been happy if I’d succeeded?”
“Beyond happy because I know how hard you’ve struggled. So see? I was screwed either way. God, Tanna, I love you and it’s killing me to watch you pack up even when I won’t try and stop you.”
Silence.
Tanna framed his face in her hands and tipped his head back. “You love me, right?”
“I’ve been in love with you since the night we first met.” He smiled slightly. “In fact, I believe I told you I loved you that night at the bar.”
“You were joking.”
“Was I? When I saw you at the branding I had the feeling we were meant to be. As we got to know each other I had this hope that you’d fall in love with me. That you’d walk away from barrel racing and we’d live happily ever after. I’d even had this secret fantasy that you came to work for me as my vet assistant. But at some point, I understood that as perfect as that scenario would be for me, it wouldn’t be perfect for you. You’d always wonder if you’d settled for me because you couldn’t have what you really wanted.”
“But you never said . . . you never encouraged me to quit. Exactly the opposite in fact. You forced me to get on a horse that day.”
“It’s not what I wanted but it’s what you needed. I did it knowing I was helping you get one step closer to walking away from me.”
Tears pooled in Tanna’s eyes.
“So in the past day and a half since our fight on the phone, I had to ask myself what you saw in me and why you’d stay with me. I work crazy hours. I’ve broken more plans than I’ve made. I’ve put the care of animals above most human relationships. Oh, and I’m not getting rich doin’ it, so there’s that extra incentive for you. When I listed all the reasons why you shouldn’t be with me, heck, I didn’t even wanna get with myself.”
She released a sniffling laugh. “I always wanna get with you. As for what I see in you?” Her eyes softened. “Fletch. You’re gentle and kind, but you’re rough and raunchy too. You make me laugh, you make me think, but mostly, you make me happy. In my mind that makes you damn close to perfect.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she put her fingers across his lips. “Shut up and listen to me. August Fletcher. I love you. The crazy I-wanted-to-beat-the-fuck-outta-that-blonde at the Cattleman’s Club with you Saturday night kind of forever love.”
He eased back to look at her. “You were there?”
“For a business meeting with Chuck and Berlin Gradsky. It was a little hard to concentrate.”
“Why didn’t you come over and say something? I would’ve loved to introduce you to Tasha since we’d spent half the night talking about you.” His eyes narrowed. “Did you think something was goin’ on between us?”
“I was teary-eyed and all how could he? At first. Then I got pissy. But then I got to thinking about my friendship with Sutton and how on the outside it might appear to be more. You believed me when I said it wasn’t. I decided if I couldn’t trust you, then I had no business bein’ with you. And make no mistake; I want to be with you for the long haul. Even when I know that we’ll be spending a lot of time apart.”
“I’ve always avoided long-distance relationships because I knew they’d eventually end. This is different.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “Because you and me? Sugar twang, we’re never gonna end.”
“So what do we do to make this work?”
“Whatever it takes. You’ll train in Colorado. You’ll either come back here when you’ve got a break, or I’ll go there when I’ve got a break.”
“Sounds . . . doable. Lonely while we’re apart, but doable.” Tanna poked him in the chest. “You will get over your issue with texting. I’ll expect to get texts from you at least a couple times a day.”
He kissed her nose. “Anything you want. I’ll be lonely for you, cowgirl, especially these first few months when you’re training hard and I’m setting up the veterinary practice with my new partners.”
That got her attention. Tanna frowned at him. “What did you say?”
“Here’s my good news. In the next few months I’m combining practices with three other vets. It’ll reduce all our on-call hours during the week. And we’d only be on call one weekend a month, maybe two.”
Her grin lit up his world. “That is so awesome for you.”
“For us,” he corrected. “I foresee road trips to Colorado in my future on the weekends I’m not working. Or I can fly to where you’re competing.” He grinned. “It’d be a bonus for you to have a vet to help you look after your fancy new horse, don’tcha think?”
She laughed. “Yes. But this veterinary partnership thing came about pretty suddenly.”
Fletch pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “You came into my life suddenly and changed it completely. After being with you . . . I saw the life I wanted. The
way to get it is to make some changes and this will be a good change for me.”
“For us,” she teased. “But along those same lines, bein’ here, bein’ with you helped me see that I don’t have to be the woman who defines herself only as a barrel racer. I can guarantee I won’t be on the road any more than I have to be if I have you to come home to.”
“You do.” Fletch placed a kiss in front of her ear. “I love thinking about you bein’ in our home and our bed.”
“You’re gonna make me cry.”
“No time for tears, sweetheart. We have stuff to do. When are you leaving for Colorado?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
He grinned. “So if we get you packed up fast, we can play hooky the rest of the day?”
“Mmm-hmm. And tomorrow I’ll go on calls with you, because I know you’ll have a lot of catch-up to do after playing hooky with me.” Tanna draped her arms over his shoulders. “Maybe I could be a naughty vet assistant and you could come up with creative ways to punish me at the end of the day.”
“I’m in.” He paused a little too long and a look of concern crossed her face.
“What?”
“Before we get too far into our plans for the day, I have to ask you something really important.”
Shock crossed her face. “Fletch. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”
Fletch frowned. Then he realized he’d made the question sound a little ominous and he laughed. “I definitely want to marry you someday—sooner rather than later—but that wasn’t what I was gonna ask you.” Fletch swept her hair from his face. “I wanted to ask if we could stop by my dad’s sometime today so you can meet him.”
“I’d like that. A lot.”
“Good. Now while we get our work done, I want you to tell me all about this horse.”
Epilogue
Fourteen months later . . .
“You’ll make sure she gets extra feed?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And spend a long time brushing her down.”
“I will.”
“And check her feet after you take her across the parking lot.”
“I promise.”
Tanna laid her face against Madera’s neck. “You did good, girl. Damn good. I wish I had a wreath of roses to drape around your neck because them Kentucky Derby winners ain’t got nothin’ on you.”
Madera snorted.
“Tanna,” Berlin hissed, “you’re up next.”
“Ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome your CRA World Champion, Tanna Barker!”
She straightened her hat, wiped her tears and took off across the soft dirt covering the floor of the MGM Grand Arena. Two cowboys offered her a hand and hoisted her onto the podium. The podium helpers, two young cowgirls, lifted up the saddle and the championship belt buckle. Tanna waved both her arms to the crowd, her heart beating madly.
“So, Tanna Barker, how does it feel to be CRA World Champion again?”
“Amazing. Stunning. Humbling. I’m thrilled to be here.”
“It’s been a rough couple years for you. Did you ever think you’d make it back? And if you did, you’d make it back on top so quickly?”
“Hell no. I mean heck no.”
Laughter.
“What are the secrets to your success?”
“Support is key. Chuck and Berlin Gradsky of Grade A Horse Farms partnered me with Madera, the best little horse in the world. My sponsors rallied around me throughout the year. It’s been a great year in so many ways. So I’m dedicating this win to my fiancé, Dr. August Fletcher, who believed in me and supported me on this hard-fought journey getting back to doin’ what I love.” She raised the belt buckle. “This win is great, but he will always be the best thing that ever happened to me because I wouldn’t be here if not for him.” She swallowed hard, taking a moment to get her emotions under control so she didn’t break down like a blubbering fool in front of two hundred thousand people. “Lastly I need to give a shout-out to my friends in my Wyoming hometown, who are sitting in the Buckeye right now, cheering me on. Next round is on me!”
“Wyoming?” the announcer repeated. “But aren’t you from Texas?”
“I’m proud to be Texas born and raised. But my heart and my soul, my life, and my home, is in Wyoming.”
After she said it, Tanna realized truer words had never been spoken.
Two hours later . . .
“Sugar twang, what did you say you do for a living?”
She smiled coyly. “I didn’t say. But a shot of Patrón would loosen my tongue a whole lot.”
He flagged down the bartender.
The look on her face said sucker.
After knocking back the tequila, she confessed, “I don’t normally share my occupation because it tends to be viewed as . . . a bit dangerous. But I’ll make an exception for you, chief.” She slid her hands up his chest, grabbing the lapels of his suit coat. “See I’m a world champion barrel racer. A four-time world champion barrel racer. In fact, I just won my fourth world title tonight.”
“That right? Well, congratulations are in order.”
“Yes, sir.” She batted her eyelashes. “I won a really big gold belt buckle. But if you wanna see it, and get a personal demonstration on how well I ride, well, ace, you’re gonna have to come up to my room.”
Fletch laughed. “Too many people in there right now to suit my taste. But I do have a private room reserved for later tonight if you’re interested.”
“I’m very interested.”
“So you’re just killing time in a honky-tonk . . . until the right man comes along?”
“Nope. I’ve already bagged and tagged my Mr. Right. Just waiting for the paperwork to go through that makes it official.”
He grinned at his bride to be and twisted a springy tendril of her hair around his finger. Since he’d last seen her on the winner’s podium, her long locks had been swept up into an elaborate hairdo and her makeup had been redone. Tanna always looked beautiful, but tonight an extra glow of happiness and anticipation surrounded her. “You look spectacular, sweetheart. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
She curled her hand around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers for a kiss. A long kiss. In the past fourteen months they’d learned to take their intimate moments when they could. It didn’t matter that they were in a rowdy bar on the Vegas strip. As far as they were concerned, they were the only ones in the universe.
Tanna broke the kiss, but she held him in place, resting her forehead to his. “Holy shit balls, Doc. Can you believe I won tonight?”
“No doubt in mind you’d win since you are the very best at what you do.” He snuck in another kiss. “I’m so damn proud of you, Tanna.”
“I’m proud of me too. But I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Nice speech, by the way.” In the last ten days, he’d nearly gone hoarse cheering her on from the stands in the arena. His hands hurt from clapping so much. And when his tough and sweet Texas cowgirl had defied the odds and scrambled onto that podium to claim her victory, he hadn’t bothered to wipe away his tears.
“I meant every word I said.” She fussed with his bow tie. “You look hot in this tux. But I can’t wait to strip it off you later in the bridal suite.”
Fletch placed his hand over hers, which rested above his heart. “So alls you gotta do is slip on your fancy wedding dress and satin shoes and you’re good to meet me at the wedding chapel”—he glanced at the clock—“in forty-five minutes?” The crazy woman had set their wedding date two months ago—for 1:01 a.m., immediately after the CRA Nationals ended. She’d known all their friends and relatives would be in Vegas to support her during the final night—win or lose—so it made sense to get married here. But she’d insisted on keeping what she claimed would be the happiest day of her life—marrying him—a different day from
the day she competed for the world championship.
“I’ll be there, giddy as a schoolgirl, nervous as a virgin, horny as a toad.” She nipped the end of his chin. “This staying in separate rooms the last few nights has sucked.”
“No argument from me. So, how did you manage to ditch Celia, Lainie, Harlow, Summer and all the Mud Lilies? I thought they had you under lock and key in the ready room.”
“I wasn’t sure I could get away when I got your text. But as soon as Garnet cranked up Bobby Darin, I snuck out.” She smirked. “How’d you escape from the man cave?”
“At my suggestion, Eli, Hank, Kyle, Devin, my dad and your brother decided to try their luck playing Texas hold ’em, in the guise of winning us a cash wedding gift.” Fletch tipped her chin up and looked into her eyes. “I wanted us to meet alone so I could give you your wedding gift before the ceremony.”
“August Fletcher. I thought we said no gifts.”
“This is a gift for both of us really.” He inhaled a slow breath. “Renner agreed to turn that big empty building at the Split Rock into a training arena. We’ll have to lease it, but your training time will get priority. And the Gradskys have signed off on letting you work with Madera there, instead of at their Colorado facility.”
Her jaw nearly hit the floor. “Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
“So next season I don’t have to spend half my time in Colorado?”
“Nope.”
“Not that I wanna look a gift horse in the mouth—ha-ha—but . . . why?”
“Guess Renner—or more likely financial whip-cracker Tierney—would rather have some income while waiting for the commercial stock-breeding program to become viable, rather than let the building sit unused another two years. As far as the Gradskys . . . they know you take better care of their horse than you do yourself.” He flashed her a grin. “Plus, you’ve got a top-notch vet at your beck and call, day and night, to treat their newest prize-winning horse, which also weighed heavily in our favor.”
Tanna shrieked and threw her arms around him. “This is the best news ever.” She kissed him. “I love you so much.” More kisses. “So, so, so much.”
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