by Jeannie Watt
She slammed her thoughts into a different direction. She didn’t want to think that he was patiently waiting her out. Waiting for her hormones to get the best of her common sense and desire to keep him as a friend.
Was it selfish of her to stay on the road with him?
As near as she could tell, she wasn’t doing him any favors by being there. His rides were not up to par. It might all be a coincidence. Bad rides happened—she knew that from her days on the circuit—but for a guy like Jess, a seasoned bull rider whom many said was more talented than his very talented twin, to have one bad ride after another...it had to be more than coincidence.
He stirred in his sleep and Em kept her eyes on the road, just in case. In a matter of weeks she’d be home, doing battle with Selma. That was what she needed to focus on. That and perhaps getting a better paying job and a roommate so that she was totally free of the family ranch.
In the old days, she might have asked to move in with Jess. As a friend. For a while. Now that was nigh unto impossible.
As he said, things had changed.
Emma pushed her hair back with one hand. She didn’t dare turn on the radio, but for once, she didn’t need the sound to keep her focused. Having Jess sleeping next to her kept her suitably on edge. The two hundred miles to Whitehall passed more quickly than she’d anticipated, so after a quick look at Jess, she’d pressed on.
Looking at him had been a mistake, because now she wanted to look again.
Emma adjusted her grip on the steering wheel as she peered at the road. There was always the possibility of a deer deciding to bound across the road, and she needed to be alert, not sidetracked by quick glances at her seatmate.
A hundred miles passed and she began to think she was going to make it all the way to the Sulfur Mountain rodeo grounds, but a sudden yawn convinced her otherwise. She rolled through a tiny town and started looking for a side road to pull off on before serious fatigue set in, when she saw the campground sign. Perfect.
She’d gotten them most of the way there and had worked out a few things in her head. The one question she hadn’t answered was the one about whether she was being selfish by staying with him.
Chapter Eleven
The truck bounced, waking Jess. No, he wasn’t being slammed into the dirt by a raging bovine. He was in a truck, his body stiff from sleeping upright after a mediocre ride.
“Sorry,” Emma said. “That pothole came out of nowhere.”
“No biggie.” He grimaced as he shifted his body.
“We’re at a campground.” Emma pulled up in front of the office and when she reached for the door handle, he said, “I’ll go.” He needed to move.
He stepped out of the truck into the crisp night air without his sleep-numbed leg collapsing, although he had to limp a few steps before the blood started flowing again. By the time he got to the dark office, he was walking normally. Sort of.
He had no idea where they were, but the place smelled of damp grass and evergreens. He guessed they were somewhere near Whitehall, their destination, but he couldn’t pinpoint the locale. Hopefully, if they weren’t in Whitehall, they were close enough to make an easy morning drive to the rodeo grounds in Sulfur.
There was a sign on the office door, outlining rules and regulations, but no one inside, so Jess went back to the truck. Emma rolled down the window as he approached. “They check the sites in the morning. We pay then.”
“Great. There’s a couple of spots up there.” She pointed straight ahead to two empty sites just visible in the headlights.
“Go ahead and park. I’ll walk.”
When Emma turned off the engine after parking, the night seemed abnormally silent, and Jess’s boots in the gravel sounded abnormally loud. The other campsites were dark and even the highway was quiet, making Jess wonder what time it was.
Emma got out of the truck as he pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket, rolling her shoulders and her neck before heading back to the camper. He turned on the phone, glanced at the time.
Three a.m.?
Where were they? They should have reached Whitehall by midnight.
A semitruck rolled by on the highway, breaking the silence as Jess reached the camper. Emma was inside and he waited until she emerged, a sleeping bag in one hand, her small gym bag in the other. Jess hoped that it didn’t start raining during their travels. Then they’d be stuck together in the small space of the camper.
“Where are we?”
“About thirty miles from the rodeo grounds.” She stifled a yawn as she spoke. “I didn’t have another thirty miles in me.”
“Aren’t we supposed to be just shy of two hundred miles away from the campsite?”
“Yeah. Well, I was buzzed until about half an hour ago, so I pushed on. This way we can sleep in and still get there in plenty of time.”
He wouldn’t need to sleep late, since he’d been out for most of the drive, but Emma would. Faint shadows showed under her eyes and her face seemed paler than usual. She was exhausted. “You want to take the camper tonight?”
She gave him a startled look. “Why?”
“Because I slept for six hours and you didn’t.”
“No.” She pushed past him and headed toward the truck.
“Em, you drove all night.”
“I said, no,” she called over her shoulder in a harsh whisper, reminding him that people were sleeping nearby. Jess followed her and opened the truck door while she juggled her load, trying to free a hand.
“Thank you.” She closed her mouth and tilted her chin, obviously waiting for him to leave before making her nest in the back seat.
“Last chance.”
“Thank you, no. I don’t want to be responsible for you not being in tip-top shape tomorrow.”
Jess let out a snort. “I ride bulls. I’m never in tip-top shape.”
“Whatever,” she muttered as she dumped the stuff she carried onto the seat. She started unrolling the bag and Jess backed off. He’d tried. If she preferred to sleep in the truck, so be it.
He made his way to the privies, noted that the path was well lit and there was no one lurking about. Emma would be fine. As soon as he was back in the camper, he started shucking out of his clothes, tossing them onto the bench. He’d showered before they’d started driving, so he intended to climb back into them when he got out of bed.
He was halfway out of his pants when a shriek ripped through the night. Tripping and stumbling, he dragged the jeans back up as he headed for the door, heart hammering, ready to do battle. He thrust it open and tripped over one of his boots, barely keeping his footing as he plunged out the door to find Emma a few yards away from the camper, waving her arms and swatting the air around her head.
“Em!”
As soon as she heard his voice, saw the open door behind him, she headed for it, still swatting wildly. But instead of climbing inside to safety, she took refuge between him and the camper, ducking low.
“Bats,” she said, her voice squeaky. “Lots of them. They dive bombed me when I stepped out of the Sani-Hut.”
Relief ripped through him, followed by the urge to laugh. Reaction. It wasn’t because she’d looked funny swatting and running in circles...even though she had.
“I thought I was going to have to fight off a bear or something.”
Emma cautiously scanned the night sky for winged marauders. “I’m never going to sleep now.”
Jess stepped back, determined not to follow instinct and pull her closer, give her a reassuring hug. She didn’t need to be touched, and he didn’t need to be touching.
She brushed her hair back. “I must have looked ridiculous.”
“Well...” Jess said slowly. “You didn’t look dignified.”
She blew out a breath, rubbing her hands over her upper arms a
nd making no move to leave the space between Jess and camper.
He shifted his weight, folding his arms over his bare chest. “Want me to walk you to the door?” Which was about eight feet away.
“I can make it.” Emma craned her neck to peer past him into the darkness.
“Maybe I could go halfway with you.” Like four feet.
She scowled at him. “Not funny. You have no idea what it feels like to have those things buzz you.”
“Pretty creepy?”
“The worst.” She suppressed a shiver. “I’m going now.”
Jess nodded. She hesitated, then squared her shoulders and marched around the side of the camper.
“Shout out when you get there,” Jess called after her.
“Oh, shut up.” The door opened and closed and once Emma was safe, Jess looked over his shoulder at the place where the bats had buzzed her, before climbing back into the camper, smiling a little. He didn’t think Emma being frightened after driving forever was funny...but it was good to see her acting like her old self. Because then he could act like his old self and that would help him get through this road trip with his sanity intact.
* * *
BATS WERE DEFINITELY off her favorite animal list.
Even nestled deep in her sleeping bag, Emma could feel the odd sensation of having small winged bodies swoop around her, brushing her with their wings—or maybe they’d been so close it had only felt as if they’d been touching her. They had meant her no harm, but in her sleep-deprived state, she’d been in no condition to deal with unusual circumstances, such as a bat attack or Jess offering her the camper.
What was that about?
It was a nice gesture, but she wasn’t going to encourage nice gestures. Not that particular gesture anyway. Like it would do her any good to sleep in his bed. To bury her nose in his sheets and smell his scent. Emma closed her eyes. No—that wouldn’t do at all. She needed to stay strong in order to stay on the road and get their relationship back on track.
The bat incident had helped. For a few minutes it felt like old times.
She adjusted her position, tucking her hands up close to her chin as she felt her body begin to relax.
Maybe bats weren’t so bad, after all.
The next morning, she woke when the campground manager came around collecting the space rent. She lay still, listening to Jess discuss the upcoming rodeo with the man, who was apparently a fan, then reached down on the floorboards to retrieve her phone.
Ten o’clock!
She sat straight up, clutching the bag to her chest and looking around wildly. The sun shone brightly, birds sang. She could hear people talking in the distance and the sound of chopping wood. A woman strolled by with her small fluffy dog, nodding politely at her. Emma nodded back and then lay down again.
How could it be ten o’clock? She’d said she wanted to sleep in, but this was ridiculous. She shimmied into her clothing, tugging and pulling while keeping low enough in the seat to stay out of sight—no easy trick, and another reason she preferred to rise early—and then opened the truck door.
Jess was nowhere to be seen, so she made the trip to the bathroom without being attacked by bats. The camper door was open as she trekked back, which she assumed was an invitation to stop by.
At that point, she’d kill for a shower.
Or coffee—which she could smell.
Long, long night.
Jess came out of the camper as she approached, a cup of coffee in each hand.
“You are my hero,” she said as she took the cup.
“Everybody says that.”
She smirked at him and took a drink, savoring the taste of the warm, dark brew. Jess made a decent cup of coffee. “We should get going soon.”
“No hurry.”
“Maybe I can grab a shower, then?”
“I saved water for you.”
“I’m not going to repeat my hero comment.”
“Suit yourself.” He smiled at her, then shifted his gaze to the mountains on the opposite side of the highway. Things felt...better. More normal.
Closer to the way they used to be. Progress.
And all it had taken were a few bats.
* * *
JESS WON BY default at Sulfur Mountain.
His ride had been a tick above adequate, but since he’d been the only guy to ride to the buzzer, his score of seventy-seven got him a win. And a check. And a feeling of renewed determination.
Not because of the win, but because of a clarifying moment he’d had as he left the arena.
In past seasons, he’d focused only on the ride ahead of him, not on the season’s outcome, because, due to his job, he might not make enough rides to qualify for finals. Now he needed finals and he was concentrating on the big picture and worrying about what happened if his plan didn’t work. What then? What kind of job he could get and where. What his future would be.
No one could tell the future, and he was wasting his time trying.
He needed to channel his twin, just as he’d done when his safety net was still there, and not worry about the outcomes of rodeos weeks away. He needed to make each rodeo the most important aspect of his journey, instead of wrapping himself in a vicious cycle of what-if thoughts.
His long-term goals were different, but his short-term goals were exactly the same.
Emma got into the driver’s seat. Her aviators hid her eyes from him, but he figured that if he could see her eyes, he would read mild disapproval.
“Go ahead,” he said.
“Go ahead and what?” She sounded perplexed. “Drive?”
“Give me a critique of my ride.”
“Ah.” She started the truck and, after checking the mirrors, pulled onto the road leading out of the rodeo grounds. She waited until they were out on the highway proper before saying, “Your ride was fine. You stayed on.”
“I was close to coming off.” Due to anticipating a spin that never happened. He’d recovered, but he shouldn’t have.
“Yeah. You were.” He watched as her forehead furrowed above the sunglasses. “It’s like...you’re psyching yourself out.”
“Exactly,” he murmured, propping his sore knee on the dash.
“You’re aware, then.”
“Yeah.”
“Hmph.” The soft grunt was her only reply as she maneuvered into the passing lane to get around a very slow truck.
He kept his eyes on her profile, watched the corner of her mouth move as she worked things over. Finally, when he was about to ask what was going on in her head, she said, “I distract you.”
“What’s new?”
“Okay...maybe it’s more than that. Maybe I jinx you.”
He gave a sputtering laugh. “What? I don’t believe in jinxes.”
She gave him a look over the top of her glasses before bringing her gaze back to the road. “But you do believe in distractions.”
“I’ve been distracting myself. Looking at things wrong.”
She was silent for a few seconds, then said, “Things are going to change now?”
“Yeah. I’m going to ride like I used to. As if there was no tomorrow, because in seasons past, when I was winning, I didn’t care about tomorrow.”
“I don’t know, Jess. Not caring about tomorrow sounds more like Tyler than you.”
“Yes. It does. My point is that as a pro bull rider, I need a plan, but I can’t let the plan ruin my rides.”
“I guess.” She shot him another dubious look, giving him the feeling that she thought he was trying to talk his way around the truth.
“It’s not you, Em. Okay? I like having a driver along.”
And I like being around you, even if you do drive me a little crazy.
That part remained
unsaid for obvious reasons.
“No more talk about distractions and jinxes.” When Emma didn’t answer immediately, he added, “Agreed?”
Emma let out a small breath. “Agreed.”
* * *
EMMA KEPT HER eyes on the road. She was glad that Jess was coming to a place in his head where he felt comfortable and confident. Half of any battle, even one with a bull, was the mental game, and Jess’s had been off for a while now.
She still didn’t buy his assertion that she was not at least partially to blame. He’d won a lot when she wasn’t around. Now...not so much. But if that was the position he took, she wasn’t going to fight him.
“Hey.” She looked over at him, wondering why he was still awake when he usually conked out shortly after they started driving. “We have an extra two days, you know.”
Please don’t ask to go back to Gavin.
“Yeah?” She slowed as she approached two trucks driving side by side, the one in the passing lane inching slowly by the other. At this rate, they’d be behind these two big boys for miles and miles.
“Here’s my plan. We stop in Butte and do laundry.”
“So far, so good.”
“Drive back to Whitehall and camp there.”
“Okay.”
“Then...” He sounded as if he were waiting for a drum roll. “We go to the caverns.”
Emma grimaced. “Like caves?”
“No, The Caverns strip club. You’ll love it.”
“I’m going to hurt you.”
He laughed. “Yes. Caves. Lewis and Clark Caverns. I’ve always wanted to go.”
“Why?” One corner of her mouth tightened. Why would anyone want to go to a cave?
“Come on, Em. Do the tourist thing with me.”
“I’ll do the laundry thing with you and think about it.”
“Cool.” He shifted his position, folding his arms over his chest and dropping his chin to his chest.
“Uh...so we’re only going as far as Butte tonight?”
“Yeah. Butte. Breakfast. Laundry.”
“All right.” Then they’d discuss the crazy cave idea. If she worked things right, she’d help him see the sense of driving on across the state and having some downtime there before his next rodeo.
