Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch (Gold Valley #13)(59)

“It’s not about respect,” Boone said, “whether you believe it or not. I lost a sister that I loved very much. She was sick. No one could keep her safe from that. I can keep Callie safe. So I have. If you fail? Well, I wouldn’t want to be you.”

And just like that, everything was beginning to feel like it might be falling apart. But when he went back in the house and closed the door behind them, Callie was sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee, staring straight ahead. And he knew that he couldn’t show any of the negative feelings he was having, because she needed to feel comforted right now. And he was going to have to be the one to do it.

“It’s fine,” he said, sitting at the table across from her.

She looked up at him, her eyes glossy. “Is it?”

“Yes, Callie. It is. Because I’ve got you. I promise. I do.”

She laughed, a watery sound. “You know, I need to talk to my dad. About... The trust fund. I mean, I have to make sure that I get him our marriage license and all of that. And it’s uncomfortable, because I don’t want to draw attention to things, and now Boone knows and—”

“Boone’s not going to make any trouble.” He put his hand out and covered hers. “We got this.”

“Do we?”

“Yes.”

And this, at least, he knew how to do. He knew how to be Callie Carson’s friend. So today, that was what he would be. And he would worry about the rest later.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN


CALLIE KNEW SHE needed to talk to her dad. But she felt like a jumbled-up mess. And honestly, if Boone hadn’t come busting in this morning, demanding to know what was going on, she would’ve put this conversation off for longer.

Except... This was the point of the whole exercise. To make sure that she got the trust fund money so that she could compete in the saddle bronc event. To make sure that her future could go ahead exactly the way she wanted it to. It wasn’t about this thing happening with Jake, and the fact that sleeping with him had left her raw and uncertain, and that irritated her. Because she couldn’t afford to be distracted, least of all by her escape hatch. That’s what he was. He was a means to an end. He wasn’t the end. He wasn’t the thing.

The rodeo was the thing. Her path to showing them that she was talented and special. That she had drive and determination spare few people out there did. And this was what had always worried her. That if she took her eyes off the prize, that if she let herself feel these other things, then she would forget what she really wanted.

And right now, her clear and present vision that she always had of arena dust and horses was clouded by visions of muscle, memories of pleasure...

She had never fallen asleep in the arms of another person before, and sleeping with him had been... Even pushing the sex part aside, sleeping with him had been something really special. And it was all she could think about now, when what she needed to do was not think about Jake.

She took a deep breath and walked into the den, where she knew she would find her father, seated in his favorite chair. A wingback made out of a cowhide. He had the football game on, unsurprisingly, and was deep in what he called his relaxation mode. Likely, he didn’t want to talk about this with her now. But that only made it better. She needed to claim the advantage. And she needed to focus. Not on Jake, but on this.

“Hi, Dad,” she said.

“What’s up, munchkin?”

“I just... I needed to talk to you.”

“Sure. Sit a spell.”

He muted the TV, and she took a seat on the couch across from him.

“It’s just... I got married.”

“Yes, I know. And quickly.”

He was eyeing her keenly.

“Don’t do that,” she said. “I already told you and Mom that I’m not pregnant. I’m not lying. What would the point of that life be?”

“All right,” he said. “Then go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind.”

“The trust fund. It’s just... I got married, and you know, a certain amount of time into the marriage, my trust fund opens up to me, right?”

“Yes,” he said slowly. “Why are you acting like you don’t know exactly when it opens up to you.”

“I’m not acting like anything.”

His lips twitched. “All right.”

“Jake’s got a ranch, Dad,” she said. “And he’s getting it off the ground, and I just want to make sure that I can contribute.”

“You’re BS-ing me, Callie. I’m not a stupid man. And I should have realized. You’re...you’ve been piss, vinegar, hell and high water from the time you were a little girl, and I should have known that would never change.” Her dad’s eyes were hard, assessing. But not without love. “If you want your money, you’ll get your money. At the end of the sixty days.”

“Dad...”

“Are you planning on entering the saddle bronc event?”

She looked away. “I’m married now.”

“Yes. But what does that have to do with your plans?”

“Nothing. Yes, I’m planning on entering the saddle bronc.”

“And is Jake supportive of that?”

“Jake has been teaching me. Jake always was the person who taught me. He’s the one who helped me with my barrel racing, and he’s the one who’s helped me with this.”