parents’ house and live on your own if you’re too scared to stay by yourself?”
She gasped as if she couldn’t believe I had the nerve to mock her. “Look who’s talking. You live at your mom’s house, tough guy.”
She had me there, but I didn’t live at home because I wanted to. “I had my own place before my dad died. I only moved back to take care of my mom.”
“Yeah.” She dragged the word out, unimpressed. “I heard about ‘Billy Ray’s Hideaway’. I wouldn’t exactly say you were living there all by yourself. Rumour has it you took a different girl home every night.”
Jesus, rodeo gossip was worse than ever. “I don’t know who you’ve been getting your information from. I occasionally entertained a lady friend I met at work. It wasn’t every night.”
“Just admit that you don’t like being home all alone either.”
There was some truth to that, but not because I was scared to be alone. “Having another person around has its benefits, but we’re probably not talking about the same benefits.”
“Okay. That’s enough. Spare me the details of your sordid love life.”
“You want to explain how a girl who can get on a horse and chase a raging bull around an arena is scared to stay in a house by herself?”
There was a pause as she thought about it. “I do better if I don’t have any time to think about the danger.”
I smiled, knowing that well. “Cole’s like that too.”
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s all right.”
She was quiet for a while before she asked, “Do you think you’ll ever go back to riding?”
“Nope,” I said without hesitation.
“But you were so good at it.”
“Yeah, that was then.” A tense sigh released along with the words.
“Before your dad’s accident?” She paused, waiting for me to respond. I didn’t, so she asked, “Have you talked to anybody about it yet?”
I rubbed my palm over my face trying to erase the memory. “What’s there to talk about?”
“You can talk about how it made you feel to watch it happen; or you can talk about how you feel now that you have to take care of your mom and your brother; or you can talk about how it scared you so bad that you can’t ride anymore.”
The air in my lungs leaked out in a long and slow exhale. The same way I always breathed right before I got in the chute. “I’m not scared and I don’t want to talk about the rest of it.”
She fortunately surrendered the quest to fix Billy and changed the subject. “How’s Stella?”
“Good, I guess. I haven’t talked to Tawnie.”
“Oh.” She seemed surprised and paused before she changed the subject again by asking me a question about the ferry to Luxton. I plugged the recharger for my phone in and turned the truck engine on long enough to top the battery up.
We talked for the next two and a half hours about pretty much everything. When the sky started to lighten, she yawned.
“You ready to go to sleep now that it’s morning?”
She laughed. “Yes, but now I have to get out of bed and go feed the animals.”
“Yeah, I should go inside and get ready for my day job.”
“Sorry to keep you up all night.”
“It’s all right.” I watched the sun peek up over the horizon, surprised that I didn’t feel tired at all.
“Thanks, Billy.”
“Don’t mention it.” I hung up then went inside. There were six beer bottles on the kitchen table, and since my mom wasn’t a drinker, I knew it was Cole. I checked his room, but it looked as if his bed hadn’t been slept in. He wasn’t on the couch either. I knocked on the bathroom door. “Cole?” There was no answer, so I tried the doorknob. It was locked. “Cole. Open up,” I shouted through the door.
Mom opened her bedroom door and tied the belt to her housecoat. “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t the doctor say you should start using your chair in the house?”
She raised her eyebrow in her notorious scolding expression. “I can still get around in my own home,
She gasped as if she couldn’t believe I had the nerve to mock her. “Look who’s talking. You live at your mom’s house, tough guy.”
She had me there, but I didn’t live at home because I wanted to. “I had my own place before my dad died. I only moved back to take care of my mom.”
“Yeah.” She dragged the word out, unimpressed. “I heard about ‘Billy Ray’s Hideaway’. I wouldn’t exactly say you were living there all by yourself. Rumour has it you took a different girl home every night.”
Jesus, rodeo gossip was worse than ever. “I don’t know who you’ve been getting your information from. I occasionally entertained a lady friend I met at work. It wasn’t every night.”
“Just admit that you don’t like being home all alone either.”
There was some truth to that, but not because I was scared to be alone. “Having another person around has its benefits, but we’re probably not talking about the same benefits.”
“Okay. That’s enough. Spare me the details of your sordid love life.”
“You want to explain how a girl who can get on a horse and chase a raging bull around an arena is scared to stay in a house by herself?”
There was a pause as she thought about it. “I do better if I don’t have any time to think about the danger.”
I smiled, knowing that well. “Cole’s like that too.”
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s all right.”
She was quiet for a while before she asked, “Do you think you’ll ever go back to riding?”
“Nope,” I said without hesitation.
“But you were so good at it.”
“Yeah, that was then.” A tense sigh released along with the words.
“Before your dad’s accident?” She paused, waiting for me to respond. I didn’t, so she asked, “Have you talked to anybody about it yet?”
I rubbed my palm over my face trying to erase the memory. “What’s there to talk about?”
“You can talk about how it made you feel to watch it happen; or you can talk about how you feel now that you have to take care of your mom and your brother; or you can talk about how it scared you so bad that you can’t ride anymore.”
The air in my lungs leaked out in a long and slow exhale. The same way I always breathed right before I got in the chute. “I’m not scared and I don’t want to talk about the rest of it.”
She fortunately surrendered the quest to fix Billy and changed the subject. “How’s Stella?”
“Good, I guess. I haven’t talked to Tawnie.”
“Oh.” She seemed surprised and paused before she changed the subject again by asking me a question about the ferry to Luxton. I plugged the recharger for my phone in and turned the truck engine on long enough to top the battery up.
We talked for the next two and a half hours about pretty much everything. When the sky started to lighten, she yawned.
“You ready to go to sleep now that it’s morning?”
She laughed. “Yes, but now I have to get out of bed and go feed the animals.”
“Yeah, I should go inside and get ready for my day job.”
“Sorry to keep you up all night.”
“It’s all right.” I watched the sun peek up over the horizon, surprised that I didn’t feel tired at all.
“Thanks, Billy.”
“Don’t mention it.” I hung up then went inside. There were six beer bottles on the kitchen table, and since my mom wasn’t a drinker, I knew it was Cole. I checked his room, but it looked as if his bed hadn’t been slept in. He wasn’t on the couch either. I knocked on the bathroom door. “Cole?” There was no answer, so I tried the doorknob. It was locked. “Cole. Open up,” I shouted through the door.
Mom opened her bedroom door and tied the belt to her housecoat. “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t the doctor say you should start using your chair in the house?”
She raised her eyebrow in her notorious scolding expression. “I can still get around in my own home,
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