When Taylor entered the arena on horseback, I felt a little tinge of panic. As the one in charge, it’s hard not to question your decisions, especially when a boy is steering a fifteen-hundred-pound horse around with only his hips, thighs, and his prosthetic calf holding him in place. Also, I made the decision that we were going to let this happen in an instant. I couldn’t deny the hopeful look on the boy's face. And his mother’s immediate resistance, her knee-jerk belief that it wouldn’t happen was almost too much for me to bear. But truthfully, I didn’t doubt the safety of the situation because I knew Wyatt would never endanger a boy, never.
Still, big horse, little cowboy, but as Taylor came around the second barrel, I knew for sure my hesitations were unfounded. The crowd whooped and hollered their appreciation for Taylor’s speed and prowess. He was wearing a helmet that shadowed his face, but I could still make out his grin, and his mama, who was standing right next to me, was just a ball of happy tears. This moment and so many others during the day were absolutely why this rodeo wasn’t just some silly scheme. This rodeo was one of the gems in the crown of my accomplishments. Elated, I laughed at Buck and Wyatt jumping up and down, screaming like madmen, waving Taylor past the last barrel. Inspired by their fervor, Taylor gained speed in his last moment, beating Cody by a few fractions of a second.
Cody made a big show of losing, throwing his hat on the ground and stamping the dirt with his boot before coming over to congratulate Taylor.
“Dagnabit, Taylor. I can’t believe you beat me. Fast as lightning out there, kid.”
Taylor squared his shoulders and said, “I want to be faster.”
Buck looked at him and said, “You could be. Your form is good. Perhaps you could train with me for real. I’m not in town all the time, but when I am, if your mama is willing to drive you out to where I train, I’d be happy to coach you from time to time.”
Taylor beamed at Buck, and then said to Ruth, “Can I, Mom?”
Ruth was hesitant. “I don’t know …”
Buck looked at her. “Ma’am, you’d be doing me a favor. I’m trying to develop a coaching practice, so I can spend more time at home with my wife, Dee, and if I can get your boy under sixteen seconds, well, the clients would be knocking down my door. It’d be a win-win for us both.”
Still uncertain, Ruth sighed. “I guess if you feel you’d benefit too …”
“Great!” Taylor boomed.
We all laughed.
Cody put out his hand to shake the boy’s. “Rematch soon?”
“Anytime, sir.”
I suggested, “Maybe we can try to set up a race with kids your age next time, although clearly you were ready to take on the big boys.”
“I’ll be there.” Taylor beamed. “Wearing the first place ribbon.”
All the men laughed again.
Right before Ruth and Taylor left, he leaned over, cupped my ear, and whispered to me, “Just so you know, ma’am, I saw Cody racing with the pros earlier, and with me he was pulling tighter on his reins, but it felt real good to be out there, so many thank yous. And I promise, I’ll get ’em next time.”
As they walked away, Wyatt glowed next to me and under his breath he whispered, “I don’t know who to be prouder of, the boy or my brother.” Then he said, “The boy knew Cody threw the race, didn’t he?”
I nodded, smiling.
Hours later, exhausted, I turned off the main road and followed the long dirt driveway up to Bev’s dad’s hunting cabin. It was dark. Breaking down the rodeo went quickly, but it went later than I expected. Wyatt stopped to grab us something to eat on the way here. I told him I would leave the door open for him, and I went straight to the shower. A day at the rodeo left you smelling like horses, and while horses were elegant and majestic creatures, they smelled like poop. I climbed into the little shower stall and let the warm water run over my skin. My muscles ached, the good kind of happy ache, the I-worked-hard-and-feel-proud-of-myself ache. I soaped myself from head to toe and then just stood there letting the water soothe me.
He didn’t ask before he joined me. He just did. I knew he came into the bathroom. He made enough noise to make sure I wasn’t startled, and then he was behind me, pressing the warmth of his skin into my back. I turned to face him. Because I was standing in the water, my eyes were closed, and I kept them that way, feeling him all around me as he bent forward and took my lips. We kissed slowly, languid and heavy, the warm water cascading all around us, the air filled with steam. I let myself feel all he was giving, and I knew these were different from the kisses he offered me before. These kisses were bare. There was no pretense, no barrier between us. He wasn’t fucking. He was loving.
17
Wyatt
There was no game left to play. I loved her. I loved Caroline with every breath. I loved her awkward and honest when she caught her first glimpse of me naked. I loved her brave and determined when she kissed me on the bleachers. I loved her focused and capable bringing my niece into the world. I loved her laughing and cheering on a pint-sized cowboy whose dreams she made happen. I loved her filthy and shaking with my cock inside her. And I couldn’t stop myself from telling her. It was gonna happen because the words were burning a hole in my brain.
When I walked into the house and heard the shower, I was drawn to her. I was so overwhelmed by my need to feel her skin against mine that I couldn’t even form words. Since I’d had her the first time, it felt like she was a part of me that I couldn’t quite hold on to, like I was only at peace when we were touching. I stripped down and stepped into the shower behind her. She welcomed me and rather than blurt out my feelings, I kissed her. I poured everything I was feeling into that kiss and she reciprocated. When the water went cold, I pulled her from the shower and proceeded to dry her from head to toe, every crevice, every curve.
“You’re dripping,” she said. “Let me help you, too.”
The offer, the tiniest reciprocation of my worship, was almost too much for me to bear. She grabbed a towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around my shoulders, but I didn’t have the restraint to let her do to me as I’d done to her. Quickly, I was kissing her again, pressing my need into her belly.
As she did, Caroline cut to the quick of it when she said, “I want you to make love to me.”
I picked her up, cradled her to my chest, and kissed her as I carried her into the bedroom. I sat down on the edge of the bed and she straddled my lap, her bent knees parallel to my hips. She ran her hands through my hair, touched my face. My eyes fluttered at her touch, desperate to close in response to the feeling of her fingertips on my scalp. But my brain fought back, unable to look away from her face. She shifted on my lap so that I was positioned at her center. I could see the questions in her eyes. What were we to each other? Did I want something more? Was it really possible that I loved her? Caroline wanted me. She wanted me to give myself to her. She wanted to know that the love she felt coming off me in waves wasn’t a mirage and I wanted to tell her. My heart pounding in my ears, I said, “It’s always been you.”
It was all she needed. She lifted her hips and drew me inside, sliding down the length of me until I was buried deep inside her. Caroline leaned back, her torso arching away from me, her breasts pointing toward the ceiling, and she moaned. “Oh God. I need you. It’s uncanny. I need you like water. Like I’m dying a little every minute you're not inside me.”