Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Come on,” she said as she pulled me to my phone. “Let’s see if there are any seats left on my flight home!”
Chapter Twenty
BLAYZE
I watched a cowboy climb onto the back of a bull. We were at the charity rodeo in the indoor area at the Kaci Shaw Community center. It always felt special to ride here, even though I had no memories of my biological mother.
Bradly was also riding tonight and had left to go grab his lucky charm or some other bullshit. I was itching to climb onto a bull. To feel that power under me and to just be lost, even it was only for eight seconds. After my phone call with Morgan two days ago, where I had to listen to her glowing description of Lord David, my mind had been in overdrive. I wrestled with the question of did I stay here and wait, or did I fly to England to tell Georgie how I felt? Obviously, I was still on this side of the pond because I had obligations.
Ty and Dirk were standing off to the side as they looked at the bulls being loaded into the chutes for the riders. The stands were full of people and noise, but when I glanced at the crowd, it felt like everything was so far away. Like I was in a fog watching it all happen, but I wasn’t a part of any of it.
The last two nights I’d hardly slept, and when I did finally fall asleep, my dreams were about Georgie. Some good, some not. I woke up around one this morning with sweat pouring off me after I dreamed she was getting married to Lord whatever his name was.
“Fuck,” I mumbled as I attempted to get my head straight. I needed to have a clear head before I climbed up onto my bull.
“Blayze?” a voice called out, pulling me from the spinning thoughts in my head.
The voice belonged to Uncle Ty, who had come up on my left. I saw Blake Hardy, the sheriff, standing there next to Ty.
“Blake, you guarding the place tonight?” I asked.
Laughing, he reached out and shook my hand. “Nah, here to watch. I also had some news that I thought you might like to hear regarding Lindsay and Lane.”
“If it’s good news, hit me with it.”
“Lindsay was served with her law suit for violating your NDA. And Lane has been charged with tax evasion. Seems he hasn’t been paying Uncle Sam.”
My mouth fell open. “No shit?” I asked.
“No shit.”
Ty smiled. “Karma is a bitch.”
“Amen to that,” Blake said. “You probably won’t see a dime out of her from the lawsuit.”
I waved that off. “I just wanted her held accountable. It was never about the money.”
Blake nodded. “Well, I wanted to let you know. Have a good ride and stay on!” He hit the side of my arm. “You’re not a young buck anymore.”
Ty and I both laughed. “Thanks, Blake. For everything.”
He tipped his hat. “No problem at all.”
Looking at Ty, I slowly shook my head. “Tax fraud?”
He laughed. “Are you surprised? I hope they throw the damn book at her.”
I pushed my hand through my hair. “So do I.”
“You okay?” Ty asked as he slapped my back. “You seemed a little off earlier.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He raised a brow and gave me a knowing look. “You still want to ride?”
I didn’t even have to think twice. “Yeah, I’m still going to ride.”
“Your head needs to be in the right place, Blayze. Is it?”
I forced a smile. “It will be. I’ll be fine, Uncle Ty. I promise.”
“Bradly’s up in a few. That’s also why we were looking for you.”
“I need to take care of one thing, and then I’ll be there.”
Ty gave me a weary nod, then turned and headed up the steps to the bucking chutes. I pulled out my cell phone and hit Georgie’s number. It went straight to voicemail.
I covered my ear so I could hear when the beep sounded to leave a message. The announcer was giving stats on the next rider.
“Hey, Georgie. It’s me, Blayze. Um, listen, I know I don’t deserve to even hear back from you, and I don’t want to do this over the phone. Can you call me back, Georgie? Please. I should have said it the moment I saw you open that hotel door, but I’m saying it now because if I were you I’d probably never talk to me again. I love you, Georgiana. I love you, and if you don’t feel the same way…”
My voice trailed off. I didn’t want to think about how I’d feel if she no longer wanted to be in my life. Hitting End, I closed my eyes and counted to ten before I ran up the steps.
The bucking chutes were always crazy. Stock contractors, friends, parents, and other bull riders either stood around and waited for their turn, or were helping the next rider up.