Page 55 of Cherry Tree Ranch

Then the door handle rattles. Keys jangle, and our heads jerk towards the door. Cash’s pinky brushes against mine and he squeezes my hand as if to tell me I’m safe. He uses his other hand to hold the door closed.

“Hey, I’m getting more sauce.” Cash’s voice cracks. “Need something while I’m in here?”

The person on the other side of the door mumbles, “Get a sack of flour too.”

Cash widens his eyes. “Will do.”

“Everything OK in there?”

I cover my mouth with both hands.

“Yep!” Cash blurts.

“OK, thanks, man.” The footsteps plod heavily away.

“That was the owner,” Cash whispers.

“The way your voice cracked…” I say, the tension collapsing into giddiness, regardless of how confused I am with him.

We both almost die in a fit of silent laughter, before I regain my composure. “I’ve really got to get back, Cash.” I hike a thumb over my shoulder, remembering that I still have to pee.

“I’m sorry for getting you into this mess.” His eyes are soft, and he swallows hard as he lets me back out into the hallway. “But I’m not sorry for how I feel.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

The metal bleachers offer a blistering burn even with jeans on as I sit down. Last night, Wyatt told me he had fun and would like to take me out again soon. He offered to drive me all the way home, but I asked Mom to pick me up at the bottom instead. I told her just about everything – mostly how infuriated and confused I am with Cash. I told her about the two cherries he put in my lavender lemonade, and how he explained his sponsorship deal. She simply told me to trust my heart. I’m pretty sure she likes Cash and didn’t want to say something to sway me.

I told Lani every detail. Wyatt kissing me, what Cash said to me in the closet, and how he looked when he saw Wyatt and me together. How, even though Wyatt kissed me, twice, it was when Cash squeezed my hand that felt the most intimate.

“Do you definitely believe him? That he and Kaylee are not really together?” Lani asked carefully. “Because they just posted about how you can meet them together at the rodeo at their sponsor’s booth. And, Dahlia? There’s another one of them kissing and making a heart near the camera with their hands.”

My stomach twisted at that, and more doubt swirled. If their relationship is actually over like he says, why was Kaylee so angry when she saw me getting into Cash’s truck? And, even if it is an act, does that change anything? Why should I be made to sit around in his waiting room? “I guess I don’t know what to believe.”

“Will you go out with Wyatt again?”

“Probably?” I said.

Now I’m here in the stands, waiting. No one knows I came to watch Cash ride – not my mom or Emery, not Lani, and definitely not Cash. They all think I’m at the Young Producers competition, which starts in an hour, but everything’s already set up. I won’t know until after the judging today how the public tasting went yesterday. They’re keeping it all under wraps.

Cash’s event starts after the barrel racing. I watch, but don’t watch, as I rehearse my pitch for the competition in my mind. The first rider comes blazing into the arena. They whip round the first two barrels, the horse leaning so hard it’s a miracle it doesn’t slip. At the third barrel, the woman’s toe catches and the barrel teeters but doesn’t fall. Finally, they run at breakneck speed out of the arena.

The riders keep coming, one after the other, and with such a quick turnaround it’s almost as if they are doing a relay. But my mind isn’t here. All of a sudden, I’m remembering the dream I had in the hospital. The images of me on the white horse are easy to slip back into. I feel the bronc rein in my hand, my feet pushed deep in the stirrups, the sweat seeping down my back. My head is suddenly heavy, like I’ve stood up too fast.

Steer wrestling is the next event. Boasting large men galloping next to a running steer and throwing themselves off their horse to grab the animal by the horns. There’s nothing like jumping on an animal that can gore you. I shake my head, thinking that the image of me on a bucking bronc feels just as wild. But Dottie and Daisy did it.

I squint when I see Cash’s unmistakable green and blue chaps behind the bucking chutes. I hop down from the bleachers and weave my way through folks holding popcorn bags, beer and cotton candy. As I get to the lowest row, I accidentally step on a finger that moves out in front of my foot.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, looking down, and I put a hand over my mouth when I see who it belongs to.

The girl glares up from under her black cowgirl hat. It has a red, sparkly hat band, matching the anger behind her eyes. Under it, her thick, perfectly straight blonde hair hangs all the way down to her waist. Of course, it’s Kaylee.

“Watch where you’re goin’,” she spits, clearly recognizing me.

I say sorry again, but she just turns back to the guy sitting next to her, who looks completely mesmerized. It’s no surprise; she’s stunning and talented. On my way round the corner of the bleachers, I glance back at them once more, and Kaylee eyes me darkly from under the brim of her hat.

Shaking off her cold stare, I weave round the outside of the stands and peer through a sea of cowboys, cowgirls, rodeo clowns and horses. The announcer’s voice blares through the loudspeaker on the pole above me, giving us some details on the first rider and their bronc. I jump up and down to try to see over everyone, but then the sea of people parts just enough as they jam themselves against the rails of the arena.

Cash is standing in the void, stretching his neck and rubbing his knuckles. He must be nervous. I know how much this means to him. There’s so much pressure on him to perform, not only to clinch a spot in the finals, but to keep his sponsor. Lani’s voice in my head tells me I shouldn’t care, but I can’t deny it: I do.