Page 17 of Live for Me

But it was also bat shit crazy, and the look Mason had in his eyes scared the ever living fuck out of me.

“Don’t even think about it,” I mumbled, reaching for my soda.

Mason tore his eyes away from the bull, looking at me with his wild gray eyes. “Think about what?” he asked innocently. “Jigs has been helping me.”

“My dad is the last person who should be helping you ride bulls,” I deadpanned. Before I was born, my pop rode bulls. He stopped due to him getting injured. A year later, he’d met my mother according to the stories.

Mason rolled his eyes and tossed some popcorn in his mouth. “I wouldn't have brought you with me if I knew all I’d get was a lecture,” he mumbled.

“I didn’t come here for you, asshole,” I shot back, putting my forearms on my knees and scanning the crowd for her.

“She’s by the trailers,” Mason said through a mouth full of popcorn.

I looked back to him. “Who?”

He shot me look, his eyes reminding me of his brother’s underneath his new cowboy hat. “Don’t play dumb with me, Beau.” He jerked his head to the trailers. “Abbie is over there, talking with some man.”

My skin tightened, and unease settled over me. “A man?”

“Yeah, I think it’s her dad.”

“She doesn’t have a dad,” I bit off, shooting up from my seat. “I’ll be back.”

Mason waved me off, his attention on the next bull rider.

I made my way down the bleachers, passing by the locals, tipping my hat to them when they acknowledged me.

“Hey, Beau.”

“How are you doing tonight, Son?”

“Saw your pop at the hardware store the other day.”

“You getting a job at Hallow Ranch like your dad?”

Greetings and questions surrounded me as I weaved through the small crowd. Hayden was my home, and normally, I loved my small town and the ranch Pop worked on. Right now, though? It was pissing me off. I needed to find Abbie, needed to make sure she was okay. So, by the time, I got to Billy, one of my father’s friends, I’d had enough.

The old man smiled at me, carrying his beer in on hand, his popcorn tucked into his arm. “Hey, Beau. How are ya?”

He blocked my path and I could feel my blood boiling, looking around him and spotting a flash of pink.

Pink.

Abbie had worn a pink skirt to school today.

“I’m doing great, Billy. If you’ll excuse me—”

“Now just hold on there a minute, son,” he said, chuckling as I tried to walk around him. “What’s the rush?”

I looked at the man, knowing I couldn’t tell him about Abbie.

The thing about Abbie was, she was the black sheep of Hayden. None of the adults cared for her or liked her. I thought it was absolute bullshit, considering she didn’t do anything wrong. Her piece of shit mother, on the other hand…

My father raised me to treat everyone—especially women--with respect, but there was some days I wanted to kill that fucking woman for what she put Abbie through.

“I ran into John and Jigs the other day. And, believe it or not, your father said you wanted to work at Hallow Ranch. Be a ranch hand,” Billy said, putting his hand on my shoulder. I tensed, my hands balling into fists at my sides. I knew what was coming. From the other side of the bleachers, the crowd roared as the next rider was announced—a hot shot from Dallas, Texas. “My thing is, you know, my boy, Ricky, wanted a job at Hallow Ranch when he graduated from high school. I’m sure you remember him.”

Everyone in this town knew Ricky. He was a fucking jackass. John Langston didn’t want him working at the ranch for many reasons, but the main one being, he was a jackass, just like his father.

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