Page 7 of Riding Jamie

I chuckle as I watch him dash off to tuck his arm around my aunt’s waist, slipping into the role of the perfectly buttoned-up-socialite husband without a second of hesitation.

“Well,” I say, turning back to Shane with a grin, “I’m glad I won’t be fumbling my way through all this alone. Have you been interning at Branson for long?”

He shakes his head and takes a sip of his punch before answering me, glancing back at Ricky.

“This is my first year, too, actually,” he tells me, his eyes shifting down toward his feet even as he grins proudly. “I didn’t expect him to take me on, but I’m really excited to get a start. I’m going to NYU for business, and I really want to get my foot in the door with him.”

“Oh, I’m going to NYU, too,” I say, glad for some common ground.

“Well, if I’m lucky, maybe we’ll have some classes together,” he chuckles.

I find myself laughing again, easy and casual. It still feels weird, knowing that I’m really in a new place and making new friends, but it’s less jarring than I expected it to be. He keeps the conversation going seamlessly even when my own thoughts wander, and I realize that the feeling of claustrophobia has passed a bit.

“Maybe, if I’m even luckier,” he says slowly, “you’ll dance with me?”

Oh.

I instinctively start to say no, a million excuses rising to my mind, but he’s just…waiting. He’s not being pushy, and he’s not getting any closer to me. He’s just holding his hand out casually. It feels like he’s really justasking, like there’s no expectation behind it, even if I can see the blatant hope in his eyes. I wrestle with my guilt for a second, trying to decide what to say.

Part of me doesn’t want to lead him on, to say yes and give him the wrong idea. But a larger part of me wants to say no because of Jamie, and as soon as the realization crosses my mind, I make my decision.

Jamie cheated on me. He dumped me for the rodeo circuit without a second thought, and he’s well and thoroughly proved that he doesn’t give a shit about me anymore, if he ever did.

Jamie and I are through.

I’m in New York. I’m a free woman now, even if I’m not used to thinking of myself like that. I can say yes to a dance if I damn well want to.

And Shane isn’t pushing. He’s just waiting patiently, smiling softly at me. At most, I’m sharing a dance with a new coworker and—maybe—a new friend. I take a deep breath, pasting on a smile that I hope is convincing enough. After all, my hesitance has nothing to do with Shane.

“Sure,” I breathe out, placing my hand in his, “why not?”

It feels like a first step forward, away from my past.

I guess the only way to see what happens is to do it. I place my empty cup down on the table and let Shane lead me out into the crowd.

Chapter Four

JAMIE

“Pay attention, Jamie!”my dad shouts.

Doesn't help much when he yells as I'm sent flying, landing hard on my shoulder in the sand and then rolling to my feet. I dash toward the barricade and pull myself over as the bull gains on me. I barely make it before the thing crashes into the metal barricade, huffing furiously behind me.

It's been two months of training, being distracted, and getting yelled at by my dad, which only serves to distract me further.

Two months without Oakley.

“You're lucky he's one of the calmer ones or he'd have had you,” my dad scoffs as he walks over to where I'm panting. “You need to get your seat, kid. If this were Poor Boy or Code Blue, you’d be dead.”

He reaches out to put his hand on my shoulder, but I straighten and move away before he can touch me. We’ve been on rocky terms with each other lately, and the way he watches over my shoulder while I train isn't helping. I'll admit that I'm doing a fine job of distracting myself all on my own, but hisshouts of annoyance—sorry,advice—definitely make it harder to focus.

“I know,” I grunt, rolling my shoulders in an attempt to get rid of the ache. “I'm working on it.”

“Listen, if you can't get your dismounts down, you're not going to be of any use to me in the ring.” He sighs, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at me down his nose. “I'm not putting you in there if you're just going to get yourself killed.”

I didn't ask you to put me in the ring in the first place.

I bite back the snarky comment with a twitch of my jaw, breathing heavily as I stare at the wall in front of me.

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