She forced her thoughts to the back of her mind. This was all purely speculation. Not everyone who had unprotected sex got pregnant. Couples all over the world spent all kinds of time and money trying to get pregnant. Chances were good that nothing would happen. What were the statistics? Like eleven percent chance of pregnancy from one unprotected encounter? Still pretty good odds. And the condom might have ripped when Chad took it off.
There, she felt better. Nothing to worry about. At least not yet.
For now, she had a rodeo queen competition to win.
“Angie!” she called.
Her sister arrived, breathless. “Yeah? I was just on my way out.”
“I’m entering the rodeo queen thing.”
“You?”
“Yeah, me. What’s your problem?”
Angie, who was Chad’s age, had been crowned rodeo queen fourteen years earlier, at the ripe age of eighteen. Bakersville’s youngest rodeo queen ever.
“Aren’t you too old?”
“Nope. Not too old. And you’re gonna help me win.”
“If this is just a ploy to get Chad McCray to notice you, I want no part of it.”
Damn. Was she that transparent?
“I can ride circles around you, and you won.”
“There’s more to it than just riding, and you know it. You’ll need to dress the part. You’ll actually have to wear makeup, little tomboy.”
“I wore make up last night, didn’t I?”
“Barely.”
“Just ’cause I don’t apply it with a putty knife—”
“Uh, little sis, if you want my help, I’d stop with the insults.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Catie nodded. “You’re right. Okay.” She grinned. “You have to help me, Angie. I need you. I intend to win this stupid thing.”
“That’s just my point, Catie. If you think it’s a stupid thing, you have no business entering.”
“You’re right,” Catie agreed. “It’s worthy, actually. It showcases the equestrian talents of Bakersville’s young women, right?”
“Yes, among other things.”
“Like?”
“Poise, intelligence, beauty, to name a few.”
“I’ve got those.”
“I’ll give you beauty and intelligence, Cate, but poise? Sweetie, you trip over your own two feet.”
Catie cringed. She hadn’t thought of her perpetual clumsiness. “Well, I’ll have to get over that, won’t I? Besides, no one can beat me on horseback. Isn’t that most of what this competition is about?”
“Don’t kid yourself, sweetie. It’s a beauty contest, pure and simple.”
“No. No, it’s not. I mean, the McCray brothers are judging it. Two of them are married. What interest would they have in a beauty contest?”