I saw him nod. “You’ve been riding hard, dude. You okay?”
Turning to look at him, I frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
He shrugged. “Don’t seem like yourself, is all. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you turn away a pretty little cowgirl like you did last night.”
I smiled, but it was forced. “I wasn’t in the mood. Besides, I’m fucking tired.”
He laughed. “Tell me about it. My body is screaming for a break.”
All I did was nod.
“Good luck tonight, Dirk,” he said as he clapped me on the back. “Hey, give a shout out to my baby sister. She thinks she’s gonna marry you someday.”
This time, I laughed. “Good thing she’s only fourteen, and you don’t have to worry about that, dude.”
He waved his hand at me and kept walking.
Three hours later, I was standing in the back pens waiting for my round to ride and talking to Doug again. I glanced over to my right to see Loyd Webster heading my way. He worked for Wrangler, one of my major sponsors. Every now and then he would come out to the smaller events to check up on things.
I smiled, and when he didn’t return the smile, I instantly knew something was wrong.
He stepped in front of me, glancing at Doug then back to me. “Er, Dirk, is there any way we can speak?”
My pulse raced, and I glanced around him to look at the shoot full of bulls. “Loyd, I’m up in four bulls, can it wait?”
Nervously, he glanced between Doug and me again. He slowly shook his head. “Dirk, I don’t know how to tell you this, but Brock called me.”
In an instant, the air in my lungs rushed out. “Is he okay? Lincoln, the kids?”
He lifted his hands. “They’re fine. Dirk…it’s your father. There’s been an accident. I’ve got the helicopter waiting to take you home.”
The entire arena felt like it was closing in on me. “What happened?”
Doug put his hand on my shoulder. “Dirk, go, and ask questions on the helicopter.”
I nodded, suddenly feeling empty, like a part of me was gone. I followed Loyd, running once I got to the hallway to grab my bag and phone. I rushed out to the helicopter landing pad and ducked my head as I climbed up, Loyd following behind me. My heart was drumming in my ears, and I sat down and pulled my phone out of the bag.
Ten missed calls from my mother. Fifteen calls from Brock.
“Can you patch me through to Brock?” I asked into the mic that I wore around my head. Loyd nodded and then turned to the pilot.
Five minutes later, I heard Brock’s voice. “Dirk, are you on your way home?”
“Yes, what the hell is going on?”
Brock cleared his throat. “Your dad was out on the tractor this morning and had a heart attack. By the time anyone figured out what happened…”
I closed my eyes, feeling sick to my stomach. “Please don’t tell me this, Brock. Please don’t tell me he died.”
“He’s not dead, but he’s in a coma and weak. They’re not sure if he’ll make it through the night.”
I dropped my head back against the headrest and let my tears fall freely as I pulled the headphones off and tossed them to the side. I vaguely heard Loyd speak to Brock and give him an ETA of when we would be in Hamilton.
My father’s voice rushed to me. “Son, you have nothing to prove. Come home, take a break. You promised your mother.”
“Don’t die, Dad. Please, don’t die,” I whispered as I scrubbed my hands down my face and cried like I had never cried before.
Chapter Ten
MERIT
Earlier that day…
“What do you mean, you’re late?” Timberlynn asked as she stared at me.
Timberlynn and I had grown close over the last month and had bonded due to our mutual love of horses. She was in the process of training a gelding under saddle for me that I had bought for myself after I’d purchased my house.
I wrung my hands together as we stood in the barn at Timberlynn and Tanner’s place. They both lived on a piece of land that Tanner bought from his folks. It was beautiful, with a log home that sat at the edge of Crystal Lake, and was surrounded by the most stunning views of the mountains I had ever seen. When you stood on the deck and looked out over the lake, the mirror image of the mountains and blue sky took your breath away. It was seriously like heaven on Earth.
“My period—I’m late.”
“How late?” she asked as she ran a hand over the back of Milo, my gelding.
“A little over a week.”
Timberlynn chewed on her lip. “Test?”
I shook my head. “I’m too scared.”
“Have you told Dirk?”
I laughed, sounding nearly hysterical. “Tell Dirk? No! I mean, why would I tell Dirk?”