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JAMIE

I’m piling two thick slices of sourdough bread high with the works when my dad walks into the kitchen.

He gives me a nod and eyes my sandwich without a word.

Pulling down a plate from the cabinet, I slide it across the kitchen island toward him.

We make mostly matching sandwiches, although his triple-decker concoction is a lot heavier on the onion and mayo, reminding me that although I’m a lot like my dad, I’m not exactly like him.

That’s something I wish he could understand.

“You slept late. I thought we could get some work done,” my dad says gruffly, slathering his top slice of bread with even more of the gooey white condiment.

By work, he means riding. Training. I was in kindergarten the first time he had me mutton busting. I can still smell the sheep’s wool as I clung to its back while it bucked. It was nothing like being on the back of a bull, but it’s how a lot of us got started so young.

All these years later, there are still times when I’d much rather be on the back of a wooly sheep than climbing up on a pissed-off beast weighing a literal ton or more.

I could never tell the old man that. It would break his heart.

Break apart our relationship, which hasn’t always been the steadiest, especially since we lost Mom.

No matter how much I sometimes wish there was another way for me to go than following in his footsteps, I also know that I’m probably never going to hurt him that way. I’m not even sure what else I’d do with my life if it wasn’t bull riding. It’s kind of all I’ve ever been good at.

“I was out late last night with Oakley.” There’s no point in lying about it. “It’s her birthday.”

As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I can’t stop myself from grinning like a rodeo clown. Thinking about my honey-haired angel and her gorgeous hazel eyes, there’s no hiding that smile.

My dad pauses in making his sandwich.

“You know how I feel about you dating David Montgomery’s kid,” he says.

Slicing my sandwich into halves on the diagonal, I take my plate to the scarred wooden table by the windows and plop down in the seat that’s been mine since I was a kid. My slight hard-on is hidden from view as I attempt to control myself before I make an ass out of myself in front of my dad.

After a moment, my dad slides into the chair he always uses. It’s hard to miss the feeling of his eyes boring into the top of my skull as I try to pretend to be very interested in the food on my plate.

This is how it always is when he wants to discuss something.

When I finally look up at him, he’s giving me a dead stare while slowly chewing his food, letting me know that the conversation is far from over. “I’ve known her forever and she’s my girl. She’s been my girl for the past three years, Dad. That’s not going to change, so drop it, please.”

Which I know is exactly what he doesn’t want to hear.

“Watch your smart mouth,” my dad replies, his eyes narrowing, reminding me of who I’m talking to.

He takes a huge bite, chews, and swallows before adding, “You know I want you to start working the circuit. You’re not going to have time for canoodling with some girl. Besides, isn’t she supposed to be heading off to some fancy-pants school in New York somewhere?”

My sandwich tastes sour at the reminder that Oakley hasn’t told me for sure whether or not she’s made up her mind about NYU. Yeah, I know that it’s her future and that it makes sense for her to take the chances she’s been given. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“You’ll be on the road six months out of nine. She’ll be far away and making new friends, having new experiences,” my dad continues calmly like he’s doing me a favor.

I frown. “Look, Dad, just because you and Mr. Montgomery had some kind of disagreement?—”

“Disagreement?” My dad sputters. “I can’t stand the guy. After what he did? The very sound of his name turns my damned guts.”

Everyone knows about the rivalry between my dad and Oakley’s dad, David Montgomery, but I’ve honestly never heard the whole story about why they had a falling out in the first place.

Mr. Montgomery’s always been standoffish to me, probably because he doesn’t want his daughter dating me any more than my dad wants me to date her.

But Oakley’s father has never been nasty to me, and he’s never said a bad word about my dad to my face.

“What the heck happened between the two of you, anyway? I thought you used to be best buds.”

“Never you mind about that,” he finally replies. “Just know that I’m only looking out for you, son. I don’t want to see you get your heart all tangled up with someone who’s never going to be with you in the long run. Your heart, or your prick.”

Heat flushes through me at his crude words.

My dad gave me the sex talk a long time ago, and so I’ve always figured he assumed that Oakley and I were fooling around.

He has no idea that only hours ago, we had sex for the first time.

Not that I’ll tell him that, but hearing him try to make what we shared into something so basic has me gritting my teeth.

Dad catches my eye. His brows raise slightly as he wipes a blob of mayo from the corner of his mouth with a napkin, then settles back in his chair. “I don’t think I need to tell you how stupid it would be for you to get yourself caught by some girl. Do I?”

Fucking hell.

“Caught?” I reply with a scowl as I stand, taking my sandwich to the trash. The further we get into this conversation, the more pissed I’m becoming. He doesn’t even fucking know Oakley, let alone know the real me.

“Yeah, caught,” he snaps, his voice raising an octave. “You know what I mean. You’re too young to be a daddy, and there’s no way David Montgomery would ever let you marry his precious little princess.”

My fists clench at my side for a moment before I force myself to loosen them.

I love my dad, but I wish he’d stop banging on about how unlikely it is that me and Oakley are going to end up together.

I’m already twisting and turning with doubts about it, no matter how much she tells me she loves me and wants to be with me.

“I don’t need you to tell me that, Dad,” I finally reply as I turn on my heel, prepared to leave the kitchen and the conversation. His voice stops me in the doorway.

“Did you tell her that you’re going to start traveling? The rodeo circuit season starts next month and there are some big bulls with your name on them.”

Slowly, I turn to face him, trying to keep my voice calm so I don’t give away the strength of my emotions. “I haven’t said anything to her yet. I was waiting…”

“For what?” Dad replies with judgmental curiosity in his tone. “The longer you wait to tell her that you’re hitting the road, the harder it’s going to be. Women don’t like it when you spring things like that on them, Jamie.”

“Don’t make it sound like you care about Oakley’s feelings.”

Shaking his head, he pushes his plate away from him. “I don’t care about the girl, son. But I do care about you. You’ve been putting a lot of work into this career. I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah,” I interrupt. “I know. You’re counting on me to win. To make you proud. I get it, Dad. You’ve been telling me that forever.”

“You have to get your stats up, son. Take your licks, get your rides in, and qualify for the big competitions. You don’t get to the real prize purses without that work.

And you’ve been slacking off.” Dad says this quietly, but with firm resolve, so I know he’s not messing around.

“Not to mention that if you’re not on the top of your game, you’re way more likely to get hurt. ”

I swallow the lump in my throat that feels like a stone wrapped in barbed wire. “I could get hurt no matter how much I train. And I might never qualify for the World Finals.”

My dad shakes his head, stabbing his finger at me. “Hush that talk. You’ll qualify. You’re strong. You’re good, you’ve got good genes. You have what it takes, Jamie, if you’d only just buckle down and give it your all. It’s a lot of money, son.”

I know he’s right. The circuit pays enough to live on if you’re lucky, but it’s the competitions where you can really make bank.

Prize purses can range into the millions.

That kind of money would go a long way to the future I’m planning for me and Oakley.

I’m not a hundred percent sure what that all might be, but I know I want to provide for her.

“It’s her birthday. I didn’t want to ruin it by talking about this with her. She has a big party later tonight. I’ll talk with her about all of this tomorrow.”

“You should do yourself, and her, a favor and just break it off with her. Make it a clean break. She’s going away, you’re starting your career.

It’s what people do when they graduate from high school anyway, son.

She probably won’t even really be too surprised.

” He sounds so convinced of this that, for a second or two, all I can do is stare at him.

“I love Oakley Montgomery, Dad,” I reply, shaking my head, “and she loves me.”

“What do either one of you know about love?” My dad shoots back in a rough-edged voice full of disdain. “Not a damned thing, that’s what. You think you know what love is? It’s commitment. It’s family. It’s?—”

“That’s what I have with Oakley! What we do have, and what we will have! I love her, and she loves me, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

Sitting back in his chair again, he eyes me steadily. “Yeah? And will she keep on loving you when you don’t have a pot to piss in?”

I grit my teeth but don’t say a word.

“You’re too sentimental, son. Just like your mother was.” My dad shakes his head like he’s ashamed.

I’m angry, sad, and embarrassed, but mostly angry.

At him. But also at myself because, deep down, I can’t stop myself from believing that my dad is right.

Oakley says she loves me, but the truth is, if I can’t find a way to make a success out of myself, how long would she possibly stay with a loser?

She’s a Montgomery. Dad might hate them, but to everyone else, they’re the golden family in Skyview Falls. The ones we all look up to and envy. When I was younger, I thought they were like something out of a movie, rich and powerful. My opinion hasn’t changed much.

I can’t keep this a secret from her forever. I’m going to have to leave for the circuit before she heads off to school…and she has to go to school. I can’t be the one to hold her back from her opportunities just because my only path ahead is a bull rider with Walker Rodeo.

Oakley deserves so much better than that.

She deserves a man who can protect and provide for her, to keep her in the lifestyle she’s used to. Professional bull riding is my shot at real success, and some real good money, too.

A heavy breath leaves me as I let my dad’s words sink in. No matter how I might feel about everything, I can’t deny the truth in front of me.

I’m going to have to move forward with everything, even if it means Oakley won’t be happy about it. I can only hope I won’t lose her in the process.