Page 111 of Someone to Hold

My stomach drops. “What?”

“My friend Sarah gave me a ride from the airport, and she said it’s the talk of the town. The rumor is Chase Calhoun will be making his comeback tonight. I thought you knew.”

I feel the blood drain from my face. Chase’s words about what the doctor told him play in my mind.I can’t handle another concussion.My heart starts racing as the pieces click into place. He’d been so certain about retiring, at least until his dad started goading him into getting back in the ring. And then our argument…

“This can’t happen again,” I whisper, more to myself than Linda.

“What is going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I have to go.” I’m already moving toward the door, panic clawing at my throat. “He’s being reckless, just like...”

The words stick in my throat, but I know Linda understands. She knows Teddy went out on the river that day after a fight with me. History can’t repeat itself. Not with Chase.

35

CHASE

Most fairgrounds soundand smell the same during an event. The scent of popcorn, funnel cake, and leather mix with the dusty aroma of animals in a way that’s both unique and as familiar to me as the smell of a mountain forest after a spring rain.

I remember the first time my dad brought me to a rodeo. I thought the lights, the crowd, and the cowboys with their buttoned-up shirts, tight jeans, and Stetsons were the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I still feel that way.

Unlike the little boy I was back then, the grown-up version of me no longer yearns to be a part of the spectacle. Telling myself—and other people—about my retirement…well, they were easy enough words to say. Still, I wasn’t sure how I really felt about them.

As soon as I stepped out of my truck tonight, I knew I made the right decision. I don’t need or want the adrenaline rush that climbing onto the back of a bull gave me for so long. The shadows that were chasing me, the darkness I was so sure would rise up from deep inside my soul and swallow me whole—those demons have no hold on me. Not when the future I want is so filledwith light.

It’s filled with Molly and the twins and what I want us to build together. Risking my heart is almost as scary as how I’ve risked my body all these years. But the reward on the other end is going to be worth it. I believe that with every ounce of my being.

If she’ll have me.

The young rider standing next to me fidgets and glances around the arena like he can’t believe this moment is real.

“Take a breath. You’ve got this. Trust your instincts and your training. You know what to do out there.” I incline my head toward the giant bull being loaded into the chute as memories come back to me in neon color. “Marvin knows what he’s doing, too. He comes out fluid about four seconds into the ride, then he’s going to switch things up on you. Anticipate it.”

“Yes, sir.” The kid, Christopher, swallows and nods. He’s nineteen years old, and this is his first year as a pro.

“You ready?” one of the handlers asks.

Christopher draws in a slow, steady breath. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

I clap the kid on the back. “You got this.”

He starts to move forward, then pauses and meets my gaze. “You think so?”

“Yep, but you’re the one who has to believe it.”

“I do,” he tells me.

“Then go get ’em.”

“Dropping those Chase Calhoun deep-thought dimes on the kid?” Ray asks as he slides in next to me.

“I told him to hold on.”

“Good advice.” My friend chuckles. “Especially when you know why you’re holding on.”

I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. “And when it’s time to let go.”

“I take it you’re letting go of this part of your life for real?”