Page 113 of Homebound

She squeals, playing with her fluffy longhorn. I pull Vi to my chest and point out to Dakota, who’s stretching off to the side of the dusty arena with the cowboys.

“You see her, baby?” I whisper into her ear. “That’s the kind of woman I want you to be one day. Strong. Fearless. Soft. Kind. I don’t care what you want to do with your life as long as you go after it with everything you’ve got. Take life by the horns, baby girl. Just like her.”

I plant kisses all over her flushed cheeks and she giggles in my arms. “Dada! Ma!”

Oh, do I love my little girl.

When I first held Vi, I was overwhelmed with the responsibility of being two role models rolled into one—a mom and a dad. I wanted to be everything she needed, but I think Dakota’s right. Just being there when she needs me is enough. I tried so hard to be everything for her that I ended up giving too much of myself away. Now, being back here, I feel like I’ve finally found a part of myself again.

“I told you to give me some space, Boone!” Dakota’s shout pierces the air from the distant arena. My eyes snap to them, catching Boone and Dakota locked in a heated argument, faces inches apart. He grabs her arm roughly, way too rough, dragging her toward the animal trailers and out of sight.

Oh, fuck no.

I jump up from the stands.

“Can you watch Vi for a minute?” I hammer out to my mom, heart pounding. “I need to go check on Dakota.”

“Of course, sweetie.”

I’m on my feet a second later, heading straight for her.

46

HELL NO

DAKOTA

“Itold you I don’t want to talk, Boone,” I shout, my voice echoing off the metal grates of the animal stalls at the rodeo.

Ever since I found out I’d be riding Diablo, I’ve been a nervous wreck. It’s making me more jittery than normal, and I need to settle down. My cuticles are bleeding I’ve been picking at them so much, and I just need my summer boy.

“All I’m asking for is dinner. I just want to explain.” Boone’s voice is pleading, but I can see the stubborn set of his jaw.

“I wouldn’t even go through a drive-thru with you,” I snap back, folding my arms across my leather vest. The words come out sharp and satisfying.

Hell yeah. That was a decent comeback.

His ocean eyes narrow, a rogue black curl tumbling across his forehead. He doesn’t brush it out of the way, almost like he knows it makes him look a tad dangerous. “Can we please just talk?”

There’s a desperate edge to his voice that has me curiously nibbling my bottom lip, debating. Arguing is only going to draw this out longer, and I need to prepare for my ride, so with a huff, I lean against a hay bale. “Fine. Whatever you want to say, just say it.”

Boone’s eyes flash with something like regret. “Damn,” he mutters, that muscle twitching in his cheek again. “You sure know how to kick a man when he’s down, Cowboy Killer.”

Irritation burns in my cheeks, and my fuse snaps. Boone and I used to argue all the time, and it seems like we’re falling right back into that old habit. He made me question everything about myself, and now he has the audacity to put this back on me?

“Did those words actually come out of your mouth?” I demand. “You’re the one who kicked me when I was down when you said I couldn’t do this. You’re the one who made me question everything about myself. I’ve spent the better part of this whole year trying to pick myself back up, and it wasn’t until Wyatt came back that I started believing in myself again.”

I expect him to bite back like always, but instead, he looks down at his boots, avoiding my gaze. He seems a little guilty for once, and that has my shoulders slumping, regret prickling.

He pulls out a toothpick from his jean pocket and sticks it between his lips before sucking in a deep breath. “I know. I never should’ve said what I said in the interview or treated you that way. It kills me, and I’m so damn sorry. And I miss you. Miss us. That’s all I wanted to say.”

I rear back in absolute shock.

He did it. He actually apologized, but I’m not letting him off the hook just yet. “Then why did you do it?”

Boone scrapes a hand through his black hair, a gesture I’ve seen a thousand times and don’t want to see again. “I was in love with you, and you broke my heart, Kodie. I was so angry after that. I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me, so I said something that I knew would hit you hard, but it was a mistake. You’ve got everything it takes to make it, and all I wanted to say was that I’m sorry.”

“That’s not a good reason,” I say. “You don’t just spew bullshit about people ’cause you’re angry. You come to me, and we talk it out.”