six days away.
He had to go. If he wanted to keep up his ranking, he had to compete.
Then he had to win the Finals.
Then he would retire.
This chain of events would shore up his career plan to be a TV announcer for the PBR events. He wanted to do special interviews with the riders and the stock contractors along with the sports medicine doctors, wives and fiancées and whoever else would be of interest to the fans.
He was approaching thirty, and bull riding was a sport for the young. Because he couldn’t picture his life without the PBR, announcing and commentating was the next best thing to riding.
He had to win the Finals and win the season to be seriously considered.
From Salmon Falls, Fort Lauderdale would be a twenty-four-hour, nonstop ride in his motor home. He could leave Thursday and be back here by Tuesday morning.
That’s just what he’d do.
He grabbed his hat from the top of the dresser and plunked it on his head. As he caught his reflection in the mirror, he realized that something was wrong with his plan.
Lisa and Rose. He had to think of them now.
That was a new twist for him. He had never had to think of anyone else before.
He’d enjoyed his first day alone with Lisa and Rose. He’d spent most of the morning trying to get the mower started and the rest of the day mowing the lawn, so it wasn’t much of a test. But so far, so good, in spite of the kitchen disaster.
This arrangement was going to be a snap.
He had to admit that he looked forward to seeing Lisa and Rose every day, and he just loved his outings with Rose. All the shop owners knew her by name, and she knew their names. The regulars at the Salmon Falls Diner looked forward to seeing her every morning, and she glowed from all the attention.
Rose was no shrinking violet.
Sully opened the door, grabbed the keys to Rick’s van off the dresser and went to find his two dinner dates.
An hour later, Sully was eating the best pizza he’d ever had. Rose was covered in it, and Lisa was dabbing at the girl’s face with a wet tissue.
“Can I play over there?” Rose asked sweetly, pointing. She looked enviously at the children playing in a ball pit inside a bright blue inflated castle.
Lisa looked over at the children yelling and laughing and hesitated. Turning to Sully, she said, “I’m afraid she’ll get hurt.”
“She’ll be fine,” he said. “What do you want to do? Go in there with her? Let the kid have some fun!”
“There’s a weight limit.” Lisa pointed to the sign by the mesh door of the inflatable. “I don’t think either of us would qualify.”
“I see you’ve thought of doing just that.” Sully chuckled. “There’s a worker stationed by the door watching the kids, and we can see Rose from here. Let her go.”
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“Lisa, let it go.”
Lisa nodded, then turned to Rose. “Be careful, sweetie.”
“I will.”
She scampered off, and Sully knew that it was a perfect time to talk to Lisa.
“I have to ride at the event in Fort Lauderdale this weekend,” he said, turning to catch a glimpse of Rose in the ball pit.
“She’s over there,” Lisa pointed, answering his unasked question. Lisa put down her slice of pizza and waved to Rose.
“Lisa, I have to go to Fort Lauderdale.”
Lisa dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “When would you fly out? Saturday? And you’d return on Sunday night?”
“I don’t fly. No way. In order for me to get on a plane, I’d have to be drunk and hog-tied. I like my boots on the ground.” He gave a thumbs-up to Rose.
Rose shouted, “Look at me jump, Aunt Lisa!” Rose did a belly flop into the bright balls. Lisa clapped and the little girl grinned.
When Rose turned to talk to a newly found friend, Lisa asked Sully, “Why don’t you fly, Mr. Adrenaline Rush Bull Rider?”
“I keep thinking of Newton’s law of gravity. Like, how do three or four tons of metal, glass and luggage take off and stay up in the sky?” Sully waved when he saw Rose looking at them.
“Do you want the technical answer to that?” Lisa asked.
“I wouldn’t believe you anyway.” He grinned. “That’s why I bought a motor home—so I can drive to events. I plan on leaving Thursday for Fort Lauderdale, and I’ll be back on Tuesday.”
“Are you asking me or telling me, Sully?” She clapped as Rose did a belly flop into the balls.
“I’m not used to asking anyone for permission, so I guess I’m telling you.” He laughed as Rose scrambled to stand and didn’t quite make it.
Lisa crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat back in her chair, looking at Sully for the first time since they’d started talking. “We knew this day would come, didn’t we?”
He nodded. “I’ll go to Florida, and in exchange I’ll let you fly somewhere.”
Lisa turned back to Rose. “You’ll let me fly? Let me?”
Sully shook his head. This wasn’t going right at all. “Did I put my boot in my mouth?”
“Try both boots.”
Sully pushed his hat back with a thumb. Most of the time Lisa reminded him of his second grade teacher, Mrs. Moth. The only thing she was missing was a ruler ready to crash down on his knuckles.
“You know what I’m trying to say, Lisa,” he said.
“Let me backtrack a moment, please.” She cleared her throat. “You stuck me with both sets of parents while you disappeared with Rose for most of the day every day of their visit. The rest of the time you hid in your motor home. I’m going stir-crazy.”
“Sorry about the stir-crazy part.” He nodded. “And you’re absolutely right. Sorry about abandoning you, but our mothers insisted on teaching you how to cook.”
“And both of our fathers enjoyed the spectacle,” she snapped.
He supposed he had unconsciously—or maybe consciously—stuck her with them all, but he’d had to get out of there. He was used to peace and quiet and solitude, for the most part.
When he was parked at one of the arenas and wanted company, all he had to do was walk out the door of his RV. Most of the other bull riders were there in their motor homes or truck campers, too. They’d all pitch in for potluck meals, and most
