I smirk and shoot her a wink. “Sure thing, Doc.”
I catch the tail end of her eye roll as she turns back to Jude, speaking in a matter-of-fact way about ligament damage, splints, and painkillers.
Going on the road has been a hell of a lot more enjoyable since Winter took a position as a tour doctor. Sure, it means she’s constantly patching up a bunch of dumb bull riders, but all the guys adore her and her no-nonsense approach.
And I love having her and Vivi with me at every event. The entire crew is here in Vegas for the finals, which means Vivi is in the stands. The guys have almost taken her in as one of our own. She hangs out behind the scenes with a bunch of cowboys, so we’ve all but guaranteed she’s going to have a trucker mouth when she grows up. Not to mention a bunch of protective uncle figures.
I already feel bad for whatever boy comes sniffing around her.
I chuckle to myself as I walk down the long corridor, calm and collected, considering what I’m walking into.
The lights hit and the roar of the crowd gets louder the closer I get to the ring. Rhett is there waiting. I think he’s more nervous than me.
But I have a good feeling. I have the same feeling I had the night I met Winter.
A knowing. A gut instinct.
Tonight’s my night.
“Ready?” He claps me on the back as I approach the paneling.
“Yup.”
“You realize only one cowboy has sat this bull for the full eight?”
I laugh, because you have to be at least a little nuts to do this for a living. “About to be two.”
Rhett nods, his jaw popping. “So you’re going to—”
“Rhett.” I grip my friend’s shoulder. My mentor’s shoulder. “I could not have asked for a better coach. Thank you for all you’ve done. But…” I glance out into the stands and try to make sense of the feeling of familiarity that consumes me. “I just want to soak this up tonight.”
He nods, slaps my shoulder and steps away, giving me the space I need.
My routine passes in a daze. I get through all my steps. I don’t look around for Winter, because I know she’s here. I swear it’s like I could sense her approach. Without even seeing her, I know where she is, exactly which fence panel she likes to sit on and watch me.
Vivi is here. My mom. My friends. I swear my dad is here too.
And suddenly, this stadium feels an awful lot like home. Like every single person I care about is here to cheer me on. Like after years of doing my own thing I’m not alone at all anymore.
The ride is a montage of pictures that flicker through my vision. The rope. My hand. The gate. A buck. A turn. My mind is blank. All I see is that buckle I’m about to win.
All I know is that the thing I’ve sworn I was going to get since I was a boy is about to be mine.
All I know is that when I leap off that bull’s back and chuck my helmet up into the air, Winter is in my arms before it even hits the ground.
All I know is that this win is only important for a few moments. Because when Winter whispers in my ear, “Hope you’re ready to do this dad thing again, because there’s another Theo doppelg?nger on the way,” nothing is more important than us.
Need a little bit more Theo and Winter? Some extra banter and swoon? Click below to collect your bonus deleted scene!
Reckless Bonus Scene
Have you been dying to know more about Beau Eaton? Chestnut Springs most requested bachelor is up next. Keep reading for a sneak peek!
Pre-order Hopeless here
Have you read Rhett and Summer’s tension-filled romance? A bull rider and his agent’s daughter go on the road . . . and there’s only one bed. Start the series from the beginning!
Read Flawless today
Brazillian Stroganoff Recipe
Shared by Larissa Cambusano, whose family makes this recipe often
Ingredients:
? 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into very small pieces) ? 2 tbsp butter
? 1 tbsp olive oil ? 3 garlic cloves (minced) ? ? onion (diced) ? 3 tbsp ketchup
? 2 tbsp soy sauce ? 1 tbsp mustard
? 1 cup heavy cream ? Salt to taste (approx. ? tsp) ? 4 oz can of sliced mushrooms (optional) ? ? cup tomato sauce (optional)
Instructions:
1. Sprinkle salt over cubed chicken and set
aside.
2. In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Wait until hot and add chicken in a single layer. Don’t disturb until it starts to sear.
Push it all to one side when it begins to brown.
3. Add 1 tbsp of butter, the onion, and the garlic to the empty side. Sautee until translucent.
4. Add heavy cream, ketchup, mustard, soy
sauce, and mushrooms (if using.) Mix everything.
5. Check that chicken is done. If it’s not, lower heat, cover pan, and let it cook for a bit longer (until it’s no longer pink or a thermometer registers 165 F)
6. Once the chicken is cooked but still soft and moist (don’t overcook it or it will be hard and dry), turn off the heat and try it. Correct salt if necessary, and if you like it more acidic, add ? cup of tomato sauce.
7. Enjoy it over rice along with potato sticks.
Hopeless Sneak Peek
Early excerpt subject to change
Chapter One: Beau
I thought pissing my brother off and storming away would make me feel something.
I was wrong.
Even acting like a raging dick when I’m supposed to help a family friend move into their new house feels . . . bland.
As I walk down the main drag in Chestnut Springs, my fingers curl into my palms, nails digging against skin.
I don’t feel that either.
I only feel tired.
But not tired enough to sleep.
A train horn blares and I freeze in place. For years, I’ve covered the way loud noises startle me, but it’s different this time.
You’d expect me to choose either fight or flight, but these days I just brace.
Pause.
Wait for any emotion to hit. Fear, anxiety, disappointment.
But these days I feel nothing.
I pivot on the corner of Rosewood and Elm to watch the train puff past. Chugging along. Back and forth. Point A to point B. Load. Unload. Wait overnight. Start over again.
“I am a train,” I murmur, as I stare at the wheels crushing against the tracks.
A woman pushes a baby in a stroller past me and shoots me a confused look. Her expression changes to surprise when she recognizes me. I think we went to high school together, but that could be said about anyone in this town who was born within a few years of each other.
“Oh, Beau! Sorry, didn’t recognize you for a second there.”
Probably because I haven’t cut my hair in months.
I don’t remember her name, so I plaster on a smile. “Not to worry. I’m blocking the crosswalk, aren’t I? Here . . .” My arm stretches out to press the crossing button for her.
The woman I can’t remember shoots me a grateful grin, hefting a bag up on her shoulder while trying to keep hold of the stroller overflowing with an unnecessary amount of stuff. “Thanks! Nice to see you out and about. You had all of Chestnut Springs worried for a couple of weeks.”
My cheek twitches under the strain of keeping my mouth upturned. Yes, I was JTF2, Canada’s elite special ops force. Yes, I knowingly missed our transport out to save a prisoner of war. Yes, I was missing in action for weeks and was in rough shape when they found me.
I’m still in rough shape.
People love to talk about it.
You gave us quite a scare.
Try to catch your ride out next time, eh?
I bet you’re loving all this attention,
I know they all mean well, but the way they express their interest bugs me. Like my getting stuck in enemy territory on deployment has a single fucking thing to do with them. Like I scared people on purpose, or just casually decided not to pick up a phone.
“Gotta love the small-town support,” is what I say, because You thought you were worried? Try being me just makes people uncomfortable.
“Well, you’ve got it in spades,” she replies. With a kind nod, she turns and crosses the street.
I look away, not wanting to follow her but not knowing where I’m going either. The opposite direction, I think.
Which is when my eyes land on The Railspur, the best bar in Chestnut Springs.
It doesn’t matter the sky is blue, and the sun is out on a beautiful summer afternoon. It doesn’t matter that Rhett and other friends need my help with unloading furniture a couple of blocks away.
At this moment, the town bar looks like a damn good hole to hide in.
And a drink doesn’t sound too bad either.
#
“Gary, if you don’t slow down, I’m going to take your keys away.”