Chapter 41 Riley

CHAPTER 41

Riley

I PULL A Caleb and doze off during our trek across the plains. Exhaustion from the past few days has finally caught up with me and the gentle rocking of the wagon lulls me off to a deep sleep. Mom rouses me when we reach our campsite for the night.

"Riley, sweetie. We're here."

It's hard to pry my eyes open, but when I do, I find Mom standing beside me, studying me. "Maybe we should've taken a van back to Darby," she says, running her hand over my forehead as if she expects me to be running a fever.

"I'm fine, Mom. Just tired." My mouth is cottony. "And thirsty." I scoot to my backpack, pull out my water bottle, and take a long swig.

She nods. "Let's get your tent set up so you can tuck in early."

I'd rather sleep out under the stars, with a roaring fire to keep me cozy and Colton to keep me company. Warmth creeps into my face at the memory of his arms tucked around me as we kissed in the midnight blue darkness last night.

Mom presses her hand to my forehead once more. "You do feel a little hot…"

And a whole lot bothered, but there's nothing medically wrong with me, I'm sure of it. What I have is a bad case of Colton Walker and only he can cure it.

"I'm sure it's just from the nap and riding under this thick canvas cover. Not a lot of airflow in here," I say, wishing I could splash a little water on my face to cool it down.

Caleb pokes his head back into the wagon. "You two coming? Dad's got our tents and stuff."

The air outside is cool and refreshing. The breeze instantly blows away what's left of my post-nap grogginess. I glance around, hoping to spot Colton, but he must be off doing something work related.

Mom and Dad insist on helping us pitch our tent, but Caleb and I end up doing most of the work since they still haven't quite got the hang of the process. Then they cajole us into helping them set up theirs. By the time the Thomas family's rustic overnight accommodations are set, Wild Wanda rings the dinner bell.

We meander to the cook fire with the rest of the passengers and form a snaking line. Any lingering doubt that Caleb's buddies were behind the stampede are quickly put to rest when I spy them whispering and staring at me. When I catch them gawking, they look away quickly, trying their best to appear innocent.

"Your friends are punks," I whisper to him.

"I know," he says with a shrug.

I grab a tin plate and cutlery and step up to get my helping of dinner. Wild Wanda grins at me. "Good to see you lookin' no worse for wear, honey." Wild Wanda slaps a giant helping of barbecue beans and a pork chop down on my plate, and uses tongs to deposit a biscuit beside them. "I ain't never seen them get all riled up like that in all my years out here. But as my pa use'n to say, ‘You can take a bull by the horns, but a bison'll take you by the horns.' I'm mighty glad you an' Colton made it out of that stampede unscathed. Now go on and eat while the food's still hot."

"Thanks," I say.

I step aside for the next person in line and look around for Colton once more.

There's definitely a spark between us. But what kind of spark is it? Is it the kind of electric spark that's always there every time you flip the switch, strong and steady and constant? Or is it more like the kind of spark you get when you smash two rocks together, quick and fleeting and only obtained under pressure? I wonder if things will feel different between us now that the shock has worn off and we've spent some time apart. Plus, we still need to talk.

I'm sure my dinner tastes better than my lip, but here I am, chewing on it. As I make my way over to my parents, someone calls, "Riley, hold up a sec."

Automatically, I stop and turn. "Jake."

"Hey," he says, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. "Yesterday was wild, am I right?"

I nod, my eyebrow lifting as I wait for him to get to the point.

"When we saw those bison heading for you, man, I just couldn't believe it. Colton took off toward you without a second thought." He swallows and glances away with a grimace. "I, uh, don't have the guts to do what he did. Stampedes are…" Jake shudders. "Colton really cares about you. He risked his neck for you. I know I give him crap and all, but he's a good guy. So just, be careful with his heart, okay?"

Jake's the last person I would have expected to go to bat for Colton. But it also helps dispel any lingering doubts about Colton's true feelings for me. Obviously, they're strong enough and clear enough to make even the most seasoned and persistent player step aside. I definitely need to tell him that I'm moving to Nebraska.

I nod. "I really care about him, too. Do you happen to know where he is? I haven't seen him since we got back to Fort Bellows."

Jake reaches up and scratches the back of his neck. "Didn't you hear? Chance has a muscle strain from all that rescue riding, so Colton's got to take him back to Darby in a trailer."

My heart plummets. "Oh my god. Is Chance going to be okay?" With all my preoccupation with Colton, I hadn't even thought about how Chance might be doing. Knowing that he might have gotten injured while rescuing me eats away at my insides.

"I didn't catch all the details, but stuff like that is usually minor. Chance is a young, healthy horse and they have a good area out at their farm where he can recuperate. I'm sure he'll be riding through stampedes again in no time." He offers a reassuring smile. "Colton wouldn't want to leave his horse, though. I'm sure he stayed back at Fort Bellows to arrange everything."

I can't blame him. Even if the injury is only minor, I'm sure Colton's worried. Hell, I barely know Chance and I'm worried.

And disappointed. I was looking forward to a few more days…a few more nights…a few more stolen kisses with Colton. Maybe I should have stayed back at the fort to catch a van ride back. At least that way, I'd be with Colton now, able to lend him some moral support.

Even though my heart aches, I force myself to smile. "Thanks for letting me know."

Jake nods. "I'll see you around, Riley."

"See you around, Jake," I say, and then turn back to my parents with my now-lukewarm dinner. Without Colton by my side, it's going to be a long, lonely trip back to Darby.