Kim, the CBS reporter, was right there, ready to interview me. “Brock, that was an impressive ride. Looks like Tiny Devil got one last shot in as you were getting off.”
“Yeah, he knocked the wind out of me some, but I’m all right. He’s a good bull. I’m happy with the ride.”
“And so you should be. So, there you have it from our still top-of-the-points leader, Brock Shaw. Out to you, Bill.”
The camera went off, and Kim reached for my arm. “Off the record, who’s the pretty brunette you kissed?”
I grinned and said nothing, making Kim give me a look that said she was disappointed but totally got it.
When it was all said and done, I won Billings and kept my number one ranking. Dirk was in fourth and 470 points behind me.
I grabbed my rigging bag and headed out to meet up with everyone. I caught a glimpse of Dirk talking to one of the buckle bunnies. He signed something for her; then he leaned down and said something into her ear. I rolled my eyes and walked faster. I’d thought Ty was bad. Dirk made Ty look like a schoolboy.
I smiled when I saw Lincoln holding a sleeping Blayze. He’d gotten into the habit this weekend of wanting Lincoln to hold him when he was sleepy. It didn’t bother me, but I had to admit, it did give me a thrill to see her holding him.
“You’re going to build some serious arm muscles if this keeps up,” I said, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek.
“I know!” She chuckled. “The little guy doesn’t look heavy, but after a few minutes of holding him, it gets to ya.”
Moving like an expert, I took Blayze out of Lincoln’s arms.
“We ready to get on the road?” Ty asked as he tossed his bag into the back of his truck.
“You’re heading back with us, right?” Lincoln asked.
“I am. I have to leave on Friday for Ohio.”
“Ty said you had Vegas the next weekend after that?”
I nodded. “You want to come?”
Lincoln grinned. “I’ll have to see how my work schedule is looking. I’m starting a bit earlier than expected. Karen asked me if I could come in tomorrow. If I can make it work, I’d love to be there.”
“I need to be there early for a meet-and-greet event for Wrangler. I can fly you out that Friday night and have you home Sunday night.”
She glanced down at Blayze. I was wondering if an entire weekend of us being alone was what she was thinking about. “Us, all alone.” I waggled my brows, and she blushed. God, I loved how easy it was to make her do that.
“That would work.”
“Then it’s settled. After Vegas, I’ve got a couple of months off.” We started toward Ty’s truck.
“You’re not riding in any other events?”
“I’ll ride in a few on the lower level, just to keep my score up, but I’d like to give my body a break some too. I feel like I’ve got a good lead on the guy sitting in the number two spot. I’ll have to watch and see what he does and how much he rides.”
After I got Blayze in his seat, we all climbed into the truck.
It didn’t take me long to pass out. I slept the entire drive back to Hamilton. When I finally woke up, it was because Ty had hit my leg.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, you’re home.”
I rubbed my eyes and saw we were parked in front of my house. Turning, I saw Blayze was out like a light still. Lincoln and Kaylee were gone.
“Where’s Lincoln and Kaylee?”
Ty got out of the truck. “I dropped them off at Lincoln’s place.”
A part of me was disappointed that Lincoln hadn’t come home with me, but I knew why. And he was currently crashed in his booster seat.
Ty grabbed Blayze’s duffel as well as mine, and the rigging bag. “You did good this weekend, little brother. You’re on fire. Keep it up.”
“Thanks,” I said, giving him a tap on the arm before getting Blayze out of his seat.
As I walked up the steps to my house, an empty feeling came over me, knowing it would be only me and Blayze tonight. I wondered if it was because I hadn’t realized how lonely I’d truly been before Lincoln showed up in my life.
“Mom said if you need her to watch Blayze for any reason, just let her know.”
“I will,” I said, placing my son down on the sofa and covering him up. “You need to leave right away, or you want to grab a beer?”
Ty glanced at his watch. “I can knock back a beer.”
After grabbing two beers out of my refrigerator, we headed to the back porch. I kept the door open so I could hear if Blayze got up.
We spent the first few minutes staring out over the mountains before Ty broke the silence. “I gotta say, you sort of shocked me with this whole Lincoln thing.”