The Longest Ride

announcer talking about his injury and subsequent hiatus as he was getting ready in the chute. The bull he’d drawn – a rank bull named Pump and Dump – spun wildly as soon as he broke free, and Luke had been barely able to hold on until the buzzer. He’d landed hard after freeing himself from the wrap, but there’d been no damage done, and he’d waved his hat while the crowd roared its approval.

After that came the backslaps and congratulations, and he couldn’t very well say no when so many people wanted to buy him a drink. He wasn’t ready to go home yet anyway. He needed some time to unwind, to replay the rides in his head. In his mind, he was always able to make the adjustments he hadn’t been able to during the ride, and he needed to think through those steps if he planned to continue. Though he’d won, his balance was nowhere near what it once had been. He still had a long way to go.

He was replaying the second ride when he first noticed the girl. It was hard not to appreciate the cascade of blond hair and deep-set eyes; he had the sense that, like him, she was wrapped up in her own thoughts. She was pretty, but beyond that there was something wholesome and natural about her appearance, the kind of girl who probably looked equally at home in jeans or a formal gown. This was no dolled-up buckle-bunny, hoping to hook up with one of the riders. They were everywhere on tour and easy to find – a pair of them had sidled up to him in the barn and introduced themselves earlier – but he’d had no interest in encouraging them. He’d had a few one-night stands over the years, enough to know they inevitably left him feeling empty.

But the girl on the railing interested him. There was something different about her, though he couldn’t pinpoint what. Maybe, he thought, it was the unguarded, almost vulnerable way she stared into the distance. Whatever it was, he sensed that right now what she really needed was a friend. He considered going over to talk to her, but he pushed aside the idea as he focused on the bulls in the distance. Despite the arena lights, it was too dark to make out all the details, but he searched for Big Ugly Critter anyway. They would forever be linked, he thought, and he wondered idly whether the bull had already been loaded up. He doubted the owner of the bull had planned to drive all night, which meant the animal was here, but it still took some time before he was able to locate him.

It was while he was staring at Big Ugly Critter that the drunk ex-boyfriend had walked up. It was impossible not to overhear their conversation, but he reminded himself not to get involved. And he wouldn’t have, at least until the huge brute had grabbed her. By then, it was obvious she didn’t want anything to do with him, and when he heard the blonde’s anger give way to fear, Luke found himself pushing away from the railing. He knew his decision would probably backfire on him, but as he stepped toward the two of them, he thought again of the way she’d looked earlier, and he knew he didn’t have a choice.
     

     
    Luke watched as the drunk ex-boyfriend stalked off, and he turned to thank his fellow riders for coming over. One by one they drifted away, leaving Luke and Sophia alone.

Above them, the stars had multiplied in the ebony sky. In the barn, the band finished one song and eased into another, an older classic by Garth Brooks. With a deep sigh, Sophia let her arms fall to her sides, the autumn breeze lifting her hair gently as she turned to face him.

“I’m sorry you were dragged into all this, but I want to thank you for what you did,” Sophia said, a little sheepish.

Closer now, Luke registered the unusual green color of her eyes and the soft precision of her speech, a sound that made him think of faraway places. For a moment, he found himself tongue-tied.

“I was glad to help,” he managed.

When he said nothing more, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s… not always as crazy as you probably imagine he is. We used to go out and he’s not too happy I broke up with him.”

“I figured,” Luke said.

“Did you… hear everything?” Her face was a mixture of embarrassment and fatigue.

“It was kind of hard not to.”

Her lips tightened. “That’s what I thought.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I promise to forget,” he offered.

She gave a genuine laugh, and he thought he heard relief in it. “I’m going to try my best to forget all