Once a Champion

More likely the boy was used to living out of a suitcase.

Matt rubbed a hand over his forehead. How rough was Willa’s life? He had a suspicion that she was getting no child support, but how bad off was she? Or was he reading more into the packed suitcase than he needed to? Maybe Craig was just a neat freak. The evidence seemed to point that way.

Matt pulled the door almost shut and went into his own room, where he sat on the bed and took off his brace, wincing as he pulled the Velcro tabs. If anything the joint hurt worse than usual. Not the promising sign he was hoping for.

Once the brace was off he put on sweatpants and a black T-shirt, then went into the living room, trying to walk normally.

“Are you okay?” Craig asked.

“Fine.” So much for walking normally. He sat down in the chair opposite the kid and stretched his knee out. “Hear from your mom?”

“No.” Craig shut his book, leaving his index finger inside to mark his place. “I tried to text her, but it never delivered. She must not have service there.”

“I think the area is pretty spotty. When I called her she kept cutting out.”

“Maybe that’s part of being a pretend cowboy,” Craig said before focusing back on his book. “No cell service.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

For a moment the silence hung heavy between them. Then Craig said in a matter-of-fact voice, “I know it’s weird having me around.”

“It’s not a problem.” To Matt’s surprise, he meant it. “But I confess that I haven’t had a roommate for a while.”

The kid’s lips curved up slightly. “And probably weren’t expecting one.”

“No, I wasn’t. But we’re family.” Matt’s experience with family, with the exception of his mom and Willa, wasn’t stellar, but there was no reason it couldn’t improve a little.

“Yeah?”

Matt sensed the need to tread carefully. “Yeah. Of course we are.”

Craig put his book down. “My mom is doing the best that she can.”

“I know she is.” Craig seemed to be pretty together, so Willa had to be doing something right. “And I also know that life has a way of throwing curveballs.” He rubbed a hand over his knee. “People have helped me out. I’m happy to help out you and your mom.”

Craig focused on something behind Matt for a moment, then cleared his throat and said, “I have a feeling that I might need a place to stay for longer than a week.”

“Your mom said—”

“I think it’s only fair to tell you that she always says that. She means it, too, but Mom...Mom’s kind of, I don’t know...optimistic?”

“I don’t care how long you have to stay.” Matt’s gut tightened as he said the words. What was he getting himself into? And what if he needed to get out?

Craig snorted. “We’ll see.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Matt reiterated. Really, what did it matter? So he didn’t have as much privacy as he was used to. Big deal. He had a clean house and someone to talk to. All he had to do now was to find common ground so they could have a conversation. Maybe he’d have to watch that Star Crusher show the kid kept talking about.

* * *

“MONTOYA HAS BRASS, I’ll give him that.” Andie checked her cinch before dropping the stirrup back into place. “I can’t believe he gave it another shot.”

“I’d love to think that he got the message this time,” Liv said, slipping the bit into Beckett’s mouth, “but somehow I don’t think so.” She pulled the headstall up over the horse’s ears and buckled the throatlatch, her fingers clumsy because of nerves. Tonight was her first high-speed practice and she hoped she survived. She’d studied the drill on paper, had practiced alone in the pasture, but felt less than prepared all the same.

“Then to top off a grand day,” she continued, refusing to let the nerves get to her, “Mom called and we’re all meeting in Missoula this Saturday to look for bridesmaid dresses.” Liv had long known the day was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier to face.

“Shopping with Shae. How fun.”

“Yes,” Liv said, her voice straining as she tightened the cinch, “I’m so looking forward to it.” She sighed. “It’s not that I hate shopping with Shae or anything. It’s just that I—”

“Hate Shae. I know.”

Liv laughed in spite of herself as she dropped the stirrup. “You know I don’t hate Shae. We’ve had a few close moments.”

“Like when?”

Liv considered. They had never been enemies—just residents of different planets forced to live as sisters. “Once she needed help with a class.” And Liv had helped her, because she’d known how hard it’d been for Shae to ask. She’d helped Shae, helped Matt. Then they’d dumped her and started dating. No one, not even Andie, knew how much that had hurt.

At the time, Liv had simply pretended that, after working closely with Matt, she’d come to realize that he didn’t have much substance. “Not crush-worthy” had been her exact words to Andie. She hadn’t mentioned that she’d cried into her pillow the first time Matt and Shae had gone out.

Wasted time. Wasted tears.

Even though she could look back and shake her head at what had seemed like the end of the world, she also felt vestiges of anger at being so damned used.

Shake it off.

“To be honest,” Liv said, putting a foot in the stirrup and mounting, “I never hated Shae. I was just jealous of her. She seemed so...perfect.” And Liv had felt so far from perfect when they’d lived together. Shae was confident and bossy and on the occasions when she and Liv argued, Liv inevitably backed down—mainly because her mother would insist that she did.

“Shae is perfect,” Andie said airily. “Just ask her.”

Liv smiled fleetingly before saying in a flat, adamant voice, “I don’t want to go tomorrow.” What’s more, she didn’t want to go into the arena right now. “I don’t know why I’m even invited. Shae will pick what she wants whether I’m there or not.”

“Your mother probably insisted.” Andie mounted as she spoke.

“My mother never insists on anything from anyone except me.”

“Then your mother manipulated.”

“That’s probably closer to the truth. Frankly, I wish she hadn’t wasted the effort. Shae’s having a small wedding, but I don’t doubt for one minute that she’s going to bully me into buying the most expensive dress on the rack.”

“But it will be in impeccable taste.”

“No doubt. Am I being too much of a bitch?”

“You’re probably just tired of Shae walking over the top of you.”

“Could be, could be.”

Andie laughed as she gathered her reins. “Well, there’s nothing like an evening thundering around an arena to work out your aggressions.”