Bucked by Cat Johnson Read Free Book Online Page B

He wasn’t looking forward to it. The operation on his arm and recuperating with his father telling him I told you so for at least the next three months weren’t looking too great either.
    Glad Jenna the worrier wasn’t there to see it, Mustang made a rather sloppy turn onto the main street, heading toward the entrance to the highway when a shiny white vehicle sped up behind the trailer.
    The jacked-up, new pickup truck pulled next to him, beeping the entire way. The automatic passenger window slid smoothly down and Chase leaned across from the driver’s seat. “Mustang. Hey, you taking off?”
    Mustang pulled over to the side of the street, figuring he didn’t need any more distractions while driving with one arm in a sling.
    Chase pulled in front of him, hopped out and jumped up on the running boards on the trailer’s driver side.
    “Hey, Chase. Yeah, I’m heading home for the surgery.”
    “Damn. Good luck with that.”
    Mustang nodded. “Thanks.”
    “So, last night with Marla…” Chase shook his head. “Wow. I mean that was amazing.”
    Mustang couldn’t help but smile at the kid’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, I guess it was.”
    Chase grinned like a little boy on Christmas morning. “I got her phone number.”
    Only this kid would plan on calling a woman they’d picked up at a bar for a threesome, but that was what made Chase who he was. A corn-fed, God-fearing, well-mannered, Oklahoman cowboy right down to the bone.
    “Good for you, kid.”
    “I’m gonna wait ’til later today to call though. Don’t want to look too anxious. She’s probably sleeping late anyway after last night. Oh hey, are you gonna call her too? Because I mean, if you do that’s fine with me.”
    “No, I’m good. Thanks.” Mustang laughed and then glanced at the clock in the dashboard. “Anyway, I better get on the road.”
    “Yeah. We’re all gonna miss you around here.” Chase leaned in the window and hugged him. A quick, manly, one-armed hug, but more than Mustang wanted or expected from the kid. Especially after having been with him naked just hours before, even if there had been a woman in between them.
    Uncomfortable with the show of affection, Mustang quickly came up with something to say. “I’ll be back in a few months. It’ll be like I was never gone.”
    If only he believed that were true.
    “Yeah. Maybe we can hang out again then. After you’re back.” Chase looked hopeful.
    “Sure. We’ll see. Good luck in Baltimore.”
    “Thanks.” Chase hopped down and, with one last wave, climbed back into his truck.
    Reaching his right hand over to the left side of the steering column, Mustang flipped on his blinker. He threw the truck in drive and pulled away from the curb, but as he drove away Mustang didn’t see the road in front of him. Instead, he saw his future.
    He didn’t like what he saw.
    Slade and Jenna were already paired off and happier on their own than spending time with him. Sure, he could keep hanging out with the younger guys like Chase, until they all found themselves steady girlfriends or got married. Then what? Mustang would move on to hanging with the next set of single guys.
    The older he became, the younger the new guys would get until one day he’d be a scarred, retired, former champion bull rider with a trophy case full of buckles and not much of anything else. Old. Alone. Lonely.
    Suddenly being free and single and available to be with any woman he wanted on any given night wasn’t so attractive. He pictured Jenna as she tied the plastic bag around his neck so he could shower. Maybe having a woman mothering him and telling him what he could and couldn’t do wouldn’t be so bad after all.
    Depressed now, he headed down the highway jealous of everyone in the world. Slade, who was probably on his way back to the hotel room to have sweaty sex with Jenna. Chase, for being so young and starry eyed he might actually make things work with their one-night stand, Marla. And every other bull