Another Cold State Line

Five years could really change a person. Five years ago, I had walked out on the one person I could have possibly loved. I had taken everything that I thought I wanted it and thrown it aside so I could know who I was. And here I was, not really knowing who I was.

In the five years I had left Texas, I had learned how to care for myself. I had learned how to be a better, more responsible person. Coping mechanisms were one of the first things I had learned. For once, I was putting my mental health in front of anything else. And it felt wonderful.

"Are you really ready to move back?" Tina asked. "I thought you would never return to Texas." She handed me another one of my boxes.

I laughed. "Tina, I'm not moving back to Texas. Texas is the furthest state from my mind." I patted the butt of my horse, Snap. He was doing good in his old age, finally allowed me to breed him.

"So where are you moving, honey?" Four years ago, Tina and her husband had followed me to Montana. She said she was tired of the Texas skies and the way people treated the horse people. She had wanted calmer rodeos. No rodeo was calm; some were just smaller.

"I bought a ranch in Northern California." I packed another box into my truck. I didn't need to pack much more as most of my stuff was already at my ranch. In the last five years, I had made a name for myself in something other than scandal and barrel racing. Everyone wanted my horses and my bulls. I was finally in something I loved.

"California? That'll be a change." She put the last box in my truck. "You be safe, and you better call me the second you get to your new home."

Laughing, I hugged my former coach and hopped into my truck. I had a 14 hour drive ahead of me.
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The ranch I bought was quaint, but it had plenty of acreage from my staff, my cattle, and my horses. I was only breeding about four horses right now, all of them from Snap's DNA. My main focus was on the cattle. There was the Houston rodeo coming up, and I wanted to make sure the toughest bulls were mine.

With a smile on my face, I turned into my new house. There were several places on the ranch. The first three houses were for my ranch hands and my ranch manager. The last house, the biggest one, was my own. It would be my work place as well. While it wasn't the most amazing place on earth, it was my favorite place I had found.

The car eased to a stop and I let Snap out. He took off for the barn, ready to be back with his children. I had to say retirement was treating the horse well. He loved being able to run, but like me, he missed his barrel racing days.

After everything that happened years ago, I didn't even want to attempt racing again. Clay had ruined that for me, and I would never let myself go to a place where I was reminded of Clay ever again. That man was a monster, but he didn't have control over me anymore. No one did but me.

Notes

Short introduction BUT GUESS WE GET TO CATCH UP WITH MATT AND HAYLEY!!!!