Chapter Thirty-Four
Well, s**t.
That could have gone better, he supposed. Hell, maybe he'd been brilliant. The thought of that made him shudder. Watching Izzie's retreating form disappear into the post-rodeo hangout crowd, knowing he'd never see her smiling face walking toward him again, punched a giant hole inside him. He'd give himself an A+ with extra credit for his performance, thank you very much. The drama teacher at the high school would give him a standing ovation.
His stomach, while no longer churning, simply felt hollow. Empty, like the rest of him. Because now, he was truly alone. When word got back to the family ranches, he'd be persona non-grata. He wasn't sure he could look his mother in the eye after the things he'd said to Izzie. She'd smack him upside the head for his h
