It didn’t help that his very first thought was Sadie, and just thinking of her made his body hum and ache.

All these years he’d looked for her, and it had never once crossed his mind that she was from home.

It was almost laughable to realize that the woman who’d haunted him for years was from Marietta, the one place he didn’t want to go or be.

He’d replayed that last conversation with her at the hospital over and over, and it never changed.

He could still feel the pain as he gradually came to, his wrapped wrist and fingers slamming into metal bars and then the hard plastic frame of the hospital bed.

That was when he realized he hadn’t died and was trapped somewhere in a dark hospital room. He muttered curse words, as rough and dirty as they came.

“I’ve just rung for the nurse,” a low voice had said from the right side of the bed. “She should be here soon.”

He was pissed off and agitated. “Is it dark in here, or is something covering my eyes?”

“Both.”

“Why?”

“The doctor is supposed to cover that with you—”

“If you’re not a doctor or a nurse, then who are you?”

She didn’t answer right away which just made his head throb more. “You’re not from the tour, are you?” he snapped. “Because I don’t need a babysitter.”

He understood why the front office needed to manage some of the riders, but he wasn’t one of the athletes in need of handling. Despite his injuries, he showed up, and he did the job he’d been hired to do, which was to put on a good show and keep the fans happy. Rory was popular with the fans too, as he could always be counted on to show up for the signings and events, spending time with everyone, from taking pictures with the old ladies and young girls to kissing babies and posing with young cowboys.

“Not with the American Extreme Tour, no.” She hesitated. “I’m Sadie. Sadie Mann.” She hesitated again as if giving him time to put the pieces together.

“Do I know you?”

“I’m a friend of Mc—” She broke off, failing to finish.

“Mick who? I don’t know a Mick, do I?”

“Maybe I got it wrong.” Her voice was faint as if she’d moved away from his bed. She hesitated a moment. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

“Don’t need a lecture now.” His voice was sharp, but he didn’t care. He knew bull riding was dangerous. It’s why he did it. He also seemed to be good at it. At least, good enough to still be alive and bringing in money. Sometimes not very much money but sometimes quite a bit, and money was money, even if he earned it between emergency room visits. “So how did you say I know you?”

“I didn’t.”

He heard the bruised note in her voice. He’d hurt her. Rory tensed, which just made him hurt all over.

He didn’t need this now. He didn’t need the guilt or grief—and then he stopped himself as he pictured dark red hair, high cheekbones, and wide serious eyes. It couldn’t be the woman from the arena, could it?

“Let me get the nurse.” Her fingertips brushed his bicep, warm skin against skin, sparking something hot and elemental within him. Then she was gone.

He waited for her, that night, and the next day, and the day after that, but she never returned.

He didn’t know why she didn’t come back, and he’d tried to find her, looking her name up on the Internet, and there were thirty-one Sadie Manns, and eighteen Sadie Mans, and fourteen Saydee Manns, and it just went on from there.

He even tried to call a couple of them but it was an exercise in futility and humility, and after the third awkward call he gave up, not because he’d given up on finding her, but he figured she’d find him when she was ready.

But it wasn’t easy waiting for her to appear. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman, which didn’t make sense because he knew nothing about her. But maybe desire didn’t have to make sense. Maybe desire was just that... His need didn’t make sense, but then, maybe desire never did.

Just seeing her last night stirred the attraction, waking the desire. It’d be easy if he could write the attraction off as pure lust, but it wasn’t just his groin that ached, his entire chest felt tender, his rib cage so tight that every breath bruised.

He didn’t even know Sadie Mann, and yet she was his. He’d known she was his every time she’d showed up at one of the stadiums and arenas. And if that wasn’t crazy, he didn’t know what was.

He hadn’t come back to Marietta for her.