Two months had passed since the night everything changed for Alex. He could still remember walking to the front door of his family’s house after Jackie, ready to tell her that he had made it—that he had passed tryouts and earned the bull-riding sponsorship he’d worked so hard for. It was supposed to be a moment he shared with her, a sign that maybe things were finally falling into place after she had returned to Silver Falls and basically begged him to give their relationship another chance. Instead, he heard the words that shattered everything. She still loved Cole.

And before he could even process that heartbreak, Will pulled up to the farm with the news that their father had suffered a heart attack. That night had been one of the hardest of Alex’s life. But watching his father recover in the hospital gave him the clarity he needed. He couldn’t keep letting himself get caught between Jackie and Cole. He couldn’t keep fighting for someone who wasn’t sure she wanted him. He couldn’t keep accepting pieces of a relationship that was already breaking apart.

So Alex made a choice. He stopped chasing. He focused on his scholarship, his classes, bull riding, and helping his family through his father’s recovery. He moved into his university dorm, partly because it was the next step in his life and partly because distance was the only way he knew how to heal. Weekends were still spent at the Walter farm, but he avoided Jackie and Cole whenever he could. And as the weeks passed, Alex started wondering if maybe love had came and gone for him.

Then came tonight.

The rodeo lights shined across the arena as Alex adjusted his gear, preparing for his next ride but then Kiley pulled a girl he had never seen before into the front stands, laughing as she introduced her to her boyfriend, Dylan Newsome. The girl—Guest—looked as about as new as Silver Falls could get sitting beside Kiley and her boyfriend while taking in the chaos of the rodeo for the first time.

And suddenly, the noise of the arena seemed to fade for Alex.

“Hey,” Alex said, barely looking away. “Who’s that?”

Alex nodded, but his eyes stayed on her. For the first time in months, his thoughts weren’t stuck on Jackie. He wasn’t replaying old conversations or wondering what he could have done differently.

Maybe, for once, he wanted someone new to see him for who he was—not as someone’s second choice, not as Cole Walter’s competition, but as Alex.

Then the announcer called his name and Alex looked toward the arena, then back toward the stands.

A small smile crossed his face.

He didn’t need to prove anything anymore, but he wouldn’t mind showing off a little for Guest. Alex then climbed onto his bull, gripping tightly as the gate prepared to open.