Mr. and Mrs. Gibson were slowly warming up to me. Slowly being the operative word. I didn’t blame them. I understood why they were practically holding their breaths for me to screw up big time. The thing they didn’t know, or what they’d never be able to fully understand, was how I felt about her. I loved her, sure, but it went so far beyond that I didn’t know a way to describe it. Joze was my everything. My . . . everything. No exaggeration. My whole day, my every thought, my every decision was somehow centered around her. She was more essential than the air I breathed because air wasn’t essential to me: she was. I’d rather die from suffocation knowing my priorities were right than live a long life letting some stupid invisible compound be more essential to my life than she was. Because that was a fucking lie.

The bull shuddered, reminding me where I was and what I was about to do. The guy manning the gate was watching me, waiting. Before I gave the nod, I scanned the grandstands. I didn’t need to scan them for long. A green-eyed girl wearing red boots and a killer smile stood on the other side of the arena, her chin propped on one of the rails. She was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, just as she had been the first time I saw her. She winked before mouthing three words I could make out from all the way across the arena.

No, not those three words. I was on the back of a bull in front of thousands of people—not exactly the ideal time for mushiness and endearing words. Nope, she mouthed Kick some ass. I acknowledged her with a grin before three more words slipped out of her mouth.

Yes, those three words. The ones that had changed my life. The ones that made me want to change my life in the first place. The words I’d felt for her for so long, they’d become one of the few constants in my life. The ones I’d felt for her but had only recently learned how to show her those words. Sure, I might have been on a monster bull, about to compete in one of the biggest rodeos in Montana, but really, was there ever a bad time to hear that the person you loved loved you right back?

Nope, there never was. Never. “I LOVE YOU, JOSIE GIBSON!” I didn’t mouth the words—I straight-up hollered them. I didn’t care if the whole world knew it, let alone a few thousand Montanans. Flashing her a wink, I tipped my hat at Josie before giving the nod. I was ready.

I burst out of the chute on that bull with a smile on my face. I wasn’t worried about staying on for a full eight. I already knew I would. When that buzzer finally sounded a handful of moments later, I smiled even wider. I’d finally figured it out.

I knew exactly what was below me—a place I didn’t want to revisit. That was how I would stay on top for the rest of my life.

Thank you for reading FINDERS KEEPERS by NEW YORK TIMES and USATODAY Bestselling Author, Nicole Williams.

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Blog: nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com

Other Works by Nicole:

CRASH, CLASH, and CRUSH (HarperCollins)

LOST & FOUND, NEAR & FAR

UP IN FLAMES (Simon & Schuster UK)

GREAT EXPLOITATIONS SAGA

THE EDEN TRILOGY

THE PATRICK CHRONICLES