It may not have been the way you saw your gap year going, but there was no trying when it came to traveling the country on the rodeo circuit.

In all fairness, you'd only said you wanted to travel. And this was a whole hell of a lot of traveling.

Doing it in his old car and staying at the cheapest motels you could find was... exhausting, yes, and hot during the summer months, but the way he'd collapse into your arms made it worth it. After a long day and a hot shower, his worn muscles always found their way back to you, 'I love you's cascading from his lips.

You know he wouldn't have done it without you, and you also knew that you'd be broker than anything if you'd actually attempted the backpacking through Europe fantasy you'd come up with years ago.

So you were in, what you could pretty much knowledgeably say, was the best Days Inn you'd ever seen, waiting for him to come out of the shower.

In what could only be described as an act of God, Dodge had won his competitions, and it would be back on the road to the next rodeo tomorrow. You knew he was bone tired, the way he had to sit in his car for a second before starting it up tonight told you everything you needed to know.

You were tired too, but in your mind taking pictures of the scenery and shuffling through his cassette tapes took a backseat to his riding. And in all fairness, you were stepping into summer. You'd be going home soon, your champion on your arm.

So when Dodge exited the bathroom, a smile spread across your lips without a single thought.