UNDER MY SKIN

four. slugger

Sam wasn't one to dress up, but that night before she made her way towards the bar she had put some thought into her appearance. Aspen had convinced her to wear a dress, it was black and flowy, it showed off her smooth legs, and it pushed her boobs up - she had a nice chest. Abby had curled her hair and Charlie had done her makeup, and she pulled on her new boots.

She was nervous. She wasn't sure what to expect when she saw Tyler, especially now that she wasn't sure what they were. They were still friends, that was for sure, but were they more?

She didn't think it was possible.

She was on the road for work and, as far as she knew, he was still in school and killing it.

As she stepped into the bar, her arm looped with Aspen's, who had slipped into a tight, red dress, all of her worries melted away. Her eyes almost instantly landed on Tyler's, like he had been watching the door just waiting for her to walk through it.

His eyes left hers and panned down her body almost hungerly, before he met her gaze again.

"I assume that's Owens," Aspen mused, watching as he devoured Sam with his eyes.

"Yep."

"Wow."

"Yep." Sam just nodded because, well, he looked... wow.

"We need drinks," Aspen b-lined for the bar, pulling Sam with her. She ordered two beers, and turned to scan the crowd of dancing drunk people as she sipped on her beer. And at her side, Sam sipped on her own beer, but her eyes kept traveling back to the table Tyler sat at with Boone.

"You can go, if you want." Aspen gave her a knowing smirk, but it faded when she glanced over to see a tall blonde plop down next to the cowboy. Her shirt was tight, her shorts tiny, and her lips were a bright red. "Fuckin' buckle bunnies."

Sam tried to ignore the ache in her chest, she and Tyler weren't together. He could talk to any woman that he wanted to, she knew that, but it sucked to watch as he smiled at the girl.

After all, he'd put himself in her phone as Casanova... what was she to expect?

She downed her beer before sitting it on the bar, "let's dance."

Aspen just grinned, and latched onto her hand before pulling her into the mass of people that were dancing to Brantley Gilbert's Bottoms Up. Aspen pulled Sam in close, wrapping her arm around her waist as they swayed together. Sam laughed, throwing her head back as she wrapped an arm around the slightly taller girl's shoulders.

As they danced, they were laughing, as they always did. Mostly because Sam couldn't dance to save her life, which Aspen had to state every other second. And they had attracted a small group of onlookers, mostly drunk guys leering at them as they swayed to the beat. But neither seemed to care all that much, especially not when Charlie and Abby finally joined them.

Just as the song ended, large hands rested on Sam's waist and her smile faded as her hand curled into a fist. Then she turned, throwing out her fist, and it connected with his jaw. He groaned, stumbling to the side as he held his face and her eyes went wide when she saw the cowboy.

"Ty! I'm sorry!" She rushed towards him, gently holding his chin to get a look at the red mark on his face and the small slit in his bottom lip.

"Damn, Slugger." He merely chuckled, rolling his jaw a little.

She brushed her thumb over his lip, wiping at the thin line of blood, "you can't just grab a woman like that."

He chuckled, his hands on her hips as he tugged her towards him, "I deserved it."

"Well, probably," she nodded. "But I'm still sorry. Oh, your pretty face." Her bottom lip tucked into a small, teasing pout.

He just smirked, tugging her against him, she stumbled a little, still not completely used to her new boots. She was also a little tipsy. He leaned down, ignoring the giggles that erupted from Aspen, Abby, and Charlie, "dance with me?" He brushed his lips against the shell of her ear before brushing his lips over her pulse point.

"Get bored with your friend?" She raised an eyebrow at him, her arms snaking around his neck as she laced her fingers together at the nape of his neck.

"Jealous?"

"Just observing," she shrugged.

He chuckled, "baby, you ain't gotta be jealous." She knew he was right. They weren't together, so she had no reason to be jealous. "Ain't nobody hit me the way you do," he hummed playfully and she giggled.

"I got two left feet, just a warnin'."

"We can fix that," he bent his knees just a little and tightened his arm around her waist before lifting her off her feet and placing her onto his toes. She hated to admit it, but she had nearly swooned right then and there. It was a simple gesture, and so very small, but it was damn near the sweetest thing any man had ever done. Ever.

And Boone, the great cameraman he was proving to be, had gotten the entire thing - and the dance that followed - on camera before he found himself a girl to dance with.

And Aspen was all too happy for the boy to spin her around the dance floor to Blake Shelton's Honey Bee.

>>>>> • <<<<<

two year later

She'd done it. Sam Carter was a well known name on the rodeo circuit. She wasn't the only female bronc rider, not by a long shot, but she was the best... well, one of the best. If you knew anything about the rodeo, you had probably heard about Sam Carter - a tornado of blonde hair, wide smiles, cowboy boots, and shiny belt buckles.

She had an ever growing fanbase, most of which were girls starting roughly around the age of four, all wanting to be just like her. All wanting to take the rodeo circuit by storm like she had when she was thirteen and rode a real bronc in competition for the first time. She had placed fourth in barrels, and just barely scraped into sixth place in broncs.

But when she got up after a rough fall, she had easily won over the entire crowd with a wide smile as she dusted herself off.

Though most of her fanbase were girls, she had a wide range of people that supported her. Every time she rode, the stands were littered with signs declaring their love for her, some even asking if she was single - those were usually held up by guys - but she merely laughed them off.

She was the rodeo's it-girl and everyone knew it. She was a rising star, at the top of her game and everyone knew she was gonna go far.

She was gonna shoot for the stars.

She was at a rodeo in her hometown, the crowd was filled with people she'd gone to school with, people she knew from town, even her mom was in the stands.

The crowd was buzzing with excitement, which had a smile tugging at Sam's lips as she stood by the shute. A few other competitors stood with her, a couple patting her on the back and a few others making plans for after the rodeo.

She loved the feeling before a ride, excitement and nerves thrummed through her as she leaned against the metal fence, her cowboy hat placed over her blonde waves that she had tamed with a messy braid.

She could see her mom in the crowd, a smile on her face, but Sam knew she was nervous. She'd seen that look at every rodeo from the time she was three - though it had been a while since Cathy had made it to one.

She pulled herself up onto the fence, making herself taller as she waved her arm in the air. Cathy smiled, a chuckle leaving her as she waved back.

"Now, the ride we've all be waitin' for," the announcer's voice came over the speakers and the crowd fell to a hush murmur. "This young lady needs no introduction..."

Sam watched as the bronc was brought to the shute, he was a beautiful palomino and he was huge.

"Sapulpa's own... Sam Carter!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and wolf-whistles as Sam smiled and waved, blowing a kiss to her mama, who laughed a little as she clapped her hands.

"She's drawn Bullet, a name we are familiar with."

Another ripple of cheers washed over the crowd as Sam pulled herself over the fence and lowered down onto the horse's back, not listening as the announcer recounted Bullet record. She took a breath, as she adjusted her grip and she leaned back a little.

Then with a quick nod, the gate opened and Bullet jumped out. The crowd was crazy, shouting and cheering, slapping their hands together.

It was electric, but Sam stayed focused on the horse and the way he bucked.

Then everything went downhill, fast.

Bullet ducked and when Sam expected him to rear back he turned. Sam lost her balance and hit the red dirt, her shoulder hit first, her head next and before she could even process that radiating pain her shoulder, Bullet turned.

The crowd gasped, Cathy pushed through the crowd towards the fence around the arena, her head eyes wide as she watched the horse trample her daughter until the rodeo clowns finally got him ushered to the back.

Sam could hear the announcer over the speakers, but his voice was muffled, like her head was underwater. Then she felt a cold hand on her arm and she was rolled onto her back.

She could hear questions being rattled off, but she couldn't answer. There was numbness rolling through her, keeping her eyelids weighed down and her jaw shut.

And just as she heard the beeping of an ambulance and the screams of her mother, she succumbed to the darkness that tugged at her.

>>>>> • <<<<<

Sam was miserable. She'd been in the hospital for a couple of weeks, she'd had two surgeries - one to set her ribs, which had been broken in a few places when the horse trampled her. And the other to repair the soft tissue of her shoulder that had been damaged when she fell.

Sam hated hospitals.

Even more so that she was stuck there so the doctors could monitor her vitals after her surgeries.

And the worst part was that she was alone. Her mom stopped by every day for dinner, but she had to tend to the animals, it was her livelihood. And Kate had come to see her, but she was a little doped up on painkillers for those four days.

It was annoying that she was stuck in a boring, white room. At least she had found the channel playing Reba reruns non-stop, and that's what she had been doing when there was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" She called out, spinning her straw in her water. The door opened and she watched as the person she'd wanted to see since the accident stepped into the room.

"Hey, Sweetheart."

"Tyler," she grinned, sitting up a little in her bed as he closed the door. "What are you doin' here?"

"Well, I figured we'd come see ya." He made his way towards the bed and her eyebrows pinched.

"We?"

He grinned as he leaned down, and when he stood back up he had a small chocolate lab in his arms.

"Oh my gosh!" She grinned, reaching her right hand out to pet the puppy's head. "You got a dog."

"His name's Buck." He told her as he pulled up the chair so he could sit down. "Thought you might like to meet him, ya know, figured we could cheer you up."

She narrowed her eyes at him, a small smile playing on her lips, "how'd you know I needed cheerin' up?"

He sat the puppy on the edge of the bed and she smiled as she scratched his ear, and Buck's entire body wiggled as he wagged his tail and licked her arm.

Tyler shrugged a little, taking the cowboy hat off of his head, "you sounded weird on the phone the other day. And I would've come to see you sooner but I've been a little busy."

"With YouTube," she mused, a smile on her face.

He chuckled as he nodded his head, "yeah, the channel's really taking off."

"I'm happy for you, Ty. You've been workin' at this for years."

He nodded, and he let his eyes trail over her form. She wore a smile as she leaned forward and kissed Buck's nose, then she laughed as the puppy licked her cheek.

A pit formed in his stomach as he took in the wires, and the IV in her arm. Her left shoulder was bandaged up and she didn't seem to be able to move it all that much. She had a bruise on the side of her head that was visible because her hair was pulled up in a messy bun.

She looked pale, but that could have been the horrible fluorescent lights. Still, he hated it. She was this beautiful, vibrant woman, and seeing her so...

He didn't like seeing her in the hospital.

"What do you call yourselves again?" She asked, a smirk on her face. She knew, of course she knew. They talked on the phone about every other day or so. Shaking him from his thoughts and he cleared his throat a little as he shifted in the chair.

"Tornado Wranglers."

"Tornado Wranglers," she repeated, a smile pulling at her lips as she met his eyes, and he laughed at the teasing look in her eyes. "Can you technically wrangle a tornado?"

He chuckled, rolling his eyes a little, "I know you haven't been watchin' 'em recently, but, uh, last week we drove right into a tornado with that singer you like."

"Which one?"

"Jelly Roll."

Her eyes grew wide and her jaw hung open, her hand rubbing Buck's stomach as he laid down and rolled onto his back, "You met Jelly Roll?" He nodded. "And he drove into a tornado with you?"

"Yeah, he's a big fan. Here," He pulled his phone out and leaned towards her bed as he pulled up YouTube and clicked on the latest video. He turned his phone and rested his elbow on the edge of the bed as it started.

As the video came to an end, Tyler, Boone and even Jelly Roll twirled their fingers in a tornado motion. She laughed and held her hand up, copying them as she looked over at the cowboy, a teasing smirk on her lips.

But before he could even form a response, the door opened, "I made burgers-" Cathy stopped, looking between her daughter and the man that sat to her right, they were leaning in close and Buck was asleep against Sam's thigh. "-you have company."

"Hey, mama," Sam smiled as Tyler pushed himself to his feet and Cathy made a note of the smile on her daughter's face, the first one in weeks. "This is Tyler, met him on the rodeo circuit a while back. Mentioned him a few times."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Carter." He crossed the room and offered his hand, which she shook, her eyebrows still a little creased.

"You, too." She pulled her hand back. "Well, good thing I brought extra," she smiled as she made her way towards the table and put the Tupperware bowl down. "So, you two met on the circuit?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tyler nodded, standing at the foot of Sam's bed.

"He was a bull rider, damn good one, too."

"Was?"

"Thought I'd try my hand at college."

"Which he also quit," Sam added, a teasing smirk on her lips as she looked up at him. "And he was top of his class. What a shame."

"At least I went to college."

"Oh, low blow, Owens," she grimaced playfully. "Just for that, I'm keepin' your dog."

Cathy smiled as her eyes bounced between the two. It'd been weeks since she saw a smile on Sam's face, and it seemed Tyler had no trouble at all drawing one out of her.

It was refreshing to see, and, oh man, when Sam laughed at something he'd said Cathy saw a glimpse of her daughter from before the accident.

It was a sight to see.

Especially since it would soon fade. Tyler had to leave eventually, but he had helped Cathy get Sam home and situated before he hit the road and met up with the rest of the Tornado Wranglers. And Sam's smile seemed to have gone with him, at least for the most part.

There were a few times Vathy would catch a smile on Sam's face, especially when she could finally move her shoulder again.

She even got another smile when Sam was cleared to ride once again, though the doctor specified that it not be a bronc, she was still months away from being cleared for that. But that small smile didn't last long either, not once Sam had tried to ride and the second she got close to the horse - her horse, Biscuit - she had a panic attack.

So to fill her days, Sam started helping her mom tend to the cows and the fences - doing what work she could manage with her shoulder.

Sam was convinced that her life - the life she had loved so much and worked so hard for - was gone. That it had slipped through her fingers.

After all, she couldn't compete forever.

A year after that awful day, Sam had grown accustomed to her boring routine until someone from her past - the last person she wanted to see - showed up on her doorstep with an apologetic smile and a huge favor to ask.

NOVA SPEAKS

this update took a while because i got distracted lol i recently started watching buffy the vampire slayer and got super invested in that i haven't been working on anything but deliveries for my gfx lotto

but this book is still one of my top priorities!

i am having a little bit an issue with the relationships and getting all the dynamics figured out but, i'll figure it out eventually!

thank you all so much for reading! i hope y'all are enjoying this book as much as i am!

i have to say that out of my twisters fics, this one is probably my favorite - not that i don't absolutely love my other fics - i just feel like this one has a bit more drama and stuff

anyways, it's 3:00 a.m. and i can't sleep, so here's chapter four!