The Cowboy's Bride Bet - Holly Rayner Page 0,12
muscular shoulders bulged. Its legs were like tree trunks. I’d never thought of cows as intimidating, but this beast was truly terrifying to behold. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to walk up to him in an empty pasture, but he hardly looked upset at the fact that a man was being strapped to his back.
“He looks pretty calm,” I whispered to Connor. “What happens if he doesn’t try to throw the guy off?”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Connor whispered. “That animal has a thousand years of instinct telling him that guy on his back intends to eat him.”
The cowboy gave a nod, and the team opened the side panel, finally allowing the bull to move. He immediately sprang to the side, jumping and twisting in midair as he bucked.
Almost immediately, the rider lost grip, tumbling backward. He hit the ground, shoulders first, and did a summersault to get on his feet. Doug, Justin, Miguel, and Clinton all dashed in. The bright lights illuminated the clouds of dust kicked up by the bull and fighters as they worked as a team to get the rider back to safety.
I couldn’t deny that watching up close was a completely different experience. Clinton waved his arms, and the bull lowered his head, charging after him into the metal shoot beside us. In one fluid motion, Clinton scaled the corral panel and dove back onto the platform where we stood.
The gate slammed shut behind the bull, and Connor stepped forward to make room for the fighters as they came back. His chest pressed against my back, and he reached around to brace his hands on the corral panel in front of us.
I realized his arms were only around me to prevent me from getting squished against the panel. But somehow, the closeness brought me a sense of comfort. My family was always pretty affectionate, passing hugs all around whenever I came over for a visit. And since I’d been on the run, I’d been completely starved of human interaction.
After the bull rides were over, we said goodbye to Connor’s friends and went for a walk to check out the vendor booths.
“You want anything?” He gestured to the menu of one of the food trucks.
“I’m a little snacky.” I nodded. “What’s good?”
“The cinnamon-sugar kettle corn is always one of my favorites.” He smiled, pulling out his wallet. “Do you want another beer?”
“I’ll never say no to free beer.” I winked.
“Well, that’s not true.” He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. “When we first met, I tried to buy you a drink, and you shot me down.”
“Well, that was before.” I put my hands in my pockets, swaying from side to side. “Where I’m from, if a guy in a bar tries to buy you a drink, it’s because he wants to see you naked.”
“What makes you think I don’t want to see you naked?” His blue eyes glinted with mischief.
“Because you promised Cassie that you’d be the perfect gentleman, and I’m not above tattling on you,” I teased.
“Well, you’ve got me up against a wall, then.” He shook his head as we reached the front of the line. “Two beers and a cinnamon-sugar kettle corn, please.”
The kid working the booth rang us up and handed over the confections. I took a kernel and popped it into my mouth. The warm fluffy crunch delighted my senses as sweet, salty goodness reached my soul.
“You’re right.” I grinned, covering my mouth as I spoke around my bite. “That’s delicious. So, what is there to do in Greenwater when the rodeo isn’t going on?”
“It’s a pretty typical rural town.” He shrugged. “There’s a little bookstore on Main Street. They make good smoothies there.”
“Oh.” I did a half skip to keep up with his long strides. “That sounds exciting.”
“Sometimes, one of the locals will bring a guitar and set up to do a little performance there.” Connor shrugged. “Jake’s been talking about remodeling to put up a karaoke stage behind the pool tables. So everyone’s been pretty excited over that for the last few months. Other than that, it’s just huntin’, fishin’, and good ol’ fashioned barbecue.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I took another bite of popcorn as I looked around. “Back home, I spent most of my time at work just trying to get by. Even though there was a lot of stuff to do, I hardly ever got to go out and do any of it.”
“Where did you work again?” He wrinkled his brow and looked down at me