Chapter 1
Three weeks wasa real long time. One of those weekends had been a little vacation, too. We'd spent our break between shows puttering across the country and enjoying various hotels while Cody and I healed up a bit. The shit part was that healing up had been the most I'd managed to accomplish.
I'd planned to be back on a bull by now, but a few broken ribs, a little surgery, and a torn ligament in my knee weren't nearly as scary as the wrecks I'd seen back in Boise. So, when a real pretty pair of blue eyes had gotten all big and pouty at the idea, I'd caved. That girl didn't even know the power she had over me, but she still used it. I was pretty sure she was using it for good, too.
But when the hazel ones had hung on me the same way, looking all worried and shit? Yep, I was a goner. The moment Cody and Tanner teamed up, there weren't no way a man could resist that. Well, not this one at least.
So I'd bought a pair of front row seats for this weekend. They put me close enough to lean into the arena if I had to. Right up at the rail, next to the bull chutes, they'd let me see everything happening. Mostly, I could see the wrong damned colors down there on the dirt.
It was supposed to be red, yellow, and purple. Instead, it was blue, green, and white. The alternate bullfighters had become the main team, but they weren't good enough. Back in Boise, the wrecks had been fucking impressive. The kind that had the crowd on its feet more often than not. I was damned sick of hearing the announcer tell people to clap because the downed rider could hear 'em.
Fuck, that rider wasn't listenin' to nothing but the blood and pain pumping in his head. He was prolly doing his best not to scream, because that shithurt.Fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds of pissed-off bovine hurt real bad when it slammed into a body. Padding or not, riding bulls could end with the kind of pain only a little cowboying-up held in check.
But here in Greensboro, North Carolina, things weren't looking all that different. With three rides out, we were on another pause while Doc ran into the arena to check the unconscious man in the dirt. Beside me, Tanner was struggling not to bitch. His little grunts and grumbles were cute, but for all the wrong reasons.
"They should've turned that bull sooner," he finally said.
"Yup," I agreed. "And now you know why I'm sittin' my ass right here."
"Shit," Tanner drawled. "If either one of you go down, I promise I won't be on this side of the rail for long. Not gonna just watch those idiots fuck up that bad."
"And you can't do shit," I reminded him. "We are gonna sit our asses here and not fuck up Cody's career, you get me?"
He huffed in annoyance, then looked over at the scoreboard. "She's ranked thirteenth, right?"
"Mhm. Means we got a bit."
"More if they keep stopping for the medical team." He leaned back in his chair and looked over, making his point.
But damn, that straw hat on his head made his pretty eyes even prettier. The too-tight shirt he was wearing kept him from standing out, or looking like a displaced bullfighter. It was black, thin, and I woulda said it'd look good on the floor of my room, but I'd have to be able to do something after he took it off. Right now, I couldn't.
Still, with my pretty pink shirt - which had been hard as fuck to find in men's sizes - I figured we were here to represent. And while the cameras knew where we were sitting, the people behind us didn't think nothin' of no boys cheering on a girl riding bulls. Dressed up like I was - or down, as the case might be - I wasn't getting a whole lot of fans asking me questions, and I was ok with that.
We'd had this whole bit down. That girl was my rookie. When we'd gotten cornered back in Boise about watching the show, it had all come out so easy. Tanner fawned over his girlfriend. I made a few comments about Lasso denim and the Fierce brand Cody was wearing. I'd said it was good to know that if I couldn't be down there representing Tillman, the company who owned both brands, then at least she was doing a good job of making us all proud.
But this? I leaned in a bit, letting my shoulder brush up against Tanner's. So far as I cared, this was a date. Me and my boyfriend were here to watch our girlfriend ride. Yep, there was something all nice and normal about that. There was also one big fucking problem.
"Max said the contracts are finally secure," I said softly. "It took a little longer than expected, but he says there's no way this can fuck me up now."
Tanner looked over and the cutest smile curled his lips. "Yeah? Because we both know they're not letting me come back."
"Fuck that," I grumbled. "Naw, we need ya back."
"Gonna wait until next year with me?" Tanner asked.
Thrusting out my lower lip, I shook my head. "Nope. My guy's talking to Cody's guys, and somehow we're gonna figure it out, ok?"
"How?" Tanner asked.
I shrugged. "Dunno, but that's why I got Max."
Tanner actually chuckled at that. "Yeah, ok. I like the man. He's good to Cody, too. There's just one thing I don't get. Isn't he yourTillmanrep?"
"Yep," I agreed. "But Max? Naw, he ain't loyal to a brand. He's loyal to his people. Told him he needs to start a company of reps for the riders. You know, like how singers have managers and shit. Give us someone to call who can handle all the bullshit on the backside."
"And?" Tanner asked, sounding almost excited about it.
"And he likes the idea, but says he's gotta worry about our shit first, because he ain't leaving me hanging." I flicked my brows up at Tanner. "And he means getting your ass back out there."
