Boone smirked and shook his head. “You paint a pretty picture, Loulou. But no. No, I won’t.”
My heart ached. “Yes you will.” My throat swelled as I fought back my emotions. “I know Forsythe is trying to sell Reaper, but I’m not going to let him. I won’t let anyone take your bull away, even if I have to buy him myself. I’ll make sure you ride again, Boone. I promise.” I ached to make his pain go away.
I’ll fix this, I swear.
My brother’s eyes slowly started watering. “I know that bull means something toyou, Lucille…” He paused. “But he’sjusta bull. It’s not Dad.” My body stiffened. “And even if you did buy Reaper, I could never ride him, or any bull, again.” He sniffled loudly, struggling to speak. “The doctors said I was lucky to bealive, but…”—he hesitated—“but the injury to my spinal cord…” He began to cry, unable to bring himself to speak the truth aloud as he broke. “Lucille,” he breathed through his tears.
No…it can’t be. It can’t.
“Boone,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.” I carefully wrapped my arms around my brother’s injured body and held him as he caved into me. “I’m so sorry.” My heart completely shattered. And it all made sense.
The reason Forsythe is selling Reaper wasn’t for the hell of it. He’s selling him because Boone can never ride again.
I held him close as tears rolled down my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Chapter Four
Forsythe
“Come on now, old man!”The scrawny kid smacked my back, nearly knocking my beer all over the bar. “That’s all you're going to have? Pftt! Drink up!” I watched him down a shot of tequila like it was nothing. “No thanks, Torchy. I prefer to take my time.” I took a sip of the beer.
Old man, huh? This damn kid has no idea what I’m even capable of. Hell, if I wanted to, I could knock this little tyke right on his drunken ass without even blinking an eye. Old man.
Torchy grumbled loudly and blew a few raspberries. “You’re no fun.” He was drinking a bit much, and I knew if he didn’t slow down I’d have to lug his ass back to the ranch. And that was a chore I didn’t want.
The entire bar erupted in a loud cheer and applause, probably ‘cause some wannabe cowboy was about to take his shot at the mechanical bull they had. It was a ridiculous attraction that drew tourists and drunken fools in like a damn magnet, putting their stupidity on display for the rest of the bar’s entertainment.
Why did I even agree to come out tonight?
I rubbed my temples, annoyed by the commotion. “Hey, Torchy.” The scrawny man looked up at me with watery eyes.“Where’s ol’ Cooper? I thought he was meeting us here tonight considering this was allhisidea. He didn’t ditch us, did he?”
He better not. I don’t want to get stuck babysitting your drunk ass.
Torchy burped, slamming his empty beer down onto the bar with a dramatic exhale. “He should be here.” The man looked around the bar, searching the many faces of people within the establishment. “I thought I saw him earlier…he was…” He stopped and grinned like a child. “Oh, there he is.” He pointed with his tatted finger. “Well, well, well, it don’t look like he’s alone either.” His grin grew as my eyes followed the direction of his gaze.
What the?—
Climbing onto the old mechanical bull was none other than little Lucille, wearing a dark leather jacket and obsidian jeans so damn tight, they hugged her body like a glove. She perched herself on the saddle effortlessly, kicking her clunky boots while she removed her jacket and revealed a thin, lacy top with the daintiest straps tucked into her pants. Grinning, she spun the jacket around in the air above her as the crowd of drunken men and women gathered cheered her on, and tossed it out into the crowd and none other than ol’ Cooper caught it.
Son of a bitch.
“Ms. Nellie would have my head if she knew her daughter was here,” I grumbled before finishing off my beer.
I jumped down from the barstool, but Torchy tried to stop me. “Oh, let her have some fun.” He gave me a sympathetic look. “She’s been gone for such a long time…let her live a little.”
I brushed him off and straightened my jacket. “She got to live…for nine years. And there ain’t nothing fun about making a fool of yourself.” I looked back over at Lucille just as she was chugging a beer, waiting as the clock ticked dauntingly down. “And right now, she’s acting like a fucking child. She knowsbetter.” Torchy shook his head and scoffed as I walked away. The alarm sounded off and the mechanical bull began to move, slowly rocking back and forth. Lucille grinned and laughed, holding on tight while she drank her beer. I pushed my way closer.
The crowd laughed and clapped as the bull moved faster, dipping and bucking more intensely. Lucille spilled her beer all over her body, laughing while the crowd mimicked her giggles and clapped, cheering her behavior on. I pushed closer, nearing the guy handling the mechanical bull, when someone grabbed my arm and stopped me.
“That’s enough.” My body whirled to find Cooper, holding her jacket. “Leave her be, son.”
I scoffed. “Like hell. If Ms. Nellie saw?—”
Cooper interrupted me. “Don’t worry about Ms. Nellie. She needs this.” I looked back at Lucille, beaming as she rode the bull. It was almost impressive that she was still holding on. “What if she falls?” I asked, looking back at the old cowboy. “Then what?”
Cooper smiled. “She ain’t going to fall. Don’t you remember who her daddy is?” My eyes returned to Lucille, watching her more closely. Her hair swayed like fire as her layers of necklaces jumped around her face. Despite her ridiculously long nails, she had a firm grip on the pretend reins, and her thighs were pressed tightly along the mechanical bull. The way she rocked with the motions and kept her body steady, adjusting her weight and grip as she moved, it was like watching her move with nothing but instincts. “That girl's been riding since she could walk. She may not be his daughter by blood, but she’s Memphis’ daughter through and through. And she can ride that bull better than any of us here.” Cooper patted me on the back. “I get your concern for her, but that kid is as wild as they come. And if you keep trying to cage her, she’s just going to end up hating you.”
“She already hates me,” I quietly replied.
