“You just want me in front to stare at my ass.” I wink as I urge Cherry to the right.
Rhett raises an eyebrow. “You’re on a horse. The only ass I can see is Cherry’s.”
“I’ll be sure to stand up a few times for you then.”
He smiles, with a shake of his head.
“You do that.”
Oh, I will, Rhett. Might even shake it for you, too.
eight
Rhett
Atrail ride is just what I needed to relax and unwind.
The move to Kissing Ridge, getting the rodeo school facility set up, and house hunting have all strained my mental reserves, and it’s nice to just be out in nature. Even if my company for the day is too delectable to take my eyes off.
He’s a beautiful man in his coffee shop, but today Diamond is more than just a gorgeous blond man with eyes as blue as the prairie sky on a clear summer day. Today he’s more relatable. He’s more real out here like this. Sure, he’s flirting, and I shouldn’t be surprised that he’d show up with a horse as gorgeous as he is, but out here it feels like equal ground. Like we have more in common than I could have hoped.
Our journey alternates between single file and side-by-side. Every time we’re side-by-side, Diamond and I talk. Nothing huge or life-altering, but mostly the typical getting-to-know-you questions that you’d ask anyone on a date.
“So, how long have you been a bronc rider?”
The steady clop of the horses’ hooves on the packed soil is our soundtrack as we learn about each other. It’s perfect.
“I was thirteen when someone dared me to try it at a local rodeo. I entered the bareback division since I didn’t own a saddle and borrowed a rigging rope from an older guy. They called my name, and I hopped onto that thing and just held on.”
Diamond laughs. “Did you know what to do at all?”
I shake my head with a laugh.
“Not a clue, but the man I borrowed the rope from was impressed I held on for nearly the full eight seconds. He took me under his wing, and I’ve been riding ever since.”
“You’re a natural then.”
“I wouldn’t say that. It’s a lot of effort to stay at the top of the sport. I worked hard. Still do.”
Maybe too hard. Rodeo always came first, but when I tried to put it second, shit just fell apart.
“What just changed? Your smile disappeared.” Diamond trains his gaze on me. “Does rodeo not make you happy?”
“It does. Sometimes, though, I wonder about choices I’ve made and if I should’ve done things differently, is all.” I can tell he wants to ask more, but I’d rather wait for sharing anything deeper and hear about him.
“My turn. How come you don’t race anymore? You can’t wear a barrel racing buckle and expect me not to ask about it.”
His eyes twinkle with a mischief that has me hanging on his next words. “How do you know I didn’t just buy it at some thrift shop? Maybe I wore it to impress you?”
“Did you?”
“I’ll never tell.” He smirks, the familiar flirting grin he always has at The Thirsty Cow, and I shake my head.
“We’re supposed to get to know each other. What will you tell me?”
A long beat of silence sits between us. Diamond’s smile fades a little as he pats his horse’s neck.
“Horses saved my life,” he offers, and before I can reply, our trail leads into a single file path again, and I’m left with that information and no opportunity to ask more. How? What happened to him? Surely a guy so bubbly and confident didn’t have a day so dark he needed saving.
