I snap a few close ups of his hand, the Tiffany glove not quite covering what appears to be a tattoo of some inscription that wraps around his wrist. His other sleeve is buttoned at the wrist, and I can’t see if it, too, has the same markings.
Shoving his black hat down onto his head, dark eyes glance up at me, holding my gaze as he nods.
The gate flies open, and Terminator gets to work.
His back legs barely touch the ground.
Knox rides him out, spurring with every revolution. I’m still holding my breath, even for this moody man, as the clockticks over to six seconds. Terminator snaps back the other way, unseating Knox. It only takes one more powerful buck, and the man hits the dirt.
Dammit.
Sucking in much-needed air, I gape in horror behind my hand. Since when do I give a flying canoe about Kade Knox? I mean, Hadley, Brady, and Spencer, I can see the rationale behind caring. They’ve been good to me on the circuit.
Just how far have I fallen down this damn rodeo rabbit hole?
Knox? He’s been arrogant, suggestive, rude, obnoxi?—
“Maggie?”
Levi’s looking up from behind the chutes.
“Oh shit, sorry.”
Levi ups his tempo as if he knows something I don’t and walks for the next chute to pull. The last for the night.
Six.
Hadley.
I follow behind Levi, and the cowboys working the gear make a little space as I climb up. Brown eyes meet mine as he lowers onto the bull’s back. Every man around this chute registers the mood, averting their gazes, going back to the task at hand.
“Last ride of the night, ladies and gentlefolk. The one we have all been waiting for. And boy, did he make us wait. With almost a month out of action to injury, we finally have with us tonight, riding one of the country’s fiercest bucking bulls, Bodacious the Third, is none other than HAD-LEY J-O-N-E-S!”
My gut plummets.
The cowboy on the world’s most dangerous bull’s direct descendant simply finishes his task and looks up with a wink. I raise the camera automatically, finger depressing the shoot button. The light in his eyes shines through even on the view screen as I lower the camera as if in slow motion.
The arena goes silent as we wait.
The air in my stationary lungs burns.
Hadley raises a hand, raising two fingers. He makes an L, followed by a V? No... a U.
LU
Love you.
Love you.
My chest caves. Emotion burns the bridge of my nose, prickles its way behind my eyes. “Break a leg, Hads.”
The widest smile takes over his face.
“Yes, ma’am.”
He nods.
The chute breaks open.
