Page 115 of Tame Our Wild

The year I quit after we got disqualified for sneaking around, I convinced her to still compete in the finals since John said she could. She did but didn’t make it into the top twenty. But still, she went out there, having a goddamn blast on the backs of those bulls like she wasn’t meant to be anywhere else. Well, aside from my bed every night.

It’s her fifth year in the PBR. Her score speaks for itself, as she currently sits in second place in the rankings. We may be a few weeks out from the finals, but she is so fucking close to winning the buckle.

Somehow, there is an odd sense of peace this time. Like we both know that this is the year.

Calli walks out of the practice, and she and her mom wave to me before heading for their car. Matt heads toward the crew, giving them directions since he left being a bullfighter to come work for Payson Family Farms. We don’t just have bulls now; we also have horses that Harlow trains for clients in the off-season. A few of her clients have already dropped their horses off in the last few weeks, knowing that the end of her season is right around the corner. She doesn’t mind; she finds time to work with them anyway.

My wife walks toward me, my hands itching to grasp onto her beautiful hips that are swaying as she walks. I wet my mouth as she comes to stand before me, placing her palm on the side of my face so I can soak in her warmth.

“You are an incredible coach.” The column of her throat moves. “That was so sweet of you to give her that.”

I shrug and smile. “Calli needs it more than I do. And I know Paisley would’ve loved for her to have it.”

Harlow weaves her arms around my neck, pulling herself onto her toes so our faces are mere inches apart. “I am so proud of you.”

I smirk. “I like it when you compliment me, dust bunny.”

And because she knows I love her sass, she doesn’t miss a beat. “You were really trying to one-up me and become her favorite with that gesture, huh?”

Her head tilts, and I drown in those blue pools all over again. “You’re so competitive, Harlow Hartt.”

She sinks her tip into her bottom lip. “You signed up to deal with me and my competitiveness forever, Colson Payne.”

A deep laugh shakes my chest as I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her body flush with mine. “Oh, I damn well know what I signed up for.”

EPILOGUE | HARLOW

2 WEEKS LATER

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

I steady my breathing, my heart rate slowing as I start to rein in my focus and shuffle through my memory box of things I need to remember to keep them on a repetitive loop before and after I have a thousand pounds of power and rage bucking between my thighs.

Lap Dancer was the bull I drew for the championship round—a bull known for the number of buck-offs he’s had in his career.

He is a monster. A beast. My final ride of this season, which could determine if I walk away with the buckle and the glory or strut out of the arena with my head held high because I’m giving it my all out there, fighting for this dream.

The crowd is bigger than last year, but for some reason, the constant hum and roar that echoes through the space doesn’t ring in my ears and taint my bloodstream like it used to.

Lap Dancer is going to give me one hell of a ride, but I’m ready for it. Ready to dance with him out on that dirt as we try to tame each other.

I open my eyes, my gaze scanning the audience through the fence where I’m standing near the platform. In the front row are my mom, dad, Melanie, her boyfriend, and my in-laws, Rich and Sherri. They are a speck in the distance, but the sight of their faces brings comfort.

I take it in, this moment threading through my heart like one of those defining moments that you’ll never forget. I know I won’t, because I’m starting to realize that with or without the title, there’s so much more I want to accomplish in this life.

Colson may be a coach now and a stock contractor, but I want to be by his side through it all. I want to play a bigger part than just helping out in the off-season. I want to help young girls, like I once was, love the ride because all they have to do is prove to themselves that they can, and that’s the only validation they need. That feeling settled into my bones when I watched Colson give Paisley’s necklace to Calli. A piece of his sister that he has always carried with him.

I want to help athletes who remind me of myself while also working with my clients’ horses, because it’s the only other love I’ve found in my career besides bull riding.

I don’t realize I’m smiling until I feel a warm set of hands settle on my hips, below where my protective vest is sitting on my waist. They wrap around to my front and pull my back against a hard body—the only man whose scent and touch can turn me into a puddle below my boots.

My coach’s mouth dips to the shell of my ear. “I was looking for you. Brian and Dalton told me you were over here taking in the crowd.”