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I squeezed Hunter’s hand as Ms. Gentry’s voice trailed off, realization washing over me. It didn’t matter to me anymore if Sarah won. She had proven herself to not only be an awful friend, but a miserable person with eyes only for the prize – no matter the cost. There was no use in battling someone like her. She’d realize one day what her actions had cost her. I hoped for her sake, it would be sooner than later.
Maybe I wasn’t going to get a crown, but I’d found so much more this week. I had parents who loved me and showed up. Two new girlfriends who had been there for me this week. And my very best friend in the world—who also happened to make my head spin when he kissed me. I’d even stumbled on something that I was actually good at. A crown couldn’t take that away. I was so very grateful for everything I had.
“...the winner of this year’s Rock Valley Junior Rodeo Queen contest is Geminia Rose,” Ms. Gentry finished.
My jaw dropped as Geminia’s red head bobbed in shock. She wore a genuine smile that blew Sarah’s fake simpering smile out of the water. And when I finally got over the shock, I screamed my approval. The silver crown Ms. Gentry laid gently upon her red curls looked perfect. She was everything a Junior Rodeo Queen was supposed to be. And I couldn’t have been more happy for her.
“Geminia!” I yelled, hopping up on the bottom rung of the stadium gate to wave wildly at her.
Her eyes landed on me and her face lit up with a gorgeous smile. She waved just before Ms. Gentry put a bouquet of sunflowers in her arms.
The setup crew was already rushing out to the platform to take it apart and get ready for the last event of the night. Hunter tugged on my hand and I followed him toward the area where the rest of the 4H rodeo kids sat. He wore a defeated frown.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get you here in time.” He ran his hand up my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “That crown should’ve been yours.”
“What? No way. Geminia totally deserved to win.”
I reached up on the balls of my feet and kissed him sweetly on the lips. It was enough to chase away the misery in his expression. His hands found my waist and he pulled me closer to him with an ornery grin.
“Do that again, and I might just have to skip bull riding and whisk you away to our secret hideout.”
Red hot heat flared in my gut. Oh, how I’d love to give in to that temptation. Just me and Hunter and nothing else to do but make up for the last few days of heartache. Tempting, very tempting. But I couldn’t let myself be selfish. Hunter was going to rock this competition. When the prize buckle was his, we could run away.
I bit back a smile and placed a finger over his lips as he leaned in closer for another kiss. “No way, cowboy. You’re getting on that bull and you’re winning that buckle.”
He pulled back slightly, a bit of disappointment showing in the way he wrinkled his nose. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I dropped my hands to my sides, keeping myself from running them over his hard chest like I so wanted to do. “And then after that, you’re all mine.”
Heat sparked in his eyes, then he dropped his hands from my waist and walked away. I fanned myself as he left. That had been a close one. I’d almost given in to his plan. Had he looked at me for one more second with that wolfish glint in his eyes I would’ve been toast. It was a good thing I had several years of experience telling Hunter no. It was going to be hard to resist him now that we were both on the same page.
“Where’s your crown?” Lexi called behind me.
I turned to see her and Beth running up on me. Sweat dripped down their foreheads and into their eyes. They looked like they’d just run the mile during freshmen P.E. class. I laughed and hugged both of them tight.
“No crown for me. But I’ve got something even better.” I gave them an extra squeeze before letting them go. “You guys are the best, you know that?”
Beth wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and huffed. “Uh...of course I knew that. That’s why I stuck around. You guys clearly needed the third and final piece to this awesomeness.”
With a roll of her eyes, Lexi lifted her curls from her neck and grinned. “Okay, so our sisters were right about us being friends. But let’s pinky promise never to tell them that, or their heads will get too big for their bodies.”
“Agreed!” I said quickly. “Now let’s go watch my guy win this thing.”
It felt totally awesome to call Hunter my guy. The sound of it made me want to giggle like a little girl into my hands. We made our way to the stands to grab seats as the first bulls were ushered into the stalls.
I saw Hunter on the other side of the arena, gearing up with a helmet and pads. My fingers itched to run over his jaw again, to find his lips with mine. Nerves were awoken in my stomach as I thought about him riding one of those bulls. All I could do now was pray that he didn’t get hurt and that he had the ride of his life.
Graham was one of the first cowboys up. He was actually pretty impressive. The bull he rode was black, muscular, and snorted like it wanted to charge through the gates. It was a scary thing, but Graham kept his seat. The eight second buzzer sounded and he hopped off the bull with ease, gaining a score of 88 that the next four cowboys just couldn’t beat.
“Guess your guy is last,” Beth said, her brow wrinkled in concern. She and Lexi seemed every bit as nervous as I did. They both had their fingers crossed in their laps.
“Hunter can do this,” I said, feeling confidence sweep through me. “He’s amazing. This is his ride.”
It felt like the arena went dead silent as Hunter climbed into place on the final bull’s back. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as he adjusted his seat with the help of a few of the boys. I wished I could see his face better beneath that black helmet. To know what was really going through his mind. My own was filled with a little bit of fear and a whole lot of excitement. I remembered what it was like to ride that mechanical bull. Riding the real one had to be such a rush.
Finally, Hunter nodded, giving the all clear. I sucked in a shallow breath as the gate slid open and the crowd went wild. The brown bull between Hunter’s legs was massive, with legs the size of tree trunks. It swung its head back and forth, using its capped horns like a battle weapon. The second it left the stall it began to twist and kick with a fierceness that made me dizzy. I leaned forward in my seat, watching Hunter’s body rock smoothly with every move the bull made. It was like a dance. An eight second thrill of a dance with a sprinkling of danger, just for fun.
Hunter’s muscles bulged with the effort to stay on the beast. He wore a determined expression that told me he was never going to let that bull get the best of him. And when the timer went off and Hunter hopped off the bull with ease, I jumped to my feet and yelled with the rest of the crowd, my heart bursting with pride.
