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LeAnn clambered on the bull again and gave him the nod. Dylan turned on the machine to max, and pressed start.
“Feet in. Chest out. Tuck your damned head. Shoulders back,” Dylan barked. “When the bull twists to the left, drop your hand down a bit. That’s right.”
He put her through five more rides, noting the areas where she needed to improve. After she took a little longer getting up from the last one, he shut off the machine and walked out to the mats to help her up.
“That was awesome,” LeAnn said, still grinning.
“You did good, Killer.” He hoisted her to her feet and helped her climb off the mats.
“So next time, we’re going to do this again, but with real bulls?”
He hesitated. Johnny had been eager like this. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes he had with Johnny with her. “First thing we’re going to do is work on your core. You’re going to hit the gym every day. I want to see you doing squats, and working with the balance board and yoga ball.”
At her look of disappointment, he qualified that with, “You’ve got the whole rodeo season ahead of you. Before I take the risk of you getting injured on my watch, I want to make sure you’re conditioned enough to handle what the bulls can throw at you day after day.”
“That seems fair,” she said grudgingly.
“Don’t think you’re getting out of cardio either.”
“Ugh.”
They started walking back to the barn. Dylan resisted the urge to hold her hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll get some bull time in. I need to find you some smaller bulls, though.” And he needed to come to terms with seeing her on one. She was competent. If she had been a man, he wouldn’t be feeling like this. Johnny had scarred him, though. Dylan just wanted to wrap her in Bubble Wrap and keep her safe. But he knew she’d never stand for that crap.
“I don’t need special treatment. You can call Trent Campbell,” she said. “He’ll let you know that for the last six weeks, I’ve been riding bulls of all sizes.”
“I appreciate the heads-up,” he said. “You should give him a call and let them know it’s okay to talk to me. He and I can come up with a decent training schedule based on your experience. And don’t worry, you’ll get your chance on the bigger bulls. I won’t feel right about it though until I see how you handle the little ones.”
“So, you think I did all right?” LeAnn stared at her fingernails, as if his answer wouldn’t bother her. But he could tell that what he was about to say would mean a great deal to her.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” he said. “As a man who knows how dangerous these creatures are, I don’t like the idea of you or any other woman on a bull.”
Bristling, her hands clenched into fists. Dylan knew he had to speak fast because he didn’t want to lose her before he got to the important part.
“But that being said, bull riding is a dangerous sport whether you’re a man or woman. Injuries happen. Death happens. But you can also die in a car crash on the highway. There are no guarantees in life. When I look at you, whether it’s on a bronc or on a mechanical bull, I can see that this is your passion, and this is something that makes life worth living for you. I feel the same way about the sport. So, I get it. I get what drives you.”
She looked up at him, unshed tears shining in her eyes. It made him uncomfortable, and he looked away.
“You’ve got good form. Trent Campbell taught you well. But I think you had the basics of it long before he started training you, and that gave you a decent start.”
LeAnn nodded quickly. “I did. I started out on mechanical bulls when I could sneak on one. And that doesn’t even count the homemade rigs that I went on as a kid when my parents weren’t looking.”
“Same,” Dylan said. “So because of all that, I think you have what it takes to be a champion in this event.”
LeAnn stopped in her tracks and took a shuddering breath. She laid a hand on his arm and squeezed it. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You’re the first person to say that.”
He slung an arm around her shoulder and tugged her in for a quick hug. “I’m sorry about that. If you had been a man, you would have been getting all the encouragement you needed. You chose a hard path, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be hard all the time.” He wished he could stop worrying that she’d get hurt. Injuries were a part of their life. He just didn’t want to see her crushed into the ground. It made him panicky to think of her like that.
“Once the WPRC makes their announcement,” LeAnn said, “I think there is going to be a bit of a backlash. But after the first couple events, it’ll be like the bronc busting. Just another event.”
When they reached the barn, Dylan asked, “Are there any other women that you know of eager to do this event?”
“Why?” she asked, looking at him from under her lashes. “Are you looking to expand your training schedule?”
“No.” He gave a short laugh. “Like I don’t have enough on my hands with my own schedule and training you. I was wondering how many takers the WPRC was going to have. Part of the training will be looking at your competition.”
“I appreciate you doing this for me,” LeAnn said. “I haven’t really talked to the other women on the circuit yet. We don’t keep in touch during the off-season.” She shrugged. “It’s hard to get close to people when you’re not on the road with them. That’s one of the things I felt that I missed out on while traveling with my family.”
“You haven’t missed much,” Dylan said. “At least you don’t have to worry about coming back to your hotel room and seeing that your roommate brought a girl home. Trust me, sleeping in the bathtub while they’re going at it like rabbits all night is not conducive to a good ride the next morning.”
