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“Why? Because he’s afraid you’ll lose if you’re on a better bull?”
LeAnn stiffened. “No.”
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem, should it? Or are you willing to admit that you can’t handle a bull in my category?”
“I can handle the bull. What happens if I don’t win this bet?”
“You admit to me and the rest of male bull riders that girls shouldn’t ride because they can’t handle a real bull.”
Girls? Jerk! “What do I get if I win?” she challenged.
“I’ll tell all the boys that we were wrong about you guys. I’d defend you every time someone talks shit about the girls not being real athletes.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Who cares? No, if I win, you take back that bullshit you said about Dylan beating you up.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t care. You make it right. Post that it was a big practical joke. Figure it out.”
“Sierra Boots still won’t touch you.”
“Doesn’t matter,” LeAnn said. “What matters is the truth. So if I win, you’re going to come clean.”
For a moment, she thought Mick would balk at her terms. But overconfidence must have overridden his doubts because he said, “Deal.”
LeAnn held out a hand. “You’re going to be a good PR guy for women’s bull riding.”
“Admitting you’re too weak to ride a bull will make my season.”
They shook on it.
She knew Dylan was going to be pissed, but she also knew that she could handle any of the bulls in that pen. She had been watching them, studying them. And she had been looking for an opportunity to ride one.
And if Mick stopped his bullshit about women bull riders, it would be worth it. If she could ride this bull, no not if—when—she might be able to lock down another big-name sponsor.
She stayed away from Dylan and the bulls until it was her time to show up for the rides. Mick gave her a nod and she saw the gates slide and her bull was blocked off as another one came trotting up from the back.
Dylan put his hands on her shoulders and gave a squeeze. She jumped.
“Go get ’em, Killer,” Dylan said.
She backed him away from the bucking chutes. At his quizzical look, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. The distraction worked too well because she almost missed her notification.
“I’ve got to go,” she said, breathless from the sweet kisses that took on a gradually more heated edge.
“You’ve got this.”
LeAnn shouldn’t have let Mick goad her into this. The bull was an unknown. Hell, all bulls were unknown, until you rode them. But would she have had a better chance to go eight seconds on a “woman’s” bull? She had to consider that possibility. She squeezed Dylan extra tight.
“I love you.” LeAnn kissed him quick on the lips as he stared at her, stunned.
Not giving him a chance to respond, she hurried to the chute. She did love him. They were in this together. There was no way she was going to lose.
“I love you too,” he called after her. She heard him over the roaring of the crowd.
LeAnn was thankful he didn’t look like he was going to follow her into the chute, but since she was late, there were already three cowboys in place to help her get settled in on the bull and make sure the ropes were set up correctly. She hadn’t wanted to risk that Dylan would stop the ride if he didn’t recognize the bull. She had better not blow this. She needed to win, and not just for herself. Because he was going to be pissed when he found out what she’d done.
LeAnn had a moment of trepidation when the bull recoiled and slammed against the chute. But before she could second-guess herself, she tightened her grip and nodded to the gate man.
