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I tower over him. “I said, you’re not putting her on a bull. Certainly not any of the ones in this building.”
He gives me a smug look that I’d like to wipe off his Ivy League face. “Ryder, isn’t it?”
“Yup.”
“Well, Ryder, since this is none of your business, I’ll thank you to move along.”
“It is every bit my business.”
He folds his arms and smiles. “And exactly how do you figure that?”
“Because I’m a man and real men don’t stand by while some dickhead puts a woman’s life at risk.”
“Yeah, sorry, but I don’t answer to you.”
“You will if she gets hurt. And I c
an assure you that you won’t like how I deliver the question.” I grab him by his shirt and pull him up onto his tiptoes.
His tough guy act dissolves immediately and he puts his hands up in surrender, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do with him, yet. I’m so filled with rage, I just might give him a preview of what’ll happen if he doesn’t listen to me.
Julia touches my arm with her hand. “Ryder, it’s fine. I can take care of myself.”
“There’s nothing fine about any of this.” I don’t look at her, but keep leaning over her boss. “She’s a professional reporter, not some fucking clown.” When I release him from my grip, I do it hard, so he falls back on his heels and stumbles.
“You’re a psycho,” he says in a whiny voice.
“And don’t you forget it.” I give him a slow smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
He turns and hurries off, leaving me alone with Julia. When I turn to her, she doesn’t look happy. She crosses her arms and says, “What the hell was that?”
“Me protecting you.”
“The only one I need to be protected from is you.” She swallows hard. “Nobody has ever…”
She trails off, then shakes her head and turns from me, following her boss. I catch her arm and spin her to me. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Tugging her arm away from me, she says, “Yeah, well, you failed.”
I hear my name called from the loudspeakers. “Ryder West to the chutes, please.”
Sighing, I reach up and run my fingers along her soft cheek. “I’m going to fix everything. Just give me a little time.”
Julia shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”
I’m in the chute with an ornery white bull named Pounder. Just getting the ropes secured has been a hell of a fight and I know I’m in for it. He slams my leg against the metal to let me know what’s coming. Pain sears through my right side, but I ignore it. Good thing I’m in the same mood as Pounder. We’re going to get along just fine.
I secure my right hand to the rope, blocking out the sound of the crowd and the music blaring. This is it—the moment that will bring me one step closer to being a champion. The sound of my heartbeat fills my ears and I try to clear my mind of everything but the task at hand.
I nod, indicating that I’m ready to go, and the gate swings open, freeing Pounder to do what he does best. He bucks and twists as hard as he can, then spins, trying his best to get me the hell off him. I hold tight with my thighs and my hand, letting my sense of timing and balance guide the way for the entire eight, long seconds.
When the buzzer sounds, I let go and jump off, then dodge a foot that’s coming at me. Rolling out of the way of his hind legs, I scramble to my feet, then climb the fence and jump over while Pounder burns himself out.
The crowd goes nuts as the announcer gives the scores. I’m in first place by a full four points. It’ll be enough to get me through to the next round.
When the ride is over, I stand with some of the other riders, watching as the rest of the day wraps up. I’m offered a beer and this time, I accept. I’ve earned it. And I need something to calm me down and numb me out so I don’t go in search of Julia’s boss. The guys and I go over to the stalls to avoid the crowd as they file out of the building.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see Julia. “The network wants a live interview with you because you came in first today.”
