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Before he’d gotten sick, Maisie’s dad used to tell her she’d be the first in the family to graduate college, and by the time she hit thirty, she’d either be a CEO or even running a company of her own. His pride and ambition for her had made her desperate to prove him right. Maybe that was why Maisie had always expected her life to have more oomph than reality.
Sorta like she’d expected a bit more from this rodeo. Watching the horses do their maneuvers was sorta neat at first, but by the fifth time of exactly the same thing, Maisie’d had her fill. How long could one watch horses go in circles?
And still no Donna with the beer.
As the announcer called out the next competitor, Maisie stood up, seeing her chance to make a hasty retreat. Cheryl seemed in it for the long haul with her two new cowboy friends, but if Maisie hurried, she might catch Donna and offer to go check out the casino action with her. Surely Maisie could spare a twenty and find a slot machine with a low limit to keep herself occupied so that Donna could have some fun. Did they still have those machines that took pennies?
Maisie had just decided on this new plan when the next rider rushed out to the center, and all the hair on Maisie’s body stood up like she’d experienced an electric shock. Maisie wished her beer had arrived because, right now, she had the need to quench a thirst. This cowboy riding his horse was the most amazing thing Maisie had ever seen.
Every movement was graceful, like a dance where horse and rider moved as one. The hands holding the reins were oddly delicate, but strong, too. Incredibly so. Maisie’s knees wobbled as she imagined what hands like that could do when put to use in all the right places. Caressing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Stroking her bare breasts.
Maisie swallowed, nearly choking because her throat was so dry. For fuck sake, where had that thought come from? And where was Donna with that beer?
Maisie couldn’t recall ever reacting to another human being this strongly before, but the way the rider moved in those dark jeans, black shirt, and purple vest… Oh, and the hat. That hat was crucial to the whole appeal.
As Maisie’s eyes zeroed in on the rider’s head, the white horse and brown cow were barreling along the edge of the arena. As they passed mere inches from where Maisie sat in rapt attention, the horse seemed to stumble. The rider’s hat went flying into the air. Acting on sheer impulse, Maisie leaped up to catch it. While she clutched the hat to her chest, her eyes darted around the arena to find the horse and rider again.
When she finally did, her heart nearly stopped. How had she not realized this before?
Now hatless, a long sandy blonde ponytail was clearly visible, waving wildly from the cowboy’s head. Correction. Cowgirl. It was so obvious now Maisie wasn’t sure how she’d missed it. She’d assumed the rider was a slender man, but in fact, she was a tall, muscular woman.
A woman who was riding directly toward her on horseback like some sort of majestic fairytale knight. The horse stopped at the wall, making a snuffling sound that stirred the air so that Maisie could feel it on her cheeks, which had to have been the shade of a fire engine. All of a sudden, Maisie was sweating like it was a million degrees outside.
“My hat?” the rider prompted, eyebrow arching.
Maisie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Unable to speak, she simply held up the hat. When the woman’s fingertips brushed Maisie’s hands, every hair on her body responded by standing at attention. Their eyes met, and Maisie couldn’t look away. Or move. Or breathe.
“Thanks, ma’am.” The woman gazed deeply into Maisie’s eyes for a second more. A second that seemed to stretch like the most delicious taffy. Then the cowgirl winked.
Maisie made a choking gasp as the woman rode away.
What the fuck had just happened there?
“Maisie?” At some point, though Maisie had no idea when, Donna had returned. Empty-handed. “They’re out of beer. Can you believe it? Cheryl wants to stay, but I’m ready to hit the road. You?”
“What—?” Maisie blinked, the power of motion returning. She leaned to one side and then the other, trying to see past Donna to where the cowgirl had been, but she, the horse, and the cow had all disappeared out of sight.
“I said I’m ready to blow this popsicle stand. I can’t imagine anything interesting will happen around here.”
“Oh. Yeah.” In a daze, Maisie gathered her things and followed Donna, unaware of anything but the memory of the cowgirl’s touch and the excitement it had sent coursing through her veins.
Something interesting? It had just happened.
CHAPTERFOUR
“Easy there, Stormy,”Drew whispered as she waited in the center of the arena for her score. “Keep it steady.”
She stroked his muscular neck, uncertain whether she was trying to soothe him or slow her own racing heart. Thoughts swirled in her mind like debris in a tornado. The perfect start to the ride. The sudden, heart-wrenching stumble. Her hat flying off her head.
The ethereal being who’d caught it, with eyes that had pierced straight through Drew’s chest and left her breathless.
Who was that woman?
Drew knew one thing for certain; she wasn’t a regular on the competition circuit. There was no way in hell Drew wouldn’t have noticed her if their paths had crossed before. Just thinking about the woman, the spark Drew had experienced deep inside when they’d locked eyes traveled through her body yet again.
Seriously, what was going on? This was like nothing she’d ever experienced before, and it was a damn nuisance. The timing couldn’t have been worse. Drew was in the middle of an arena, waiting on scores from a ride she’d thoroughly fucked up, and with prize money in the balance and a job offer, all she could think of was a girl?
“That’s a seventy-seven score for number twelve-eleven out of Rock Creek Valley, Wyoming,” came the announcement through the arena’s speaker. “Drew Campbell on Riding the Storm.”
