by D. R. Graham
“No. You did good.”
“That’s not what I mean. Did you pretend you needed my help so I would have an excuse to keep touring on the circuit even though I quit?”
He glanced at me and tipped his hat back before leaning his elbows on the rail. “I don’t feel sorry for you, Billy, but I wasn’t going to let you run away because you got spooked.”
“So, you’re not as useless as you act?”
He laughed. “I didn’t say that, but I can take care of my own shit.”
I smiled and watched as they loaded the next bull. Tyson rode eighth. He got tossed. The ninth rider scored an eighty-five. Blake was the tenth and final rider. He drew a good bull that had scored high in its other outs. I looked up at the judges’ booth again. Lyle and his crew of misfits had moved and were standing near the exit to the grandstand.
“Blake’s lucky he drew a good bull. Do you think he can beat ninety-one?” Cole asked.
“If his dad bribed or threatened the judges, your only chance of winning might be if he gets a no score.” I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees as Blake loaded into the chute.
Cole paced around without taking his eyes off the ring. “If his dad was in the business of fixing the judging, Blake would have won more buckles in his career.”
“What’s the plan if he beats you?”
“Run,” he mumbled, made eye contact with Lyle, and started pacing again.
“Where were you?” I asked.
He glanced over his shoulder, but kept pacing. “Who cares?”
“I was just wondering. Mom thought you were dead.”
“I told you. I was preparing.”
“How?”
“I went to visit Grandpa. He trained me for a couple days. I also interviewed for a job with a friend of his from the oil company while I was there. I start next week.”
“That’s great. Why didn’t you just tell me where you were going?”
He shrugged. “I visited Dad’s gravesite too. It was something I needed to do by myself.”
Completely understanding and so proud of him, I nodded. Lee-Anne whistled to catch my attention. She tilted her head up and to the side so I would see who was sitting in the top row of the grandstand all by herself. She was wearing a white dress and her strawberry coloured hair was glowing in the sun ray. The gate opened and Blake’s bull bucked out. Without breaking eye contact with Shae-Lynn, I held my breath and counted off each second. “Eight,” I said. Then the buzzer went.
“Shit,” Cole said. “That was a great ride.”
The crowd got to its feet and I lost view of Shae-Lynn. I climbed the fence, but couldn’t spot her in the sea of heads.
“What’s his score?” Cole shouted. “I can’t look.”
I spun around to check the scoreboard. The crowd fell silent waiting for the numbers to light up. When they did, I blinked to make sure I was seeing them right. “Holy shit.” I threw my hands in the air. “God damn it. Eighty-nine. Yeah, baby! You won!”
Cole dropped to his knees and tilted his head back as if he was thanking God. He grinned and pumped his fists. “Yes. A hundred thousand dollars.”
“Actually, it’s three hundred thousand dollars.” I smiled at him.
“What do you mean?”
“I put ten thousand on you to win and the odds were twenty to one.”
“You bet on me to win?”
“Yup.”
He sprung to his feet. “You’re crazy.”
“Well, sometimes that pays.”
“Idiot! Why would you bet on me to win?”
“’Cause I knew you could do it.” I hopped down from the fence, ran over, and gave him a hug.
He squeezed back so tightly I couldn’t breathe. After a while he choked up and said, “I wish he could have been here.”
“He’s here. He’s watching over us and he’s proud of you.”
“I miss him.”
“I know, man.” I slapped his back three times. “I do too.”
Cole’s hands clenched the material of my Kevlar vest for another second before he stepped back. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. Then he turned to the crowd and let out a loud, long, “Yahoo!”
Tyson and all the other guys, except Blake, swarmed us. They lifted Cole onto their shoulders. He waved his hat at the crowd and pointed at me. I smiled and tipped my hat. He’d never looked happier. That’s what Shae-Lynn was talking about when she said it made her happier to see the people she cared about happy than to get what she wanted. I climbed over the railing onto the grandstand and wove through the spectators making my way up to the back row. The crowd thinned as I neared the top. I searched for strawberry hair.
She wasn’t there.
I leaned over the back to see if she was already out on the grass. “Shae-Lynn!”
“Shae,” her voice said behind me.
I spun around. The crowd parted. She was five rows down, leaning her back against the side railing.
“Sorry. Shae.”
Her cherry glossed lips stretched into a grin. “Aw, you’re not going to give up now, are you? I secretly like that you’re the only person on the planet who calls me Shae-Lynn.”
I smiled and pushed my hat back. “I’ll never give up on anything that has to do with you unless you ask me to.”
“Good to know.”
“Did you get my text about moving here?”
“Yes, but that won’t be necessary.”
“I want to.”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, it won’t be necessary because I was offered a music scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan and I’m going to accept it.”
“What? You’re moving to Saskatoon?” I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“Is that all right?” she joked.
“Yes.” I scrambled down the five rows to get to her. She squealed as I eased my good hand across the small of her back, circled her waist to lift her, and swung her around. Her arms tightened around my shoulders and her cheek rested against mine, giving me that peaceful feeling. When I finally put her down, I slid my hands up to cradle her face and leaned forward to rest my forehead on hers. “You do realize that being with me makes you hick.”
“What can I say? You do it for me. You always have.” She tugged at my belt buckle to pull my hips closer. “If that makes me hick, then I guess I’m pretty much as hick as it gets.” She winked and touched her lips to mine with an easiness that shot more adrenaline through my blood than riding bulls ever did. It was the best kiss of my life.
“Yeah, baby!” Cole shouted at us from the fence.
He made both of us laugh, but we didn’t break the kiss. I held my right arm in the air and gave Cole a thumbs up, then swept Shae-Lynn off her feet to a chorus of cheers from everybody else who’d been watching us.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my parents, whose steadfast faith in my ability has always instilled the belief in me that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to; my brother and sister for having my back my entire life; and my husband Sean for his patience and unconditional love.
Thank you to Rasadi, Kamaljit, and my critique partner Denise Jaden who were kind enough to read the early drafts of Rank.
Thanks to Scotty, who spooked when I didn’t have the reins, and left me no choice but to cowgirl up when I was only five.
A very special thanks to Charlotte Ledger for falling in love with Rank, and to everyone behind the scenes at HarperImpulse – Harper Fiction and HarperCollins Publishers.
Finally, thanks to the readers.
Also by D.R. Graham…
One Percenter
D.R. Graham
My name is Danielle. I write both Young Adult and New Adult novels under the author name D.R. Graham. I am a child and family therapist and prior to going into private practice I worked as a social worker with at-risk youth. The novels I write deal with issues relevant to young and new adults in love, transition, or crisis. I am also an award winn
ing columnist for the Richmond News. I currently live in Vancouver, British Columbia with my husband.
http://www.drgrahambooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/drgrahambooks?fref=ts
@drgrahambooks
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
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