“I am so very honored to name our champion this year. Your new Junior Rodeo Queen has all the qualities that make a young girl stand out. Her charm, her positive energy, and her willingness to make a difference in this world all do her credit. Without further ado, I would like to introduce you too...”
I squeezed Hunter’s hand as Ms. Gentry’s voice trailed off, realization washing over me. It didn’t matter to me anymore if Sarah won. She had proven herself to not only be an awful friend, but a miserable person with eyes only for the prize – no matter the cost. There was no use in battling someone like her. She’d realize one day what her actions had cost her. I hoped for her sake, it would be sooner than later.
Maybe I wasn’t going to get a crown, but I’d found so much more this week. I had parents who loved me and showed up. Two new girlfriends who had been there for me this week. And my very best friend in the world—who also happened to make my head spin when he kissed me. I’d even stumbled on something that I was actually good at. A crown couldn’t take that away. I was so very grateful for everything I had.
“...the winner of this year’s Rock Valley Junior Rodeo Queen contest is Geminia Rose,” Ms. Gentry finished.
My jaw dropped as Geminia’s red head bobbed in shock. She wore a genuine smile that blew Sarah’s fake simpering smile out of the water. And when I finally got over the shock, I screamed my approval. The silver crown Ms. Gentry laid gently upon her red curls looked perfect. She was everything a Junior Rodeo Queen was supposed to be. And I couldn’t have been more happy for her.
“Geminia!” I yelled, hopping up on the bottom rung of the stadium gate to wave wildly at her.
Her eyes landed on me and her face lit up with a gorgeous smile. She waved just before Ms. Gentry put a bouquet of sunflowers in her arms.
The setup crew was already rushing out to the platform to take it apart and get ready for the last event of the night. Hunter tugged on my hand and I followed him toward the area where the rest of the 4H rodeo kids sat. He wore a defeated frown.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get you here in time.” He ran his hand up my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “That crown should’ve been yours.”
“What? No way. Geminia totally deserved to win.”
I reached up on the balls of my feet and kissed him sweetly on the lips. It was enough to chase away the misery in his expression. His hands found my waist and he pulled me closer to him with an ornery grin.
“Do that again, and I might just have to skip bull riding and whisk you away to our secret hideout.”
Red hot heat flared in my gut. Oh, how I’d love to give in to that temptation. Just me and Hunter and nothing else to do but make up for the last few days of heartache. Tempting, very tempting. But I couldn’t let myself be selfish. Hunter was going to rock this competition. When the prize buckle was his, we could run away.
I bit back a smile and placed a finger over his lips as he leaned in closer for another kiss. “No way, cowboy. You’re getting on that bull and you’re winning that buckle.”
He pulled back slightly, a bit of disappointment showing in the way he wrinkled his nose. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I dropped my hands to my sides, keeping myself from running them over his hard chest like I so wanted to do. “And then after that, you’re all mine.”
Heat sparked in his eyes, then he dropped his hands from my waist and walked away. I fanned myself as he left. That had been a close one. I’d almost given in to his plan. Had he looked at me for one more second with that wolfish glint in his eyes I would’ve been toast. It was a good thing I had several years of experience telling Hunter no. It was going to be hard to resist him now that we were both on the same page.
“Where’s your crown?” Lexi called behind me.
I turned to see her and Beth running up on me. Sweat dripped down their foreheads and into their eyes. They looked like they’d just run the mile during freshmen P.E. class. I laughed and hugged both of them tight.
“No crown for me. But I’ve got something even better.” I gave them an extra squeeze before letting them go. “You guys are the best, you know that?”
Beth wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and huffed. “Uh...of course I knew that. That’s why I stuck around. You guys clearly needed the third and final piece to this awesomeness.”
With a roll of her eyes, Lexi lifted her curls from her neck and grinned. “Okay, so our sisters were right about us being friends. But let’s pinky promise never to tell them that, or their heads will get too big for their bodies.”
“Agreed!” I said quickly. “Now let’s go watch my guy win this thing.”
It felt totally awesome to call Hunter my guy. The sound of it made me want to giggle like a little girl into my hands. We made our way to the stands to grab seats as the first bulls were ushered into the stalls.
I saw Hunter on the other side of the arena, gearing up with a helmet and pads. My fingers itched to run over his jaw again, to find his lips with mine. Nerves were awoken in my stomach as I thought about him riding one of those bulls. All I could do now was pray that he didn’t get hurt and that he had the ride of his life.
Graham was one of the first cowboys up. He was actually pretty impressive. The bull he rode was black, muscular, and snorted like it wanted to charge through the gates. It was a scary thing, but Graham kept his seat. The eight second buzzer sounded and he hopped off the bull with ease, gaining a score of 88 that the next four cowboys just couldn’t beat.
“Guess your guy is last,” Beth said, her brow wrinkled in concern. She and Lexi seemed every bit as nervous as I did. They both had their fingers crossed in their laps.
“Hunter can do this,” I said, feeling confidence sweep through me. “He’s amazing. This is his ride.”
It felt like the arena went dead silent as Hunter climbed into place on the final bull’s back. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as he adjusted his seat with the help of a few of the boys. I wished I could see his face better beneath that black helmet. To know what was really going through his mind. My own was filled with a little bit of fear and a whole lot of excitement. I remembered what it was like to ride that mechanical bull. Riding the real one had to be such a rush.
Finally, Hunter nodded, giving the all clear. I sucked in a shallow breath as the gate slid open and the crowd went wild. The brown bull between Hunter’s legs was massive, with legs the size of tree trunks. It swung its head back and forth, using its capped horns like a battle weapon. The second it left the stall it began to twist and kick with a fierceness that made me dizzy. I leaned forward in my seat, watching Hunter’s body rock smoothly with every move the bull made. It was like a dance. An eight second thrill of a dance with a sprinkling of danger, just for fun.
Hunter’s muscles bulged with the effort to stay on the beast. He wore a determined expression that told me he was never going to let that bull get the best of him. And when the timer went off and Hunter hopped off the bull with ease, I jumped to my feet and yelled with the rest of the crowd, my heart bursting with pride.
He’d done it!
“If he doesn’t win after that, I’m going to shave my head,” Lexi shouted at us.
“I’d love to take you up on that bet,” Beth said with a laugh, “but I think he’s going to win. Plus, you’d look awful bald.”
The insulted expression on Lexi’s face made me giggle. We quieted down just in time to hear the announcer’s voice booming across the arena with Hunter’s score.
“Looks like McNally just rocked the socks off of Ol’ Boots, the bull. We’ve got a score of 90 from the judges. And that makes him tonight’s winner!”
All three of us jumped and squealed with glee. I took off down the bleacher to the arena fence. Hunter had already shed his helmet and was pumping his fist in the air. The moment he saw me heading toward him, he ran to meet me. And when he got to the fence, he easily climbed over it and took me in his arms.
“I knew you would win,”
I said, my face pressed against his shoulder.
My own arms had wrapped tightly around his torso. The scent of dirt and sweat was heavy on his shirt. A rumble of laughter came from deep within his chest. He squeezed me tightly and then pulled back.
“Winning doesn’t matter anymore,” he said, his gaze capturing mine with an intensity that took my breath away. “Proving that I’m strong doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is you.”
I stared up into his eyes, feeling totally and absolutely at peace in his strong arms. In a way that I hadn’t felt for months.
“That’s good to know, cowboy.” I tipped my chin up to brush a kiss over his lips. “But I’m still glad you won. I always knew you’d look pretty sexy with a shiny belt buckle.”
His mouth curled into a tempting grin. “Is that so?”
“Hmmm.” I nodded and licked my lips. “I think Lexi and Beth were right. Cowboys are pretty hard to resist.”
His hands on my back pressed me a little closer to him. “All cowboys, or just one in particular?”
I held back my smile as best I could and winked at him. “Just one. But you can’t get me to tell you who.”
With a grin that made my heart flutter, he dipped his head and kissed me again. Only this time, there was no hesitation in the way he held me. And no hesitation in the way I kissed him back. There was only him, and me, and the overwhelming sensation that I was falling head over cowgirl heels for that bull rider.
I guess I’d been lying to myself.
I was a rhinestones and leather kind of girl after all.
Epilogue
Lexi
I stared up at the massive glittering chandelier hanging from the ceiling above. Excitement buzzed throughout my body as if I’d just stuck my makeup brush in an outlet. With a muffled squeal, I tugged on Beth and Charlotte’s arms, and danced in my red pumps.
“Can you believe this place? I told you this was going to be legit.”
It wasn’t often that my dad’s boring job as an attorney came with glitz and glam, but this was one of those rare opportunities. A party! And not just any party—but a party with movie execs, and film makers, and actors from the new movie that was going to be filmed at Rock Valley High in the next few weeks. Dad was representing the school’s interest. That was the only reason he’d been invited to this little pre-filming party
Best of all—Alanis Nori was supposed to be in attendance. She was the makeup artist hired for this movie gig. I’d stalked her website before tonight’s party. Tall, brunette, with sculpted thick black eyebrows that made my tweezers tremble in their snug place inside my makeup bag. She was a graduate from the L Makeup Institute in Los Angeles. And my one-way ticket to getting an acceptance letter for after high school.
I was so getting a spot on her squad for this movie—even if that meant making coffee for the next six weeks.
“This is definitely legit.” Charlotte’s eyes widened as she scanned the crowded room. “Aren’t you glad you came with me tonight, cowboy?”
Hunter shifted restlessly beside her; his hand stuffed deep in his jean pocket. I’d tried my best to get Charlotte to convince him to wear a suit for the party, but I guess she’d failed. Miserably. At least he’d left the cowboy hat at home. Still, I couldn’t be upset at either of them. Especially not when he met his girlfriend’s gaze with such a hopelessly-in-love kind of expression on his face.
“I’d go anywhere with you, Char Char.”
Beth made a face and pretended to choke herself with her hand. I giggled silently, and then we both broke into happy grins. The whole love-sick thing going on between Charlotte and Hunter had lasted the entire summer. They were sugary-sweet and meant to be. I’d ship them anytime—even if it meant seeing them make goo-goo eyes at each other all the time.
“All right, people, eyes peeled for the target,” I urged my friends and then did a double check on the status of my makeup with a compact I pulled from my purse. It wouldn’t be good to be flashing my acne scars in front of a legit makeup artist. Everything was in place, except for a small fold in the collar of my white Prada blouse.
Technically, it was my mom’s. And technically, she didn’t know that I’d sort of borrowed it for tonight. It would be back in her closet before she even noticed it was missing. And she always did say first impressions were everything. Alanis Nori had great taste and she would notice something like that.
If I could just pin her down for two itty bitty seconds.
I scanned the crowd near the entrance. The Hilton conference rooms were the fanciest rooms we could get in Rock Valley. They were probably a far stretch from anything Hollywood had to offer, but it was golden for a Midwestern girl like me. Thick, red carpet stretched under my pumps. The ceiling was lined with gold trim. At least a hundred people were packed in beside us—most of them probably members of the film crew. Waiters carrying silver trays darted between the crowd, offering food and beverages to anyone in their path.
“So, what’s this movie about, anyway?” Beth snatched a shrimp cocktail from a nearby waiter holding a silver tray. She stared down at the expensive appetizer with a cocked eyebrow, distrust evident on her face as she poked at the red sauce inside the cup. “And why is the shrimp freezing cold?”
“Cold shrimp with cocktail sauce is the only way the stars eat it,” I said in a hushed voice, looking around to make sure no one heard her. “And according to Dad, it’s a soccer movie. He said it’s our generation’s Bend it Like Beckham.”
She wrinkled her nose. “What’s that?”
“Some ancient movie,” I said with a shrug. “I looked it up on Wikipedia. I guess it was popular back in the day. Who knows why?”
“Who’s Beckham?” Charlotte asked, biting her lower lip. “And what does bending have to do with soccer?”
A deep and throaty chuckle sounded behind us. We all spun to find the source. As soon as I laid on him, my heart jumped into my throat. Leaning against the wall was a boy about our age, maybe a year older, dressed in black jeans and tee. His dark blond hair was just long enough to be tousled artfully, as if he’d made a habit of running his hands through it. He had a sharp and perfectly sized nose, a jawline that even Henry Cavill would’ve been jealous of, and a slender, athletic shape. One of his black tennis shoes rested on the wall behind him as his light blue eyes scanned over my friends and finally settled on me with an amused glint.
“Beckham’s only one of the greatest soccer players of all time,” he said with a pained frown, still making eye contact with me. Nerves bounced around in my stomach, but I couldn’t look away. “And if you don’t know Beckham’s signature move, you don’t know soccer.”
I couldn’t help but bristle at his comment. There wasn’t really a good reason for it. I’d never claimed to know anything about soccer. In fact, I was pretty sure I was allergic to anything that involved a ball hurtling at my carefully contoured face. But the way this boy was looking at me—so arrogant, like a major know-it-all—made me want to put him in his place.
“Who cares about Beckham?” I asked, taking a step toward him with fire bursting in my veins. “I’ve heard this movie is going to blow Beckham’s movie out of the water.”
He chuckled again and rubbed a hand over his chin before taking a step toward me. Amusement flashed in his eyes as he leaned down to my eye level and arched a single eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Who’s starring in this movie, if you’re so sure it’s going to be that great?”
My mouth flapped uselessly open and then shut. I glared at him, wracking my mind as fast as I could. I could’ve sworn Dad had mentioned who at some point. Some famous stars and some up-and-coming actors. Their names escaped me. I really didn’t care. Working on the makeup team was my only goal—not schmoozing with a bunch of kid actors.
“I’m not sure, but I’ve heard he’s really talented,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
He laughed again and another jolt of annoyance went through me. I’d had enough of that.
“Look
, why don’t you just go back to hiding in your corner and let me find who I’m looking for?”
He tilted his head to one side, his eyes flashing. “Yeah, your target. I heard you talking about it. Who do you work for? TMZ? OK!? I thought people like you never left the big cities.”
I pressed a hand dramatically to my chest. Part of me was kind of flattered that he thought I was old enough to be a journalist for a gossip magazine. The other part was really grumpy with the tone he’d taken with me and my friends.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but none of the above.” I emphasized every word and then turned my back on the gorgeous boy who was threatening to make my girly hormones break out into song.
It was time to get back to my original goal. My dad was still parking the car. I had exactly three minutes to find Alanis Nori and convince her to let me onto her squad before he’d somehow find the only other lawyers in the place and trap me in mind-numbing conversations with him.
“Come on, guys.” I nodded at the others that I was ready to move along, but the guy jumped in front of me, his eyes narrowing.
“National Enquirer? Star? Come on. Which do you work for?” A frown worked its way on his face as he took a step back. “Or maybe your speed is more Teen Vogue?”
“Uh...so totally wrong.”
So what if I had the newest issue of Teen Vogue sitting on my nightstand at home? Something about the way this guy was harassing me made me want to deny ever picking up a single magazine in my life. I huffed and stepped aside, but he stepped in my path again, the intensity never leaving his face.
“Dude, back off.” Hunter puffed out his chest and took a step in the guy’s direction. Charlotte held tightly to his arm, as if she were worried about a fight starting up. Hunter never would’ve started a fight, but he could definitely finish one. “We have a right to be here. Her dad’s the lawyer for the school they’re shooting the movie at.”
Dare You to Resist the Bull Rider (Rock Valley High Book 4) Page 18
