Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 28062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
I had hoped our talk last night would come to some declarations and plans for the future, but she was timid on the phone. I get it. She’s nervous about all this, and she doesn’t want to mess up her relationship with Ace. I respect it, I really do, but I also can imagine how good we could be together, and so I know I need to stay on course, even if I need to take it slower than I want.
I finally get into the chute and get situated. The bull rocks between my legs, and I clench my thighs together. I shouldn’t ask, but as soon as Rick comes to a stop next to me, I ask him, “What the fuck was that?”
His cheeks are ruddy. “Sorry, man. I didn’t realize I was flirting with your woman. Ace set me straight, though.” He chuckles. “He wasn’t having it. He said, ‘My dad wouldn’t want you flirting with his girlfriend.’”
I raise my eyes in question and then look over to where my son is sitting with Dolly. Ace stands up and gives me a thumbs-up, so I return one to him. I should have known that Ace knew how I felt about Dolly. I haven’t done anything to hide it from him. “Yeah, she’s taken,” I tell Rick.
He holds his hands up, palm out. “Right, I get it. Honestly, I’m more scared of Ace than I am of you.”
I wrap my hand around the bull rope and shake my head. “You probably should be. He don’t play when it comes to Dolly.” I give a nod to him, and he gives a nod to our team. “Let’s ride,” I call out.
I nod to the announcer, and the countdown begins. As soon as the buzzer rings, the chute opens, and Warrior springs from the barricade. Instantly the thrill of the ride takes over, and all I can focus on is the bull between my thighs and the dirt under his feet, and I hold on until the sound of the buzzer.
Normally, that’s all I think about when I’m on a bull, but today is different. Today, I’m thinking about a certain blue-eyed woman and how I’m going to convince her I’m worth the risk.
CHAPTER 6
DOLLY
I blow out the breath that I’ve been holding. I’ve seen Tucker on a bull a thousand times, but it never gets easier. It’s in these moments when I’m completely focused on him that there’s no hiding my feelings for him. I’ve loved him for a long time, even when I shouldn’t have.
“Go, Dad!” Ace screams next to me as the count gets closer to eight seconds. As soon as the buzzer dings, the crowd erupts in cheers but not me. Nope, I’m still holding my breath until I see Tucker jump off the bucking bull and land on his feet. He takes his hat off and waves it to the crowd. It feels like he’s looking right at me, and Ace and I are screaming and waving back at him.
The whole thing lasted seconds, but it feels like it was hours.
I take a deep breath, dragging oxygen into my lungs.
Ace grabs my hand and tugs me back into my seat. “Dad will come to us.”
Adrenaline is pumping through my veins, but I sit down next to him. I look at the time on my phone, and we have a little while before we have to leave for Ace’s baseball practice. Ace is so excited he can barely sit still, but I can’t say I blame him. I know exactly what he’s feeling. “My dad was awesome!” he shouts.
I laugh. “He is awesome!”
Ace tilts his head at me. “You like my dad, don’t you, Dolly?”
I tense next to him. I’m sure this is not a conversation I should be having with Ace. He knows what my role has been in his life. He has always thought of me as his honorary aunt or something. “Of course I like your dad. He’s a great guy.” I playfully ruffle his hair. “And you know I love you.”
He would normally laugh or something, but his little face is all pinched up in concentration. “No, I mean, I know you like my dad, but do you like him like him?”
“Uh…” I start. I’ve never lied to Ace, but I’m not so sure I should be telling him everything right now. I mean, how do I tell a kid I love his dad when his dad would probably freak out if he knew it? Nope, I need to keep some things to myself. “Ace, you know your dad and I are not dating, right?”
He rolls his eyes at me. “I know that. He still wouldn’t want Rick flirting with you.”
Worried that Ace thinks there’s more to it than that, I gently nudge him. “Honey, he wouldn’t care. We’re just friends.”