Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)

Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)
K.F. Breene


Chapter One

I sat in the car with William, the guy I had lusted over for months. The same guy I thought couldn’t care less about me. He had it all, including a packed schedule that didn’t accommodate dating. And he was fitting me in. It was a dream come true.

Hopefully.

We were in his car, after just having reconciled months' worth of me thinking he was too good, that he didn’t like me, that he thought I was subpar... It took a lengthy explanation from him to know that was false.

And now onto happily ever after. Except not, since his mother would greatly disapprove. Which was a problem for tomorrow. For right now, we were in bliss. Together. And that’s all that mattered.

“Did you want to go to the bull riding practice with me?” William asked, completely nonchalant. “Or would you like me to drop you at home and meet me later?”

I soared hearing him make plans in such a nonchalant way.

“I would love to change my clothes,” I answered, also trying for nonchalant.

“No time. You are fine the way you are. You’re coming then?”

“Guess so. Dirty and haggard.”

After the previous night, when I had finally given up on the dream that was William, I'd spent the day working out, crying, and not giving a crap. My appearance was proof.

He reached his hand over and put it on my knee. "My kinda girl."

My skin got hot and my groin started throbbing. Did I mention we hadn't had sex yet? I didn't know what was worse, the desire, or the anticipation.

I put my hand over his and he turned his palm-up to hold mine. Very school girl, but I delighted in the contact. I still couldn’t believe he wanted me! With my dating history, a good guy thinking I was cool enough to hang out with was noteworthy. One that thought I was date worthy—I was flying!

We reached his ranch for bull riding practice, which was as crazy as it sounded. Riders came to ride bulls to get better at it, so they could enter rodeos and win some bucks. Since William had a breeding project, entering the best of his stock into the rodeos, having guys ride the animals was as good for him as it was for those getting the practice. Win-win.

William opened the garage of the ranch house from the car and drove in. It was a three car garage with a giant truck, an ATV, and a couple motorcycles. We got out of the car and he opened the door in the truck for me.

“Is there a reason this truck is so high?”

“You would have to ask my brother that one. He picked it and had it raised.”

Not bothering to comment, because why would I, we were out of the one-story ranch house and driving through flat farm lands. Coming from L.A., and only in Texas for about six months, I wasn’t used to everything being so…well, flat. There was no other way to describe it. The sky seemed to hover right above my head, the clouds pressing down on me. It was awesome and weird at the same time.

We came upon an area with a few tress and more trucks.

“Here we go.” William’s voice sounded excited. Like it was show and tell, and he was worried about this week’s item.

Through the trees was a circling of horizontal metal poles encasing a bare dirt arena. In back was a pen holding large, still animals. Bulls, one and all. Scary looking bulls to boot, with angry eyes and large balls.

So no, the balls didn’t have much to do with anything, other than they were freaking huge, and I couldn’t stop looking at them.

William headed right for his right hand man, and my first genuine guy friend in this state, or really anywhere, Adam. I loved the guy like a brother. He looked out for me, he joked with me, and he gave me Wet Willies. I could have done without the latter, but since I tended to give him titty-twisters and Charlie Horses, I’d handle it.

I sounded sixteen, but really I was twenty-five, almost twenty-six.

“What’s the story, boys?” William asked, sounding more chipper than I had ever heard.

Adam must have thought so, too, because he titled his head, a smile soaking into his face like lotion. “Well, sir, we was just gettin’ goin’. The first bull is in the hold waitin’ for one of them young fellers over there.” Adam pointed to three small cowboys to the right. They couldn’t have been more than twelve.

William followed Adam’s finger before asking, “Who’s clowning?”

“You,” Ty said, the professional bull-rider among this group. “You riding tonight?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Of course.”

“Adam?”

“O’course.”

“Then let’s get going.” William turned his whole body too me, happier than I had ever seen him. “Just stay away from the fence and you’ll be fine. Did you want to go to the chute with the boys?”

Adam and Ty, totally oblivious males, followed William’s words and found me. Ty’s face lit up in a smile. Adam was all business, so gave a quick nod hello.

“Sure, I guess,” I responded. I'd been to a rodeo before, so I knew it was dangerous, but this was my first practice situation.

“Jessica, nice of you to join us this evening,” Ty said with humor. “Thought maybe I smelled because of how fast you took off last night.”

He was referring to my painful fleeing when William showed up at the bar. I’d been so hurt by the events I basically sprinted out of there.