Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(3)

“So, good then.” William laughed to himself.

Adam was next. He had the hand soaring, the posture right, and the body handling the bull with ease. When he got the same question, he said, “I lasted eight, could’ve lasted longer. Breed better, Davies.”

“Why aren’t you professional?” I asked Adam when he perched near my neck of the gate.

“Ah…” He took off his cowboy hat and scratched his head. “I ain’t cut out for this kinda thing. I got me a ranch ‘n a bunch of pursuits. This is a hobby. My money comes from hard work.”

“And riding bull is…easy work?”

Adam smiled and looked around for Ty. “Nah, it ain’t easy, but it’s only eight seconds, right? A real man can last longer than eight seconds.”

“Oh my God!” I leaned back on the fence and laughed. “A sex joke? You are so going to hell! You should be waiting until you’re married!”

“You make sexual jokes all the time!” Adam defended.

“Yeah, but, I’m from California. It is well known—or so Juniper at work would have me believe—that God doesn’t listen to Californians. I’m in the clear. I’ll show up at His pearly gates and He’ll just wave me through because He doesn’t recognize me—I’m in the blind spot.”

Adam shook his head and heaved with laughter. I’d heard from Candace and a few of the guys that Adam didn’t laugh often. He tried to set himself up as Mr. Serious. But obviously it was before he’d met someone as cracked as me. Now he laughed all the time, because if he didn’t make fun of me, I did him a service and made fun of myself.

If he ever got to meet my friends, he’d pass out from asphyxiation from laughing so hard!

William got on last.

“Hey—“

Adam glanced around, realized it was me that hissed, and took a few steps in my direction.

“Yeah?”

“So, why doesn’t William ride professionally? You all were pissed when I brought it up at the rodeo…”

“First of all, it’s y’all, not you all…”

I rolled my eyes.

“Second…” Adam looked back at the chute, a tiny enclosure within the gate that held the bull so a rider to get strapped to its back in almost safety. “His dad put the foot down. He’s good—better than me—but he’s big. The best guys are smallish, ya know? Like Ty. Small center of gravity. Willie’s six-two. He gots talent, but he ain’t got enough to make it too far. His dad reeled him in. Best thing for him, but he don’t like to hear it.”

“Did you ever take an English class in your life?”

Adam just laughed.

“How’d I do?” William asked after his ride, bending over to put his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

I clutched the bars, wanting to get closer. I’d been pining after the guy for months, so now, being actually allowed to touch him and unable made me slightly edgy. “Is this where you get all your muscle?”

“This and other farm work. I do as much as I can. It’s good for the soul.”

“Hmm.”

He smiled a promise, knowing what I was thinking. “I need to get some water out of the truck. Be right back.”

“Okay…” As I watched William bound away, Ty filled in the gap.

“So…you wanna get on one?”

“You mean, get on a massive bull that wants to stab me with his huge horns?”

“No. I mean, do you want to get on a smallish steer that is indifferent because he got his balls cut off?”

“Is it hard?”

“Yes. But doable.”

“Do many girls ride?”

“Only a few dumb ones.”

“Well, then. Sign me up. I’ll give it a go.”

Ty smiled. “Excellent. Right this way m’lady. We have to get you up there before Willie finds out and flips.”

He yelled to Adam what we planned to do, and I saw Adam give the same mighty grin. They hustled me to the chute, put a not so flattering helmet on me, then a black vest, and pointed for me to climb up and get on the bull.

About that point my teeth started chattering. What the hell was I doing? Even though this bull was supposed to be small and calmer, it was still a big animal. A strong animal. Weighing over five hundred pounds. Even if all it did was roll on me, it would still hurt.

I climbed up with shaky arms, too stupid to back down now, with Adam and Ty on either side. Another couple guys saw what we were doing and came over to help.

“This little lady fixin’ to ride?” one of the guys asked. He looked in his twenties.

I nodded nervously, throwing a leg over the metal bar and looking down on a giant animal that did not want a person on its back.

“This is fairly stupid,” I muttered.

All the boys laughed and nodded at the same time, one of the guys leaning closer on the railing.

“Right, okay Mr. Bull,” I said, gingerly sneaking a leg over its back but not actually touching it yet, “I’m just going to sit on your back. No big deal.”

“He can’t understand ya, Jess.” The smile almost got in the way of Adam’s words.

“Can’t understand you maybe.” I eased my butt lower until it was just touching the animals back. Then froze. Waiting.