Page 21 of Worth the Fall
She nudged me. “Sure, Miss Ford, sure.”
I wanted to throw my hands up. I literally had never said anything about how hot any of these men were. It was all I could do not to shout, “I am practically engaged,” as loud as I could, so everyone could get the message.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, if you want to see pure athletic violence, you are in the right place!” The announcer was roaring so loudly that it was echoing through the stadium. “We are down to the last rider in the Bareback event. The only thing standin’ between this cowboy and the dirt is eight seconds of hell!”
It was Colton’s turn. I rushed to the fence, making sure Billy was following me with her massive camera raised.
“His horse is a veteran of the circuit, notorious for his explosive speed and relentless spin! Give a massive salute for:BONE CRUSHER!”
These stock handlers and their terrible names for the animals.
Colton Nash slid on his straw hat and straightened his back. Taking long, deep breaths and squeezing his hand under the strap, he was silent. Jimmy was beside him, giving pointers and talking to the stock handlers.
“And cinched onto the back ofBone Crusheris the cowboy everyone has their eyes on! He has the fire, the spur stroke, the stamina to take this thing all the way to Vegas! GET ON YOUR FEET, FLORIDA! On the back ofBone Crusheris your bareback champion in the making, COLTON NASH! He’s set! He’s lockedin! The riggin’ is tight! Give us the nod, cowboy, and let the fight begin!”
I glanced at him one more time. He was closing his eyes and muttering something to himself. Finally, he opened his eyes, a focused look in his bright green eyes, and he nodded confidently.
The chute was thrown open, and the horse launched out. Colton’s left hand was raised confidently, and his body was fluid. The horse was spinning like crazy, bucking as much as it could. Throwing dirt and Colton’s hat again, it did everything it possibly could to get him off. At one point, it even tried ramming its body into the fence, but Colton held on tight.
The buzzer sounded right as the horse gave one final jump. Colton caught the pickup man’s hand and slid off the wild horse.
He came to a dead stop in the center of the arena, letting the dust settle around his boots as he took in the roar of the stands. Again, with practiced precision, he tapped the top of his head with two fingers, a crisp, silent salute, before flicking the gesture toward the front row with an effortless grace that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Another ride so flawless he made it look easy. I reached awkwardly through the fence until my fingers brushed his hat again. He waved to the crowd as they cheered him on, clearly enjoying every second.
“Excuse me, Mr. Nash?”
Colton looked up immediately, locking eyes with me, and I was trapped. His bright eyes were stuck on mine. He had stopped walking.
I waved his hat.
He waved back, a small smile on his face.
The announcer cleared his throat, the noise echoing in the almost silent arena. “Eighty-Seven points! Let’s see that replay and give our record-breaking cowboy the recognition he deserves.”
The audience obliged and erupted into a loud cheer.
Finally, Colton jogged to the fence and ducked under it as easily as breathing. “We’ve gotta stop meetin’ like this,” he joked, his accent making my knees weak. He was sweating from his ride, a few stray strands of hair clinging to his forehead.
I handed him his hat.
“Thank you,” he said as he took it. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched him pull off a single glove with his teeth, run his dirty fingers through his hair, and slide the hat over his chestnut hair.
I bit my lip.
Billy nudged me, still holding her camera over her shoulder.
I shook my head and blinked hard. “Mr. Nash, I’m a marketing specialist with Agri-Corp. I was wondering if we could quickly interview you?”
He put his thumbs in his pockets. “You tried to talk to me yesterday, didn’t you?”
Oh, wonderful, he remembered me trying to talk to him while his girlfriend sucked his brains out. “Yes, Mr. Nash. I apologize for interrupting you and your girlfriend. I was hoping this would be a better time?”
He sighed and looked down, kicking the dirt with his cowboy boots. “I was hopin’Iwould get a chance to apologize toyou. That was-”
I held up my hand. “Please, that was unfortunate timing on my part.” I took a long breath, hoping it would make me feel more confident than I did. “Is now a good time?”
It obviously wasn’t. He had been off the horse for more than 60 seconds, was shaking from an adrenaline crash, and looked like all he wanted was a chair and water. But he nodded and gave me a big smile. “Of course, ma’am.”
