Page 88 of Secret Heart
“I turned to bull riding as a way to make money to get out of his house. Most people tried to get me to try something they thought better fit Omegas. But the prize money for bull riders was always the highest at the rodeos I went to, so I didn’t listen to them.”
I clear my throat.
“Turns out, Omegas make mighty fine bull riders. We’re leaner and more agile than Alphas, which often makes it easier to handle the rides. But we also are softer spoken. I’ve never had a bull try to ram me, even when they’re at their most irritated. I’ve heard people say I’ve just been lucky, that I’m quick on my feet. But even when I’m working cattle out on the ranch in Wyoming, they’re slower to go after me than the other hands.”I shrug. “It might not be anything at all. Might just be seeing something where I want to see it. But you know what? I’m still a damn good bull rider.”
He nods, and some of the sadness falls away from him. He sits straighter, tracing one of the bars of the helmet’s cage.
“One of the girls at school said she wouldn’t want to date an Omega who rides,” he admits.
“Then she’s missing out,” I say bluntly. I drop my hand to his shoulder. “The people who are yours? They’ll love and support you. Even though your job is scary and dangerous. They’ll be by your side the whole time because they love you. And bull riding is part of you. An Alpha who’s intimidated by the fact that you ride is just insecure about themselves. Don’t let them get under your skin like that.”
I glance over my shoulder, and Emily smiles. My question crosses our bond, the emotion strong, and she nods. She eases past Matthew and rests her arm across my shoulders.
Teagan swallows.
“Ma’am,” he says, dipping his chin.
“You know who was the biggest supporter of me going back this fall?”
Teagan shakes his head. I squeeze Emily’s hand.
“My own Alpha,” I say.
Teagan’s eyes flick from me to Emily. It’s clear when he gets it. His eyes widen, and his jaw drops.
“The people who love you will be in your corner, all right? If they aren’t, then they aren’t worth your time.” I ease to my feet and clap his shoulder. He stands with me, a bit of color back in his cheeks. Then I give him the words Lance told me the day I wanted to quit, when I’d not managed to get enough points to jump to the pro circuit for the second year in a row. “Every time you ride, you tell the Omega in the stands that they can do it,too. You tell the kids that have all those same negative voices pestering them that there’s a path to silence them.”
He swallows again, but then he nods. He grabs the vest from beside the chair and slips it on, securing it in a ritual similar to my own.
“Th-thank you,” he says, blinking away tears.
“When you win that buckle, I’ll be in the stands,” I tell him. “That’s a promise, all right?”
He smiles and then looks at his dad. “I still have time, right?”
Matthew nods. “Absolutely, kid. Let’s get you to the staging area.”
Emily kisses me when they’re gone.
“You’re a special man, Triston Carpenter,” she murmurs. “I’m glad you’re mine.”
Happiness drowns me as I wrap my arms around her. Vanilla surrounds us, and I breathe it in.Thisis what I dreamed of at eighteen.
Fuck, am I lucky.
