Page 37 of Rolling Thunder

“That sounds great.”

A steady stream of pickup trucks rolled into the fairgrounds for the rodeo. Kayla fidgeted in her seat as they waited to get into a parking spot.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“Yeah…I mean…this is it. She’ll either win or she’ll put her rider back in the hospital, pretty much depending on how good of a job I did,” Kayla said tightly.

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself. This girl bought the horse and decided to ride her, right?”

“Yeah.” They parked, and Kayla hopped out, taking his breath away for the second time. She wore a tight tank top that bared a few inches of her midriff. Her jeans were tight, and she sported one of her grandmother’s big oval belt buckles. And a cowboy hat. She was a country dream, and he wasn’t the only one who noticed her. Every guy in the fairgrounds seemed to do a double take when she went by. Evan shot them each down with a stare and kept his hand on her waist. When she glanced up at him with a small smile, he realized she was completely oblivious to it.

They found good seats in the grandstand, where she continued to fidget as they waited for barrels to begin. At long last, the announcer said, “Y’all ready to see some cowgirls ride? It’s time for barrels!”

The crowd cheered, but Kayla scanned the pens, looking for Rocket and her young rider, Miranda. She’d prepped Miranda at length and had her practice with Rocket on her farm until the two were like a well-oiled machine. Now, it was make or break. Literally.

A few horses ran, and at last, Kayla caught a glimpse of Miranda on deck. She was doing everything right, rubbing Rocket’s neck to keep her calm. She wore no spurs, and she sat calmly, waiting for her shot at the barrels.

“All right, folks, put your hands together for Miranda Ford on Red Bottle Rocket!” After a brief pause, the gate swung open, and Miranda and Rocket flew out in an actual blur.

“Easy, now,” Kayla murmured, as if Rocket or Miranda could hear her. Miranda rode incredibly well, balancing Rocket with her seat and helping her find her turns without being heavy handed on the bit. She did almost nothing to urge the horse faster, just as Kayla had told her. Rocket will run her heart out, don’t you worry about that. Just let her go.

“Holy cow!” the announcer roared as Miranda and Rocket rounded the third barrel and let ’er rip back to the chute. Miranda did everything perfectly, hands all the way forward up Rocket’s neck to give the horse her head to run.

“That, folks, is how you turn ’n’ burn! Incredible time on that run.”

Kayla held her breath as they exited the ring. She watched Miranda sit up and sink into the saddle to stop Rocket. But would she stop? The team slowed. The gallop changed to a trot and, at last, a walk. Kayla let out the air she was holding.

“Wow!” Evan exclaimed next to her. Kayla glanced over at him. “That was incredible! They did great! Right?”

“Yeah.” Kayla breathed, still feeling shaky with relief. “They did awesome. With that time, she’ll probably win.” She searched for Miranda again and saw her petting Rocket’s neck vigorously. The mare’s ears flicked back and forth, taking it all in. Then Miranda saw Kayla in the stands and waved, beaming. They’d done it. A few more horses to go and they would likely win. Kayla could hardly remember a better run. Her heart swelled so much, it made her chest ache.

“And on top of it, the horse looks….domesticated,” Evan said. Kayla laughed. “You did that,” he added, nudging her knee with his. He was right. Left to their own devices, Rocket might have killed Miranda or at least gotten sold. And with the splash Rocket and Miranda had just made, people would want to know what changed. Especially since the last time they’d been here at the fairgrounds, Miranda had been taken away in an ambulance. People would talk, and Kayla’s name would get around. She wouldn’t have to name-drop her grandmother or pound the pavement trying to get her name out now.

She looked up at Evan and smiled. At least in this moment, she had a good man, a respectable job, and a little success. The hope and excitement was foreign to her, but she prayed it could last.

CHAPTER 15

The filming setup wasn’t new to him anymore. He never realized how much shit was hidden behind the camera until they started the show. There were huge, expensive lighting apparatuses with weird names. There were reflective panels to lighten the shadow on the off side of a person’s face. Everything was filmed with multiple camera angles. The amount of thought that was put into the background of where a person sat while being filmed was shocking. Now, he just waited for them to pose him like a strange display. They had to test everything and be sure it looked right through their lens.

An attractive woman strutted into the room with an air of importance. Her hair barely moved when she walked, her face heavily painted. She regarded him with a polite greeting, as if he were beneath her consideration. To her, he was just another prop for her shoot.

“Emily Keller,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand. He indulged her, sensing her expectation of a reaction from him. He was completely focused on the task at hand. He vaguely listened to her remind him of the list of questions that had been emailed to him. She wanted to know what his answers would be.

At long last, the cameras rolled.

“I came here to tell it my way,” he said gruffly. A lot of faces in the room popped up from their equipment, surprised and looking at Emily Keller. She gestured briefly over her shoulder for them to keep rolling.

“The truth is, someone I loved got themselves into a bad spot. I was trying to protect that person, and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and became a fall guy for a dirty cop. That is exactly how I wound up in prison. I’ve been tryin’ to start a new life ever since. I’ve been tryin’ like hell to start over. Just when I finally did, you people dig up this story and try to make a buck off it.”

The woman’s eyes widened, but again, she held up a hand to signal the crew to keep filming.

“I’ve never been involved with drugs in my life. I’ll be damned if I let somebody who doesn’t know me take away something good I’ve done. I’ll be damned if I let someone take something good and make it look bad again.

“So, I came here to tell the truth.”

Kayla never would have thought it possible, but Canyon Bill had saved her ass. She’d been struggling and trying with all her might and still falling behind. The farm was old and in disrepair. She’d neither the skills nor the money to fix it. Canyon Bill fixed the roof over the stalls at the back of the barn, and she was able to fill them with boarding horses. These horses belonged to other people who just paid her a monthly fee to keep them on her farm. It was good, steady, predictable money.

She’d just deposited their first month’s board checks. Now she sat checking and rechecking her bank balance in disbelief. There was enough to pay all her bills without having to call Trent this month. She wouldn’t have to make her miserable pilgrimage back to the city. She could finally make her break—the break she’d meant to have when she left Fort Myers and came here in the first place. With the new calls she was getting after Miranda and Rocket’s winning rodeo run, she might never have to go back to Trent again.

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