Page 29 of Cowboys Can't Kiss

Jamieson has the same ritual every time he rides. I don’t know how to describe it other than being very animated. But he’s not doing any of his usual stuff. He’s currently pacing a groove in the ground with his hands curled into tight balls.

“Hey, J. Ready for the ride?”

He stops and whips his head up at the sound of my voice. Jamieson closes his eyes with a huff. “No. Yes? I don’t know.” His voice carries off in a whisper and I motion for him to follow me and step away from the chute area. There’s less action outside the chutes on the grass and we can still hear the announcer from where I stop near a truck loaded with barrels for the barrel racers.

“Talk to me, J. I saw Griff, and he’s worried.”

At the mention of Griff’s name, Jamieson drops his head.

“I was an asshole to him and…I don’t know how to fix it.” Jamieson swallows and looks up at the sky instead of me and crosses his arms as he leans on the truck.

“He said you drew Homewrecker. He usually throws up a great score.”

Jamieson nods. “Yep. That bull is a straight bucker, but he gets air. He’s a tricky one.”

“Mhm, from what I hear, he might spin.”

A faint smile appears on Jamieson’s face. “Did Griff tell you that?”

“He did. He’s a lot like Hunter that way. Hunter and Griff get gut feelings, and I always listen to Hunter.”

Jamieson bites at his lip before turning to me. There’s a swirl of emotion in his eyes I can’t quite sort.

“I always listen to Griff too, but this isn’t about not taking his advice, and I don’t want to get into it with you right now.”

“No problem. But if you change your mind, I’m always open to listening.”

Jamieson nods, opening his mouth to say something, but closes it again. After a beat, he says, “Tell him I’ll be ready for the spin. He doesn’t need to worry.”

“Okay.” Clapping him on the back, I motion to the chutes. “Sounds like you’ll be riding soon enough. Good luck tonight.”

He nods and walks back to the waiting area, and I wander back to where I know Hunter will watch from the sidelines. He never likes to sit in the bleachers, instead staying inside the competitor zone and standing near the chutes.

Griff is in the ring, waiting for the bull riders to start. I wave and, once he sees me, I give him a thumbs-up and his entire body sags. He quickly brings his hands together in prayer and nods his thanks before focusing back on the riders.

“Is Jamieson all squared away, then? Did you give him the full dad talk?”

Laughing, I shove at Hunter. “Just a half one. He’s fine. I bet there’s more to their fight, but I’ll let him come to me.”

Hunter says nothing and we watch the bull riders. All the bulls are rank tonight, throwing riders hard, and few riders have stayed on for their eight seconds. The bull fighters are working extra hard to keep the riders safe.

We watch Jamieson mount his bull in the chutes. “Do you have a feeling about his bull?”

Hunter remains silent for a minute, watching the movement in the chute. “No, but I’d listen to Griff. It’s his job, after all.”

Homewrecker bursts from the chute with Jamieson on his back and, after two straight bucks, does something I’ve never actually seen before. The mammoth bull bucks and spins, but not how I would have expected. The bull seems to do both movements with all its feet off the ground. It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen.

And Jamieson holds on. Even when the bull changes direction and lurches him the opposite way as his feet touch the earth before lifting away again. Jamieson makes it look easy, adjusting his tall frame to remain centred and in control, all with one arm in the air. When the buzzer sounds and Jamieson is still on the back of the bull, I hold my breath. The bullfighters hover nearby and Jamieson finally dismounts, stumbling along the sand and immediately swooped into the arms of Griff, who steers him towards the safety of the chutes while the others coax the bull to the exit.

“That was wild.” Hunter breathes, and I release a long breath of relief.

“No kidding.”

Jamieson’s score flashes. A 92, which is epic and launches him to the top of the leaderboard.

Hunter claps me on the shoulder.

“Let’s get back to the campsite. I think it might be a long night of celebrating.”

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