Page 5 of Destry

The moment he took off, my blood thrummed with electricity. The rush hit me fast and much stronger than I expected. We moved together, cutting around the first barrel sharp and smooth. The dirt kicked up beneath us. I leaned into the turn and guided him with my legs, urging him to go faster.

The second barrel came up quickly and I adjusted too late. Mirage hesitated, just a split second, but it was enough to throw the rhythm off.

Damn it.

I gritted my teeth and pushed through, leading him into the final turn. We rounded the last barrel cleaner and picked up speed toward the finish. By the time we were done, my chest was heaving and my heart raced from more than just the ride.

It wasn’t perfect but it was a start.

I reached down, running a hand along Mirage’s neck, feeling the heat of his body beneath my palm. “You did good, boy,” I murmured.

“That was impressive as fuck.”

The voice came from the shadows, smooth and sexy.

My stomach dropped.

I yanked back on the reins and my head snapped toward the sound. A tall figure leaned against the fence with arms crossed and a cowboy hat tilted low. Even in the dim light, I knew exactly who it was.

Destry.

I froze and every possible excuse for why I was out here unauthorized on a horse that didn’t belong to me scrambled through my head.

He pushed off the fence and walked toward me, easy and unhurried, like he had all the time in the world. “Didn’t take you for a rule breaker, Savvy.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my face neutral. “What are you doing here?”

“Could ask you the same damn thing.”

My grip tightened on the reins. “Just getting a little practice in.”

“I see that.” He stopped beside Mirage, looking up at me with that cocky smirk that made my stomach tight and had my body very aware of how sexy he was. “But this isn’t your damn horse. You know if you get caught, they’ll fire you, right?”

I swung my leg over the saddle, preparing to drop to the ground but his hands were at my waist firm enough to help guide me down. “I wasn’t hurting anything.”

“Didn’t say you were.” He stepped back and his gaze shifted to the barrels, then back to me. “That was a damn good run though. You ever competed before?”

I hesitated. “No.”

Destry’s brows lifted slightly, like that answer surprised him. “Why not?”

I shook my head and avoided his gaze. “Because I never had the chance.”

He was quiet for a moment and when I finally looked up. He wasn’t smirking anymore.

“But you want one.”

I huffed and nodded. No need to lie.

“You serious about this?” he asked.

I squared my shoulders. “Yeah.”

His gaze held mine for what felt like forever and I got anxious. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. “Alright, cool.”

I frowned. “Alright, cool what?”

He stepped back, tipping his hat. “You need a better horse.”

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