Page 50 of A Cowboy Of Her Own

Oh, God!She was so afraid he’d be injured or worse—killed. Like Lucy’s husband. How had she coped? Losing the man she loved and carrying his child. She’d found love again but Priscilla didn’t want another man in her life. Roark was her life and if something happened to him…

She would leave here Monday morning. She planned to give Earl her notice but now, thinking of following Roark around from even to event, and watching him ride those bulls… she didn’t think she could cope with it. She wasn’t strong like Lucy. She couldn’t watch him get hurt… or die.

“Are you all right?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“Why don’t I believe that?”

“I’m scared, Roark.”

“Nothing to be scared of, so don’t worry. I’ve done this a million times. I’ll be fine.”

“What if you’re not?”

Roark pulled the truck off the road and threw the gear into Park then he turned to look at her. “You can’t think like that, Priscilla. Just because I ride bulls doesn’t mean the beast is going to kill me. Hell, I could just as easily be kicked by a horse in the barn on my own ranch, and die.”

“Not helping, Callahan.” She felt the tears welling up in the backs of her eyes so she set her gaze on her hands in her lap but the feel of his hand on her hair brought her gaze back to him.

“Come here,” he said as he reached for her.

She unhooked her seatbelt then slid across the seat and wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling her cheek against his chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks as he held her.

“I have to get photos for the article, but I’m not going to like it.” She raised her head to look at him. “You said you’d retire if you won the belt.”

“Buckle… not belt… and I said I’d think about it.”

“Oh.” She’d hoped for more of a confirmation that there was an end in sight.

“Let’s just see how it goes.”

“All right.” Her fears still unabated, she slid back across the seat to her side and put her seatbelt back on. Roark put the gear into Drive and pulled out onto the road.

It wasn’t long before they were pulling into the area where the competition would take place. They climbed out of the truck, silence once more having descended on them, and walked into the arena together.

Cowboys greeted Roark and slapped him on the back or shook his hand as they walked by. Roark stopped in his tracks when Justin Burke walkedtoward them.

“Good luck, Callahan. You’re going to need it,” Burke said with a smirk.

“We’ll see, Burke.”

“Hey, you still hanging with this loser, sugar?”

Roark stepped forward but Priscilla stopped him.

“He’s not worth it, Roark. He’s just trying to get under your skin.” She looked at Burke. “You need to grow up and shut the fuck up.”

Roark laughed pulling her against him then walked around Burke. “I seriously love you.”

Priscilla laughed. “I seriously don’t likehim. I hope you beat him.”

Later, while she sat on the rail of the fence around the arena with her camera, the butterflies were going crazy in her belly just as they had the last time as she watched Roark lower himself onto the one bull he had trouble beating. The one bull he hoped he wouldn’t draw but did. Captain Crush hated Roark as much as he hated the bull.

Holding her breath, she watched him lower his hat on his head, tug it low, take a deep breath, scoot forward, and then nod for the men to open the gate. Roark was the last rider up and the rider to beat was Burke—again.

The gate swung open and the bull jumped out and proceeded to do his best to dislodge Roark from his back, but his rider held on. Priscilla watched through the viewfinder of the camera as Roark rocked back and forth, and side to side, then front and back with his arm high in the air. She looked up at the timer then back to Roark. At the sound of the buzzer, she watched him untie the rope and jump down, landing on his feet. Lowering thecamera, she held her breath as he ran to the fence and jumped up on to it. Then he looked up at the Jumbotron for his time and score. The crowd went wild when his score flashed on the screen but he lowered his head, and she didn’t understand what was happening until he raised his head. She saw him looking around, searching for her, and when he found her, he grinned. Roark had won!

He hopped down from the fence and she ran to him. He caught her and laughed then hugged her to him. “I have an interview to do but then we can go home,” he said, then kissed her.

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