Page 73 of Mountain Time
This bull is good, but it doesn’t matter what he does, he can’t throw me. The whistle blows and I grab my tail, breaking the bind and I step off on my feet. Lucky enough, I’m only four feet from the fence so I can make a quick getaway while the muley bull tries to run down the bullfighters. I step up on the panels and sit on the top rung, letting the twinge in my ribs fade.
I take my helmet off and watch the bullfighters do their thing. They’re letting the bull get inches from them and stepping around them like “Psych! Not going to get me today,” they’re having fun with him. These guys are some of the best in the world.
After the bull leaves the arena, I climb down and pick up my rope, which got thrown right in front of the bleachers where Kacey is sitting. I grab the rope and look up to find her in the crowd. Our eyes meet and I mouth the words “Happy Birthday” and give her a wink.
Her face turns red as Jessie smacks her knee, saying something to her, and it makes me smile.
“We saved the best for last and he’s going to be this year’s champion bull rider with 87 points,” the announcer bellows.
I head back behind the chutes, do my interview, and quickly pack my bag so I can meet up with Kacey. I’ve never seen Treypack so fast. Normally, he has to clean all his gear and pack it perfectly, but today, he just tossed everything in his bag.
“That interaction with Jessie must have you all sorts of worked up. You never pack this fast,” I tell him as I fold my chaps up and toss them in my bag.
He’s shoving the last of his gear in his bag and zipping it up. “I am not worked up. I figured we were in a hurry, it being Kacey’s birthday and all.”
“True. Would you mind hanging with Jessie for a bit so I can get some time with Kacey?” I tuck the corner of my vest in and finish zipping up my bag.
“Oh, you’re going to owe me big for this one.” He raises a brow, trying to conceal his shit-eating grin.
We both throw our bags over our shoulders and walk out the gate. “Yeah right, pretty sure you don’t see spending time with Jessie as a burden.”
We make our way over to the small set of bleachers the girls were sitting on.
“You did great,” Kacey says. I drop my bag as Kacey runs up and wraps her arms around me. “Best birthday present ever.”
I look into her sea green eyes. “Thanks, sweetheart. I’m glad you think so, since I don’t have anything else for you. A warning might have been nice.” I grin at her as I hear Jessie try to smother a laugh.
“What about the diamond ring in the truck?” Trey chimes in.
He’s such an idiot.
Thankfully, Kacey ignores him. “Getting to see you so close to my birthday is all I want.” She runs her fingers through my hair at the base of my neck. I give her a quick kiss and she releases me.
We head back to the truck and load our gear bags.
Trey grabs three beers out of the cooler and hands one to Jessie.
“Birthday girl?” he asks, holding up the last beer.
She glances at me.
“We all know Knox isn’t drinking,” Trey reads her mind.
“No thanks, one of us has to drive and Jessie has taken full advantage of her day off,” Kacey tells him while still looking at me like I might disappear.
I hold out my hand to her. “Take a walk with me?”
Kacey takes my hand and looks over at Jessie. “You good here?”
“Yeah, yeah, I promise I’ll benice,” Jessie assures her in a tone that doesn’t sound assuring at all.
Trey pulls out two lawn chairs for them. “You don’t have to be nice; I like feisty women.”
“Let’s go before the fight starts.” I pull Kacey toward the horse barns right as I hear what sounds like a lawn chair getting shoved over and Trey laughing.
We hold hands and walk until we round the end of the third barn in the row. Kacey pulls back on my arm and gently pushes my back up against the barn wall. “How long until you need to leave for Calgary?”
“I have a little while and I want to spend it with my girlfriend,” I tell her as I run my hand up to the nape of her neck, threading my fingers in her hair.
