Chapter Six – Mackenzie
MACKENZIE
The moment I put my hand in his, I knew. I didn’t have words to describe the feeling, but I knew it was something I’d never felt before. I knew that Bradly Littlewood was the man my sixteen-year-old self would sit in the dark and dream about rescuing me from the hell I’d found myself in. I’d never felt my heart thunder in my chest like it had the moment he’d smiled at me in the barn last night. Or how my stomach tickled with imaginary butterflies as he took my hand now.
Once I was out of the truck, Bradly held onto my hand. I wanted to believe it wasn’t because I had left my gloves in his truck and he was simply keeping my hand warm, but because he felt the same connection I was feeling.
An older gentleman, maybe early fifties, stood outside the arena. He was handsome with blue eyes that held a hint of laughter. The younger man next to him was clearly his son.
“Uncle Ty, Josh, this is Mackenzie Reeves; she works on the farm.”
A part of me loved that he hadn’t introduced me as Kenzie. I liked that he was the only one to call me that…well, besides my sister.
Reaching for my hand, Ty Shaw gave me a wide smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mackenzie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The surprise must have shown on my face, because he chuckled. “You have?”
“I have. Dirk and Merit have mentioned on more than one occasion that you’re a true asset to the farm.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Well, that means a lot to me.”
The younger gentleman moved to stand in front of his father. He forcibly took the hand that Bradly was holding and brought it to his lips.
“Josh Shaw, pleasure is all mine.”
My brows lifted as the corner of my mouth twitched with a surprised smile.
Bradly groaned. “There is absolutely no chance, Josh. Not to mention, you’re a child.”
Josh shot Bradly a dirty look as he said, “I’ll be eighteen in February.”
Ty rolled his eyes as he put a hand on his son’s shoulder and pulled him back gently. “That’ll do, Josh. Besides, I believe your cousin is besotted.”
My eyes blinked in surprise a few times as I looked over at Bradly. He simply winked, took my hand once again, and started toward the arena. Josh placed his hand on his chest and acted as if his heart had been broken.
“Tell me you have a younger sister, at least!”
Ty laughed and gave a friendly push to his son, who chuckled and started for the door to the large barn-type building.
“His poor mother,” I whispered to Bradly. “Good-looking and a charmer.”
Bradly chuckled. “And don’t let his father fool you. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
It was my turn to smile.
We walked into the building and down a long corridor.
“Uncle Ty’s office is right here. Next to it is a small kitchen and a bathroom, in case you need to use it.”
“A kitchen?” I asked in surprise as I took my coat off and handed it to Bradly, who set his and mine down on a bench.
Bradly nodded. “There have been plenty of times we’ve all been in this arena for hours on end. Aunt Kaylee would sometimes drop off food for us, and we’d just reheat it. I’ve even crashed on the floor and slept here when we’ve worked late into the night.”
“Wow. You take your bull riding seriously.”
“Absolutely.”
We continued walking down the hall and into an open area. “Wow, this place is huge!”
“It is. Let me show you around.”
I glanced to my left and saw a large pen that housed four bulls. They were massive.
“My gosh. How much do those things weigh?”
Bradly shrugged. “Around fifteen-hundred pounds.”
I slowly shook my head. “You’re not afraid to get on the backs of those?”
“Hell yes, I’m afraid. Every single time. Especially since I’m not your typical bull rider.” He took my hand and led us over to the bulls.
“What do you mean?”
“Most bull riders are slimmer than me. Around a buck-fifty, give or take. I’m closer to one-eighty and have more muscle. My dad and uncles were built about the same. Some would say that’s a disadvantage for us. Smaller guys they say can handle the bulls better because they’re lighter, able to be more agile. But our winning records prove otherwise.”
I nodded and tried not to let my eyes sweep over his body. He had on jeans that fit him perfectly, a long-sleeve white shirt and a baseball cap that said Montana across the front. He’d put that on as he got out of the truck when we’d arrived at his uncle’s.
When his gaze met mine, I quickly looked away. “They’re beautiful.”
“They are. And they’re amazing athletes. I mean, for a half-ton-or-more animal to be able to move the way they do, it has to be a good athlete. They’re also treated like royalty. My uncle even has someone come in and massage them. Well, the ones that will let you massage them.”
I laughed. “Are you serious?”
He nodded.
“You need to change?” Ty asked as he walked up to us.
Bradly nodded. “You got my boots here still?”
Ty smiled. “Of course. You’re up first.”
A wide grin spread over Bradly’s face, and he turned to me. “I’m going to go get ready. Josh will bring you to the bucking chute, okay?”
Josh appeared again and flashed me a wicked grin. “You’ll be safe with me.”
“Why do I question that?”
Ty laughed. “Smart woman. I like her.”
As Josh and I walked around the arena, I took it all in.
“In a Pbr event, this would look a lot different. You’d have a lot more of these panels where the bulls are shuffled in and out of the chutes.”
“How do you get them to go where you want?”
“They just know, mostly, but the panels help guide them. When I was little, one of my chores was feeding all the bulls.”
“How old were you?”
He smiled. “Started at about four or five. Working the bulls with my father are some of my fondest memories. I couldn’t wait to crawl into the pen.”
“The pen?”
“It’s where they keep the bulls before they’re loaded into the chute.”
We walked over to a set of stairs and climbed up.
“These are bucking chutes. One side is for left exits, the other for right, depending on which way the rider and bull will exit.”
I nodded.
“So, what will happen is, the bull will be loaded in the chute. They’ll put the flank strap and the bull rope on before they get into the chute. Danny one of my dad’s ranch hands, will be spotting Bradly, which means he’ll keep his hand in front of him to keep him steady if the bull tries to buck him off.”
“In the chute?”
“Yeah, they can get pissed off, especially when they start tightening the bull rope. Plus, some of these are newbies. Young three-year-olds. Some have never even had a rider on their backs yet.”
“Wow.”
“Once Bradly is all set, he’ll give a nod and the gate will open, and his job is to try and stay on for eight seconds. The bull’s job is to buck him off before that time.”
“Got it.”
“You’ll see Bradly rubbing the bull rope with his gloved hand before he nods. That’s because he’s put some rosin on it. When they rub it, the rosin warms up and gets sticky, which helps him hold onto the bull rope.”
I chewed my lip nervously as I stared at the bucking chutes. Then my entire body felt like the hairs stood up, and I turned to see Bradly walking up the steps.
Holy cowboy.
He had a black vest on and was holding a helmet in his hand. He’d changed into cowboy boots that looked well-worn. He wore chaps over his jeans and had even changed shirts. When he smiled at me, and those dimples appeared, my knees actually felt weak.
Ty and two other men were behind him, talking about something I couldn’t really hear. All I could focus on was the man standing in front of me, making me feel breathless.
“Josh teaching you all about bull riding?”
I wanted to take in the sight of him. Fix it in my memory. So I did what any woman in her right mind would—I slowly let my gaze run over him.
When my eyes met his, he raised a brow. “Like what you see, Kenz?”
Smiling, I replied, “Very much.”
Ty clapped his hands, and I let out a small squeak and jumped.
“I was thinking you could give Dino a run.”
Bradly’s brows flew up and he laughed. “Are you serious?”
Ty shrugged. “He’s getting antsy and needs the exercise before New York.”
Turning to Josh, I asked, “Who’s Dino?”
“The number-two-ranked bull in the world. He’s a mean son-of-a-bitch.”
“Will he be okay?”
“Oh, yeah. This bull is a top athlete.”
“Josh,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “I meant Bradly.”
Grinning, he nodded. “Bradly rides better than any of us, and that includes my father and his daddy. Even Uncle Brock. There isn’t a bull he can’t ride. It was only because of an injury he wasn’t number one this past year.”
I chewed nervously on my thumbnail as I watched Bradly step into the chute. He put his foot on the back of the bull first, then slowly lowered down onto him.
“See how he lines up his pinky with the middle of the bull? Damn, he makes it all look so easy.”
The bull jumped, and Bradly lurched forward, causing me to let out a gasp.
“He’s okay,” Josh said as he leaned over the rails and rested his arms on it as he looked on.
I watched as Ty tightened the rope and Bradly took it, rubbing it with one hand. He threw the tail of the rope behind him and then slid forward and positioned himself by adjusting his seat. The way he moved so gracefully on the back of the bull made my insides tremble.
“Here we go,” Josh said as he turned his baseball cap around, as if the bill was blocking his view.
Bradly nodded—and when the gate flew open, I could not believe my eyes.
The three-quarter-ton bull jumped so high, I grabbed onto Josh’s arm. Then he twisted, kicked, turned, jumped again, and the whole time, Bradly held on seemingly without issue, as if he could anticipate every move the bull was going to make.
When the buzzer went off, I watched as the bull bucked and Bradly looked as if he was flying. He landed on both feet, stumbled slightly, and fell before he got up and ran to the fence, jumping on it while the bull ran through another gate and past us to an open area, where the other bulls waited.
“Holy shit,” I whispered as Josh yelled out a loud whoop.
“Right? He’s good! And Bradly is pretty darn good himself,” Josh said, smirking. “That bull is why my dad’s been named Stock Contractor of the Year more than once. He has some amazing animals.”
“To be honest with you, I wasn’t really paying that much attention to the bull, more the rider.”
Josh chuckled.
I watched Bradly climb over the gate. Ty and Danny both slapped Bradly on the back. When he took off his helmet, Ty pulled him in for a long hug. I wasn’t sure what he said to him, but I couldn’t help the way my stomach flipped as Bradly tossed his head back and laughed.
Then he turned and our eyes met.
I walked over to him and slowly shook my head. “If you were trying to impress me, I’m not sure what to say. You both terrified me and impressed me at the same time.”
The left side of his mouth rose in a sexy, crooked grin. “As long as you’re partially impressed.”
Laughing, I pushed his shoulder. “You do this for a living, you crazy man?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I exhaled. “No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”
He leaned in, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. “I don’t have a girlfriend because I hadn’t met a woman I wanted to date until last night.”
Heat flooded my neck and cheeks, and I couldn’t believe how much I wanted him to kiss me, and to hell with anyone around us.
As if he could read my mind, he leaned down and whispered, “May I kiss you, Kenzie?”
“Please do,” I replied in a breathy voice.
His mouth covered mine, and when he ran his tongue along my lower lip, I opened to him. He tasted like mint, and I moaned as he deepened the kiss. Our tongues danced together like we’d kissed a thousand times before.
“No! No, no, no, no!” Ty yelled out. “You’re riding again, and I need your head straight, Littlewood!”
The other man who’d entered the arena earlier with Ty and Danny, who looked just a few years older than us, laughed as he walked by and slapped Bradly on the back. “I think you impressed her, dude.”
Bradly drew back and smiled down at me. “That’s Blayze.”
“Blayze, married to Georgiana with the twins.”
He grinned. “You’ve been listening.”
When he stepped back, I had to reach up and grab onto his vest to keep myself upright. I wasn’t sure if it was the kiss or the way he looked at me that made me feel as if I was about to swoon. It was probably both, if I was being honest with myself.
“Apparently, my uncle thinks you’re a distraction, Ms. Reeves.”
“I’m sorry,” I said as my eyes searched his face before they landed back on those soft lips. I had the urge to reach up and touch my still-tingling mouth with my fingers. I’d never in my life experienced a kiss like that.
“Want to watch me ride again?”
When I nodded, Bradly turned to walk back toward the chute, and I reached for his arm.
“Wait.”
He stopped and waited for me to speak.
“Um…I just wanted you to know…this has been the best date of my entire life.”
Bradly’s eyes turned dark with desire, and he slowly shook his head as he placed his hand—the one that didn’t have a glove on it—to the side of my face. He gently rubbed his thumb over my cheek, sending little jolts of electricity from the point of contact through my entire body.
“I think I just fell in love with you, Mackenzie.”
My heart jerked in my chest, but before I could even let his words settle in my mind, he turned and headed back to the chute.
“Me too,” I whispered.
I took a few steps back and bumped into someone behind me. Spinning, I turned to see Avery. She wore the biggest grin on her face.
Her eyes went to her brother, then back to me. “Wait until I tell everyone!”