Chapter Seven – Bradly
brADLY
My heart raced so fast I could feel the rhythm through my entire body, and it had nothing to do with the fact that I was about to crawl onto the back of another massive, mean-ass bull.
No. It was because of that kiss. I closed my eyes, and I swore I could still hear the soft moan Kenzie made when I’d deepened the kiss. I’d been wanting to kiss those lips since I saw them singing in the barn last night.
Last night. How is it I only met her last night?
A throat clearing from behind me brought me back to the present.
“Is your head on straight, or are you still back there with Mackenzie?” Ty asked, a smirk on his face.
“Would you blame me if it was still with her?”
He laughed. “No, I wouldn’t. But I need you in the right frame of mind before you get on this bull. He’s young. He’s mean as hell. And I think he could be the real deal.”
“How many rides?”
“With a rider or a dummy?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “A rider.”
“Six. Blayze was one of them. Threw him off within about two seconds.”
“Anyone stay on the full eight?”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“I’ll take that as a no. Are you trying to get me hurt right before New York?”
Ty smiled. “You’re the one who decided you were sitting out a couple weekends. You need to stay on top, especially before New York.”
Slipping my helmet on, I glanced back to see Mackenzie standing with Avery. My father walked up and slapped my back. “I’ll spot you.”
I nodded and pulled my gaze away from the woman who was currently distracting me. Drawing in a few deep breaths, I rolled my neck and climbed up the gate and rested my boot on the back of the bull. Blayze had the bull rope and was ready to adjust it for me.
“What’s his name?” I asked.
Uncle Ty said, “Playing with Fire.”
I let out a choked laugh. “Nice.”
After getting into position and having Blayze pull up on the bull rope, I rubbed the rosin and positioned my hand. Blayze, already knowing what I wanted, pulled more, and I tapped on the rope to let him know when it was enough.
“He’s going to want to roll left, then right. Don’t get into the well,” Blayze said as he grabbed onto my vest. “Cover him.”
I nodded. Growing up with three world champions was the reason I was the rider I was today. They taught me everything about bulls and how to ride them. I knew all the tricks of the trade.
Position your pinky finger at the middle of the bull. Make sure the bells are all the way down the rope so your foot doesn’t get stuck. Keep your feet facing forward in case the bull moves fast or the wrong way in the chute. Posture straight. Slight lean forward at the hips and pray the bull’s head isn’t down when the chute opens.
I put the tail of the rope around my hand and grabbed it tight in my grasp. Some bulls didn’t like it when you put the tail over their necks, so I’d gotten into the habit of throwing it to the side and back of me. Something I’d learned from watching Blayze.
I drew in a deep breath. Riding here in Uncle Ty’s arena was a far cry from riding out on tour. The loud crowd, the music, the announcers. All of it can mess with your mind—and the bull’s—if you don’t know how to block it out. Once I sit on the bull, though, the only thing I can hear is the sound of my heart beating.
My father drew his arm back, seeing that I was about to give the nod to open the gate. He leaned in closer and said, “Cover him, Bradly.”
Those three words, spoken by my father, had always made shivers go up my spine. I nodded—and the gate flew open.
Uncle Ty was right, this bull was hell bent on getting me off his back. I squeezed my legs against his sides and moved with him. The harder he kicked, the more I fought.
“Jesus!” I barked as he spun so fast, I nearly lost my hold. “Not today, buddy.”
The buzzer went off, and I started to get my hand free. As if knowing what was about to happen, the bull saved his best move for last. Twisting in a way a large animal like him shouldn’t be able twist. He bucked like his life was depending on it, and I went flying through the air.
For a moment after I hit the ground, I couldn’t move. The breath had been knocked clean out of my body. I saw someone run toward the bull to get his attention, then my father was suddenly standing over me.
“You alright?”
“Breath. Knocked. Out.”
His strong arms hauled me up before he shook his head. “Jesus Christ, Bradly!” my father yelled. “I thought you were going to fly across the arena.”
I could hear cheers from the chute area, and all I could do was laugh—well, once I got air into my lungs. “That son-of-a-bitch knew exactly what he was doing.”
My father laughed and slapped the side of my arm. “They always do. You should know that by now.”
Pulling off my helmet, I ran a hand through my hair and searched for her. My heart tripped in my chest when our eyes met. I could see even from where I was standing the breath she let out.
“Well, hell. I’ve seen that look before.”
Not wanting to look away from Mackenzie, I asked, “What look?”
“The look a man gets when a woman has managed to sneak her way in here,” Dad said as he hit my vest in the vicinity of my heart.
Looking at Dad, I asked. “Have you?”
He chuckled. “Yes, and you are wearing it. Had a good day with Mackenzie?”
We started walking back toward everyone. “Yeah, you could say that. Dad, do you believe in love at first sight?”
My father stopped walking and slowly turned to face me. When he smiled, I felt the tightness in my chest loosen some.
“Yes, I do believe in it. A part of me thinks that I loved your mother the moment I was old enough to realize what love was. I was just too stupid to see it. Don’t be like your old man, Bradly. If you have feelings for our Mackenzie, follow your heart. Just don’t hurt her or your mother will kill you.”
“If I have things my way, Dad, she’ll be my Mackenzie.”
Tossing his head back and laughing, he replied, “Apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“As you should.”
We made our way up the steps and to the back of the chutes, where Josh was getting ready to ride next. Mackenzie was standing next to Avery as my sister talked her ear off, but her eyes were locked on me.
I came to a stop in front of her and tried like hell to read the expression on her face, but it was unreadable.
Avery cleared her throat. “Well, I think I’ll go see if I can do anything to help with Josh’s ride.”
My sister slipped away, and I took a step closer to Mackenzie. “What did you think?”
She slowly shook her head, and a part of me was regretting that I’d brought her here, but the other side knew that if I wanted to have something more than a friendship with this woman, she needed to be able to see this side of me. I may be walking away from a career in professional bull riding, but I was still going to ride.
“I was terrified watching you…but at the same time, I felt this crazy sense of pride.”
“Really?” I asked with a surprised tone to my voice.
“How is it that we just met? I feel like I’ve known you forever. And I’m not sure if that’s making me feel overwhelmed or scared.”
She glanced around to make sure no one could hear her before she went on.
“I haven’t dated very much, and I’m going to be completely honest, I haven’t experienced anything like this before. I’m sure you have, but you need to know how inexperienced I am when it comes to…guys.”
I reached for her hand and laced my fingers with hers. “I don’t care about your past or your experience, Kenzie. The only thing I care about is that I get to see you tonight, and tomorrow, and tomorrow night, and so on.”
A brilliant smile broke over her face. “I would love that. And your mom did tell me I had this week off. Avery mentioned going shopping tomorrow, so I’m not sure how long that will be, but afterward I’m all yours.”
“Are you free for dinner afterward? I got to show you a part of me, but I’d like to learn more about you.”
Her smile slipped and something moved across her face. She looked down, and when her eyes met mine, that mysterious something was gone. “I can cook us dinner at my apartment, if you want. That way we’re not rushed with having to leave to free up a table.”
I suddenly got giddy at the thought of spending time with her alone. “I would love that. I should, um…go help with Josh’s ride.”
“Oh, yes! Of course.”
Turning to head to the chutes, I stopped and faced her again. “My sister Avery.”
Mackenzie blushed as a sweet laugh slipped free. “Is super sweet and I adore her.”
“I’m sorry I made that comment about falling in love with you in front of her…it was just…” I let my voice trail off.
She took a step forward, reached her hand up and placed it on the vest I was wearing. “I’m not sorry, because today has been the first time in a very long time I’ve felt truly alive, and I have you to thank for that.”
It took everything I had in me not to pull her into my arms and kiss her again.
“Bradly!” Uncle Ty called out.
“I need to go help.”
She took a step back and said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Josh rode a few bulls, Blayze rode three, and I rode one more before we called it a day. When Uncle Ty told me to head on out with Mackenzie, I wasn’t about to argue. Somehow we managed to slip away without Avery or my father seeing us.
“Is it very different when you ride in one of your events?” Mackenzie asked as we made our way back to my folks’ place.
“Yeah. It’s a lot crazier. Cameras and reporters are always there. It’s hard to think clearly sometimes, simply because it’s so damn loud. The crowd, the music, and just the noise of the bulls in the chutes.”
“How do you stay focused?”
I shrugged. “Growing up and riding at Uncle Ty’s was good practice. Today was super quiet, with only a handful of us there, but when I was younger, there was always a lot of family around. My cousins and sister also used to bring all their friends to watch us ride…basically, lots more people to cheer and emulate a small crowd. And knowing my female cousins’ pretty friends were watching…that was always a real distraction.”
She chuckled. “I bet. But I assume riding in an event would be a lot bigger.”
“Oh, yeah. I guess I’ve just learned to tune it all out. Honestly, once I sit down on the bull, the only thing I can hear is the pounding of my heart in my chest.”
“I can’t imagine the adrenaline rush you must get.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I love it.”
Feeling her gaze on me, I glanced over. “What?”
“You don’t sound like you love it. There was zero emotion in your voice just then.”
I let out a long sigh as I pulled into the driveway of the ranch. Instead of reaching up and hitting the gate opener, I tightened my hands on the steering wheel. I wanted to tell her that I was going to be walking away, but the only other people who knew were my parents and my manager, Lewis. Well Lewis’s daughter Crystal was taking over more and more for Lewis. I needed to tell my family first. Plus, I had made my father and Lewis a promise that I’d make sure this was what I really wanted.
“I think I’m just tired. Which is kind of crazy since I’m only coming up on twenty-four.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“March third. What about you?”
“August thirty-first. Emily’s birthday is New Year’s Eve.”
“Then that’s another reason you need to come to Lincoln and Brock’s party, if your sister’s going to be here. We can celebrate a marriage and your sister’s birthday.”
The corner of her mouth rose slightly in a smile as she replied, “Maybe.”
“Hey, that’s better than a no.”
I reached up and hit the gate opener, and we drove the rest of the way to the farm’s barn in silence. After parking, I walked her in through the barn and up the steps to her apartment.
“I had a lot of fun today, Bradly. Thank you.”
Reaching up, I tucked a light brown curl behind her ear and heard her breath hitch ever so softly. “So did I. I’m sorry it took longer at the arena than I thought.”
“As long as you’re not expecting anything fancy for dinner and don’t mind a later dinner. Say, maybe seven-thirty?”
My eyes drifted down to her mouth, and her tongue darted out quickly to wet them. I nearly growled.
Leaning in closer, I whispered, “That sounds perfect.”
Her warm breath hit my face as she exhaled a soft chuckle. I bridged the space between us and my lips touched hers softly. This one wasn’t like earlier. It was sweeter. Slower. More meaningful.
Mackenzie reached up and grabbed onto my coat as she slowly stepped away. When her eyes closed, a pained expression crossed her face.
Reaching up, I cupped her face in my hands. “Hey, look at me.” Those beautiful eyes opened and met my gaze. “We’ll go slow, okay?”
Pressing her mouth into a tight line, she said, “That’s just it…I don’t want to go slow.”
Damn if I really wasn’t actually falling in love with her.
Smirking, I said, “Seven-thirty?”
She nodded. “Seven-thirty.”
Turning, Mackenzie typed in the code and the door unlocked. The sound of a cat meowing grew louder, and when she turned and started to shut the door, I had to remind myself I’d see her soon.
The soft click of the door had me sighing as I turned and saw a goat standing at the bottom of the steps. “Pickles. I was wondering where you were.”
The goat did a little jump spin as I made my way down the steps. I bent and gave him some attention before he used my leg to kick off and leap over to the corner of the barn, where he proceeded to lay down on his very own bed.
Smiling, I made my way through the barn and out the door to my truck. I climbed in, started it, and began to back up when I saw the first few snowflakes start to fall.
I looked up at the window in the barn, and even though I couldn’t see her, I knew she was there, and that made something inside of me heat up like never before.