“Thanks,” she said, clearing her throat. “But I’ll be okay.”
As soon as he heard her voice, Brian resumed his struggle; again it ended with Brian jerking his hand back amid howls of pain.
“You sure?” the cowboy asked. “I’m sensing he’s a bit angry.”
That’s an understatement, she thought. She had no doubt that Brian was furious. She couldn’t suppress the tiniest of smiles.
“I think he’s learned his lesson.”
The cowboy seemed to evaluate her answer. “Maybe you should check with him,” he suggested, pushing his hat back on his head. “Just to make sure.”
Surprising herself, she smiled at him before leaning over. “Are you going to leave me alone, Brian?”
Brian gave a muffled yelp. “Get him off me! I’m going to kill him…”
The cowboy sighed, putting even more pressure on the back of Brian’s neck. This time, Brian’s face was pressed hard into the dirt.
She turned to the cowboy, then back to Brian again. “Is that a yes or a no, Brian?” she asked.
The cowboy laughed, revealing even white teeth and a boyish grin.
Although she hadn’t noticed it earlier, four other cowboys had surrounded them in the meantime, and Sophia wondered if this whole incident could become any more surreal. She felt as though she’d stumbled onto the set of an old western, and all at once, she realized where she’d seen this cowboy before. Not inside the barn, but earlier, at the rodeo. The one Marcia had called eye candy. The bull rider who’d won it all.
“You doing okay, Luke?” one of the circle asked. “Need a hand?”
The blue-eyed cowboy shook his head. “I got it for now. But if he don’t stop wiggling, his nose is gonna get broke whether he likes it or not.”
She looked at him. “You’re Luke?”
He nodded. “You?”
“Sophia.”
He tipped his hat. “Nice to meet you, Sophia.” Grinning, he glanced down at Brian again.
“You gonna leave Sophia alone if I let you up?”
Defeated, Brian stopped moving. Slowly but surely, the pressure eased off his neck and Brian cautiously turned his head. “Get your boot off my neck!” he grunted, his expression simultaneously surly and fearful.
Sophia shifted from one foot to the other. “You should probably let him up,” she said.
After a beat, Luke lifted his boot and stepped back. In that instant, Brian leapt to his feet, his body tense. His nose and cheek were scraped, and he had dirt in his teeth. As the circle of other riders tightened, Brian turned from one bull rider to the next, his head swiveling back and forth.
Though drunk, Brian wasn’t stupid, and after glaring at Sophia, he took a step backward. The five cowboys stayed put, appearing not to care one way or the other, but Sophia sensed it was only an illusion. They were prepared for whatever Brian might do, but Brian again took another step backward before pointing at Luke.
“You and I aren’t finished yet,” he spat. “You understand that?”
He let the words hang before focusing on Sophia. There was anger in his expression and betrayal as well, and with that, he turned and started back toward the barn.
3
Luke
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have gotten involved.
Hell, anyone who went to bars had been confronted with this scenario before, the events unfolding with an almost ridiculous predictability: a couple enjoying a night out, both of them drinking, when – no doubt fueled by too much booze – an argument begins. One starts yelling at the other, the other yells back, the anger escalates, and nine times out of ten, the man ends up grabbing the woman. By the hand, the wrist, the arm, whatever. And then?
That’s where things got trickier. A few years ago, when he was riding in Houston, he’d been in much the same situation. He’d been decompressing at a local bar when a man and woman began arguing. After a minute or so, with their voices rising, it turned physical and Luke had intervened then, too – only to be turned on by both the man and the woman, each screaming at him to leave them the hell alone and to mind his own business. The next thing he knew, the woman was clawing at his face and latching on to his hair while he scuffled with the man. Fortunately, no real damage had been done – others had quickly intervened to separate the three of them. Luke had walked away shaking his head and swearing that from then on, he would stick to his own affairs. Hell, if they wanted to act like idiots, why try to stop them?
Which was exactly what he’d intended to do in this instance. He hadn’t even wanted to join the after-party in the first place, but he’d been talked into it by a few fellow riders who wanted to celebrate his comeback and drink to his victory. He’d ended up winning the event, after all – both the short go and the event total. Not because he’d ridden particularly well, but simply because no one else had completed his ride in the final round. He won essentially by default, but sometimes that was how things played out.
He was glad no one had noticed his hands shaking beforehand. The tremors were a first for him, and although he wanted to believe that it was because of the long hiatus, he knew the real reason. His mom did, too, and she’d made it clear that she opposed his return to the ring. Ever since he’d mentioned the possibility of riding again, things had been strained between them. Ordinarily, he’d call her after he finished an event, but not tonight. She wouldn’t care that he’d won. Instead, he’d simply texted her after the event that he was fine. She hadn’t responded.
After a couple of beers, he was only just feeling the acidic rush of fear ebb away. He’d retreated to his truck after each of his first two rides, needing to be alone and settle his nerves. Despite his advantageous standings, he’d actually considered forfeiting. But he’d crushed that instinct and gone back out for his last ride of the night. He’d heard the announcer talking about his injury and subsequent hiatus as he was getting ready in the chute. The bull he’d drawn – a rank bull named Pump and Dump – spun wildly as soon as he broke free, and Luke had been barely able to hold on until the buzzer. He’d landed hard after freeing himself from the wrap, but there’d been no damage done, and he’d waved his hat while the crowd roared its approval.
After that came the backslaps and congratulations, and he couldn’t very well say no when so many people wanted to buy him a drink. He wasn’t ready to go home yet anyway. He needed some time to unwind, to replay the rides in his head. In his mind, he was always able to make the adjustments he hadn’t been able to during the ride, and he needed to think through those steps if he planned to continue. Though he’d won, his balance was nowhere near what it once had been. He still had a long way to go.
He was replaying the second ride when he first noticed the girl. It was hard not to appreciate the cascade of blond hair and deep-set eyes; he had the sense that, like him, she was wrapped up in her own thoughts. She was pretty, but beyond that there was something wholesome and natural about her appearance, the kind of girl who probably looked equally at home in jeans or a formal gown. This was no dolled-up buckle-bunny, hoping to hook up with one of the riders. They were everywhere on tour and easy to find – a pair of them had sidled up to him in the barn and introduced themselves earlier – but he’d had no interest in encouraging them. He’d had a few one-night stands over the years, enough to know they inevitably left him feeling empty.
But the girl on the railing interested him. There was something different about her, though he couldn’t pinpoint what. Maybe, he thought, it was the unguarded, almost vulnerable way she stared into the distance. Whatever it was, he sensed that right now what she really needed was a friend. He considered going over to talk to her, but he pushed aside the idea as he focused on the bulls in the distance. Despite the arena lights, it was too dark to make out all the details, but he searched for Big Ugly Critter anyway. They would forever be linked, he thought, and he wondered idly whether the bull had already been loaded up. He doubted the owner of the bull had planned to drive all night, which meant the animal was here, but it still took some time before he was able to locate him.
It was while he was staring at Big Ugly Critter that the drunk ex-boyfriend had walked up. It was impossible not to overhear their conversation, but he reminded himself not to get involved. And he wouldn’t have, at least until the huge brute had grabbed her. By then, it was obvious she didn’t want anything to do with him, and when he heard the blonde’s anger give way to fear, Luke found himself pushing away from the railing. He knew his decision would probably backfire on him, but as he stepped toward the two of them, he thought again of the way she’d looked earlier, and he knew he didn’t have a choice.
Luke watched as the drunk ex-boyfriend stalked off, and he turned to thank his fellow riders for coming over. One by one they drifted away, leaving Luke and Sophia alone.
Above them, the stars had multiplied in the ebony sky. In the barn, the band finished one song and eased into another, an older classic by Garth Brooks. With a deep sigh, Sophia let her arms fall to her sides, the autumn breeze lifting her hair gently as she turned to face him.
“I’m sorry you were dragged into all this, but I want to thank you for what you did,” Sophia said, a little sheepish.
Closer now, Luke registered the unusual green color of her eyes and the soft precision of her speech, a sound that made him think of faraway places. For a moment, he found himself tongue-tied.
“I was glad to help,” he managed.
When he said nothing more, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s… not always as crazy as you probably imagine he is. We used to go out and he’s not too happy I broke up with him.”
“I figured,” Luke said.
“Did you… hear everything?” Her face was a mixture of embarrassment and fatigue.
“It was kind of hard not to.”
Her lips tightened. “That’s what I thought.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I promise to forget,” he offered.
She gave a genuine laugh, and he thought he heard relief in it. “I’m going to try my best to forget all about it, too,” she said. “I just wish…”
When she trailed off, Luke finished her thought for her. “It’s over and done, I’d guess. At least for tonight, anyway.”
She turned, taking her time as she examined the barn. “I sure hope so.”
Luke’s feet scraped at the ground, as if trying to unearth words in the dust. “I assume your friends are inside?”
Her gaze flickered over the figures milling around the barn doors and beyond. “A bunch of us are here,” she said. “I go to Wake Forest and my roommate at the sorority decided that what I really needed was a girls’ night out.”
“They’re probably wondering where you are.”
“I doubt it,” she said. “They’re having too much fun for that.”
From a tree bordering the corral came the sound of an owl calling from a low-hanging branch, and both of them turned at the sound.
“Do you want me to walk you back inside? In case there’s any trouble, I mean?”
She surprised him by shaking her head. “No. I think it’s best if I stay out here for a little longer. It’ll give Brian a chance to cool off.”
Only if he quits drinking, Luke thought. Let it go. It’s not your business, he reminded himself. “Would you rather be alone, then?”
A look of amusement flashed across her face. “Why? Am I boring you?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not at all. I just didn’t want —”
“I’m kidding.” She stepped to the railing and propped her elbows on the fence. She leaned forward and turned toward him, smiling. Hesitantly, Luke joined her at the railing.
In the distance, she took in the view, appreciating the gently rolling hills common to this part of the state. Luke studied her features silently, noting the small stud in her earlobe, trying to figure out what to say.
“What year are you in college?” he finally asked. He knew it was an inane question, but it was all he could come up with.
“I’m a senior.”
“That makes you… twenty-two?”
“Twenty-one.” She half turned in his direction. “And you?”
“Older than that.”
“Not by much, I’d guess. Did you go to college?”
“It wasn’t really my thing.” He shrugged.
“And you ride bulls for a living?”
“Sometimes,” he answered. “When I stay on, that is. But other times, I’m just a toy the bull gets to play with until I can get away.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You were pretty impressive out there today.”
“You remember me?”
“Of course. You were the only one who rode them all. You won, right?”
“I had a pretty good night,” he admitted.
She brought her hands together. “So it’s Luke…”
“Collins,” he finished.
“That’s right,” she said. “The announcer was going on and on about you before your ride.”
“And?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention. At the time, I didn’t know you’d end up coming to my rescue.”
He listened for traces of sarcasm but detected none, which surprised him. Hooking a thumb toward the tractor tire, he pointed out, “Those other guys came over to help, too.”
“But they didn’t intervene. You did.” She let the comment sink in for a moment. “Can I ask you a question, though?” she went on. “I’ve been wondering about it all night.”
Luke picked at a sliver on the railing. “Go ahead.”