rolling from side to side in a confident swagger.
“Hello, Johnny.” She resisted pressing her hand against her thudding heart.
His black Stetson dipped. “How’ve you been?”
That was a loaded question. “Great. I hear you’re working for my father.”
His gaze locked on the table of programs next to her. “Guess I forgot to mention that.”
“Are you settled in at the ranch?”
“Yep.” He looked her in the eye. “Your father said to be careful.”
“Let me guess. He was too busy with the ranch to come today.”
Johnny nodded. “He’s worried you’ll injure yourself.”
She didn’t want to discuss her father. “Are you competing?”
“Heck, no.” This time his smile was genuine. “I don’t want to screw up my gig at the Triple D.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” she said. “My father can be a demanding man. That’s why my brothers traded in their saddles for a library full of law books.”
“You ready for today?” he asked.
“Of course.” She was always ready—riding bulls was a part of who she was. She checked the time on her cell phone. “I better get going.” It was crazy, but instead of making her feel ill at ease, Johnny’s presence quieted her jumpy nerves. “Walk with me?”
“Sure.”
They strolled through the crowd in silence, Johnny’s shoulder bumping hers once—the contact triggering an electric charge, which traveled down her arm and through her fingertips. When they reached the cowboy ready area, he pulled her aside. “What’s the matter?”
“What do you mean?”
“You kept looking over your shoulder the whole way here.”
“I’m fine.” Shannon saw C.J. and stiffened.
“Did you two...get back together?” Johnny’s blue gaze intensified. Did her answer matter to him?
“No, we’re through.”
“Does Dynasty Boots know about the breakup?” he asked.
“No, and we’re not planning to tell them.” She wished she knew if it bothered him that she and C.J. were pretending to be a couple.
“What bull did you draw?” he asked.
“Heat Miser.”
“Heat Miser’s a twenty-three-point bull.” Left unsaid was the animal’s reputation for turning on fallen riders.
Shannon was the first to admit the bull made her nervous, but a draw was a draw and her sponsor paid her to play the game with the big boys. C.J. had drawn Mr. Gigolo, a twenty-one-point bull known for running toward the exit after throwing his rider.
Shannon unzipped her bag and put on her gear.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re ready to kick off our bull riding event.” The announcer’s voice boomed over the sound system.
“Don’t look now but Rodriguez is heading this way,” Johnny said.
When C.J. noticed Johnny, he glared. “What are you doing here, Cash?”
“Making sure you mind your manners.”
A cowboy standing nearby snickered and C.J. snapped at Shannon, “You’re going down, Douglas.”
“Is that any way to talk to your girlfriend?” Johnny asked.
C.J. flashed a smug grin.
“Don’t let Rodriguez get to you.” Johnny grasped Shannon’s shoulders. “You’ve got to keep your head on straight with this bull.”
“You’re right.”
“Ready?”
Whether she was or not didn’t matter. It was showtime.
Chapter Four
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third annual Yuma Rodeo Days Ride-Off!”
The spectators’ applause competed with the industrial-sized fans, which moved stagnant air through the building and kept the temperature at a steady eighty-five degrees—not bad considering the thermometer outside hovered at one-hundred-five.
“Yuma is the only town in Arizona to put on a rodeo the last Saturday in the month of August.” The crowd noise grew deafening. “This event is for bull riders only, but be sure to stay afterward for the legendary chuck wagon races. Let’s have a round of applause for our sponsors, the Yuma Main Street Merchants Association.”
Shannon caught C.J. watching her. He wanted her to lose and his steady stare squeezed her like a vise, crushing her chest until she couldn’t draw any air into her lungs.
“Take a deep breath and relax.” Johnny’s quiet voice broke the tension in her body and her lungs opened enough to suck in a gulp of oxygen. “Don’t worry about Rodriguez.” He grasped her hand. “Concentrate on your ride.”
“Folks, we got ourselves fifteen of the toughest rodeo athletes in the Southwest ready to ride fifteen of the meanest, orneriest bulls on the circuit.”
Johnny released her hand, and she resisted the urge to cling to his fingers—leaning on him was a sign of weakness. The only person she could rely on when the chute opened was herself. Gathering her courage, she studied the bulls.
Shannon zeroed in on Heat Miser’s rear hooves. Every few seconds the bull kicked the rails, causing Shannon’s adrenaline to spike. Her heart rate sped up and her mouth watered—she could taste how much she wanted to even the score with C.J.
Music blasted over the sound system as the JumboTron played clips of bull rides from previous rodeos. “Before our competition begins, let me introduce southern Arizona’s famous rodeo couple!” Shannon and C.J. waved to the crowd.
“Shannon Douglas hails from Stagecoach, Arizona, and next to her is our hometown legend C. J. Rodriguez!”
The giant video screen zoomed in on Shannon and C.J., and she forced a smile. C.J. blew kisses at the camera and the women in the stands screamed wildly.
“Sponsored by Dynasty Boots, Shannon and C.J. are traveling the country, promoting women’s roughstock events. For those who don’t know, Shannon is in the running this year for the prestigious title of Cowgirl of the Year.”
When the applause died down, the announcer said, “Place your bets, folks! It’s cowgirl against cowboy. Who’s gonna come out on top in today’s ride-off?”
The crowd went crazy.
Shannon heard several shouts for her name but a whole lot more for C.J.’s. There would always be fans who believed women didn’t belong in roughstock events. Most of Shannon’s supporters were her competitors who respected talent—female or male made no difference.
“Did you do your research on Heat Miser?” Johnny asked when Shannon dropped back to the ground.
“He kicks twice, spins then kicks again before he comes out of the spin.” She’d watched the bull perform at a rodeo in Alamosa, Colorado, which was both helpful and not so helpful. Knowing what she was up against before the gate opened wasn’t the least bit reassuring.
“Folks, Rodriguez will ride Gigolo.” The announcer chuckled. “Seein’ how they’re both ladies’ men, C.J. and Gigolo ought to get along swell.”
Shannon ignored the raucous laughter, tired of the lewd jokes that went hand in hand with her and C.J.’s fake romance. Johnny walked a few feet away to gain a better view of C.J.’s ride.
“It’s