Page 96 of Reckless Skye

‘Yup. I even had to use lighter fluid to get it to ignite.’ Saying it didn’t make her feel any better. ‘Damn it, TJ. That saddle was beautiful. But all I could think was that only Holden would use something so gorgeous, so important to me, as a threat.’

‘I’m sorry. I should have thought of that.’ He nudged her shoulder. ‘I’ll order a new one.’

‘No. If you give me the details, I’ll order a new one. I don’t want anything from you.’ She said the words kindly. Because they were true. She didn’t want to ever be beholden to him; he already had too much of her. Too much of her past, too many of her current thoughts. He took up space she didn’t have to spare – or, maybe, didn’t want to spare.

TJ didn’t reply, but she knew by the cool tip of his head that she’d hurt him.

She wanted to apologize, or maybe explain, but she didn’t know where to start.

So, she didn’t.

TJ braided Kai’s mane as Skye, dressed in her black jeans, black shirt, black boots, and bright-pink Hunt Ranch hat, wrapped Kai’s legs in the matching polo wraps. If Skye and Smokey had looked eye-catching in the contrasting colours, Kai, with his black coat, added to the effect.

Although Skye was quiet and focused on her task, TJ could feel the anxiety rolling off her as her race time rapidly approached. When she stood and dusted imaginary dirt off her pristine jeans, he moved forward and flicked the brim of her hat up, calling her attention to him. ‘Breathe,’ he demanded. ‘Get out of your head.’

She didn’t argue, only took a deep, shaky breath. ‘I hate running the perf.’

‘Why?’

‘Too much pressure to put on a show for the crowd instead of compete.’

‘That’s all in your head.’

‘Gee, thanks, TJ,’ Skye drawled sarcastically. ‘That pep talk made me feel a whole lot better.’

‘Think of it this way,’ he said, trying for a different approach. ‘How many people in the crowd do you think could legitimately do what you do as well as you do it?’

‘Ten, maybe.’

‘Ten out of ten thousand. So, 0.1 per cent of the people in the crowd might – might – be judging your ride. To the others, you’re a badass bitch, however well you ride.’

‘Lack of knowledge or skill never stopped anyone from judging,’ she argued. ‘If it did, we wouldn’t have Sunday Night Football.’

‘Hey. Look at me,’ TJ demanded. ‘You’ve got this.’

Skye nodded. ‘I do.’

‘So, let’s fucking go.’ He locked Smokey back in the trailer and walked across the parking lot to the warm-up arena, leading Kai, with Skye at his side.

The rodeo was well underway in the coliseum. The combined sound of the music, the announcer, and the crowd boomed chaotically from the covered building. While it didn’t seem to bother the seasoned rodeo animals at all, there were a few that TJ could see were relatively new to the game. A dun mare trotting in the warm-up arena spooked and skittered sideways every time the noise from the stadium surged and took her by surprise. A grey Appendix gelding backed up quickly as his rider tried, unsuccessfully, to mount.

He stepped inside the arena, holding Kai as Skye swung into the saddle. ‘I’m going to be close by. If you see anything – anything – that strikes you as odd, you dismount. Immediately, Skye. I’ll get to you as quickly as I can. Otherwise, you warm up, you run, you meet me outside the arena afterwards. If I’m not there yet, wait for me. Stay where the people are.’

‘Don’t you think this is all a little extreme?’ she asked.

‘Better safe than sorry,’ TJ said.

As he watched Skye and Kai warm up, he rested his forearms through the arena fencing, taking some of the pressure off his back.

‘Didn’t figure you the type for serious.’

TJ angled his head to look over his shoulder at Matthew Savage. The bronc rider was dressed in his chaps and vest, both of which boasted the logos of his extensive sponsorships. TJ hated the burn of jealousy that settled in his throat. Once, he’d had the best sponsors across the board. All the big names had lined up to pay him. Now, he wore the black chaps he rode at home in. Still, he tipped his head, said, ‘Savage.’

Matthew nodded to where Skye was circling Kai in a smooth lope. ‘That’s the girl from Scottsdale, right?’

‘Yup.’

‘You two serious?’