Peace River by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Author:Jaclyn M. Hawkes [Hawkes, Jaclyn M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9780985164812
Publisher: Spirit Dance Books
Published: 2012-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

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One night in Texas, as she was walking back to the trailer by herself in the dark during the bull riding, she saw Leland Wilde standing near another trailer up ahead. Wishing Slade or Rossen had come to see her back, she hesitated to walk past him alone. It had been several rodeos since they had last walked her to the trailer during the bulls and she missed their reassuring presence.

Feeling a little sheepish for her lack of courage, she returned to near the arena and stayed where there were more people. She was standing there watching spectators come and go, when she heard Slade’s name from the announcer.

No! Surely she was mistaken, but no, there it was again. The announcer was telling the crowd some stats on Slade’s rodeo career while they waited for him to get ready in the chute. She flew up the ramp to the stands above her and was horrified to see Rossen helping Slade settle into a chute that held a huge, dark brown bull. She was close to that end of the arena and she could see it all perfectly.

Finally set, Slade leaned back, placed his free hand on the gate and nodded his head. The gate flew open to release the bull. The blood seemed to drain from her head and she couldn’t catch her breath as the bull lunged out of the opening and spun violently to the left in a powerful rush. Even with her heart in her throat, she knew she was watching a master rider. His body seemed to sense what the bull would do next and adjusted for it with each raging plunge. The writhing animal was a thing possessed and it lunged and spun every which way to displace the rider stuck to its back. Slade rode with a rhythm and balance that were almost fascinating, as he and the beast careened across the arena in some kind of convoluted ballet.

At last the buzzer sounded and Slade timed the bull’s lunges so he could jump off and away. With perfect balance, Slade sprung off the side of the bull to land gracefully on his feet in the torn up dirt like it was no big deal. Isabel felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach. He retrieved his hat and dusted it off as he crossed the arena to pick up his discarded bull rope. The bull made a lap around the end of the arena, and then came back after Slade and the official in the arena near him. Both men raced for the fence and literally ran up it to balance over the top rail as the bull roared past, missing them by inches.

Waiting for the bull to move off, Slade glanced up into the stands above him and, incidentally, right into Isabel’s eyes. Time stood still for a moment, and then she looked away, turned abruptly and walked back down the ramp.

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