Warrior Girl: A Cowboy Romance (Wild Men Texas Book 2)
Page 19
“A hometown boy, Logan Wild, is up next! Born and raised right here in Hunt County. Let’s cheer him on, folks!”
Knowing I won’t have time to find a seat, I stay where I am and wait.
Logan
I’m wired.
Gigi told me the fairgrounds is where her mom came with Mr. Henwood the night they spent together, and so Mrs. Phillips is extra agitated today.
Which probably explains why I received a text from Mrs. Phillips after Gigi finished shooting—Gigi’s frustrated by her performance in the target contest. She says that’s the only reason for her low mood right now. I hope she’s telling the truth. Because if I find out her unhappiness has something to do with you, I won’t hesitate to make sure to delay your wedding.
That’s what I was reading when Macey came out of the restrooms. And I haven’t been able to shake the thinly-veiled threat since.
“What the hell’s going on with you?” Luke mutters to me as I walk with him and Brayden to the arena where the rodeo events are held.
Brayden’s got the same dark hair as his brother, but he’s a lot less pushy.
“He’s hyped for the bronc riding,” he says. “Let him concentrate.”
Blake has Prince all ready when we arrive.
“We both know that hyped isn’t the right mindset for a bronc rider. Get your head on straight,” Luke says to me as I make my way to the chute. “I don’t know what’s going on, but don’t let it disrupt your focus.”
“I won’t,” I promise him.
I intend to keep the promise to my cousin. I want to see Luke on a bronc again, and that means he needs to get his confidence back. One way I can help him is to put on a good show in the same arena where he nearly died the last time he competed.
When it’s my turn, I mount Prince and take a second to look out at the stands.
Gigi is there with her parents. I don’t see Macey. The gate opens, and Prince charges out.
Time to ride.
Chapter Forty-Five
Macey
My hands grip the fence railing as Logan’s bronc storms into the arena.
Two seconds in and my palms are sweating.
Logan’s so good at bronc riding. Yet, every time I watch him compete, my heart drops into my stomach like I’m on the scariest roller coaster. My gaze stays focused on Logan as he holds on for dear life while the bronc bucks the hell out of him.
God, Prince is in a mood today.
Four seconds in and I’m biting my bottom lip till it bleeds. But Logan looks in control. He’s keeping his seat, and Prince seems to be tiring.
Just a few more seconds.
“Hold on, hold on,” I chant to myself.
The crowd is getting louder. Logan’s expression is taut with concentration and his mouth pursed as he hangs on.
Prince bucks so damn hard that Logan flies off his seat before coming back down on Prince’s back.
The crowd gasps.
I hold my breath, my knuckles white from gripping the fence. Prince dances his way around the ring and I can’t see Logan’s face anymore.
I take a deep breath.
Just as I dare to let it out—
Prince violently rises up on his back legs.
Time slows as I stare helplessly at the bronc holding Logan hostage in mid-air. Somehow, Logan stays on.
Logan’s told me that a bucking bronco looks worse to the crowd watching than it feels for the rider. He says that when you’re the one on the horse, all you’re thinking about is surviving. Death doesn’t enter your mind in the moment. I get that bronc riders are a different breed, and they’ve made peace with the dangers of their sport.
But I want to tell him to be careful. I want to tell him to keep his right hand steady because it looks like it’s slipping. But I can’t. I can’t do anything because I’m outside the arena looking in.
He’s going to get first place in three, two…
All I can do is watch. My throat is sore from screaming. My teeth clench together. I pray as hard as I can.
Logan
Holy fuck.
I’m not in rhythm.
I fight to hold on.
Prince and I are always in sync.
But not today.
Today, he’s angry.
And he’s letting me know it.
I try to re-grip.
The crowd is a blur.
The world outside of Prince and me disappears.
I can’t be afraid. There’s no time to do anything but respond to what’s right in front of me.
I re-grip once again.
Prince rears up brutally.
My hand is ripped off the grip.
I’m flying.
Twisting.
No control.
I can’t stop my fall.
Can’t stop.
The wall is too close. I need to rotate my body, need to turn somehow…
I hit the ground hard. Too hard.
Macey
I stand, transfixed with fear, as Logan’s bronc bucks him viciously.
So viciously that Logan gets thrown into the air sideways.
I can’t swallow my scream.
Logan misses the wall but hits the ground.
He’s not getting up.
My heart plummets.
Blake runs out and gathers Prince and leads him away so he can’t hurt Logan.
But Logan’s not getting up.
Medical personnel rush the arena.
Luke’s there squatting next to Logan.
Without thinking what I’m doing, I scale the fence and jump over.
I run toward him as he lies motionless in the middle of the ring.
Tears hit my cheeks.
I can’t lose him.
Logan, please be okay. You have to be okay.
A stretcher comes out and Logan is lifted onto it.
And my heart goes with him.
Logan
Macey, I still haven’t told you…
Macey, I love you.
Thank you for reading WARRIOR GIRL!
Check out WILD GIRL to read the hot and romantic conclusion to Logan and Macey’s epic love story!
WILD GIRL
Find out how Logan and Macey get their happily ever after in Wild Girl, the final installment in the steamy Wild Men Texas Trilogy!
He’ll do anything for her…except let her go.
I told Logan Wild to let me go.
I told him not to fight for me.
I’m just a girl in a bar who needs to save her family.
I never planned to become a Wild, even though Logan was with me from the start.
But sometimes fate plays her hand, and all you can do is surrender.
WILD GIRL is book 3 in Logan and Macey’s emotional, friends-with-benefits epic romance. Order the entire trilogy HERE!
Also by Melissa Belle
Boston Boys
BOSTON BILLIONAIRE
BOSTON LOVE
BOSTON ESCAPE
BOSTON ROOMIE
BOSTON BAD BOY
Wild Men
WILD MAN (Colton and Sky first love)
COLTON
DYLAN
AYDEN
JENSON
BRAYDEN
CAMERON
DECLAN
Wild Men Texas Trilogy
WHISKEY GIRL
WARRIOR GIRL
WILD GIRL
Bonus Wild Men Stories
WILD VALENTINE (Ayden and Bella short story)
Boudreaux Universe
EASY PUCK
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author Melissa Belle writes about smart, sassy women and the hot, loyal men who want them. She spent years in the field of psychology before writing her first novel riding the train around Europe.
She often works through her story ideas while hiking with her husband or hanging out with their two kitties. She loves road trips and songwriting. And cupcakes.
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www.melissabellebooks.com