Dirty Cowboy

by Alycia Taylor

Naturally, Aunt Sara wanted to go along so she could “supervise,” which was actually code for “freak the hell out and scream every second of the ride,” but you know, it is what it is. We drove to the complex where one of Noah’s buddies had the mechanical bull set up amidst a huge sea of thick, fluffy pads to fall on, clearly ideal for someone just starting out. Aunt Sara insisted Jack put on a helmet, which Noah had already intended, and she even tried to get Noah to wear one, too. He pointed out that he was twenty-two years old and happened to be a professional, to which Aunt Sara tried to argue, but lost.

  Before Noah let Jack get on, he gave him his own “starter kit.” Jack was ecstatic to unwrap a package and find a jacket with a chest pad, a glove, and a water bottle that displayed the words “Bull rider in training.”

  He put on the jacket and zipped it up, donned the glove, and strapped his bike helmet under his chin, then attempted to go toward the center of the arena where the mechanical beast was waiting. Noah clapped a hand down on Jack’s shoulder and said, “Not yet, bucko. Watch the pro do it first. Really pay attention to my form; watch all of the little things we learned about. This is a big deal, and you’re about to become a man, so make sure you do it right.” He winked at Jack, and then strutted to the bull.

  My endearingly arrogant boyfriend hopped onto the bull and pointed at me. “Well, Lace, I already programmed the settings, so hit the button!” he commanded. I complied, stepping forward and pressing the large green button obediently. I looked at all of the switches and knobs on the control panel and was instantly intimidated, but as he so adamantly pointed out, he was the professional. The machine roared to life, starting out slowly and simply. At first, it looked like it was no more difficult than riding a horse. It had a gentle rocking motion that almost looked comforting—that is until it started to spin. The rocking grew a little jerkier as the bull turned to one side, then abruptly to the other. Noah made it look easy, sitting there with one hand in the air and the other one fitted inside his glove as the metal beast did its thing. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, things kicked into high gear. The bucking was suddenly violent, faster, and more like what I pictured a real bull would do.

  Noah’s focus became laser sharp, and he let out a shout of glee as he stared at the place where the head would be on a real bull. He lasted nineteen seconds, which I thought was pretty impressive, before dismounting and rolling out away from the still-bucking bull. I had never seen anyone ride a bull in person, and while this wasn’t quite the same, it gave me a new appreciation for what he did. There was no way in hell it was easy to hang on like that with only one hand as a bull did everything in its power to throw you to the ground. Bull riders weren’t just hicks, after all, it seemed. A little out of breath, he jumped up and jogged over to the control panel on which he hit a few buttons and watched the mechanics grind to a halt. He turned and raised his arms above his head in a “V” shape as the three of us onlookers erupted into applause. “And that, ladies and gents, is how it’s done.”

  “You lasted nineteen seconds,” I told him with a smile.

  “That’s because the first seven seconds or so were the warm-up. A qualifying ride is-” he said, pausing and pointing to Jack to finish his sentence.

  “Eight seconds!” Jack chimed in.

  “Right!” Noah told him, slapping his hand in an enthusiastic high-five. “So, from the time the thing goes nuts until you dismount, it’s got to be at least eight seconds. If you can’t last that long, though, it’s okay. Rest assured, I didn’t make it eight seconds on my first ride. It was months before I could. So do the best you can,” he said with a smile before suddenly turning very stern. “However, if anything starts to hurt, and I mean anything at all, you dismount right away, alright? I have seen far too many riders try to take on too much too quickly and end up dislocating a shoulder or breaking an ankle because they tried to hold on more than they should. Got it?”

  Jack nodded vigorously. Yet another surge of affection for Noah hit me right in the heart. Exactly why I thought it was such a wonderful thing for him to be so protective and explain that my cousin could get seriously hurt, I don’t really know, but something about it just made me want to hug him tight and never let him go. It was nice to know I didn’t have to let go.

  I guessed Noah saw the way Aunt Sara’s face blanched at the mention of injuries he had witnessed because he turned to the control panel and started twiddling the knobs. “Now, since this is your first time, I’m turning things down a bit. It’s not going to get nearly as fast or crazy as it was for me, alright? You ready?” At this point, even my guts twisted into a knot. Having already saved Jack once this summer was enough for me; I didn’t want to have to bound into action again for at least another year. Ideally, not at all. Regardless of any apprehension Aunt Sara and I had, Jack seemed to be more than eager to get on the bull because he jumped up and down a few times before taking off at a sprint to the center of the mats.

  He perched himself on the saddle, gripped the handle, raised one arm, and nodded at Noah. “I’m ready!” he said.

  “You sure? Make sure you keep your eyes on the eyes like I told you.”

  “It’s a machine, smart guy,” my cousin sassed. “There’s no eyes.”

  I adored that kid even more when he was a smart ass.

  “You know what I mean!” Noah shot back. When Jack nodded again, Noah pressed the button and stood there with his hands on the control panel in case he needed to hit the emergency stop button for any reason. The rocking started, and then when it kicked into high gear, I was at least slightly relieved to see that Noah had really turned down the setting so it wasn’t even remotely close to being as violent as it was for him. Jack held his own and lasted a solid six seconds before falling off and landing facedown with a slight “oof.” Both Aunt Sara and I gasped, and Noah turned off the machine, then we all ran up to him to check and make sure he was okay. He rolled over so he was on his back and looked up at us.

  “You alright, bud?” Noah asked.

  “That was totally wicked!” Jack exclaimed. Aunt Sara blew out a lungful of air as he asked, “Can I go again?”

  Then, Sara gasped again. “You’re bleeding!” she said, pointing to his hand, which was indeed seeping a small amount of blood. “What’d you cut yourself on?”

  “Not sure,” Jack said, examining his cut. “I didn’t feel it.”

  “Adrenaline’s a pretty cool thing,” Noah chimed in.

  “Well, come on!” Sara fussed. “We have to get to the first aid kid and patch you up!” She shunted him toward the door, much to Jack’s chagrin.

  Noah turned to me. “He did a pretty great job! Looks like he’s got it in him, after all!”

  “He’s a tough kid,” I nodded. “Anyway, can I have a go?” The question popped out before I had the chance to stop myself. He looked at me like he wasn’t expecting me to ask. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting me to ask, but here we were.

  He raised an eyebrow and said, “You sure you can take it on without the same level of training Jackson had?” He twisted his lips into a shit-eating grin, and I had to prove to him that I could do it—at least, I hoped I could.

  “I think I can manage. Even without the protective gear. Bring it!” I commanded, striding to the bull and hopping on. I threw one hand in the air and told him to turn it on. I have no idea how long I lasted, but it seemed to be a pretty long time before my shoulder started to get sore. Remembering the very strict command Noah had given Jack about dismounting the second anything started to hurt, I used one leg and pushed off to the side and rolled away from the bucking mechanical bull. I sat up to hear a slow clap echoing off the walls.

  “Impressive work, Princess. You held your own.”

  “Huh, maybe I should be a bull rider, after all.”

  “Stick with acting, honey,” he said, stepping forward to kiss me. “You looked like that dismount was pretty intentional; everything okay?”

  “My shoulder started to twinge,” I said, rubbing the j
oint. “And, I’m not feeling a dislocated shoulder today, thank you very much.”

  “Well, I am an expert at massaging sore joints,” he said, wrapping his fingers around my shoulder.

  “Funny, I thought you were an expert bull rider.”

  “That, too.”

  I was definitely not ready for moments like this to end. I wanted to feel his fingers kneading into my shoulders for as long as I could, but unfortunately, two days from that point, I had to leave if I wanted to film the movie of a lifetime and believe me, I did.

  ***

  It wasn’t actually as hard to say goodbye as I thought it would be. Sara, Jack, and Noah all piled into the car with me, and we made the forty-five-minute drive to Chattanooga. I hugged Jack and Aunt Sara and promised we’d Skype soon before I could miss them too incredibly much. They agreed, and then I turned my attention to Noah.

  “Remember, you promised we’d make this work. I’m not letting you go without a fight, Noah Tucker.”

  “You won’t need to,” he said with a smile. “I’ve already got a plan, Laci Daniels.”

  “I love you.” With a kiss and a turn on my heel, I marched to the terminal and boarded the plane.

  Filming started two days after I returned home, so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend catching up with Emily. Not that we needed it. The set was in the city, so it was only a half-hour train ride from my parents’ house, and I was easily able to stay at home and commute to the set every day, though some nights I just stayed in my trailer.

  Before I had left for the summer, I couldn’t be in the house by myself, it was too fresh. But things had changed, I had a stronger sense of appreciation for the place and if I was being honest with myself if home was where the heart was. That house didn’t feel as much like home anymore. Without Mom and Dad, it still had all of the belongings it had before, but it wasn’t the same. My time at the ranch had made me see that it wasn’t just about the building, it was about the people. Being back home—and in many ways, it would always be home—started to feel more nostalgic than sad. It still had its tough moments, but I barely had time to acknowledge them with the grueling filming schedule.

  Besides, staying there was only temporary. When the paychecks started to come in—and believe me, between Dad’s agency business and my acting, it did—Emily and I got an apartment in the city together.

  ***

  Before I knew it, two years had flown by.

  Life had thrown us a few curveballs, but Noah and I were still going strong. At least, we were until I started my role in an off-Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet. Between his schedule on the PBR circuit, my filming two movies earlier in the year, and only have a couple of weeks off in the summer, then having to jump straight into rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet, I hadn’t actually seen Noah in eight weeks.

  He was supposed to have made it to opening night, but one of his sponsors changed the schedule on a photo shoot and he had to cancel. Being apart has definitely not been easy, but I thought we were doing pretty damned well with it. I had to confess, though, lately, I’d been getting a little worried. Noah hasn’t been acting like himself in the last few weeks. So, when he called and said we needed to talk, I didn’t think it was a good sign. I prepared myself for the worst.

  My life was about to change.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Noah

  Before I knew it, two years had flown by.

  It seems that nothing ever really goes quite as expected. One thing was certain, I never expected to fall in love with that city girl I picked up at the airport terminal as a favor to my neighbor. But I did.

  And, things were going great, too. Life had thrown us a few curveballs, but Laci and I were still going strong. At least, we were until my career really took off and the sponsors started to pour in, which meant my time was less my own. Laci’s career did, too. After being nominated for a Golden Globe for her first film, the offers started to roll in. It didn’t matter that she didn’t win—I’d have hated to see how busy she’d have been if she had.

  She filmed two movies earlier in the year and only had two weeks off in the summer to spend at the ranch before she had to head right back to New York to start rehearsals for an off-Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet. I hadn’t actually seen her in eight weeks.

  I was supposed to have made it to opening night five weeks ago, but one of my sponsors had a schedule conflict and had to change a photo shoot. You should’ve heard the disappointment in Laci’s voice when I had to cancel. Being apart has definitely not been easy, but I thought we were doing pretty damned well with it. I confess, though, lately things have had me a little concerned and I wanted to make sure Laci knew how I was feeling, so, I called and told her we needed to talk. The tone of her voice didn’t feel like a good sign. So, I decided it was time for a new plan.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Laci

  There’s no better feeling in the world than standing center stage as a torrent of applause roars through the crowd. Kind of like my last night on stage as Juliet in my first off-Broadway production. At least, I thought there wasn’t. But seeing the man you love walking across the stage when the lights come up after the cast has taken its final bow, holding the biggest bouquet of flowers you’ve ever seen…well, that feeling trumps the applause. Especially, when he’s dressed as though he stepped out of the pages of GQ magazine. The only other times I’ve seen Noah in a suit were the nights he accompanied me to my movie premiers. And even then, he wasn’t nearly as handsome as he was walking toward me holding flowers. It was odd enough that he was even on stage. So, when my co-star handed Noah a mic, things really got interesting.

  “Good evening, everyone,” Noah began, addressing the audience. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me you attention for a moment. I have a bit of an announcement I’d like to make regarding the lovely Ms. Laci Daniels here.”

  I stood in shock. I wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but if this was Noah’s idea of having a talk, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to talk. He approached me, holding the mic by his side so that the audience didn’t hear what he said next to me.

  “Hey, babe. You look stunning. And, you were amazing tonight.” He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my cheek, then turned back to the audience who had quieted and was staring and waiting for his announcement. Just as I was. He smiled his devilishly handsome crooked smile and began speaking into the mic again.

  “I’m sure many of you have seen me accompany this beautiful woman to movie premiers and seen a few photos of us together in a tabloid or two. And, you’ve probably wondered how a guy like me, who gets thrown off of perfectly good bulls for a living, ever got lucky enough to capture the attention of someone so amazing.” Noah then turned and looked at me, his gaze holding mine and causing my heart to leap into my throat. “Well, I’ve wondered that myself,” he continued.

  “What I haven’t wondered was if it would be possible to love her with every breath I have, for as long as I have them. Lace, if you would be so kind as to take these?” Noah handed me the bouquet of flowers. “Actually, Em,” he looked around until he caught sight of my best friend who was sitting on the front row. “Would you mind? I didn’t realize how large they were going to be when I ordered them,” he chuckled and stepped to the front of the stage to pass the flowers off to Emily. The audience laughed along with him. I just stared at him, wondering what on earth he was going to say next. I felt like I needed to interject something, so I did what came naturally: I tried to use humor to calm my nerves.

  “Don’t be running off with those, Em. I know where you live.” It didn’t work. I turned my attention back to Noah. Waiting. He joked again.

  “She looks a little concerned, doesn’t she folks?” he chided to the crowd. I nodded my head in agreement. “There’s no need to be, babe. It’s not like I might get down on one knee,” he said as he did just that. “And tell you that you are the single best thing that has ever happened to me and that I can’t imagine my l
ife without you by my side.”

  Tears welled in my eyes as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, black velvet box.

  “But what it is like, is this…” He opened the box to reveal the most beautiful square cut diamond ring I had ever laid eyes on. “You are my world, Laci Daniels. You’re the lifeline I will forever be anchored to. Your smile lights up even the darkest of my days and I want to be the man who always makes sure that smile stays on your lips. Would you do me the honor of making me the happiest man alive and becoming my wife?”

  I thought I had my life all planned out. But as it so happens, it was time for a new plan.

  Chapter Twenty

  Noah

  I sat there on one knee, little black box in hand, in front of nearly a thousand people, wondering what was going through that pretty little head of hers. Our eyes locked and it was like the room stood still. Suddenly, it was just me and Laci. My beautiful princess took a step toward me and mouthed the word. The one I was praying to hear—only, I couldn’t hear it. But I knew it when I saw it.

  “Yes.” She nodded with a smile and tears in her eyes as I took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. A perfect fit.

  I stood, pulled her into my arms, and kissed her.

  Everything in my life was about to change.

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  DIRTY BIKER

  By Alycia Taylor