Page 41 of The Wildest Ride

“But not quite number one, this time. How’s that feel?”

The words struck closer than Hank usually managed, but AJ wasn’t about to let it show, or answer the other man’s question. Instead, he brought his finger and thumb to his face, an imitation ofThe Thinker, saying, “And, since you’re always behind me, that makes you third, right?”

Hank flipped him off and AJ grinned.

The intercom in the room crackled and a young voice gave the twenty-minute warning, followed by the jangle of a phone hanging up.

“There’s our call.” AJ grinned. “Better get your head in the game, DeRoy. Time’s running out.”

“Eat a dick, Garza.”

Taking the old-timey cowboy cue from Lil Sorrow, AJ tipped his hat with a wide grin on his face and headed back to the arena, leaving Hank in the room.

The grin didn’t last.

It took AJ twice as long to wrestle his steer without a hazer.

Each and every other cowboy took three times their average—except Lil Sorrow. She’d lost only a second and a half on her time, and that looked like it had more to do with her steer reacting to the crowd than the lack of a hazer.

Either way, he was feeling a lot less chatty when he entered the contestant’s room after the second round. Fortunately, he didn’t need to worry. The only people in the room were a couple greenies and one of the bottom twenty-fivers. The bottom twenty-five cowboys would be cut in the first elimination round, after the challenge.

Barring some dramatic turn of luck, the young man wasn’t going much farther than Ardmore.

Which meant there was no need to make conversation, a fact that suited AJ’s mood just fine.

Instead, he replayed the scene from the arena in his mind.

Steers, it turned out, were smarter than folks gave them credit for. More than he’d given them credit for, at least.

It had been Lil Sorrow’s voice in his head that’d finally sorted him out enough to get the thing done.

After trying everything else, AJ had focused on the steer and let his body naturally follow it. The horse followed the natural lean of his body and suddenly he was where he needed to be. The steer was where it needed to be an instant later.

He’d thank her later, though, after he secured a win. There were two more rounds to go before he had it for tonight, though.

Tie-down roping followed the intermission. One round with a single calf and one picking out a single marked calf out of a panicked group of ten.

He didn’t expect to set any new world records in classic tie-down roping, but he knew he’d give Lil Sorrow a run for her money.

Catching a calf in a bunch was going to take longer, but it was essentially the same skill set.

However, an hour and a half later, AJ was back in the contestant’s lounge, no closer to beating Lil Sorrow out of the number one spot.

Watching the woman in action with a rope was like an evening at the symphony. When you tossed in a horse and calf, it was a goddamn Vegas show.

She was like a centaur, or at the very least an ancient steppe warrior on top of a horse before she leaped off for her prey.

Thus far, AJ was one for three, and the final event of the night wasn’t one that inspired confidence.

His odds weren’t great, considering the last event was another ranch simulation and the woman’s day job was ranching. His shoulder burned at the thought, but AJ refused to give the sensation space. The night wasn’t over yet and neither was the challenge.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Lil Sorrow entered the room and AJ sat up straighter.

Both of them seemed surprised when she said, “Nice job out there.”

AJ recovered first with an easy smile. “Feeling friendly, now that your lead is secure?” he teased.

She laughed. “No. Must be all the excitement going to my head.” She tossed AJ a water bottle and watched him open it. After AJ took a swig, she said, “Focus on your mark and push out farther left than you think you need to. It’ll keep the other calves out of the way and give you more space.”