Page 130 of Here With Me

Noah looks at the time. “We’ve got five minutes. I wanna try the suicide drag again but faster.”

It’s bad enough she did it for the first time a couple of days ago, and if it wasn’t for Donut being as tolerable as he is, I would’ve said hell no. But Noah does what she wants, so I kept up and watched her every move.

“How much faster?”

“Well, enough to drag my hands in the dirt.”

Because of the position of the move, she can’t wear her helmet. Riders don’t during the rodeo either, but for the sake of her practicing, she’s kept it on. I contemplate begging her not to do it, but I know it’s no use. She won’t quit until she tries, and even if she didn’t, for my sake, I wouldn’t put it past her to do it when I’m not around. I’d rather spot her now so she can be satisfied she accomplished it versus her doing it in private and getting hurt.

“Fine. Not too fast,” I warn. “I’ve got old bull rider knees.”

She snorts. “Puttin’ that AARP medical plan to good use then, huh?”

“Very funny.” I grunt.

I take a deep breath as she swings herself back up on Donut, then gets him into a steady gallop. The arena is large enough that he can gain speed and slow down when Noah needs him to and still have plenty of time before they round a corner.

They ride around one lap before she gives me a thumbs-up, and I know she’s about to do it. There’s no way I can keep up at their speed, so I just watch and move in a circular motion.

Noah hooks her foot, drops down his side, then hangs her other leg above her head. Her arms fall to the ground as she drags them across the dirt. It happens in less than three seconds, but she stays in that position for at least ten more.

I watch with panic and amazement. I love how quickly she caught on and how she doesn’t quit when she puts her mind to something.

She pulls herself up, raises her arms, and grins wide. Smiling proudly, I clap.

When she brings Donut to a stop, she jumps down and leaps right into my arms. I wrap mine around her, hugging her to my chest and inhaling her shampoo.

“I did it!”

“I knew ya would.”

She pulls back slightly, her eyes bright and filled with excitement. A flicker of something comes over her face as she licks her lips. My throat tightens as I swallow the lump stuck there. My hand slides behind her neck, and I’m so goddamn tempted to yank her mouth to mine.

“Hey, Noah!”

At the sound of Tripp’s voice, we push apart, and I quickly shove my hands in my pockets.

“You almost done so Landen and I can come in?” he asks.

“Yeah, but I gotta show ya what I just did first!”

“Wait...” I could barely breathe the last time she did it.

She explains the move, then he stands next to me as she hops on and gets Donut going.

“She’s gettin’ really good,” I say to break the silence.

“You two were lookin’ quite cozy when I walked in. Somethin’ goin’ on between y’all?”

When I look at him, he’s studying my face as if he’s daring me to lie.

“What’re ya talkin’ about?” Sweat lines my forehead as I try to keep my voice steady.

He pops a brow. “So you’re not fuckin’ my sister? Not sure how my parents would feel about that if ya were...”

Noah drops into position and shouts at Tripp to watch her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something on the ground right in Donut’s path.

“The hell is that?” I ask, moving closer.