Page 1 of Rodeo Rivals (Hope Runs Deep #11)

McKayla Ghigau

With a groan, she shoved the door open and slid out of the truck and into the gas station lot.

Reaching up and lifting herself on her toes, she stretched her back and her calves.

Anything to get the knots out. She did a few twists at the waist before blowing out a heavy breath.

She had roughly twenty-four hours before she needed to be in the arena.

What to do with that time?

As much as McKayla enjoyed the variety of jerky she’d gotten from the Buc-ee’s, she needed something a bit more substantial to put in her stomach. It rumbled as though to remind her to eat. Covering her abdomen, she glanced around and took the handle of the gas nozzle.

First things first, fill her tank. Then she’d find a place to eat.

There had to be good barbecue around here.

It was Mesquite, Texas, after all. She’d earned a nice steak after that last win.

Since she essentially tore out of town after the rodeo in order to get to the next stop in time, she hadn’t celebrated.

A smile spread across her face, and she nodded to herself.

Tonight, she’d live it up—eat well and maybe have a few drinks.

Tomorrow, she would buckle down and wear her game face.

Competing in the PRCA was serious business.

McKayla wasn’t about to blow this opportunity.

Her ability to share the arena with the best in the business wasn’t just a win for her; it was for all the little girls in the stands.

She’d show them it wasn’t just for men. They could aspire to be more than a rodeo queen.

Women were just as good, if not better, saddle bronc riders as the boys.

Closing her eyes, she let that sentiment roll through her—fuel her.

She shook out her arms and bounced from foot to foot like a boxer preparing for a match.

Her name joined the ranks of Kaila Mussell, the first woman to become a professional saddle bronc rider, her personal idol.

McKayla clapped her hands and let out a hoot of excitement with that thought.

A soccer mom fueling her Volvo peered at her. Unable to wipe the smile from her face, McKayla tipped her turquoise Stampede cowboy hat. The woman shook her head and went back to her business.

McKayla was accustomed to these sorts of looks from others. Women in rough stock events were rare. The boys’ club of saddle bronc riding hadn’t exactly been all that welcoming. It was a good thing she was tough and didn’t pay too much mind to what others thought about her ambitions.

With a tank full of gas and a heart full of optimism, she was ready to face the rodeo cowboy world. Well, after she got something to eat—a thick, juicy slab of beef with a loaded baked potato. Her mouth watered at the thought. Now, all she had to do was find one.

With her stomach full and far too many hours left in the day, McKayla had to figure out what to do with herself.

When the rodeo came into town, Mesquite, Texas, came alive.

From concerts to cookouts to jam-packed bars, the place was wall-to-wall people.

She wasn’t in the mood for that. The night before a rodeo should be low-key.

It was too early to head to bed, so she got an Uber and headed to a local hole in the wall, the Double Wide, for a drink or two to unwind.