One Night With a Cowboy by Cat Johnson

less risky—and
     less painful—riding the rankest bull in the State of Oklahoma than opening himself
     up to a woman again.
    Loud music reverberated off the walls, sending the adrenaline coursing through Tuck’s
     veins. He’d competed for so long, such cues as the roar of the crowd, the announcer’s
     echoing voice, and the pounding base of the music pumped into the arena all caused
     a visceral reaction. It all combined to tell his body it was time. He was like a warrior
     preparing for battle, every cell in his being ready, except his battle was against
     a bull and it would last only eight seconds.
    Worse, the bull riding was the final event. He had an entire evening to sit through,
     feeling hyped enough to crawl out of his skin, just so he could jump on that bull
     and expend some of this energy.
    His gaze hit on Becca, and he decided there was a much better way to get rid of some
     of this restlessness. The image hit him of tangling his hand in her hair, pulling
     her head back, and claiming her mouth with a long hard kiss.
    That would certainly be nice and there was nothing he would enjoy more, but instead
     Tuck smiled and handed her the beer. “Here you go.”
    “Thank you.” Her focus went to his cup. She smiled. “Soda pop again?”
    He tipped his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
    “You will drink later on, won’t you?”
    Hmm, she’d warmed up a bit while he’d been away. What had done that? Was the beer
     kicking in? Or perhaps it had been a heart-to-heart with her sister, who seemed to
     be all for their spending time together later. Either way, something had swayed Becca
     toward him. Gone was the slight hesitation before her every sentence. Instead was
     a bold flirty city girl he’d definitely be happy to get to know a lot better, not
     that he hadn’t been into her already. Now that she’d gone and added another layer
     to her complexity, she was even more tempting.
    Maybe that kiss wasn’t out of the question after all . . . a bit later.
    “I surely will. As soon as my feet hit the dirt after my ride, I will gladly join
     you in a drink.”
    “Your feet, or your face. Either one.” Jace grinned wide.
    Tuck shot his supposed friend a less than happy glance. “Thank you for your confidence.”
    Jace’s eyes crinkled in the corners with his smile. “You’re very welcome.”
    He turned back to see Becca smiling.
    “I look forward to it.”
    Tucker raised his cup to her in a toast. “As do I. So, let me tell you what’s going
     to happen tonight.”
    Her brows rose. “All right.”
    Her smirk told him she was thinking about something besides rodeo. He laughed and
     shook his head. “In the events, I mean.” They could discuss the post-competition activity
     later. He’d look forward to that. “It moves pretty quick. You can’t keep the animals
     cooling their heels in the pens or the chutes for too long.”
    “Of course.” She nodded knowingly, but he suspected she’d probably never owned anything
     bigger than a goldfish. Or maybe one of those little dogs fancy women carried around
     in their purses. That was fine. He was a very good teacher. He’d certainly enjoy their
     lessons.
    With that image in mind, Tuck continued. “The action pretty much alternates between
     the two ends of the arena. The bucking chutes are at this end and the ropers’ boxes
     are at the other end. So you’re gonna see bareback bronc riding here, then tie-down
     and team roping down there. Then saddle broncs at our end and steer wrestling at the
     other end. There’s a break so they can set up the barrel racing for the women—I’ll
     explain it to you when we get to it. Then there’s an event for the kids. Mutton bustin’.”
    “Mutton? Like people eat?” Her eyes opened wide, making him smile.
    “Yup. Sheep. The little kids—like five or six years old— ride those and try to hang
     on. Then the maintenance crew drags the arena and the bull riding closes the event.”
    “They save the best