seemed to evaluate her answer. “Maybe you should check with him,” he suggested, pushing his hat back on his head. “Just to make sure.”
Surprising herself, she smiled at him before leaning over. “Are you going to leave me alone, Brian?”
Brian gave a muffled yelp. “Get him off me! I’m going to kill him…”
The cowboy sighed, putting even more pressure on the back of Brian’s neck. This time, Brian’s face was pressed hard into the dirt.
She turned to the cowboy, then back to Brian again. “Is that a yes or a no, Brian?” she asked.
The cowboy laughed, revealing even white teeth and a boyish grin.
Although she hadn’t noticed it earlier, four other cowboys had surrounded them in the meantime, and Sophia wondered if this whole incident could become any more surreal. She felt as though she’d stumbled onto the set of an old western, and all at once, she realized where she’d seen this cowboy before. Not inside the barn, but earlier, at the rodeo. The one Marcia had called eye candy. The bull rider who’d won it all.
“You doing okay, Luke?” one of the circle asked. “Need a hand?”
The blue-eyed cowboy shook his head. “I got it for now. But if he don’t stop wiggling, his nose is gonna get broke whether he likes it or not.”
She looked at him. “You’re Luke?”
He nodded. “You?”
“Sophia.”
He tipped his hat. “Nice to meet you, Sophia.” Grinning, he glanced down at Brian again.
“You gonna leave Sophia alone if I let you up?”
Defeated, Brian stopped moving. Slowly but surely, the pressure eased off his neck and Brian cautiously turned his head. “Get your boot off my neck!” he grunted, his expression simultaneously surly and fearful.
Sophia shifted from one foot to the other. “You should probably let him up,” she said.
After a beat, Luke lifted his boot and stepped back. In that instant, Brian leapt to his feet, his body tense. His nose and cheek were scraped, and he had dirt in his teeth. As the circle of other riders tightened, Brian turned from one bull rider to the next, his head swiveling back and forth.
Though drunk, Brian wasn’t stupid, and after glaring at Sophia, he took a step backward. The five cowboys stayed put, appearing not to care one way or the other, but Sophia sensed it was only an illusion. They were prepared for whatever Brian might do, but Brian again took another step backward before pointing at Luke.
“You and I aren’t finished yet,” he spat. “You understand that?”
He let the words hang before focusing on Sophia. There was anger in his expression and betrayal as well, and with that, he turned and started back toward the barn.
3
Luke
O rdinarily, he wouldn’t have gotten involved.
Hell, anyone who went to bars had been confronted with this scenario before, the events unfolding with an almost ridiculous predictability: a couple enjoying a night out, both of them drinking, when – no doubt fueled by too much booze – an argument begins. One starts yelling at the other, the other yells back, the anger escalates, and nine times out of ten, the man ends up grabbing the woman. By the hand, the wrist, the arm, whatever. And then?
That’s where things got trickier. A few years ago, when he was riding in Houston, he’d been in much the same situation. He’d been decompressing at a local bar when a man and woman began arguing. After a minute or so, with their voices rising, it turned physical and Luke had intervened then, too – only to be turned on by both the man and the woman, each screaming at him to leave them the hell alone and to mind his own business. The next thing he knew, the woman was clawing at his face and latching on to his hair while he scuffled with the man. Fortunately, no real damage had been done – others had quickly intervened to separate the three of them. Luke had walked away shaking his head and swearing that from then on, he would stick to his own affairs. Hell, if they wanted to act like
Surprising herself, she smiled at him before leaning over. “Are you going to leave me alone, Brian?”
Brian gave a muffled yelp. “Get him off me! I’m going to kill him…”
The cowboy sighed, putting even more pressure on the back of Brian’s neck. This time, Brian’s face was pressed hard into the dirt.
She turned to the cowboy, then back to Brian again. “Is that a yes or a no, Brian?” she asked.
The cowboy laughed, revealing even white teeth and a boyish grin.
Although she hadn’t noticed it earlier, four other cowboys had surrounded them in the meantime, and Sophia wondered if this whole incident could become any more surreal. She felt as though she’d stumbled onto the set of an old western, and all at once, she realized where she’d seen this cowboy before. Not inside the barn, but earlier, at the rodeo. The one Marcia had called eye candy. The bull rider who’d won it all.
“You doing okay, Luke?” one of the circle asked. “Need a hand?”
The blue-eyed cowboy shook his head. “I got it for now. But if he don’t stop wiggling, his nose is gonna get broke whether he likes it or not.”
She looked at him. “You’re Luke?”
He nodded. “You?”
“Sophia.”
He tipped his hat. “Nice to meet you, Sophia.” Grinning, he glanced down at Brian again.
“You gonna leave Sophia alone if I let you up?”
Defeated, Brian stopped moving. Slowly but surely, the pressure eased off his neck and Brian cautiously turned his head. “Get your boot off my neck!” he grunted, his expression simultaneously surly and fearful.
Sophia shifted from one foot to the other. “You should probably let him up,” she said.
After a beat, Luke lifted his boot and stepped back. In that instant, Brian leapt to his feet, his body tense. His nose and cheek were scraped, and he had dirt in his teeth. As the circle of other riders tightened, Brian turned from one bull rider to the next, his head swiveling back and forth.
Though drunk, Brian wasn’t stupid, and after glaring at Sophia, he took a step backward. The five cowboys stayed put, appearing not to care one way or the other, but Sophia sensed it was only an illusion. They were prepared for whatever Brian might do, but Brian again took another step backward before pointing at Luke.
“You and I aren’t finished yet,” he spat. “You understand that?”
He let the words hang before focusing on Sophia. There was anger in his expression and betrayal as well, and with that, he turned and started back toward the barn.
3
Luke
O rdinarily, he wouldn’t have gotten involved.
Hell, anyone who went to bars had been confronted with this scenario before, the events unfolding with an almost ridiculous predictability: a couple enjoying a night out, both of them drinking, when – no doubt fueled by too much booze – an argument begins. One starts yelling at the other, the other yells back, the anger escalates, and nine times out of ten, the man ends up grabbing the woman. By the hand, the wrist, the arm, whatever. And then?
That’s where things got trickier. A few years ago, when he was riding in Houston, he’d been in much the same situation. He’d been decompressing at a local bar when a man and woman began arguing. After a minute or so, with their voices rising, it turned physical and Luke had intervened then, too – only to be turned on by both the man and the woman, each screaming at him to leave them the hell alone and to mind his own business. The next thing he knew, the woman was clawing at his face and latching on to his hair while he scuffled with the man. Fortunately, no real damage had been done – others had quickly intervened to separate the three of them. Luke had walked away shaking his head and swearing that from then on, he would stick to his own affairs. Hell, if they wanted to act like
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