“No, it’s not. He’ll know if I’m afraid of him. And I’m not afraid of him.”
“How can you not be?”
“Because I’m not. There are worse things in life than a big bull. Many other things that are worthy of my fear. But not Diablo.”
“You’re something else.” Zach chuckled. “I don’t know any other woman who wouldn’t be afraid of this brute.”
“There’s no reason to be. He doesn’t want to hurt me.”
“How can you conquer him with that attitude?”
“You’re such a man. You men always want to conquer. I have no desire to conquer Diablo. I want to befriend him.”
“Oh, God.”
“I don’t want to be his master. If we’re equals, we’ll understand each other. He’ll want to help me.”
“But you’ll still be breaking him.”
“No. No, I won’t. I don’t see it that way.”
“We’re talking semantics here, darlin’.”
Dusty thought for a moment. “Maybe,” she admitted, “but it’s all in the attitude, Zach. He’d know if I were trying to break him, and he’d fight back. So I’ll befriend him. I’ll give him what he wants.”
“What is it that he wants, darlin’?” Zach smiled lazily. “Other than a cow in season.”
“Ha-ha.” Dusty rolled her eyes. “He wants what any living creature wants. Respect. Understanding.” She swallowed hard. “Love.”
“Love, huh?” Zach winked at her.
“Oh, don’t look at me like I have two heads. All creatures want love. And if I give it to him, he won’t hurt me. He won’t want to.”
“He might.”
“No, he won’t. He doesn’t want to hurt me. I can tell just by looking at him.”
“How so?”
“His eyes. He and I understand each other.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll accept that answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re going to get.”
“Fine. Tell me now, what else do you do to prepare?”
“I keep myself physically fit, obviously.”
“Oh, yeah.” He eyed her up and down. “Obviously.”
“And I visualize. From the time I start preparations in the chute to the time I’m done with the ride, I’m visualizing every possible move and countermove he might make. I see myself as a winner.”
“You have a lot of confidence.”
“Not really. I just don’t accept loss as an option.”
“But loss is a fact of life, darlin’.”