She nods and looks at me a little worriedly. "Be safe."
I lean down and press my forehead to hers. "Can I kiss you, Becca?" Her answer is a yes, and it comes out in a little puff of breath. I don't waste any time, leaning down farther to press my lips to hers. Both of my hands hold the base of her neck, and I slant my head to the side to fit our lips together. We mesh perfectly, almost as if she was made for me and I was made for her. I don't know how I'm going to make it a week without seeing her. I pull back, not wanting the kiss to get out of hand, but already both of us are breathless.
"Take care, honey," I tell her before kissing her forehead.
She nods, grabbing on to my wrist. "You be safe. Text me," she says almost as if she's surprised. I have to admit, I am too. I know she’s trying to keep a distance between us, but I’m doing my best to break down the walls around her heart.
I get in the truck, roll down the window, and look at her. "You can bet on that. I'll talk to you soon."
She's nodding as she steps back from the truck, but she doesn't turn around to go in. I tilt my head and point toward the door of the bakery. "Go on in, honey. I don't want to leave you out here on the street by yourself."
She rolls her eyes, but she does what I ask. She turns around, and with one last wave, I watch as she walks in the door.
Yeah. This week is going to be rough. I'm going to be counting down the minutes until I get to see her again.
Chapter 8
Becca
It's the next night, and I have the rodeo playing on the big screen TV in my living room. I've invited April, Tara, and Emery over to watch it with me, and we're all sitting on the couch. We've had too much to drink, and I've laughed way too hard, but I love nights like this. Tara has her hand wrapped around her wine glass, and she's pointing at the television. "Okay, if I'm going to watch this, you're going to have to explain it to me. What is he supposed to be doing here?"
I look at the television, and there's some random cowboy that is in a chute, getting ready to perform. “Okay, this is what I understand from it. He positions himself on the bull and has his hand wrapped securely in rope to help him hold on, and he gives a nod of his head. When he nods, they open up the door of the chute, and the bull comes out and tries to buck the rider off. The goal of the rider is to stay on for eight seconds.”
Tara starts to laugh. "Eight seconds? Well, surely you can do anything for eight seconds. I mean come on..."
Emery, April, and I look at each other and smile. Tara missed the rodeo, and she didn't get to see any of this up close, so she doesn't have a clue. I point at the TV. "All right, watch."
We watch as the chute opens and the bull comes out. Not three seconds go by... and the rider is bucked off of the bull.
Tara leans back and slaps her hand to her knee. "Oh, my gosh. Did you see that? That's so dangerous. That's so dangerous!"
My gaze goes back to the television, and there's a pit in my stomach. She's only putting voice to the thing that I’ve been thinking this whole time. What Lucas does is very dangerous. All it takes is one bad fall or one hit from the bull's horns, and he could be hurt very badly.
The announcer starts to introduce the next rider. “All right, up next is Lucas Granger. He's a fan favorite. Let's give it up for Lucas as he gets ready in the chute.”
The girls are all laughing and talking, and I wave my hand, shushing them. We all stare at the television and watch as Lucas prepares for his race.
At one point, he looks up into the video camera, and I swear, I feel like he's looking straight at me. I gulp, eyes wide as I watch. When they open the chute, I forget to breathe. I stand up from my seat, unable to take my eyes off the screen. I count with everybody else that is at the event. When it gets to eight seconds, the crowd and I all go wild, but I still don't take my eyes off of Lucas, not until he jumps off of the bull and is out of the way and safe.
I have my hands under my chin as I watch the screen, waiting for his score. The announcer comes back on. "He did it, ladies and gentlemen. Eight seconds and so far, he is the top performer tonight with a score of 90. That's going to be a tough ride to beat. Stay tuned."