Authors: Amanda Boone,Amber Duval
12.
Time crawled by so slowly that I was half convinced the rodeo was never going to come. I’d done everything I’d thought I needed to do in the first week. The second week was to be dedicated to making some old dreams come true, I decided.
I’d talked to a local vet who used his kennels as a pound about opening a shelter, and he’d shut me down. He wasn’t interested in using his money to help start something that he was basically already doing.
I’d found out that he got paid by the city for what he was doing, and, even though it shouldn’t have surprised me, I was disgusted with the man. I didn’t want to work with him after all. He could help me save animals and get them into homes that would love them, but because of a paycheck, he was happy leaving them where they were.
He euthanized the animals after a short period of time to make room for other strays. My shelter wouldn’t do that, if I could ever get one open.
I sat around for a few nights in my new house, feeling sorry for myself. I’d always wanted to open a shelter to save animals. When I finally got the guts to do something about that dream, it was hard to accept that I couldn’t do it.
Halfway through the week I’d decided to start a fundraiser to help raise money to open it. With the help of Amanda and Macy, I made signs and hung them around town, letting people know that we’d be having a bake sale during the rodeo. I’d seen Avery and he’d suggested the place and time. Donations of cash and baked goods would be appreciated.
It was a start. Not a strong one, but I had to start somewhere. I knew of a piece of land that was for sale that would be perfect for the shelter. I had a small savings that I could put toward the land, but I’d still need to buy some sort of metal building and then invest in supplies.
With my plan put into action for the shelter, I had time to focus on the rest of my life. I still hadn’t spoken to my mom. I was sure she’d seen the signs for the bake sale and was furious. My dad had called me to complain about me upsetting my mom, but when I’d informed him of her dating antics he’d been so angry at her that he’d started coming to my house for dinner when he could get away from work in time.
I felt like things were looking up. Everything was slowly coming together, but I missed Justin. I wanted to see him and talk to him about everything that was going on. I was starting to hate myself for making the dumb three week rule.
The very last week I was so antsy that Amanda wouldn’t spend time with me. She said I was driving her crazy. I went to work and focused there as much as I could. I spent time with Mason, who told me all about his daddy’s crush on me. Then I went home and watched TV when I wasn’t planning or doing research for the animal shelter.
When the day came for the rodeo, I was so nervous I could barely sit still. I’d turned my kitchen into a baking factory. With Amanda and Macy by my side, I made pies and cakes until I thought I’d never eat one again. My father even showed up and tried to help decorate a few cakes. I’d decided that we were going to label those and hope to draw in more money since he’d done them.
It hadn’t been easy to focus, but I knew the shelter depended on me being serious, so I kept my head on straight for the most part.
Amanda owned a large SUV, so at the end of our baking day we loaded everything into her vehicle and promised to meet her at the rodeo that night. She and Macy both left to get ready.
I showered and dressed in a low-cut black maxi dress. The halter-style top left my shoulders and back exposed. I knew it was a little risqué for a rodeo, but I planned on throwing my three week rule away that night. I pulled on sexy black lingerie I’d bought just for Justin and simple black sandals.
My hair was curling prettily around my face, and I’d taken extra time to make my makeup look perfect, complete with a red lip. I knew I looked good, and I couldn’t wait to see Justin to get his reaction.
I drove over to the big field the rodeo had been set up in and got our tables ready to hold all of the things we’d baked. Amanda and Macy met me there a few minutes later, both smiling from ear to ear.
“What?”
Amanda grinned, and I knew she was up to something. “Nothing. Can’t I just smile?”
I didn’t have time to argue with her because people swarmed our table. Everyone seemed to be excited about the prospects of a shelter. The people who didn’t care that much about the shelter seemed to have a dislike for the vet who got money for killing the stray animals around town. Either way, we were selling out of baked goods faster than we could get them on the table.
I was so excited that I couldn’t stop smiling. The rodeo was already underway, and I was itching to get to a seat so I could be ready when they called Justin’s name.
“Sara, don’t look now, but your mom is coming this way.” Amanda turned away quickly to talk to a customer.
I turned around and, sure enough, my mom was coming at me. I noticed that she was carrying a large box and I raised my eyebrows.
“Sara Jane. Hi.”
I forced a smile to my lips, trying to pretend like I wasn’t feeling something close to tears in my eyes. “Hi, Mom.”
She smiled at me and then shoved the box at me. “I made my famous banana pudding. I made three.”
I took the box and handed it to Amanda. “Thanks, Mom. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I did. I have a lot to do. I’m sorry, Sara. I know now isn’t a good time, but maybe I can come by your house soon for that lunch?”
I grabbed her and hugged her tight. “Yes! Yes. That would be great.”
“And do you think you could ask your father to speak to me? I hate to put you in the middle, but he won’t talk to me at all.” There were tears in her eyes, and I could tell she felt horrible.
“I’ll tell him.”
She touched my cheek gently and then walked away.
I turned around and made a shocked face at Amanda. “Did you see that?!”
Amanda’s eyes were wide as she nodded. “What the fuck just happened? She was nice and she helped with the bake sale!”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I hope it sticks.”
We sold out faster than I ever thought we would, and then Amanda shoved me away with instructions to go find the other Steele brothers so I could get a good seat.
“Why don’t you come sit with us?”
Her happy demeanor changed instantly. “No, thanks. Not all of us have changed our minds about the Steele brothers.”
“You’re going to have to tell me that story eventually.”
She shook her head. “There’s no story to tell, Sara. Now, go!”
I hugged her before leaving. I did want to find the other Steele brothers more than anything. I wanted to be close to the fence so I could watch Justin in action.
I had to fight through a crowd to get to the fence line. Once I got close, I felt a tug on my arm.
“Looking hot, Sara! Justin’s going to shit when he sees you in this.” Avery pulled me with him over to a private section that had been roped off for the family of the rodeo performers.
I was thankful to be away from the pushy crowd and hugged him to show it. “God, you’d think this was a freaking boy band concert. Those girls aren’t playing around. I got a solid elbow to the boob in that crowd.”
He laughed and put his arm around my shoulder. “They’re here to see Justin on a bull. Apparently, it’s hot. That’s what I keep hearing anyway.”
I rolled my eyes. “All of these girls are here to see him?”
He nodded. “Yep. Your boyfriend’s a big star.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
Avery pointed across the fenced-in area to the other side, where men were talking to a very serious-looking Justin. “He tells that story differently.”
I smiled. I couldn’t help it. I watched Justin and giggled. He was wearing dark brown chaps that had teal stitching down the sides, a flannel shirt with a thick vest on top, and a protective helmet. “I like the chaps.”
Avery laughed. “Those are just his ‘for fun’ chaps. The ones he wears for competitions have all kind of sponsor stuff on them. It looks like you got here just in time. He’s about to go.”
My jovial mood turned serious as I watched a huge bull appear in a tiny stall. My eyes went wide and I held my breath as the large monster snorted and rammed the cage in front of it. “He’s not riding
that
is he?”
“Afraid so. That’s Beast. There’s only been one other guy that rode him the full eight. Justin’s in for a rough ride.”
I held my hand over my heart and pressed my body tight against the fence. “This is crazy.”
In the distance I saw Justin climb over the cage and settle himself on top of the bull’s back. I grabbed Avery’s arm and shook my head. “Oh, god. This isn’t okay. He’s going to get hurt!”
“No, he’s not. He’s good at what he does, Sara. Just keep your eyes on him. Eight seconds is a lot faster out here than it is on that thing.”
The announcers were shouting something and the crowd went wild. The air seemed to still, and then the cage door was snapped open. Beast reared out of the cage.
13.
My heart stopped beating as I watched the bull throw its body in every direction. It kicked out its back legs over and over again while jerking its head around, trying its best to get Justin off.
I couldn’t look away. Justin held on to the bull with one hand while his other arm stayed in the air, flying all over the place. The crowd had faded from my awareness, as had the announcers. All I could hear was a white noise that blared in my ears.
My vision tunneled until all I could see was Justin being slung about. My lungs contracted painfully and I sucked in a sharp breath. “How much longer?!”
Justin’s grip was loosening. I could see that the bull was about to kick him off. I screamed in time with the buzzer as Justin flew through the air and landed on his knees in the dirt.
He jumped to his feet and ran to the fence to climb out of reach just in time. The bull rammed into the fence below his feet and paced about, right behind him.
“He pissed that bull off!” Avery’s excited voice reached me, and I could hear how pumped he was.
I looked over at him and Devon and watched as they high fived and did a weird handshake. My heart had started back up in a painful rhythm. I became fully aware of the crowd around us in a flash. Screams were erupting from everywhere. Everyone was as excited as Avery and Devon.
I
, on the other hand, felt like I’d just watched someone cheat death, and I just wanted to touch Justin to make sure he was okay.
“Here he comes, Sara.”
I followed Avery’s eyes and watched as Justin trotted over to our side of the fence. He’d taken his helmet off and his dark hair was matted to his head, but I’d never seen him look better.
Justin climbed over the fence in a beat and was standing in front of me. He ignored the cheers and pats on the back he was getting. Instead, his eyes were on me. “You’re here.”
I gave him a shaky smile and nodded. I couldn’t speak. Up close, he was a force. His body seemed even more masculine in his gear. He was too hot for me to be able to function.
“You okay?” He took a step closer and grinned down at me.
I shook my head.
“What’s wrong?”
I pressed my chest against him. “You aren’t kissing me yet.”
He grabbed me and slammed his mouth down on mine. It wasn’t a sweet kiss. He was giving me everything he had. I’d missed him, and I did my best to show him exactly how much. His hands slid down to my ass and grabbed it before jerking me up. I wrapped my legs around him the best I could in my dress and held on tight.
“Seems Justin Steele has a special lady in his life. Sorry, ladies. I know you all came out hoping for a chance at the stud, but it looks as if he’s taken.” The announcer’s voice cut through my lust-induced fog.
I pulled back and laughed as Justin threw his arm in the air, not unlike the way he had on the bull. I slapped his chest and then kissed him again. “Three weeks are over.”
His eyes turned serious and he put me down. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “Whose house are we going to tonight?”
Avery’s face appeared in between us. “Sorry to interrupt your plans for screwing, but you still have the rest of the show to do, Justin.”
Justin punched Avery in the arm and kissed my forehead. “He’s right. I still have two more rides and a speech to give. Are you done with the bake sale?”
I nodded. “Sold out.”
He let me slide down his body and groaned. “I’ve never ridden with a boner before. This should be interesting. Stay and watch?”
I couldn’t move. I was frozen in my spot. “Of course.”
He kissed me once more before climbing back over the fence and running across the small arena.
I watched him go and then made a small squeaking sound. I had been so excited to get to the point of seeing him again that I hadn’t fully processed what it all meant.
“You okay, Sara?” Avery’s voice cut in and he gently shook my shoulders. “You’re kind of pale.”
I moved my frantic eyes to him and made a scared face. “I just realized something.”
“What?”
“I’m a virgin.”
His eyes went huge, and I thought they might bug out of his head. “You
just
realized that?! Holy shit!”
I slapped my hand over my mouth. I did
not
just tell Avery that. I knew I was bright red, and it was all I could do to not run away.
“How did you
just
realize that?” He wasn’t screaming anymore, so that was a plus.
“I mean, I knew. It’s not like I forgot I’ve never had sex. I just hadn’t thought about it. I think I just realized that Justin doesn’t know that and that we’re going to have sex tonight.”
Avery’s face contorted into one of disgust. “I do not want to think of Justin having sex with you, especially not first-time sex.”
I slapped his arm. “What should I do?”
He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know, Sara. Don’t you have girlfriends to talk about this with?”
“They don’t know I’m a virgin. You and god are the only ones now.”
He laughed and slapped the fence. “You hate me, don’t you? I’m not good at this shit. I don’t know what you should do.”
“You have to know something! What if a girl you were about to sleep with was a virgin? What would you do?”
He looked down at me with sadness in his eyes and shook his head. Instead of replying, he stared out at the men dressed as clowns in the arena. When he did look back at me, it was with a look so gut-wrenching that I took a step back.
“Avery?”
“I’d want her to tell me so I could make it special. Because that’s what she is. Special.” He shook his head and then blinked a few times like he was clearing his thoughts. When he looked back at me, he was the same old Avery. “I can’t believe it. You’re such a baby, Sara.”
My palms grew sweaty and I nodded roughly. I shook my own head to clear the weirdness that had just happened with him. I hoped it didn’t mean what I thought it did, that he had feelings for me, but either way I ignored it. “I
am
a baby. Okay. So, I’ll tell him. Before it happens.”
He laughed. “Yeah. Preferably.”
I spent the rest of the night watching the rodeo, stealing kisses from Justin when I could, and trying to remain calm. The bull riding was never as scary as it was when Justin did it. He’d made it eight seconds every time he’d ridden. It was no wonder he was a champion.
By the time the rodeo was about to end, I was a bundle of nerves. I couldn’t stop thinking about when I was going to tell Justin that I was a virgin. I had a horrible fear that it would freak him out and he’d just walk away.
The show was over but Justin had been called into the arena one last time. He ran over and picked me up so he could drag me to the center of the arena with him.
I couldn’t calm down with all the eyes on us. Everyone was watching us, and I was close to hyperventilating. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. It just felt like a big deal. Justin was basically a manwhore and I was an inexperienced blob.
Before I could insult myself more than I already had, the announcer joined Justin and I. They began talking about something but I couldn’t pay attention.
I just had to do it. I just had to tell Justin and see how he reacted. I glanced out into the audience and saw Avery’s face. He was making a slashing motion across his neck and shaking his head. I would’ve laughed if I hadn’t felt like throwing up.
“Justin, I’m a virgin.”
I expected my whispered confession to just be heard by Justin, but the announcer had moved the mic over to Justin at just the perfect time, so instead of a whisper, it was broadcasted over the speaker system.
The audience laughed, and I looked up at Justin with a hand clamped over my mouth. I’d never been so embarrassed in my entire life. I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped that when I opened them I was somewhere else.
Of course I wasn’t that lucky. When I opened my eyes, Justin was still standing in front of me with his mouth hanging open. I groaned. “Sorry. I just panicked. I didn’t mean to tell everyone.”
He pushed the mic away and pulled me into his arms. “We can wait—”
“No! I don’t want to wait. I want this. Now.”
He grinned and kissed me. “Let’s get this rodeo over with then.”
The announcer was laughing when I looked back at him. “All right, folks. Justin’s got plans tonight, so we’d better hurry.”
Everyone laughed even more, and I hoped no bulls were around to charge at my blaringly red face. I listened as the announcer spoke this time and felt myself growing unsteady.
“Justin and his family decided to hold this rodeo and donate the money it raised to a charity. You’ve already done your normal charity rodeo this year, Justin, so this time you got to choose whatever charity you wanted to donate the money to, right?”
He nodded. “We wanted to do something more local. We had a lot of ideas in the running until we saw the signs that Sara Jane had posted around town.”
I jerked my head up and opened my mouth to speak, but nothing happened.
“I heard you already bought the land she had her eye on.”
“What?”
Justin grinned and ran a hand over his damp hair. “Yeah. And with the money she’s going to get tonight, she should be able to get a head start on putting her no-kill shelter into action.”
The announcer chuckled. “I think she’s in shock, folks.”
I felt myself start to cry but couldn’t stop the tears. I wrapped my arms around Justin’s waist and buried my face against his vest. “You did this?”
He pulled back and nodded. “I wanted to help with your dream. You could’ve, and would’ve, done it by yourself, but I wanted to be a part of it.”
I realized in that moment that I was falling for him. It hadn’t been very long, I’d been avoiding him for weeks, he’d slept with half the town—there were so many reasons why it didn’t make sense for me to fall for him, but I was. I grabbed his head and pulled him down so I could kiss him.
In that moment I wasn’t nervous. I knew that I wanted him to be my first, and I wanted it right then. “Can we go?”
Justin picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. “Oh, yeah. Thanks for coming and donating everyone! You can still donate to the shelter after tonight. Talk to Avery about it!”