Yep. It was better he just be that guy. The one not worth crying over. That was the kind he’d been for years, anyway. The kind he’d always be.
“Next up, folks, is Jen Taylor.” Cheers broke out around the arena at the announcement. “She hails from Hollow Rock, Georgia.”
Colt straightened, hands grabbing the rail again.
Jen took her place at the top of the alley. She sat tall in the saddle, her red hair shining against her turquoise blouse, providing a fiery contrast to Diamond’s white hide.
A shot of heat streaked through Colt. Damn, she was beautiful.
“Jen’s partner is Diamond,” the announcer shouted over the crowd, “though you probably know them as Fire and Ice.”
The fans in the bleachers above Colt jumped to their feet, yelping as handfuls of their popcorn bounced off his hat. Colt’s smile returned. Jen was good. Better than good. And everyone knew it. He’d seen her work her way up through grueling hours of practice, endless tours on the circuit and dogged determination.
The same determination that scared the hell out of him when she rode. She didn’t hold back during a run. Wouldn’t let Diamond, either. She burned across the dirt like a flame and Diamond curved around those barrels like a slick coating of frost.
“Jen looks ready,” Judd said, nudging him with an elbow. “Think she can pull it off?”
“Hell, yeah.”
A 15.32? Jen could crack that in her sleep. So long as she kept her focus.
Colt trained his gaze on Jen’s face. Her brown eyes remained pinned to the pocket by the left barrel, lush lips moving slowly in a silent mantra. Diamond shuffled his feet in anticipation as he waited for her permission. A nod, a swift kick and they were off, blasting down the alley and heading for the first barrel at full speed.
The first turn was flawless. Jen checked him with two hands at just the right moment, gripped the saddle horn and led him around clean and easy. Diamond tore out of the turn and dashed to the next. The second rotation carried off without a hitch.
The pair blazed over to the last barrel but Diamond stumbled. His front hoof slipped on the uneven dirt, jerking Jen forward. The rail rattled under Colt’s grip and his boot shot to the lower fence rung. His stomach heaved as the audience gasped.
“Hold on, Red,” he bit out.
She did. Diamond regained his footing and darted around the last turn. Jen loosened the reins, giving Diamond control, and they blasted across the finish line to the applause of the crowd.
Colt relaxed and released his death grip on the fence.
“Damned shame,” Judd said. “That trip’s gonna cost her.”
“Don’t care.” Colt pushed off the rail and headed for the exit. “She’s still in one piece.”
Though her pride had probably taken a hit at not earning the best time.
“Hey, where you going?” Judd called. “We’re up soon.”
“I know.” Colt waved him off. “Be back in a minute.”
With swift strides, he dodged whooping spectators under the blaring voice on the PA system.
“Beautiful ride by Jen Taylor. Time is 15.37, placing her second. Let’s give that gal a hand...”
Nope. No way would Jen be happy with that. She’d said on more than one occasion that getting second only meant you were the first loser. Something he had a sudden desire to help her see differently.
Colt continued forcing his way through the chaotic mass of people. He’d made it several feet when a cry cut through the air at his side. A pink bundle banged into his left knee and he grabbed it before it tumbled to the floor.
A young girl—three, maybe four?—tossed her blond curls off her cute face and steadied herself with a small hand on his leg. She had brown eyes and freckles, just like his younger half sister, Meg. At least that was what he remembered. He’d last seen her when he left home seven years ago.
An uncomfortable ache formed in his gut. One that appeared every time he remembered leaving Meg behind. “Whoa, there. You all right?”
The girl looked up at him, blinked, then spun back to scowl at the man chasing after her.
“But I want it!” Her outraged shriek almost took the roof off the arena.
“No, Annabelle.” The man took her arm and tugged her back to his side. “You’ve already had one cotton candy and that’s enough for tonight.” He nodded at Colt, dragging a hand through his disheveled hair. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem, man.”
Colt glanced at the girl straining against her dad’s hold. Her cheeks turned cherry red and her eyes squinted.
Here it comes. Colt did his best to navigate around the group in front of him and gain some distance.
“But Ty got two,” she screeched. “I want two.”
“Your brother only had one. The same as you. I said no and that’s that.”
She jerked away and hit the floor, her pink skirt flopping around her flailing legs. Her screaming sobs prompted everyone within a mile radius to frown in her dad’s direction. He bent, hissed admonishments and tried to gather up her writhing form, with no success.
Colt cringed. Poor bastard. Kids might be cute but most of ’em turned out to be little devils disguised in pink ribbons or baseball caps. A man had to be crazy to saddle himself with one on a permanent basis.
The girl’s cries strengthened, piercing Colt’s ears and provoking a pained laugh from him. He shook his head and forged through the crowd, making his way outside. The fresh air enveloped him and the girl’s shrieks faded.
“Hey.” Tammy bumped him with her shoulder and fell in step beside him. Her lopsided smile didn’t hold its usual sparkle. “Come to console our partner?”
Colt shrugged. “No need for consoling. Jen had a good run.”
“Yeah. I know.” Tammy nodded toward the outskirts of the warm-up area. “But try telling her that.”
Jen was cooling Diamond down, apart from everyone at the edge of the grass. She walked him in slow lines, chin lifted. If Colt hadn’t spent years studying every sweet curve of her body and how she moved it, he might’ve missed the overly stiff set of her shoulders and hard clench of her thighs around the saddle. But he didn’t.
Colt cut his eyes away and watched the other racers mingling around the cooldown area. “I’m gonna touch base with her before I ride. You mind giving us a minute?”
“Sure.” Tammy’s brows raised, her green eyes encouraging as she walked away. “Take your time.”
Colt walked over to Jen, stopping as she maneuvered Diamond into a turn and faced him. Her eyes flashed.
He squared his shoulders then nodded up at her. “That was a damn good run, Red.”
Jen stilled and the hard glint in her eyes softened. She smiled. The action small and beautiful. But hesitant.
“Thanks.” She patted Diamond’s thick shoulder. “I’ve got a talented partner.”
“It wasn’t all him,” Colt said. “You had a part in that, too. The hardest part.” His hand lifted, reaching toward her. He brought it back to his side and shifted his stance. “Second place is fantastic considering the tough competition you had. You really were great.”
Jen looked away, brushing light touches over Diamond’s mane. Her smile fell. “Wasn’t quite enough, though,” she whispered.
Colt’s throat closed.