Dancing With Danger: Book 8: Dancing Moon Ranch Series (19 page)

"Thinking about what?"

"Us and what I have to do to get you to marry me."

Genie
looked at Josh, whose face was serious, and she realized he was on the verge of giving up his dream for her, but that wasn't a compromise. He loved bullfighting, and from what she'd heard, he was unusually good at it, and maybe she was being unreasonable, wanting him to give up what he'd worked years to achieve. "I've been thinking too," she said, "but I don't want to say anything yet. I told you I needed until after the rodeo, just to make sure."

"Which way are you going with this?" Josh asked. "Making sure it works, or making sure you make the right choice?"

"Making sure we can both be happy," Genie replied. "Meanwhile maybe we could go to your place after all."

"
To talk?" Josh asked.

"That too,"
Genie replied, "after I've scrubbed your back."

Josh smiled, curved his arm tighter around her, and headed for his truck.

Thirty minutes after they'd returned to the ranch, Genie found herself in Josh's bed, nestled against him. After the hot shower in which they'd soaped each other thoroughly and made love, then dried each other off, Josh's body was warm against hers, and he smelled like the kind of soap her grandmother used to make in a big enamel pot. Sometimes the soap smelled like a pine forest, and other times it would be rose or jasmine scented from the essence of oils her grandmother made by soaking pine needles or flower petals in oils. But Josh smelled like her grandmother's soap did, the times when she added nothing to it, the way her grandfather liked.

Nuzzling
Josh's neck, she said, "I could become addicted to the smell of you after a shower."

Josh
tightened his arms around her. "I'm already addicted to having you here like this." He rolled onto his side so he was looking at her, then kissed first one eyelid, then the other, and made his way down to her lips, and the hollow of her throat, and said, "Bulls give me an amazing rush, but they can't give me what I get from you."

"I don't want to think about bulls right now," Genie said, as Josh kissed his way down her body. "They've come between us enough." But even as she said the words, images of the bull in the video
, repeatedly attacking the rider, began to surface, along with the thought that Josh would be in the arena with that bull in a few days...

Trouble Ahead beat the living hell out of me that day...

"Honey, I feel you tensing up," Josh said. "Just relax and enjoy what I'm doing."

"I am enjoying it," Genie
replied. "It was the video of the bull. It came to mind for a moment."

"No bulls," Josh said
, and started making his way back up her body.

"Umm,
that feels good," Genie said, and was determined to shove all thoughts of bulls aside, and as Josh continued what he was doing, she felt her breath quickening, and her body awakening with the anticipation of making love one more time before she'd have to go back to the house. But then it would be the last time until after the rodeo, because Jeremy would be staying in the bunkhouse....

He's one of the best bullfighters out there.
If he keeps going the way he is, he'll make it to the National Finals …

Genie didn't want to think about
that either. It was a reminder of how many more bulls Josh would have to face to get where he wanted to go…

Josh moved his body up hers and whispered against her ear,
"I love you, honey. You're the only woman I want."

"I love you too,"
Genie replied, and knew without question, it was so…

He stayed there, taking a hell of a beating from the bull…

Images of Josh in the hospital began to emerge. Throwing all of her stress and anxiety into their lovemaking, Genie felt her body filling with need, and as they again consummated their love, adrenaline surged through her accompanied by an explosion of erotic sensations unlike anything she'd ever experienced, and almost simultaneously, she knew Josh was experiencing the same high level of fulfillment...

And she knew then that Josh would put the same passion into saving a cowboy when it came down to it, as he had with her only moments before. It was a very troubling realization.

CHAPTER 16

The day of the rodeo arrived far too soon for Genie's peace of mind. During the days leading up to it, she'd gone on all the trail rides so she could have that time with Josh, and the hours in between, she and Abby spent with Annie, where Abby could enjoy Annie's menagerie, or she and Abby would take short hikes, or Abby would tag along with Ruth to find wild flowers while Genie visited with some of the ranch guests. And every day after he was off work, Josh gave Abby a riding lesson on Fancy then did his workouts with his jump rope.

But evenings, after Abby was in bed
, were hers and Josh's. Jeremy helped Josh with the horses some, but he made a point of heading for Pete's Pub in the evening. Genie didn't know whether he and Josh had an understanding, or if Jeremy had found a bunny warren complete with bunny for the evening, but he made it clear that he wouldn't be back until late, so she and Josh had those few precious hours together at his place...

The National Anthem drew her back to reality, and as she stood with a crowd that seemed to be mostly families,
and listened to a young woman sing the anthem in a heartfelt way, Genie couldn't help feeling a sense of the true American spirit. When she'd gone to the St. Paul Rodeo she'd gone with the attitude of finding everything she could wrong with rodeos because she was trying to keep a barrier between her heart and a man she couldn't seem to shake from her mind, but now she truly wanted to understand what drew Josh, and his brothers, and the participants, and all families surrounding her to the lifestyle. And it was clear to her now that rodeo was a lifestyle, the culmination of years of ranching and working with livestock and raising kids who were involved in every phase of it and loved the life they were leading. Still, as the rodeo got underway, she dreaded the idea of watching Josh.

She
and Abby sat on the bleachers with Annie, Ryan, Matt and Ruth, and somewhere in the crowd were Grace and Jack Hansen. Jeremy told Josh, before the rodeo, that both their parents were coming. Josh was surprised, not so much that they would be driving the better part of three hundred miles to get there, but that their mother was coming, though he didn't expand on that, and Genie didn't ask. Jeremy also implied that she was coming to check out the woman in Josh's life more closely, which made Genie wonder how much Grace Hansen knew. Although the relationship was three years in the making, their declarations of love were very recent.

F
or the first half of the rodeo Genie actually enjoyed watching the tie-down roping, bareback bronc riding, team roping, saddle bronc riding and muttin' busting for kids, which included boys and girls as young as six coming out of the chute on sheep, which had Abby standing up and clapping and eager for more. Then came intermission, a time to relax some and let Abby go on a few carnival rides, and buy an ice cream bar and a small plastic bucking bronco with a rider on it.

It wasn't until
they were returning to the bleachers, when they walked past a lineup of three trailers that made up a portable medical facility that included physicians, orthopedists and trauma specialists, and Genie saw the ambulance waiting, that she truly began to feel the rise of fear that the bullfighting competition—Josh's first event—was coming up next. She couldn't decide if it was good or bad that he'd drawn first spot, then decided it was good because he'd be done with it seventy seconds after the event started, but during those seventy seconds, she imagined it would seem like hours.

She tried to calm her nerves by reminding herself that
, even though the seventy seconds would seem like hours, at least he wouldn't have to worry about protecting anyone but himself. After that she could relax through the rest of the bullfighting competition, then the steer wrestling and barrel racing, but after that would come the event she dreaded most. Bull riding. It was the last event, and with a lineup of more than a dozen bull riders, Josh would be facing bulls that many more times…

"Next up is freestyle bullfighting,"
a voice blared over the PA system. "
Bullfighters each get seventy seconds to showcase their skills. Judges look for bulls to be aggressive and hot. The hotter and faster and harder the bull is for the bullfighter, the higher the score. Bullfighters are scored on speed, agility, aggressiveness, showmanship, ability to control and maneuver the bull, and handling of the barrel. If the bullfighter stays tight and close to the bull, he scores higher."

"Look there!" Abby exclaimed, while pointing.

Genie looked across the arena where Josh stood waiting for the bull to be released from the chute. With his face painted like a clown, and wearing football cleats, shin guards, athletic shorts covered by a denim over-wrap with multi-colored bandanas fluttering from the side pockets, and with wide black suspenders over a red shirt, he looked comical, which had her curling her fingers into her fists because what he was about to do was anything
but
comical.

Abby, who was sandwiched between Genie and
Ruth, said, "Is Josh gonna wide Ferdan?"

Genie looked at Abby, who had no concept of what was about to
take place because her only experiences with bulls had been riding Ferdinand and watching Josh put him through his tricks. "No, honey," she said. "Josh won't be riding a bull, he'll be… sort of playing tag with it, but it won't be Ferdinand."

"Like playing
Harry Says
?" Abby asked.

"Well, I suppose, in a way," Genie replied, then
realized she was doing exactly what she'd gotten after Josh for doing. Leading Abby to believe bulls were overgrown pets you could play with. But for the moment, she didn't want Abby to be alarmed…

The announcer cut into Genie's thoughts:
"These cowboy protectors are the invisible angels of bull riders—the men most spectators don't even notice; their number one priority is protecting a rider from an angry bull, which means jumping into bad situations and sometimes straight-out wrecks.
So before this event begins, ask yourselves, what would this world be if we didn't allow the seeds of bravery to grow in young men like these who risk their lives to help others? Why do they do it? Because God gave a special gift to a handful of our population to walk where others dare not walk, and do what others dare not do... "

On hearing the announcer's words, Genie found tears welling. Maybe Josh
was
an invisible angel because that's what he'd been the day the dam burst…

"
These contestants are working toward qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo and winning the title, Bullfighter of the Year, and wearing that honor in the form of a trophy belt buckle, because that means they're the person cowboys want looking out for them when they come out of the chutes on top of a ton of raging, twisting bovine fury. And now, number one on the list is Josh Hansen from Sheridan, Oregon, and the name of the bull is Hitchhiker…"

Behind Genie
, the voice of a man, who was obviously a bull rider, said to the man beside him, "If it wasn't for those guys I wouldn't do it. They're right in the middle of it, and if it means taking a hooking, they take the hooking. Whenever I finish a ride I always go up and thank them, but a lot of riders don't. I've watched Josh Hansen though. In my estimation he's right up there with the best of them."

"I've noticed him too," the other man said. "He's
fast and he works close to the bull, whatever it takes to distract him. That's the kind of bullfighter I want when I'm flat on my back, someone with nerve enough to get between me and the bull and take a hit."

Genie turned around and looked at the men, who
were focused on Josh, and a little frisson of pride rippled through her. She had an urge to tell them that she was the woman Josh wanted to marry. Why that thought surfaced now she couldn't figure, but it made her feel special to be loved and wanted by a man who was one of only a few in the population with a special gift to save others, even if that gift was also coming between them...

"
The bulls in this competition are purebred Mexican fighting bulls,"
the announcer said.
"What sets them apart from rodeo bulls is their attitude. They're just plain mean. For centuries they've been bred to hurt anything they see, and they have the stamina and aggressive nature to continue the fight. They're also smaller and faster than rodeo bulls, so a bullfighter thrown in the air by its speed and power more often than not will find himself staring eye-to-eye with a bull that's agile, smart, powerful, and wants nothing more than to run him through…"

Genie had barely digested that image when the
chute opened. At once, music with a fast-action beat started up and a black bull with white horns exploded into the arena and charged after Josh who, Genie saw with horror, had his back to the bull, like he didn't see him coming. But an instant before the bull made contact, Josh launched himself, face up, curled his body, and rolled off the back of the bull, landing on his feet behind him.

The crowd shouted with wild enthusiasm, while above the din, the announcer yelled in an excited voice, "
Did you see that backflip over the top of the bull? That was amaaazing! And what a way to open his freestyle bullfight. That bull is left dazed and confused…"

The bull spun around, and catching sight of
his target, lowered his head and went after Josh, who darted and zigzagged while dodging the bull's repeated attempts to hook him with his horns, all the while the fast-action music continued, the hyped-up crowd yelled and cheered, and Genie sat frozen, hands clasped, unable to utter a word.

Then
the bull stopped and planted his feet. But while the bull was sizing up the situation, Josh rushed him and teased and poked and pulled on the bull's horn and slapped the bull on the nose, then moved in closer
,
so close he was up against the bull's ribs while the confused bull spun around, trying to get to Josh as Josh moved in tight circles…

"
What he's doing is called making rounds with the bull
," the announcer explained.
"This is when a bullfighter steps into the bull's pocket, which is up against his ribs. As long as he stays in the pocket while stepping in tight circles the bull can't get him."

Sitting stiff, her breath caught in her throat, Genie wondered how Josh would get out
, when in an instant, Josh dug in his cleats and ran toward the bull's rear. The bull came around, and with his head lowered, aimed for Josh, who faked one way, then spun the other, confusing the bull further when he dragged his hand over the bull's back as the bull rushed past…

"He's a bad bull," Abby said. "Ferdan doesn't run after Josh."

"I know," Genie replied, as Josh darted out of the path of the bull. "Ferdinand's a nice bull. Rodeo bulls aren't nice, but Josh knows how to get out of the way so he won't get hurt."

"If Daddy was here he could make that bull
disappear."

"Daddy does illusions," Genie
said. "He can't make things really disappear. He just fools people into believing they do—" She paused when the bull planted its feet and pawed the ground, sending sprays of dirt and dust rising. All the while Josh scissor kicked and waved his arms, goading the bull to come after him. The bull, taking on the challenge, dug his hooves into the dirt and headed for Josh, who pirouetted out of the way.

The game of tag came to an end when
Josh grabbed a padded barrel and held it in front of himself, taunting the bull to come after it. While the bull was deciding, Josh set the barrel on end and jumped on top, straddling the rims, while waving his arms. Again the bull pawed the dirt. Then lowering his head, the bull aimed for the barrel and stormed forward. An instant before the horns connected with the barrel, Josh did another flip over the bull and the barrel went flying.

"
Another back flip,"
the announcer yelled in an excited voice
. "Josh Hansen isn't a barrel man, but he knows how to anticipate the bull's moves and use them to—"

The sentence was cut off when the
buzzer sounded.

"
Folks there's the whistle."
After a moment's pause, the announcer said,
"Ninety-two points for Josh Hansen! That sets the standard for this event and it's going to be a hard score to beat, so Josh Hansen is that much closer to making the National Finals!"

All around people were
shouting, and on the bleachers where Genie sat, Matt, Ruth, Annie and Ryan, with Cody in his arms, were standing and cheering, which prompted Genie to stand too, though this big win for Josh would add to his enthusiasm to stay exactly where he was, fighting bulls until something happened to make him quit.

As
pick-up men on horses guided the bull toward the exit chute, and Josh waved to the crowd while jogging out of the arena, Abby said to Genie, "I need to pee."

"Come on then," Genie
replied, glad for an excuse to leave and not risk Abby seeing something bad happen to one of the next bullfighters.

O
nce among the concessions, Genie let Abby go on a couple more carnival rides, biding time until that event would be over. But all too soon she heard the announcer's voice blaring over the PA, "
That's it folks! The freestyle bullfighting's over and Josh Hansen, with a score of ninety-two, has won the competition!"