Breene, K F - Jessica Brodie Diaries 01 by Back in the Saddle (v5.0)

tugging. "Jesus, leave her alone, will you?!”
    “Candace, lord’s name in vein...”
JP muttered, slightly bowed, his hands in his pockets.
    She rolled her eyes again and led
me from the bull area as she said, “New blood, you know? They don’t need courage
because you’re one of the group. They have all the time in the world to act
like savages. You just have to get tough and tell them to buzz off!”
    I smiled. “Got it. I am just really
out of my element here.”
    “Hey, where are you two goin’? The
broncs are startin’ soon,” Dave yelled.
    Candace waved her hand and kept
walking. Still arm-in-arm, I followed without complaint. We struggled through
the throng of people stuffing their faces with all manner of fried things
before my curiosity got the better of me.
    “Candace, who is Davies?”
    “Willie Davies?”
    I shrugged.
    “That guy that you thought you saw
by the bull paddock?”
    “Yeah, that guy.”
    “That was probably Willie, yeah. He
doesn’t ride bulls or anything. Actually, that’s not true. He rides bulls for
fun. I don’t think professional bulls like you see here, but easier, less
dangerous bulls. His dad wants him to take over the company eventually because
the older brother went off and became a lawyer. The older one is really cute!
Davies...everyone just calls him Davies... Well, Davies is cute, too, but
untouchable, you know?"
    Seeing that I didn't, she
explained. "Just 'cause he's got so much going for him. The older
brother...Thomas is his name...is a lawyer. That’s about it. I mean, that is a
big deal. I’m not saying it isn’t or anything, but it’s just that one thing,
and Davies has a bunch more. He has the bulls. He breeds them. He rotates them
so they keep with the animal rights stuff and all that. Well, the animal rights
people hate rodeos. But the best treated and kept bulls are kept by Davies. And
usually the best stock. That is his own thing. His dad had no part in that.”
    Candace was in her element—talking
without interruption. She rattled on as she escorted me where ever we were
headed, and I let her, rapt in attention.
    “Then you got taking over the
business,” she continued, “I‘ve heard that he doesn’t want to, but will. I
don’t know. Then he has properties, and a ranch, and lots of livestock, and the
whole thing. His dad’s thing is only one part. He’ll probably be wealthy off
that and all, but then he’s got a ton of his own stuff that also makes money.
Plus he looks good, and I hear he is real nice. Untouchable, you know?”
    Through the long-winded explanation
of his person, my heart sank lower and lower. It must be the same guy, I just
didn’t know he was on such a high pedestal. The abnormally hot guys that turn
your insides to gravy are rare enough. The ones that do that, which are also
gentlemen, are about three percent of the population. Add into that the guys who
are also successful? My chances equaled non-existent.
    Candace had her worry mask on as we
stopped in a beer line. “Geez girl, you look like your cat got run over.”
    “My cat.... no, I’m fine. Just hate
being told people are better than me.”
    Instead of laughing at my
hilarious, and true, joke, she said, “Look, we’ll get you a beer, and me a
beer, and meet up with everyone else. They’re really nice guys, but they can
get to be too much.”
    “Yes. Yes, they can.”
    She sighed. “Well, they’ll loosen
up. Say ‘no’ a few more times and they’ll move on to the next girl.”
    Awesome, huge confidence boost,
that. I thought sarcastically.
    All she had to do now was throw
some dirt in my face and rub ketchup on my white shirt and I'd be all set.
    We got our drinks and hit the stands
to meet the rest of the crew. I quickly stuffed Candace between me and Dave. I
didn't need his hands following his roaming eyes.
    My neighbor on the other side was
an older man with a large, handle-bar mustache. I gawked in amazement—I
couldn’t help it. Black, long, expertly