Reckless in Texas by Kari Lynn Dell

asked.
    â€œWell enough.”
    â€œWatch that brindle,” Violet said, pointing to a black bull with orangey tiger stripes. “He’s one of Dirt Eater’s calves and he inherited his daddy’s jumping ability. Last time we brought them in, he cleared the barbed wire fence and got off down the highway.”
    Yet another reason she’d wanted Cole along on this mission. Like her, he’d done this so many times he could anticipate almost every move a bull could make. As they started toward the bunch, two of the bulls waded into the water at the edge of the stock pond, belly deep. Violet gestured to the dog. “Come by, Katie.”
    The dog blasted off like a rocket and bailed into the murky water, swimming out and around the two bulls. When one lowered its head, snorting, she nipped its nose. It bellowed, jumped back, and splashed out of the water. The second followed. Katie chugged after them, picking up speed when she hit shallow water and found the bottom. She paused on the bank long enough to shake off the water and throw Violet a triumphant look.
    â€œGood dog.”
    Violet kicked Cadillac up to circle the right side of the herd. She raised a hand to direct Joe to the left but he was already there, bringing up the flank and leaving the middle to the dog. Katie zipped forward to nip the heels of a bull that wheeled around to butt heads with one of his buddies.
    Violet slapped her hand against her thigh, shouting, “Hyah, hyah!” until they moved out at a brisk trot. Like a bunch of teenage boys, bulls this age would conjure up all kinds of trouble if you gave them time to think. They crossed the flat without problem. Then the bulls hit the trail down off the bluff and broke into a lope, the brindle bull in the lead. Violet urged Cadillac to keep pace as they skidded down the loose dirt path.
    As soon as she hit the bottom, she tapped Cadillac with the tail of her rope, pushing him into a gallop. She blew past the lead bull and swung Cadillac around hard on his hocks. The brindle hesitated. Violet swung her loop and shouted as the bull ducked left, then right, then sprinted straight for the fence behind her. She flung a Hail Mary shot as he passed. Miracle of miracles, it dropped over his horns in mid-leap. One hind leg failed to clear the top wire. Wire screeched, stretched, but held. Violet had just enough time to get the tail of her rope wrapped around the saddle horn before the bull kicked loose of the fence.
    Cadillac staggered, jerked almost off his feet by the force of a thousand pounds of bovine brought to a halt. The big brown horse dropped his butt and dug in as the bull swung around, and the rope snapped taut, horse on one end, bull on the other…and four strands of barbed wire in between.
    â€œYou got him?” Joe yelled, pushing the rest of the herd through the gate.
    â€œFor now,” Violet yelled back. “Hold ’em, Katie.”
    The dog plopped on her belly in the middle of the pipe-fenced lane, daring any of the bulls to try to get past her. Joe bailed off his horse and yanked open the wire gate leading out to where the brindle was slinging his head, fighting the rope. Vaulting back onto Dozer, Joe shook out his loop and eased close.
    His first attempt snagged only the right horn. He cursed, coiled his rope, and rebuilt the loop. On the second attempt, it fit. He dallied the tail of the rope around his saddle horn and backed Dozer up until it was tight.
    â€œI’ll come around to your side and help push him,” Violet said, and let go of her rope.
    She loped Cadillac to the gate, out, and around. The bull squatted on its haunches, pulling hard against the rope, but he couldn’t budge Dozer.
    Joe grinned like this was the most fun he’d had in a coon’s age. “You should call this one Flight Risk.”
    Violet couldn’t help grinning back. “I’ll keep that in mind. Ready?”
    â€œReady.”
    Joe reined