The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks Page A

things? Voluntarily?”
    “When they let me.”
    “Was this what you wanted me to see?”
    “Kind of,” he said. “Actually, it’s that one over there.”
    He pointed into the pen beyond, where a cream-colored bull stood, his ears and tail switching, but otherwise unmoving. One horn was lopsided, and even from a distance she could make out the web of scars on his side. Though he wasn’t as large as some of the others, there was something wild and defiant in the way he stood, and she had the sense that he was challenging any of the others to come near him. She could hear his rough snorts breaking the silence of the night air.
    When she turned back to Luke, she noticed a change in his expression. He was staring at the bull, outwardly calm, but there was something else there, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
    “That’s Big Ugly Critter,” he said, his attention still on the bull. “That’s what I was thinking about when I was standing out there. I was trying to find him.”
    “Is he one of the bulls you rode tonight?”
    “No,” he said. “But after a while, I realized that I couldn’t leave here tonight without getting right up close to him. Which was strange, because when I got here, he was the last bull I wanted to see. That’s why I parked my truck backwards. And if I had drawn him tonight, I don’t know what I would have done.”
    She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. “I take it you’ve ridden him before.”
    “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve tried, though. Three times. He’s what you call a rank bull. Only a couple of people have ever ridden him, and that was a few years back. He spins and kicks and shifts direction, and if he throws you, he tries to hook you for even trying to ride him in the first place. I’ve had nightmares about that bull. He scares me.” He turned toward her, his face half in shadow. “That’s something almost no one knows.”
    There was something haunted in his expression, something she hadn’t expected.
    “Somehow, I just can’t imagine you being afraid of anything,” she said quietly.
    “Yeah, well… I’m human.” He grinned. “I’m not too fond of lightning, either, if you’re curious.”
    She sat up straighter. “I
like
lightning.”
    “It’s different when you’re out in the middle of a pasture, without any cover.”
    “I’ll take your word on that.”
    “My turn now. I get to ask a question. Anything I want.”
    “Go ahead.”
    “How long were you dating Brian?” he asked.
    She almost laughed, relieved. “That’s it?” she asked, not waiting for an answer. “We started going out when I was a sophomore.”
    “He’s a big fellow,” he observed.
    “He’s on a lacrosse scholarship.”
    “He must be good.”
    “At lacrosse,” she admitted. “Not so much in the boyfriend department.”
    “But you still went out with him for two years.”
    “Yeah, well…” She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “Have you ever been in love?”
    He raised his head, as if trying to find the answers in the stars. “I’m not sure.”
    “If you’re not sure, then you probably weren’t.”
    He considered this. “Okay.”
    “What? No argument?”
    “Like I said, I’m not sure.”
    “Were you upset when it ended?”
    He pressed his lips together, weighing his response. “Not really, but Angie wasn’t either. It was just a high school thing. After graduation, I think both of us understood that we were on different paths. But we’re still friends. She even invited me to her wedding. I had a lot of fun at the reception, hanging out with one of her bridesmaids.”
    Sophia looked toward the ground. “I loved Brian. I mean, before him, I had these little crushes, you know? Like when you write a boy’s name on your folder and draw little hearts around it? I guess people tend to put their first loves on pedestals, and in the beginning, I was no different. I wasn’t even sure why he wanted to go