Cold State Line

"Rodeo fans put your hands together for one of the brightest racers you'll ever see! She's straight from San Antonio, Texas, a three-time Rodeo Queen, Miss Brittany Larson!"

The crowd cheered as the bedazzled queen raced to the first barrel while the horrendous beats of Lady Gaga played above us. All the cowboys were fawning over her; they thought she was hot shit because she had been a rodeo queen for years. She'd only picked up barrel racing recently, and it was pure luck that was letting her move on to the next division with Anna and me. Of course, Anna wasn't as bitter about it as I was.

"So, girly, you think you're ready for another man?" Anna asked as she tightened the bit on Ranger.

I laughed. "Well, maybe not a relationship like Clay and I had, but Matt definitely got me interested in physical aspects again. Man has a horse cock."

Anna guffawed at that. She was definitely the more rowdy of the two of us. She had no problem with one night stands and fucking someone in a truck, and I admired her for it. That was not something I could do easily, but Matt just had had a trusting quality about him. And it was worth it. The man certainly knew how to fuck, and that's what it was: fucking. He didn't make love or have sex with me; he fucked me hard.

"I should have gotten it on with one of the others. They were all cute, especially that one with the green eyes!"

"Anna, you gotta get your mind out of the sex gutter," Tina, our manager said, as she approached the two of us. Tina was a tall redhead with turquoise rings and a panache for making you feel like a little kid again. "You can think about a green-eyed cowboy after your race. And you, don't you say horse cock again." Tina pointed a finger at me. "Not a mental imagine I need at my old age."

"Tina!" Anna laughed. "You're only forty."

"Which might as well be dead in the PRCA. Get to your gate."
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Snap was pawing at the ground. The big guy was ready to run, fast and hard. He loved the feeling as much as I did. When you barrel raced, you and your horse had to be in sync. I'd had other horses before Snap and would have many after, but he was my favorite thus far. He knew what I wanted. It was like we had telepathy or something.

The gates opened and we took off for the barrel like our lives depended on it. When I raced, everything was silent. I couldn't hear the crowd, or the music, or anything. I sort of got tunnel vision too. It was just Snap's neck and the next barrel and then the gate. Everything else didn't matter for 15-17 whole seconds. It was like when bull riders rode. For eight perfect seconds, nothing else existed.

It wasn't until I was back in the gate that everything slowly started to return. My hearing always came first, the announcer shouting my time. It was a 16 flat today, just enough to send me to the Colorado circuit. Anna and I were the final two racers going on the Colorado rounds. Tina was so excited.

"Haylee! That was awesome," Anna said as we guided our horses back to their stables. "You two get better every time you run."

"Thank you! You and Ranger were also amazing. You ran a 15.8! Anna, you are going to Vegas!"

She laughed at me. Vegas was a pipe dream. The racers were running times closer to 14 seconds, and much like track or swimming, it was hard to shave anything more than miliseconds of your time, which is why Anna and I were so amazed we were down from our normal 17 seconds.

"Haylee," a voice I hadn't heard in a few years said. "Damn, girl. Look at you."

My heart had dropped at the sound of his voice. Even though he had done unforgivable things to me, my body still reacted to him. There was a piece of me that still craved his touch, his lips against mine. I turned slowly, not entirely ready for this moment.

Clay looked the same as ever. His blond hair was cut short, like a Marine's. Eyes so blue they could drown you met mine, and I could feel myself getting drawn back into him. He was mesmerizing in all the wrong ways. I knew what he did to me.

"Clay," it came out between my teeth.

Anna turned quickly and glared at the man. She hated him as much as I did. We both thought he was handsome, but handsome could only hide so much underneath it, and yet, my body yearned to be touched by his again.

"Not the response I was expecting, little lady. You raced one hell of a race." He took a few steps closer to me. Snap snorted and pawed the ground. Even my horse had bad feelings about the man. "Thought you might be more excited to see me, darling. I've missed you."

Those arms hardened by ranch work and bull riding pulled me to him. I tried to resist, putting my hands up as a barrier between my face and his chest. I didn't think he got the memo though because he only wrapped me tighter in his arms, almost demanding for me to hug him back.

"Haylee?" The deep baritone I thought I wouldn't hear again came from behind me.

I pushed against Clay and whirled to face Matt. He and his friends still looked out of place, but even more than they had in Houston. Jimmy was covered in sweat and looked like someone had just tossed him a short, Zacky was wearing eyeliner, Johnny's hair was spiked up, Brian had on a studded jacket, and then there was Matt. He was wearing a backwards baseball cap, a Metallica shirt covered by a blue plaid button down, and reflective aviators. My mouth watered at the sight, a reaction I preferred over the one Clay had elicited.

"Matt! What are you guys doing here?" I stepped further away from Clay.

Matt furrowed his brow at the cowboy. "Brian and Jimmy managed to get tickets and turns out one of the hands is a fan and let us back here. You and Snap ran an excellent race."

Before I could say anything else, Clay's arm came down around my shoulders. "Yes, my girl did. I'm Clay, and you are?"

Notes

Hey I'm moving to a new state so this story and Gunslingers will be updated when they can be. Hope you enjoy!

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