A few minutes later, we’re snug in the barn, standing in front of Vicious’s stall as Kyle sets up the equipment. I watch as Julia looks over her list of questions and jots a few notes. She turns to me. “So, I’m going to give a few facts about your season to start with, then I’ll ask how ready you’re feeling for the World Championships, then a few questions about your bulls. Then we’ll wrap it up.”

“Okay. Sounds good.” I watch her mouth as she talks and I hang off every word like a schoolboy. I don’t even care how dull her questions are, if they’re coming from those lips, I’ll be happy as a pig in shit to answer them.

She smiles up at me. “Should I leave the hat on?”

I nod, thinking of how I’d like to see her in nothing but that hat.

Kyle walks over and hands her a microphone. While the two of them test out the sound and the lighting, I take the opportunity to remind myself to focus on the task at hand. This is just part of my job. I need to answer the questions, then get these two out of here so I can get back to my normal life and forget all about this woman.

Kyle stands behind the camera. “Step a little closer together. I want to be able to see the bull behind you.”

“Okay,” she says. We both move in until we’re touching.

I have my arm behind her and I settle it on the small of her back like it belongs there. “Is this all right?” I ask her quietly.

“Yes,” she says in a low tone.

“Whenever you two are ready,” Kyle says.

“We’re ready,” Julia tells him.

“In three, two…” He holds up one finger, then points to her.

“Hi, there. This is Julia Rutherford from Baker’s Creek, Montana. I’ve travelled all the way from Los Angeles to meet one of the world’s biggest contenders for the upcoming Bull-Riding Finals, taking place next week.” She takes a quick breath, then keeps on talking and smiling. “This is Ryder West, and yes folks, that’s his real name. He’s been riding bulls since he was a little boy and with any luck, he’ll be able to turn his greatest passion into a million dollars.” Turning to me, she smiles and asks, “So, Ryder, how do you feel about your chances next week?”

“Confident, Julia. I’ve been preparing for this my whole life and I’m one-hundred-percent ready.” We lock eyes while I answer her and it’s all I can do not to pull her to me and kiss her.

“Can you tell our viewers a little about bull-riding?”

“Sure.” I turn to the camera with a little grin. “It’s pretty dangerous, so don’t try it at home.”

Laughing, Julia says, “I hope they’ll know that already. I meant about how the scoring is done.”

“Right. Well, there’s a maximum of one hundred points in each ride. Up to fifty for the rider and up to fifty for the bull if he gives you a real hard time.”

“I see. And you have to stay on for eight seconds just to qualify, right?”

“That’s right. If you don’t make eight, your score doesn’t matter. But eight seconds on an easy bull doesn’t count for much. You gotta hope you get a rank draw.”

“Where I come from, rank means smelly. What does rank mean to a bull rider?”

“Mean as all heck. A rank bull doesn’t just want to throw you off, he wants to spear you in the leg and stomp on your head.”

She turns to the camera again. “Sounds to me like bull-riding is one of those sports that got started by some drunk guy saying, ‘Hold my beer and watch this.’”

I laugh a little and nod. “Sounds about right.”

“Speaking of rank bulls, you’ve got two pretty rank fellas behind us here in these stalls. Can you tell us a little about them?”

Kyle clears his throat. “Camera’s dead. I’ll have to head back to Great Falls to find the right cord.”

Julia sighs loudly but doesn’t say anything. I’m a little disappointed that we can’t keep going. For once, I was enjoying an interview. I let go of Julia’s back and say, “I’ll grab the tractor to get you out of the ditch.”

“Thanks, Ryder,” Julia says. “I’m sorry we’re such a hassle for you. I’m sure you have much better things to do than pulling us out of the ditch.”

“It’s no trouble, really.” I glance down at her again, feeling that tug in my chest when I look at her. “You might as well go warm up in the house. I made some green tea for you earlier. You might have to heat it up a bit.”

“Green tea?” She chuckles. “I didn’t expect you to be a tea drinker.”

I give her a little grin. “What, you figured I only drink black coffee that I’ve cooked over a campfire?”

“And whiskey.”

I snap my head back, pretending to be offended. “That’s a little narrow-minded, Ms. Rutherford, wouldn’t you say?”

A broad smile crosses her face. “Yeah, well, if you want to talk about stereotyping people, you’re the one who made green tea for the girl from L.A.”

“You got me there.” I smile down at her. “Do you like tea?”

She rolls her eyes, then says, “I drink it every day.”

I burst out laughing. “So, I was right about you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and rub it in.” She laughs a little then turns red. “Hey, do you actually drink tea?”

I look up at the ceiling for a second, then say, “I’m more of a black coffee guy.”

“And whiskey?”

“On occasion,” I admit.

Julia’s eyes grow wide and she covers her mouth with one hand as she laughs.

Kyle clears his throat. “I hate to interrupt the fun, but we need to get going.”

I turn and see him standing by the barn door, packed up and ready to go. I give him a quick nod, then the three of us head out into the storm. Julia hurries as fast as she can in her high-heeled boots to the house while I go to the large equipment shed where I keep the tractor.