Page 119 of Knox

“Let’s give a warm welcome to Gordo the Bonebreaker!”

Knox Marshall smiled, reached down and patted his animal as if he might be the family dog.

And if she’d forgotten the stun power of this man, it swept back through Kelsey, his smile, the dangerous stubble across his chin that made her clench her hands. Wide shoulders, lean hips, and he looked a little like a bull-riding champion himself.

The crowd roared—for Gordo, probably also for Knox—and then the lights went back to Rafe. “You ready to get ’er done?”

Kelsey turned her back against the cement wall as the crowd cheered whatever was happening down in the arena. She pressed her hand to her chest.

“Are you okay?” Tate said, turning to her, his eyes clouding.

She closed her eyes. “He’s here. Knox is here.”

Tate went silent.

She opened her eyes. He was pinching his mouth tight.

“Wait—did you know?”

He shook his head. “He called and left a voice message, but I’ve been too busy to check it. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry…” He glanced back at the arena. “Rafe’s getting on Gordo.”

Knox was here.

And…he hadn’t called her. Hadn’t tracked her down.

Her eyes burned, but she refused the emotions that filled her throat.Don’t let your fear keep you from us.

She turned, her hands around her body, holding on, watching the jumbotron as Rafe stood over the old bull. Gordo was moving around in the chute, but Rafe pounded his hand down onto the bull rope, then settled on the bull.

Tate sucked in his breath as the entire arena went quiet.

Knox bent over Rafe, holding his arm. Rafe wrapped his free hand around the gate. Hit his chest once, then nodded and lifted his hand.

Kelsey clamped a hand over her mouth as the bull released. Gordo came out twisting, his back hooves kicking high, but Rafe bore down, his legs viced around the monster’s body.

Gordo landed on a run, then writhed again, both sets of legs leaving the earth.

Rafe’s body jerked hard to the right, but he clung to Gordo’s back. Gordo didn’t just kick, he curved his body midair, so when he landed, the cowboy was already off balance.

Rafe was thrown forward and narrowly missed Gordo’s cropped horns.

The crowd had gone wild, on their feet, pumping their fists.

Terrifying, wild, reckless—Kelsey couldn’t look away from the spectacle, suddenly rooting for Rafe to hang on. To ride Gordo’s violence out for the win.

Gordo dipped back, his hindquarters hunching down as his chest arched.

Rafe flew off the back, doing a near flip before he landed in the dirt.

The buzzer sounded as Gordo, still bucking, ran down the length of the field.

Rafe got up, ran to the railing, and Kelsey’s breath caught as Knox hit the dirt, waving for Gordo. The bull turned to follow him, and the crowd gasped as Knox ran toward the pen, dodged Gordo’s advance, and led the bull right into the gate.

Then he walked over to Rafe, and they high-fived, Rafe grinning.

“Six point nine seconds,” Tate said. “Almost.”

But she couldn’t take her eyes off the triumph on Rafe’s face.