A Wild Ride

Readers Love

Andrew Grey

An Isolated Range

“Mr. Grey delivers a highly emotional story that captures the reader’s heart in one fell swoop. This is an author who is dedicated to his series, stories and characters. With each range story, you always find yourself drawn in, breathless until the very last page is read.”

—Dawn’s Reading Nook

“Andrew Grey’s Range series just gets stronger with each new book and
An Isolated Range
is perhaps the most amazing addition yet.”

—Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

“An Isolated Range is a story not of human triumphs but also of sadness and death. This is an author who balances both so well that the reader is left speechless after that last page is read.”

—Love Romances and More

The Fight Within

“I loved this book, these characters, and this story. Get it today. Read. Understand and through understanding, enjoy.”

—Mrs. Condit & Friends Read Books

“This is a story that is rich in detail, delving into the Native American culture and also sharing the suffering that the Native American’s still face today.”

—MM Good Book Reviews

“This was a very powerful read.”

—Live your Life, Buy the Book

Novels by
A
NDREW
G
REY

Accompanied by a Waltz

Dutch Treat

The Good Fight • The Fight Within

Love Comes Silently

A Wild Ride

Three Fates (anthology)

Work Me Out (anthology)

A
RT
S
ERIES

Legal Artistry • Artistic Appeal • Artistic Pursuits • Legal Tender

B
OTTLED
U
P
S
TORIES

Bottled Up • Uncorked • The Best Revenge • An Unexpected Vintage

C
HILDREN
OF
B
ACCHUS
S
TORIES

Children of Bacchus • Thursday’s Child • Child of Joy

L
OVE
M
EANS
… S
ERIES

Love Means… No Shame • Love Means… Courage • Love Means… No Boundaries

Love Means… Freedom • Love Means … No Fear

Love Means… Family • Love Means… Renewal • Love Means… No Limits

S
EVEN
D
AYS
S
TORIES

Seven Days • Unconditional Love

S
TORIES
F
ROM
THE
R
ANGE

A Shared Range • A Troubled Range • An Unsettled Range

A Foreign Range • An Isolated Range• A Volatile Range

T
ASTE
OF
L
OVE
S
TORIES

A Taste of Love • A Serving of Love • A Helping of Love • A Slice of Love

Novellas by
A
NDREW
G
REY

A Present in Swaddling Clothes

Organic Chemistry

Shared Revelations

Snowbound in Nowhere

F
IRE
S
ERIES

Redemption by Fire • Strengthened by Fire • Burnished by Fire • Heat Under Fire

C
HILDREN
OF
B
ACCHUS
S
TORIES

Spring Reassurance • Winter Love

L
OVE
M
EANS
… S
ERIES

Love Means… Healing • Love Means… Renewal

W
ORK
O
UT
S
ERIES

Spot Me • Pump Me Up • Core Training • Crunch Time

Positive Resistance • Personal Training • Cardio Conditioning

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Published by

Dreamspinner Press

5032 Capital Circle SW
Ste 2, PMB# 279
Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886

USA

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

A Wild Ride

Copyright © 2013 by Andrew Grey

Cover Art by L.C. Chase   

http://www.lcchase.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Ste 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

ISBN: 978-1-62380-464-0

Digital ISBN: 978-1-62380-465-7

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

April 2013

For BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot. Coffee with these ladies in New Orleans produced the idea for this story.

D
ANTE
R
IVERS
slowly paced the backstage area of the arena, breathing deeply as the crowd above and around him roared its approval at the unseen spectacle. He kept his breathing regular and his mind focused on the task ahead. This was what he’d trained and worked for his entire career, and he knew it was coming to an end. He could only ride bulls for so long, and at twenty-nine, he was approaching old age; he had one or two more years at most. No, he had to do it this year; this was his chance. One ride, one chance for the points, the money, and the title. All the other riders had had their rides, and this one single bull, Damnation, stood between him and everything he’d ever wanted. He’d drawn the meanest, orneriest bull on the circuit, which meant he actually did have a chance. The leader had drawn the money bull, which meant he’d had an easy time staying on, but he hadn’t gotten as many points as he could have. That twist of fate gave Dante his opening. He could feel his dream within his grasp.

“Dante, they’re just about ready for you,” Harvey, his agent and childhood friend, told him. Harvey had been with him since the beginning. He’d also hoped to ride, but an early injury that had nearly killed him ended that dream. Harvey had made a career out of what he loved anyway, and he rarely missed one of Dante’s rides.

“Thanks, Harv, I’ll be ready when they are,” Dante said without even looking away from the spot on the wall he’d been concentrating on. He cleared his mind and pushed away the jitters and nerves that threatened to bubble up. His dream was so close he could feel it. Yes, he knew winning would be a bit of a long shot. The leader was well in front, but it was possible, and that was all Dante wanted: a chance. In his life, that was all he’d ever wanted, and very few people had given him one without wanting something in return. Harvey was one of those few people.

“Let’s go,” Harvey said, and Dante picked up his bull rope and adjusted his protective vest before plonking his hat on his head and heading for the hallway that would lead him to the arena. His spurs jangled as he walked. He loved that sound, had ever since his daddy, rest his soul, had given him his first set. Yes, he had the hat and chaps, but it was the spurs and their jangle that made him a real cowboy and gave him what he felt was his personal connection and made him feel part of the long cowboy tradition.

He knew Harvey was behind him, but he always made the walk to the arena alone, no matter how many people were with him. His sport was solitary, and he liked it that way. During those seven seconds, it was just him and the bull. Everyone and everything else disappeared for the duration in a euphoric rush of adrenaline.

Dante stepped into the arena, and the crowd roared its excitement. He held his gloved hands and bull rope over his head in acknowledgement, and they cheered louder, the entire building cheering, clapping, and stomping their approval. The sound went right into his gut and groin, the way it always did. He handed his bull rope to the handlers, and they fastened it around Damnation. Then Dante checked the rope before climbing to the top of the chute. He waved to the crowd one final time and then settled on top of three-quarters of a ton of mean orneriness that no one had ridden to completion that year. The bull’s buck-off percentage was 100 percent, so Dante knew he was in for one wild fucking ride. He could practically smell the testosterone coming off the damned bull, and his heart kicked into overdrive. Dante got his hand and legs into perfect position as Damnation’s heat worked through his pants to his ass. “I’m going to fuck you up,” he told the bull and then descended into himself.

He gave the signal, the chute opened, and Damnation practically jumped out of the damned thing. Dante had anticipated the move and held on, tightening his legs as Damnation went into a death spiral. The damned animal tried to bend in half so he could get at Dante with his horns. Then the twisting and bucking began. Dante spurred the son of a bitch and then did it again as the fractions of a second ticked by. He heard and felt nothing other than the bull, his free hand waving and flipping for balance. It almost seemed like he could get into Damnation’s pea-sized brain and knew what the fucker was going to do. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t taking a beating, God no. His shoulder burned like it was on fire, and he willed the damned thing to stay in its goddamned socket.

The buzzer went off, and Dante bailed, landing on the arena floor and then running hell-bent for leather toward the rails and safety. Damnation had a real bad habit of going after riders. Dante scrambled over the rail, making it to safety, and only then did the roar of the crowd reach him. He’d had the ride of his life—he knew it in his heart and he could feel it in every fiber of his being. The arena erupted, and the vibrations from the entire building came right up through Dante’s laced boots, up his legs, and straight to his dick. He hoped to fucking God they didn’t see his hard-on, because he could certainly fucking feel the aching throb. It was nearly always like this, and while he was never obvious, he knew it was the same way for a lot of the other riders as well. He couldn’t really help it. While the wranglers took care of the bull and Dante waited for his score, he straddled the rail and waved to the crowd. They showed their appreciation by nearly bringing down the house. They all knew he’d had the best ride most of them would ever see, and he reveled in the attention.