Page 127 of My Cowboy Trouble
I catch her around the waist as she swings her legover, lifting her clear of the saddle and spinning her around until she's laughing and telling me to put her down.
"That was amazing," she says when I set her feet on the ground. "I mean, terrifying, but amazing. And I'm pretty sure we could charge extra for the Sir Clucks-a-Lot experience. Oof, I'm gonna be sore later," she says, rubbing her behind.
I want to volunteer to help.
"We're not charging anyone to get attacked by a rooster."
"Why not? It's authentic."
"It's a lawsuit waiting to happen."
"That's what liability waivers are for."
She's got an answer for everything. It's annoying as hell and completely endearing at the same time.
"So what's the verdict?" she asks, looking between the three of us. "Did I surprise you?"
We all lost our bets, technically. She'd not only made it around the course, she'd looked good doing it. Even when that damned rooster tried to sabotage the whole thing.
"You surprised us," Trent admits.
"Shocked us, more like," Asher adds.
"Impressed the hell out of us," I finish.
"Excellent. So when do we start construction on the guest facilities?"
All three of us just stare at her.
"What? I proved I can ride. That's clearly a marketable skill."
"Princess, staying on a horse for five minutes doesn't qualify you to teach riding lessons."
"But it's a start. And with proper training?—"
"No guest facilities," Trent says firmly.
"But the revenue potential?—"
"No tourists," Asher adds.
"But the market research shows?—"
"No charts," I finish.
She looks between us, clearly realizing she's lost this round. "Fine. But I'm keeping the presentation. For future reference."
"You do that."
"And when you realize I'm right about this, I expect full creative control over the guest experience design."
"When pigs fly," Trent says.
"When Sir Clucks-a-Lot starts being friendly to strangers," Asher adds.
"When you stop trying to turn our ranch into Disneyland," I finish.
She grins. "So there's still hope."
