Bobbie Jo looked at me. “I haven’t bought one yet. Do you mind hanging out for a few minutes? The line looks pretty long.”
“No, that’s fine,” I told her, keeping my eyes from returning to Cowboy’s picture in an effort to regain my poise. “I’ll just check out one of the nearby rides while I’m waiting for you.”
“You should buy a calendar, too, Anna,” Cowboy said, giving me a wink. “I’ll even sign it for you real quick before I go on my break.”
The cockiness oozed from him. I doubted the man could even help it. But I didn’t want a sexy man calendar. What I wanted was to forget I ever saw so much of his muscular frame lacking in the clothing department.
That’s all I needed. To spend every waking minute staring at his naked form on my wall. “No, thank you.” I turned to Bobbie Jo, putting my back to him. “I’ll be back soon,” I promised her.
“Okay,” she said, though her tone said otherwise. She gave me a strange look as I meandered away.
I made my way over to a ride called The Swizzler and waited in line until the operator took the three tickets I held out. If I had to wait for Bobbie Jo to indulge in her single woman fantasies, then I was going to enjoy myself in the meantime. Besides, this ride looked like a fun one.
Once the worker allowed my group through the gate, most of them scattered in different directions. I walked across a metal platform to an unoccupied red bucket on the far end. My flat heels clacked across the metal grating until I stepped into the bucket and sat in the middle of the spacious seat meant for three. There was a lap bar, but I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to do anything with it, so I waited. The operator of the ride had started walking on the opposite side, checking each bucket’s safety equipment, and would eventually get to me.
But while I sat there alone, I caught sight of Cowboy leaping over the ride’s fence and climbing onto the metal arm of the machine my bucket was attached to. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
“Just thought you’d like some company,” he said, hopping down into my bucket and squeezing into the seat next to me. He made himself comfortable by throwing his arm along the bench behind me.
No way. Being in such close quarters with Cowboy was a delicious kind of torture, but one I could do without. I started to rise, but Cowboy pulled the lap bar toward us which automatically locked into place, forcing me to stay put. “What did you do that for? I was going to leave.”
He smirked. “I know.”
“You do realize I can just ask the operator to let me out, right?”
Cowboy stretched his legs out in front of him and smiled confidently. “Yeah, but you won’t.”
“You seem awfully sure about that,” I challenged.
“Oh, come on. You wouldn’t want to hold the ride up for the next kids in line, would you?”
My eyes cut to the line forming once again at the entrance, filling with children who were patiently waiting their turn with excitement in their eyes. I huffed under my breath and scooted away from him. “Fine. But stay on your side and I’ll stay on mine.”
Cowboy grinned again. “You haven’t ever ridden The Swizzler, have you?”
Before I could answer him, the operator stopped by our bucket and tugged on the bar to make sure it was in place. “All right guys, we’re ready to rock and roll,” the man said as he made his way back to the control box.
Loud rock music blared from the speakers as the buckets started to move. They traveled slowly in a zigzag pattern at first until it built speed and momentum. With all the wind blowing, I was glad my hair was held back with a clip and not whipping wildly around my face.