Read Hearts in Defiance (Romance in the Rockies Book 2) for Free Online

Shifting
stiffly in the saddle, Billy wondered why no one was stopping the
traffic. As the answer struck him, Gerald slapped his sides and lunged for the
boardwalk like hounds from Hell were coming for him. Billy and Seth kicked
their horses and the animals bolted forward like lightning streaking across the
sky.
    The moment the horses burst
onto Front Street, Billy knew this was a different kind of race. Prince Valiant
reared and whinnied at the confusion—a flowing menagerie of horses, wagons, and
men. Meanwhile, Seth and his mount zigged and zagged with such speed and
precision, Billy would have sworn the horse was on rails.
    He didn’t need to be shown
twice. He leaned into Prince Valiant and let the horse have his head, slapping
him with the quirt to re-focus the animal.
    As they lunged through the
traffic, a horse and rider burst out from behind a freight wagon. Billy jerked
the reins hard to the left, missed a collision, then he and his horse bounded
forward. Cheers, jeers, and ungentlemanly gestures greeted the racers as they
cut around wagons, pedestrians, and other horses. Billy understood now the
advantage a cutting horse could have. The boy could actually win this thing if
he took too much of a lead now. The thought burned like acid. Prince Valiant
wasn’t used to running a gauntlet. He was made for long, uninterrupted
stretches. Still, he could dig his hooves in and cut with the best of them.
    Seth and his horse made it
the other side of the intersection. Billy lost sight of them because of the
traffic. Desperation buzzed in his brain. He thought of Hannah, and how she
used to stand at the finish line, cheering wildly for him. He thought of his
father who’d told him that horse racing was a colossal waste of time. Steering
with his good hand, Billy tightened his grip on the reins. He couldn’t lose
this race, wouldn’t lose. He quirted his horse again. “Let’s go, boy.
Show ’em what you can do.”
    Within seconds he was
nose-to-tail with Seth’s horse. The traffic disappeared as they cleared Front
Street and raced down the alley toward Boot Hill. Billy knew he needed to pull
up on the inside of the other horse as they made their turn around the
cemetery. After that, they would be on the home stretch where Prince Valiant
could win it.
    Dust and the sound of
pounding hooves filled his brain. The Quarter Horse in front was stretched out,
long and lean. But there was a price to pay for all that muscle. Billy hunkered
down in the saddle, keeping his head close to Valiant’s neck. He and his mount
kept their attention trained on the animal in front of them.
    They broke free of the
buildings, and the wood rail fence around the cemetery came into view. The
place was small, insignificant, and dotted with weathered wooden markers, a
fitting tribute to men who had led small lives. He was determined not to be one
of them.
    Prince Valiant picked up
speed as if he knew he had to put the other horse behind him, and this was the
place to make the move. The urge to win was in his blood, if not in his brain.
Billy’s pulse trip-hammered in his chest. He was close enough to touch the
other horse’s flank.
    Prince Valiant nosed in
between his opponent and the fence. The red-haired boy raised his quirt to hit
the approaching horse, but before he could bring his arm down, Prince Valiant
shot past, picking up even more speed. Billy didn’t look back. He and his horse
came out of the turn, spotted the railroad tracks two hundred yards out, and
lunged for them. He could hear Seth screaming at his horse, cursing him, trying
to get every ounce of effort from him. Funny, Billy didn’t hear any stuttering
coming from the boy.
    The lightning pace of Prince
Valiant’s pounding hooves felt like Billy’s pulse. Almost there. They
leapt the railroad tracks, turned hard to the left in a spray of dust and
gravel, and headed hell-bent-for-leather for the back of the buildings where
this had all started. In the distance he saw Gerald