“How can you conquer him with that attitude?”
“You’re such a man. You men always want to conquer. I have no desire to conquer Diablo. I want to befriend him.”
“Oh, God.”
“I don’t want to be his master. If we’re equals, we’ll understand each other. He’ll want to help me.”
“But you’ll still be breaking him.”
“No. No, I won’t. I don’t see it that way.”
“We’re talking semantics here, darlin’.”
Dusty thought for a moment. “Maybe,” she admitted, “but it’s all in the attitude, Zach. He’d know if I were trying to break him, and he’d fight back. So I’ll befriend him. I’ll give him what he wants.”
“What is it that he wants, darlin’?” Zach smiled lazily. “Other than a cow in season.”
“Ha-ha.” Dusty rolled her eyes. “He wants what any living creature wants. Respect. Understanding.” She swallowed hard. “Love.”
“Love, huh?” Zach winked at her.
“Oh, don’t look at me like I have two heads. All creatures want love. And if I give it to him, he won’t hurt me. He won’t want to.”
“He might.”
“No, he won’t. He doesn’t want to hurt me. I can tell just by looking at him.”
“How so?”
“His eyes. He and I understand each other.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll accept that answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re going to get.”
“Fine. Tell me now, what else do you do to prepare?”
“I keep myself physically fit, obviously.”
“Oh, yeah.” He eyed her up and down. “Obviously.”
“And I visualize. From the time I start preparations in the chute to the time I’m done with the ride, I’m visualizing every possible move and countermove he might make. I see myself as a winner.”
“You have a lot of confidence.”
“Not really. I just don’t accept loss as an option.”
“But loss is a fact of life, darlin’.”
“Sure it is. But you can’t go into something with that attitude, Zach. You’re a bull rider yourself. You must know that.”
“Sure, but—”
“Plus, seeing myself as a winner is the best fear controller there is. So it helps in that respect, too.”
“Okay.” Zach touched her shoulder. “Your philosophy on bull riding is a little idiosyncratic, but I like it. What do you want to do first?”
“I’d like to talk to him a little. My voice seems to have a soothing effect on animals, bulls in particular. At least, it has in the past.”