Home on the Ranch: Oklahoma Bull Rider

by Christine Wenger

  Why was he so attracted to Sara? She wasn’t exactly his type. His type was usually the buckle bunnies who came in and out of his life. He partied at the honky-tonks with them. He boot scooted. He flirted and tossed down enough beer to float a battleship.

  Yet he was drawn to Sara Peterson. She worked hard, was someone with whom he constantly disagreed, with whom he had heated discussions.

  And then they did yoga together and they made love.

  If the fire alarm hadn’t sounded, he would have gathered her in his arms and held her until daybreak, watching sleep overcome her.

  Here he was being poetic when bull riding was his thing, not poetry.

  He couldn’t wait to talk to her tonight, but until then, he had to settle for watching her dish out food in the chow line and her observing Mickey’s riding lessons.

  Jesse checked the clock on the wall. It was only eight thirty in the morning. He had to wait until seven thirty at night to talk with Sara.

  It was going to be a long day.

  * * *

  When Sara arrived at their spot that night, Jesse was already meditating. Cookie had been messier than usual, so Sara and the other ladies had had a lot to clean up after the chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy dinner.

  Jesse had come though her dinner line, and ordered dark meat chicken, her favorite, too. She added a few more pieces on his plate; after all he was a ramrod, and was entitled to an extra helping.

  When Mickey came though, she gave him a big piece of chicken breast and put enough gravy on his plate so that his meat was floating.

  All of the other campers got their special requests, if those were within reason.

  She sat down next to Jesse, but wasn’t able to meditate. There was too much on her mind.

  Where should she start?

  After a while, Jesse spoke. “Can’t get into the mood, huh?”

  “I want to apologize to you for—”

  He put his index finger to her lips. “You don’t have to. I get it.”

  “But—”

  “Apology accepted, Sara.”

  “Okay. That was easy.”

  “How about a swim?” he asked.

  Sara hesitated. It was cold, but maybe Jesse would keep her warm. Now that she had a taste of spontaneity, she liked the feeling.

  Why stop now?

  “Um... Jesse, uh... I don’t have a swimsuit with me.”

  He had already stripped down to his underwear. This time they were tight-fitting black boxers.

  Jesse took her hand and headed for the water’s edge. “Don’t think. Just do it.”

  He let go of her hand long enough for her to strip down to her bra and panties. Red lace on both counts. To anyone passing by, it might look like a swimsuit. Not!

  “We’ll just run in. No getting used to the water slowly. Let’s go!” he said.

  Hand in hand they kicked up a splash of water, and when the lake had pulled them in, they stopped.

  “It’s just as cold as I thought it would be,” Sara said, thinking that her nipples were so hard they could cut glass.

  Jesse put his arms around her and kissed her. His lips were cool, hard and demanding, and she knew that they were going to make love on the bank of Lake Care again.

  She’d hoped they would.

  “Who’s your roving ramrod tonight?” she mumbled.

  “Sara...” The tone of his voice warned her not to confirm that Mickey was being supervised tonight.

  “Never mind.”

  “I thought you’d say that.”

  Jesse floated on his back, and his private parts seemed like they were having a great time saluting the sunset. Sara laughed.

  “What?”

  She pointed.

  Jesse lifted his head and got to his feet, and laughed with her.

  “Your turn,” he said.

  She closed her eyes, kicked her feet, and floated on the lake as if it were a big bed.

  Jesse pointed to her, floating on top of the water.

  He laughed, and she righted herself. She didn’t know if she should wait until he made the first move, but who cared? Slipping out of her bra, she wrapped her arms around Jesse. She wanted to feel her naked breasts against his strong, bare chest.

  When Jesse groaned, she felt bold and tugged at his boxers. He got the message and slipped out of them.

  “I hope our clothes float,” she said. “I’d hate to be caught naked in here.”

  “You’re not naked yet.” His voice was low, smooth, sexy and his hands were on the waistband of her panties. She lifted each leg, and he helped her with the thin lace. Then he held her tight.

  Sara could feel his hardness pressing against her stomach as he kissed her neck.

  “Jesse, I want you. Now.”

  “Dammit. I don’t have a condom with me.”

  Oh, my. What should she do?

  She said a quick prayer that she’d never be pregnant, jobless and maybe homeless. Sara needed to job search when she got back home, and didn’t know how long she could stay in her apartment. Mickey and she might have to find something cheaper. She could probably get unemployment insurance, but she’d have to stretch that.

  What if she got pregnant with Jesse’s baby? Jesse, who rode bulls for a living. Sure, he was a rancher, too, but his...uh...profession was the most dangerous of all.

  She couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

  “I’d give my last dollar to know what you are thinking right now,” Jesse said.

  “I’m thinking that you need to hustle out of this lake, find your wallet and get protection, or we should put our clothes back on and go to the big bonfire with the rest of the staff and wranglers.”

  He raised an eyebrow as he played with a nipple. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

  “How do you vote, Sara?”

  “I think we could do both. Now get going and get that condom.”

  Jesse walked out of the lake naked, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Sara smiled. Jesse was built: muscled, tight butt, strong back and thick thighs. That had to be from riding bulls.

  It was nice to see a guy so comfortable in his own skin. Michael had always wondered what people thought of him and was always seeking everyone’s approval—everyone except hers. He’d never done anything spur-of-the-moment.

  Sara dived into the water to erase thoughts of Michael. He wasn’t there to defend himself, and she didn’t want to think bad thoughts of him. Michael had given her Mickey.

  He’d also made Mickey silent.

  Yes. She blamed him for having the accident that made Mickey go inside himself.

  She surfaced from her dive, thinking how Jesse hadn’t helped Mickey to speak yet, and he had been all blustery and confident in the beginning.

  Jesse had only two weeks left of Camp Care, then he’d be going back to his ranch and soon the PBR would start up.

  She was going to miss him once they both left.

  Jesse jogged back into the water, then dived in. The silver packet was in his mouth.

  “Got it. And I cooled down.” Jesse looked down at his groin.

  Sara playfully quipped, “Let’s see what I can do about that, cowboy.”

  Chapter 13

  The bonfire had dwindled to a campfire when Jesse and Sara arrived. There was clapping and the usual smooching noises coming from his wranglers. He really should have a talk with them about showing some class.

  He had heard the gossip about Sara and him. Everyone must think that it was a summer romance, and maybe they were right. However, he wanted to see more of Sara...and Mickey, too, when this session of Camp Care was over. He liked them both. A lot.

  But he lived in Beaumont, Oklahoma, and she lived in the middle of New York State. When would they see each other? Maybe Sara could travel to a
PBR event or two when the circuit came near her. The PBR traveled to Madison Square Garden in New York City in January, so that would be a possibility.

  Seemed like an awful lot of travel for Sara and Mickey just to see him...well, him and the PBR event.

  That was too much to ask.

  He could always fly to Syracuse, which was the airport nearest Sara and Mickey. Then he’d rent a car and drive the hour and a half to Henderson Falls. He’d already looked it up.

  Yes, he’d do that when his schedule permitted. When PBR resumed at the end of August he’d be busy until Christmas. Plus, there were things to do at the ranch.

  There were always things to do there. They had an outstanding staff, but he and his brothers worked every moment they could. But now, with his siblings newly married and building their houses, they wouldn’t have much time to help him.

  Maybe he had more interest in Sara than she had in him, but he didn’t think so.

  He’d bet his best saddle that Sara liked him—a lot. The feeling was mutual.

  In fact, he liked Sara more than a lot.

  Jesse was thinking that he loved her.

  He turned to Sara. She looked like she was enjoying the campfire, and was singing along to the silly song. Her head was turned to the right, as if something caught her interest.

  Mickey.

  Jesse saw that her son was enjoying himself, too. His fellow wranglers were elbowing one another, elbowing Mickey. Jesse could guess what that was about—Sara and him.

  It was unfortunate that Mickey had to be teased because of Jesse’s relationship with Sara.

  To Jesse’s surprise, it looked like Mickey was tolerating the kidding, but he decided to talk to Mickey in the near future.

  Like now.

  “Sara, I’m going to talk to my wranglers about their kissing noises, and while I’m at it, I’m going to speak with Mickey about our...uh...um...relationship.”

  “I should do that. Why didn’t I think about talking to Mickey?”

  “Sara, you’re a great mother. I just thought about it before you did. Don’t worry.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “I wanted to make it a man-to-man or a ramrod-to-wrangler talk. How about if you speak to him later? Or we speak to him together, later.”

  She hesitated. “Okay.”

  Jesse thought that it was probably hard for Sara to wait, and even harder for her to let him handle things. This was a gigantic step for her. Finally, she trusted him and was listening to him.

  Jesse approached his wranglers. “Bunkhouse 13. Follow me.” He motioned for them to follow him, and they did, to a spot with a large fallen tree.

  “Sit down, wranglers.” He waited for a moment until he had their attention. “No more kissing noises, please. Respect your ramrod and do unto others as you’d like them to do to you.” He was just about to say respect his lady, but he’d rather talk to Mickey first. Besides, the Golden Rule covered everything.

  “Okay. If there are no questions, you can return to the campfire,” he instructed, but when Mickey passed by him, he put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Mickey, got a minute?”

  Mickey nodded.

  “Then please sit down again.” After the boy did so, Jesse sat down next to him.

  “Mickey, I know you’re taking a lot of kidding because I’ve been with your mother, but I like her, and I think she likes me. We are having a good time here at Camp Care. I took her riding, and plan to do it again. We’re doing yoga together and meditating together. I’m showing her a lot of things that she hasn’t seen in Henderson Falls.”

  That last sentence could have more than one interpretation, but he hadn’t intended it that way!

  “Know what I’m going for here, Mickey?”

  The boy nodded seriously.

  “I like your mother, and I like you, too. I like all my wranglers.” Jesse added, “Since you’re the man of your family, is it okay with you if I keep dating her?”

  Mickey met his eyes, and was so serious that Jesse respected the boy.

  Mickey nodded, but raised his index finger.

  Jesse waited for him to speak. Please say something, Mickey.

  He didn’t.

  “I promise that I’ll take care of her, Mickey. Oh, and one more thing—your mom wants to talk with you, too. Later, sometime.”

  Mickey put his finger down, stood and proceeded to the campfire.

  Jesse walked with him. He went to his spot next to Sara, and Mickey went back to the wranglers of Bunkhouse 13.

  Mission accomplished.

  Operation Sara was yet to come.

  * * *

  The time is flying by much too fast, Sara thought to herself.

  In a week, they’d be packing up to leave Camp Care, and she’d be saying goodbye to Jesse.

  They discussed how to keep in touch when the week was over, but the logistics and their free time was the problem. Plus, she was panicking because she had to find a job—a job that paid enough so she and Mickey didn’t have to move.

  So, she guessed that she’d had a summer fling after all.

  She could see the sadness in Mickey’s eyes, when he came through the food line. He didn’t want to leave here, either.

  Jesse did a lot of good for his wranglers, though none of the nonverbal kids had started talking.

  Before Sara had gotten to know Jesse, she’d blamed him for having zero credentials to be a ramrod. She had since learned that Jesse had in fact stood on his head to break through to the wranglers who didn’t speak.

  In attempts to get Mickey to speak, Jesse gave Mickey a lot of attention. Actually, he’d paid a lot of attention to all the wranglers, not just those in Bunkhouse 13. He loved kids.

  Jesse was quite a man. And Sara liked him; she really liked him.

  After dinner, Jesse showed up again with Midnight and Sunshine. Cookie dismissed her when Jesse popped his head in the kitchen.

  “Go, Sara. We’re just about done in here. We can handle the rest,” Cookie said.

  “Yes. Go. Have fun,” Jules said. Sara gave Jules a hug.

  She’d miss everyone in her bunkhouse, but especially Jules. They had already decided to keep in touch on a group chat.

  “When are your brothers coming with the bulls?” Cookie asked Jesse.

  “Later today, around four o’clock.”

  “I might wait to serve dinner. The whole camp wants to watch you cowboys unload them.” Cookie laughed. “Me, too.”

  Jules looked at Sara. “Are you going to watch?”

  “Absolutely. The only bull I’ve ever seen was in a zoo.”

  Jesse laughed.

  Sara raised an eyebrow. “I’m not kidding. He was at the Syracuse Zoo.”

  Jesse grinned at Sara. “Remind me, and I’ll let you pet one.”

  “Uh...no, thanks. I’ll be fine far, far away.”

  They walked out the back door to their waiting horses. Now that her fear about them had tamped down, Sara could stop and see the beauty of the animals.

  She pulled out two carrots from the pocket of her windbreaker. “Courtesy of Cookie.”

  Feeding Midnight first, Sara petted the animal’s large face. The horse was so pretty. Then she ran her hands down the side of the horse’s neck. So soft.

  She gave Sunshine the same treatment.

  “Look at you, Sara! If I didn’t see you, I never would’ve believed it.”

  “Was there a problem before?” she asked innocently.

  “You know there was! You were scared breathless!”

  Sara shrugged. “I think you’re exaggerating!”

  He laughed. Sara could tell that Jesse loved it when she teased him. It’d taken her a while to get comfortable enough to joke with him, about the time that they had first made love.

  “S
hall we get going?” Jesse asked. “Mount up.”

  This was probably her last time on horseback and that saddened her. If she wanted to ride again, she’d have to travel to a stable somewhere on the outskirts of Henderson Falls, and she couldn’t get a very gentle horse that was personally screened by Jesse.

  Sitting tall on Midnight, she looked over at Jesse. He always seemed at one with Sunshine, totally comfortable and in control. She still flopped around on horseback, no matter how many times he instructed her to keep her legs and feet still.

  Mickey was going to miss his horse, too. Socks had become a part of Mickey’s heart, like a pet. Sara had thought about getting Mickey a dog, but she had never made the final decision. She was working, Mickey was in school, and when they weren’t doing either of those things, they were going to counseling appointments. There wasn’t any time to take care of a dog, and that would be unfair to the poor animal.

  Maybe someday that would change. Someday.

  “There’s an easy trail that you haven’t been on yet. I took the wranglers who are going to be in the trail ride rodeo there the other day.”

  “What’s the trail ride rodeo?”

  “Groups of riders will be on the trail at various intervals, and they will be judged by certain factors, like not bouncing in the saddle too much, and having a good time. Things like that. Mickey has a good chance of winning.”

  “There will be no living with him if he wins,” Sara said.

  “Socks is a great horse, and she loves Mickey. She’ll do whatever Mickey wants.”

  They paused at the trailhead. “I’m going to miss our rides, Jesse. A lot.”

  “Me, too.” Jesse pointed to the right path. “And I’m going to miss our talks.”

  Sara turned off to the right. “And our yoga and meditation.”

  “Yup.”

  “And I loved making love with you.” Sara’s face heated. She’d never said anything like that to a man before. Actually, there hadn’t been the right man in her life to say it to, until Jesse.

  Jesse turned to her and winked. “Today’s Monday. The Camp Care Rodeo is on Saturday. We still have five days together.”

  “And it’s going to be five days of craziness. The chuck wagon staff has to get ready for the big barbecue on Saturday. Parents, guardians and siblings are all invited and we are going to make mountains of food—salads, mac and cheese, ziti, meatballs, six types of cookies—you name it, and Cookie’s serving it. And Cookie believes in everything being made from scratch, and that means made by us.”