“Please don’t cry,” he said in a way that matched his expression. “Is it the accident with the bull? The cowboy will be okay. I talked to him. He has injuries, and will be sore for a while, but he’ll be fine.”
I nodded. Then shook my head.
He gave me a small smile. “I am here, if you want to talk.”
I started to laugh. That weepy “everything is all better” laugh that crying people do to move out of the center of attention.
“Men talking?” I said sarcastically.
He smiled. “Only to the damsel. I don’t make a habit of it.”
As the sadness receded embarrassment pushed forward to take its place. Pity parties never did anything good for starting relationships. Men usually went all gooey for a female in trouble, especially with tears they weren’t responsible for, but it wasn't lasting concern. They were drawn to the vulnerability. This situation fit that bill perfectly.
The problem was, when that veil of intimacy lifted, both parties would go back to the real world. The girl would go back to her normal self, which in this case was a pushy, bold bitch, and the guy would go back to his normal self, which was a busy, hot, successful entrepreneur. The moment, as it were, would get disjointed within reality. Expectations would get erased, or worse, tainted, and the whole thing would be doomed.
I knew this from experience.
“Okay, all good. Thanks for the pep talk, coach,” I said as I stood, one final wipe beneath my eyes for any lingering mascara.
He gave a weak smile, eyes still locked with mine, searching—probably wondering where the magic from a moment ago went. He was unaware that he was dealing with a pro. I could bounce back on a dollar, baby!
So please like me after this, okay?
After a moment, he asked, “Are you okay to go back?”
I let the breeze finish drying my tear streaked face.
“Yes, I’m okay. Sorry about that.”
He shook his head in frustration, waving away my apology with his hand. Not taking his probing eyes off mine, he politely gestured for me to go ahead of him. Ladies first.
As we rounded the corner of the trailer, the older man ran into us. His expression was hard until he took me in, then immediately softened.
Apparently I was still emanating chick in distress.
“Willie, your next bull is about to go. You should get back there. Georgie Jones is ridin’ him.”
“Georgie is here?”
“Yes. And he is about to ride your bull. I’ll escort this lady back.”
William looked at me, nodded, tipped his hat and said, “Ma’am.” He ran off toward the gate.
The older man held out his hand. “My man is Tom. Senior.”
It was William’s dad, as I thought. The looks gave it away. Well, and the name.
“Oh, hi. My name is Jessica Brodie.”
“Brodie? Is that Scottish?”
“Uh, yes actually. My grandfather was from Scotland.”
He returned my smile. He had an ease to him that made me feel comfortable. “My wife’s maiden name is Scottish. Cameron. Would you like to head back to the arena?”
Yeah, sure, why not? Today couldn’t possibly get any worse.
By the time we arrived at the arena, the rider was ready, hand up but immobile, braced. Just waiting for that gate to open.
“This rider is very good." Tom said conversationally. "He competes in the top purse rodeos with some of the best bulls in the country. He also happens to be riding the toughest bull of my son’s stock. It is a wonder how he drew this bull. It is good for all the other riders, of course. Otherwise he would probably take the purse without a struggle.”
As man and beast rushed from their tiny confinement, the same old dance filled the arena, except this time, the performers were professionals. The bull was obviously the strongest, brutish yet, with twists and turns, leaps and bucks to make a hooker proud. Georgie was picking up what the bull was putting down, almost.
The bull did a powerful spin, jump, buck, spin combination that had the rider totally bewildered. He was hanging on by sheer stubbornness. Georgie’s once perfect, coordinated rhythm was thrown to the walls. The power in this animal was beyond the others, and this rider could not maintain his poise under such duress.
After the buzzer sounded, and Georgie was chased to the gate, Tom said, “That was a really good ride. It wasn’t pretty, but that was a nasty bull, so he’ll get points for that. Should be a high scoring ride.”
“Does that mean the bull will go to the bigger circuit? Or, you know, more advanced rodeos?”
“Well, he’ll have to be in a few more small time rodeos first, but I have no doubt he’ll make it if he continues to do this well.”
Everyone turned as the rider came strutting into the area, sweat and dirt, just like Ty had been. It seemed a hazard of the profession. Tom excused himself and headed back toward the trailer, other things to do. Being that he was at a rodeo, I couldn’t imagine what those things were.
“I didn’t know you would be here until I saw you on that monster of a bull.” Georgie said as he gripped Ty’s arm in a strength-of-wills kind of shake, both with victory smiles on their faces.
“Likewise," Ty responded jovially. "How’d you like riding yours? They’re from the same stock, you know.”
Georgie looked at William. “Yeah, what you been feedin’ ‘em, haus? Dynamite?”
William smiled. “I feed ‘em little children. Keeps ‘em mean!”
“Ah man!” Georgie reeled back in laughter. “That ain’t right!”
“I had a helluva time keeping on my bull,” Ty said. “My arm’ll need to be iced tonight for sure. I’ve ridden them before, though, so I basically knew what to expect.”
“Yeah, I was going to ask you about that, Davies.” Georgie's eyes got a business gleam. “I wouldn’t mind some practice rides.”
“Well, these five are put into circuit so they are out, but I got a couple more that are close to as good. You might take a ride on those next week if you’re around.”
“Cool.” Georgie nodded, business over. His eyes scanned the area, a dog checking out the neighboring territory. As they skittered past me, they snapped back like a rubber band. “She with you?”
My eyebrows fell down to the ridge of my nose. Have you any manners?
William’s eyes flicked to me before he shrugged and looked out at the empty arena. The crowd was starting to break up and disperse. My initiation to rodeo life was over. After the day I’d had, I couldn’t say it wasn’t welcomed.
Adam answered Georgie, apparently now my pimp. “She came with some others, but her and her friend here,” he nodded at Candace, “are in our care for the evening.”
My eyebrows slipped a little further. Your care? I missed the part where you peed on me. Which, given the fact that I wasn’t crazy about golden showers, was a good thing. But still, I wasn't aware women were still viewed as property in this state.
Georgie looked back at me with the focus of a slut. Being that he was only mildly attractive, and also on the shorter side, I had a feeling being good at bull riding gave a guy a certain je ne said qui. A small scale celebrity status. And with girls, it didn’t matter your appearance, if you were known, you were doable.
Sometimes I had to wonder about my sex in general.
“You goin’ to the dance, darlin?” he asked, taking a step closer.
My eyes slid to Candace. “Dance?”
“Oh hoot, boys. She is an out of towner! Where you from, darlin?” Georgie asked with glee.
I wasn’t in the mood to be hit on. Plus, my earlier embarrassment with William, which was now exacting its punishment since he was busying himself with a freaking rope by his trailer instead of paying any attention to another man wanting me, made me surly. I reigned it in, for the sake of my ride home, but barely.
“I’m from L.A.” Then, in case he was dense, I said, “Which is in California.”
“Hmm. I like me some Cali-fornia g
irls. You girls are frisky.” He stepped closer again, now only a foot away, nearly invading my space bubble. It gave me a dose of claustrophobia. It also worried away the last of my good-behavior.
“Look, short stack,” I put my hand to his chest and pushed him back. “I am not in the mood.”
Moose and Adam burst out laughing. William’s head snapped up, a frustrated expression on his face. Possibly I was supposed to be nice to his future clientele, but he could just stuff it. They all could. I’d had a bad day.
Ty put his hand on Georgie’s shoulder. “Better luck next time, man. I’m slam out of pity for ya.”
Georgie shot me a gleaming smile. “I love a girl that plays hard to get. I love those bright eyes and country music,” he sang with his hand on his heart.
“Bright lights dummy. Lights, not eyes. You’re dumber’n a box of hair!” Adam said with a grin, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. He was enjoying the show.
William walked away. Ty followed with Candace keeping pace. When Moose and Adam shifted and stood, walking after the others, I figured I’d act like a Lemming and follow blindly as well. Suddenly going home with Dave and JP didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
“I think she loves me, boys!” Georgie shouted merrily.
I shook my head as I threw a glance back his way. Some men never gave up. When I turned back around, I caught the tail end of Moose’s apprehensive glance. Apparently he, and probably all of them, wondered if I’d succumb to Georgie’s strange kind of charm. I'm at a rodeo for one day, and already they think I’m a groupie? What the hell?
“I think I am going to head on,” William was saying to the guys as I walked up. “Unless you all want to go to the dance?”
“Hell, I love them dances. I’ll be DD if y’all want?” Adam said.
“I’ll go. Gotta shower and change first, but why not? How about you?” Ty asked Candace.
“Sure!” she said, a little too happily.
Five bodies turned my way.
“Uh... Peer pressure is fun and all, but what is this dance?”
“After rodeos there is generally a social dance. Just some music and beer. It’s a good time,” Moose explained.
“If I went, how long would I be in for?” I asked the group.
“In for?” Ty asked as he lounged against the trailer. “It isn’t prison. Do you dance?”
“I have been known to cut a rug or two,” I replied. “But I don’t feel like getting drunk and doing something stupid. Plus, dancing to country music without drinking is not the stuff of magic. I don’t want to be hit on, either. It’s been a long day.”
“Note to self, hit on Jessica on short days, only.” Ty acted like he was writing on a notepad—the pad being his palm.
“C’mon Jess, please come!” Candace pleaded.
What was the saying about fallen soldiers?
“I don’t have JP to keep me out of trouble,” I said as a last ditch effort.
“I’ll take care of that,” Moose responded as he flexed his left bicep. Then patted it. Then kissed it.
“I suppose next you’ll ask me if I want to see the gun show…”
Moose’s brow furrowed. He shook his head slightly.
With a put-upon expression, I bent my arms at the elbows, held them up, hands fisted, and flexed. “See these guns?”
Moose’s eyebrows fluttered upward, the corners of his lips following as if a string connected the two.
“Anyway—“ I continued, ignoring William’s blank look.
“Now how’d I miss that one growin’ up?” Adam asked incredulously, a smirk taking over his face.
“You’re slow, that’s how,” Ty said, getting comfortable in his lounge, which took him closer to Candace.
“Right, okay." I sighed and worried the ground with my toe. "I guess the big brute is now my bodyguard. Good times.”
From the trailer, we all heard Tom’s voice say, “I’ll be going, too, if y’all don’t mind.”
All the boys’ faces lit up. Except for William’s. “Well, it looks like I have to go by default. Alright, who’s first for the shower?”
Chapter Eight
Showered, not changed because I didn’t make a habit of carrying around a knapsack on a stick, and wearing borrowed makeup, since Candace apparently did carry one, I stepped down, out of the plush trailer and into the night. A circling of men and one woman were there to greet me, all turning at my entrance, the glow from the light behind me illuminating their faces.
As my feet crunched against the dirt, there was a moment of silence dotted with an occasional neigh and the distant drum of bass. I nearly asked what I’d done before Candace broke the silence.
“Oh my God Jessica, I love what you did with your eye makeup! You have to show me!”
“It’s just a smoky eye,” I muttered, shuffling toward the group.
“Okay, entrance made, let’s get cracking,” Ty said with a laugh, stepping out of the group and stopping with his arm out and elbow crooked, as if it was 1806. On cue, Candace stepped forward and daintily threaded her hand through his arm. It was too dark to tell, but I had a feeling her face was bright red under her intense layer of makeup.
All eyes turned to me. No one stepped forward. My confidence shrunk by the second.
“What are y’all gawkin’ at?” Tom’s voice wafted into the scene, followed a second later by his body, dapper and suave in plaid and cowboy boots. It was a country suit. “Ah, Jessica, you look lovely. May I escort you?” He held out his arm.
Grateful, I nearly fell into him. “Thank you.”
"You look beautiful, tonight, my dear," he said in gentleman tones. He had been preprogramed by his wife from years of marriage to notice when a woman tried to look good, then comment to that effect. I was grateful to William's mom.
“Why thank you, Tom,” I replied.
Tom patted my hand. “Nonsense. I didn’t think any of the boys would get around to telling you, but they are surely all thinking it. When they get older they will learn to speak up.” I could hear the gentle smile in his voice.
It was a short walk to the dance hall, which was a big tent beyond the rodeo. We got to the ticket booth, and as I reached for my purse, Tom tsked.
“Now, now. The gentleman always pays.”
He took out money and paid for the whole party. Being that no one had reached for wallets but me, everyone was expecting that.
Inside the tent were flimsy round tables dotting the packed dirt floor. Streamer hung limply in blue and white, and the bar, which Tom headed shortly after taking drink orders, was nothing more than plywood and alcohol. There was a stage, which was cool, but the country music they were playing was not. Thank God for beer.
We didn’t even have time for the first topic of conversation before Georgie found me.
“Well, well. If it ain’t the purty lady and her bodyguards...”
Georgie was cleaned up, wearing his own country suit, and confidently standing like I had already consented to go home with him. That slipped a fraction when he met my expression, but bounced back easily. “Well now, boys. You can’t have her all night!”
I turned back to my beer, feeling eyes burning a hole in my head. William was looking at me with a vexed expression. His eyes quickly moving from mine back to Georgie as soon as I made contact.
If he was under the impression I was going to turn back around and suck up to his friends while they mercilessly hit on me, his silver spoon was shoved too far up his backside. With that thought, and also with stubbornness taking over every inch of my fiber, I continued to glare at him as I slowly took a sip of my beer. I waited until his eyes glanced back, then widened in surprise, before I casually looked away.
Suck it! I thought. I was cranky, tired, and had too much of that guy’s crap. All guys, actually. Every one of them. So there.
Candace elbowed me. I hadn’t switched my facial expression, so she got a blast of the same stubborn, hard expression as William. Her face fell in
shock.
“Sorry!” she said. “It is just that Georgie asked you to dance and I was getting your attention...”
“Oh sorry, Candace. That wasn’t directed at you--I was thinking about something else.” I stood up and faced Georgie.
He had a big grin on his face, like he won some sort of contest.
I was just about to say my apologies in the nicest way I could, and go find a corner to hide in, when Tom said, “Oh now Georgie, you may be the best bull rider around, save Ty of course, but you need to work on your manners with young ladies. Candace, Jessica--” He bowed to Candace and me in turn. “Would either of you ladies like to dance?”
“I would love to, Tom,” I said, winking at a relieved Candace. She didn’t want Tom to steal Ty’s thunder. I was happy letting him steal Georgie’s.
I took Tom’s arm for the second time that night. As soon as we got out of hearing he said, “Sorry to intrude, but it seemed like you were in a tight spot.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I am in your debt, sir. I was trying to think of the nicest way to say ‘buzz off’.”
He laughed. “You‘ll have plenty of time for that tonight. Looks as though Georgie has taken a liking to you. If I might warn you of one thing: he can be a rascal sometimes. He tries to be a gentleman most times, I think. But sometimes it isn’t as easy as others.”
“Spoken like a rascal.” I laughed as we made the scuffed planking that would pass beautifully for a dance floor.
“We all have to grow up sometime.” He faced me with a grin. “Do you know how to Texas two-step?”
“Texas two-step? Actually, no. I know the Fox Trot and Swing and a lot of ballroom dances, but not the two-step.”
“No matter. It’s easy to learn.”
I grabbed his hand and stepped closer, putting the other hand on his shoulder. He stepped toward me with a quick step. I backed up. He stepped at me with the other foot, also a quick beat. I backed up again, correlating feet with him.
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