“Okay,” I agreed reluctantly. “But, I get to bring a date to the party.”
“Of course Josh is invited honey.”
“Not Josh, Mom.” I relented. I don’t know how many times I have to tell her for her to understand. She only wanted me to end up with Josh because his family had money. Shallow was her middle name.
“We’ll talk about it later. I’ve got to go. I’ll meet you Thursday evening for dinner. I’ll text you the time and place tonight, and please make sure you at least wear some mascara to dinner.”
“Fine.”
Once she said goodbye, I quickly hung up without replying. It was so easy for her to get under my skin. It was like she had a remote, and knew the exact right buttons to push to piss me off.
How old do you have to be to quit appeasing your mother?
I growled.
“Easy there killer,” a familiar voice sounded from behind me.
It was Bear. I’d know that voice anywhere.
“Hey you.” I said offering him a wide smile. Seeing those cheeks of his always brightened my day.
He rested his arm around my neck so that it hung loosely over my shoulder. “Hey,” he replied. “That wasn’t Tex you were talking to was it?” He eyed me curiously. There was no way I’d ever growl at Jude.
“Nope. It was my mom,” I crinkled my nose.
“That bad huh?”
“You have no idea.” I rolled my eyes. “Where are you headed?”
“I’m heading to the finance office. I have to pick up the flyers for the spring carnival. I promised my English professor that I’d hang some up around the dorms. He said he’d count my contribution as extra credit. Lord knows I need it.”
“Carnival?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It’s this years fundraiser, and I hear it’s actually going to be fun. They have games and food. We should all go.” I could hear the excitement in his voice. It was sort of sweet.
“Sounds fun,” I replied cheerfully, wrapping my arm around his waist.
“There’s going to be a kissing booth,” he eyed me with a grin.
“Oh yeah.”
“I can’t wait.” His eyebrows rose, and it made me realize that my loveable bear was still a typical guy under those squishy boy cheeks.
“You’re such a pig.” I playfully jabbed his stomach.
“No, I’m a bear,” he growled.
He was insatiable, but I loved having him as a friend. Sometimes it felt like he was a little brother to me, even though he was older. You never knew what kind of mischief he was going to get into. Everybody found a way to watch over him and make sure he was safe, and at times it could be a fulltime job.
“I better get going. I have one more class today before I meet Letty.”
“Alright,” he leaned in and kissed my cheek. “See you later. Oh, and tell Tex he has to go to the carnival too.”
“I will. Bye, Bear.”
“How did I let you talk me into this?” Letty’s eyes narrowed and I thought she might claw out my eyeballs, but she looked gorgeous.
She turned around and faced the mirror, and the look on her face softened. I knew it would the moment she could see her reflection. I wanted her to accompany me to my Dad’s birthday party so we were shopping for the perfect dress. If I was going to look the part, then I was taking my friend down with me.
We were supposed to be shopping for a new printer for our dorm room since ours took an unfortunate tumble to the ground and broke into pieces. Once I got her out and into a few stores, dress shopping just happened.
And no… I’m not my mother.
Letty normally wore black. She always covered herself in an attempt to hide from the world. I’d never once seen her wear a dress, or anything that showed off her legs. Oh, and sparkles were a no-go.
She was crazy; because the girl was the most uniquely beautiful person I’d ever met.
“You look amazing.” I shook my head. “You have to wear this dress. It’s perfect.”
It was knee length with a gold halter-top and navy blue skirt. There was beading and sparkles on the top that shimmered as she moved. It fit her like a glove.
“I can’t believe I’m wearing a dress.” Her hips moved a little to the side as she took it all in. Her head snapped to the left and she gave me a sneaky grin. “Don’t tell anyone, but I like it.”
I squealed. “Your secret is safe with me, you hard ass.”
We laughed as she twirled around, the bottom of the dress flowing with her.
“Go take it off. I’m buying it,” I told her. I wasn’t taking no for an answer, though she gave me a worried look. “Don’t give me that look. It’s a size six bitch. I can always borrow it.”
I could tell she wanted to fight me on it, but I gave her a little shove back into the dressing room. This was a battle she wasn’t going to win. The dress was made for her, and I had Daddy’s black Amex card. I rarely used it, but if it was a clothes purchase they never cared.
My phone rang from my bag, so I fished it out.
“Hey, you,” I answered quickly as soon as I saw Jude’s name. I hadn’t talked to him all day, so I was excited to hear his voice.
“Hey, Darlin. How was your day?” He said. He sounded tired.
“It was okay. Besides the conversation I had with my mother, but I’ll tell you about that later. What are you up to?” I asked.
“I had to get my paper turned in for my business class, so I was in the library finishing up. Then I had to meet the builder about a change we had to make,” he sighed. “Now I’m grabbing a quick bite to eat with Fox and Obi.”
“Dang. You’ve been busy.”
“Do you have class tomorrow?” He asked me.
“I have a lab, but it’s later in the afternoon. Why?”
“I thought maybe you’d want to come to training with me tomorrow? You listen to me talking about it all the time. I just thought maybe you’d like to come see me in action.”
Mmmm. The thought of Jude in action was kind of exciting.
“Plus,” he said. “It’s supposed to rain.”
“Yes,” I answered. “But it has nothing to do with the rain.” I lied.
“Right.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “We have to be there pretty early.”
“Alright, but I’ll need coffee.”
“You got it. I’ll text you later before bed.”
“Okay,” I smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Darlin.”
I slid the phone back into my bag, and took Letty’s dress to the counter to pay. After we finished I talked her into grabbing some supper before we headed back to the dorm. It still amazed me at the friendship that the two of us had. In the beginning, I would’ve never guessed that we would be this close, but she had been there for me. She listened to all my crappy drama. She binge-watched Netflix with me. I seriously couldn’t ask for a better girlfriend. I couldn’t wait for the two of us to have our own place. It was going to be amazing, and she wasn’t going to have to stress so much. That was worth it all.
Eleven
Jude
Once things slowed down at home, I decided to keep training for the rodeo. It was just one rough practice. I couldn’t just give it all up. I let one bad day get me down. After talking to my Mom on the phone, she made me realize that I wasn’t ready to give it all up just yet.
I was kind of excited to show Paislee what I did. When it came time for me to ride in the tournaments, I didn’t want her to freak out. She needed to see that I knew what I was doing.
Wallace didn’t like that she was coming to training, but I didn’t care. Once he met her that would change. Wallace liked to think that he was a ladies man. He was just old.
Paislee looked cute today in her blue jean shorts and cowboy boots. I didn’t even know she owned a pair. It was sexy. I made sure to walk a few paces behind her so I could stare.
When we got to the training spot, I led her over to the fence where Wallace stood waiting.
I wasn’t late. The aggravated look on his face was because of Paislee.
“Wallace,” I narrowed my eyes making sure that he knew better than to say something smart. Not with the lady around anyway. “This is Paislee.”
I had already forewarned her about his attitude, so that she’d know just what to expect.
She smiled up at him and reached out her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said in her sweetest voice.
His eyes softened and he took her hand in his, returning the smile. “Nice to meet you too, little lady.”
I breathed a little easier. It only took one smile from her sweet face to win him over.
“You,” he growled at me. “Get your rope, and get into the shoot. I won’t have you slacking off just because your sweetheart is here.”
I leaned down and kissed Paislee’s cheek. “You can get a better view from the top of the fence.”
She nodded. “Good luck.”
I tied my chaps over my jeans, and squeezed my hand into my leather glove, before grabbing my rope. When I glanced back over my shoulder I saw Paislee sitting on top of the fence next to Wallace. The two of them were chatting about something, but I didn’t want to know. Wallace was probably filling her head with enough wisdom to last her a lifetime, or enough bullshit. One could never tell with him.
Wallace’s son David was waiting for me to lower myself onto my horse. He was there to pull open the shoot and make sure nothing went wrong before the door opened and the clock started. I liked having him there. It was more of a comfort thing. He’d been on my team since as far back as I could remember.
“Tighten that grip,” he told me. “Old Whiskey here is in a foul mood today.”
My eyebrows rose and I matched his grin. He knew just as well as I did what that meant for me. The thought of an angry horse would scare most people, but not me. It was like adding fuel to an empty tank. It made me roar to life.
Lowering myself onto Whiskey’s back, I held the rope tight and let my boots rest on his shoulders.
This was the moment when the adrenaline in my body overflowed. My heart rate would pick up, and sometimes my ears would ring. It was the most exhilarating moment of the entire ride.
“Ready,” I called out. I couldn’t stay there long without making the horse angrier. Whiskey wasn’t too fond of my heals buried into his shoulders.
“Three, two, one…” David called out before the shoot opened and the ride began.
The first and the seventh second were always the hardest. Within the first second you knew if you were going to fall off, and by the seventh, you were praying for the eighth. The seconds felt like hours, each one ticking away slower than the next.
One… I wasn’t going to fall.
Two… Left. Right.
Three… We got this Whiskey.
Four… Shit.
Five… Hold on tighter.
Six… My grip is too loose.
Seven… Hang on, almost there.
Eight… Breathe.
I released my grip and jumped off Whiskey, falling to my knees. Quickly shuffling to my feet I ran over to the gate.
This was the point when I had to calm my ass down. I had to take deep breaths and tighten my fists so that I could come down from the most amazing high. There was no other way to describe it. I wouldn’t get to break long before I’d have to get right back on the horse. It made training days exhausting, but I was used to it. Thank goodness for a good ticker. That much excitement could give a normal man a heart attack.
I threw my leg over the fence and straddled the wood so that I could face Paislee. It was the first moment since I’d jumped off the horse that I finally got to gauge her reaction. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I guess I thought that she’d be angry or upset, but that wasn’t the expression I saw on her face. Her doe eyes were wide, and her bottom lip was pressed firmly between her teeth.
Wallace was rambling on about something but I completely tuned him out. I needed her to say something.
“Well?” I asked her. I tipped my head back a little so that my hat would fall back.
“That was…” I could see her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.
“Was what?”
“Incredible,” she admitted. Her beautiful smile stretched wide across her face.
I couldn’t believe that’s what she thought. After all her fuss about me getting hurt, I thought for sure she was going to give me a big –Hell No! I thought she’d tell me that she never wanted to watch me do that again. She was always surprising me. Every time I was with her, I was fortunate enough to see something new. It only made my love for her grow.
“Will you do it again?” Her excitement matched mine. I’d do anything in the world for her.
“You bet your sweet little ass I will, Darlin.” I kissed her cheek before I hopped down off the fence. I picked my hat up off the ground and set it down on my head.
Wallace threw out a few curse words before telling me all the changes I needed to make before the next ride. It didn’t matter that I rode for eight seconds. Too many mistakes would cost me points, and he was just being the trainer I needed him to be. It wasn’t fun being yelled at in front of my girl, but it had to be done. It was my idea to bring her. Wallace still had a job to do no matter who was there.
But he could curse at me seven ways til Sunday, and he would never be able to wipe this grin off my face.
“Yes, Sir.” I tipped my hat. He always hated when I did that.
I respected Wallace as much as I did my own parents. I think that’s why I liked to tease him or get under his skin. But I’d never disrespect him. I wasn’t raised that way. Having Paislee at the training today was a one-time thing. I just needed her to see what I did. I needed her to know the risks, but also know what I was capable of doing. It was important to me.
I desperately wanted her to come to the rodeos with me. I wanted her in the stands as my cheerleader and my best girl. Maybe she’d be my good luck charm.
The rest of practice was spent riding over and over again. Each time I rode I was trying to perfect the ride before it, and by the time training ended, I was pretty worn out.
As I was gathering my things, I heard laughter. Paislee and Wallace must’ve become fast friends. The two of them were sharing a laugh and messing around like they’d known each other their whole lives. They were in cahoots. Paislee had that effect on people, though she didn’t know it. She was too sweet for her own good.
It made me smile seeing her with him. It made me think of the day when I could finally introduce her to my parents. They were going to be head over heels for her.
A loud crack of thunder roared in the sky as a black cloud hovered overhead. My first instinct was to see my girl’s face. I snapped my head over in her direction and saw her staring up at the sky. She always looked like an angel right before a storm. It was an amazing thing to behold.
Wallace and David made a beeline for their truck, waving goodbye as I continued to gather my things. They were smart getting outta there. It was about to pour down any minute.
I was shoving things into my bag as quickly as I could. Once my ropes and glove were tucked away I threw them in the back seat of my truck and made my way over to her.
“Do you see it?” She nearly squealed. I loved how excited she got just before it rained.
“I see you,” I smiled down at her before I pulled her close to me. I probably stunk from the training, but I couldn’t care less. It was the biggest turn on, seeing that shimmery look in her eyes. It happened every time a storm was rolling in. She was the picture of perfection.
Leaning down, I placed the lightest kiss on her lips. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky followed by the loudest crack of thunder. As if her kiss wasn’t electrifying enough. The skies opened up and the rain fell down hard and fast.
“Can we go in there?” She yelled over the sound of the pouring rain. She pointed to the inside of the corral. The horses were all tucked away safely and it was wi
de open.
“Yeah,” I called out.
Grabbing her waist, I hoisted her up to the top of the fence so that she could jump down on the other side of it. I climbed over behind her, my feet landing in a squishy pile of mud. The rain was falling down so hard that the dirt inside the corral had already turned into a mud pit.
She ran out into the middle and stretched her arms out as wide as she could. Her hair was dripping wet and her clothes soaked through. I knew what she was about to do. I’d seen it many times before. This was her element. She loved the rain as much as the crops did. She looked up towards the sky and spun around as fast as she could. The mud was flying up around her boots, and you could hear her laughing through it all.
When she stopped, she bent over placing her hands on her knees. She must’ve gotten dizzy. It was no wonder with the excessive spinning. It made me dizzy just watching her.
In the spur of the moment, I conjured the perfect plan. I bent down and grabbed a handful of mud. She wouldn’t see it coming. I didn’t give it a second thought before I slung it towards her catching her completely off guard.
“Jude!” Her mouth hung open, and she squinted at me through the heavy rain. It was hilarious. There was a big glob of mud stuck right to her thigh.
I cracked up. You had to see it. It was hilarious.
It took about three seconds before it turned into an all-out mud war. She slung it right back at me, just missing me, and of course I teased her for it. But she got me back, right in the side of the neck. Before I knew it we were running around laughing and covered head to toe in sticky, slightly stinky, mud.
The rain was still pouring down, making my boots hard to maneuver. Each step I took they were getting heavier and heavier as it caked to the bottom of my soles. There was no element of surprise when you were maneuvering around in three-inch deep mud.
I was going to try and pick her up from behind, but I couldn’t get myself behind her. I was inching my way closer to her, barely able to lift one foot in front of the other.
But then, neither could she.
“What are you doing, Jude?” She asked.
Can you see me? Page 7