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2745 Words
Travis Odell loved the rodeo. He was a professional bull rider but enjoyed attending the rodeo circuit to participate in events he otherwise would not have the chance to do. It was also an easy way to ease him into the upcoming season by riding the easy bulls that were brought out for the amateur. He also enjoyed heading over to the barrel racing ring to watch the ladies go round. That would be where he was currently headed. The crunch of dirt under his boots was better than any sand on every beach. Even the sun seemed to hit different at the rodeo grounds in the small town of North Carolina.
“Travis,” his sister shouted from the side of the barrel ring. Meg was 2 years younger than him and a whole lot more trouble. Eventing riders tended to always be trouble. English riders in general actually. Travis always steered clear of English riding ladies.
“Hey sis,” he hugged Meg as well as pulling her from standing on the rail.
“Have they pulled names for the bull class yet?” Meg asked as her attention turned back to the ring.
“Not yet,” he turned his sight to the name on the board. MADDIE JOHNSON. Travis knew Maddie well, maybe a little too well, from their high school days. She was working her way around the barrel racing circuit and did pretty well last year. Her time today was testament to that.
“Hey Meg,” a voice caught both of the Odell’s attention, “I could only find you a hotdog.”
The voice was attached to, what must have been, the prettiest woman Travis had ever seen. Her light brown hair in two braids that became rainbow coloured towards the ends. Her slender, tan hand reached out to him as she held his stare with her green eyes.
“Hi,” she said with a smile, “I’m Jodie. Jodie Venter.”
It took him a moment to gather himself as he reached back for her hand.
“And you must be Travis. Meg has told me a lot about you.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything Meg says about me,” he retorted playfully.
“I only speak highly of you Trav,” Meg’s words are barely audible over the hotdog shoved into her mouth.
“She won!” Meg shouted and grabbed Travis’s arm, “I’m gonna congratulate Maddie. Be right back.”
And just like that Meg was off at her normal pace of a run. Which left Travis with Jodie. For all that the ladies flocked to Travis, he was never very good at flirting with the ones he really liked. It had been a problem since junior high. He could easily flirt with any girl he wanted except Maddie. How the two of them ended up together was testament to Maddie’s stubbornness.
“Well,” Jodie said in a thick accent as she started walking, “I think I’m going to grab myself a beer.”
“I think I'll join you,” Travis stepped into stride next to her. He couldn’t quite place the brief accent she had when saying ‘well’. He decided to get her chatting to see if he could pin point it.
“How do you know Meg?” it was a simple enough question.
“I work at the hospital with her.”
“You a physio too?” Travis couldn’t keep the curiosity from his voice.
“I’m a doctor, actually.” The crowd was thick with little space between each person. Jodie was agile as she wound through them without dropping the conversation. With an abrupt stop, Travis bumped into her as a small child crossed in front of them. Though he knew he should, Travis couldn’t bring himself to step back and break the contact with Jodie. She reached back and grabbed his wrist to pull him through the crowd to the beer tent. Jodie pushed her way to the counter and ordered as Travis managed to find an empty table, he waved her over too.
“So,” he took a sip from his beer when they were settled and she had refused to let him pay, “is this your scene?”
“Rodeos?” She giggled, “I can't say they are.”
“You definitely look the part,” he gestured to her outfit, “like a barrel racer.”
“Most of this is Meg’s,” she took the tan hat off to place on the table, “I would trade these jeans for a pair of pair of leggings any day.”
“Well Meg always did have bad taste in hats,” Travis turns the cheap brown thing over.
“I guess if I’m going to stay, I need to get myself a good quality cowboy hat,” she sipped her beer before pushing it away.
“Not a fan?”
“More of a gin kinda girl.”
“You are such a city girl,” he smiled at her as she just laughed.
“And I suppose you are a pure country boy?”
“Cowboy through and through,” he tipped his hat.
“So, Cowboy,” she pulled her beer back, “I’m assuming this is your kind of scene then?”
“Not usually. Professional bull is usually held by itself.”
“A professional bull rider?” he didn’t know if that impressed her or not. It usually impressed girls. “You riding today?”
“Just a practice round but yes.” he watched her very carefully as she swirled her beer around the cup. “You think you might come watch?”
Smooth Travis, he chided himself. A smile graced her lips as she kept staring at her beer.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she lifted the beer to her lips again and took the smallest sip he had ever seen, “Just remembering something Meg said to me.”
“What stupid thing did Meg say now?”
“She told me not to get involved with a bull or bronc rider.” she finally abandoned the beer for good and put Meg’s terrible hat back on.
“Why?”
She locked eyes with him, a mischievous grin tugging her pretty lips upward. “She made a comment about them not being able to last more than eight seconds out of the ring either.”
She grabbed her bag from the table as she stood. “I’ll see you later Cowboy.”
~
Jodie could not believe what she had just said the Meg’s brother. She could tell he was trying to flirt; she’d even wanted to flirt back. What woman wouldn’t? Those pretty green eyes would stop anyone in their tracks. The chiselled jaw line and fit body were also a big selling factor. But he also seemed sweet; old Southern manners. A big change from the kind of men she was used to.
She managed to find Meg back at the barrel racing. For an English rider she sure loved barrel racing. She had a big eventing show coming up so she was not allowed to do anything to get hurt. They watched a bit more of the barrel racing then headed over to the bull riding before Jodie had her shift in the medic's tent. She enjoyed working these kinds of things and the EMT’s were usually short staffed for big events.
The first rider went in and ended up pretty badly hurt. Jodie would never understand this fascination – putting yourself in danger for a silly belt buckle. At least the next few managed to actually walk out of the ring on both feet. The commentator was very witty with remarks about each rider.
And now, let's give a hand for our local favourite – the man who has won nationals gold three times – Travis Odell.
The crowd went wild as Travis set himself up in the shoot. Those eight second felt like a life time once the bull came out of the shoot. Jodie stopped breathing as she watched Travis. Only once the time buzzed and his feet landed on the floor did she inhale. The crowd around her went wild as Travis irked them on. Jodie and Meg both sprung to their feet and cheered in the stands. Putting her fingers in her mouth, Jodie let out a whistle. It must have been really loud because Travis immediately turned his attention towards the two ladies in the crowd. Green eyes catching her own. Jodie had to admit; that had been the most exhilarating and nerve racking eight seconds of her life.
~
Travis turned his new buckle over in his hand outside of the loud hall with a party. He hated these parties. They were too loud to even hear yourself think and the drop after a riding high was when he needed to be alone with his thoughts. At least the music was good, he thought to himself as he turned to lean his back on the wooden rail. He could see Meg and Jodie dancing inside. He was still in slight disbelief that Jodie had sat in the stands to watch his ride. Her whistle made the whole crowd turn towards her. Travis was in deep trouble with this woman.
He was so busy watching her dance that he nearly fell on his face as his best friend pushed him. Jordan leaned over the rolled wooden poll as Travis regained his balance. The two men stood in silence as they looked into the party. Jordan had been Travis’s best friend since his high school rodeo days. The then scrawny boy was a few years Travis’s senior and had grown into a muscled, bearded architect who stopped riding after a bad accident in his college days. At twenty-nine-years-old Jordan had never been in a serious relationship despite his luck with the ladies in his circuit days. Jordan had once admitted to loving Meg one drunken night long ago when the two had been on the road. Jordan had never brought it up again, and to Travis’s knowledge, had never attempted to start anything with Meg.
So, here the two of them stood; watching two beautiful ladies' dance. A man who had been in love with a woman for a decade without her knowledge. And a man who could not take his eyes off of a woman he had just met.
“This is pathetic,” Kane walked over to them. Kane was Travis’s oldest friend from back in their sandbox days. Kane had opened up a very profitable rodeo school once he was married and wanting to start a family, “There is a party with good quality beer going on in there and the two of you are standing out here looking like love struck puppies.”
“Shove off Kane,” Jordan pushed off of the fence to head into the party for a beer where he was promptly surrounded by beautiful women.
“And you?” Kane asked Travis.
“Designated driver Meg has had one too many so I think I'll just wait out here till they’re ready to head out.” Travis turned the buckle in his hand over, the metal getting warmer in his hand.
“I saw Maddie inside. Perhaps she would like some company.” Kane found true happiness in the woman he married so feels it will be the same for everyone. His actions to find all of his friends a wife were good hearted but a little misguided sometimes.
“Maddie and I are done,” Travis said for the millionth time. Maybe if he told his friend why they really ended he would stop bothering. “You go on inside. I’m gonna stay out here a while longer.”
“I am going home to my wife,” Kane patted Travis on the shoulder. “I’ll see you soon.”
Travis watched Kane walk back to his car in the light from the hall. Maybe Kane was right? Maybe happiness did lie in a woman you could call your own? All his life he had wanted someone to go home to. In his teen years he had thought it would be Maddie but clearly there were other plans for him. He really hoped those plans had rainbow hair. Travis sighed and pushed off the rolled wooden pole to head inside. He managed to make his way to Jordan at the bar who pushed an ice-cold beer in front of him.
“Hey Trav,” Maddie leaned on the counter next to him while stealing and sipping his drink.
“Maddie,” Jordan greeted with a tip of his beer towards her.
“Hey Jojo,” she teased. Maddie always knew how to grate Jordan the wrong way. He supposed that was one of the reasons they would never work – she didn’t fit with his friends. Maddie was always more Meg’s friend, even when they were dating. Travis really wished Meg would come and collect her now.
It was not unusual for Travis and Maddie to leave together. He enjoyed spending the night with her because it was familiar but despite being pretty and independent, Maddie was a lot of work. Work he did not have the energy for tonight.
As if his sister could hear his prayer she appeared. “Jordan, good,” she panted and touched his arm. Meg was none the wiser but Travis could see the way Jordan leaned into her touch and watched every little move she made. “I need someone to do the last dance with.”
“Come on Meg,” Travis scolded, “Leave Jordan alone. You know the man doesn’t dance.”
Meg scowled at him. “I’m sure Jordan can speak for himself,” she turned back to Jordan and watched him so intently. “Will you please be my dance partner for the last dance?”
At the first rodeo of the season at exactly 12:05 was the last dance. No one knew when it started or why we do it but it was one of the many traditions of the small town. The steps were simple so most everyone in town knew them.
“Yes, Meg.” he smiled softly, “I will be your dance partner.”
“Thank you.” she kissed him on the cheek then turned to Maddie, “I believe a certain song is coming on next.” She looped arms with the barrel racer and the two made their way back to the dance floor.
Travis leaned his back against the counter and propped his arms for support before turning to Jordan. “You’re getting soft in your old age.” In the 10 years Travis had known Jordan he had never accepted a woman's request to dance.
“What was I supposed to say?” Jordan turned bright red under his beard. Travis raised his eyebrows. “Shut up, Travis.” Jordan shoved him in the arm.
Travis rolled his eyes playfully at his friend before a flash of rainbow caught his eye at the end of the bar leaning over to order her drink. Travis said something to the effect of ‘be back’ before heading to Jodie. She glanced over at him as he approached.
“And a beer,” she turned her attention back to the bar tender. Travis quickly dug in his pocket for his wallet. Before Jodie could hand her card over, Travis had already slid his across the table to Tag who was tending to her order.
“That’s not fair.”
“You know that here the men are still chivalrous,” he joked as Tag gave his card back.
“I can see that,” Jodie nodded and a strand of hair fell around her face. Light brown that faded to blue. He reached out to tuck it back behind her ear but Jodie did it first.
“Gonna have to be quicker than that, Cowboy,” she grabbed the glass that looked like water but from the few bubbles he assumed a gin and tonic. “I’ll see you later.”
This time Travis picked up the beer and downed it. When he reached Jordan, the tables had truly turned. “Shut up, Jordan.”
- Writer
