Like a Rodeo (book 1 of the Life Is... Series)

4

“Hey Cowboy,” Jodie greeted Travis in the line at the pharmacy. He was wearing his black hat and boots with a red flannel and jeans. He looked good. She watched his muscled arms as he turned. Due to the kiss last week, she had been having some unkosher thoughts when it came to Travis. That brief kiss had been amazing. How was it fair to be as good looking as him and a good kisser? The answer, it was not fair at all.

“Did someone hit you?” Travis cupped her face with his hands to run his thumbs over the bruises that must be forming on her nose and across her cheeks right under her eyes.

“Nah. s*x just got a little rough last night,” she watched as his facial expression changed so she quickly added, “I’m kidding.”

“So, what did happen?” he dropped his hands to his side as they moved down the queue.

“A client horse whacked me in the face this morning while I was riding,” she explained while swinging her basket full of gauze, strapping and bruising ointment. Travis turned back to face her.

“That nose is definitely broken.” he examined, “do you want me to take you to the emergency room?”

“I'll just pull it straight and strap it at home.” she gestured to the basket.

“That is going to hurt like hell,” his sceptical look was very attractive.

“That’s why I am grabbing some pain meds.” he shook his head but carried on down the line. “What are you here for?”

“Anti-inflammatories” he explained. “For my bad knee. Hurt it a couple years ago and it flares up sometimes.”

“I’m actually glad I ran into you,” he starts before she can ask any follow up questions about his knee, “I wanted to see if you’re free for dinner anytime?”

“This week is pretty packed,” she reached past him to the counter and grabbed the pen lying there before grabbing his hand. “But this is my number.” she scribbled her number and a smiley face with its tongue out on his hand. “Why don’t you send me a message and we can organise.”

The pharmacist called the next customer, which was Travis. He turned back to her while walking, “I’ll call you.”

~

Friday nights were traditionally for going to Nelly’s, having a few drinks and playing a round of pool. Travis had done this with Kane and Jordan since they legally could. There were very few exceptions to their meetings. This week two of Kane’s up and coming students had joined them. Chase had just turned twenty-one. Apparently, he was God’s gift to bronc riding. Then there was George, barely eighteen and cleaning up in the bulldogging events. They were decent enough kids. And like Jordan had done for him, Travis wanted to at least try to mentor them a little.

Travis had been winning at pool until Jodie had walked in. Even with the bruised and swollen face she was beautiful. She had on a blouse with jeans and heels that did a little too much to the imagination. That alone would have been a distraction but she then sat at a table right next to Russel Michaels, the only man Travis had ever hated. The two had known each other their entire lives and had fought for about the same amount of time. So, it was particularly difficult to watch him flirt with Jodie. And to watch her flirt back. Travis had no say in the matter seeing as he wasn’t even able to muster up the courage to call her, never mind actually set up a date with her.

One too many beers in and he couldn’t bare it as Russel leaned over to whisper in Jodie’s ear. Travis did not miss the way she bit her bottom lip and nodded before the two stood up to make their way to the exit. Jordan followed his stare as Jodie walked out the door.

“You gonna sit here all night or are you gonna get her?” Jordan asked his friend. Travis downed the last of his beer and pushed off the wall. He was going to fight for Jodie, he decided in that moment. He may not have known her for that long but she was the one he wanted. Or at least wanted to try. He bumped into Russel in the doorway who was on his way back in. But Travis took no notice. He had tunnel vision for the stunning woman sitting on the small wall at the edge of the porch. She had a cigarette between her fingers as she chatted to another woman.

“I didn’t realise you smoked,” he stopped in front of her. Those beautiful green eyes fixed on him. The bruising was barely visible under the makeup she had on.

She glanced at the cigarette and back up at him and shrugged, “I don’t.”

She lifted the thing to her red lips. Travis never thought he would envy a cigarette.

“The smoking is beside the point,” he got distracted by the smoke coming out if her mouth. She looked so different to the woman he was used to.

“What is the point?” She asked after his extended pause.

“I don’t like that you are with Russel Michaels,” the beer made him say things he probably shouldn’t.

She smiled, “did you think I would just sit around until you finally decided to call?”

“I was going to call,” he insisted.

She stood up and they came face to face, “but you didn’t.”

“I will call.” Her gaze moved from his eyes to the door behind him. He vaguely heard Russel saying something about his wallet before Jodie looked back at Travis.

“You do that, Travis,” she dropped the butt on the floor and stood on it with a little foot twist then walked down the steps with Russel Michaels. Which left Travis alone on the porch of Nelly’s like an i***t. He stayed outside for a long while after they had left.

“Hey, Trav.” Maddie walked up the steps.

“Maddie.” He greeted her.

“What are you doing out here?” She stood next to him and looked out at the parking lot where Jodie had climbed into Russel’s car. Travis shook his head as if he could shake Jodie out of his brain and turned to Maddie.

“Can I buy you a drink?” He asked and the two walked back into the bar. Two could play at this game Jodie Venter.

~

The wind was knocked from Jodie's lungs as she hit the ground. After a beat, she rolled onto her back with closed eyes. The sun was hot on her sweaty skin. This horse would kill her, of that she had no doubt. Someone shouting her name drew her attention and she quickly scrambled to her feet and ran for the fence. Sam grabbed the back of her shirt to pull her over the fence. That damned horse slammed into the railing which sent Jodie and Sam plummeting to the floor.

Everyone in the surrounding arenas came to a grinding halt as Vasiliás Apollyon ran around the pen while throwing a tantrum. This horse sure does live up to his name – King Satan in Greek. It is times like these that Jodie wished there was no one watching her every move. There is so much pressure for perfection at this damn barn. It is never peaceful – not like Travis’s place. She hated herself for thinking about Travis and his haven of a place. Jodie sat straight up in realisation. Maybe she should have been thinking of Travis and his barn this whole time.

Jodie stood and helped Sam to his feet. This man was her god send. Sam was the head groom and always kept a special eye out for Jodie – especially after the first time Apollyon threw her into the fence and tried to trample her. The two of them and a few other grooms managed to wrangle the horse into a stall and then Jodie climbed into her SUV and drove the forty-five minutes to Travis’s place.

She parked the car and walked up to the house. No one answered the knock so she walked around back. The sight before her made her heart sing – cowboys herding cattle into the one pasture. They were so content to be there. So calculated and at ease. She knew Travis had a booming beef business which meant he had a couple hands that were permanently at the barn. Of course, he was in the middle of it all – grey hat on his head. She usually hated the sight of western riders because she found the style sloppy compared to the dressage style engrained into her since she was ten. But Travis looked beautiful atop that horse. He looked so at ease, like the world could not possibly touch him, the horse or the land while he was out there. It was magnificent and Jodie let herself watch in envy for only a moment before she remembered why she was here.

So, she leaned over the rolled wooden poles, stuck her fingers into her mouth and whistled.

~

A whistle caught everyone's attention. All of the cowboys turned to see where it was coming from. Travis caught the sight of the woman’s body leaning on the fence at the house. He waved and a hand waved back but it gestured him over. He instructed everyone to keep working as he pushed Dev across the field. As he got closer the rainbow caught his attention and his heart caught in his throat. She looked so beautiful he could barely breathe. She was an English rider through and through with those breeches, long socks with sneakers and wide brim hat. He stopped at the fence and looked down at her. No makeup today so, her bruises shone through. He had never thought about harming a horse, but in that moment, he wanted to shoot the beast that broke her nose.

“Hey Cowboy,” she greeted with that slight accent that made his brain turn to goo. He still had not pluck up the courage to call her and after Friday night’s incident he doubted she still wanted him too. But he re-evaluated that when her face light up as he had ridden closer.

“Do you take boarders by any chance?” she jumped straight to the point.

“Boarders?” Her question threw him. Why would she be asking about boarding when she boarded all her horses at her uncle's place. VDM had state of the art facilities for an Olympic rider. Maybe she wasn’t asking for her though.

“I have a horse I need to move somewhere quieter than VDM. I want to see how he behaves somewhere peaceful with no pressure and prying eyes. Here was the first place I could think of.” She explained.

“I’ve never had anyone want to board here before.” He admitted.

“You can name your boarding fee and I’ll bring a groom over for him. The owner is loaded so you can charge whatever you want.” She smiled mischievously.

“Are you gonna train it here?” How obvious was that question? He wanted to spend as much time as possible with this woman.

“That’s the plan.” Her smile turned genuine and damn if he said...

“It should be okay.”

“I’m glad you said that because I have trailer bringing him over as we speak.” Back to that mischievous grin.

Lord help him – what had he just agreed too?

And apparently, it was a goddam tornado!

The trailer pulled into the parking shaking so violently it could have tipped as the horse kicked and thrashed inside of it.

“What did you just bring me?” Travis asked Jodie as they both stood in the dirt watching the unstable trailer rock the truck towing it.

“King Satan.” She replied and walked over. A couple men climbed out of the truck to greet Jodie. She pulled the latch on the trailer and the door swung open and knocked her halfway down the front lawn of the house as the horse leapt out and ran. All the men except one and Travis ran after the damn horse. He lunged for Jodie with the other man.

She lay on the soft grass gasping for air as she held her side. Travis quickly pulled her shirt up to examine her side and none of the ribs looked out of place which was good. He went over the first aid body check and nothing seemed broken but he would be taking her to the ER on a backboard regardless.

Jimmy, Travis’s foreman, rode over and leapt off his horse to crouch next to Jodie.

“Go into the barn office and grab the backboard.” Travis directed to Jimmy, who was running before he could finish the sentence.

Jodie's cold fingers wrapped around Travis’s forearm which made him look into her pretty eyes.

“It’s just fractured ribs.” She coughed and her face turned pained.

“We can let a trained medical professional tell us what it is.” He said back to her as he placed the backboard into place.

“I am a trained medical professional.” She retorted. Travis wondered how a winded woman being rolled onto a backboard could be so smart-assed.

“Not now you aren’t.” Travis counted down and the three men picked up the backboard to cart it to the backseat of his truck. “Right now, you are the patient.”

“Jimmy,” Travis turned towards his right-hand man as he closed the back seat door. “Make sure you get that damn horse into a stall and finish up with the cattle. I’ll be back later.”

Travis climbed into the driver's seat of his truck as Jodie spoke from the back, “put him into the pasture. He’ll break the stall door down.”

Travis sighed and rolled the passenger window down to shout to Jimmy, “Put the dam horse in the pasture, not a stall.”

“We’ll have to herd the thing into the pasture.” Jimmy said back. “Treat it like a cow.”

“Good luck.” Is all Travis could think to say because that horse was wild. He drove slowly until they were off of the dirt road, constantly checking on Jodie to make sure she was still conscious. Once they hit the tar, he started talking because if he kept looking back, he would cause an accident.

“Is it a mustang?” He asked her.

“A Namibian Warmblood.” Her voice was raspy but strong. “Stubborn breed.”

“That horse is wild.” Travis still checked the rear-view mirror.

“Of course he is. On the stud in Namibia, they chuck them out into the bush until they’re four. The ones that survive are backed and sold. They have to survive leopards, lions, crocodiles, drought and flooding. Those horses are in survival mode and some of them never grow out of it.” Her speech was strong which was a good sign.

“That thing is dangerous. If it hurts you again, I’ll shoot it.” Travis’s voice is dead serious. He was a little surprised when she chuckled and then winced.

“You can’t just shoot 1.2 million dollars because it bumped me over.” She explained. Travis looked at her in the rear-view mirror with wide eyes.

“I have 1.2 million dollars of horse running around my ranch?” He gulped.

“I’m tired.” She said a little weakly.

“Stay awake, darlin’,” He said to her, “Keep talking.”

“About what?” He could hear her starting to drift off.

“About anything. Or nothing at all.” He kept glancing back and started to speed up.

“Bob is short for Robert.” She said. “I didn’t know that until last week. I thought Bob was a made-up name because Rob is short for Robert.”

“I knew a man whose name was Bob. Just Bob, not Robert.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Her breathing was short and sharp. She's probably right about the fractured ribs. They make breathing very painful.

“Tell me about your horses.” Travis breaks the silence when she doesn’t fill it.

“I have four horses.” He let out a breath when she started talking. “Harry - he’s the love of my life. I backed him and trained him back in my show jumping days. He was six when I got him and he’s turning eighteen now. Then there’s Butters – she took me to the Olympics. Still my top horse. The only cow horse at the Olympics. She’s brown and white and short and perfect. Dara is my new dressage baby. She is so sassy. And then my pony – Caramello Bear. I've had that pony since I was seven. She is so old and tolerates all my nonsense. I dyed her tail pink once.”

“No western horses?”

“We don’t really ride Western in SA so I don’t have a Western horse. Maybe I should get one.”

“You can ride Christine.” Travis offered. A stupid thing to offer seeing as she wasn’t even his girlfriend and had so many horses at her fingertips.

“That sounds nice.” she sighs. “Can we go for more rides like last time?”

“As many as you want, Darlin’.”