Chapter 31
WHISPERIN’ AND SMOOCHIN’
I can’t help but tap my foot against the ground nonstop because I have let my nerves get the best of me, no doubt. I chew my thumbnail and peer up at the scoreboard, waiting for the last rider’s score to appear. The crowd cheers, and the red bulbs illuminate. Seventy-seven.
I know, barring a terrible and unforeseen circumstance, Landry will crush that score.
He could have a higher scoring ride than that with a blindfold on, but as I’ve learned, part of his skills come from his years of experience.
The younger riders can be talented and amazing, but there are unexpected moments in riding that can only be assuaged by experience.
Landry’s next, so I angle my camera toward the announcer, capturing the moment he calls out my favorite rider.
“UP NEXT, WEARING NUMBER ONE-FORTY-THREE, PAIRED WITH MARIA, A BUCKING MARE FROM SALIDA RANCH IN SABLE SKY, IS FIVE-TIME BAREBACK CHAMPION AND STAR OF THE UPCOMING UBS FILM THE COMEBACK RIDER, MR. LANDRY VAUGHN!”
The bleachers rattle as the town gets to their feet, cheering on Landry as he stands at the chute, waving briefly before plopping his hat on his head.
Tate talks to Landry as he climbs onto Maria, a mare he’s ridden before.
Maria is one of the more wild bucking horses in rotation, but Landry’s expression is all confidence.
Shoulders set back, legs extended, he adjusts his grip on the rig and nods.
Then it happens.
The buzzer sounds, and the chute gate opens, Maria surging forward wildly the first moment she can.
She’s quick, but Landry marks out in under two seconds, his spurs far above Maria’s withers, strong hand waving in the dark sky.
Her jumps are wild but not explosive, which leaves room for Landry’s strength and control to take over, and own this ride.
His spurs graze Maria’s shoulders repeatedly, high and easy, his hips rolling with her instead of working against her. They move together, almost like a choreographed dance, as Landry’s hand stays high in the air, counterbalancing every attempted buck by Maria.
“Three… four…” I count the seconds quietly, my brain dulling the roar of the crowd, zeroing in on the sound of his leather chaps slapping the mare’s back as she tries her hardest to throw Landry off.
At six seconds, Maria gives up, drooping her head, giving one last lazy kick of her hind legs, which Landry rides out like a pro. When the buzzer sounds, the pickup men storm the arena, and moments later, Landry is off Maria, standing on the bars of the chute, waving at a cheering crowd.
Looked like his easiest draw of his training, but I keep my eyes on him as he watches the scoreboard, shoulders heaving as he works to de-escalate his breathing. A moment later, the numbers appear.
NINENTY-TWO.
I jump and scream, celebrating his victory, and that he’s one step closer to the final ride, to his comeback coming true, to saving his farm, to having all the happiness in the world.
I leave my camera and shove through the crowd, random townspeople complimenting us as I pass.
“He did it!”
“Your husband is so cool!”
“That’s Landry’s wife!”
Pride lifts my shoulders as I move through the crowd, my fingers aching to hold my husband, to ease the ache from his muscles with my fingers, to unburden his desires with my body, and to celebrate him and all the wonderful things that he is.
“Landry!” I call out right before I spot him, leaned up against the back of the arena, talking to another rider. A smile is stretching my lips, waiting to be kissed by him, but by the time the crowd clears again, my face falls.
Landry is still where he was before, only now, he’s got a woman hanging from his neck. Not just any woman, but Jenna.
The woman he went out with before.
She unlinks her arms from his neck, thank heavens, and steps back, wearing a massive grin.
She pats his chest, and he says something, but I’m not sure what.
She takes her hand back but nods, as if they’re in the middle of something important.
Jenna nods, points to his phone as he fishes it out, and finally, walks away, joining a cluster of men nearby.
I saunter up, shoving Jenna out of my thoughts, because Landry just got one step closer to his goal, and I’m so proud of him. “Landry!” I call, and he turns, blue eyes landing on me.
His arms open, and a smile curves his lips, wide and genuine, and all thoughts about Jenna truly fade. He embraces me as I praise him, and I make sure he knows how proud I am.
“Congratulations, you did amazing, I’m so proud of you,” I beam, reaching up with my lips to kiss his chin. He smiles down at me, pride radiating from him in waves. I love seeing him this way, accomplished and happy.
“She wasn’t so bad, Maria,” he says, plucking his hat off his head, dropping it onto mine before bending at the waist to plant a kiss on my lips. Pride shimmies through my shoulders at his post-win affection.
“You were perfect,” I tell him, snaking my hands beneath the number pinned to his chest. “Absolutely incredible.”
He smirks, his hair looking glossy and vibrant beneath the quick falling moon and gentle arena glow. “You aren’t just sayin’ that because you want in my pants, now, are ya?”
I dance my eyebrows playfully, and very quickly cop a feel. He doesn’t even flinch when I cup his cock and let go, and doesn’t bother to look around to see who saw, either. He just winks.
“You wanna stay? Get some drinks? Dance a little?” I peer around at the excitement that’s only just starting. Live music, beer gardens, the rodeo is a lot more than bulls and broncs, that’s for sure.
He nods. “I’d love to twirl you around and show everyone here how beautiful my wife is.”
“Landry.” I smack him. “That was so sweet.”
He nestles into my ear, stroking big, skilled fingers through my hair. “Gonna be real sweet to you while we’re here, because once we get home, all bets are off.”
Mabel Sable strolls up, and Landry rights himself so well, not even Mabel could tell he was just in my ear promising to fuck me right. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Winner.”
Landry smiles. “How ya doin’, Mabel? How’s the inn?”
She cools herself with a paper fan she picked up on the way in, Elena’s veterinarian practice information printed on the front, a bail bondsman company on the back. “It was peaceful for a few days.”
I wince. “Sorry we had to bring Mr. McCharger back.”
She shrugs. “I’m used to him. It’ll be him and me until the end, of that I have no doubt.”
Landry chuckles, but surprises me when he cautions a troubled, playful glance at Mabel.
“Hey now, Mabel, I hear I have a bone to pick with you.” He glances my way, steely blue eyes so clear and gorgeous I almost go breathless from my cowboy’s hunky good looks.
“I heard you tried to make me think Miss Quinn went on a date, you know, before I got my ring on her finger.”
Mabel looks at me and smirks. “Well, I knew she wanted to date you, but she wouldn’t admit it.
All I did was get the ittiest of balls rolling.
” She beams, fanning herself, silver hair flying.
“That’s why I’m Mrs. I Told Ya So, after all.
I mean, I know the marriage started as fake, but I also just saw you take a handful of cowboy junk,” Mabel says to me, making me immediately flush.
“So I was right. You two are the real deal.”
I look up at Landry. “You were right, Mabel,” he says to her while looking at me.
“Okay, well, go ahead, get back to your whisperin’ and smoochin’,” she says, waving her fan. “I’m off to get a beer and a pretzel.”
“Enjoy yourself, Mabel,” Landry says as she throws a lazy wave over her shoulder and joins the line for pretzels.
“C’mon, let’s go make sure Petunia and Sadie don't marry off another pair of related animals, then we’ll do some dancing,” he says to me, feeding his fingers into mine. His hand dwarfs mine, being twice the size, but I love the feel of being safe in his grip.
Kids are so random. When I asked Sadie why she wanted to skip watching her daddy’s ride, she took my hand in hers and began softly stroking my palm.
“Miss Elena’s friend brought his horse, all the way from Wyoming,” she started, her little chestnut curls wild around her face.
“Her friend brought a real fancy horse that we don’t have in Texas.
” I nodded, and that’s when keeping a straight face got hard.
“Miss Quinn, I love watchin’ my daddy, but Miss Elena’s friend’s horse has really pretty eyes, like real rare and stuff, so me and Petunia had to see ’em. ”
“Ah,” I said, “a rare horse. Well, I certainly don’t blame you. And you always know you can watch the movie I make of his ride later.”
She waved me off when I said that. “Oh yes, I’ll do that.”
On the side of the bed, I ease my pink boot off my foot, and immediately start rubbing my heel.
I do the same to the other foot as Landry comes in, his sun-kissed skin and tousled hair stirring up my insides, even after four beers and a round of line dancing that got me nicknamed “the bad dancing Vaughn.”
“How’d it go?” I ask, since Sadie asked that Landry specifically put her to bed tonight.
He pulls his belt out of his jeans. “Good.”
I scratch my scalp where my barrette kept hair out of my eyes all night. “I hope she isn’t upset with me.” I yawn, talking through it as I tug my top off over my head. “I missed putting her to bed.”