Chapter 4
4
T he event at the ranch from a couple weeks past was a distant memory as Lawson watched the competitors before him at another rodeo. A pit settled in his stomach, but it wasn’t the thought of the eight-second ride ahead of him this time that concerned him.
He had been dishonest with his family.
Before now, he had only omitted the fact that he was training for rodeos. But this weekend he had told them an outright lie.
He desperately wanted to compete in the rodeo in Dallas — two hours from home—but he couldn’t get away without an excuse. So he told them he was going to look at some cattle. No one questioned him since that was part of his job on the ranch. Now he felt terrible.
Lawson hung his hand and rubbed his temples between his thumb and middle finger. Why was he lying to his family as a grown man? He could make his own decisions, and they couldn’t stop him.
No, it wasn’t because they would stop him. What terrified him was the look he knew his mom would give him when she heard the news. Also, he couldn’t be sure if his brothers would laugh in his face or join him to compete. And he didn’t know which would be worse.
“Hey man,” a familiar voice said before his heavy hand came crashing down on Lawson’s shoulder. “You ready to do this again?”
Lawson grinned at Riley and pushed thoughts of his family aside. “You bet I am.”
Riley chuckled. “Nothing like that first taste of it, huh? Once you do it, you have to do it again.”
Lawson nodded. “That’s exactly how I feel. Don’t know if I can get enough of it.” He sighed, knowing it was true and knowing that meant eventually he would have to tell his family.
“Sorry I didn’t make it out to the event at Whispering Oaks the other week,” Riley said. “Amelia’s family had a gathering we had to be at.”
“I get it. You’re a family man now. I wouldn’t be surprised if you two start having your own family soon.”
Riley smiled. “I can’t say anything yet.”
Lawson laughed. “Well, then that tells me that there’s something to not tell. Good luck, man.”
“Thanks, Law. Good luck to you. I saw the bull you drew today. You’re gonna need all the luck you can get.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m ready,” he called out after his friend. Riley lifted a hand in a thumbs-up.
“Are you sure about that?”
Lawson whipped around to see Harper standing close by, her camera in hand. “Yeah, I'm sure I’m ready. I think I was born ready for this. It just took me a long time to figure it out.”
Harper smiled. “I don’t think anyone is ever really ready to sit on a bull that’s going to kick and buck until they fall off. But okay.” She shrugged.
Lawson tilted his head. “For someone who works at rodeos, you don’t seem to have a very high opinion of rodeo cowboys.”
She didn’t smile as she looked away. “Let’s just say it’s complicated.”
Lawson cleared his throat. He had to assume that she had dated too many rodeo cowboys. She wouldn’t be interested in him, even if she didn’t travel for work. Even if Lawson wanted to, he couldn’t travel that much for rodeos. He had to stick close to the ranch.
“Well, I better get ready,” he said.
Harper nodded and moved away without a word.
Lawson wanted to watch her. She was striking, and if he could stop fumbling over himself maybe he could get to know her. But he couldn’t do that now. He needed to focus. He had enjoyed the last rodeo, but this time it wasn’t just about surviving his first rodeo. He wanted to win.
He stepped up to the gate and hung onto the fence as he watched the other competitors before him.
In less than half an hour, his ride was over. And he knew he wouldn’t win. He had barely lasted three seconds on the massive animal. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath as he stood up and dug his toe in the dirt. He lifted his hat to the audience as he grimaced.
The announcer cheered the audience on. “Come on folks, all he’s gonna get is what you give him so holler loud.”
Lawson kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way out of the arena. If he was going to keep doing this, he needed it to be worth it. That meant he needed to practice.
And that meant more secrets from his family.
Harper carefully packed her camera into her bag and set it beside the rest of her equipment in the back of her SUV.
She climbed behind the wheel and started the drive to the hotel where she would stay for the night. Thank goodness for discount hotels and reward points. All she could think about right now was a hot shower to wash off the dirt and the smell of horses. The animals were great and the smell brought back so many fond memories. But that didn’t mean she wanted to smell like it when she laid down in bed at night.
As she drove away from the rodeo, the sounds and lights drifted away until it was just Harper alone with her thoughts. She had worked hard today and gotten a lot of great shots. She had also gotten a nice jolt in the arm when the fence post she was leaning against got run into by a bucking bronco. There would be a bruise tomorrow. Hazard of the job. It was nothing compared to what some of the cowboys would have.
Especially Lawson Macklin. He’d had a hard fall.
Harper winced as she thought about it. Not only because of the fall, but because she shouldn’t be thinking about him at all. He was exactly the opposite of her type: rodeo cowboy.
Not that she had a type really. She hadn’t thought about settling down and being in a relationship in a very long time. And maybe she hadn’t ever really believed it would happen.
No, she was better off this way. Wild and free. Traveling, taking pictures, and keeping herself busy. As long as she was looking toward the next event and the next submission deadline, she didn’t have to think about the past.
Just as she laid down in bed, her phone beeped, so she glanced at the screen. Just a storm warning. Barely taking in the details as she fought to keep her eyes open, she saw that it was about tomorrow and decided she could worry about that when she was awake.