Chapter 5
5
T he rodeo arena buzzed with excitement as day two of the events continued. Competitors raced against the clock in barrel racing and hung on desperately to the bulls as they bucked and spun, trying to unseat their riders. The stands were filled with spectators who cheered and applauded after each event.
Lawson watched the other riders as he kept an eye on the sky above. It wasn’t raining yet, but in the distance, a dark wall of clouds loomed. The weatherman was predicting a rough storm.
As the day wore on, Lawson wondered if they would finish the event. Surely the organizers were concerned for the rodeo participants and the spectators.
Sure enough, as the final bull rider completed his eight-second ride and the crowd erupted in cheers, the first raindrops began to fall. At first, they were a welcome relief, a cool respite from the Texas heat. But within minutes, the light rain turned into a torrential downpour.
Chaos ensued as everyone scrambled to find cover. Lawson could take care of himself, but without an explanation, his mind went directly to one person.
He looked around frantically and spotted Harper on the other end of the arena. Before he could think, his feet moved in her direction as he watched her trying to protect her camera and lift her bag of equipment.
“Let me take that,” he practically shouted over the sound of the rain as he lifted the bag off her shoulder. “Come on.” He led the way out of the arena and to his truck parked just outside. He flung the door open and pointed for her to jump in the passenger side before running around to his own side.
Once inside, he took off his cowboy hat and shook his head, water droplets flew from him. “You okay?” he asked, looking over to see Harper wiping rain off her face and hair.
“I think so,” she said. “My camera has taken a beating before. I tried to cover it as soon as the rain started. We should be alright.” She flashed a smile that said she wasn’t worried.
Just as Lawson smiled back at her, he was startled by the sound of his phone emitting a loud beeping sound.
Harper jumped as her phone did the same.
Lawson looked at the screen and immediately his stomach sank. “Looks like we’re under a tornado warning.”
Harper’s mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. She paused only for a moment before she said, “What do we do?”
Lawson furrowed his eyebrows as he thought. “There’s a storm shelter up the road. There’s nowhere safe to go here at the rodeo grounds.” He threw the truck in gear and peeled out of the parking spot.
“Wait, what about my car?”
“Don’t worry about it right now. Better for us to get to safety and come back for it later.” He squinted as he tried to peer through the pelting rain making his way toward the shelter.
He saw Harper nod out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to reach out to her. Maybe put a hand on hers to comfort her, but he resisted. He couldn’t do that. He barely knew her.
Lawson gripped the steering wheel tighter as the wind threatened to push them off the road. They would have to move quickly to get inside the building. When he reached the parking lot, he didn’t concern himself with the lines and correct spaces but drove as close as he could get to the front door of the building. “Let’s go.” He raised his voice to make sure she heard him.
They jumped out and ran towards the door. Several other people from the rodeo were already inside or rushing for the building like them. They made their way inside and followed the others down to the basement.
As the crowd thickened, Lawson worried that he might lose track of Harper. He glanced down at her and saw the look of fear in her eyes. “Hey,” he said, “It’s gonna be okay.” He reached out and took her hand, tugging her close so they wouldn’t get separated. Finally, they reached the safety area in the basement, and Lawson found a spot by the wall where they both sank onto the floor.
“Thanks Lawson,” Harper said quietly. “Without you, I might still be standing out there in the rain.”
He chuckled as he reluctantly let go of her hand. “Nah, I’m sure you would have figured something out.”
The sound of horrific winds overhead silenced them both. A hush washed over the entire group of people. As the storm moved right over the top of them, he tucked Harper under his arm and held her close as she buried her head in his shoulder. He closed his eyes and grimaced, knowing the damage would be severe.