Chapter 15 #2
“I agree.” He placed his hand on the small of her back as they entered, and they stepped off to the side to take in the sheer size of everything.
From the outside, it looked like it was all enclosed, but once they entered, the top of the arena was open.
Sort of like football fields were, but the bleacher seats were beneath an overhang, or roof, so if there was any rain or snow, the seats would be covered, but the activity in the middle of the area would be prone to whatever the weather was doing.
“Where are our seats?” she asked, and they had to look to find out where they were, but Cole grinned and held them up.
“What are they?”
“I don’t know what the actual word is, but these will allow us into where the horses are out back.”
“Great, let’s go.” She laughed as she looked at her watch and saw they still had over an hour before opening ceremonies.
They made their way in the direction they thought they should go, and the only thing they had to tell them after they gave them their tickets was whether they were with a ranch or the general public.
Cole said he was, and they were allowed through.
“That was weird.”
“Yeah, they didn’t even check to see which ranch.
” He looked at her in concern. “I wonder if there’s a difference between the sizes of the rodeos and their level of security.
Remind me to ask Naomi and Clem when we get back.
” At her shocked but confused look, he explained, “Naomi started going to professional rodeos at the age of eight. Clem was her handler.”
“Ah, I understand.” They started forward, and Lois felt like her head was on a swivel and was grateful when her granddaughter told her to wear her rubber boots.
She wanted to be fashionable, but when Lorissa explained what she would be seeing, she went for practical.
She was happy she had them on when she wasn’t paying attention and stepped into a steaming pile of goo.
“Are you okay?” Cole asked in concern and couldn’t withhold his smirk. “No offense, but you’re not wearing those in my truck.”
“That’s okay, these are my rubber boots I wear in the greenhouse. Just find me a hose, and this crap will come right off.”
Cole threw his head back to laugh and brought her in for a hug.
“You amaze me, Lois. Thank you for allowing you in my life.” He kissed her right in front of everyone, but it was so quick, that if Lois hadn’t been involved she would have missed it.
They broke apart and continued forward, walking hand in hand.
At one point she looked at him and squeezed his hand extra hard, when he looked at her she asked, “Did you bring any business cards?” She smirked when she saw shocked dismay on his face.
They stepped to the side, and she dug into the little purse she had slung over her shoulder and dug out something.
She handed him half of them and stuck the other half in her shirt pocket.
As he took them, she grinned. “It’s not professional, and I did them on my computer, but it is your contact information. ”
Cole took them, read them, shook his head in awe, and did as he did before with the hug and kiss. When they broke apart this time, he kept his arms wrapped around her. “Thank you for looking out for me.”
“You’re welcome, now, what do you want to see first?” She pointed to a rough sign that indicated the bulls were one way, while the horses were in the opposite direction.
“Since I’m a cowboy, I’d like to see the horses first.” They headed in that direction, and once they arrived, Lois stepped up to the gate and was able to look out at all the activity. She told Cole to go do what he needed to, that she would stay there and watch.
Roughly twenty minutes later she felt someone step up beside her, and thinking it was Cole, she didn’t bother looking as she asked, “What’s the difference between a bronc rider and a roper?” She looked up when she heard a chuckle and gave a startled, “Oh. I thought you were someone else.”
“No need to be sorry, Ma’am,” the young cowboy said as he tried to tip his hat to her, but Lois gave another start when she realized he had his arm in a sling, and a cast on his leg. “Oh my, what happened to you?”
The young man lifted his chin toward the arena and with a sour look on his face, said sadly, “Brutis got the better of me last weekend.”
“I take it that’s the bronco horse?”
“Yes.” They watched the activity, at least the younger man did, but Lois watched him. She went out on a limb and reached for one of the business cards.
“I don’t mean to be so forward, and I can see you’re hurt, so, please don’t think I’m going senile, I’m not.”
“Okay,” the man smirked. “I’ll try not to.”
“My name is Lois, and I’m here with my boyfriend Cole. I don’t want to say it’s complicated, it’s more intriguing than anything else, but he’s transitioning the ranch he manages from raising racehorses to rodeo stock. We’re looking for, what do you call them?”
“Hands?”
“Yes, we’re looking for hands to help on the ranch.” She handed him the business card. “It’s too noisy here now, but would you be willing to meet us at the Sunset Motel tomorrow morning at seven for breakfast? Our treat.” She tacked that last bit on when he seemed to look worried.
“You want to talk to me about giving me a job?”
“Please, but I’d like to know your name first.”
“Oh, sorry, I’m Kade Montgomery. That’s with a ‘K’.”
“Well, Kade Montgomery, it would be a pleasure to talk to you about what we want to do. If you could meet us tomorrow, we promise we won’t be wasting your time.”
“Thank you,” was the only thing Kade said, and then after the horse and rider in the arena left, he swung around and used the one crutch to guide him away. He was a few feet away when he swung back around. “Can I bring my brother with me?”
“Sure, and don’t worry, we’ll pay for your breakfasts so bring your appetites and an open mind.” Lois laughed when Kade’s somber face lit up with joy.
“We can eat a lot.”
“We have a lot to discuss.” Lois laughed and felt good about what she’d done.
She figured it would be better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
Besides, if Cole didn’t want to fork out the money for the boys’ breakfasts, she would.
There was something about him that screamed for her to help him.
The rest of the night went in a blur and by the time Cole caught up with her, she was ready to head back to the hotel.
She laughed when he directed her to the outside and hosed off her boots himself, and they were able to catch the shuttle just as it pulled up.
She decided to wait until they got back to the room before telling him about Kade and his brother.