Twenty
Annabeth
We finally make it to the rodeo, the festivities already well underway as we pull into the packed car park. My hand rests on Dallas’s thigh the entire way.
“Hey,” I say.
“Yeah?”
“Come closer,” I tell him, and he leans across the cab of his ute until his face almost reaches mine, our noses brushing slightly.
“Last time you told me to come closer, you ended up on top of me, and very naked,” he teases me.
“Shut up and kiss me.”
And kiss me. He. Does.
We stroll through the car park hand in hand.
Dallas refusing to not be near me is rapidly becoming my favourite thing.
The way his eyes follow me, how his pace steadies to meet mine so we’re walking side by side, the way his fingers perfectly interlock with mine.
This is our first official public outing, and it’s only now that I realise this may not have been the optimal reveal setting…
Dallas whispers in my ear that he’s going to the bar, kissing my cheek before leaving me to continue my way towards our friends. I don’t like how empty my hand feels now.
“There you are, we were starting to think you ditched us!” Ella’s voice rings out from the grandstand where she’s waving her arms wildly to draw my attention.
She’s at the end of the row, Hannah and the Carters filling the aisle to her right.
I smile to myself as I take the stairs two at a time until I reach them.
“And where did you run off to?” Hannah pipes in from where she’s sitting, River’s son bouncing happily on her lap.
“I told you. To wrangle myself a damn cowboy,” I announce. And as if the universe came to my aid, Dallas appears beside me, two beers in hand.
“I present, the cowboy!” I exclaim, taking the beer and making a toast gesture towards the group.
“Well, I’ll be fucked,” Jonas hollers.
“Good on ya, Dallas. It’s the ones with fancy hair you gotta nail down quickly,” Teddy adds, sending a gentlemanly nod in his direction.
“The only thing being nailed down will be my divorce papers if you don’t knock it off,” River laughs, plonking herself onto her husband’s lap. I realise that I don’t actually know who is married to who – not that it matters. They’re just them.
“When’s Billie home anyway? I think Frankie misses his sister,” Jonas asks.
“Tomorrow, and she acts more like his mother half the time,” Dallas tells him. The men share a hearty laugh while River smiles lovingly at the pair of them.
We take our seats, Dallas not leaving my side despite opting to sit next to the boys.
His hand rests on my leg, the other holding his beer.
His fingers gently trace the ridges of denim in tiny circles as he talks to Teddy and Jonas.
The subtle wrinkles around his warm, hazel eyes deepen as an enamoured smile spreads over his face as he talks about Billie and her progress with both Lenny and the guitar.
“She’s a bloody musician, I tell ya. Isn’t she, Annabeth?” he asks, turning his attention to me.
I match his proud smile, feeling my own sense of love and adoration for the incredible little girl that waltzes into my classroom everyday with an energy unlike any student I’ve had before.
She’s the first to volunteer with packing up, or even just following me around on yard duty to talk to me about her dreams. My smile broadens as I replay our lunch-date chats over and over in my mind.
“Have you heard her sing?” I enquire.
Dallas’s eyebrow raises and the entire group silences for a moment, watching in unison before Dallas speaks. “My girl can sing?” his voice breaks on the last word.
“Of course she can; she’s you.” Colt’s voice cuts the silence as he strides towards the group.
His jeans fit him perfectly, a maroon-coloured Ringers Western shirt is tucked into his championship belt buckle with tasselled chaps hanging from the loops.
I’ve never noticed how alike the Northlane brothers are until now.
Colt may be the younger of the two, but the years of farm work, competitive barrel racing, and raising Billie with his brother have definitely taken a toll.
Even the creases beneath his eyes almost match Dallas’s.
Colt’s hair is laced with sweat, sticking to his forehead beneath his trucker cap.
It’s weird seeing him sans cowboy hat, but it suits him, his chiselled features even more prominent.
I find myself noticing the creases of his shirt and how it fits across his frame.
He’s smaller than Dallas, but not by much. They really could pass for twins.
Dallas stands, moving around us towards his brother, the two of them meeting in a warm embrace. “You ready for tonight, Colson?” Dallas asks, releasing his brother from the hug.
“Fuckin’ nervous. Haven’t done this track without Finnegan before. Not gonna’ lie, I’m shitting myself,” Colt explains.
Jonas invites himself into the conversation. “You’ve got this, man. Just remember to breathe and lean into your corners. Lou’s done this track a thousand times, trust in her. And keep your ass in the saddle.” He offers a series of elaborate hand gestures as he comforts his friend.
Colt nods, the worried expression not leaving his face. Jonas continues, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re a bloody good rider. Don’t think about the score or the crowds, just follow your track and don’t take your eyes off the barrels.”
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The booming echo of the rodeo announcer fills the showground. “Thank you for coming down tonight to celebrate the seventieth annual Fires Creek rodeo. We’ve got quite the line-up for you tonight. Returning to the corral is five-time barrel racing champion, Colson Northlane!”
“I best be off. See you guys soon,” Colt says, placing a gentle kiss on Ella’s cheek before turning on his spurs and exiting the grandstand. I wish those two would get their shit together and cut this ‘we aren’t obsessed with each other’ crap out.
I almost open my mouth to ask, but the announcements continue, “Riding tonight, in the female barrels, we have Wattle Ridge’s very own Charity Michaels!” Cheers erupt from the ground below us.
“And we also have Fires Creek royalty with us in the stands tonight, Theodore James. He’s come along with his partners and son to cheer on our local talent tonight. Give it up for the Carters!”
More cheers whoop through the showground, a few raised glasses end up collateral damage as a group of cowboys in the stands beneath us get rowdy.
I glance over to see Jonas wrap his hand around Teddy’s neck before pressing his lips against his temple.
River smiles at her husbands, lifting their son into the air to kiss his dad’s other temple.
Those three really are beautiful together.
“Wait for it,” Dallas tells me, smirking. I don’t have a moment to ask what he’s talking about before Teddy stands.
Somehow in the two-seconds since I looked at him, he’s picked up Frank – whose now on his shoulders – and is wildly galloping in a circle like a rogue stallion. It’s both the funniest, and the dumbest thing I have ever seen.
“He does this a lot, he’s actually a dickhead,” River says through a laugh.
Her eyes roll, but the expression on her face is nothing but adoration for her husband.
The crowd dies down, and Teddy takes his seat, depositing his son onto his other father’s lap before wrapping his arms around River, nestling into her neck.
A few events come and go, cheers and boos erupting from all sides of the showground as the scores are placed and the next rider makes their way to the podium.
It’s been a long time since I have been to a rodeo, let alone with so many friends.
I was usually the date for whatever asshole I was glued to at the time.
In fact, until now, I don’t think I’ve ever been with someone who saw me.
Not the way Dallas does. He looks past everything: my soft belly, the stretch marks on my thighs, the few-too-many piercings from my youth.
He doesn’t make me feel the way the others did, like I was too much, but not enough.
I was never the girl that you proudly showed off, the girl you bragged about to your friends, especially when they made fun of you.
I can’t say that I’ve never been in love, that would be a lie, but I can say that I don’t think I have ever truly been loved… Until now.