by J. B. Havens
Handing her unfinished drink to Maddie, who nodded and shooed her off, she stepped over to her very drunk boyfriend and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Come on, soldier boy, time to get you to bed.”
“Soldier boy? Try s-soldier man!” She laughed when he leaned down and sniffed her hair loudly. “Goddamn, Wannabe, you smell so fuckin’ good. How come you always smell so nice? I could just eat you up. Hmm . . . now that, that is a fine idea. Let’s go. See ya, Sheriff!” Waving, Nathan led the way. She guessed when he decided he was ready to go, he was ready. Not that he’d be eating anything when they got home, except maybe a sandwich to soak up more of the alcohol in his gut.
Grady and most of the other patrons laughed loudly and waved goodbye in return, accompanied by shouts, catcalls, and shrill whistles. Nathan spun around, almost tripping over Willow, and took a bow to the crowd. Grabbing his arm and waist, she barely kept him from face-planting. “Come on, Nathan, you’re going home to bed.”
“Not without you, I’m not. I have plannnssss.” He drew the word out as if it had ten syllables instead of one.
“Of course you do, and you can feel free to tell me all about them. In the morning.”
Sure enough, Nathan was snoring half-way home. He was passed out cold, with his face smashed against the window and his mouth hanging wide open. Willow smiled and was tempted to pull over just so she could take a picture of him with her phone.
After she got them back to Skyview and parked the truck, Nathan woke up just enough to stumble his way inside and into her bed with her assistance. Willow stripped him of his boots and clothes, evading his wandering hands and ignoring his begging the entire time. She couldn’t help but laugh at his pout when she tucked him in, leaving a glass of water and pain reliever on the bedside table.
“Go to sleep. I have to take care of the chickens and check on Ethel, and then I’ll be back.”
“’Kay,” he mumbled into his pillow, already falling back asleep. “’Ov you.”
Her heart seemed to skip a beat as she froze for a moment, not sure if he’d really just said what she thought he had. Pushing the ridiculous notion aside, she did her evening chores quickly before undressing and climbing into bed beside him. He muttered something before rolling over and wrapping her up into his arms, sighing heavily into her hair. “Mmm . . .”
She drifted off, her mind and heart full of possibilities of their future. She was afraid to hope for too much, but the man holding her was breaking all her barriers and making it impossible not to.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Ready, solider?” Willow asked, putting on the cowboy hat she’d apparently bought after her first riding lesson, before grabbing the truck keys and a denim jacket for later when the temperature was expected to drop.
They hadn’t done much yesterday, besides binging on the Fast & Furious series while pigging out on junk food, mainly because of Nathan’s massive hangover. It’d been a while since he’d gotten that intoxicated—well over a year—but Willow had insisted she hadn’t minded. In fact, she’d called him a cute drunkard.
“Sure thing, Wannabe. I haven’t been to a rodeo since I was a teenager. I’m really looking forward to it.” Hell, even if he wasn’t, he’d go anywhere and do anything as long as it was with her. She had him wrapped around her little finger and didn’t even realize it. It was a place he was very happy to be.
“Well, I’ve never been to a rodeo, except the ones in my bedroom the past few nights.” Laughing, she winked and smacked his ass, making him yelp and jump, before following him out the door. He caught her around the waist and kissed her senseless, wanting to savor every moment with her. The timing of the local event they were going to, that had apparently drawn entries from all over the state, couldn’t have been better. He was leaving tomorrow and desperately needed a distraction from the fact. He’d never considered going AWOL before, but being with her made the idea tempting.
When he finally let her go, and they descended the front steps, Willow continued, “Jeremiah and one of his ranch hands are competing, and I promised I’d cheer them on. Plus, it’s for charity. It was in the newspaper, and there’ve been posters and flyers about it all over town for a few weeks now. All the proceeds from today go to the Chriscos, a family from Butterfield, which is the next town over. Their son suffered a severe TBI in Afghanistan, and they need remodeling done on their house to accommodate his wheelchair and things.”
“An even better reason to go. We’ll make sure to make a donation too.” Stopping beside the truck, Nathan couldn’t help himself—he grabbed her again and stole another deep kiss, bending her backward over his arm. Every time he touched her, she fired his blood and turned his cock hard as a post. He didn’t know what he was going to do after he had to say goodbye to her tomorrow and return to his lonely apartment in Kansas—probably cry himself to sleep like a little bitch. The week had flown by, and he was already counting the days until he could get leave again and come back.
Refusing to think about it anymore until tomorrow, he promised himself he would enjoy the day and the remaining time he had with Willow.
They arrived at the county fairgrounds in Butterfield to a scene of controlled chaos. In the huge parking area, rows of livestock trailers mixed with campers and trucks. Tailgaters were aplenty as people played cornhole, caught up with friends and family, and enjoyed their day off work. It was loud, dusty, and smelled of sweat, manure, beer, and barbecue.
“Holy shit,” Willow murmured. “This is awesome.”
Laughing at her surprise, and happy he could experience her first rodeo with her, he draped his arm over her shoulders and followed a line of people past a row of vendors, toward the main entrance. After buying their tickets at a booth, he led her through the doors to the main arena while keeping a hand on her at all times. There were quite a few cowboys shooting appreciative glances her way. He couldn’t blame them—she looked hot in her tight jeans, cowboy boots, and snug, vintage Van Halen t-shirt. But Willow was his, and if he had to keep her plastered to his side all day, well, that was just fine with him.
Like outside, there were people inside selling everything from event t-shirts and western apparel to toys for kids. Booths offered a variety of carnival food and ice cream. Spotting a beer kiosk, he tugged her along by the hand. “Want a beer?”
“I never say no to cold beer and the company of a sexy-as-sin man.” She smirked when he shot her a look over his shoulder and raised a questioning brow.
“You, of course.” She ogled him from head to toe and back up again, gesturing to his fine physique. “I mean, the company of this sexy-as sin-man.”
“Nope, she meant me.” Willow’s hand was pulled free from Nathan’s, and he spun around to see Jeremiah embrace her and lift until her feet left the ground. If it’d been any other man, that would’ve been the start of a brawl, but he’d grown fond of her neighbor who treated Willow like she was his kid sister instead of just a friend.
“Good try, but she’s taken.” While they greeted each other, Nathan paid for his and Willow’s beer. Jeremiah was wearing chaps, a protective vest, and had a contestant number affixed to his back. His usual tan hat had been replaced with a black Stetson. Spurs on his boots jangled with every step.
Smiling, Nathan took a sip of his beer, before licking foam off his upper lip and nodding at the other man. “Check you out. You look like a real cowboy and everything. Who’d you steal the snazzy outfit from?”
“Ha. Boy’s got jokes, huh? I’d like to see you throw yourself off a horse and rope a steer. It’d be hilarious. Or better yet, get that ass on the back of two-thousand pounds of pissed-off bull.”
“Nah, I give him all the rides he needs,” Willow snarked at Jeremiah as she took the cup of beer Nathan held out to her. She lowered her voice before adding, “But here you are, riding smelly livestock instead of your own hot man.”
Nathan snorted, offering her a high-five. “Nicely done, baby.”
“You guys are fucking ass
holes,” Jeremiah grumbled good-naturally as an announcement blared loudly, declaring the start of the events. “That’s me—gotta go.” He kissed Willow’s cheek swiftly and jogged off, spurs clicking and the fringe on his chaps slapping against his thighs.
Pivoting in the opposite direction, Nathan and Willow headed for the stands to find good seats. Country music played loud enough to be felt through the soles of their feet, and Willow was so excited, he couldn’t help but be infected by it.
As they weaved their way through the crowd, a woman stepped in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. She was wearing black jeans, cowboy boots, a brown cattleman hat, a blue western shirt with “Event Staff” embroidered on the left side of her chest, and a broad smile. “Hi, I’m Tina Malcolm, one of the rodeo organizers, and I noticed your shirt,” she said, gesturing to Nathan’s green t-shirt, with “US Army” in large lettering on it, that he was wearing over a pair of faded jeans. “Are you a veteran or still serving?”
Caught off guard, it took him a second to respond. “Um . . . I’m . . . um, still serving. Got a few months left before my discharge is final.”
The woman held out her hand for him to shake, which he accepted. “Thank you for your service. I’d like to invite you to join other current members of the military and some veterans in the center of the arena for the national anthem. We wanted to honor as many service members that are attending the rodeo as we could.”
“Uh . . .” He glanced at Willow, then back at Tina. “Thanks, but I don’t want to leave Willow alone.”
“No worries. She’s more than welcome to stand with you. There will be several significant others and kids out there. Please, we’d be honored if you joined them.”
When he looked at Willow again, she smiled and nodded at him. If he wanted to do this, she was clearly giving him her support. He squeezed her hand, proud to have her at his side. “Uh, sure. We’d love to. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Tina replied. “If you come with me, I’ll take you to where everyone is lining up behind the honor guard. When you’re done, we’ve roped off a section of the best seats for you and the others.”
Less than ten minutes later, after shaking hands with about a dozen members of the military, both active duty and veterans, along with their family members, Nathan and Willow walked out into the center of the dirt arena with everyone. The group was led by three teenage girls, dressed in fancy western shirts covered in sequins, riding horses. Each of the girls carried a pole with a flag to honor America, the state of Wyoming, and those who’d served and were POW or MIA. They stopped in the middle of the arena as the spotlights made their countless sequins sparkle.
Willow and Nathan stood between a Vietnam veteran, who’d served in the Navy, and his two grandchildren, and a Marine, who’d lost a leg in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and his wife.
“Please rise for the national anthem,” the male announcer said over the loudspeaker. The crowd stood, removed their hats, and placed their right hands over their hearts. Nathan barely kept himself from saluting, since he wasn’t in uniform. It would be a hard habit to break when he became a civilian again.
“Joining us in the center ring with the honor guard are veterans and current members of the United States military and their families. Please give them a round of applause to acknowledge their service and thank them.” A roar went up in the crowd as everyone clapped and whistled. Many in the group they were honoring waved and tipped their hats. After a few moments, when the din had died down, the announcer continued, “Today, the anthem will be sung by Isabella Chrisco, sister of Private First Class ‘Big’ Jim Chrisco, who we’re all here to support today. The entire Chrisco family thanks you for your attendance.”
A tall, pretty woman in her early twenties stepped up to a microphone that’d been placed in front of the honor guard. “O, say can you see . . .”
Nathan’s heart beat faster, swelling with pride, same as it did every single time he stood for the colors and anthem. He loved being a soldier and serving his country, but his enlistment was almost up, and he couldn’t wait to start the next chapter of his life. Hopefully, with Willow at his side. It was the first time since he’d lost his family that he truly looked forward to something—a lifetime of somethings.
As the song finished, the crowd broke into loud applause again before resuming their seats. The honor guard rode off to the gate they’d all entered from, while several event staff members directed Nathan, Willow, and the others to the reserved section of seats, where they’d be front and center for all the rodeo action.
The first competition was the women’s barrel racing, which had Willow’s eyes popping out of their sockets. The competitors thundering around the stationary barrels had enthralled her. Dirt clods flew through the air, kicked up by the hooves of the horses galloping like the wind. When a new best time was posted, Willow shook her head. “Crap! I’ll never be able to ride a horse that fast.”
Nathan put his arm around her. “Maybe not fast enough for competition, but you’ll get there, baby. You did great when we went riding the other day.” While she still needed more practice when it came to cantering and galloping, she’d done well with trotting when they’d gone on a trail ride through a local wildlife park with her instructor the other day. It’d been a lot of fun, but Nathan had paid for it the next day. Like he’d told Willow, it’d been years since he’d ridden a horse, and his ass and thighs had painfully reminded him of that fact. Thankfully, Willow had offered to apply a healthy dose of arnica gel to his aching body parts. The massage she’d given him had been fantastic, almost as amazing as the sex that’d followed.
Up next was the calf roping competition, which was Jeremiah’s event. While Willow’s neighbor had posted an impressive time, he’d lost out on winning the event when the last roper took the lead.
After his ranch hand, Ethan Rivers, had placed third in steer wrestling, or bulldogging as it was also called, Jeremiah had taken off his chaps and spurs and managed to track down Willow and Nathan in the crowd. Luckily, there’d been an empty seat for him next to Willow. Nathan flagged down a beer vendor to buy Jeremiah and himself a round to toast his second-place award.
It wasn’t until Nathan handed the other man the aluminum beer bottle that he noticed the guy looked pissed about something—and he didn’t think it was because Jeremiah had lost the first-place buckle. He was about to ask him if he was okay, but the announcer called out the name of the lead-off competitor in the next event. “Our first bronc rider of the day is Dale Harris.”
Nathan furrowed his brow at Willow. “Isn’t that your new foreman’s name?”
“It is. Think it’s the same guy?” she asked.
“It’s the same fucker all right—I saw him down in the chutes,” Jeremiah grumbled just loud enough for Nathan and Willow to hear him.
“You saw him? What happened, Jeremiah? Please don’t tell me you got into an argument or something with him. He’s going to be living on my ranch and working for me in a few weeks.”
A snort was his reply followed by, “Don’t worry, Willow-girl. I’ll be more than happy to avoid the pompous ass from now on.” He mumbled a few more choice insults under his breath.
Willow looked at Nathan and rolled her eyes. “Well, isn’t that just fucking peachy.”
Nathan didn’t think Jeremiah could get more pissy than he already was at Dale, until after the guy won his event. As he stood in the center of the arena and accepted his prize, his gaze seemed to zero in on Jeremiah out of the hundreds of people there. Nathan’s eyes nearly bugged out when Dale blew a kiss Jeremiah’s way. No one else beside him, Willow, and Jeremiah could probably figure out who the man had been looking at when he’d made the gesture, but Jeremiah’s face blooming beet red and his expression turning thunderous was all the confirmation Nathan needed. Clearly something had happened between the two men, and Willow’s friend wasn’t one bit happy about it.
Before Nathan and Willow could ask Jere
miah what in the hell was going on, the man excused himself and left the stands. Willow stared after him and then shook her head. “Yup, this is going to be a riot.”
Putting his arm around her shoulders, Nathan pulled her close and kissed her temple. “Just another day at the rodeo, Wannabe. As for those two, they’re men, they’ll settle it. Probably with fists, but you need to leave them to it.” Although, after that blown kiss, Nathan wondered if they’d be using other body parts to settle things. Either way, it was none of his business.
“Boys are so dumb sometimes.” Rolling her eyes, Willow added, “And yes, I meant boys—at least when it comes to those two acting like children.”
Laughing, he kissed her again. “You’re not wrong, baby, you’re not wrong. I was at least smart enough to know a good thing when I saw it.”
Her blush charmed him. He loved that he could make the rosy glow appear on her skin. Though he’d much rather they were in private, where he could watch the color spread down her chest. Those damn nipple rings of hers drove him crazy, and he got half-hard just thinking about them.
The events concluded, with the winners keeping their buckles and ribbons and donating their cash prizes to the Chrisco family. Nathan loved hearing that. It was the same thing the people in his hometown would’ve done too.
Full of fried foods and beer, Nathan and Willow strolled out with the crowd to the parking lot. It’d been a long but fun day.
Arriving back at the ranch, they quickly locked the chickens in for the night before heading into the house and collapsing onto the couch together. Ethel found her way into Nathan’s lap, as was becoming her custom.
“I don’t know what she’s going to do without you tomorrow. Probably be really sad and cry a lot.” Willow spoke softly while stroking the feline’s fur rhythmically. Ethel purred in response, oblivious to the tension creeping between the couple.
