Page 61 of Levi

“Wonderful,” Levi muttered dryly, causing Cody to chuckle.

“Their names are listed in the program,” Cody said.

She skimmed through the list and burst into laughter. “I love these names! The Reaper, A Big Ruckus, Nemesis, The Hitman...”

“The Hitman has the perfect name. That bull always tries to take down anyone who gets near him,” Levi commented with a shake of his head.

“No one has ever lasted the full eight seconds on him,” Cody added proudly.

As the lights dimmed and everyone stood for the National Anthem, Kinley couldn’t help but feel swept up in the excitement. But when Cody’s bull, Nemesis, was announced as owned by four-time bull riding champion Cody Haines, the crowd erupted into a deafening cheer.

“Wow, you’re quite the popular guy. They don’t know you like we do,” Kinley teased with a grin.

Cody leaned forward and looked at Levi. “Do something about your woman, will you?”

“I will. When we get back to the hotel room,” Levi replied with a smirk, earning another laugh from Cody.

The bull burst out of the chute with a cowboy clinging on for dear life. Kinley jumped up from her seat and let out a loud shrill whistle.

“Go Nemesis!” she shouted proudly, causing some people around them to boo. “Hey! That man right there owns that bull! Show some respect.”

The surrounding crowd laughed at Kinley’s boldness. Levi reached over and pulled her back down by her belt loop.

“I don’t feel like getting into a fight tonight.”

“Pffft, I can take any one of them,” Kinley scoffed confidently.

Levi shot Cody a knowing look. “She won’t be allowed back here again.”

But Cody, Addison, and Kinley all just laughed at their playful banter.

As the cowboy was thrown off the bull prematurely, the crowd let out a collective groan. But Kinley couldn’t help but stand up and cheer again in support of Cody. The announcer then informed everyone that Cody was actually in the audience.

“Come on, Cody. Stand up and give us a wave,” the announcer urged.

“Damn it,” Cody grumbled, but he stood up and raised his hand to acknowledge the crowd. On the jumbotron Addison, Kinley, and Levi were also shown. Cody touched his hat before sitting back down.

Kinley was having a blast and would love to come back again. Though she couldn’t ignore the fact that it was also quite dangerous for the cowboys. She leaned her head on Levi’s shoulder as they watched the rest of the competition.

As they were leaving the arena, Kinley spotted an adorable little girl around two years old wearing a red cowboy hat and matching cowboy boots. She crouched down to talk to her and asked if she enjoyed the event. The little girl giggled and nodded enthusiastically before taking her daddy’s hand and walking away with a wave at Kinley.

Smiling, Kinley stood back up and walked back to Levi. He simply stared at her for a moment before taking her hand as they made their way across the parking lot toward their hotel.

Chapter Eleven

With the weekend trip to Kalispell behind them, everyone was ready for some much-needed relaxation. As Levi pulled into Kinley’s driveway, she turned to him with a tired smile.

“Are you coming in for a while?” she asked.

Levi shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m too exhausted, and we both have to get up early tomorrow.”

He reached out to touch her hair. “But we do need to talk soon.”

“I know,” Kinley replied, stifling a yawn. “I had a great time though.”

“It was fun,” Levi agreed. “We’ll have to plan another trip.”

“I’d love that.” She went to open the car door.

---