Page 2 of Steadfast

It was the scent of victory.

“Did you see that ride?” Crew fired off excitedly.

“Sure did, Love.” Oakleigh smiled. She felt the burning envy of the groupies, looking on jealously as she pulled his hat from his hands and pulled it over her blonde hair. While Crew swooped Maeve into a hug, Oakleigh took the momentto introduce herself to the girls standing beside her with their mouths agape.

“Oakleigh Davenport, I’m an influencer—orsomething.”

Before they could collect a response, Oakleigh was ushered into the winner’s circle. Standing between Maeve and Crew, she looked down the line at the Callaway Ranch team. Even Sawyer’s usual unsmiling expression was beaming with pride on the big wins of the evening.

The members of the Rodeo Association shook their hands as they presented Crew with a large belt buckle and a cash prize. Oakleigh pulled him in and kissed his cheek as the cameras snapped their photo. At that moment, none of the scathing, jealous looks from the girls on the sidelines mattered at all.

“I’m proud of you,” she whispered in his ear, sending a grin across his face as he waved to his fans.

The next prize went to the owner of the winning bull of the evening. Maeve greeted her colleagues as she received a giant check marked with more than a few big zeros.

The presenter pulled off his white cowboy hat, catching the attention of the multitudes in the stands as his voice boomed through the microphone.

“Maeve Callaway, we want to thank you for stepping in and blessing us with some of the finest bulls the sport has ever seen. We’d like to take a moment and pay our respects to the late Abel Callaway. The rodeo and bull riding community still feels the tremendous void left by his passing.”

While a wave of applause thundered through the arena, Oakleigh scanned Maeve’s reaction.

“Abel would have been so proud of Crew and Callaway Ranch,” she spoke into the microphone with a quiver of emotion in her voice. “The Lord has really blessed us. Thank you for honoring Abel’s memory and keeping his legacy alive.”

She handed the microphone off to the presenter, who pivoted into the exciting announcement of the evening.

“I want to take this moment to introduce another ongoing legacy worth mentioning,” he said. “Here’s a sneak peek at the next champion out of Callaway Ranch—”

“Lil’ Slim!”

The adorable brown and white speckled calf appeared on the screens, bounding across the vast green acres of the ranch as anawwwswept through the audience.

“Oh sure, he’s cute now, but just wait until he’s sending cowboys off in an ambulance,” the presenter chuckled. “We’ll certainly be looking forward to his debut at Nationals.”

Oakleigh glanced at the sidelines to the rider who had unfortunately drawn Big Slim’s name that night. The medics were packing his arms and legs with ice. He had a brace around his neck and the unmistakable signs of two burgeoning black eyes. She was uncertain if the world was ready for another bull in league with Big Slim.

The ceremony came to a close, and the fans excitedly filed down the aisles with their booklets in hand. The cowboys lined up to mark their autographs and pose for photos.

Oakleigh leaned in and hugged Crew tightly around his middle, “Your fans are waiting.”

He squeezed her back, giving her one last peck on the lips before letting her go. Crew made his way to his anxiously awaiting groupies. With his swoon worthy smile, he generously offered each of them his time and attention. He had a way of making everyone feel important, which was something that Oakleigh admired about him.

Maeve was wrapping up her conversation with her colleagues in the National Rodeo League, giving each of them one last firm handshake.

She ducked away, pulling Oakleigh aside. “Quick, let’s go before I get roped into something else.”

“And here I thought you loved small talk,” Oakleigh teased.

Maeve glinted with amusement at Oakleigh’s sarcasm. “I have a soft bed and a cup of coffee with my name on it waiting for me at home.”

Before Oakleigh followed her out the door, she swooped her arms around Crew’s middle, giving him a tight squeeze.

“I’m going home, Love. See you in the morning,” she whispered.

He signaled politely to the energetic fans and turned to give Oakleigh his full attention, pulling her in close.

She put her finger to his lips, stopping him in his tracks.

“Wait, before you do that—” she pulled her phone out and captured a quick selfie. “We look great,” she said, her attention drawn to her screen.

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