Page 40 of Wannabe in Wyoming
“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’veneverbeen 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 ofthissexy-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 assholes,” 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.”
