I sit awkwardly on his lap as we drive further away from the dirt road and closer to a large barn. A big farm house sits off to the left and we bypass it without even acknowledging its existence. I look over Hayes’ shoulder through the back window and see the clouds of dust that kick up behind us. The truck begins to slow and I direct my gaze back to the front windshield, noticing an older man weathered by the years of working on a ranch come into view.
“What’s this?” I ask as the truck rolls to a stop.
“You’ll see. Leave your purse and hold onto your hat, darlin’.” The door creaks open and he climbs out before reaching back in to pull me down.
He twines his fingers with mine and leads me towards the old man standing in front of the barn.
“Howdy,” Hayes calls.
“Mornin’. Who do we have here? If I had known a pretty young lady was going to be joinin’ us, I’d’ve cleaned up.” The man’s scraggly grey hair sticks out from underneath his hat, and this close up I can see the wrinkles that frame his piercing blue eyes.
“Beaux, this is my girl. Cathia Villalobos.” We come toe to toe with the man and Hayes still grips my hand tightly.
“Beaux Kirk. Nice to meet you Cathia.” He takes off his hat and offers his hand to me.
“Please call me Cat. Pleasure to meet you. I hope I’m not interrupting your morning. This one,” I say, poking Hayes in the ribs. “Wouldn’t tell me what he was up to.”
Beaux passes Hayes a look who returns it with a shrug.
“I think you just made the day better, Cat. Follow me and let’s get started.” He waves us along and turns to the open barn.
The dry grass that has begun to die with the fading summer crunches under our boots and my curiosity grows. The barn sits empty, only hay and dirt filling the space and the horses nowhere in sight.
“They’re out runnin’ wild,” Beaux says, seemingly knowing the question in my head.
We follow him out the opposite end of the barn and into a small riding arena. A steel pipe fence surrounds it and a strange apparatus is stationed in the middle. It looks like a large barrel attached to a metal catapult. A large box sits behind it and no matter how hard I try, I can’t make sense of it.
I grew up going to the Talbot Ranch with Cami, long before it was the McCallan Ranch, and I’ve seen many types of equipment. But this is foreign to me and honestly, it looks quite dangerous.
“Hayes. What are–” My words are cut short when Hayes steals them away with a kiss.
The brim of his hat bumps mine and I press it tightly to keep it from falling off. When he steps back I blink my eyes, dazed and a little off kilter. With another wink he spins on his boots and leaps towards the barrel.
“Watch this, young lady.” Beaux’s deep voice grabs my attention as he walks over to contraption.
Hayes uses a small step stool to get on top of the barrel, and Beaux pulls it away. Hayes adjusts himself, reaching between his legs and gripping on to a rope, then lifts his arm. It’s at that moment that I realize what this is and what he is doing.
Hayes dips his chin and Beaux flips the switch on a black box, then steps back. The barrel bounces up and down and Hayes moves like a seasoned rider. Beaux gives him tips as he continues and when his form starts to break, Hayes reaches down and pushes on a stop button that is placed on the bar in front of him.
Beaux moves quickly to help stop the barrel and steadies Hayes when he kicks his leg over and jumps down. He looks at me with a boyish smile and joy that is so apparent.
“You’re learning to be a bull rider?” My mouth hangs open and my eyes eat him up.
“Sure am. What do you think?” He rests his hands on his hips and his chest rises and falls with his heavy breaths.
Here I thought I found myself a guy who fancied himself a cowboy because he rode a horse and lived and worked on a ranch. A jolly rancher, as I have jokingly called him. But thereality is, I’ve got a bull riding boyfriend who has reached a whole new level of hotness that no other has even come close to.
Hayes continues training and Beaux educates me on rodeo terminology. When we leave hours later, I thank my new friend Beaux for a very informative afternoon, and he tells me to take care of my cowboy and be ready to do some riding of my own the next time I visit.
Oh, I’ll take very good care of my cowboy and get a head start on riding. I learned a few tricks I want to try out on my bull. I hope he can handle this rider.
10
HAYES
Iwalk into Cami and Vaughan’s and the smells of Thanksgiving assault me. Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce waft through the house, greeting me at the front door.
“Hello,” I call out. “Anyone home to stop me from eating all of this wonderful food?”
