Page 7 of Faith for the Cowboy
Lawson cleared his throat. He had to assume that she had dated too many rodeo cowboys. She wouldn’t be interested in him, even if she didn’t travel for work. Even if Lawson wanted to, he couldn’t travel that much for rodeos. He had to stick close to the ranch.
“Well, I better get ready,” he said.
Harper nodded and moved away without a word.
Lawson wanted to watch her. She was striking, and if he could stop fumbling over himself maybe he could get to know her. But he couldn’t do that now. He needed to focus. He had enjoyed the last rodeo, but this time it wasn’t just about surviving his first rodeo. He wanted to win.
He stepped up to the gate and hung onto the fence as he watched the other competitors before him.
In less than half an hour, his ride was over. And he knew he wouldn’t win. He had barely lasted three seconds on the massive animal. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath as he stood up and dug his toe in the dirt. He lifted his hat to the audience as he grimaced.
The announcer cheered the audience on. “Come on folks, all he’s gonna get is what you give him so holler loud.”
Lawson kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way out of the arena. If he was going to keep doing this, he needed it to be worth it. That meant he needed to practice.
And that meant more secrets from his family.
Harper carefully packed her camera into her bag and set it beside the rest of her equipment in the back of her SUV.
She climbed behind the wheel and started the drive to the hotel where she would stay for the night. Thank goodness for discount hotels and reward points. All she could think about right now was a hot shower to wash off the dirt and the smell of horses. The animals were great and the smell brought back so many fond memories. But that didn’t mean she wanted to smell like it when she laid down in bed at night.
As she drove away from the rodeo, the sounds and lights drifted away until it was just Harper alone with her thoughts. She had worked hard today and gotten a lot of great shots. She had also gotten a nice jolt in the arm when the fence post she was leaning against got run into by a bucking bronco. There would be a bruise tomorrow. Hazard of the job. It was nothing compared to what some of the cowboys would have.
Especially Lawson Macklin. He’d had a hard fall.
Harper winced as she thought about it. Not only because of the fall, but because she shouldn’t be thinking about him at all. He was exactly the opposite of her type: rodeo cowboy.
Not that she had a type really. She hadn’t thought about settling down and being in a relationship in a very long time. And maybe she hadn’t ever really believed it would happen.
No, she was better off this way. Wild and free. Traveling, taking pictures, and keeping herself busy. As long as she was looking toward the next event and the next submission deadline, she didn’t have to think about the past.
Just as she laid down in bed, her phone beeped, so she glanced at the screen. Just a storm warning. Barely taking in the details as she fought to keep her eyes open, she saw that it was about tomorrow and decided she could worry about that when she was awake.
5
The rodeo arena buzzed with excitement as day two of the events continued. Competitors raced against the clock in barrel racing and hung on desperately to the bulls as they bucked and spun, trying to unseat their riders. The stands were filled with spectators who cheered and applauded after each event.
Lawson watched the other riders as he kept an eye on the sky above. It wasn’t raining yet, but in the distance, a dark wall of clouds loomed. The weatherman was predicting a rough storm.
As the day wore on, Lawson wondered if they would finish the event. Surely the organizers were concerned for the rodeo participants and the spectators.
Sure enough, as the final bull rider completed his eight-second ride and the crowd erupted in cheers, the first raindrops began to fall. At first, they were a welcome relief, a cool respite from the Texas heat. But within minutes, the light rain turned into a torrential downpour.
Chaos ensued as everyone scrambled to find cover. Lawson could take care of himself, but without an explanation, his mind went directly to one person.
He looked around frantically and spotted Harper on the other end of the arena. Before he could think, his feet moved in her direction as he watched her trying to protect her camera and lift her bag of equipment.
“Let me take that,” he practically shouted over the sound of the rain as he lifted the bag off her shoulder. “Come on.” He led the way out of the arena and to his truck parked just outside. He flung the door open and pointed for her to jump in the passenger side before running around to his own side.
Once inside, he took off his cowboy hat and shook his head, water droplets flew from him. “You okay?” he asked, looking over to see Harper wiping rain off her face and hair.
“I think so,” she said. “My camera has taken a beating before. I tried to cover it as soon as the rain started. We should be alright.” She flashed a smile that said she wasn’t worried.
Just as Lawson smiled back at her, he was startled by the sound of his phone emitting a loud beeping sound.
Harper jumped as her phone did the same.
Lawson looked at the screen and immediately his stomach sank. “Looks like we’re under a tornado warning.”
