Serenity Falls(96)
“This way, y’all.” Wes directs us around the crowd to where the other bull riders are lining up.
Sarah, Jackie, Liam, and Brantley follow dutifully behind us as Wes leads the way. I jump at the loud, male voice that booms through the speakers. “Do we have a show in store for y’all tonight!” The crowd cheers loudly, and the ground rumbles beneath my boots as the patrons stomp their feet on the metal bleachers.
On my birthday, Wes received a call from his manager to let him know that there was a bull riding, charity event this weekend in San Antonio. Once he knew what the event was for, Wes was on board. As we drove to the rodeo, he told me the event was at Stampede Stadium, and that all of the proceeds were going to No Kid Hungry, a cause established to fight childhood hunger in America. I already knew that Wes was a good guy, but I can’t lie and say that I didn’t fall a little more in love with him at that moment.
“Now! As you all know, this is a charity event for No Kid Hungry. One out of five kids in America is suffering from hunger every day. These children are our future! Our hopes and dreams for this country rest on them! So let’s be supportive, open your billfolds, wallets, purses, whatever you wanna call it, and donate. Let’s fix this problem! Let’s feed the youth of America!” The announcer’s shout through the microphone creates an energy so palpable within the arena that you can feel it.
The deafening sound of the crowd’s cheers holds me captive. I’m so enraptured by the scene around me that I stumble into the back of Wes. My face meets his back, and I can feel the vibrations of his chuckles beneath my cheek. Looking back at me over his shoulder, he yells, “You all right, Babe?”
A crimson blush spread across my face as I peer up at him. “Yeah! Sorry! I wasn’t paying attention!”
“Here, would you hold this?” He turns around and hands me his vest. I don’t know what I was thinking, but as soon as he placed it in my grasp, I expected my arm to fall off from the heaviness, but no, it’s light in weight. Automatically, concern strikes me as I think back to his story about his friend Blaine.
Crooking my finger so he’ll lean in, I ask in his ear, “Are you sure this is going to protect you?”
A wide smile spreads from ear to ear. “Is someone worried about me?”
“It’s not a joke. And of course, I’m worried about you. How could I not be? This thing,” I sweep my hand up and down the vest, “doesn’t seem like much. I mean, hell, it seems to weigh practically nothing.”
“Babe, I assure you, my vest is one of the best. It’s ten times stronger than steel and made completely from ballistic material.”
With my wide-eyed expression, I urge him to continue. He should know that I have no idea what the hell he’s talking about. He chuckles. “It’s a woven nylon material that has Kevlar in it. I assure you, I’m safe.”
At that moment, I realize he doesn’t have a helmet. “Where’s your helmet?” I ask as the panic starts to take over. What happens if he bucked off, and the bull lands on his head with his feet? What happens if he falls off and lands on his head? The impact alone could cause a serious injury. So many different scenarios play out in my head, and none of them ends without him getting hurt.
A hand touches my shoulder and squeezes. I look back and see an amused Brantley smiling back at me. “Kenleigh, he’s been doing this for years. He’s good.”
“I don’t give a flying flip how good he is. He can still get hurt,” I snap as I look between Brantley and Wes.
Wes wraps his arms around my waist, holding me close to him. I lay my head against his chest, and the sound of his heartbeat starts to calm my frantic nerves. I don’t want to think of something horrible happening to him, but I know he’s going to be on the back of a two thousand plus pound beast, and that scares the shit out of me. My eyes flutter closed when Wes murmurs against my ear. “Everything is going to be fine. I know you’re worried, but trust me. Okay?” With his thumb and forefinger, he grasps my chin and tilts my head up to meet his eyes. He leans in and brushes his lips against mine. “Now, give your man another kiss.” And I do. I kiss him like there’s no tomorrow. When he pulls back, I feel a lot calmer than I did five minutes ago. “Help me, please?” My grip on the vest tightens as he pulls open the Velcro straps that stretch around the ribs, connecting the front to the back. I hold it up as high as possible while Wes removes his hat. After he slips the vest on, I watch as Wes begins to re-secure the straps.
I bat his hands out of the way. “Let me?” He nods, grabs his hat, and puts it back on. I pull as tight as possible, probably tighter than I should have, re-securing the straps. As soon as I’m finished, I look up to see an amused look and arched eyebrow on his face. I shrug my shoulders. If he’s looking for an apology about the straps being too tight, well, he can keep waiting.