“Come see,” Tommy said. But Vic noticed that suddenly she appeared a bit frightened. He wondered why as he walked her toward the bull-riding practice stable.
As they entered they saw the large group of cowboys, including Keith and Corey, two cowboys that were trying their hand at the bull-riding contest at Dixie Chix.
“Hey, Elise, Vic, and Tommy,” Corey stated as he approached, shaking their hands and smiling. He looked at Vic holding Elise’s hand and the way Tommy kept his hands on her shoulders.
“You three are together?” he asked and Vic nodded. Corey smiled wide. “Nice.”
“Are you two here to work or to visit?” Bill Dudley asked as he approached. He shook Tommy’s hand then Vic’s hand.
“Hello, Elise. It’s nice to see a Dixie Chix at my place.” Elise smiled then shook his hand. Vic realized that they probably knew one another from the dance hall since most every cowboy in town headed there at least a few nights a week.
“So, did you come here to show off your stuff for the little lady?” Bill Dudley asked.
“Show off their stuff? What do you mean?” she asked.
“These two are bull-riding trainers. They’ve taught us just about everything we know.”
Elise pulled her hand from Vic’s and took a few steps toward the corral. One of the cowboys was about to ride a live bull.
Vic had a funny feeling in his gut. She seemed upset at the fact that he and Tommy knew how to ride bulls and train riders. He felt confused.
They all watched as the cowboy began to ride the bull and two of the other trainers gave instructions as he rode.
Vic placed his hands over Elise’s shoulders, giving them a small squeeze as he whispered into her ear. “Are you okay?”
She nodded her head, but she felt tense.
“Baby, it’s not a big deal.”
She turned up toward him, and he could see the tears in her eyes. His heart ached and he wondered what the heck was wrong, but then Keith came over.
“Hey, Elise, are you here to help these two do some training?”
They smiled as they shook his hand.
“Wow, that’s one hell of a bruise on your cheek, Vic. How many guys were there?” Keith teased and a bunch of other cowboys started making comments until he gave his fierce facial expression. All teasing stopped and Elise moved closer to Tommy.
“Brass knuckles did this,” he told them.
“Hey, we’re just teasing. We heard the rookie didn’t check the prisoner and pat him down like you guys are supposed to. I guess he’ll get enough ribbing that he’ll never fuck up again,” Keith stated.
“You bet. He’ll probably avoid Vic big-time,” Tommy added.
“If he’s smart, he'll work opposite shifts from me,” Vic said and they all laughed. He watched as Elise walked closer to the fence as the next rider prepared to train on the bull.
* * * *
Elise was absorbing everything that was taking place around the ranch. She had heard that Dudley Farms trained cowboys and cowgirls for the rodeo and did everything from barrel racing to bull riding. She had to admit that every time she had an opportunity to come out here for an event they hosted, she found an excuse not to. Places like this reminded her about her past and of course about Devlon. She couldn’t help the ache she had in her heart and as Tommy came over to check on her and tell her that they were going to help out a bit if she didn’t mind, she nodded her head knowing that if she spoke, she would cry. She loved this type of lifestyle. It was what she grew up on back in Tennessee. She had been an orphan and took off on her own when she was sixteen. She had a hard childhood and had stayed out of trouble and even landed that job on the dude ranch. Meeting Devlon had been a miracle or at least she thought so.
She watched as Vic and Tommy stood on the rails and gave pointers to the next rider as they helped to secure him on the bull and take the necessary safety precautions. As they helped each rider, she realized how knowledgeable they were and instead of freaking her out, it made her feel proud and also love them more. The realization that she was definitely in love with them struck her hard, but she would deal with that later. She had so many crazy thoughts going through her head. She worried about Vic and Tommy being deputies, especially seeing that bruise on Vic’s cheek that occurred during a routine arrest. Their jobs were dangerous, and she didn’t like danger. Danger is what took Devlon from her and nearly cost her her life.
She watched Vic and Tommy for quite some time until Corey came over.
“Howdy, Dixie Chix.”
She smiled at him. “Howdy, yourself. Did you get enough practice in?” she asked as he leaned against the fence.
“Yeah, I guess so. Bill has another barn with multiple electric bulls, too. That’s where you learn first before coming out here to the real deal.”