AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, Princess. You never dare the king.” I pick up a black velvet hat, and a pink one for her then pay the cashier. After I put mine on, Viola has a laughing fit as she looks at me. She’s doubled over when I place hers on her head.
“Now we’re true Texans. The hat says so,” she says with a snort as we enter the arena.
“I guess that means you need to save a horse and ride a cowboy tonight.” I smirk, and her eyebrow pops up.
We climb the stairs on the bleachers and listen as the announcers give a rundown of the upcoming events. A group of rodeo clowns walk out and do a funny little skit that has Viola grinning wide. I lean over and whisper in her ear.
“I know your secret,” I tell her.
She pops an eyebrow and glances at me. “What’s that?” she whispers.
“You’re not wearing any panties.” My lips graze against the shell of her ear, and she melts into me.
“Mmm. How sure are you?” she asks, taunting me. I place my thumb under her chin and force her to look into my eyes.
“One hundred percent.” I lean forward and paint my lips against hers.
Her cheeks heat, and she looks around. Though the years have passed and we’re much older than when we first got together, Viola is still shy when it comes to our public display of affection. But I could give two shits who knows she’s mine. Now and forever. She’s the sexiest woman in this place, and I need everyone to know she’s taken.
In the distance, I see a few kids on ponies lined up. They look tiny sitting on top of the saddles. The announcer calls out the first contestant, and he rides out where a little calf is running around. Within a minute, he’s roping the cow, jumping off the saddle, and running on his short legs toward the animal to tie its legs. Adults stand by and supervise as he struggles to get the calf down.
“Holy crap,” Viola whispers. “These kids are ruthless.” Her eyes are as wide as saucers.
I wrap my arm around her and pull her close. “Doesn’t it make you want another one?”
She snorts. “No. I’m d-o-n-e, done. Three is enough.”
“You carrying my baby is hot as fuck though,” I tease her, knowing the pregnancies were rough on her considering they were so close together, but sometimes I think back to when our kids were babies and miss that stage. They’ve grown up so quick and act like they don’t need us anymore.
“I do love babies though,” Viola says. “But hopefully that means we’ll be young grandparents so we can spoil our little grandbabies then send them home like our parents do.”
“That’s true, though James and Ginny are never allowed to date, so we won’t have to worry about that.”
Viola playfully rolls her eyes. “The one we’ll need to worry about is TJ. He’s the spitting image ofyouwith all your charm. He’s going to be dangerous.”
“That’s my boy!” I say proudly. “He is named after me for a reason.”
Soon another kid is riding out, doing the same as the other, but he trips on the way to the calf, and the audience releases an aww. Soon he’s tying up the baby calf, and the clock is stopping again. This happens several times until this part of the rodeo ends. People get up and walk down the stands.
“Want to get a drink?” Viola asks, and I nod.
We grab glasses of wine and walk through the art gallery. Most of the images are of horses and ranch life, and it’s interesting to see how different this part of the world lives. Homemade quilts hang against the wall, and many of them have ribbons attached to the outside of them, and I can imagine women like Mama Bishop quilting until the late hours of the night. There’s something special about Texas and the simple life, and I understand why people move to the middle of nowhere—for solidarity.
We walk through the exhibit hall, buy a few jars of local honey, and souvenirs for the kids. After we’ve spent most of the day at the rodeo and watch a few more shows, we leave.
I grab her free hand as we walk out to the car. Before I open the door for her, I remove the pink cowboy hat from her head and place my lips sweetly against hers. She’s greedy for me though, and grabs the bottom of my shirt with her fists and pulls me back to her.
“If you keep it up, Princess, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop,” I admit when we both come up for air. She snickers, looks around at all the people walking into the gates and opens the door and climbs inside.
Damn, she’s a tease.
I drive us across town, and we stop at a restaurant that John recommended. I explained to him that we’d be at the rodeo most of the day and didn’t want Viola to feel out of place in her comfy clothes. So he recommended the Texas Log Cabin, and when we pull up, that’s exactly what it looks like.
“Oh, authentic Texas food! I love it!” She smiles.
We walk inside, and they have a huge fireplace in the center of the room. We’re escorted to a table in front of the fire, and that’s when I notice red heart-shaped candles on each table. It’s a nice touch.
Viola sits and looks around. She leans over and whispers. “This place is amazing.”
