Page 40 of Big Daddy Bull Riders

“Oh yeah, honey. Lots of rodeos here. This is a big stop on the circuit.”

“You think Slater is okay?” she wondered as they started walking.

“Sure. He’s just checking into our place. We’ll meet him there in just a moment. It’s up the road not far at all.”

They walked further up the sidewalk, having left the pickup in a parking space in front of the restaurant they’d stopped to each lunch at. Instead of driving, Jackson had suggested they peruse the shops while Slater walked up the street to secure their home for the next two nights.

“I meant, do you think he’s okay doing this whole rodeo thing?” she clarified as they walked up to an antique store. She looked in the window as she waited for her Daddy’s response. There was an old, black typewriter, a baby carriage that looked like it was at least a hundred years old, and an ancient baby doll.

The doll was a little creepy.

“I think he’ll find a way to make it work,” Jackson said, peering into the window too as he stood beside her. “Somehow, he always does. Just when you think the odds are stacked against him, he finds a way to pull it out and get a win.”

“You get worried, though, huh?” she asked, turning her neck so that she could look up at him.

Jackson kept staring into the display window. “Let me put it this way: there’s times I wish I was his Daddy, too, so I could tan his hide and teach him a lesson.”

She laughed.

“You best not laugh too much,” Jackson admonished. “Because we need to go over some rules.” He jerked his head toward the store. “First, do you want to go in there?”

“Nah. Not now. I figure we can come back after we get settled in,” she said.

He nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too. Let’s walk to our place and I’ll go over those rules.”

They started strolling again. There were other folks about, too, going from shop to shop. It was evident to Mina that Guthrie did a lot of tourist trade. She could see why, too. It was so darn charming!

Holding her hand, Jackson said, “Rodeos are dangerous. Especially behind the scenes. I mean, it’s one thing if you’re sitting in the stands, munching on popcorn. But if it’s a whole other thing if you’re around the chute. I reckon you’ll want to be around Slater. And that’s fine. But you have to obey our rules. You understand?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. And know this: the first time you step out of line, I’ll take you over my knee and redden your bottom until you’re crying your eyes out. It’s for your own good, too. The last thing we want is for you to get hurt. And those animals will sure hurt you in a heartbeat. They aren’t mean. They just… are.”

She squeezed his hand. “Yes, sir. I’ll be good, Daddy. I promise.”

Her stomach tingled in excitement when Jackson raised her hand to his lips, kissed it, and said, “I know you will be, honey. You’re a good girl. The best, actually.”

He kissed it again.

They left downtown behind and hooked a left just as the commercial buildings ended. On this little side street rested a few charming cottages, each one surrounded by waist-high, white picket fences and featuring lots of colorful flowers in the beds near the houses and in window boxes.

“A butterfly!” Mina said with a giggle. She chased the flying thing right through the gate that led to the cottage with the numbers that matched what they’d rented.

The butterfly fluttered away, leaving her laughing.

“You sure are a cutie if I’ve ever seen one,” Jackson noted.

He stepped up onto the porch, rapped his knuckles on the door, and heard Slater yell, “It’s open.”

On their way in, Mina noted the plaque that hung over the entrance. “Look at that! This place was built in 1902.”

“It’s old just like our places back in Big Cedar,” Jackson said.

“Yep. I love the history!” she said. “I like things old fashioned.”

She walked in to find her feet thudding atop what appeared to be original, restored hard wood floors. The place had been refurnished, with modern appliances added, but it still had historic charm.

It was cute, cozy, and homey.

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