Rodeo Hearts

Chapter 2

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♞Brayden's POV♞

I'm sitting with my friend, Pistol, on one of the bucking shoots watching the barrel race. Dust was swirling around settling on everything it could. The sun was unmercifully shining down and temporarily blinding us almost every way we turned.

Two more events before bull riding. I thought.

I was itching to get a shot at 'Dooms Day' he was the rankest bull in the pen. Pistol rode him a few weeks ago for 89 points. He was a huge bull over a ton of pure muscle.

At most rodeos the barrel race was right before bull riding. At this one it's in between calf roping and saddle bronc riding. The reason being, it was a smaller county rodeo.

The announcer called barrel racer after barrel racer. A seemingly never ending list.

Pistol elbowed me in the side and nodded at a barrel racer waiting outside the arena a few feet away. She was shading herself from the sun with her hand.

She was willowy built and sat her horse like a pro. Her light brown hair came half way down her back in lively waves. She had ocean blue eyes that were absolutely stunning, her face was flawlessly tanned. Her horse was a big sorrel mare who was probably around 16 hands. I couldn't take my eyes off of them. The only way I could think to describe them as is...Champions.

The announcer called her name, Aurora Lamar.

Aurora; such an unusual name,but somehow it suits her.

She entered the alleyway, holding her horse back. Anyone could tell that she knew what she was doing. She let her mare have her head and they ran for the first barrel. They had a little trouble on the second barrel, but other than that the run was clean. She pushed her horse on home and the sorrel stretched out in tremendous strides. She broke the arena record!

Pistol and I still sat on the bucking shoots as the awards ceremony for the barrel race started. Aurora had walked up just in time. The announcer motioned for her to come in the arena. She looked to the crowd who were patiently waiting for her to make her move. She walked fast pace to the announcer with a huge smile on her face. Pistol looked over at me with a crooked grin spread over his boyish features.

"Now that is a fine looking girl."

I nodded my head in agreement and drew my attention to the girl accepting her award. We weren't the only guys there who thought she was beautiful. Every single man there was hoping to get her attention.

I couldn't help but to believe she's different from the majority of the girls here. Most girls here would jump at the first guy who talked to them, but not her.

After the barrel racing awards were over, I walked to turn in some paperwork to the secretaries of the rodeo . The secretary is stationed at the check-in desk, located on the backside of the concession stands.

As I walked around the corner of a building, someone ran into me knocking the papers from my hands. Whoever I ran into fell to the ground. I looked down to see Aurora looking up at me.

She's even prettier up close.

I momentarily forgot I knocked her to the ground. As soon as my train of thought returned to its rails, I returned my attention to the girl who literally fell at my feet. In a matter of speaking I've always been fluent in the language of girls. Now? Nothing. Nada. Zero. I couldn't think of anything.

Say something, Brayden. I thought to myself. Before I could say anything she spoke.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." she said dropping her gaze. She quickly began picking up the papers scattered on the ground.