They made their way to the ticket booth at the edge of the fairgrounds, and Jamie could already hear the call of the announcer and cheers of the crowd. A carnival was underway on the far side of the fairgrounds, and he could see the giant Ferris wheel turning overhead, and smell the aromas of funnel cakes and fried foods.
Jamie paid for their tickets, and they found two seats on the lower tier of the grandstands that allowed Jamie ample room to extend his leg.
The stadium was nearly full, and Jamie breathed in the familiar smells of dust, leather, and fresh manure. He, Dylan, and Lucas had spent many days during their youth attending local rodeos, and Lucas had declared he was going to be a bull rider when he grew up. That had never happened, of course, since he lived on Long Island, and there seemed to be a shortage of cowboys in New York. Instead, he’d attended West Point and had been commissioned into the Army following graduation. He’d gone through a series of grueling physical and mental tests and had been selected for the elite Special Forces. Jamie kept in touch with him, and knew he had recently been deployed to the Middle East. While he, Lucas, and Dylan didn’t see as much of each other as they had when they were kids, Jamie liked to think their friendship was still as solid as it had always been.
“What is this event?” Rachel bumped his shoulder with her own, pulling him out of his thoughts.
He surveyed the arena, and saw an enormous steer snorting impatiently in the chute, and a cowboy on horseback waiting in the chutes on either side.
“This is the steer-wrestling,” he said. “They’ll release the steer, and that cowboy there will try to wrestle it to the ground. That other cowboy is called the hazer. He’ll ride alongside the steer to make sure it runs straight.”
Rachel looked at the steer, concern clouding her eyes. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
Jamie nodded. “There’s a lot of risk for the cowboy, if he doesn’t get a good hold on the steer.”
They watched as the cowboy nodded to the caller, and the steer was released, followed immediately by the hazer. The steer was big and layered with muscle, and Jamie thought the cowboy would have a tough time bringing it down. The cowboy exploded from his chute as soon as the restraining rope came free, and he thundered across the arena until he was parallel to the steer.
Rachel moved closer to Jamie and clutched his arm as the cowboy leaned over the side of his galloping horse and grabbed the horns of the running steer. She gasped as the cowboy was yanked off his horse by the rampaging steer, but he planted his booted heels into the dirt, dragging both himself and the massive animal to a slower pace.
They watched as the cowboy released the horns with one gloved hand and grabbed the animal’s nose, pulling it off-balance and throwing it to the ground. The steer’s legs went into the air, and the official waved a flag.
“That’s it,” Jamie said, as the cowboy released the steer and stood up, dusting himself off as he acknowledged the cheers of the crowd with a nod.
The steer, clearly indignant but no worse for the event, heaved himself to his feet and trotted off.
Rachel released her breath. “That was crazy!”
Jamie laughed. “Darlin’, that was nothing. Wait until the bull riding starts!”
Rachel made a sound that was half-laugh, half-groan. “And here I thought I was just going to see some nice barrel racing, or maybe a bucking horse or two!”
They stayed long enough to watch the remainder of the steer-wrestling event, and then caught the beginning of the bull-riding competition. Jamie knew Rachel didn’t enjoy that sport as much. She hid her face against his shoulder, certain the cowboy would be flung to his death, or gored by the bull. After the third cowboy had completed his bull ride, Rachel declared she couldn’t watch another cowboy risk his life.
“They’re so young!” she exclaimed, as they made their way out of the grandstands. “How can their mothers even allow them to compete in something so dangerous?”
Jamie didn’t want to tell her most of those cowboys were around his own age. That would only reinforce her belief he was too young for her. They made their way slowly through the fairgrounds to the midway, where Jamie bought them both a bratwurst sub, with some cold drinks. Rachel carried them to a table beneath a shady umbrella, and they ate in comfortable silence, watching the people go by.
“I bet this place is fun at night,” Rachel commented, sipping her drink. “I haven’t been to a country fair in years. I love all the bright lights and sounds.”
“What, Times Square at night doesn’t compare?” Jamie teased.