The McEllis Boys

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Rodeo?" Cavanaugh asked with a frown two days later, on Saturday, as he sat down beside Nicole on the couch and slid his arm around her shoulders. "What's a rodeo?"

"It's a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls that rope and ride to entertain the crowd and earn titles." Nicole replied.

"So they do ranch work and people wanna watch?" Ian asked with a frown. "Ranch work is overrated."

"Are you combing a dolls hair?" Cavanaugh asked with a raised brow. Ian held up the Barbie doll and pink brush and nodded, "Sure am." he said with a grin. "Ain't she pretty?"

"She'd be prettier if you put clothes on her..." Madeline said with a giggle.

Ian looked down at the naked plastic doll, "I don't know. I think she looks pretty good like she is," he countered.

Nicole smacked him on the back of the head, "You're such a perv." Ian just shrugged and took the dress that Madeline was holding out for him. He shimmied the doll into it and then winked over at Leslie, "First time I've ever helped a woman into her clothes," he stated and this earned giggles from Madeline and a shake of the head from Leslie. That woman was a hard one. Normal flirting and innuendos just didn't seem to work but sticking a gun to her husband's head earned you one heck of a ham sandwich.

"Well the rodeo only comes once a year so I am going," Nicole said. "Anybody else want to come?"

"You know that if you're going, I'll come," Cavanaugh assured her. Nicole sighed with contentment as she leaned into his warm embrace. He still hadn't said that he loved her but he spent every waking moment he could with her and spent their sleeping moments curled up with her in her large bed. Nicole had never known happiness like the happiness that Cavanaugh had given her.

He was always there, always supportive, always eager to hear what she had to say. And the day of her mothers birthday he had been a rock. He hadn't offered advice or meaningless words while she cried sadly or talked about her painful past, instead he had just listened and held her and that had meant more than anything else could have.

"I think Madeline and I will just stay here..." Leslie said as she looked out the window.

Ian frowned, "Why?"

"Yeah, mommy, why? I wanna go see the horses and bulls!" Madeline exclaimed.

Ian saw the flash of fear in Leslie's eyes and he shook his head, "I think it would be a good for ya to come," he insisted.

Leslie's eyes met his and Ian tried to communicate without words that he would keep she and Madeline safe. Frank wasn't a threat, he was just a blowhard bastard who needed to be put in his place. Their eyes locked and Ian felt something tugging at his chest. Must have been those baked beans he'd eaten for dinner the night before.

"Okay, we'll go," Leslie whispered as she tucked some of her brown hair behind her ear and looked away from Ian.

Ian grinned with victory and went back to combing the dolls hair. Madeline was trying to teach him to braid but he figured a cow had a better chance at learning how to fly.

"Well I for sure want to go," Andrew said excitedly from where he and Bethany sat beside the fireplace. Bethany nodded her agreement.

"Nothing hotter than a cowboy on a bucking bronco," Nicole added with a sigh.

Ian nudged her leg with his elbow from his spot on the floor, "Then you'll really love my brother! He was the best roper, bronc breaker, rider, ranch worker you've ever seen! Why just for the hell of it once we dared him to jump on a raging mad bull and that crazy ass did it! And he stayed on too, for a long time until it finally threw him off. You ain't never seen a man run so fast in your life as Cav did to get to that fence!"