Awww! Here we go- this will be the last chapter. A big thank you to everyone who read Shattered, and then stuck with me through this one! Thank you to all my loyal reviewers. You'll never know how much I appreciated every word you wrote! This one made me laugh. I love rodeos! I'll be starting some short ones next, but after Mother's Day! I'll probably be too busy to write until Monday. Plus, I need to come up with another storyline. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Funny thought on this chapter- hopefully they remembered to debug the house! Hehehehehehehe Y'all enjoy!
Chapter 14
Jane took a deep breath, his palms sweaty as he looked at the beast in front of him. Eyes glittering dangerously, he was sure it was out to get him. If only he could back out. Maybe he would tell Lisbon he was sick, maybe he had a migraine or needed a root canal. Yup that was it. He needed an emergency root canal. He jumped slightly as an arm slipped around him, an arm belonging to the very female body of Theresa Lisbon. Avoiding her sling, he pulled her close. She laughed at him.
"Seriously, Jane? It's a children's rodeo event. All you have to do is run around with a bunch of ten year olds and try to pull a ribbon off a calf's tail." She looked up at the man incredulously. Jane shuddered, before gesturing to a fuzzy brown calf.
"That one's out to get me. Look at it! Its name should be Destroyer." She rolled her eyes and reached out a hand to scratch the curious calf.
"Why Patrick Jane! Are you a chicken?" He turned to face her, a twinkle in his eye. He stopped, distracted by the next event in the ring.
"Is that Cho?"
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Lisbon and Jane joined Van Pelt and Rigsby on the rail as Cho entered the arena with several other guys. Lisbon shot Van Pelt a confused look as the announcer explained the next event. The competitors would have three shots to lasso a moving target. Several guys struck out, their rope landing nowhere near its intended destination. Cho picked up the rope confidently, before easily becoming the first to succeed as the audience cheered wildly.
"When did Cho learned how to lasso?" Jane asked, baffled. It was not a hobby he pictured the Asian man studying. Lisbon shrugged. After a while it was down to Cho and another man, who stood studying each other, analyzing each other's weaknesses. The other man twirled, released, and missed. The crowd gasped. If Cho hit this target, he would win. Calmly he recoiled the rope, and successfully hit the target. The crowd went wild as Ma presented Cho with a belt buckle for his win. He walked over to his fellow agents who were staring at him in amazement.
"It's all in the wrist," he stated with a stoic shrug.
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Delighted, they watched the next event with much amusement. Mutton Busting was a crowd favorite. Children under 50 pounds wearing a helmet would try to ride a goat for 8 seconds. It was adorable. Some would bail off, while others would hang on for dear life. The agents clapped and cheered wildly for the winners, as Grace left to get ready for her event.
Several of the other guests had decided to try their hand at barrel racing. It was quite comical when several horses decided they didn't want to follow the prescribed pattern, taking their riders on an interesting ride. Grace managed to finish with a decent time, earning her a yellow ribbon for her third place finish. Rigsby gave her a high five when she returned to the group with a big smile.
Finally it was time for the ribbon pull. Digging his feet in the dirt, Lisbon had to practically pull him into the ring where he now stood scowling. He looked ridiculous standing there surrounded by ten year olds, all brimming with excitement. He could not contain the sheer look of terror when the calves were released. Jane took off running the opposite direction with a certain brown calf following him. The agents laughed so hard they were crying at Jane's expression. Most of the kids continued chasing the cows, while a few stood watching the crazy man who was afraid of baby cows and laughed as he vaulted over the arena gate.
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Exhausted, he found a clean patch of grass and collapsed. His heart was racing... devil animal. A shadow fell over his face and he opened his eyes to see a beaming Theresa Lisbon standing over him. He patted the grass beside him, and she carefully sat, giving him a grin.
"That was embarrassing," he said rolling onto his side to face her.
"Quality entertainment," she stated happily. The mental picture of Jane bolting from the arena would amuse her probably for the next year. She reached over and ran a hand through his curls, laughing as a look of pure pleasure came across his face. "Ready to go home?" she asked softly. He stared at her trying to determine the real question she was asking. He could lose himself in those emerald eyes.
"We'll have to go apartment hunting," he casually said as her eyes lit up. "Hey," he said softly. "You're not going to lose me just because we're heading back. You're stuck with me." She rolled her eyes, but he could tell he had eased her uncertainty.
"I'm going to miss it here," she said looking at the mountains in the distance.
"We'll have to come back," he answered getting to his feet. "I'm glad there's one more campfire tonight." She accepted his outstretched hand, slowly rising.
"You're not stealing my marshmallows."
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Sitting around the campfire with his friends, he smiled happily. He never thought he'd be able to feel happiness again after Red John destroyed his family. He never counted on the fiery woman and her team to pull him out of his self-imprisoned hell. He watched her through the fire as she toasted marshmallows beside Grace. The two women laughed at Rigsby who seemed to have discovered he could fit twelve marshmallows in his mouth at once. They were his family now, and he wouldn't trade them for anything. He smiled as her eyes caught his and she sent him a knowing smirk. Passing off her roasting stick to Cho, she headed his way and they headed back to their cabin.
A sliver of moonlight danced across the floor, as she removed her sling. He looked into her eyes, surprised. She smirked as she slowly started to unbutton her shirt, pausing when his hands caught hers, and took their place.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, as her shirt and pants fell to the ground, followed by his.
"I trust you," she replied. "Besides, if I wasn't, I'd kick your ass." Laughing, he pulled her close, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. She broke away when she felt his hand softly brush across her stitches. He looked so lost. "I'm okay. I'm right here," she said looking him in the eye before pressing herself against him.
She giggled as he scooped her up and dropped her gently on the bed. He took a moment to just look at her, a thin beam of moonlight playing over her body. He wanted her, just as she wanted him. Their bodies touched, hands exploring, mouths bruising. Words of love were mixed with sighs of ecstasy. They were bonded by their need and their love. She was his and he was hers, and nothing would change that. It was time to go home.