by Jody Pardo
“What do I wear?”
“We bought you clothes! Why are you always in pajamas?”
“These are not pajamas. They are yoga pants.”
“Are you doing yoga at the moment?”
“No,” I admitted.
“Then they are pajamas,” Aubrey deadpanned.
“Fine, whatever. What do I wear?”
“Go throw on jeans, a shirt over your tank top, and your boots. You can always take your shirt off if it gets hot but don’t want you to get scratched up on the brush.”
“Okay, I will be right back. Give me a minute.”
I pulled my riding jeans out of the dresser and one of the western wear shirts Aubrey had picked out for me and got dressed quickly. I yanked on my boots and threw my hair up in a ponytail before returning to the living room where Aubrey was pacing.
“Well, that’s not going to work,” she said as she shook her head at me.
“What? You said jeans and a shirt?”
“Oh, your clothes are fine. I was talking about your hair. It’s never going to fit under your hat in a ponytail.” She pulled the hair tie out and ran her fingers gently through my hair, smoothing it back down before zig-zagging a part into my tresses. She braided two side braids near the nape of my neck and stepped back happy with her work before placing the white hat on my head.
“There, that will work. Let’s go.” Aubrey turned and headed for the door. “You coming?” she called over her shoulder not even looking to see if I was following. Aubrey was such a whirlwind. I don’t know where she found her energy, but it was refreshing. I reached down to grab my keys and purse only to throw it back down on the sofa.
I don’t need this crap, I thought to myself. The door didn’t lock anyways. I looked at my phone on the charger and left that behind too. I closed the door behind me and joined Aubrey by the horses.
“Who all is coming?” I asked Aubrey as she pulled the bridle off the saddle, removed the simple lead and replaced it looping the bridle over the horse’s head and placing the bit in her mouth.
“You, me, Kelli, and Rob are riding and a couple of the guys have Dad’s truck with the new fence posts and stuff. They will meet us out wherever we need them. We have walkie-talkies. You ready?”
The idea of riding excited me. Just wandering around exploring seemed like a good Sunday to me. I nodded at Aubrey excitingly, and she kicked a black bucket over to the left side of the paint horse named, Sunshine. The clank of the bucket must have startled Sunshine, and I soothed her, rubbing my hands down her neck and mane, shushing her. She nuzzled my hand at the next pass and nudged my side.
“I guess you want to get going, huh?” I giggled at her and stepped up on the bucket before stepping into the stirrup and swinging my right leg over into the saddle.
Aubrey came over and adjusted the length on the stirrups for me, untied Sunshine from the porch, and handed me the reins. She mounted her horse, Treasure, and as if a silent shotgun went off, Treasure took off like a bat out of hell to the west pasture. Sunshine shook her head and looked back at me. I clucked my tongue, and she took off in a slow trot giving me some time to adjust before chasing Treasure full throttle into the pasture.
We followed the fence line along the western pasture where we found two of the ranch hands repairing a post. We rode up to them, and Aubrey addressed them.
“Hey, guys, where did you leave off?” she asked.
The shorter, well-tanned man replied, “We covered most of the west perimeter. We need to check the back southern fence line. I believe that’s what needed the work if we are going to use that pasture for grazing.”
“Okay, we will just double check the line and then inspect the southern border. See you guys in a bit.”
We walked along the fence line as Aubrey inspected their work and checked for any breaks that might have been missed. I didn’t know what exactly she was looking for, so I enjoyed the scenery around me. Sunshine just followed Treasure, and as Aubrey tugged on the wire fencing in-between posts, Sunshine dropped her head down to munch on some grass.
Every few minutes Aubrey would pull on the wires, kick a fence post, and trot down the fence line a little bit more and repeat the tugging and kicking. There were fields of grass as far as the eyes could see. If not for the fence directly in front of me, there was no telling where else things began and ended.
The squeal of the walkie-talkie startled Sunshine and I as she bucked her head back and whinnied in protest at the disturbance.
“Aubs, you there?” Kelli’s voice came across the screechy walkie-talkie.
“I hear you loud and clear, Kelli. Go ahead,” Aubrey replied.
“Can you come back to the house? Can you bring me the other bridle for Cash and a hoof scraper from the barn? He has something under his foot that is irking him.”
“Sure thing. I will be right there,” Aubrey said into the walkie-talkie. “Hey, Suzie, I am going to run to the barn for Kelli. Are you okay out here?”
“Yeah, sure. You want me to do anything?”
“I was just testing these posts. You can ride down to the southern fence line and check for breaks there. Just follow this down and turn right and keep going. If you find any breaks call those guys on channel five. There is a walkie in the pouch on your saddle,” Aubrey explained.
“I can do that.”
“The posts should be numbered. Just tell them what number. See this here?” She pointed to the small plastic numbered plate on the topside of the post. “Give them that number, and the guys will know where to go.”
“Got it.” She took off full throttle to the barn, and I gave Sunshine a little nudge and she took off south along the fence. I imitated Aubrey’s actions and made my way down to the south perimeter.
Suzie
For once, I felt at peace as I rode through the pastures intermittently kicking the fence posts and checking the barbed wire. I came around the south fence and the pasture was overgrown and wild. I could see why they wanted to mend the fences—there was clover, alfalfa, and other grasses and sprouts everywhere, perfect eating for the horses.
There was a break in the fence line at the 15 S Post. The wires were down in-between posts. I reached for my walkie from the pouch on my saddle to call it in.
“Hello, I'm, this is Suzie. I'm at 15S post with a break.”
“Hey, Suzie, this is Rob. We will be there in a minute. Copy that 15S post.”
Aubrey didn't say what to do after I called in the break, so I waited for Rob to arrive just in case. I dismounted from Sunshine and tied her to the post with enough slack that she could graze on the young grasses. In the distance, a cloud of dust made its way across the field. In the quiet of the afternoon, it was the only thing moving. It was definitely not an animal; it was too fast. It couldn't be a car going through the fields that fast, so at best guess, it was a truck or all-terrain vehicle of some sort.
My contemplation was interrupted when Rob pulled up in the ranch truck with two ranch hands.
“Hey, Suzie, what's broken?”
“The wire is down, but the fence post is fine.”
“Well, that's easy enough. It will be good to be able to use this pasture.”
“Sunshine is enjoying it while it's still exclusive,” I said as I nodded over to where Sunshine was pulling mouthful after mouthful of sweet grasses surrounding the fence post.
“Well, she definitely has first dibs. What are you doing out here by yourself?” Rob asked.
“Aubrey had to run up to the barn for Kelli. I stayed to make some progress.”
“Kelli mentioned to keep an eye on you, so I was surprised to see you alone.”
Suddenly annoyed, I asked, “What else did Kelli say?”
“Nothing. She just said to keep an eye out for you if you needed anything since you were staying on the ranch and didn’t have a vehicle.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Don’t be shy; if you need a ride into town just say the word,” Rob reassured me.
<
br /> “I appreciate that. Thank you. Don’t you have ranch work to do?”
“I don’t know how much longer I will be here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nicole is pregnant. I can’t feed another mouth on my salary here. As much as I love Kelli, I need to take care of my family.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Only two things to do in this town: ranch or become a soldier. So, I guess I will be enlisting here shortly.”
“You are going to ship out? What about your wife?”
“It’s still early, so if I plan it right, I will be back in time for the baby.”
“Tell your wife if she needs anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m not doing much of anything.”
“I thought you were working for Kristi at the auction house?”
“I … I … I guess I am. You know, we never really went through the whole hiring process,” I said as I laughed at the realization that it really wasn’t clear.
“Are you staying?” Rob asked as he lifted his hat and scratched his head.
“For now. Honestly, I am still trying to figure it out.”
“Kelli sure likes you. I hope you decide to stay. It’s nice to have another smiling face around here. We have it from here if you want to move on.”
“Okay, I'll let you know if I find anything else.” I walked back over to Sunshine and untied her from the post. I stepped up on the base length of the fence to get into my stirrup before swinging my leg over the saddle. Rearranging my reins, I waved to the guys unloading the replacement wire and took off down the south fence.
The break in the fence went on twenty feet. I communicated back to Rob the post number where the break ended. I rode on and the rest of the fence seemed intact and survived a few kicks. When I reached the eastern post, I had a choice to follow the eastern perimeter back toward the house or continue to another fenced southern pasture. I wasn't ready to go back yet and decided to check the next pasture.
This fence seemed to be in good repair and in a few spots looked fresh. I proceeded further down and when I got over the next hill, I saw a pickup truck and a man I didn't recognize fixing a post.
I rode up to where he was crouched down pouring cement into the base of the new post. “Are you part of Rob’s crew? He is down at 15 S fixing the wiring,” I said as I approached him.
He stood up and turned to face me. It was Max. I didn’t recognize him as I approached because his telltale blue Mohawk was neatly tucked underneath a trucker style, snapback cap and long sleeves covered his tattoos.
“What are you doing here?”
“I might like to ask you the same question?”
“I'm helping Kelli mend the fences.” I dismounted and tied Sunshine to the post.
“Kelli's property ended a half mile north of here.”
“Really? I was just following the fence line.” I looked at the fence, and while the fence posts were the same, the rest of the fence was lawn timbers crisscrossed between the posts. A horse or cattle could easily walk right over the low points of the Xs. “So whose fence are you fixing?”
“Mine.”
“I thought you said you weren't a rancher.”
“I'm not. I just bought this land. I'm building on it.”
“What are you building?”
“Right now it's just a frame, but when I'm done it's going to be awesome.”
Everything about Max intrigued me. Talking to him was like dancing. He would lead me, dance around, and wait for me to respond spiraling back into his arms. He was hard to read because I didn't know if that's all it really was—just a dance.
“Why didn’t you tell me Kelli was your aunt?”
“I thought you knew, but I guess I'm not that popular.”
“What does popularity have to do with it?”
“I thought maybe Kelli or Aubrey would have mentioned it.”
“No, they didn't, or maybe it would not have been so awkward the other night.”
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, that was not my intention.”
“What was your intention?”
Max shuffled his feet and stomped around the base of the fence post, packing in the cement and gravel.
“I just wanted a kiss.”
“Is that all?”
“No, but it was a good start.”
“Max …”
“No, I get it. You have a guy back home. I won’t bother you again.”
“You’re not bothering me, and there is no guy back home. Not anymore. Dallas isn’t even my home anymore.” My voice escalated and I stopped myself from going further.
“So does that mean you are staying?” Max said quietly.
“For now it seems that way.”
Max closed the few feet between us and turned his ball cap backward and leaned down to press his lips to mine.
“So is this okay?” he whispered against my lips.
“I’m okay with this,” I breathed back, forgetting what we were discussing. His lips pressed against mine again, and his tongue swiped against the crease of my lips requesting entrance.
Max was so gentle. It was so anti-typical and just went to prove you couldn’t judge a book by its cover. His sharp edges of his Mohawk, arms filled with colorful tattoos and roughness of his stubble was a bold contrast to his soft lips and gentle caress. He held my face in his palms and a light-as-butterfly-kiss laid his lips upon mine. Tiny sparks of electricity crackled across my lips with each connection.
It was so different than kissing Bill. He was rough and aggressive many times bruising my lips and face as he held me. Max held me like a China doll revering the delicateness.
“Is this okay?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” I whispered back.
His hands moved from my cheeks to my ears, and he continued to plant soft kisses on my face. He held me tight against him, and I felt the hard lean muscle under his shirt from long days of physical labor. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held onto him, as my knees grew weak. When his breath blew against my ear, I became undone. A moan escaped my lips as he nibbled on my lobe.
His stubble tickled me as he kissed his way back across my cheek before kissing each one of my eyelids with a final kiss on the tip of my nose.
“I’m glad you’re staying.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“I like the idea of you being around.”
“I like you too, Max Brewer.”
“See, you had to go and ruin the moment and use my last name,” he huffed and released me taking a step back.
“What? What did I do?”
“Nothing.” He hugged me again. “Actually, my name sounds nice on your lips.”
Max was an enigma. One I would enjoy discovering.
Suzie
The next few weeks were filled with auctions, rodeos, and Max. The warm weather had everyone riding, harvesting, and building things. In Dallas, I worked nine to five Monday through Friday, but here in Centerville, the early morning was for work, and the weekends were for rodeo. Except the weekend was no longer just Saturday and Sunday, rodeos ran from Wednesday to Sunday.
I stretched in bed working out the knots in my back and sore legs from a weekend of riding. My participation in the rodeo was limited after the auctions, but Kristi asked me to represent the auction house and carry the sponsor flags during each night of opening ceremonies. The ride around the arena was merely a few minutes, but those five minutes meant hours of preparation.
Fresh brands marked the horse's hindquarters, the themed color of the night adorned them, and we sat in full regalia in wait for our cue to ride in with our sponsor flags. Nervousness overcame me as blood rushed through my veins and pounded in my ears. I didn’t know that I would ever get used to the crowd or the cheers as we entered the arena and made our rounds with the sponsor flags. Stocks and Plots had bought and sold most of the cattle that was used for the rodeos at one point or another, and Kristi made sure they didn’t forget it.
I had a full week’s worth of western gear complete with matching accessories. It was Aubs’ job to outfit me. Kristi said I had to look good and represent her well. I had to admit, dressing up had its perks. I didn’t at all feel awkward or out of place as the arena was filled to the brim with hats and boots.
“Hey, you.” I felt a poke at my leg on the right side of my saddle. I turned to see the source.
“Max, what are you doing here?” I had never seen Max in any other clothes besides jeans and T-shirts and he was head to toe in our cowboy bliss. His Mohawk was neatly tucked under his black felt hat. The deep green of his western wear shirt with silver buttons down the front and the pocket lapels made his eyes glimmer brightly. Deep, sharp creases ran from mid-thigh to ankle on his Wrangler jeans that firmly gripped his butt and gathered haphazardly at the top of his boots.
“You think Stocks and Plots is the only sponsor for these things?” he said with a wink. Unfurling his flag, it draped across him revealing the crest of Brewer’s Taps.
“Your dad’s bar?”
“What were you expecting … Budweiser frogs?”
“I wasn’t expecting you at all. Look at you all spiffy and starched.”
His stiff Wranglers hugged his hips, and his strong legs grounded in his stirrups with Luchesse boots.
“Surprise.” His smile was infectious, and he rubbed his saddle against mine, leaning over to embrace my cheek.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“Enough to keep you on your toes.”
The announcer’s voice boomed through the arena as the hosts’ riders galloped around the arena setting the pivot for the upcoming entry serpentine. Next, the American and Oklahoma flag bearers rode, galloping hard with the flags clapping and snapping in the midst of their current. The Centerville Rough Riders rode in two by two with buckles gleaming in the light of the setting sun. The previous years’ rodeo winners and up-and-coming favorite contenders from the host club sporting their matching team shirts. The reigning Rodeo Princesses of two years past circled as we waited our turn. Sponsor after sponsor galloped around the arena full throttle, their flags clapping in their wake. Brewer’s Taps was announced, and Max took off like a firecracker running red hot. Finally, it was Kristi’s and my turn. She came along side of me and said, “You ready, girl?”
