by Ali Spooner
“Yes, I thought you and Lucas could practice a while first, and then we could do some roping. I think, Shadow is set on the barrels, but I’d like a few more runs at the pole bending before we leave tomorrow.”
“You’re on, my friend. We’ll chill until three and then get to it while Harley gets the grill ready for the cookout. Man, I can’t wait to dig into some of his ribs,” Gene said, bursting at the seams.
“I swear you are a bottomless pit,” Coal told him with a chuckle.
She helped Melissa carry the last of the food into the house and stretched. “Would you mind if I crashed in my old room for a nap?”
“Absolutely not, what time do you want to be up?”
“By two thirty so I can get the baked beans cooking. Mary Leah will bring the macaroni salad when she comes after work.”
“Hit the sack then,” Melissa said. “I’ll wake you when it’s time.”
“Thanks, boss,” she said and walked to the bedroom and pulled off her boots.
†
Melissa poured a cup of coffee and walked back to the tables they had set up for lunch. A cool breeze left the shade of the trees very enjoyable, and she relaxed as she watched the rest of the crew puttering around.
“Mind if I join you, boss?” Harley asked.
“Grab a cup of coffee if you want, the pot is still hot.”
“You need a refill?”
“Sure,” Melissa said, handing him her cup.
Lucas and Gene were loading bales of hay and feed for the horses into the horse trailer. They would head out for Dallas early the next morning and she would bet her last dollar that Gene would not sleep a wink tonight. She smiled as she watched their youthful energy.
Harley returned with their coffee and followed her gaze as she watched the young men. “Oh, to be young again,” he said with a sigh.
“It would grand to go back to that age, wouldn’t it?” Melissa said with a grin.
“What and give up the aches and pains of these old bones?” he teased.
“Are you ready to cook?” she asked.
He smiled at her. “As soon as they finish loading the trailer, I’ll have them drag the grill out. I’ve got the ribs ready to go and some sausage to munch on while they cook.”
“Sounds yummy, is there anything I can help with?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, you can be the official timer when the youngsters start practice,” he said. “Other than that, I think we are covered.”
“I guess I’ll just kick back and relax then.”
“Well, it looks like you’ll have company to relax with,” Harley said, nodding at the car stirring up dust on the drive.
“Del’s here,” she said.
“She seems to be working wonders with Coal. It’s good to see her relaxed again.”
“Yes, it is,” Melissa said as she stood to greet her arriving guest.
Del opened the car door and climbed out of the car. “Am I too early?”
“Heaven’s no, we are taking a short break after lunch. The practice session will begin at three. Did you have lunch?”
“Yes, I had a salad before leaving the office. I heard there are ribs tonight so I opted for a light lunch,” Del said with a grin.
They walked over to the table and Melissa introduced Harley to Del. “May I get you something cool to drink or some coffee?”
“Some tea would be great.”
“I will be right back. You okay, boss?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m good, Harley, thanks.”
Del took a seat next to Melissa. “It feels really peaceful out here. How have you been?”
“I’m doing great thanks. I appreciate what you’re doing with Coal too,” she added.
“Where is she?”
“Catching a quick nap,” Melissa said.
“Is everything all right?” Del asked.
“Yes, she’s just resting before practice.”
“Good,” Del said.
Harley returned with her tea. “I heard her stirring, so don’t be surprised if she joins you soon.”
“So much for a nap,” Melissa said.
“Don’t let her fool you, she’s just as excited about the rodeo as the boys,” Harley said with a chuckle.
“What events is she entering?” Del asked.
“She’ll do barrel racing and pole bending on her own, and then team up with Gene for team roping,” Melissa said.
“What about the boys?”
“They will compete in steer wrestling and bronco riding.”
“That’s going to make for a busy weekend,” Del said.
“Most of the competition will be held Saturday,” Harley said. “You should drive up for the day.”
“I just might,” Del said.
†
Coal climbed from the bed and walked to the bathroom to wash her face. She went to the kitchen and preheated the oven as she prepared the beans for baking. She glimpsed out the window to see that Del had arrived and was sitting with Melissa and Harley. Lucas and Gene were setting up the grills. When she slid the pan of beans in the oven, she poured a glass of tea and went out to join her friends.
“Glad you made it, Doc,” she said as she took a seat.
“I’m not one to miss out on good ribs,” she said with a wink to Harley. “How are you feeling?”
“Good, thanks. The beans are in the oven, so remind me to keep an eye on them,” she said to Melissa.
“A rodeo star and she cooks too?” Del teased.
“No star, but I can hold my own in a kitchen,” Coal said with a chuckle.
Del smiled at her patient. It was comforting to see a smile on her face after all the anxiety she had experienced inside her office.
Harley walked over to light the coals on the grills as the boys saddled up and moved the practice stock into the holding pens.
“Should we move this party to the corral?” Melissa asked.
Harley took a stopwatch from his pocket and handed it to Melissa. “Push them hard, boss.”
The small group of women watched Gene and Lucas wrestle steers. When they were down to the last two steers, Coal stood and stretched. “I’m going to saddle Shadow and get ready to throw some rope.”
“Have fun,” Melissa said. She and Del watched her walk to the barn.
“She’s a good woman,” Del said.
“Yes, she is,” Melissa, agreed. “We all lucked up when she came into our lives.”
They turned at the sound of a car approaching. Melissa smiled at Del. “Mary Leah most of all.”
“She and Coal make a nice couple,” Del agreed.
†
“Damn, she’s good,” Del said as they watched her heel yet another steer.
“Yes, she is,” Mary Leah said with pride. “You should see them run the barrels or poles. They are really fast.”
“I think I will take a ride Saturday. This is exciting stuff.”
Melissa looked at Mary Leah and winked. “Another rodeo junkie has been born.”
“Maybe so,” Del said with a grin.
Lucas and Gene herded the steers back into the small pasture and set up the course for Coal while she rode over to chat with the women.
“Very impressive,” Del said as she rode up to the fence.
“Thanks, Doc, one of the things I do well.” She grinned.
“Among many other things,” Mary Leah said.
“Would you care to share more of those,” Del teased her college friend with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
Mary Leah blushed furiously and Coal chuckled.
“Wow, I haven’t seen you in that shade of red for a long time,” Melissa tossed in.
“Okay, y’all can stop anytime now.”
She decided to rescue her lover from further embarrassment. “You have your stopwatch ready, boss?”
“I sure do,” Melissa said, digging it out of her pocket.
“Let’s roll then,” Coal said. After winking to Mary Leah, she rode to the entrance of
the corral. She looked over to Melissa, who nodded she was ready, and Coal made the first run of the course. Shadow learned the new route quickly and it took minimal reining to weave him through the course. When they cleared the last pole and turned for the homestretch, she gave him his full head and he galloped past the poles to the finish line.
“Woohoo!” Melissa yelled out. “Your fastest run yet!”
“Good, but we can do better,” she said to Shadow, leaning down to pat his neck. “Two more runs and we will call it a day.”
When they two runs were over and they had trimmed nearly a full second from their time, Harley called out, “Dinner’s ready.”
Mary Leah, Melissa, and Del walked toward the tables to help set food out while Coal and the boys cared for their horses. When the tables were set and everyone gathered around, Harley blessed the meal. “Let’s eat,” he announced.
Two hours later, their bellies full, the group dispersed for the evening. Mary Leah and Coal walked Del to her car.
“Thanks for coming out tonight, Doc,” Coal said and hugged her.
“Thanks for the invite. I had a blast,” Del said. “I will see y’all in Dallas on Saturday.”
“I’ll save you a seat,” Mary Leah said.
“See you then,” Del said.
“Are we ready to head out too?” Mary Leah asked.
“Yeah, let me get Shadow and we can race him home.”
Coal walked to the barn and opened the stall door for Shadow. “Let’s go home, big boy,” she said and he trotted ahead of her and when she reached the car, he took off at a full gallop.
“We will never beat him, you know,” Coal said with a chuckle.
“I know, but it’s still fun,” Mary Leah said as she gunned the engine.
Chapter Sixteen
The big day arrived, and when everyone was packed and the horses were loaded into the trailer, the crew of the MC2 left for Dallas. Coal, Mary Leah, and Melissa would get them settled into their hotel while Harley, Gene, and Lucas arranged for the horses at the rodeo arena. Gene had volunteered to sleep in the small camper housed in the front of the trailer to keep a close eye on the horses while the rest stayed at the hotel.
Coal was certain Gene had not slept the night before, being so excited about the rodeo, and she hoped he would get a nap in on the two-hour ride to Dallas. She drove Melissa’s truck, following the trailer, and Melissa and Mary Leah kept up a friendly banter.
“What time is your first event tomorrow?” Mary Leah asked.
“The barrel racing begins at ten and then team roping at four,” she answered. “The finals for the bulldogging and bronco riding are all on Sunday morning.”
Melissa chuckled. “That means Gene will bouncing off the walls all weekend.”
“He is a bit excited,” she agreed.
“I thought once we all got settled we could go out for a nice meal and get a good night’s rest,” Melissa suggested.
“That sounds really good to me. I’m starving all of a sudden,” Mary Leah said.
“I know just the place to take care of that,” Melissa said as the Dallas city limits came into view.
“What do you have in mind?” Mary Leah asked.
“I was thinking the Saltgrass,” Melissa answered.
“That’s a great choice.”
“I hope they have good-sized portions,” Coal said.
“I guarantee you won’t leave there hungry,” Melissa promised.
When Harley exited the interstate to drive to the rodeo grounds, Melissa directed Coal to the next exit for the hotel. Melissa walked inside to start checking them in as Coal and Mary Leah got a luggage cart and began unloading the bags. When they pushed the cart inside, Melissa met them at the front desk.
“All set,” she said as she handed Mary Leah a packet of keys. “We can take this upstairs, if you will park the truck and meet us on the third floor.”
“I’ll be right back then,” Coal said.
Melissa and Mary Leah pushed the cart toward the elevator. “How has she been sleeping?” Melissa asked.
“Much better since she began her sessions with Del. I really hope she can relax and have some fun this weekend,” Mary Leah answered.
“I hope you both can,” Melissa said with a grin.
They stopped in front of room 322. “This is your room and I’m two doors down,” she said as she prompted her sister to open the door with one of the electronic keys. “I’ll meet the boys downstairs to give them their keys and then we should plan to meet at six for dinner. I’ll call for a reservation so we should be all set.”
Coal arrived just as Mary Leah was taking off the first bag. She picked up the remaining two bags and looked at Melissa. “Hang on a second and I’ll take your bags for you.”
“Don’t be silly, Coal, I can handle this. Go on in and relax. We’re going to meet at six for dinner.”
“Okay, boss,” she said and followed Mary Leah into the room with a huge king-sized bed.
“Would you look at that,” Mary Leah said and let out a low whistle.
Coal set the bags on the bed and turned to see what her lover was admiring. A large whirlpool tub was the centerpiece to the bathroom and a bucket of chilled champagne sat beside the marble tub.
“Wow, should we take advantage of this now or later? We have three hours before we meet the others for dinner,” she said.
“Let’s wait until we get back from dinner. Then we can completely relax and enjoy the evening together,” Mary Leah suggested.
She unzipped the first bag. “That’s fine with me. I want to unpack these bags and make sure everything is ready for tomorrow. Then maybe we can catch a quick nap before we shower and dress for dinner.”
“As usual, you must be reading my mind,” Mary Leah answered. “Is there anything I need to iron for you?”
“An outfit for tonight if you don’t mind, and I’ll put the rest of our clothing away and get the bathroom set up.”
“Deal, but it’s going to cost you,” Mary Leah teased, approaching her.
“What’s the price?”
“One of your kisses,” she teased.
She dropped the jeans in her hands back on the bed and turned to take Mary Leah in her arms for a deep passionate kiss. When she ended the kiss, she smiled at her lover and said, “I will gladly pay that price any time.”
“I will definitely keep that in mind,” Mary Leah said, and with a swat to Coal’s backside, she walked to the closet to take out the ironing board and iron. “Starch?” she asked.
“Will it cost more?” she teased.
“Of course,” she teased back.
“Starch then, please.” She smiled.
†
After a great meal, the women drove back to the hotel while Harley and Lucas dropped Gene off at the arena for the night.
They had agreed to meet at seven in the hotel for breakfast, so when they arrived at the arena, Harley looked at Gene and said, “Be ready at six thirty and I’ll come get you for breakfast. Get some sleep tonight too, so you’ll be well rested for the competition.”
“Yes, Harley,” he said as he stepped out of the truck.
†
Mary Leah started the bath and opened the bottle of champagne as Coal set out her clothes for the next day and set the alarm on her phone. Mary Leah poured glasses of the sparkling champagne and placed them on the edge of the tub.
They stripped out of the remainder of their clothing and slipped into the warm water. “This is heavenly,” Mary Leah said, positioning herself in front of Coal.
“Thanks for a great night,” she said and offered her glass to Mary Leah.
“The first of many more to come,” Mary Leah said and touched her glass to Coal’s.
†
They made love slowly for several hours and feeling beautifully content, Coal fell asleep in Mary Leah’s arms.
When the alarm sounded the next morning, she stretched next to Mary Leah and kissed her lover awake. “Will you
shower with me?”
“I’d love that,” Mary Leah said as she sat up on the edge of the bed.
Coal followed her into the large shower and kissed Mary Leah deeply, hands roaming over her lover’s body.
Mary Leah chuckled. “You keep that up and we will be late for breakfast.”
“We could skip breakfast,” she said as she caressed Mary Leah’s back with a soapy cloth.
“You have a big day today, so no skipping breakfast.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Coal said.
†
“I forgot how handsome you look all dressed up,” Mary Leah said from the bed as she watched Coal fasten the pearl snaps on the green paisley western shirt.
“That is very sweet of you to say,” Coal said, tucking the shirt inside her jeans and fastening her belt. “Will you grab my hat for me?”
Mary Leah climbed from the bed and walked to the closet to retrieve the new gray felt Stetson she had bought for her. She handed her the hat and asked, “All set?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said. She walked to the door and held it open for Mary Leah. “After you, ma’am.”
Coal’s two racing events were first on tap for the day. The barrel racing would be first, followed closely by the pole bending. Then the bull riding would begin, and late afternoon the steer wrestling would occur. The roping competition and bronco riding would conclude on Sunday.
After breakfast, they rode to the rodeo grounds and Gene raced ahead of the group to get Shadow from his stall as she pulled her tack from the trailer. “Good luck,” Mary Leah said with a hug and then she and Melissa walked to the bleachers. They met Del at the entrance to the bleachers.
“Good morning, have I missed anything?”
“No, Del, you’re just in time to help us find good seats,” Melissa said as she led them up the steps.
Lucas held her saddle and bridle as Coal leaned down to fasten the brown leather chaps to her legs. She was all set, and as she walked to where Gene was holding Shadow, she heard the overhead announcement that the barrel race event would be starting in ten minutes. Harley pinned the paper competitor number on the back of her shirt as her heart began to race. She had pulled the fifth run so she mounted Shadow and rode him into a practice ring to warm up.
