by Ali Spooner
“I think we’ll head into the stands then to find some seats. Good luck you two,” Melissa said.
“Knock them dead,” Harley said and stepped aside with Melissa.
“Good luck, sweetheart,” Mary Leah said. “Be safe, ride hard, and win this thing.”
“I’ll do my best, baby,” Coal said. “Ready?” she asked Stormy.
“Just waiting on you,” she answered. “See you soon, ladies.”
“You can bet on that. Good luck,” Del said with a wink to Stormy.
†
Stormy and Coal located the officials’ tent and fell in line behind the other competitors for the barrel racing. There were twelve total for the barrel racing, and Shelly was at the head of the line.
“She drives me nuts with her fake personality,” Stormy whispered to her.
“I know exactly how you feel,” she answered.
They watched as Shelly stepped forward, drew a piece of paper, and then giggled with excitement as she handed the slip to the official. When she turned away, she walked toward Coal and Stormy and stopped in front of them.
“Of course I would draw the first run,” she said excitedly.
“Set the bar high for the rest of us then,” Stormy said.
“Good luck,” Coal added.
“Thanks, you too,” Shelly said and sashayed away from the tent.
“Good grief,” a rider in front of them said. “She actually made the cut for the competition?”
“She’s got a fast horse, but she’s a terrible rider,” Coal said.
“Gotcha,” the woman said and stepped forward in the line.
When they finally reached the table, Stormy pulled the eighth slot and Coal was dead last at twelve. “Well, at least you’ll know exactly what you have to run to win,” she said.
“That’s true,” Coal said. “I hate waiting until last though.”
Stormy slapped her friend on the back as they began the walk to the warm-up ring, “Patience, my friend.”
†
“What’s the verdict?” Gene asked as he handed Coal her reins.
“Stormy is eighth and I pulled twelve, dead last.”
“That’s good,” Gene said. “What did the princess pull?”
Coal chuckled at his reference to Shelly. “The princess runs first, just as she imagined she would.”
Lucas laughed and said, “I saw Bubba a few minutes ago. It looks like you did him a real favor. His new teeth look much better.”
She flinched at his comment and swung into her saddle. “You are so not right, Lucas,” she teased.
“Yeah, I know, but you still love me.”
“Yes, I do,” she said. “Thanks for getting the horses ready for us.”
“You’re welcome,” they both answered.
“We’ll see you at the arena in a few minutes,” she said and turned Shadow toward the ring to warm up.
†
When the overhead speaker announced the start of the barrel racing competition, Stormy pulled up beside Coal. “Let’s do this,” she said and offered a gloved fist to Coal.
She bumped fists with Stormy. “You better have a fast run today. Shadow’s feeling ready to run.”
“I could handle placing second to you,” she said with a wink. “But only you, so don’t let me down,” she said as they rode over to the arena.
Shelly was doing her normal beauty queen act, smiling and waving at the crowd as the announcer called her name as the first competitor. “She makes me want to gag,” she overheard Gene say as they rode next to him and Lucas.
“Be nice, boys,” Coal said.
“She makes it hard to be nice with all that fake niceness,” Gene said with a growl.
“Let’s see if she’s finally learned to ride that horse of hers,” Coal said as she leaned forward to watch Shelly’s performance.
They watched as her horse bolted across the start line toward the first barrel. Coal found herself holding her breath as Shelly’s boot hit the barrel, and it tilted precariously, threatening to tumble over. Lucky for her the barrel rocked back into place in the thick sand. She rounded the second barrel wide after rocking the first, losing precious time and raced to the final barrel to complete the cloverleaf. Turning for home, she held tight to the reins and whipped her horse’s flanks with a riding crop. The horse would have run much faster if Shelly had given her the chance to lower her head and run naturally. Her time was decent, but she and Stormy both knew it wouldn’t hold up as a winning time.
“I hope Shelly’s ready to go home,” Stormy growled.
The next few riders made their runs and Shelly’s time dropped to second and then third before Stormy rode into the arena for her run. They held their breath as they watched her put in a nearly perfect run, a full second ahead of the current leader, dropping Shelly out of the competition.
“Damn, that was a great run,” Lucas said as she rode toward them.
“Great job,” Coal said. “That was a beautiful run and will be hard to beat.”
“You can do it,” Gene said with confidence.
“I’ve seen you two run faster,” Stormy said. “Don’t leave anything out there in the dirt.”
She nodded and rode Shadow toward the arena to wait for their run. “It’s up to us, big boy, to show everyone how it’s done,” she whispered to him as she leaned forward to stroke his neck. Shadow’s ears twitched forward at the sound of her voice and his feet danced. He was ready to run.
Coal’s heart rate increased as the announcer called her name. “Let’s do it,” she told Shadow, and they blasted into the arena. The roar of the crowd was lost to Coal as her focus was only on the barrel they were rushing toward. By the time they reached the final barrel, she knew they had a good run going. All they needed to do was make a hard run home. Her left hand reached forward onto Shadow’s neck, giving him a free head to run, and run he did. When they crossed the finish line, the crowd noise returned to her ears as they roared at the time Shadow had run. She watched with great pride as her name moved to the top of the list, replacing Stormy’s by several hundredths of a second.
Gene, Lucas, and Stormy were hollering as she approached, but her eyes roamed the stands until they fell on Mary Leah’s smiling face. One event down, and several to go, but the crew of MC2 had made a terrific start.
“Damn girl, that was fast,” Stormy said when she rode up to the crew.
“Thanks. You set the bar high, so it had to be a best run ever to beat you,” she said.
“Well done,” Stormy said. “Are you going to pull for the pole bending?”
“Yes, that will be coming up soon.”
“Go ahead and I’ll keep an eye out for Shadow,” Gene said.
Stormy joined Coal and they walked to the officials’ tent for the second time that morning. “Let’s hope I pull an earlier run this time,” she said.
She watched as Coal reached into a jar and pulled out a slip of paper.
“Third,” she said when she opened the slip.
“That’s a good spot. When you finish, you can get Shadow settled in, and we can grab some lunch before the afternoon events start.”
“Are you hungry again already?” Coal teased.
“I can always eat,” Stormy said.
Coal grinned at her as they walked back to the arena. “I take it last night went well.”
Stormy blushed. “Del was fantastic,” she said. “I was worried I wouldn’t sleep last night, but she wore my ass out.”
Coal broke out in a fit of laughter. “I’m so happy for both of you.”
“She’s a special woman,” Stormy said rather dreamily.
“You make a good couple.”
“Yeah, I think we do too.”
“Treat her right, or I’ll kick your butt,” she warned.
Stormy chuckled. “I don’t think you’d have to. I think Del could do that quite well on her own, but I promise to do my best by her.”
“Good,” Coal said and wrapped her arm
around Stormy’s shoulder as they walked.
Melissa looked up first to see their approach, and her smile made Del and Mary Leah turn to see what brought the smile to her face. “There is another Kodak moment,” she said as she lifted her camera and snapped off several shots.
“That is a sight for sore eyes. Two handsome women having the time of their lives,” Del said.
“We are lucky women indeed,” Mary Leah added.
“That we are,” Del agreed with a smile.
†
“Welcome back,” Melissa said.
“Thanks, boss,” Coal said. “I pulled third this go around, and we were just discussing lunch. What do you have in mind?”
“My nose has been tempted all morning by the smoker at the end of the arena,” Melissa said. “Harley says they are cooking brisket, ribs, and pork shoulders. Are we up for some BBQ?”
“Oh, heck yeah,” Stormy said.
“After the pole bending we are free until one, when the steer wrestling starts,” she said. “I’ll get Shadow settled in after our run, and we can get a head start on the crowd.”
“My mouth is watering already,” Gene said.
†
After another flawless run, Coal was in the top spot. Stormy had waited to care for her horse until Coal had finished. Gene and Lucas volunteered to help them out.
“Let’s go find a table and order some food,” Melissa said. “I thought we would order some of everything.”
“Sounds great, we’ll be there shortly,” Gene said.
Six more riders competed while they were getting the horses settled, and Coal’s time was still holding in first place. “Only three more riders to go,” Gene said as they stored the tack and walked out of the stables.
“It’s looking good that you’ll be in the money somewhere,” Stormy said as the current rider missed a turn, eliminating her from the competition.
The next rider finished the run, but at a slower time than the top three scores. The last rider entered the arena. Coal held her breath as the horse and rider lurched into action, weaving smoothly between the poles as they walked along the arena toward the food vendors. On the last turn, the horse made a misstep and it slowed him just enough to give them the second-place time.
“It’s official, you’re two for two,” Gene said, giving Coal a high five. “Way to go!”
“Thanks,” she said. “It will be your turn this afternoon while I kick back to watch.”
†
“Congratulations,” Harley said with a slap to Coal’s back when they reached a picnic table filled with food and drinks.
“Thanks,” she said. “Holy cow, this looks good.”
“I don’t think anyone will go hungry,” Melissa said.
They feasted in the shade of a large oak, finishing off the entire bounty of food. Unbelievably, Gene went in search of the funnel cake vendor for a sweet finish to the meal. When he returned with a mound of fried batter covered in confectioner’s sugar, he offered the group a taste.
“I couldn’t dream of another bite of anything,” Coal said.
“Me either,” Stormy chimed in.
“I’ll give it a go,” Melissa said, and pulled off a small section. “Dear me, this is sweet,” she cried when the sugar hit her taste buds.
“I hope we don’t see that again after you bronc ride,” Harley teased.
“Aw man, Harley, that’s disgusting,” Gene said and pushed the remainder of the heavenly sweet treat over to him.
“Maybe so, but that worked out quite well for me,” Harley teased and took a large bite.
Gene broke out laughing. “I’ll get another after I ride.”
†
The crew of the MC2 performed well that day, taking first and third place in steer wrestling and saddle bronc, and first and second in bareback.
After the horses were cared for and tack stored for the night Melissa announced she was treating everyone to dinner at the steakhouse they had visited the night before. “We’ll be back to pick you up at seven unless you want to go with us now?” she told Gene.
“I could probably use a good shower,” he said.
“Come on then, you can use ours,” Harley said.
†
After another hearty meal, the crew retired early. The competition would start early the next morning, and they would check out of the hotel to be ready to head home when the awards ceremony ended.
Coal pulled out her clothes for the next day and packed the rest of her bag before climbing into the bed with Mary Leah. “Today was a great day, thanks for sharing it with me.”
“I’ve had a blast,” Mary Leah said. “I had forgotten how fun rodeos can be.”
Mary Leah turned on the television to find a movie and when she turned back to ask Coal if the movie was good for her, she found her softly snoring as she slept. Mary Leah kissed the top of her head and snuggled under the covers next to Coal.
†
Sunday dawned cooler than normal and with ominous clouds growing in the west. After a quick breakfast, they carried their bags out to the truck to head to the Expo. Harley glanced up at the clouds and said, “I sure hope that rain holds off until the rodeo finishes.”
“Me too, at least through the roping competition,” she said with a grin.
Raindrops pelted the windshield as they pulled out of the hotel. “Will they cancel the events?” Del asked.
“Not unless it starts lightning or we go under a tornado warning,” Harley said. “It’s a good thing the Expo is a covered arena.”
“Let’s pray that doesn’t happen,” Coal said. “We need the rain, but not a twister.”
“Hopefully you and Gene will pull an early run so we can get packed up and ready to roll.”
“I hope so,” Coal said as she slumped back on the seat and watched the rain trickle down the glass.
†
Gene met them at the stables. “I’ve already pulled our run. We have second spot. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Heaven’s no. You did well for us,” she said. “How is the arena looking?”
“Dry, thank goodness. If we don’t get drowned riding to the entrance, we’ll be in good shape.”
“We’re going to make a dash before it rains any harder and get our seats,” Melissa said. “Good luck you two.”
“Thanks,” Coal and Gene said in unison. “Be careful getting to your seats,” Coal added.
“We will,” Mary Leah answered.
Lucas and Stormy stayed behind to help them gear up. Gene and Coal pulled on their chaps while Lucas and Stormy got their mounts saddled and ropes attached to their saddles. They stretched and then mounted up. “We still have a few minutes before the event. Let’s warm the horses up a bit,” she suggested.
Several other teams were also in the arena getting their mounts ready for the competition. When the announcer cleared the arena to start the event, Lucas and Stormy wished them luck and went in search of the rest of the crew.
She sat next to Gene and slipped on her gloves. “You ready to kick up some dirt?” she asked.
“More than ready,” he answered. “Why do rodeo weekends always fly by?”
“Because we are having so much fun,” she said. “It gives us something to look forward to all summer long while we’re sweating our asses off baling hay.”
“I know that’s right,” he agreed. “Honestly, though, Coal, I don’t think there’s anything else I’d rather do.”
“Me either,” she said as the announcer called the first team into the arena. “Let’s go, we’re next.”
They rode to the entrance of the arena and double-checked their gear. They watched as the team backed into position and nodded for the steer to release from the chute. They made a good clean run, but the time was not impressive.
“Just like practice,” she said to Gene, who shot her a grin.
“Let’s do this,” he said and led them into the arena.
Coal backed Shadow into position and she cou
ld feel his muscles quivering with excitement beneath her as they waited. “Steady, big boy,” she soothed as she made her loop and watched as the steer loaded into the chute. She was ready and nodded to Gene.
Gene nodded to the starter and the chute man used a hot rod to send the steer flying out of the chute. The rope barrier released from the steer and they were off in pursuit. Gene’s rope landed squarely over the steer’s neck and he quickly turned him in position for Coal. She took a slow breath and threw her rope. It landed perfectly, but for a split second, she feared the steer would kick out of her loop before she could snap it tight. Fortunately, her rope snapped around the steer’s legs, and she backed Shadow quickly to stretch the steer to end their run.
They looked up at the clock at the same time then rode toward the steer to release the tension and gather their ropes. It was a good run, but only time would tell if the time would hold up in a money slot.
Gene grinned at her. “Not a bad run,” he said as they cantered to the end of the arena.
Melissa watched her crew leave the stands and turned back to see Del watching her. She smiled. “What?”
“You’re very proud of them, aren’t you?”
“Yes, all of them. Especially Gene and Coal, they’ve worked really hard on improving this year.”
“That seemed like a good run,” Del said. “Do you think the time will hold up?”
“We can only hope,” Melissa answered. “It was a clean run, so cross your fingers.”
†
Gene and Coal raced across the open field back to the stables, mud splattering them as they rode. They laughed like children playing in a mud puddle, and for a moment, she contemplated making a circuit around the stables just for fun. A loud clap of thunder booming in the distance put a quick halt to that idea and she slipped from Shadow’s back as soon as they entered the stables.
Stormy and Lucas entered the stables moments later. “Harley’s going to pull the trailer as close as he can so we can get loaded without getting soaked,” Lucas told them. “Horses first and then we can get the tack stored away,” he said.
