by Ali Spooner
Stormy started to remove the saddle from Shadow’s back, slipping his bridle off and replacing it with his halter and lead. “You did good, big boy,” she said as she stroked down his face. “Has anyone heard anything on this weather?”
“Harley said it was going to be mostly heavy rains and some winds, but no tornado cells are in the area yet,” she told her. “I think he’s anxious to get the horses on the road before it worsens.”
“That’s not a bad idea, I’ll see if he wants me to ride with him,” Coal said.
“You stay and I’ll go with him,” Stormy said.
“You and Gene can collect our winnings,” Lucas added. “Stormy and I can help Harley.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Coal asked.
“Yes, just tell Del what’s going on, and I’ll see her when y’all get home.”
“Are we ready to load up?” Harley said, wiping the rain from his arms.
“Yes, we are. Lucas and Stormy are going to ride with you back to the MC2,” she said.
“Good, you can drive in this mess. Your eyes have to be better than mine,” Harley said and tossed the keys to Lucas.
Lucas snatched the keys out of the air. “No problem,” he said and led his horse to the open trailer.
Several minutes later, they were soaked to the bone, but the horses and tack were safely stored. “Hop in and we’ll drop you as close to the arena as we can,” Harley said.
When they arrived at the entrance to the arena, Lucas pulled the truck to a stop. “Hopefully we won’t be too far behind you,” Coal said. “I’m hoping they will skip the closing ceremonies to allow everyone to get a start for home.”
“I hope you’re right. Some of these folks have a long way to travel today,” Harley said.
“Drive safe, and we’ll see you soon,” Coal said. Then she and Gene made a dash for cover.
They turned to watch Lucas pull away then stepped inside to find the others.
†
Melissa saw Gene and Coal enter and waved to them. “I wonder where the others are?” she asked aloud.
Gene followed Coal into the stands. Del frowned as they approached, but refrained from saying anything. “Harley, Lucas, and Stormy are driving the horses back to beat the worst of the weather, or at least they are hoping,” she explained. She took a seat next to Del. “Stormy said she would she see you when we return.”
“That’s fine,” she answered, but it was obvious she was disappointed.
When the roping events concluded, the officials announced their decision to cancel the closing ceremonies to allow the crowd to travel home safely. They requested winners visit the official tent to pick up their winnings and trophies.
“Now we’re talking,” Gene said. “Let’s grab the goodies and go home.”
When they reached the tent, she and Gene picked up their winnings and Del collected for Stormy. Melissa was surprised when an official tapped her on the shoulder and handed her a large trophy.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Conway, your team won Top Cowboy honors,” he said and handed her a check for five hundred dollars.
“Oh, my goodness,” Melissa said as she hefted the trophy. “I had no idea.”
“This will look great in your den,” Mary Leah said.
“Yes, it will,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go home.” She handed the trophy to Gene.
Chapter Twenty-four
The heavy rains had followed them home. When they pulled up to the house, Harley sent Lucas and Stormy out to greet them with umbrellas and bring them to the bunkhouse. They had been busy preparing a meal after they had the stock settled.
“Something smells wonderful,” Melissa said as they stepped inside.
“Pot roast and biscuits, but it’s hot and hearty,” Harley said.
“Sounds wonderful,” Melissa said.
Del handed Stormy the checks from her winnings and Coal passed checks to Lucas.
“We also had a pleasant surprise,” Melissa said. “We won Top Cowboy, a large trophy, and a five-hundred-dollar check.”
“All right!” Lucas and Stormy shouted.
“Congratulations everyone,” Harley said.
“This is a team win and you are all a part of it,” Melissa said. “I’ll deposit the check, but it will be up to you to decide how to spend it.”
“I think that’s an easy decision,” Coal said. “Put it toward next year’s rodeo expenses. It can’t be easy paying for the travel expenses.”
“No, but you guys deserve it for the hard work you do all year,” Melissa said. “It’s the least I can do for you.”
“We all have our winnings,” Coal was quick to remind her.
“She’s right. Please save this for next year,” Gene said.
Melissa smiled. “Consider it done then. Now let’s eat, I’m hungry.”
†
The rain finally let up and the women took advantage of the break to make a dash for the house. Gene carried the trophy and placed it in the den for Melissa.
“Will you do me a favor before you head back?” Mary Leah asked him.
“Sure thing, what can I do for you?”
“Bring in the two packages I have in my backseat, please.”
“I’ll be right back,” Gene said and sprinted out of the house.
“What are you up to?” Melissa asked.
“You’ll see in just a minute,” Mary Leah said as Gene returned with the packages.
“Here you go,” he said and placed them next to Mary Leah.
“Hand one to Del and the other is for Melissa,” she said.
Gene delivered the packages as requested and sat beside Coal.
“I bet you two thought I forgot,” Mary Leah said. “Go ahead and open them.”
Coal looked at Stormy, who was just as confused, and shrugged her shoulders.
Melissa and Del took their packages and took a seat on the sofa as the others looked on. Melissa unwrapped hers first, revealing a framed photograph.
“Would you look at that,” she said, amazed. “It came out great.” She turned the frame around to show Coal and Stormy.
The photograph was of her and Stormy as they walked together leading the horses behind them with the caption at the bottom, which read, ‘Cowgirls Do It in the Dirt.’
“When did you take this?” she asked Mary Leah.
“They last time y’all practiced,” she answered. “Before you ask, we have a copy also.”
“That is really something,” Stormy said as she looked at Del’s copy.
“Thank you, my love,” Coal said as she bent down and kissed Mary Leah.
“Cowgirls do it in the dirt,” Stormy said. “Hell yeah, we do.”
This is only the beginning.
About the Author
Ali Spooner
Ali Spooner is a native of Florida, currently living and working in Memphis, TN. Home for Ali is Pensacola, Florida where she has a partner of twenty years, one son and a grandchild that has her wrapped completely around her little finger. Her other children are all four legged, three dogs and two cats, and her dearest companion in Memphis, Rascal, a rescued tiger kitten named after her favorite country group.
A true daughter of the South, Ali enjoys spinning stories about the South, the strong, but gentle women and creatures that make it a wondrous place to live.
As an “Indie” author, Ali has been writing for many years as a hobby, and after a cancer diagnosis in 2010, she decided to take a leap and start self-publishing and has published over a dozen stories. Ali’s characters range from cowgirls and psychics, to a healthy dose of supernatural beings. She has written stand-alone titles and series. Ali frequently writes several stories at a time, depending on which characters are bouncing around loudest in her head.
Ali is an avid reader and her other hobbies include photography, outdoor activities and watching college sports.
Other Books from Affinity eBook Press
The Chronicles of Ratha: Book 1
Children of the Noorthi—Erica Lawson Jordana Laren is a hard-drinking, hard-fighting womanizer, who works as a freighter pilot in her spare time. Her latest customer drugs her, steals her ship, and abandons her on a desert hellhole called Rigeus, infamous penal planet for the worst women criminals. Her chances of survival aren’t looking good. She has no food, water, or weapons, and the nearest bar is a million miles away. Just when she’s ready to write her last will and testament, Jordana is rescued by a group of barely-clad women. Has she found nirvana? Her own personal harem seems like a possibility, until the intercession of their enemy, the Velkren. Their leader, Vel, remembers Jordana well, and not fondly. But why is Vel on this planet, surrounded by murderers, thieves, and bad-tempered bitches? Jordana knows Vel isn’t a prisoner, so why is her nemesis on Rigeus mining mud, of all things? Jordana knows only one thing. She has to get off the planet before Vel kills her. Unfortunately, the women who saved her reveal themselves to be holy. They are the Noorthi, and Jordana’s dream of endless debauchery becomes a nightmare of eternal servitude. The Noorthi make her one of them, marking her with a wrist tattoo, and leaving her no choice but to protect them with her life. The last thing Jordana wants is to become involved in galactic politics or heroic actions. But the tattoo ochre in her body is suddenly giving her morals and scruples, not to mention a better vocabulary! And she really can’t pass up a chance to outwit Vel, whose megalomaniac plans are endangering not only the Noorthi, but the civilized galaxy itself. But Jordana is torn. Does she stop Vel at all costs, or does she get out from under the thumb of the Noorthi while she can? Some things were never meant to be easy…
If I Were a Boy—Erin O’Reilly Katie McGuire appears to have it all. A devoted husband, a job she loved, and a comfortable lifestyle. Helen Swenson is a successful financial director of a prominent investment firm, with an unfaithful husband, and few friends. Their husbands’ annual trip to Padre Island National Seashore to reunite with their air force pilot squad becomes a pivotal point for the two women. Their lives take on a completely new meaning when an undeniable magnetism between them draws them together. Passion and secrecy becomes the norm, as they have no choice but to succumb to their attraction. Can the vacation love affair continue? When they leave for their respective homes, will they regret what happened? Life is not that easy to change and the people around them are the hardest to convince. There is no more powerful motivation than love. Except hate and there are plenty of people who want to see their relationship destroyed. Will Katie and Helen be able to make a life together work or succumb to doubts and the pressures of family? This story will fill you with the thrill of passion and the tenderness of love.
Nesting—Renee MacKenzie Macy Stokes, a divorced mother who is struggling with her sexual identity, jumps at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help her friends. She doesn't foresee it will put her in jeopardy of losing her son, Jeremiah. Fresh out of high school, Cam Webber travels to Augusta, Georgia, to reconcile with her aunt. When she learns that's impossible, she determines to gain acceptance from her aunt's partner, Sharon. Meanwhile, Cam sets her sights on Macy, but Macy has other ideas. Kenny Brewer is a good old boy who loves his wife, Dorianne, even when he thinks she's gone totally off her rocker. Dorianne gets it in her head that a local woman is her long-lost half-sister. But soon, her obsession with that is eclipsed by medical problems that involve them all. Set in Augusta, Georgia, Nesting explores the age-old issues of guilt, regret, and redemption, and the part they play in driving people to create and protect family-at any cost.
Reece’s Faith—TJ Vertigo In the return of the main characters from the bestselling novel Private Dancer, we see the blossoming relationship of bar owner, Reece Corbett and actress, Faith Ashford. The two women explore new, uncertain territory together, using sexual intimacy as a glue of comfort, helping them become strong and whole. A trusting Reece shares with Faith the sordid tale of how she became The Animal and Faith finds herself newly empowered by Reece’s ongoing trust and support. Jealousy arises when Faith has to kiss a man on her TV show and two amorous women stalk Reece. When Faith is outed on her television show, things get crazy. With the arrival of her parents on the scene, the craziness escalates. As Faith tries to justify her lifestyle and defend her love for Reece, she discovers that nothing about her parents is as she once believed. This, not to be missed passionate and erotic romance, will have you begging for more.
Starting Over—Jen Silver Ellie Winters, a successful potter, is living on a remote hilltop farm inherited from her parents. Her well-ordered life is shaken apart when her past meets her present. Robin Fanshawe, Ellie’s philandering long-term lover, has a fragile truce with Ellie. The arrival of women from Robin's present threatens to break that tentative pact. Charming Dr. Kathryn Moss, an archaeologist and an old lover of Ellie’s, arrives on the farm searching for a new site to dig. When she discovers a previously unknown Roman settlement and ancient burial site on Ellie’s farm, Ellie allows her to start an archaeological dig of the area. Will Ellie also allow the rekindling of an old romance or will she stay with Robin? Can that long term relationship, albeit tentative, recover from this collision or will an old romance trump everything she knows? Will Robin, seeing the interaction between Ellie and Kathryn, leave her womanising ways behind? Will she take a chance on giving herself wholly to the woman she loves? These questions and the mystery of whose royal resting place is disturbed at Starling Hill are answered in this classic romance of simmering passions, anguished loss, and the wonder of love.
Twisted Lives—Ali Spooner A twist of fate leaves Bet and her daughter Kylie stranded at the entrance of the home of Alex Graves, as she flees the control of an abusive husband. When custom–homebuilder Alex arrives to find steam boiling from Bet’s car and a beautiful child asleep in the passenger seat, her heart goes out to them. Alex offers shelter to the pair setting off a chain of events that bring both mother and daughter close to her heart and danger to her door. A heartwarming story of true love that will keep you smiling long after you’ve finished the book.
Malodorous—Del Robertson Sequel to My Fair Maiden Something in Fairhaven stinks. Other than the mutton stew, that is. Gwen thought life after being a virgin sacrifice would be a bed of roses. Bodhi was just looking for a wench to bed. Neither less-than-dashing hero nor not-quite-so-pure maiden imagined they would meet again, much less be trapped together in a city the likes of the ill-named Fairhaven. There’s a killer on the loose. Fairhaven’s on lockdown, its citizens fearful for their lives. The local guards are corrupt. And, Bodhi’s been accused of murder…
Desert Blooms—Dannie Marsden Luce’s story continues in DESERT BLOOMS… When we last met Luce Velazquez in Desert Heat, she went through hell and back to salvage her soul and reputation. Hoping to get her life back on track with lover Beth Ryan, a woman who understands her pain and can relate on every level. Instead, Luce is in the hospital, and Beth in protective custody. Jessica Sullivan, Luce’s friend and ex, has big doubts about the sincerity of Beth’s love, and is in no hurry to release her from custody. Can Luce’s new found happiness last, or is Jessica correct in her doubts? A heart stopping romance that will fill you with the wonder of friendship, anger of betrayal, and the everlasting vision of love.
Finding Her Way—Riley Jefferson Is it love or just great sex? After ending an abusive marriage, Jerrica Kerrison is finally alive and she’s apologizing for nothing! She has a job with a financial firm in Boston, a townhouse in Newburyport, and a sports car she drives way too fast. Jerrica has everything except that indefinable emotion called love. Madison Jeffrey is a lost soul. A PR job in the south has always protected Madison from the pressures of her family. But one day, fate brings her back to New England, forcing Madison to face her long buried demons, and a sister who despises her. When a chance meeting brings Jerrica and Madison’s separate worlds crashing together, the attraction is instantaneous. After one passionate night together, Jerrica retreats into the safety of her world, leaving Madison to figure out what happene
d. Will Jerrica open up her heart to the idea of love? Can Madison finally believe that she is worthy of unconditional love? Or will a devil hiding in the shadows tear them apart?
HER—Lisa Ron Fox has been looking for that one person who will make her feel complete-her perfect match. Together with her friends, Megan and Tree, Fox continues her quest while dodging exes and clingers, laughing a lot along the way. When she meets Madeline, she instantly knows that she has found HER. Madeline has her own problems-notably a domineering husband. Can Fox win her heart? Can they make a life together? This story will make you laugh, cry, and hold your breath as the story unfolds. With the right person love can conquer all.
Bayou Justice—Ali Spooner Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. When Kara, Sasha’s new lover is taken hostage as a diversionary tactic to allow the drug dealing Bellfontaine brothers to escape justice, Sasha springs into action. Kara is released physically unharmed, however her emotions and budding career in the District Attorney’s office are left in shambles when she is held to blame for their release, Appalled by the failure of the criminal justice system, Sasha exacts her own brand of justice for the acts committed against her lover. From the Bayous of Louisiana to the jungles of South America, Sasha plots her revenge.
Out of Retirement—Erica Lawson Melanie Stokes was a doctor—a very good one, or so she hoped. She was calm and cool under pressure, and very little fazed her. Until…Caitlin Joseph ran a small retirement home for older women in need. The fact that everyone in the house was gay was a coincidence, although it did cut down the number of women agreeing to live there. Mel took up an offer to do some relief work for a local community center when their regular doctor was away on holidays. As soon as she arrived at the home she knew something was different about the place. Was it the little old lady chasing the paper boy down the street or the sign saying “Dykes Retirement Home”? But there was something about the place that also appealed to her. Sure, Caitlin was cute as a button, but it was more the fact that she took very good care of her charges despite their rather bizarre behavior. The older women seized the opportunity to introduce a woman into Caitlin’s lonely life, using any means possible to keep Mel coming back. Their plans were boosted by the introduction of another woman into the house, who set hearts a fluttering and blood pressure rising. Now if she was a lesbian it would have been perfect…
