Beauty & The Bull Rider

Chapter 3- What Do You Do?

Lacey and I drove for most of the night, but we finally made it to the elaborate rodeo farm by 7:30 AM. I hadn't slept a wink, but I wasn't sleepy at all! As we pulled up next to the one of the three barns on the grounds, a tall, lanky man stepped out. Lacey smiled and I knew that this guy was her fiance, Adam. 

She put the truck in park, turned off the engine and hopped out. "I missed you babe," He said in a deep, husky voice. Lacey hugged him briefly and turned to where I was awkwardly staring at my feet. "Adam, this is Indiana Wiles, one of my best riders," Lacey said. 

I smiled and shook his outstretched hand. "Please call me Indie," I grinned. "Okay, Indie, I'm Adam and this is The Tequila Rodeo Farm." I chuckled at the name. "The owner likes bars," Adam smirked. "Lets get these horses unloaded," Lacey said as Ash gave a shrill whinny.

Adam showed me Ash's stall. "I'll go get your tack box," He said. "Don't put your back out doing it," I yelled at him. I surveyed Ash's stall as I unsnapped her leadrope. She had a nice, roomy box stall with a grassy paddock.

I watched her trot outside and sniff noses with a pinto gelding in the adjoining paddock. "Here ya go," I heard Adam grunt as he placed my tack box carefully on the floor in front of the stall. "Thank You so much!" I said. 

"No problem," "Did you sign up for your activities online?" He asked. I shook my head. "No,"  "Okay, you need to go to the farm office down the gravel road about 400 feet, Agnes will help ya do that,"   I nodded. "See you later," He strolled down the aisle to where Lacey was getting Slick settled. 

I walked out of the barn and down the road. I saw a small triangular shaped house with 'Office' on a sign on the front. I casually walked up the single step and knocked on the door. "Come on in Sweetheart!" I heard a think southern accent yell. I opened the door and a short, plump woman sitting at a desk.

"Hi, I'm Indiana Wiles," I said. "Adam said to come and choose my activities,"   "Okay Sugar, I'm Agnes and you can just come to me for anything while your here," She smiled sweetly. "Lets get you checked in," She took a large sip from her bottle of what looked to be sweet tea. She typed something into her computer and motioned for me to come over to the other side of the desk.

"You can choose four Rodeo events to do," she said. "Um, Okay," I began. I knew Dad would crap his pants if he knew what I was about to do. I put aside reality. "I want to do, barrel racing and pole bending, trick riding, and, uh, bull riding," I grumbled the last words. "I didn't catch the last one sweetheart," Agnes said. 

"Bull riding," I said confidently. Agnes looked at me quizzically through the corner of her eye and rolled her eyes and slipped me a piece of paper. "I bet you'll be as good as any of those boys," Agnes said as she shooed me out of the office and back toward the barn. 

I found Adam again and gave him the paper that Agnes gave me. "Okay, so you're going to bull ride?" He chuckled. My ears grew hot. "It's like a family tradition," I gave him a fake smile. He looked at his clipboard before looking at me. "The barrel racing and pole bending cabin is overflowing with girls," He said.

You can either bunk with the bull riders or the trick riders. I thought about the girls from my school who trick-rode. They were either stuck up or just plain mean. "Bull riders," I shrugged. Adam nodded and continued to chuckle.

"It's cabin 5," He said. "I'll get your bags up there," I nodded. "Here's your schedule," He said as he handed me more papers. I was going to busy.

                                                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                   I decided to take Ash for a ride in the arena to get her used to her surroundings before everything started. There was already a group of girls riding and a few were sitting in the stands. I saw some cowboys sitting of the rail at the end of the arena watching the girls.

 I got off of Ash and put on her sparkly blue bells and her blue Sport Medicine boots and hopped back on. After I warmed Ash up, a blonde girl that looked like she had just walked off of Ranch Dress'n photoshoot, motioned me to come over to where all the girls were talking.

I trotted over and stopped beside her. "Hi," She smiled sweetly. "I'm Amy Harrison,"  I smiled back. "I'm Indiana Wiles," "But call me Indie,"  The other girls introduced themselves. I guessed that all 15 of them were barrel racers. "Do you barrel race?" A girl named Ashley asked me. I shrugged.

"Sometimes,"  All the girls stared at me like I had twelve eyes. "What do you mean sometimes?" Amy questioned. "It's not what I compete in at the Rodeos every weekend," I explained. "Then, What do you do," A red headed girl named Hannah asked.

I felt pride for my father and his father as I said, "I'm a bull rider," Amy giggled. "Bull rider?" Ashley looked at me in disbelief. I nodded. "I bet you can't even ride," Amy burst out laughing as the other girls joined in. 

"Really?" I said. "You wanna make a bet," The Joshua Wiles (Dad) in me was coming out. "Yea, I do," Amy smirked. "If you can beat me at barrel racing, I'll give you my Glam and Grit hat," She pointed to the Fallon Taylor hat on her head.

I knew that the hat was almost $400 and I wanted it so bad. "And if you beat me, you can have Fallon Taylor signed locket," I said instantaneously. She nodded. The barrels were already set up, and Amy went first. Her buff looking dapple grey quarter horse had tough speed as he turned the first barrel.

He leaped for the second and spun around it. Amy took her quirt and pushed him past the third. They kicked up dust as they galloped home. "15.86," Ashley looked up from the timer on her phone. This horse was good, but Ash's Thoroughbred blood and long legs would never fail me.

"Beat that," Amy yelled at me. The cowboys whooped and whistled as she whipped her hair at me. "I will you winch," I yelled back. I turned my circle and felt Ash's muscles tense under me. I let her go. We turned the first and before I knew it we turned the second.

It felt like I was flying! I heard the cowboys whoop as I turned the third. I spurred Ash home and she gave it all she had. I slowed her and looked at Ashley who was staring at her phone. "Sorry Amy, Indie wins," She looked at Amy sorrowfully. "Indie wins with a smokin' 14.04!" Ashley shouted. 

I reached up and scratched Ash's sweaty bridle path. "You are the best," I whispered. I rode over to Amy. "Keep the hat," I said seriously. Amy looked at me with scorn, but I could see a look of gratitude in her eye. "See y'all tomorrow," I yelled as I led Ash out of the arena and to the wash rack.

"This camp might not be half bad," I told Ash as I untacked in the warm Georgia sun.