Rodeo Heartbreak

Pendelton

I'm pulling into my driveway in Edgefield, South Carolina, windows down and radio up. I'm finally home. I just got back from a rodeo in myrtle beach and it feels like the longest ride on Sunday morning. I won the barrel racing with my horse "scoot." He got the name because he scoots around the barrels but his AQHA name is "all trigger no barrel." He's the best horse anybody could ask for. I've had a long weekend of confusion and tears.

"Throwback to Friday night"

I haven't been long arrived, and I really hope my ex isn't here. He's a 2x world champion bull rider and he knows it. I'm a 2x barrel champion but don't really like all the attention. I'm tired of everything being fake. If I wasn't a champion I wouldn't have half of the so called "friends", people use you and that's it. "Hey Mel." Oh gosh speak of the devil.
"Hey josh" I say with a sigh.
"Baby you don't sound to happy to see me."
"Josh don't call me baby we've been done, you chose that a long time ago when you left with her."
"Mel it was a mistake."
"Yeah EVERYTHING was a mistake, even me and you."
"Mel don't do this." He says as I walk away. I have to go sign in and pay and I definitely don't have time for this. As I'm walking up to the office I pass a trailer with a lot of cowboys and they all look and some whistle but I just keep on walking. All they are is heartbreak.

* Josh pov *

I really do regret leaving with that girl. Me and Mel were having such a good night but of course I choose partying over her. She doesn't believe me when I tell her that I miss her. She's worked out more I can tell and doing a few squats if you know what I mean. She'll never take me back though.

(That's josh)

I was a little tipsy but sober enough to know right and wrong, and all I did was wrong. She told me if I left to forget ever getting back with her. So that night I took my shit and left. I've never seen her so sad and disappointed at the same time. It was a look I will never be able to forget.

*back to reality Mel pov *

I get everything unloaded and put scoot back in the pasture with all the other horses. When I get back to the barn I received a phone call. "Hello"
"Mel? It's josh."
"How did you get my number?"
"I called your friend Hailey."
"Josh what do you need because I'm really busy?"
"I was wanting to know if you want to meet up and have some supper?"
"I'm kind of busy today, I'm going over to my parents house for dinner."
"Oh ok." I could hear the disappointment in his voice but I can't go back down that road, I wasn't be for a very long time.
"Yeah" I say awkwardly.
"Are you going to the rodeo in Pendleton (South Carolina)?"
"Ugh yeah I'll be there."
"Well how about we grab supper there? It would be a good way to settle down."
"I don't kno-"
"Mel please"
"Alright"
"Thanks Mel you won't regret it." After that we said our goodbyes. What have I gotten myself into? I don't know if I should give him a chance. I told him to forget it but do I really miss him? He always told me that we were gonna grow old together, that we were gonna get married have kids and a place of our own. I guess he just forgot about it. I don't know what he did with those girls and I don't want to know, all I know is that this is dinner and nothing else. He can forget any ideas he had about  US.
*parents house*
I walk in and everybody was in the living room. "Hey Mel" my older brother Evan said.
"Hey Evan"
"I missed you"
"I missed you too, how's everything?" I ask. Evan is also a stock contractor. He does the same as josh, but Evan works under a different rodeo circuit.
"It's good, I just got back from Texas last night so I'm tired as all get out."
"Yeah, how was it out there?"
"Beautiful Mel you would have loved it."
"I want to go out there some day but I just don't have time"
"Maybe you can come out with me next time. I'll even pay for your flight."
"Evan I couldn-"
"No Mel, it's the least I can do. You always take care of my stuff when I'm gone so this is how I'll repay you."
"Evan your the best." He's the best brother ever, even though we're four years apart we don't argue, we never really have. He's very protective of me though. Money isn't a huge problem for him because he has so many sponsors, and the money he makes, he can just spend it on whatever because like I said the sponsors pay for everything. Dinner was very good we had ribeye steak with baked potatoes and salad. Evan and I cleaned up so that momma and daddy could go to bed. We both step outside on the back porch. Evan and I open our beer, and yes I'm twenty-one and he is twenty-five, and then I speak. "Ev do you remember josh?"
"Yeah I do."
"What do you think about him?"
" well to be honest Mel I liked him up until the end, I started noticing him drinking more and partying. I know you were never that type so I knew something was up. He was a jerk for leaving you like he did."
"Yeah, did you know that was a year today's?"
"You kept up with that?"
"Yeah it was kind of hard not to, he was flashing his new girl around everywhere. I ugh-" I stopped to wipe my tear. "I saw him this weekend at the rodeo and he tried to talk to me, then when I wouldn't, he called me"
"How did he get your number?"
"Hailey gave it to him"
"Damn it hailey."
"So he asked me if I wanted to go eat with him and at first I said no but the I could hear it in his voice how he was truly sorry."
"Melissa I don't really this this is a good idea."
" I promise if he even tries to touch me I will call you"
"Alright, I trust you Mel, I love you and don't want anything to happen to you."
"I love you too." After that we both went home. As I pull into my driveway I really start thinking should I call this off or not. I mean I do have a good reason but I guess I'll just go with it. The week was very long, trying to run a equine vet clinic and ranch at the same time can really be a lot on one person. I receive a text from Evan on Friday morning saying "I love you sis, go out, win, and have a good time. Call me if you need anything." I swear I love him to death. As I'm pulling into Pendleton and park I see Josh's rig. He has some other Cowboys helping him unload and park. He's a hard worker, and always has been. He sees me and waves, I just give him a smile. I unload scoot and set up his coral. I don't trust other people in the barns, their horses carry germs and if they know that they have competition then they will try to mess with your horse. Scoot and I were second to last up in the barrel racing. While the girl before me goes in I hear someone walk up to me. "Hey Mel"
"Hey"
"Good luck tonight, me and my crowd are pulling for you" with that he walks away. Gosh, why does he have to be so sweet?
"Up next is Melissa Aims riding all All Trigger No Barrel"
"Ready scoot?" I ask before we take off. He gets really close "hey!" He then fixes so that everything else is good. We ran a 16.34 which is first right now there is still one more girl , as she's running she knocks down the second barrel. Scoot and I are walking back to the trailer, I always take his bridle off as a reward no matter how good or bad it was. I take his saddle, blanket and boots off and then I pick my saddle up, but someone grabs it. I look up and see josh.
"Hey, I got it."
"Thanks"
"I'm so proud of you and scoot, y'all looked amazing" he said as he hugged me.
"Thanks-again, how did your stock do?"
"They did good, I had my good luck charm." I just smiled.
"Want to get ready for dinner?" He said again
"Yeah, I'll see you in a few" I said and give him a hug.

*dinner that night* Josh's POV

Im so nervous right now, I looked up nice places to eat and I think I'm going to take her to a nice country place that has a dance floor. It's really nice with 5 star rating but pricy. I'll do anything to get my Mel back. As I walk up to her door I make sure my shirt is nicely tucked in. I'm wearing my tin haul boots with rock revile jeans along with my light blue cinch shirt. Mel always loved this color on me so I decided I should wear it tonight. After I knock on her door she says "give me one sec" so I stand there and then she walks out. She looks drop dead gorgeous. She had on her coral boots with miss me jeans and a vocal top with her hair curled. She smiled when she saw me.
"Hey"
"Hey" she said with a slight smile.
"You look beautiful Mel"
"Thanks"
"Oh by the way you won't be needing that" I said as I pointed to her wallet.
"Bu-"
"No, tonight's on me." After that she knew she wasn't going to win, so we jumped into my truck. By the hidden smile she had on her face I knew she wanted to say something when she saw my truck. It's was also her favorite of my two. This one is my lifted 2016 Chevy Silverado with fuel rims. It was the black widow series. It was also blacked out, my second was my work truck. It's a white Ford F-350 for pulling my trailers and ranch stuff around. "So what are we doing tonight?" She said breaking the silence.
"Well I found this place that has an awesome steakhouse with a dance floor"
"Oh cool"
"Yeah, I was hoping you would like it." Once we arrived, I parked then opened her door for her. I grabbed her hand and to my surprise she didn't refuse. I think she's growing back on me. We walked in hand in hand and we got seated, I ordered a bud light and she ordered a sweet tea.
"So how's rodeo been treating you?"
"Pretty good, scoot and I got first at our last one so it wasn't a bad payout."
"That's good"
"Yeah, what about you? Are you still in the contracting business?"
"Yeah, I don't stay on the road like I use to, I have people hired that go to different rodeos. I mainly stay at home to buy and sell. I've learned I stay out of trouble that way."
"Yeah" was all she could say
"Mel I'm really sorry for that night and everything I ever did, I miss us so much and just want to start over, if you can forgive me?"
"I'm not going to lie josh, I was really hurt, and I tried to move on after the next year" then she paused
"Mel if you give me another chance I promise you won't regret it."
"Did you know that last Sunday was a year when you left?"
"Mel I-"
"I quit rodeo so I could try and escape you and her but I couldn't, I deleted my Facebook everything. I even got a new number."
"Is that why I couldn't reach you?"
"Yeah."

Authors note: soooo what do y'all thinks???