I had drawn the last run in barrels, which was good and bad. Good because I could know what times I needed to beat, and bad because the ground was stirred up from previous runs. It finally came time for my run. I had to beat Amy's run, and it was on fire. A 14.37 was hard for some professional racers to run on a pattern this size. I knew I'd have to push Ash to her limit, but she was gritty so I knew she could do it.
We calmly walked down the alley. "Now our last barrel racer of the day, Miss Indiana Wiles and Roses N Ashes," I leaned forward over Ash's neck and she sprang out of the alley. I rated her as we turned the barrel and she stretched for the second. I felt her shoulder start to drop a little early and I had to lift my leg over her back to keep from hitting it.
I kicked her past the third and Ash ran home with all the grit she had left. Fisher and all of the bull riders, who I had come very close to in the last month, were standing at the end of the alley jumping and yelling. I jumped off and they all pulled me into a group hug. They let me go as the announcer called my time. "We have a new leader with a new arena record of 13.79!" I almost fell over! I couldn't believe it!
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As a walked on stage later that evening, my ears burned with pride. "Our Preliminary Rodeo All Around Cowgirl goes to Indie Wiles!" Said the award coordinator. "She and a few other cowgirls will be proceeding into the Finals rodeo tomorrow," he continued. He handed me a belt buckle and I gripped the edges of the cold box, staring at the Montana Silversmith buckle. As I watched the other awards presented, I replayed the day's experience. My lasts event had been bull riding. Which did not go well. I had drawn a bull called Nightmare. His name alone was enough to scare the living crap out of anyone. Needless to say, I got bucked off before the buzzer rang, but Fisher had placed 2nd in the short go. My attention was turned to the stage where Fisher was being awarded Preliminary Rodeo All Around Calf Roper. I smiled as he lifted his buckle in the air for all to see. After the ceremony I walked back to my cabin. It seemed lonely with most of the boys gone. Only Fisher, Eli, Kyle, And Zack had qualified for the finals. I was showered and in my pajamas when Fisher motioned me outside. "What?" I asked curiously. "You'll see," He grinned. He grabbed my hand and pulled me on to one of the trails. I was a little concerned at first but I was soon at ease as Fisher joked about some of the boys reactions to not qualifying. He stopped and turned to me. "Close your eyes," he said. I stared at him stubbornly. "Trust me," I closed my eyes and he led me along a narrow path. He stopped me and reached for something. I Met a Girl by Williams Michael Morgan started softly playing. "Open your eyes," he whispered to me. I slowly opened my eyes. I was shocked. There were strings of lights on the surrounding trees and little Chinese lanterns of all colors hung randomly in the bushes. In the center of the woodland escape stood a tree stump with a handmade quilt as a table cloth and two tree pieces as chairs. On the stump sat two glasses of sweet tea. "Fisher," I whispered because I seriously didn't know what to say. He motioned for me to sit down. We sat and drank sweet tea and learned even more about each other. Die A Happy Man by Thomas Rhett began to play. Fisher held out his hand. " May I have this dance?" I took his palm in mine. "You may," We started to dance he stopped and looked down at me. I had never realized how tall he was. His lips slowly descended on mine and we were caught in a gentle kiss. He didn't demand anything more than a soft peck on my lips. I smiled up at him when he pulled away. We danced until the stars were high in the sky. 💙