"Charlie, I'm headed out! See you at the rodeo?"
"Yeah. Drive safe!"
I clattered down the wooden steps of Tommy's trailer house and held my cowboy hat down against the hot wind on the way to my pickup.
It was a Saturday in August and the heat was already making the hair stick to my neck.
With the AC and the country radio going full blast I cruised down the familiar road towards Kellan Dace's house.
Blake was standing on his spacious front porch, shouting and waving her arms when I pulled up.
After some internal debate, I decided to go see what all the fuss was about.
"Um, am I interrupting something?" I stood cautiously at the bottom of the steps.
The little brunette stopped ranting long enough to shove a few pieces of coarse hair back into her braid and give me a small wave.
"Just go hook up the trailer. We'll finish this later," she muttered to Kellan, stomping in my direction.
I quirked an eyebrow in question. "What was that all about?"
She glanced over her shoulder at her very disgruntled blonde cousin. "He's trying to boss me around."
I struggled to hide my smile. Blake and Kellan were almost always fighting about something so this little tussle didn't faze me. In all honesty, I found their stupid arguments kind of endearing. Oakley, on the other hand, despised them.
"Aw, Blake, it's just because he loves you!" I wrapped an arm around her stiff shoulders and squeezed.
She rolled her eyes. "No, he's just trying to control my life and gets mad when I won't let him."
"What's he trying to control?"
"There's a live band playing tonight after the events get over and I wanted to stay for it. He said we couldn't because you probably didn't want to."
I was a bit taken aback to have been the subject of argument. "I don't know. How about we see how today goes and decide later?"
She shrugged, wrinkling her freckled face. "Whatever."
"Aw, don't let that get you down. We have a rodeo to get ready for!"
She began giggling. "Since when are you this excited to rodeo?"
"Since I wanted to stop being the center of attention," I winked. "But seriously, we should go catch the horses before Oakley gets here."
Blake nodded and readjusted her white cowboy hat. "Okay."
The closer we got to the pasture the easier I could see a familiar blue roan bobbing his head over top of the fence.
"Hi, Winston. Did you miss me?"
"He seriously likes you more than he likes Kellan lately," Blake commented, elbowing me in the ribs. "And so do I."
I rolled my eyes. "That's just because you live with the idiot. He's not so bad if you don't."
"Blake! Coda! Wait for me!"
We turned to see Oakley barreling towards us, brown curls blowing in the wind.
"We wouldn't have to wait for you if you'd actually be on time," I deadpanned, coming to a stop with crossed arms.
"I'm sorry! You know I'm not exactly the best at planning things unless they're really really important."
"This rodeo isn't important, hmm? Then maybe I should just go back to Tommy's and take a nap like I'd been planning before you invited my brother to come watch."
"Coda, contain your sass. You love rodeos! And you're gonna love them even more once we start winning!"
"Hate to break it to you, Oak, but one rodeo and a week's worth of practice ain't gonna improve our skills enough to do well."
She rolled her big blue eyes dramatically. "Quit being negative. Loosen up, put on your big girl boots and get ready!"
"I would've been ready half an hour ago if you'd been on time," I grumbled, heading into the pasture, Winston's rope halter in hand.
"I heard that."
Blake shook her head at our exchange and proceeded to follow me with instructions for Oakley to hurry up.
Kellan was leaned up against the horse trailer texting furiously when I tied Winston to the hitching rail.
"Hey, cowboy. You alright?"
He glanced up, mildly surprised. "Hey, Coda."
"You didn't answer my question."
"Oh," he rubbed the back of his neck, something he did quite often out of habit. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Blake told me there's a live band playing tonight."
To my surprise, his face reddened. "Yeah."
"Who's playing?"
"Cody Johnson."
"Wait, really? I love him!"
Kellan chuckled softly. "You seem to love all of these bands that nobody's ever heard of."
"Yet."
He laughed again and opened the trailer door in one smooth motion. "I'll help you load the saddles."
I followed him into the side shed of their spacious barn where all the tack was stored in a somehow organized mess. As usual, the boy was able to find everything he needed with ease. I was soon loading a saddle, bridle, blanket, bucket of brushes, and multiple ropes into the front part of the horse trailer.
"Go ahead and load Winston. I'll see what's taking Blake and Oakley so long."
I nodded and walked up to the drowsy horse. He perked up, reinforcing Blake's theory that I was his favorite.
Twenty minutes later, after several squabbles between Kellan and Blake--successfully ended by some harsh words from Oakley--we were speeding towards the rodeo grounds.
Oakley and I had very recently teamed up to compete together. It took a ridiculous amount of coaxing from her to even get me to try roping. Compounded with Kellan's patience and Blake's determination, I was on my way to my second rodeo as a competitor.
"Hey, Coda?"
"Hmm?" I was slouched down on the bench seat next to Kellan in his extended cab Ford. Blake was playing on her phone beside me while Oakley tried to keep the conversation going.
"Have you gone home yet?"
I made a face at the mention of my disastrous family headquarters. "Yeah, I had to go get some clothes the other night."
"How'd that go?"
"Not great."
She hesitated for a moment. "Wanna talk about it?"
I shrugged. "There isn't much to talk about. Dad's finishing up the divorce papers but mom refuses to leave. She thinks he's gonna change his mind and take her back."
Though he didn't verbally join in the conversation, Kellan grabbed my hand and held it tight.
"Is she still drunk?"
I stared past Oakley's questioning expression, feeling a little sheepish. "I don't know... I went home at two a.m. so I wouldn't have to see her. My dad was up, though. He's always been a light sleeper."
"How's he holding up?"
"He looks like death warmed over but I guess he's alive and still getting his work done."
"Hmm, sounds like you and your dad have a lot in common," Blake commented, never looking up from the game of virtual solitaire she was playing.
I stared, open mouthed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
She shrugged. "I know none of this divorce shit has been easy on you and if I must say, you look like hell. But you're still showing up to work every day and practicing your roping. Making it all happen. I admire you for it."
In all reality, I really did not want to be at this rodeo. My time could have been much better spent trying to catch up on the countless hours of sleep I'd missed out on this summer, at least in my opinion. The compliment made me feel like I was doing a good job of faking it. And coming from Blake, who very rarely had good things to say about anybody, it meant a lot.
Instead of thanking her like I probably should have, I clamped my mouth shut and hunched down in the seat once again.
The rest of our forty minute ride was in relative silence until the rodeo grounds came into view.
Oakley perked up and started bouncing annoyingly on the bench seat. In that moment--and most others--she reminded me of the Border Collie/Australian Shepherd cross puppy my brother had adopted a few years ago. They both had wide blue eyes and an endless supply of energy. Compounded with their mutual forgiving nature and the constant noise coming out of their mouths, Oakley was basically the human version of that silly dog.
I tried to be patient with her, honest. But when she had been bouncing the entire five minutes it took for us to find a parking spot, I got irritated.
"Oakley, knock it off before I glue you to the damn seat!"
She immediately stopped and sat meekly until the pickup was put in park. Then all hell broke loose.
Her and Blake tumbled out the passenger door in a flash of rhinestones and brown hair while Kellan and I chose to take our time.
"Ready for this?" He asked with a typical easy grin.
I shrugged, feeling like I really needed to have a decent attitude after hearing what Blake had to say. "Sure."
No matter how hard I tried, I still didn't want to be here. At all. I hadn't been to a rodeo in quite a while until Oakley drug me to Idaho's oldest rodeo on the Fourth of July as a means of getting me out of the house. Since then, I'd been quite forcibly carted to every single Border Days event along with one other, my first as a competitor.
Kellan pushed open the door of his Ford and dropped to the ground before offering a hand. "Are you okay?"
"I could ask you the same thing," I shot back, my mind going to his earlier troubles.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and smiled down warmly. "I'm fine."
My eyes met his, doubt still evident.
"C'mon, Princess. Let's get the boys unloaded and check in."
"I'm not a princess!"
He tapped the brim of my recently acquired cowboy hat. "Are you sure? This makes you look like one."
He had a little bit of a point there. The perfectly fitting straw hat looked fairly ordinary from the top side but when you got a look at the brim, you could see the beauty. Somebody had hand painted a chevron design in alternating thicknesses and shades of light brown, black, blue and white.
Kellan himself had purchased it and gifted it to me at my first rodeo just weeks before. It had become a sort of shield and I'd taken to wearing it proudly.
"Okay, maybe the hat makes me a little bit of a princess. But just a little!"
The blonde's dimples appeared. "I knew you'd see the truth someday!"
I rolled my eyes and strode to the trailer door.
Oakley and Blake were laughing and primping in the passenger side mirror.
"Are you two gonna unload your horses or not?" I called, hands on my hips.
"We've been waiting on you," Blake drawled.
"I don't need your sass," I joked, walking in to untie Winston.
Oakley followed, seeming even more bubbly and excited than usual.
"What's got you so chipper?" I questioned, tying my horse to the side of the trailer with a slip knot.
Her brilliant smile grew wider and I caught on.
"It's a guy."
"Maybe," she blushed.
"I knew it!"
"He's been hitting on her something fierce since the rodeo," Blake smirked.
"Which rodeo? And how come I didn't know this?"
Oakley's pretty face colored. "Since Border Days."
My eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, which guy is this?"
"The one I danced with most of the night!"
"Oakley, I don't even remember most of what I did that night, let alone you. Anyway, who is he?"
"Well, his name is Lane McKay."
"Doesn't ring a bell."
"C'mon, he was the one I was dancing with at Border Days...the one with the amazing eyeballs."
"Oakley, it was dark. You aren't giving me much to go on here."
She rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I agree with Coda; your descriptions suck. She'll just have to meet the kid," Blake laughed.
"Wait, you know him?"
She nodded, a few more strands falling out of her already messy braid.
"Is he a good guy? Or do I have to kick his ass?"
"First of all, you definitely wouldn't kick anybody's ass. Second of all, he's a good enough kid."
My gaze roved to Kellan who was fighting a smile. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. Coda has zero tolerance for bullshit and a hell of a right hook."
Unable to hold it together, I burst into laughter. Kellan had experienced my rage firsthand the day we met. Granted, he'd shaped up a lot since then and I considered it in the past.
"Please don't hurt him. I like this one!" Oakley begged.
I shrugged. "We'll see."
"Whatever. We gotta go check in anyway." Blake gave her horse one last pat and started in the direction of the registration table.
Oakley skipped after her and Kellan and I ambled over, taking our time. I was procrastinating because, well, I didn't want to be there. Kellan was just waiting patiently for me to kick my but in gear.
"You're gonna be just fine. I believe in you!" He commented, apparently able to read my thoughts. With one of his arms around my thin shoulders in a comforting gesture, we caught up to Blake and Oakley.
"At least somebody does," I grumbled.
"Charlie does too, y'know. He's even coming to watch."
"Which makes me all the more nervous!" I exclaimed.
"That's what you're nervous about? Your brother watching you rope?"
"Yeah, because knowing him it won't just be Charlie, it'll be Charlie and Tommy and Justin and Landon and whoever else they can think of to watch and catcall and distract me."
Kellan burst into laughter.
"It's not funny!"
"It kind of is. If your biggest worry is getting distracted then you're doing way better than the rest of us here. I figured it'd be something like falling off your horse or embarrassing yourself!"
I snorted. "I don't expect to win anyway, but I don't want to fail just because of my dumb brother!"
"Coda Paxton, you are somethin' else."
"Well, I'm sorry."