2. Warren
Present Day
“Does the bun make my ass look big?”
“No, your ass makes your ass look big.”
Why my dad is even wearing a hot dog costume is not a topic I want to discuss right now. Maybe Pops told him it was a costume party?
“Don’t be an asshole, Warren. I’m serious.” My dad does a few turns in his ridiculous hot dog suit and holds his arms at his sides. “Well?”
“Why are you even wearing a hot dog costume?”
His eyes light up, and I know where this is going.
Despite my sometimes dishing out major attitude to my two dads, no two people will ever be in love like they are.
Since Dad now has that look in his eye that he wants to wax poetic about his husband, I let him.
Not because I love hearing his stories or anything.
It’s only because I don’t want to be answering questions about his ass in a hot dog bun.
Okay, sometimes I like his stories. But I’ll never tell him that.
“Gabe surprised me with a hot dog buffet the first time we got married.”
“The fake time,” I clarify, and he grins.
“Yeah! So anyway, when your niece picked up my love for hot dogs, Gabe said you should dress like one someday and see what she does. You know how she’s after the hot-dog-shaped dog toy at Uncle Jackson’s all the time?”
Of course I know. He talks about it all the time, like the proud grandfather he is, but I smile anyway.
“But why now, Dad? Why wear this today?”
He cocks his head and narrows his eyes. “Why not today? It’s her birthday party, and it’s close to Halloween.”
Oh shit. I totally forgot that’s the cover we gave him for the big party at the rodeo training facility. It’s so hard to keep a secret from Hunter Burke. He knows everyone and everything. It’s rather annoying.
“Well, yeah, but a hot dog suit seems extreme. I think she wants you to ride a horse with her.”
Dad looks at himself in the mirror and assesses his backside. He even goes as far as sticking it out and wiggling it. Which is…something I can’t scrape from my brain.
“I’m wearing it. Let’s go.”
Mind made up, Dad swishes out of the bedroom, the bun of his costume definitely sticking out and making him carry a little heavy in the back, and goes downstairs with me behind him.
He pauses at the door and grabs his cowboy hat from the hook.
If I ignore the hot dog costume, this is still the same man who rescued me when I needed someone to care about the little boy who never got the love he craved.
Then he gave me two foster brothers and a family that’s far from perfect, but is the one thing I value the most in this world.
Grey now peppers through his dark hair, and his face has a few more lines to it than when I first showed up as an anxious fifteen-year-old boy, but he still commands a room with a single glance. Something I hope to do one day if I can ever get out of his shadow and muster the confidence.
“Maise is gonna love it, Dad,” I say again, because maybe I’m too harsh sometimes with him.
His eyes soften, and he smiles. “Thanks, Warren.”
With a sigh of relief that I didn’t blow the surprise, I close the door of the ranch behind me and hope my brothers got their assignments for this party right.
“Can you believe he’s still wearing the hot dog?”
Jesse, my middle brother, leans against the wall next to me. Even after learning the surprise was for him and not Maise, he kept the damn costume on and shook everyone’s hand like he was the spokesperson for the Maple Leaf hot dog company.
“Actually, yes. You didn’t have to see him shake his ass in it.” Jesse just laughs as I take a sip from my beer. He laughs at everything, and honestly, I don’t know how he does it.
“He’s happy we did this, though,” Jesse says as he watches our dad lift his granddaughter onto his shoulders. “I think he was worried we don’t take the facility seriously enough.”
“He built this from the ground up, and I get he wants to pass it to us, but it’s a lot of pressure,” I admit as Jesse nods. “An established rodeo school that not only Canadian competitors come to but also those from all around the world? I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s heavy.”
Like as heavy as a building on my shoulders.
I worked with Dad to be a champion roper like him.
I might not be a champion, but sometimes I feel like it just because of my last name.
It’s still odd knowing people consider my dad an elite rodeo champion.
To me, he’s the guy who let me buy rabbits with my money and even sneak a few into the house.
He’s the man who had the patience with me I craved as a kid.
He’s also the same guy who can’t vacuum worth shit and insists on cutting all the vegetables in the stir-fry into a uniform size. He’s just my dad. Not a two-time national team roping champion with Levi and steer wrestling champion with Uncle Jackson.
Maise laughs, and I scan the room.
“Where’s Katrina?”
Jesses clears his throat, and his smile dims slightly. “She, ah, didn’t want to come.”
My mouth drops open. “What? Why?”
“Keep your voice down, Warren.” Jesse looks around, but no one is nearby to hear us. “We aren’t getting along, and I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be together.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I don’t want to talk about it now, okay? This is Dad’s night.”
“Yeah, of course. Just…when you do, I’m here, okay?”
Our other dad, Gabe, who I called Pops because he was always so much bubblier than Dad, sees us and makes his way through the crowd to us.
“Boys, great job. He’s so happy.” He hesitates for a moment. “You told Clarence, right?”
“Yes, we told Clary.” I huff. “And I reminded him this afternoon. He assured me he’d—”
The doors of the building open and slam closed.
“Speak of the devil. Nice, he’s only an hour late this time,” I grumble.
Jesse elbows me. “Be nice, Warren. He has a job too.”
“Hey.” Our youngest brother, Clarence, still in his pressed suit and fancy tie from the office, comes over. Pops hugs him, of course, and so does Jesse. When it’s my turn, I give him a nod.
“Thanks for showing up,” I snap.
“Not now,” Jesses hisses and elbows me again.
“I had an important client. I couldn’t just walk out on him, Warren.”
“You could’ve blocked the whole afternoon off like we did.” Honestly, sometimes I think he looks down on us because we don’t wear suits to work. I know that’s not true, but right now it certainly feels like it.
“I don’t have that luxury.”
“You’re the boss, Clarence!”
“Boys,” Pops cuts in and takes Clarence by the elbow. “Your dad will be happy to see you. Come and wish him congratulations.”
After they’re both out of earshot, Jesse sighs.
“We all have to work together to run this thing now that Dad is officially retired. Are you always going to fight with him? He’s our brother.”
“I’ll try, but…” Jesse’s big brown eyes always get me. “For you, I will,” I concede. He’ll hold me to it like he always does.
“Awesome. Let’s mingle and let these people know we have what it takes to take over from Dad.”
Jesse wanders into the crowd assembled in the rodeo ring. We’d set up the ring with a floating floor, chairs and tables, and even a buffet. Complete with hot dogs just for dad. I’ve yet to meet someone who loves hot dogs more than him.
I head in the opposite direction from Jesse. Away from the familiar faces and into the people who were invited from a guest list Pops gave me.
“Hi, thank you for coming. I’m Warren Burke, Hunter’s oldest son.” I offer my hand to the older man, and he shakes it with a grip as strong as a vise.
“Pleasure to meet you, Warren. I’m Henry Miskew. I used to own the property near the ranch before you boys came along. Your dad helped me out a fair bit when the weather went bad.”
“Oh, I remember Dad telling me about a few Percherons that used to escape into our field. Is that you?”
He booms a hearty laugh. “That’s me. Sometimes I miss those idiots.” He laughs again before taking a drink from his red plastic cup. “This business he’s built is incredible. Many people in this town didn’t think he’d amount to anything, but I knew he had it in him. He’s a good man, your dad.”
I know he’s a good man. Nobody needs to convince me of that.
“One of the best,” I agree.
“You boys have big shoes to fill, but I know you’ll do just fine.” A woman grabs Henry’s arm and says something in his ear. Henry smiles and nods. “It was nice meeting you, Warren. Thank you for the invite.”
Henry wanders away with the woman, and I drift back into the crowd. Nodding and smiling, talking when people want to talk. I glimpse Jesse across the ring, and he’s his usual self. Laughing and totally at ease with these people and their expectations.
Dad has had us involved in running Burke’s Rodeo School for several years. It’s not like we don’t know what we’re doing, because we do. It’s more like it’s now ours, too. Legally. Free to fuck up is where my mind always goes. It’s a lot of pressure.
It’s almost too foreign for me to consider Dad not running this place anymore and leaving important decisions up to us.
This party marks Dad’s achievements. It’s celebrating his career and this school, and he’s still too young to say it’s his retirement.
He’ll never retire from anything, I don’t think.
He’s remaining as a teacher at the rodeo school, but Jesse, Clarence, and I will now pay him.
It’s up to us to keep the Burke family legacy running.
As the fellow said earlier, big shoes to fill.
It didn’t bother me as much as it does right now. I’m almost thirty years old and with all the facilities and teachers available to me…. still no championship buckle. I feel like a fraud helping run this place with all my second-place finishes. Burke last name or not. I’m not a champion.
How am I supposed to be a teacher and role model when I’m the only one who isn’t a winner?
“Warren!”
I turn towards the sound of my name being called and smile. My dad beckons me over, still with Maise, now in his arms and not on his shoulders, and still in his hotdog costume. Maise keeps petting the mustard stripe on his chest, and it’s kind of adorable.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“This is Charlie Moncton. We competed against each other at the National Finals the first time…what? How long has it been?”
“You still had your first partner, Alec. So at least thirty years ago.” Charlie laughs. “Your dad looks good for a man in his fifties. I think he discovered an anti-aging secret he didn’t share.”
“Nah,” Dad says as he bounces Maise. “No secret. Found a man I couldn’t live without and built the family I’d always wanted. I have three amazing sons, and this little nugget is my granddaughter. I’m just happy, Charlie.”
I smile and boop Maise on the nose. She has Jesse’s eyes, and I’m sure she’ll use them on me to get what she wants, just like her dad does.
“I heard you’re looking for a roping partner, Warren.”
Dad put the bug in my ear to try team roping again. I haven’t even thought of it since he tried to partner with me, and I cracked under the stress of competing with THE Hunter Burke. I’m in a better place now, though, and figured it’s time to shake things up.
“I am. I’ll start tryouts next week. I have a few interested ropers lined up to see if we have any chemistry.”
“You know who would be a great partner for you? Dane Walker. I saw his poster at the feed store last week.” My Dad says. “He was a great competitor. Remember him? Maybe he might be a fit.”
I open my mouth to tell my dad exactly why Dane wouldn’t be a great fit, but thankfully, I remember my niece is here and so is my dad’s friend. “I’ll look into it,” I say instead, and Dad smiles.
After more schmoozing with guests and eating a few hot dogs, most people finally part ways. Maise has finally found her way back to her dad and rubs at her eyes as she snuggles into Jesse’s chest.
“She’s had a long day. Dad held her the entire time, I think.”
Jesse grins and rubs her back. “Yeah, I think so. I’m sure he’ll be begging Pops for a massage tonight.”
“Oh, gross, Jesse. I live there still,” I moan. My gaze catches my dads speaking down the hall, and sure enough, Dad is rolling his neck, and Pops is smiling with that tender look while squeezing his shoulders.
“Why do you keep moving back home when things go south? You could afford your own apartment.”
“I know. I just…it’s nice to go home sometimes. Just makes me remember that after hard times, things get better. I’ve never felt as safe as I do on the ranch.”
“You big mush ball,” Jesse teases, but his gaze is soft. I know I am.
“Hey, guys. This turned out really well. Thanks for making it all roll so smoothly.” Clarence joins us and smiles at a now-sleeping Maise. “Gosh, she’s growing fast.”
Clarence reaches a hand towards her head with a fond smile, but pulls back when Jesse mouths that she’s asleep.
“Thank Warren. He did most of it,” Jesse says. “I just did what I was asked.”
Clarence and I always butt heads. We have since we’ve known each other. He’s still my brother, though, and while I’m pissed he showed up late, I’ll accept his compliment since he doesn’t hand them out frequently.
“Thanks, Clary. I appreciate that. Will you be at Sunday dinner this week?”
“I’ll let you know.”
“You’ve missed the last two, Clary. Do it for our dads if you can’t do it for us.”
Clarence drops his gaze briefly as Jesse watches us. “Yeah. I’ll try.” He nods once. “Good night.” Then he leaves.
“Good job not tearing his head off, Warren.”
“It took a lot, believe me.”
“Listen, I’m gonna get this kiddo home. See you at family dinner, okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Drive safe.”
With my brothers gone and an empty rodeo ring that can be cleaned tomorrow, I head to the office to make sure everything is locked up before leaving. Upon entering the office, my dad’s hot dog costume is on the floor, and the shower in the private bathroom is running.
With a sigh, I pull out the stack of Post-it notes from the desk drawer and write out several messages that I’ve gone home and to make sure they lock the doors when they leave. In a rush, before I overhear anything I can’t unhear, I stick them on the back of the office door and close it behind me.
On the upside, at least I don’t have to find something to do outside while Dad gets a ‘massage’.