18. Jake
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
jake
Up next we’ve got a local Montana cowboy from just down the road in Silver Creek. His name is Jake Flynn. Folks, he’s here to show you all what he’s made of, so make sure he can hear you!”
An uproar from the crowd combined with the rumbling of rock music drowned out anything else the rodeo announcer was going to say.
I closed my eyes for a moment and inhaled a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill my lungs. The scent of dust, sweat, and livestock hung in the air, and adrenaline coursed through my veins, blood pumping in my ears in a steady thrum.
My eyes scanned over the arena once in a quick pass before I readied my rope and gave a curt nod to the chute operator.
On signal, the calf ran out of the chute, sprinting ahead to the other end of the arena.
My horse and I followed shortly after, and I swung my rope over my head, anticipating the perfect timing to release my grip and toss the loop toward the calf.
Gaze locked on the honda, I threw the rope, and it floated over the calf’s head before I quickly dallied my rope, pulling out the slack. The calf jerked backward as I dismounted my horse, piggin’ string secure between my teeth.
Sweat beaded on my brow as I ran toward the calf to lift it then set it down on its side, giving myself access to the legs to tie them together.
My fingers worked rapidly as I bound three of the calf’s legs together, securing it with a hooey before throwing my arms in the air.
I sprung to my feet, patting the dirt and dust off my jeans as I ran back to my horse, mounting to ride him forward to loosen the rope and wait for the six seconds to pass before I received my time.
“Seven-point-two seconds for Jake Flynn!” The announcer called out my time.
Congratulations from the floor floated around me, and I dipped my chin in thanks to each of them as I exited the arena.
“Nice run, buddy.” Colter patted me on the shoulder when I rejoined him, Reid, Hayden, and Mikey behind the chutes.
I offered him a nod. “Thanks. That one felt good. I’m gunning for another NFR appearance this year.”
“Now we’ve just gotta get Hayden out to Vegas. I think this will be your year, man,” Colter said to Hayden and his roping partner Keenan.
They’d done well last year, but they were just starting to rope together again for the first time since high school, so it had taken some adjustments to get used to each other’s style and nail down a routine. They appeared to have gotten back into the swing of things pretty seamlessly, though.
“Skippy’s been telling us the same thing,” Keenan replied, using Sierra’s childhood nickname. “Rodeo power couple, those two. Although, I like the sound of a power trio a bit better.”
“All you’ve gotta do is just keep a level head and focus on the day.
It’s easy to fixate on the view from the top, but one wrong step and before you know it, you’re falling back down the ladder.
One step, one rodeo at a time, baby,” Reid added.
His words of wisdom were worth something, given that he and Colter were the reigning world champions and had made several appearances at the NFR.
“How’s Ellie girl doing?” I changed the subject, turning to Colter. “Baby should be coming any day now, right?”
He nodded, wringing his hands, slick and gleaming with sweat, together. “Any day now. I’m just hoping it’s not today. I’m not particularly in the mood to break all the traffic laws to get back home.”
“I’m sure it’ll be okay.” Sierra walked up to us at that moment. “She’s not due for another week, and last I checked with her, she wasn’t having any contractions or seeing any signs the baby would be coming early.”
Colter took off his hat and raked a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I know. I just worry about her, you know? This is our first time doing this. I just don’t want anything to go wrong.”
“Well, you’ve got all of us to support the two of you,” I reassured him, throwing an arm over his shoulder. “Neither of you have to do this whole parenting thing alone.”
“Thanks, man.” He dipped his chin as if to show his gratitude. “Speaking of parenting, I heard the guest house has a new four-legged resident.”
“Yup.” I snorted. “Cheeto the orange kitten.”
“How did Caitlin convince you to do that?” Reid asked.
“Are we sure Caitlin had to convince him to do anything?” Mikey chirped with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.
I ignored his comment. “Whitley found him.”
A chorus of ah circulated around the group, my statement clearly enough of an explanation.
“Still, I’m surprised Caitlin agreed to it.” Colter chuckled.
I looked down at the ground, shoulders shaking. “I may have told Whitley she could keep the cat until Caitlin got home. In my defense, I said, ‘You can keep it for now.’”
“Well, brother, I fear that’s where you went wrong. Even I know better than to reason with a four-year-old,” Mikey teased.
“You would have done the same thing if she turned on the waterworks for you,” I argued.
“This is how you wind up with a whole petting zoo,” Hayden pointed out. “Soon enough, Whitley’s gonna come home with a chicken and a goat or something.”
“Is that supposed to be a dig at me?” Sierra scoffed. “I’ve only brought home two goats.”
“You just about brought home a baby raccoon that one time.”
At the mention of the animal, I watched Sierra melt on the spot. “It was so cute. The little hands.”
“As long as the kitten is Caitlin’s hard limit on animals, it’s my hard limit,” I said. “She’s the boss around there.”
“The women always are.” Mikey shook his head, amusement shining in his eyes for a split second before he was back to his goofy self and pretending to crack a whip. “They sure whip us into shape.”
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.” Colter grinned. “God forbid a man love his wife.”
“Amen.” Hayden pressed a kiss to Sierra’s forehead.
Keenan groaned, pretending to pout. “Fuck, I’m so single.”
You and me, both.
When I pulled back into the driveway that night, my gaze drifted across the lawn. Caitlin was sitting on the front porch with a sleeping Whitley in her lap and a blanket draped over both of them.
“Hey, stranger,” she whispered when I crossed the lawn to the guest house. “How was the rodeo?”
“Good. Real good.” I climbed the steps, taking a seat in the chair next to hers. “Colter and Reid won, of course, but the rest of us did well, too. How was your day? Must have been busy if she’s already sound asleep like that.” I pointed to Whitley, her soft snores rising into the night air.
“Bec, the friend I met at the cycling class, brought her little boy over for a playdate.” With a chuckle, she added, “Whit wasn’t too sure about him at first. She thought he was going to steal Cheeto if she let him play with him. She warmed up to him, though, and they played for hours.”
“I’m glad they reached a mutual agreement with Cheeto.” I laughed.
“I hate to say it, but I’m glad she found the kitten. He keeps her busy and, for the most part, out of trouble. Although, I did catch her feeding him chicken nuggets this morning.”
“Chicken nuggets for breakfast.” I tilted my head to the side. “I guess that’s not too weird, considering chicken and waffles is a thing.”
“Yeah, but the waffles were conveniently missing.” Caitlin let out a sigh of contentment, staring down at a sleepy Whit. “As long as she’s happy, I’m okay with it.”
“What about you?”
She tilted her head up. “What about me?”
“Are you happy?”
After a little bit of hesitation, she rolled her lips between her teeth, eyes glimmering in the low porch light.
“Yeah.” She nodded, running her fingers through Whitley’s messy hair. “I think I’m the happiest I’ve been in a while.”
I think I am, too, now that you’re here, I thought, the words catching in my throat. What I did manage to say was, “Good. You deserve that.”
“I think I want to try to paint her room soon. Now that she’s started Pre-K, I don’t have to worry about my mom taking her all the time.
She might have to sleep in my room with me for one night, but that’s fine.
” She ran her fingers through Whitley’s blonde locks.
“She’s so independent, she never wants to sleep with me.
I should probably be grateful for that, but I worry about the day she won’t need me anymore. ”
“She’ll always need you, Cait,” I murmured. “It may not be in the same way she does now, but you’re her mom.”
Caitlin shrugged. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I just hope she knows that one day when she’s grown, she can always come back home. That she doesn’t need to carry her burdens all on her own.”
Reaching over to squeeze her hand, I told her, “I hope you know that, too.”
Her eyes, soft and glinting with emotion, met mine. “I do now.”