by Nancy M Bell
“I’ll try. No promises. Doc might cover for me, but I don’t want to ask him. Mary’s just about got the old goat to only come out to the clinic a couple of days a week. And then mostly to consult.”
“Good for Mary. She’s the only one on this earth who has a shot of making that man see sense.” She sobered. “I can’t even think about losing him.”
“Then don’t. Think about Ponoka and Calgary.”
She brightened. “I know! Calgary, can you believe it? I’m gonna ride at the big show. I always thought it’d be in barrels, but…” She shrugged and grinned.
“Personally, I’d rather it was barrels. Ride safe.” He kissed her.
Rolly slammed the rig door on his side and tapped the horn. “Quit makin’ out and get your ass in the truck.” He threw her door open and grinned down at her.
“Comin’ boss.” She gave Cale one last kiss and hopped up into the cab. “I’ll call you tonight. Love you.”
Cale waved and his lips moved, but the words were lost in the engine’s roar.
The dust rose in clouds as they pulled out of the grounds. “Man, it’s been a dry spring,” Michelle remarked.
“Yeah, hay’s gonna be expensive if we don’t get some moisture soon,” Rolly agreed.
“I guess anything under irrigation has a chance, but that costs too. Our hayfield isn’t doing much right now.”
They lapsed into silence. Michelle watched the fields flash by as they drove north on 2A, hooking onto Highway 2 at Aldersyde and then catching Stoney Trail rather than driving through the heart of Calgary. Just south of Balzac, Rolly rejoined the main highway.
“Christ, that’s a huge mall,” he remarked as they passed Cross Iron Mills.
“Yeah, remember when that was all pasture? Not that long ago.” Michelle frowned.
“Progress, woman. You can’t halt progress,” Rolly quipped.
They halted in Airdrie to pick up a fast food lunch. “This is the weirdest set up.” Michelle waved at the city that was in effect divided in two by the busy highway.
“Whoever planned the place should be fired,” Rolly agreed.
“Can’t imagine living here. It must be hell at rush hour, there’s only two overpasses and the place keeps growing.” She shook her head.
Rolly wolfed down the last bit of burger and Michelle gathered up the wrappers and jumped down to throw them in the trash. The truck was rolling almost before she had her seatbelt fastened. “On to Ponoka!”
“You know, I heard somewhere that Ponoka means Elk in Blackfoot. They used to travel that far to hunt elk,” Michelle broke the silence as they passed the Olds exit.
“Well aren’t you little Miss Trivia,” Rolly teased.
“I don’t even know why I remembered that.”
As they approached Alberta Downs just outside Lacombe the sun disappeared behind clouds gathering ahead of them. “Looks like we might get a storm,” Rolly observed.
“Could use the moisture, I guess,” Michelle answered. A tendril of fear wound through her. So far the tracks had been fast and dry. Running in mud was a different thing altogether. “As long as it doesn’t bucket down.”
“I’ve got a team that likes to run in the mud. If we get weather in Ponoka I’ll hook them. Don’t worry, Chelly. A little mud never hurt anyone.” He patted her knee.
Just after they took the 2A exit approaching Morningside, the skies opened. Torrents of rain lashed the windshield and the wind shook the big truck. “Shouldn’t last long, not when it rains like this,” Rolly assured her.
Thunder rolled across the sky right on the heels of the forks of lightning. They were right under the storm. Michelle checked the side mirror, the huge tires threw up a spray off the pavement. Combined with the rain sluicing down, she couldn’t see if the other rig was still behind them or if Hal had pulled off.
It was still pouring when they drove into the stampede grounds. It was wet cold work setting up the stalls and getting the horses settled. Thank God she had a hotel room. She walked over to the infield with Rolly and a bunch of other people. The two huge grandstands sandwiched the groomed expanse of ground. Water was already pooling at the foot of the stands. Michelle hunched her shoulders under the oilskin jacket she wore. Water ran off it in streams, her feet inside her boots were damp and cold. She walked out into the centre of the infield with the rest and tested the footing. Although the top layer was slop underneath the footing was solid.
The stampede maintenance guys would work hard to keep the track safe. Michelle didn’t envy them the long hours of grooming it would take to accomplish that. It would suck if she didn’t get to ride. Her sense of adventure reared its head and the thought of racing in the flying mud was exciting. Man, maybe I have some deep seated death wish or something. Some shrink would have a hay day with me. She grinned wryly.
“What do you think? They’ll get it in shape for the rodeo tomorrow afternoon?” Michelle asked Rolly.
He tipped his head back sending a stream of water cascading off the rim at the back of his hat. “If the damn rain lets up. If it keeps up like this…I don’t know.”
The group left the soggy area, some of the kids splashing and sliding in the slop squealing with delight. Some of the bigger ones got into a mudslinging fight, and caught up in the hilarity, Michelle joined in. Soon everyone, young and old alike, was covered in mud and laughing like hyenas.
“Shit, I haven’t had that much fun with my boots on in a long time,” one of the Bens boys remarked wiping mud out of his eyes.
Giving the horses one last check, topping water buckets and filling hay nets was a cold thankless task in the wind driven rain. Michelle was happy to pile into a pickup with a bunch of other wagon people and head to Dalton’s for some grub. She was even happier that she hadn’t canceled the hotel room she’d booked when she expected to racing Spud at Ponoka. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket. It was Allie, asking if she could bunk with Michelle the next night. She texted back with the hotel and said she’d give the room number once she checked in.
At the lounge it looked like everyone was settling in for the night. Laughter and high spirits echoed in the room. Full of dinner and finding her eyes starting to droop, Michelle said her good nights. She stepped out of the restaurant and pulled the collar of her oilskin up around her neck while snugging her hat down further over her ears. It was only a short walk to the hotel but she was wet and shivery by the time she entered the lobby. The woman behind the front desk must have been used to clientele that were covered in dirt and smelled like horses. She didn’t blink an eye while she took care of the paperwork and handed Michelle her room key. Clutching her drenched duffle bag Michelle found her room and thankfully stripped off her wed clothes. A hot shower helped improve her mood a great deal.
Snug and warm under the duvet with a paper cup of hotel room coffee on the bedside table she called Cale. The phone rang so long she almost gave up when he answered.
“”Lo?”
“Cale? Where are you? I can hardly hear you.”
“Michelle? Is that you? The reception is shitty.” There was a rustling and static crackling in her ear. “There, is that better?” His voice came though clearer.
“Yeah. Where are you? What’s going on?” Concern made her sit up straighter against the pillows piled behind her.
“Out on a call. It’s storming really bad.”
“It’s raining here too. We drove through a pretty big thunderstorm on the way up here.”
“I’m just about at the call, Chelly. Where are you staying?”
“I’m at the hotel. Don’t worry. Do you want me to call you later or do you want to call after you’re done with the call?”
The rain drumming on the hood of the truck almost drowned out his words.
“I’ll try to call later. I can’t hardly hear you for the damn rain. You be careful, don’t do anything stupid, you hear me?”
“Love you. Talk to you later.” Michelle broke the connection. It mu
st be raining worse down south than it was in Ponoka. Although the rain was still hitting the window with enough strength for her to hear it through the closed drapes, the wind seemed to have dropped and no thunder rolled through the downpour. She turned on the TV and watched a mindless sitcom while she finished her coffee. It was awful stuff, but it was hot at least. She set the empty cup on the bedside table and snuggled further down in the warmth of the bed. Her wet clothes were hung on the back of the desk chair in the room. Michelle had taken the hair dryer to them earlier and they were mostly dry. She tried Cale a couple more times but his phone went straight to voice mail. Either he was still out on calls or it was storming worse than she realized.
When she opened her eyes again the red numerals on the clock radio told her it was six am. Cale never called back last night. Unless I didn’t hear the phone? The phone was hidden in the folds of the blankets, but when she finally unearthed it there were no missed calls showing and no texts. Damn, I hope nothing’s wrong and he was just really late. By the time she showered and dressed it was just after seven. Cale’s cell went straight to voice mail again and there was no answer on the land line at the ranch. Worry and frustration warred with each other. In desperation Michelle tried Mary. Surely she would be home at this time of the morning.
“Mary, it’s me.” A surge of relief washed over her. “What’s going on? I can’t reach Cale.”
“Michelle, you still in Ponoka?”
“Yeah, where’s Cale?” Worry sharpened her tone.
“The boy’s fine. Carrie and him were out all night at a wreck. A cattle liner went off the road in storm. It was a mess. He’s right here, asleep in the spare room.”
“Thank God he’s okay. Those poor cows though. Did any of them make it?” She sat on the side of the bed.
“A few. You know what Carrie did?”
“I can only guess.”
“After they got the live ones out of the wreck and caught the loose ones she up and refused to let them put them on another truck and take them to the abattoir.”
“Really?” Michelle laughed. “I can imagine how that went over with the drivers.”
“The girl stood her ground, I have to give her that. Called one of the Hanson boys she’s got friendly with and asked him to come with his stock trailer.”
“So what happened?” Michelle shook her head.
“She got the owner on the phone and bought the ten head of cattle from him. Told him she’d give him slaughter price for them and not a penny more.”
“So where are these cattle with nine lives now?”
Mary burst out laughing. When she got control of herself she managed to get the words out between giggles. “Your place. Cale let her put them in the corrals near the barn. That girl’s soft heart is gonna get her in trouble if she doesn’t toughen up.”
“Oh great. Just what I need, ten pet cows. They are cows, right? No bulls?”
“Don’t know. I think there’s a couple of heifers, along with a few old girls who were being culled ‘cause they came up open. Maybe a steer or two.” Mary was still chuckling. “Doc said she was a sight. Hair all straggling in her face, blood everywhere and rain running off her like a duck. He said he sure wasn’t about to cross her at that point.”
“Well, good for her, I guess. Is she planning on keeping the things out at the ranch?”
“Don’t know. Cale was just about falling down when he got here. Carrie brought your dogs in to the clinic after her and the Hanson boy dropped the cattle at your place.”
“How bad is it there? How high’s the river?” She thought about the stock down in the coulee.
“It’s all right for now. Let’s hope this weather doesn’t stick around for too long.”
“No kidding. Let Cale know I called when he wakes up. I don’t know if they’ll run tonight or not. No sense him driving up here in this crap.”
“I’ll let him know. You be careful, you hear.”
“Yes, Mary.” She grinned as she broke the connection.
* * *
The wagons rolled in the slop that night. Rolly’s mudders came through for him and they finished first in their heat and won day money with the best over all time. Everyone pitched in to wash the horses and take down the mud tails. Michelle brushed the tangles out of the last one and pitched the wet brush into the pail by the stall door. Clay and a few other guys who helped Rolly were busy cleaning harness, checking stitching and looking for worn or stretched leather that needed repair. She did a last check on the horses before collapsing on a bale of straw near the others in the shelter of the canopy on the side of the horse van. Dick handed her a mug of coffee and she wrapped her cold hands around it before lifting it to her mouth.
“Thanks, man, I’m half frozen.”
“Not a fit night out for man or beast, as my grampa used to say.” Clay grinned and continued cleaning the harness in his lap.
“Do we have some more goggles for tomorrow? I think I lost about four pair out there tonight,” Michelle asked.
“Should be lots in the trunk,” Hal replied. “I couldn’t even see by the time we got to the wire.”
“Have you heard the weather report? How long is the rain supposed to last?” Rolly joined them and set down a couple of big bags of burgers and fries. “Supper.”
“The guy on the radio said it should ease up by noon tomorrow,” Dick spoke around a mouthful of food.
“Let’s hope they’re right for a change.” Rolly tossed his burger wrapper into an empty bag.
Once their hunger was taken care of no one wanted to hang around the rain soaked barn area. Michelle caught a ride back to the hotel and found Allie waiting for her when she got to her room. In typical Allie fashion, clothes and other paraphernalia was strewn on every available surface. She stepped over a pair of boots and closed the door.
“I see you’ve made yourself to home,” she greeted her friend.
“Hey, you look like something the cat dragged in. I hope the infield isn’t as muddy tomorrow. Shit, I hate running in the muck.”
“I’m gonna shower and change.” Michelle threaded her way through the mess to the bathroom. She picked up a pair of Allie’s jeans off the toilet seat and tossed them out onto the floor of the room. Wasting no time she stripped off her dripping clothes and stood under the shower, letting the hot sting of the shower ease the knots in her muscles and warm her up.
With a towel wound around her head and another around her body Michelle joined her friend. Pulling on sweats and a heavy shirt she settled cross legged on the bed Allie hadn’t claimed as her own. “So, fill me in. I haven’t had a chance to really follow how the ladies are running.”
“We’re doing okay. Not as good as I’d like, but we’ve turned in some respectable times and won a little cash. Tell me about you. What’s it like running with the crazies? I can’t imagine charging around out there on a wild thoroughbred.”
“I must be crazy, ‘cause I love it. There’s no feeling quite like it. I can’t even explain it, it’s so awesome.”
“What does lover boy think of you chasing all over the place?”
“He’s okay with it.” She shrugged. “He’s not thrilled, but he’s okay with it.”
The two girls spent a few hours exchanging gossip and catching up with each other before turning in.
* * *
The weather cleared for the rest of the meet. Michelle couldn’t believe how quickly it was over. Once the sun came out she forgot about the unpleasantness of being wet and cold and covered in mud. Before she knew it they were taking down the portable stalls and packing up the gear. It was the first of July and the sky was alight with fireworks. She stopped and watched the display for a few minutes. They were headed to Calgary and the Stampede next. She had to pinch herself to be sure it was real. Vague childhood memories came to mind. She didn’t remember much clearly from when Dad raced. Blurs of colour, a lot of noise and of course the horses. She remembered them the best. Michelle used to love to climb up o
n the chutes with the other kids and watch the barrel racers. They looked so amazing, like princesses she’d thought as a child.
A final burst of fireworks illuminated the area and she turned back to the job at hand. Calgary! Carrying the last tote she stowed it in the storage compartment and pulled out her cell phone to call Cale.
“Hey sweetie. I’ll be in Calgary tomorrow. Any chance of you coming up?”
“Hey Michelle.” He sounded preoccupied.
“What’s wrong? Is Spud okay? Is it Doc?” The words spilled out in a rush.
“What? No, they’re both fine. It’s just been raining here again and the river’s up. If it keeps rising I’ll have to bring the stock up from the lower pastures.”
“Is it that bad? It stopped here Saturday morning.”
“Not yet, but if it keeps coming down…”
“Do you need me to come home?” She hated the thought of giving up racing in Calgary but the ranch had to come first.
“I don’t think so. I’ve got things under control for now and the neighbors are all watching out for each other so even if I’m not here all the time we should be okay. You go ride and get it out of your system.”
“Are you going to be able to come up at all?” Michelle tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
“I’m on call this weekend, but I should be there on Monday.”
“I’m so glad. I can’t wait to see you, I miss you like crazy.”
“Me too. The dogs miss you too. Spud’s getting stronger all the time. I’ve got one of Harvey’s granddaughters hand walking him. I thing she can start riding him at a walk in the next day or so. She’s a little thing, hardly weighs anything.”
“That’s a relief. Thank you so much for taking care of him for me. I’ve got a fair bit of money saved in case he still needs the surgery. If we do well at Calgary it’ll really help the cause. And if Spud doesn’t need surgery the money can go toward our wedding.”
“Glad to hear you haven’t forgotten about that.” There was laughter in his voice.