Cowgirl Up

by Cheyenne Meadows

  “Wow.” For someone who considered themselves alone in the world not too long ago, the realization that so many people went out of their way to help touched her tremendously. “I’m just speechless.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t just the barrel racers. The vets had gotten together and started asking around as well.”

  “The vets?” Confused, Trinity tilted her head and stretched out her legs.

  “Yep. Didn’t you know?”

  “Know what?”

  “Cody started making calls the moment he arrived back at the fairgrounds. Got the word going around with the rodeo vets. Then he asked me to chip in.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. Cody did all that for her. He promised everything would work out, then took steps to ensure it.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  Lacey chuckled. “I would think words of appreciation are in order and then some.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “Trinity?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Seriously, you and Cody make a great pair. Hang onto him because there’s a definite shortage of good guys out there.”

  Trinity smiled. “Words of wisdom I’ll try to live by.”

  “See that you do.” Lacey sighed heavily. “Well, time to get ready again.”

  “Have a safe ride.”

  “Thanks. See ya in a couple of weeks.”

  “Definitely.” Trinity hung up and replayed the conversation.

  Cody.

  She’d never met a man like him. Granted, her experience with men fell short of what most women considered average, but he stood heads above the rest. While she tried to ignore the rampant sex all around the events, the impression and expectations had sunk in, leaving her with a specific view of men. Hell, even Cody fit the bill back in his younger years.

  Now, he’d changed. Grown up. Turned into one hell of a man.

  He’s done so much for her already, then set up connections in order to get her a mount for next weekend. All because of him, she had a second chance at her dream.

  Actions speak louder than words and this one shouted to the heavens.

  Too bad he was back at the rodeo. Because if he wasn’t, she’d run over, leap into his arms, and kiss him senseless for his compassion and generosity. Lacey was right. He was worth hanging onto.

  Immediately, she dialed up his number, then waited for him to answer.

  “Yeah?”

  “Cody?”

  “Trin! Now this is a surprise. How are you doing?”

  She smiled at his warm reception. “I’m fine and before you ask, Legacy is as feisty and ornery as ever.”

  “That’s one tough stud. Most horses would have been lame afterward. He just got up and went back to business.”

  “Thank goodness. I would have lost my mind if he were seriously injured.” She pushed a stray hair out of her eyes. “I hear I have you to thank.”

  “For what?”

  “Talking to Lacey, spreading the word amongst the rodeo vets.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t much. You needed a hand and I did what I could.”

  “Well, your efforts netted me Shannon Mason’s back-up barrel horse.”

  “That’s wonderful. You should have a decent shot on that one.” Pride and happiness carried in his tone.

  She grinned. “Absolutely. I’m going up a day early to meet up with Shannon and get to know her mare.”

  “Good idea.”

  She heard a scuffling noise.

  “Shit!”

  Trinity blinked. “Problem?”

  “Not funny, Harris.” Cody blew out a breath. “Just these roping calves trying to trample me in the pen.”

  “Seems to me, you’re bigger than they are.” She tossed out, tongue-in-cheek.

  “Tell that to the little bastards.”

  “Awwww. If you were here, I’d kiss your boo-boos.”

  “Really?” His voice turned sultry.

  Her stomach flip-flopped at the low baritone sound. “Yep. Especially since you seem to be my knight in shining armor lately.”

  “All part of the job.”

  “Like Carmen said, that’s bull crap. You went above and beyond for me. Thank you. For everything.”

  “No problem.” He grunted. “I might have another spot for you to kiss.”

  She laughed. “I’ll tell you right now, I’m not going to kiss your hairy toes.”

  “How do you know they’re hairy?”

  “A good guess?”

  “Next time you want to give me a foot rub, we’ll go sockless. You can see for yourself.”

  “Deal.”

  A long pause followed. “Cody?”

  “Huh?”

  She bit her lip, then blurted out the question on the top of her mind. “I know this is the final rodeo for our circuit. So, do you want to go with me to Cheyenne next weekend?”

  “I wish I could, Trin. I’ve got to roll into Vegas next weekend. All the vets working the finals have to show up a week early in order to attend meetings, review a few things, and make sure things are set up with safety for the animals and contestants alike.”

  “Oh.” Her bubble burst.

  “If it weren’t for that, I’d jump on the offer in a heartbeat.”

  She forced a smile back into her voice. “That’s okay. The finals will be right around the corner and you’ll be stuck with me for ten days straight.”

  He groaned dramatically.

  She laughed. “That bad, huh?”

  “Let’s look on the bright side. I’d rather hang around you than these damn calves.” He ruined the grumpy effect with a chuckle. “Yeah, it’s a date.”

  “Great! I can’t wait.” Hope surged along with bright sparks of happiness.

  “Just ride your heart out on Shannon’s mare and earn the points, honey. The rest will fall into place.”

  “You’re a wise man, Cody.” She spoke with conviction.

  “Maybe you did hit your head after all. I’ve been called many things in my life. Never wise.”

  She rubbed at a smudge of dirt on her knee. “That’s because the women are too busy ogling your rear to consider much else and the men don’t want to add to your already oversized ego.”

  He laughed once more. “Trin, you’re one of a kind.”

  “Lord, I hope so.” She joined him in chuckling. “I’d better let you get back to work before those evil baby calves do some damage.”

  “Yep.”

  “Thanks again.”

  “Welcome.”

  “Talk to you soon.”

  “Bet on it.” He clicked off.

  Trinity hit the disconnect button, sat back in her seat, and sighed.

  For the first time in a while, peace settled on her shoulders. How many times had she told herself that everything would be okay? That things would work themselves out? Dozens? Now, with Cody’s words combined with the outpouring of support from her fellow barrel racers, she believed. She hadn’t come this far, made this many sacrifices for nothing.

  This is my year, my finals. Get through those and I can make the first step in the rest of my life.

  A few months back, she couldn’t wait to achieve her dream, then walk away in order to start over again. Now, she started to question those very plans. Maybe, just maybe, Madeleine had been right. Trinity had a good thing going and pain was definitely portable. She’d known something grand awaited her in the world. Somewhere besides Kentucky.

  She glanced around her small room and blew out air. Kentucky wasn’t so bad. In fact, the place had grown on her. Rolling green hills, horses galore, and a laid back attitude on life. All positives in her book.

  The pros of staying began to outweigh the cons. More confused than before, she didn’t miss the fact that the scale had started to tip. Decisions were no longer black and white. A large quantity of grayness entered the picture, making what appeared clear three months ago turn all murky.

  With more questions than answers, Trinity shook her head. All this thinking did li
ttle except drive her nearly insane. Better to just go with the flow for now, take a wait-and-see philosophy, and get back on the right path when she stumbled across it.

  One day at a time. That’s all anyone can do.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “She likes to cut the corner, so you have to keep her honest through each turn.” Shannon held onto the mare’s bridle.

  “Okay.” Trinity nodded, put her foot in the stirrup, and settled into the saddle. Sitting up, she gathered the reins while focusing on Shannon and the information she rattled off about the black mare named Tinker.

  Still humbled and touched by the outpouring from last year’s national barrel racing champion, Trinity almost felt the whole experience surreal. She sat astride Shannon’s back-up barrel horse in Cheyenne, Wyoming, just a couple hours before the huge rodeo started.

  “Use your heels to keep her off the barrels. She normally responds to foot pressure great, but occasionally gets too excited to pay attention to the details.”

  “She’s humming already.” Trinity collected the mare who danced under her. So much different than Legacy. The mare’s short height and smaller stature felt odd beneath Trinity. For years, she’d only ridden her huge stallion. To ride another mount could only be called awkward.

  “She gets wired when she sees barrels. Wants to rush in. I have to keep a tight hold on her at the start.” Shannon stepped back to give the mare room. “She’s fast, but not an easy ride.”

  “We’ll make it work.” Trinity repeated the same motto she’d told herself since Shannon called and offered her back-up mount for the weekend. Her dream of making the finals revolved around bonding enough with the horse to make good times. By her calculations, she needed a third or better to be a solid shoe into the top twenty-five, which is how many barrel racers were invited to the national finals. A challenge, definitely, but not impossible.

  “Yes, you will. I’ll help you as much as I can. Right now you just need a few rounds of practice to figure out the ins and outs of Tinker.”

  Trinity patted the mare’s neck and smiled wistfully.

  Tinker reminded her so much of Star that she could barely believe it. From her shiny black hide, to the white blaze down her face. Tinker carried only one white sock while Star had the markings on all four feet. Still, the size, the muscular build, the same color brought out a well of emotion.

  Now, as she guided the mare around the arena at a trot, nearly forgotten memories flew to the fore. If she closed her eyes, she could almost believe she rode Star once more, during the happy times, before her life started to crumble.

  A tear escaped. She wiped it away.

  Shannon tilted her head as they headed her way. “What’s wrong?”

  Trinity swallowed, forcing the lump from her throat and pulled the horse to a stop beside Shannon. “You’re going to think this sounds ridiculous.”

  “Try me.”

  “She’s so much like Star, my mother’s old barrel mare that I used to ride as a teen until we retired her to broodmare.”

  An understanding smile appeared on Shannon’s face. “Your first horse?”

  “Yeah. One of the best barrel racers of her time. My mother could have went so much farther with her, if I hadn’t come along.” A twinge of guilt ate at Trinity’s gut. She knew her mother never blamed her for forcing her to retire in her prime. Her mother reminded her time and again that Trinity was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Still…

  Shannon patted Trinity’s leg. “Everything happens for a reason, Trinity. We might not understand and it might be hard to accept, but we just have to believe.”

  Believe.

  The same advice Madeleine gave her. Time to cowgirl up.

  She sniffed and pushed her tears aside. Several people had paved the way for her to make it this far. She wasn’t about to let any of them down.

  “Star was Legacy’s dam, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Going to tell me the story?”

  Trinity grinned slyly. “What story?” She already knew what Shannon wanted to hear. The same thing everyone else did. Thus far, she’d only spilled the beans to Cody.

  “You know. How you managed to get a breeding to Another Victory Gallop.”

  Since she sat astride Shannon’s back-up barrel horse, Trinity couldn’t deny Shannon much at the moment, especially something as small as an answer. She rattled off the story she’d only shared with a couple of people.

  “Wow.” Shannon stared at her with wide eyes and an expression of admiration. “That took some guts, especially as a teenager.”

  “I thought it was worth the try. Something told me that if I could get her to agree, the resulting foal would be remarkable.”

  “And he is.”

  “Thank you again for doing this. It’s above and beyond, and I’ll never forget it.”

  Shannon just shrugged. “Like I said, we’re a sorority. We have to look out for one another. Besides, I think the rest of the world needs a chance to see Legacy run.”

  Trinity smiled down at Shannon. “I hope they get that opportunity.”

  “Then let’s get a few practice runs in with Tinker.” Shannon stepped back. “You’ll have to hold her steady, then hang on because she’ll bolt for the first barrel.”

  “Got it.” Trinity jogged the mare to the starting area, swung her around, and gave her a couple of seconds to focus on the barrels in front of her. Tinker shook her head and fought the bit for a second before settling down. “That’s better. Now go.” Nudging the horse with her heels, Trinity gave her slack rein and held onto the saddle horn with one hand as Tinker lunged forward. She zipped to the first barrel, tried to cut in, but Trinity held her off with foot pressure hard against the horse’s side. The trick worked and they flew to the next barrel, but the turn there ended up really wide, slowing their time. They improved on the final barrel, then sped for home.

  After collecting the mare, Trinity walked her back over to Shannon. “She can really move. It’s just hard to keep her off the barrels.”

  “It takes a bit of practice. Just keep using your feet and you’ll be fine.” Shannon patted the mare’s neck.

  Trinity blew out a breath. “I figure I need to place no lower than third to be a shoe in.”

  “Tough, but doable.”

  “I hope so. Because I’ve laid it all on the line for this one chance.” She fiddled with Tinker’s mane again. “Everyone else has as well.” She nodded her head. “It’ll work out. It has to.”

  Shannon tiled her head and pursed her lips. “It will. But, if it doesn’t, there’s always next year.”

  Trinity met Shannon’s eyes. “I haven’t told anyone this yet. This is my one and only try. I’m retiring after this year. Finals or not.”

  Shannon’s eyes grew big as her mouth dropped open. “Retiring? You can’t be serious. Legacy is in his prime. Hell, when he’s on, no one can touch him.”

  “He’s nine years old. Not such a young horse anymore.”

  “You love barrel racing. I see it in your face. It’s in your blood too.”

  “It was my dream growing up and my mother’s dream. If she couldn’t make it to the finals, she wanted me to do it. I’ve dedicated this year to her. Afterward, I intend to go a different direction.”

  “And do what?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t have a clue,” Trinity admitted.

  Shannon patted her on the leg. “There’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders right now, not to mention the stress of Legacy’s fall. Just don’t shut one door for all time when you aren’t absolutely positive you want to not only leave it closed, but lock it and weld it as well.”

  Trinity sighed. “If only a life map appeared showing me where I’m supposed to go and what I’m to do along the way.” She grimaced at the first two words.

  Shannon laughed. “If I found a map like that I’d toss it away.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. Who wants to go through every step in a pre
-planned life? Personally, I like the surprises, the rabbit trails, the uniqueness. Seems if things were already laid out for you, life would be a whole lot more boring and less spontaneous.”

  The words sank in. Trinity considered Shannon’s perception for a long moment, found it sound, and slowly bobbed her head. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

  “Hills and valleys. We all have them.”

  “True.”

  Tinker snorted. Shannon rubbed the horse’s neck again. “And if we don’t get another couple of training runs in, you’ll be winging it this evening.”

  “Good point.” Trinity backed the mare away from Shannon and realigned her with the course. “Go!” They took off again.

  “I can sleep in my trailer. Not the first time. Or find a hotel. Really. No reason for you to be put out more than you have already been.”

  “Oh, hush. There’s plenty of room. Besides, the girls sleep over often, especially when the rodeo is in town.”

  Shannon lived on the outskirts of Cheyenne, Wyoming, so she had the luxury of trailering her horses home every evening and sleeping in her own bed, instead of a hotel or pairing up with others in an RV.

  Trinity felt like a burden after Shannon spent most of the afternoon helping her bond with Tinker. As soon as they finished, Shannon hit the kitchen, cooked up dinner for her family and insisted Trinity stick around. Reluctantly, Trinity did so, jumping in and helping her friend prepare and clean up afterward. She wasn’t sure what Shannon’s family would think of her, but, to her relief, they accepted her like a long, lost relative. They chatted with her, shared some laughs, and even cheered for her as she raced Tinker that evening.

  “No sense in paying high hotel prices when you can stay here for free.” Shannon tugged on her shirtsleeve. “There’s a spare bedroom, complete with bathroom, that you’re more than welcome to use.”

  “Thank you.” Trinity’s voice carried sincerity. “I’m not used to sleeping anywhere but the barns.”

  Shannon led the way into the lower level spare bedroom and shut the door behind them. “I noticed that in Denver. You never leave Legacy for any length of time.”