Chapter Text
They pulled into the Tillycreek Horse Park early in the morning. Checking in at the gate had been smooth because Motthew was nothing if not prepared, and he was able to direct them to their spots in the stable and the campgrounds easily. Motthew and Nakani went off to the campgrounds to begin setting up their site while Cricket and Siggy took Stuffy to the stable.
Siggy left to set up the stall while Cricket unloaded Stuffy from the trailer. Stuffy was pretty good about loading and unloading, so it wasn’t difficult for Cricket to do alone. The sound of horseshoes on metal echoed through the trailer as Cricket led the bay gelding out. The sound decrescendoed as they exited the trailer and walked out onto the grass. Once on level ground, Cricket ran a hand over Stuffy’s soft coat to make sure he’d made the journey well.
Satisfied that Stuffy looked good, Cricket patted the horse’s neck. “How’re you doing, boy?” he cooed quietly. “Was the ride good to you?” Stuffy nudged Cricket with his muzzle and let out a soft nicker. “Alright, let’s get you to your home for the week.” Cricket led the way to the stall.
As they walked, they passed other groups unloading their own trailers and Cricket took the opportunity to eye up his competition. Some of the setups were very high end. There were retailers with multiple stalls. Others had stalls with living quarters attached that looked like they cost more than his house. They were being pulled by trucks twice the size of his. A few even had rigs he’d only ever seen pulling semi-trucks. There were a handful or so that seemed on his level. A decent number of the people were familiar, folks he’d seen on the home circuit or people he knew just from ranching. But there were just as many new faces. Cricket felt a pang of anxiety run up his spine, and just as swiftly shut it down with a pat on Stuffy’s neck. It didn’t matter if he’d never seen some of these people compete. Either way, he had to be better.
As they approached their stall, Siggy looked up and waved them over. He’d laid out a layer of hay for Stuffy and was raking it into some nice piles. As Cricket led Stuffy into the stall, Siggy nodded his head. Cricket nodded back. With a frown, Siggy nodded again, furiously.
Furrowing his brow, Cricket said, “Siggy, what? The nodding obviously isn’t helping.”
With an exasperated sigh, Siggy shuffled over to him and murmured, “Keep your voice down! I was trying to direct your attention to that stall across the way with the lovely ladies.”
“Damnit, Siggy, you know I’m not interested. This is my life! It’s too important to get distracted by a skirt…” his voice trailed off as two women came into view across the barn, getting their own horses settled in.
They were both about Cricket’s age. One was pale with dark black hair that paled into a color so blonde it was almost white at the tips and ended just at her chin, and inky blue eyes. If anyone had asked him, Cricket would say she was real pretty. But the woman next to her? She was stunning. Her fiery red hair flowed loose over her shoulders, her skin was lightly tanned and covered in freckles and her soulful eyes were the color of the lilac hydrangea that grew in front of the porch at Cricket’s house. That’s probably why she instantly reminded him of home.
It was lucky they were both so entrenched in their chores because the noise of surprise Cricket made when Siggy reached across and forcibly closed Cricket’s mouth was nothing short of undignified. “I told you they were lovely”, was all he said as he smirked, and went back to raking the hay.
“You got an eighty-two on day one!” Siggy exclaimed as Cricket walked over to where Siggy was holding onto Stuffy.
Cricket was beaming as he walked over and patted Stuffy’s neck. “Semi-finals,” Cricket whispered excitedly. He couldn’t believe it. At most he thought he might end up in the Wild Card round, but straight to the semi-finals. He was buzzing.
“Alright,” Nakani said as she made her way over to them. “There’s not much time before the tie-down roping. We’ll celebrate later, yes?”
Cricket and Siggy could barely contain themselves but nodded as Nakani moved around Stuffy making sure he was sound and ready for the event. The second she was on the other side of the horse, Cricket and Siggy bumped fists with bright grins.
“He looks good,” Nakani said. “Tighten the cinch and mount up. Not long before warm up is open.”
Cricket nodded and pulled the latigo taut to make sure the saddle was secure before mounting up. He turned Stuffy and they walked over to the warm up arena. They did some trotting and circles before Cricket gave the command for a quicker pace and practiced some starting and stopping. They moved so well together. A rhythm that cannot be taught. When a cowboy and their horse are connected, it’s pure poetry.
After a little while, Cricket directed Stuffy back towards the arena where barrel racing was currently going on. Siggy and Nakani stood on either side of them while they watched a rider weave through the clover pattern. Not a bad time. Applause sounded from the stands.
The announcer’s voice rang out. “Up next is Toni riding Sunny!” Cheers erupted from the crowd and music blared.
Cricket looked out and there was one of the women from earlier. The pale one with the ombre hair rode out on a gorgeous palomino horse with a platinum mane. They moved well together as she rode with a look of determination on her face. Toni. He had a name for one of them. That was a start. And in what felt like the blink of an eye, her go was over.
“Alright, folks, that’s all for our barrel racing this evening!” the announcer's voice boomed, jostling Cricket from his thoughts of Toni’s red-haired friend. “We’ll be starting tie-down roping shortly.”
Siggy nudged Cricket’s leg. “You good?” he asked.
Cricket shook his head. “What? Yeah.”
Siggy squinted his eyes but left it at that and handed the small rope used to tie the calf’s legs to Cricket. “You’re first up.” He took a deep breath. “You’ve got this.”
Cricket rode over to the chute. Once inside he put the piggin’ string between his teeth and made sure the lasso on his rope was set. The calls from the crowd dimmed as he focused on the task. The shoot opened, and they were off.
When the events were done for the day and Stuffy was back in his stall for the night, Cricket and his team made their way into town to share a meal and enjoy a few well deserved drinks. Alvie’s, a local watering hole, was having a special for anyone who was with the rodeo, half price drinks all night with the purchase of any food item. Cricket didn’t drink much, but the stress of traveling followed by competing was already getting to him. In the back of his mind, he also hoped to run into the woman from across the stall.
As his friends laughed around their table, enjoying their meal together, Cricket scanned the room hoping for a glimpse of Toni’s companion. Unfortunately, as he did so, a couple of buckle bunnies found him first. Buckle bunnies were women who followed the rodeo, groupies really, and tried to catch the eye of the cowboys. Some were just looking for some fun, others were looking to secure a ring. Cricket had had his fun in his early days on the circuit, but hadn’t…partaken…in quite a while now.
He tried to shake his head to show he wasn’t interested, but it didn’t deter a particularly buxom blonde from approaching. She swayed her hips in her low slung jeans and the giant pink and gold bedazzled belt buckle glinted in the harsh light of the bar.
“Well hey there, Cricket. Been a long time”, she drawled, as she fluffed her long hair, careful not to twist the strands in the multitude of rings on her fingers.
Cricket took a moment to reach into his memory before responding. “Astrid, I didn’t recognize you. I think you had red hair last time we crossed paths?”
Astrid scrunched her face in mock hurt, “How could you forget the night we spent together, Cricket? I’m hurt!” She moved to sit on his lap, and Cricket quickly turned back so he was facing the table.
“Astrid, I would hardly call some pawing behind the barn a ‘night together.’ But you’re right, that was cruel of me. Of course I’d never forget you. You are a delight. Now if you’ll excuse me…” he trailed off, hoping she’d get the hint.
“Cricket, who is this beautiful angel you’re keeping all to yourself?” Siggy’s voice cut through the crowded room as he returned from the bar with another round. Setting the drinks down carefully, he tipped his hat to Astrid. Cricket introduced them, silently thanking his lucky stars for Siggy’s distraction and turned back to the room to renew his search, standing just in time to bump right into his quarry.
“Oh pardon me!” He reached to steady her, gently directing her elbow. “Toni, right? I saw you compete today, you seem to have a tight bond with your horse. You moved so well together.”
Toni eyed him almost suspiciously as she extracted her arm from his light grip. “Thank you.” She glanced around the room, as if looking for a way out of the conversation.
She was going to be a tough nut to crack, but Cricket continued anyway, “I think you’re in the barn right across from us. I’m Cricket. Are you here with a team, or…?”
Sighing, Toni focused on Cricket’s face, and he could feel her reading him as her eyes took him in. “Yes, we saw you earlier with one of the clowns getting your horse settled. We don’t have quite the team you seem to have, some of us are working with fewer resources.”
The disdain was palpable. Cricket didn’t love the implication that he was some high and mighty sponsored so-and-so. His team was just his friends. They had no outside help. But more frustrating was the fact that she still hadn’t given up her friend’s name, and Cricket couldn’t think of a good way to get it out of her without straight up asking and looking like a creep.
Luckily, his stress was all moot. The door to the bar opened, letting in a ray of light from the lamp posts in the parking lot that perfectly spotlighted the object of his obsession as she sauntered into the room confidently.
Toni, obviously relieved that her friend had arrived, raised her hand and called out to get her attention, “Willow!”
Willow. Cricket turned it over in his head as he watched the woman walk towards them. He adjusted his hat and wiped his right hand on his jeans before sticking it out to Willow as she stopped in front of them. He put on a bright smile and tried to keep his voice calm, even though he felt like he was shaking in his boots.
“Willow, I’m Cricket. Nice ta meet ya.”