“Whoa,” Harley shouted. Coal stifled a laugh.
“You okay, man?” Lucas asked with a grin.
Red-faced, he looked up at Lucas as he approached with Gene’s horse. “I definitely wasn’t expecting that.”
“Mount up and try again,” Lucas said.
Gene’s second attempt went off without a hitch. They each made two attempts that were more successful before Gene looked over at her. “Are you ready to do some roping?”
“Are you done eating dirt?” she teased.
“For today,” he hollered back.
“Let’s do it then,” she said as she helped Lucas herd the steers back into the catch pen.
Gene entered the box on the left-hand side of the chute as Coal took up the right. He looked at her and she nodded her readiness. Gene nodded to Roy, and the first steer released from the chute. Gene raced toward the steer, swinging the rope above his head and launched his loop at the steer’s head. He pulled the rope tightly around his saddle horn and turned the steer back toward him as Coal moved in to rope the steer’s back legs. She threw her loop, but the steer kicked out one leg before she could tighten her loop. She wound her rope around the horn to dally her rope and backed Shadow to stretch the steer out until he was immobile.
“Damn,” she said. Catching only one leg would be a ten-second penalty. She urged Shadow forward and loosened the tension on her rope allowing the steer to kick out and rid himself of the rope.
Gene also retrieved his rope and coiled it back into his hands. “Let’s go again.”
They took up their positions and the next three runs were perfect. On the last steer, Gene missed his first throw and had to pull out a backup rope. By the time he had the steer headed and Coal could heel it nearly twenty seconds had elapsed.
“We can’t stop with that,” she said and rounded up two more steers.
The next run finished with perfection and they decided to call it a night. “Not bad, but we definitely need more practice,” Coal said.
“Tomorrow night?” Gene asked.
“Nope, it will have to wait until Friday. We can practice before the cookout. I have an appointment tomorrow night.”
“Friday night it is then,” Gene said.
They released the steers back into a small pasture to graze and then she rode over to where the sisters were talking. “I’m going to head home so I can get Shadow taken care of,” she told Mary Leah. “See you tomorrow, boss.”
“We are cutting hay tomorrow,” Melissa reminded her.
“Right,” Coal answered. “See you then.”
She rode Shadow home and unsaddled him, brushing him down before placing him in the stall for the night. “You did good today, big boy,” she said as she stroked the brush across his back. She was very pleased with how much progress he had made from last year. Shadow had turned into a great cow pony. She was lost in thought as she tended to her mount and did not hear Mary Leah arrive home.
“Are you just about finished here?” Mary Leah asked from the barn entrance.
Coal started as she spun toward the sound of her lover’s voice. “Yeah, I won’t be long.”
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Mary Leah apologized.
“That’s all right, honey; I was just enjoying my time with Shadow.”
“What would you like for dinner?”
“Something light, I’m still stuffed from that huge lunch Melissa cooked for us.”
Mary Leah thought for a second. “I could make us a salad,” she offered.
“That would be perfect,” she answered.
Coal was thankful for a restful night without dreams disrupting her sleep. She woke up refreshed the following morning and snuggled into Mary Leah. “Good morning,” she whispered.
“Hey, baby, did you sleep well?”
“Thankfully yes, I feel good this morning.”
“Toast and cereal okay for you?” she asked. “I want to get on the road early so I can get home sooner tonight for our drive. Can you be ready by four if I promise to treat you to a nice dinner?”
“Can we have beef brisket?” Coal asked with a grin.
“You can have anything you want,” Mary Leah said as she rolled over and kissed her.
“That sounds promising,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Mary Leah.
“Do you want a ride this morning since you are cutting hay today, or do you plan to ride Shadow?”
“I might as well ride him. If I don’t he’ll just jump the fence and follow me anyhow.”
Mary Leah burst out laughing. “Good point. You can ride him home after work and get ready then.”
“I’ll be all shiny clean by the time you get here to pick me up,” Coal said as she climbed out of the bed. “If you’ll pour us a cup of coffee I’ll start the toast and get some cereal ready.”
“Deal,” Mary Leah said as she climbed from the bed and put on a robe before following Coal to the kitchen.
†
Coal finished breakfast and then saddled Shadow as Mary Leah left for work. She rode to the MC2 and unsaddled Shadow, leaving him in the corral before walking into the bunkhouse. Stan and Harley were discussing the morning’s assignments.
“We have equipment to cut and rake three fields,” Stan was saying as she poured a cup of coffee. “I’d also like to have the older hay brought down into the barn so the fresh cut can be placed in the loft.”
“How many bales are still in the loft?” Coal asked.
“Two hundred or so,” Harley said.
“Why don’t Gene and I take care of that while the rest of you start cutting? Then we can ride out to help when we’re done,” she suggested.
“I have a better idea. You two move the hay and then you can help Melissa bring out lunch. It’s going to still be smoking hot up in the loft. If we have everything in hand by lunchtime then you two can have the afternoon off.”
“That sounds fine with me,” Gene said.
“Eat up, big boy, and let’s get started then,” she teased Gene. “I’m going to check on Melissa and will meet you in the loft.”
†
“Morning, boss lady,” Coal said as she stepped onto the porch of the main house and found Melissa drinking coffee.
“Good morning, Coal, it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
“Yes, it does.” She brought Melissa up to date on the plans for the day.
“You and Gene will have a good workout this morning,” she said.
“We should be able to knock it out in a few hours and work up a good appetite.”
“How about I prepare some egg salad sandwiches for lunch then?” Melissa asked, knowing they were Coal’s favorite.
“I will never complain about egg salad,” she answered. “Gene and I are supposed to help you bring lunch out when we’re done, and then we’ll have the rest of the afternoon off.”
“Maybe you can get a nap in before Mary Leah gets home.”
“She promised to take me for beef brisket before my appointment with the shrink.” Coal grinned at the thought. “I guess I better get busy then,” she said and walked off the porch.
“I will bring y’all something cold to drink in an hour or so,” Melissa said.
“Thanks, boss,” Coal said as she started across the yard.
Her boots kicked up dust as she walked and the sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky. She reached the barn and climbed the ladder to wait for Gene. She opened the doors at both ends to allow a cool breeze to enter the loft, which gently lifted stray strands of hay sending them floating down to the barn floor. She sat in the open door, her feet dangling outside as she waited for Gene. In the distance, she could hear the cry of a red-tailed hawk, and her eyes scanned the air in search of the predator. She spotted the bird as it flew toward one of the oaks near the lake and landed near its mate. The pair would have a successful morning hunt as field mice and small animals fled the sound of the tractors and mowers in the hayfields.
The sound of laughter brought her attention back to the yard as the crew exited the bunkhouse and walked toward a flatbed truck. The tractors had been driven to the fields the day before allowing them to make an early start.
Gene looked up to see her sitting in the loft opening and smiled. “You ready to rock and roll?” he asked as he stepped into the barn.
“Just waiting on you,” she teased. “Roll that slide over and I’ll start shooting bales down to you,” she said as she put her gloves on.
Moving the bales down from the loft would be much easier than lifting the bales with a winch into the loft. A metal slide, similar to a playground slide, would be propped against the edge of the loft. She would place bales on them and Gene would catch them and stack them in the rear of the lower level of the barn.
“Remind me to load a dozen or so onto the back of the truck to take to my place for Shadow,” she said to Gene as she placed the first bale on the slide.
“You want me to get the truck and we can load yours first?”
“Sure, go ahead. I’ll send a dozen down and come help you load them.”
“Just drop them and I’ll get them loaded,” Gene said and jogged out of the barn.
She began carrying bales to the slide and had four down when Gene raced back into the barn and picked up two bales. “Showoff,” she yelled at him as he disappeared with a smile growing on his face.
After Gene loaded her hay, they got into a rhythm and moved fifty bales before Melissa entered the barn carrying a pitcher of lemonade and glasses. “Come on down and take a break,” she hollered up to Coal.
She took the easy route and slid down the slide.
“That looks like too much fun,” Melissa said, grinning as Coal stood and brushed the hay from her jeans.
“It sure beats taking the steps,” she said.
Melissa poured glasses of lemonade and handed them to Coal and Gene. “How is it going?”
“We’ve got fifty or so moved and restacked. Gene loaded a dozen bales for me on the truck too. When we finish here, I’ll take them over to my barn and unload them.”
“Do you have room for more?”
“I could probably store another dozen bales. Why?”
“Well, you might as well take more if you can store it,” Melissa said. “By midweek next week there will be a few thousand more to be loaded and stacked.”
“All right, we’ll load another dozen on the truck then,” Coal agreed. “You doing okay down here or do you want to swap up and I’ll stack for a while?” she asked Gene.
“Nope, I’m good,” he said. “Besides, I can carry two at a time, so it should go quicker.”
“Showoff,” she repeated with a grin.
Gene flexed his arms and struck a pose for the two laughing women. “I got guns,” he said with a grin.
“You have started filling out nicely,” Coal said, making him blush. “I know a few young ladies in town who can’t keep their eyes off you.”
“Oh please, Coal,” he groaned.
“I’m serious, Gene, if you’d pay attention you would see it too, but don’t go getting the big head on us,” she warned.
Blushing furiously now, Gene could only nod his head in agreement. He downed the rest of his drink and started carrying bales to the truck.
“Now I know how to make him go quiet,” Coal said to Melissa, who chuckled at her comment.
“Are you nervous about your appointment?”
“I’m trying to stay busy, and not think about it,” she said.
“Enough said then,” Melissa answered, placing the pitcher and empty glasses on a workbench. “Just give me a holler if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, boss,” Coal said and watched her exit the barn before she climbed back up to the loft.
†
It took two more hours to finish moving the hay, and after downing another glass of lemonade, she turned to Gene. “I’ll carry this back to the house, and if you’ll meet me there with the truck we can deliver the bales to my barn.”
“Let me make a pit stop at the bunkhouse, and I’ll meet you there,” Gene answered.
Coal gathered the glasses and the now empty pitcher and carried them across the yard to Melissa’s house. As she stepped onto the front porch, she could hear Melissa singing as she toiled in the kitchen preparing lunch, and wearing a smile she entered the house.
“You should go to town with us one Friday night and do karaoke,” she said as Melissa turned at the sound of her approach, the song lyrics dying on her lips.
“I could definitely clear out the place with my crooning,” Melissa said.
“No way, you sounded very good,” she said.
Melissa tossed a kitchen towel over her shoulder as she resumed working. “You better have Del check your hearing tonight too,” she teased.
“There’s nothing wrong with my hearing. You have a nice voice, boss.”
Melissa didn’t look up from the bowl of salad she was mixing. “Are you and Gene done moving the hay?”
“Yes, ma’am, we are going to take the truckload over to my barn, and then we will be back to help you deliver lunch.”
Melissa looked up at Coal. “That should be about perfect timing then. I’ll have the coolers filled and ready to go.”
“See you soon then,” she said and left the house as Gene pulled the truck to a stop.
“I am so ready for some of Melissa’s egg salad,” he admitted. “I’m starving.”
“Let’s get to it then so you can feed that beast of yours,” Coal teased.
Shadow eyed the truck as they drove by the small pasture where he was grazing. She was surprised when he lowered his head and continued eating. She had fully expected him to jump the fence and follow her home.
Gene backed the truck up to the barn door and they made quick work of unloading and stacking the bales of hay in her barn. Coal figured she could hold another six bales if they found they needed more room once they began baling the fresh hay.
“Are we ready to eat?” she asked Gene.
Gene grinned back at her. “My stomach’s been growling for a half hour now.”
“Let’s go get the boss and some food in our bellies. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a full stomach, a hot shower, and maybe a nap.”
“Lucas and I are going to practice bulldogging later tonight once it cools down some,” Gene said.
“A long weekend in Dallas is exactly what we are going to need after we finish cutting this round of hay,” she said.
Gene was a young man, but his excitement over the rodeo was like a child at Christmas. Coal was excited too about the competition, but nothing compared to Gene. The prize money for the winners wasn’t that spectacular, but the bragging rights and the pride of winning the events is what made the rodeo so popular with ranch hands.
“Just two more weeks after this one,” she said, making Gene’s smile grow even wider.