Page 117 of We Drank the Dawn

“Very nice.” Tag said. “Now, I’m gonna show you how to dismount.”

And we did it all over again.

THIRTY-NINE

Cooper

Icouldn’t remember the last time Jesse and Tag were out here training horses. Every day, their orbits pushed a little further from the ranch and a little further from each other. So having them both in the same arena, talking and laughing like the best friends they were, felt like an occasion.

Even their wives and kids were present.

Bea and Hollie had had their phone cameras trained on Peter off and on the entire time he rode. And, honestly, he did great. For a while, I just led Lady May around the ring with a lead rope. Then I handed him the reins and explained how it worked. Then I mounted Trickster so Peter could follow me. I purposefully threw him a couple curve balls, cutting through the center of the ring or randomly changing direction, and he did well, keeping Lady May on Trickster’s heels. Every time I looked back at him though, his brow was furrowed like he was concentrating hard.

Then we dismounted, removed their tack, walked the horses to Rudy for grooming, and grabbed two more—Rock-a-bye and Hell Bent. After we exercised them, we did it all over again with the final pairs of the day: Ginger and Harry Trotter, Windy Foot and JoJo.

Having Peter along did slow me down, but once he warmed up, we made good conversation and the afternoon flew by. By the time we took Windy and JoJo back to Rudy, Tag and Jesse were finishing up with the broncs at the training chute and we all meandered across the arena, picking up pieces of tack while we sipped on water and discussed Harlan’s upcoming rodeo. He frequently participated in calf roping and team roping, and had quite the reputation for the way he could throw.

“Keep practicin’, Harlan, and maybe one day you’ll be as good as Jess.” Tag goaded him.

Jesse shook his head with a laugh as he lifted a bottle of water to his mouth. “Now, now. That’s not very nice, Tag. Let him have his pride.”

Harlan feigned bewilderment. “Wait. Senior citizens can throw a rope? I didn’t realize.”

The shot at Jesse’s age made everyone laugh.

But he snorted as he swallowed a cheek full of water. “I could whip your ass with two feet in the grave.”

I gave a low whistle, chiming in. “That sounded like a challenge, Harlan.”

“It wasn’t.” Jesse’s hands flew up in surrender. “I’ve got nothing to prove.”

“Let it go, boys,” Tag said. “We all know Harlan’s ego is too fragile for this.” He smirked when Harlan bit, crowing with indignance.

“The only fragile thing y’all should be worryin’ over is Jesse’s arthritic knees.”

Jesse’s head fell back as he laughed over that one. At thirty-seven, he was in prime physical condition and could work circles around us. But he constantly got shit for being the oldest person on the ranch.

“Alright then,” Tag said, steering the conversation with a gleam in his eye. “Why don’t we grab the dummies and watch you show him up?”

Harlan grimaced. “Dummies might be Jesse’s speed, but I only use moving targets.”

Tag said, “Fine then. Someone go get See Ya.”

See Ya and Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya were Meadowbrook’s steers. We never used them and they were slow and lazy as hell. Tag bought them at an auction recently and no one knew why. Tag himself didn’t even know why. It was a senseless purchase because we stopped training roping horses a couple years back, so they had turned into lawn mowers, just chewing the pastures down and hogging space. Not to mention, they’d be full-grown bulls in the blink of an eye.

I shook my head. “That won’t prove a thing. I could outrun See Ya.”

“Why don’t you be our target then?” Jesse said.

“I got a better idea.” I pointed between the two of them. “Harlan should be your target and vice versa.”

Tag laughed. “That—yes.”

“I’m game.” Harlan puffed his chest, enjoying the chance to razz his superior. “Jesse can’t run real fast these days, so it should be a piece of cake.”

Jesse shook a finger at Harlan, solidifying the old man image. “You’ll be flossing dirt out of your teeth, young man. I swear it.”

“Likewise, Mr. Holmes.”