Cowgirl Up (23 page)

Mary Leah placed the salad and the rest of the vegetables back into the refrigerator then joined her on the deck.

 
Coal had a fire blazing in the pit and handed Mary Leah a beer as she took the seat next to her. “I need to tell you about Tessa and my time in the desert,” she said.

†

Mary Leah had broken down in tears, wrapped in Coal’s arms she finally understood the trauma her lover had experienced in the desert and the haunting memories she was struggling to resolve. When she regained control of her emotions, she turned to look in her dark eyes. “Thank you for sharing that part of your life with me.”

“It was selfish of me to keep that to myself,” Coal said. “I didn’t want you to think of me as damaged goods.”

“I love every ounce of you, Coal Bryan,” Mary Leah said and kissed her softly.

Chapter Fifteen

The next week passed in a blur. They finished bringing in the hay and Coal survived three sessions with Del. They were painful, but Del assured her the pain was necessary for her to move on and she was beginning to believe Del could fix her.

“I am very pleased with the progress you are making,” Del said when they ended her Friday night session. “Do you think you are ready for Virtual Iraq?”

“Next week will be a short week. We leave for the rodeo on Friday morning,” Coal answered.

“Would you rather wait until the following week to begin then?”

“It will be pretty intense, won’t it?”

“Yes, it will. Let’s take next week off then, and you can return Monday after the rodeo. Good luck, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Coal answered.

“Have a great weekend and I will see you soon,” Del said as she walked with her back to the reception area.

“Did you remember to ask her about Thursday?” Mary Leah said when they stepped into the room.

“No, thanks for reminding me,” she told Mary Leah. “We’re having a cookout Thursday night and we would like you to join us.”

“Thursday is a short day for me,” Del answered. “What time?”

“We’ll be having a last practice run for our events starting at three and will eat at six,” Coal said.

Del grinned. “I’d love to watch y’all practice.”

“So come out as soon as you close up shop,” Mary Leah said.

“I will,” Del said. “I’ll see you Thursday then. Have a great weekend.”

†

Gene and Lucas rushed to clear the table after Thursday’s lunch. “Are you riding today?” he asked her.

“Yes, I thought you and Lucas could practice a while first, and then we could do some roping. I think, Shadow is set on the barrels, but I’d like a few more runs at the pole bending before we leave tomorrow.”

“You’re on, my friend. We’ll chill until three and then get to it while Harley gets the grill ready for the cookout. Man, I can’t wait to dig into some of his ribs,” Gene said, bursting at the seams.

“I swear you are a bottomless pit,” Coal told him with a chuckle.

She helped Melissa carry the last of the food into the house and stretched. “Would you mind if I crashed in my old room for a nap?”

“Absolutely not, what time do you want to be up?”

“By two thirty so I can get the baked beans cooking. Mary Leah will bring the macaroni salad when she comes after work.”

“Hit the sack then,” Melissa said. “I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

“Thanks, boss,” she said and walked to the bedroom and pulled off her boots.

†

Melissa poured a cup of coffee and walked back to the tables they had set up for lunch. A cool breeze left the shade of the trees very enjoyable, and she relaxed as she watched the rest of the crew puttering around.

“Mind if I join you, boss?” Harley asked.

“Grab a cup of coffee if you want, the pot is still hot.”

“You need a refill?”

“Sure,” Melissa said, handing him her cup.

Lucas and Gene were loading bales of hay and feed for the horses into the horse trailer. They would head out for Dallas early the next morning and she would bet her last dollar that Gene would not sleep a wink tonight. She smiled as she watched their youthful energy.

Harley returned with their coffee and followed her gaze as she watched the young men. “Oh, to be young again,” he said with a sigh.

“It would grand to go back to that age, wouldn’t it?” Melissa said with a grin.

“What and give up the aches and pains of these old bones?” he teased.

“Are you ready to cook?” she asked.

He smiled at her. “As soon as they finish loading the trailer, I’ll have them drag the grill out. I’ve got the ribs ready to go and some sausage to munch on while they cook.”

“Sounds yummy, is there anything I can help with?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, you can be the official timer when the youngsters start practice,” he said. “Other than that, I think we are covered.”

“I guess I’ll just kick back and relax then.”

“Well, it looks like you’ll have company to relax with,” Harley said, nodding at the car stirring up dust on the drive.

“Del’s here,” she said.

“She seems to be working wonders with Coal. It’s good to see her relaxed again.”

“Yes, it is,” Melissa said as she stood to greet her arriving guest.

Del opened the car door and climbed out of the car. “Am I too early?”

“Heaven’s no, we are taking a short break after lunch. The practice session will begin at three. Did you have lunch?”

“Yes, I had a salad before leaving the office. I heard there are ribs tonight so I opted for a light lunch,” Del said with a grin.

They walked over to the table and Melissa introduced Harley to Del. “May I get you something cool to drink or some coffee?”

“Some tea would be great.”

“I will be right back. You okay, boss?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m good, Harley, thanks.”

Del took a seat next to Melissa. “It feels really peaceful out here. How have you been?”

“I’m doing great thanks. I appreciate what you’re doing with Coal too,” she added.

“Where is she?”

“Catching a quick nap,” Melissa said.

“Is everything all right?” Del asked.

“Yes, she’s just resting before practice.”

“Good,” Del said.

Harley returned with her tea. “I heard her stirring, so don’t be surprised if she joins you soon.”

“So much for a nap,” Melissa said.

“Don’t let her fool you, she’s just as excited about the rodeo as the boys,” Harley said with a chuckle.

“What events is she entering?” Del asked.

“She’ll do barrel racing and pole bending on her own, and then team up with Gene for team roping,” Melissa said.

“What about the boys?”

“They will compete in steer wrestling and bronco riding.”

“That’s going to make for a busy weekend,” Del said.

“Most of the competition will be held Saturday,” Harley said. “You should drive up for the day.”

“I just might,” Del said.

†

Coal climbed from the bed and walked to the bathroom to wash her face. She went to the kitchen and preheated the oven as she prepared the beans for baking. She glimpsed out the window to see that Del had arrived and was sitting with Melissa and Harley. Lucas and Gene were setting up the grills. When she slid the pan of beans in the oven, she poured a glass of tea and went out to join her friends.

“Glad you made it, Doc,” she said as she took a seat.

“I’m not one to miss out on good ribs,” she said with a wink to Harley. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, thanks. The beans are in the oven, so remind me to keep an eye on them,” she said to Melissa.

“A rodeo star and she cooks too?” Del teased.

“No star, but I can hold my own in a kitchen,” Coal said with a chuckle.

Del smiled at her patient. It was comforting to see a smile on her face after all the anxiety she had experienced inside her office.

Harley walked over to light the coals on the grills as the boys saddled up and moved the practice stock into the holding pens.

 
“Should we move this party to the corral?” Melissa asked.

Harley took a stopwatch from his pocket and handed it to Melissa. “Push them hard, boss.”

The small group of women watched Gene and Lucas wrestle steers. When they were down to the last two steers, Coal stood and stretched. “I’m going to saddle Shadow and get ready to throw some rope.”

“Have fun,” Melissa said. She and Del watched her walk to the barn.

“She’s a good woman,” Del said.

“Yes, she is,” Melissa, agreed. “We all lucked up when she came into our lives.”

They turned at the sound of a car approaching. Melissa smiled at Del. “Mary Leah most of all.”

“She and Coal make a nice couple,” Del agreed.

†

“Damn, she’s good,” Del said as they watched her heel yet another steer.

“Yes, she is,” Mary Leah said with pride. “You should see them run the barrels or poles. They are really fast.”

“I think I will take a ride Saturday. This is exciting stuff.”

Melissa looked at Mary Leah and winked. “Another rodeo junkie has been born.”

“Maybe so,” Del said with a grin.

Lucas and Gene herded the steers back into the small pasture and set up the course for Coal while she rode over to chat with the women.

“Very impressive,” Del said as she rode up to the fence.

“Thanks, Doc, one of the things I do well.” She grinned.

“Among many other things,” Mary Leah said.

“Would you care to share more of those,” Del teased her college friend with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Mary Leah blushed furiously and Coal chuckled.

“Wow, I haven’t seen you in that shade of red for a long time,” Melissa tossed in.

“Okay, y’all can stop anytime now.”

She decided to rescue her lover from further embarrassment. “You have your stopwatch ready, boss?”

“I sure do,” Melissa said, digging it out of her pocket.

“Let’s roll then,” Coal said. After winking to Mary Leah, she rode to the entrance of the corral. She looked over to Melissa, who nodded she was ready, and Coal made the first run of the course. Shadow learned the new route quickly and it took minimal reining to weave him through the course. When they cleared the last pole and turned for the homestretch, she gave him his full head and he galloped past the poles to the finish line.

“Woohoo!” Melissa yelled out. “Your fastest run yet!”

“Good, but we can do better,” she said to Shadow, leaning down to pat his neck. “Two more runs and we will call it a day.”

When they two runs were over and they had trimmed nearly a full second from their time, Harley called out, “Dinner’s ready.”

Mary Leah, Melissa, and Del walked toward the tables to help set food out while Coal and the boys cared for their horses. When the tables were set and everyone gathered around, Harley blessed the meal. “Let’s eat,” he announced.

Two hours later, their bellies full, the group dispersed for the evening. Mary Leah and Coal walked Del to her car.

“Thanks for coming out tonight, Doc,” Coal said and hugged her.

“Thanks for the invite. I had a blast,” Del said. “I will see y’all in Dallas on Saturday.”