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Authors: Kayla Dawn Thomas
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way.” She’d woven hers into a tight French braid before heading to the barn that morning and covered it with a baseball cap to keep the sun out of her eyes.
“My position doesn’t really take down a lot of guys. If I don’t have the ball, I protect the quarterback—no tackling.” Maddox shrugged, looking sheepish as he twirled the hair tie between his fingers.
A quick stab of embarrassment shot through Chanel at her football ignorance, but she willed it not to show on her face. After a beat, she said, “Watch Ryan and Brad for a while. They can teach you everything you need to know. And watch out for the horses and cords. Things are going to move fast in there, and you don’t want to trip or get knocked over.”
“I’m supposed to take orders from those kids?” Maddox asked as he raked the top half of his hair back into a tail. It hadn’t taken long for his bad attitude to return.
“If you’re smart you will.” Today would be a giant lesson in teamwork and humility for the hotshot. Chanel had a feeling Coach Talbot would approve. She headed to where Vivi was tied.
“What’re you going to do?” Maddox called after her.
Chanel looked over her shoulder and put a little wiggle in her step. “Rope me a football player if he doesn’t watch himself.”
***
Vivi pranced anxious hooves into the dust. Chanel reached down and gave her a quick pet on the neck and then adjusted the loop in her rope. She noted Maddox in conversation with the twins. He wore a dubious expression as the boys gestured toward the milling calves, miming how to dive and grab a front and back leg in order to flip the calf and get it tied down to rope attached to the stake in the ground, so the rider could stretch the animal out, exposing it for the tasks that needed to be done.
Mitch pulled up beside his daughter on his bay gelding and followed her gaze. “How’s he gonna do?”
“He’s about to get a lesson in following directions,” Chanel said, her lips a thin line. For as attracted to Maddox as she was, he sure could piss her off, and she had a feeling he was about to push her over the edge.
“He’s a quick learner.”
Chanel looked at her father. “Once he decides to.”
Mitch smiled and nodded. “Exactly. That’s why Talbot sent him out here. The kid’s limited until he learns to back down and realize his way isn’t always best.”
“We’re hot and ready, boss!” Jerry called holding up the branding iron with two sizzling interlocking O’s at the end.
“Let’s do it!” Mitch hollered.
The first round of ropers—Chanel, Mitch, David, and Fritz—began to move their horses slowly through the milling calves, keeping their eyes open for an easy shot at either a calf’s head or heels. Chanel missed with her first swing, but her father and Fritz caught right away. She watched them drag their calves over to the ground crew, curious to see how Maddox would do when it came to subduing a thrashing two hundred pound animal. He lunged passed the twins and lowered his shoulder. Chanel cringed as he collided with the kicking calf at the end of Fritz’s rope. Fritz had caught it by the head, leaving all four legs free. The calf bucked just as Maddox was about to make contact. He hit the dirt and skidded, the calf jumping on top of him.
Chanel heard him yell, “Son of a bitch!” as he tried to escape the trampling hooves. Craig Wilkins rushed over to help as Fritz released his dally allowing slack in the rope. Craig swung an arm around the calf’s neck successfully collaring it and then removed the rope. The calf continued to buck back into the herd.
Gritting her teeth, Chanel swung from her saddle and stomped over to where Maddox was spitting dirt.
“You okay?” Craig asked, placing a hand on Maddox’s shoulder.
“What the hell was that?” Chanel yelled, stepping between the two men. “Did you not hear one word Ryan and Brad said?”
Craig stepped back from the two of them and joined the
“My position doesn’t really take down a lot of guys. If I don’t have the ball, I protect the quarterback—no tackling.” Maddox shrugged, looking sheepish as he twirled the hair tie between his fingers.
A quick stab of embarrassment shot through Chanel at her football ignorance, but she willed it not to show on her face. After a beat, she said, “Watch Ryan and Brad for a while. They can teach you everything you need to know. And watch out for the horses and cords. Things are going to move fast in there, and you don’t want to trip or get knocked over.”
“I’m supposed to take orders from those kids?” Maddox asked as he raked the top half of his hair back into a tail. It hadn’t taken long for his bad attitude to return.
“If you’re smart you will.” Today would be a giant lesson in teamwork and humility for the hotshot. Chanel had a feeling Coach Talbot would approve. She headed to where Vivi was tied.
“What’re you going to do?” Maddox called after her.
Chanel looked over her shoulder and put a little wiggle in her step. “Rope me a football player if he doesn’t watch himself.”
***
Vivi pranced anxious hooves into the dust. Chanel reached down and gave her a quick pet on the neck and then adjusted the loop in her rope. She noted Maddox in conversation with the twins. He wore a dubious expression as the boys gestured toward the milling calves, miming how to dive and grab a front and back leg in order to flip the calf and get it tied down to rope attached to the stake in the ground, so the rider could stretch the animal out, exposing it for the tasks that needed to be done.
Mitch pulled up beside his daughter on his bay gelding and followed her gaze. “How’s he gonna do?”
“He’s about to get a lesson in following directions,” Chanel said, her lips a thin line. For as attracted to Maddox as she was, he sure could piss her off, and she had a feeling he was about to push her over the edge.
“He’s a quick learner.”
Chanel looked at her father. “Once he decides to.”
Mitch smiled and nodded. “Exactly. That’s why Talbot sent him out here. The kid’s limited until he learns to back down and realize his way isn’t always best.”
“We’re hot and ready, boss!” Jerry called holding up the branding iron with two sizzling interlocking O’s at the end.
“Let’s do it!” Mitch hollered.
The first round of ropers—Chanel, Mitch, David, and Fritz—began to move their horses slowly through the milling calves, keeping their eyes open for an easy shot at either a calf’s head or heels. Chanel missed with her first swing, but her father and Fritz caught right away. She watched them drag their calves over to the ground crew, curious to see how Maddox would do when it came to subduing a thrashing two hundred pound animal. He lunged passed the twins and lowered his shoulder. Chanel cringed as he collided with the kicking calf at the end of Fritz’s rope. Fritz had caught it by the head, leaving all four legs free. The calf bucked just as Maddox was about to make contact. He hit the dirt and skidded, the calf jumping on top of him.
Chanel heard him yell, “Son of a bitch!” as he tried to escape the trampling hooves. Craig Wilkins rushed over to help as Fritz released his dally allowing slack in the rope. Craig swung an arm around the calf’s neck successfully collaring it and then removed the rope. The calf continued to buck back into the herd.
Gritting her teeth, Chanel swung from her saddle and stomped over to where Maddox was spitting dirt.
“You okay?” Craig asked, placing a hand on Maddox’s shoulder.
“What the hell was that?” Chanel yelled, stepping between the two men. “Did you not hear one word Ryan and Brad said?”
Craig stepped back from the two of them and joined the
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