Page 8 of Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek)

My dream trainer.

The top one in the state and she came to watchme.

I’ve been working with a former barrel racer at my grandparents’ farm where I board Ranger, and she’s been wonderful in getting me to where I am now. However, if I want to get my name out there more and challenge myself to faster race times, I need a professional trainer who can help push us there. Noah’s known as a horse whisperer and if she agrees to take me on, I can board Ranger at her ranch and utilize their training facility.

What makes her even more unique is the fact she’s only twenty-one years old.

Most trainers aretwiceher age and still not as talented as her. She’s wise beyond her years, with great resources and knowledge to help me make this a successful full-time career.

The more races I win, the more opportunities there are to get money and prizes—which vary between belt buckles, horse breast collars, saddles, tack or other equipment. Each event has its own incentives, but each win gets me closer to qualifying for larger events, such as regional championships, national finals, or even invite-only rodeos. But making it to the national or world finals and winning first place at least once during my career is my ultimate dream.

“One final rider of the evenin’…”

The emcee’s voice grabs our attention toward the arena, and we watch as Easton and his American Paint Horse, Scotty, gun it around the first barrel.

“He’s fast…” Dad admires.

The other riders, including Marcia, are all watching, too.

She doesn’t look too happy about the potential of being pushed into third place.

“Here he comes…” Mom holds her breath as we wait for him to cross home and get his final time.

“Fifteen point nine six nine! That puts Easton Hawthorne in second place!”

“Yes!” Dad shouts. “You did it, kid!”

We don’t have time to celebrate before I’m directed back into the arena for a victory lap. Not every event does this, but when they do, I put on my best smile and wave to the crowd as music echoes above me. I might be new to pro rodeo, but I hear my little fan base screaming for me. Since I’m local to the state, more people recognize me from TV interviews and articles they’ve written about me when I won Rookie of the Year.

Tonight’s prizes go to the top three, so I walk Ranger over to the event’s sponsor committee for an oversized check for two thousand dollars and a champion belt buckle with the event’s name, year, and logo. The one I’m wearing tonight is from the last rodeo I won. After each new one, I wear it to the next. It’s been my good luck charm.

The high after winning a race sets in and after I congratulate Marcia and Easton on placing, take photos, and speak with one of the local newspaper journalists, I walk Ranger back to my trailer where my parents and Noah are waiting for me.

“You did amazing!” She beams. Her long blond hair in a high ponytail bounces with each step she takes toward me.

With my arms still full, I give my check and buckle over to my mom, then Dad grabs Ranger’s reins so I can free my hands.

“Thank you! I’m so glad you could come.” I lean forward and give her a side hug.

We’ve talked on the phone previously, and considering we’re from the same small town, I’ve known her name ever since I started riding horses, so it feels like we’re already close friends.

“Are you kiddin’? I was more than excited to see you in action. You didn’t disappoint.”

Getting her approval fills me with pride, but I know there must be things she saw I could work on.

“So what’d you think?” I ask eagerly.

“I think you and Ranger make a solid team. There’s always room for improvement, though. We can work on tightening your frame so your stirrup doesn’t go rogue.” She winks.

“Yeah, that was unexpected,” I admit.

She shrugs casually. “It happens. You handled it well, though. You kept him tight in the pocket, but there’s always a chance you might not be so quick to bump the barrel back into place. That’s something we can work on so y’all don’t risk that going forward.”

I nod. “Did you notice anything else?”

“Mostly minor things that can easily be worked on and fixed. I think your reins are too long and you’d do better with shorter ones. Practice ridin’ more straight and square so your body stays in an upright position. Although Ranger seems to have good muscle memory, he also follows your lead and it could result in knocking down a barrel if you lean too far. You don’t wanna risk that five-second penalty. Common for almost every rider is forgetting to breathe properly while you’re runnin’ the barrels. We can do some exercises for that.”

“You sound like you know what you’re doin’.” Mom smiles, shifting her eyes to me in excitement. She supports my desire to train harder.

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