Page 49 of Stirring Up Trouble
By the timeJake was done riding Majesty, we were all too energized to head back to the rodeo's events. For once, I actually gave Leslie full control of everything as we took off our worker hats and enjoyed the festivities with my cousin and his men.
Jake claimed he was rubbing off on us. "This is totally something I would do."
Maddox shook his head. "It is something you have done. It wasn't for a rodeo, but you have skipped out on work more than once. Poor Timothy had to clean up your messes."
Leon laughed as well, adding in, "Yeah, Timothy is a saint. You wouldn't find that level of detail and commitment from anyone else. Not with how flaky you can sometimes be.”
“Flaky? You make it sound bad. Flaky is good. Biscuits are flaky. Bread is flaky. What else is flaky?” Jake turned to Robin.
My boy shrugged and laughed. "I'm not sure. Everything you've mentioned is carb-based, so maybe follow that trail."
Jake huffed out a noise, then twirled in a circle as if that would somehow undo the conversation.
I smiled at them as I tugged Robin closer to my side. Having my family here and being with my boy was wonderful. Everything that happened felt better than if I’d attempted to do it alone.
“What should we do now?” I asked them as we made our way through the crowd that had grown exponentially.
Jake bounced around. “I don't know. Something that can get some energy out. Majesty was so fun, but I don't think I could sit still anymore.”
Leon whistled, drawing our attention. He pointed to a sign, and I smirked.
"Y'all want to go line dancing?" I asked them.
Leon shrugged. "It's been a minute, but my sister made me learn a few back in the day."
Maddox tugged at the waist of his jeans. "Now Cousin, you know I can get down with the best of them," he said, dipping his head my way. The same cowboy hat was slightly askew from Jake having stolen it earlier. In fact, it was barely hanging on.
Jake nodded eagerly, his hands clasped together under his chin. "You have to say yes, Cousin Blaze. This is perfect. Line dancing is a perfect cowboy activity, right? It's totally what you do out in the barns and stuff.”
I tilted my head. "You think we go line dancing in the barn all the time? Is this when we're bailing hay or milking cows or maybe when we're digging posts along the fence line? Could it be when we're trying to fix all the little problems that pop up?"
Jake dropped his hands, his face moving into a frown. "You don't have to be so sarcastic. I don't know what you do on a ranch, but I'm telling you right now line dancing is what we're doing next. Everyone come with me.”
In a blink, he’d grabbed Robin's hand and tugged my boy loose from my hold. Robin threw me a look over his shoulder. Itwas a mix of panic and excitement. I waved him on as the rest of us followed.
I needed to see this. I wasn't quite sure if my boy was the type to go dancing. It would be good to know. I could make myself go out to the occasional bar if he wanted to participate more. Or we could turn on the record player at the house and have our own little party. Whatever he wanted, I'd make do.
When we reached the edge of the dance floor, Jake and Robin stood frozen, their mouths hanging open. The people in front of them were lined up and moving right along to the song playing. It was a faster tune, meaning it all looked much more complicated than it was.
I recognized the sequence and after a second of waiting to see if they'd join in on their own, I pulled Robin away and led him to the floor. His wide eyes met mine, but I faced him so I would go the opposite way as I led him through the steps.
There were several times when his feet got tangled up or he nearly took a tumble. By the time the song ended, he'd caught on enough to blend in well with the others.
As the band finished, Jake howled and clapped. I hadn’t noticed the trio coming to join us until that moment. They were a few lines over. Each had a glow about them. It could have been from working up a sweat. I suspected that was only a part of it. They were enjoying the chance to let loose.
Robin rubbed his throat as if he were thirsty. I didn't need my boy to tell me we should probably stop for a drink, so I motioned to the bar and Maddox nodded to let me know he understood.
One of the bartenders came over once we made it through the crowd.
“Evening, Mr. Anders. What can we get you?”
I smiled at the quick service. People around here knew who I was. While there were those that didn't like it, the young peoplelike this guy here understood enough to respect me. They knew they wouldn’t be working if it weren’t for me running everything.
Sure, another person might fill the void if I hadn’t picked up the pieces. But why gamble a what if with what was guaranteed?
“I just want a beer. What do you want, baby?”
My boy looked at me and then the bartender. “Just water, please.”
