Page 60 of Stirring Up Trouble
I might need to take a few notes from this whole experience. It’s definitely been eye-opening.
As Daddy ushered me behind the others, my head was on a constant swivel to see everyone who’d come. There were so many people of different ages, races, and gender identities. It was further proof the rodeo life was for any and everyone.
We were moving up an escalator to get to the box when a familiar face caught my attention. And it was familiar in the“I totally follow him online”way. I didn’t creep on the guy, but everyone knew who Mason Levy of @MasonHasChickens was thanks to his amazing thirst traps online, most of which featured animals. I almost wished we had time to go meet him. He’d be an excellent person to come visit the ranch. The exposure alone would be awesome.
“Watch your step, baby,” Daddy said as we reached the top.
I focused back on what we were doing. No need to worry about missed moments. It wouldn’t do me any good in the long run. If it was still an idea I had later, then I could reach out to him through socials.
“Here we are!” Jake pointed to a glass door that looked like it went to a fancy room. We all piled inside, and I realized my assessment had been right. The entire space was decked out with rodeo gear, food, and obvious promo material.
Since I wasn’t all that hungry yet, I opened one of the gift bags to check out what was inside. Most of them were from sponsors of the rodeo itself like banks, grocery stores, and the Houston area sports teams.
Jake popped up at my shoulder as I was looking. He scoffed, snatching the one for the football team. “This is bullshit. If I’d known this was a thing, I’d have brought a bunch of Bell’s stuff to put in these. People should support Bellport only.”
“What about our team? Are we not important?!” Maddox appeared affronted by the choice of football over hockey.
“Daddy Maddy… you know this isn’t about that. I freaking own the hockey team. Of course I want to promo them. But Houston isallabout their football. They don’t even have a hockey team. Follow the path, please.”
Maddox blinked at Jake for a minute before turning back to the table of food. I let out a belly laugh at the entire situation. I could see both their points of view, though I wouldn’t say that. It would end in an hour-long speech from Jake about why he was right. The man was a terror when he wanted to win an argument.
As I went back to digging through the bag, I pulled out a sticker with a QR code on it. There wasn’t anything else on it though. My curiosity wouldn’t let me go any further. I had to solve the mystery.
When I scanned it, a website with an image of a gorgeous home came up. The banner across the page said, “Coming soon - The Lavender Porch, a bed and breakfast located in Comfort, TX.”
I immediately bookmarked the page right as a handsome couple moved across the screen. Not only was the place cute, butthey were also pro-LGBTQIA+, which was enough of a positive sign for me to want to check it out later. Maybe I could even surprise Daddy with a trip there soon. We’ve been working so hard. He deserved the break.
“Baby, you need to eat. We’re going to be walking around later. I heard they’ve got some unique animals,” Daddy called out.
Abandoning the gift bags, I cross the room to snuggle close to him. “What do they have?”
“Well, it’s Jake. I bet you can take a guess.”
Glancing at the table showed me food that looked better suited for a Super Bowl party than a rodeo. I shook my head even as my mouth watered. There was plenty to go around, and with the chili cook-off not until tomorrow, we could indulge.
“Let’s eat. Then I want to see some cute animals.”
“MWE TOOO!” Jake added around a mouth full of food.
We all laughed at his goofiness, which made him beam. The man truly loved the attention.
With full bellies,we made our way from the box down to the backstage area. People moved about in a rush, each focused on their tasks and paying us no mind. It reminded me of Daddy’s rodeo. We were doing the same back then to make sure all went well. I knew exactly what these people were going through.
“It’s this way I think,” Leon said to our group as he navigated us with his map again. The man was a saint for taking the lead. I had a feeling if anyone else did it, we’d be going in circles. Maddox and Daddy were more concerned about reminiscing than following instructions.
We rounded the corner to find a massive pen full of… “Are those alpacas?”
At my question, a young man popped up beside me holding a stuffie that looked exactly like the creatures in front of us. “They are! Aren’t they so pretty and perfect? I love them sooo much. I hope we get one.”
“You’re going to buy one?” I was curious about him. The stuffie made me think he might be Little like some of the men on the ranch. If so, I wanted to signal he was safe to be himself around me.
He nodded as he stared ahead. “Yeah. I hope so.”
“Jace,” a deep voice called. The larger-than-life man walked over to us.
My heart raced a bit at his size. He looked formidable next to this Jace guy. It was only as he got close and Jace looked over at him that I relaxed. His face completely transformed as he smiled.
“There you are, Jace. I was looking for you. Why did you run off?”
