Page 64 of Alive and Wells

As soon as I silently ask myself the question, it feels insane to me that the answer is an immediate and resounding “yes”. And there may or may not be a specific dark-haired, bearded man who comes to mind.

Hold your horses, Cecily.

“Austin’s great with Odessa. Always has been. He even changed diapers when she was a baby.” Kate bites back a smile as she lets the final hair strand fall from her curling wand. “Just sayin’.”

Not only am I aware how great he is with Odessa, but that’s part of what made me fall in love with him. It’s hot as hell watching a man be a good uncle.

“Neither of you are getting any younger, either,” Kate adds.

“First of all—rude. I’m plenty young. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, please.” A distant memory from a similar conversation plays in the background. Except back then my friends were listing the reasons why KJ would be a terrible husband and father, rather than a great one. So, really, it’s a polar opposite conversation; Kate’s gunning hard for me and Austin to be together and make babies. “Maybe in a few years we can have this conversation again. Assuming this thing between Austin and I even lasts that long.”

Beryl contemplates it for a second, then says, “When you know, you know. You deserve all the happiness in the world, honey. If that includes babies—or if it doesn’t—we’re just saying we support you.”

Kate nods her agreement, slathering another coat of mascara on.

Then Beryl adds, “And they’d bevery prettybabies. I can always use more sweet little ones around here to snuggle.”

Kate cheers. “Yes, Beryl! Thank you. My kids need cousins and Denny’s a lost cause unless he accidentally knocks somebody up.”

“My God, Beryl. How many shots did you put in that drink of yours?” I laugh. “Can we deal with one wildly terrifying thing happening in my life at a time? Or did we all conveniently forget I have a crazy ex-husband who could show up any time?”

Kate looks at me with a mischievous smile, bringing her straw to her lips. “All I’m saying is nobody’s gonna be mad about some baby-making going on tonight. Least of all, me.”

“Or me,” Beryl agrees with a wink.

My head drops into my hands with a defeated exhale and a half-hearted laugh.Absolutely fucking not.

“Filly, you gonna do the steer scramble?” Sundial asks from the backseat, barely audible over the wind swirling around as we fly down the road with all the windows open.So much for my perfect curls.

“I don’t even know what that is,” I shout back over my shoulder.

“Austin definitely won’t like you doing the steer scramble.” Denny elbows me jokingly in the ribs.

“Your point is? I’m a grown-ass woman and can make my own choices.”

“Ohhhh, Filly’s looking to get into trouble tonight.” Red whoops ayeehawout the window, swerving the truck back and forth on the dirt road. “Hell yeah, let’s get her in trouble before the boss man shows up.”

I laugh, gathering my blowing hair in my hand and tucking it around my neck. When Austin said he was going to meet us later, I’m not sure he fully thought through whether it was a good idea to send me with this crew. Not that I gave him a choice.“I’m going to the rodeo with the guys, whether you come or not,”were my exact words.

“So what happens is they tie a ribbon to a steer and turn it loose in the arena with a buncha women. Whoever gets the ribbon wins the prize,” Denny explains.

Colt yells from behind me, “You had no problem with the calves at branding. This is basically the same thing.”

“Ehhhh.” Red’s face scrunches up with disagreement. “Not quite.”

“This all sounds incredibly stupid. Does anybody seriously sign up willingly?” My head turns rapidly between Red and Denny.

The boys all exchange glances before Colt says, “Yeah, I think most of the women do, honestly. It’s a classic event.”

I sigh.What’s the worst that could happen?It might be a bit dangerous, but it also sounds daring and fun. “Alright, fuck it. Sign me up. But I fully expect you guys to buy all my drinks tonight for doing this.”

“You bet your ass we will.” Red’s palm slams against the steering wheel excitedly. “Fuck, I love a rodeo.”

The truck veers into a sprawling field lined with endless rows of pickup trucks. Some hauling horse trailers, others loaded with people in the bed. A stampede of cowboy hats make its way toward the metal grandstands. It seems the entire town and then some are here for the Wells Canyon rodeo.

I walk alongside the boys, taking it all in. The hot afternoon air smells like horses, dust, and hot dogs. The sun blazes down on the open area, sizzling my sun-worn skin. We pass by food vendors and booths selling everything from saddles to turquoise jewelry. Finally, we enter the beer gardens—also known as the adults-only section of the rodeo grandstands—designed for drinking, dancing, and general mayhem.

“You boys are buying me drinks all night, don’t forget. That includes the liquid courage it’s going to take to get me in the arena with a steer.”

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