Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Thirty

Around me, the morning sun had a bit of a bite to it, but wasn't hot.
The sky was blue with the odd fluffy white cloud about and a gentle breeze occupied the land.
Truck's were lined up.
Ute's and four wheel drives were parked along the dusty roadside, already overflowed from the dirt car park.
The smell of cattle and cow manure was strong in the air.
For once, the rich smell had my stomach turning.
Weird being I've been in this environment many a time...
I pushed it from my mind, walking with Heath toward the shed's where there was a barbecue and coffee set up.
Blayze, Troy, Heath and I were attending the March Cattle Sale to sell some of our young bull's.
Blayze and Troy were dealing with the cattle and Heath and I had been shunted to get the coffee.
"Please tell me you remember how everyone has their coffee?"
Heath appealed to me.
I rolled my eyes, unable to hold back my smile.
"White and two for Blayze and Me, white and one for Troy."
"Blayze and Me eh?"
Grinning, Heath lightly nudged my side.
"Sh- shut up!"
I looked away to try to hide the heat I felt cover my cheek's, pulling my hat brim down a notch.
We joined the line up of Cattle Sale goer's who were wanting coffee and a feed.
"Hmmm."
Heath peered towards the barbecue.
"People must be hungover. They've got lunch on the go."
I rolled my eyes.
"You sure it's not breakfast?"
"It's steak Einstein. Steak isn't breakfast."
I snorted.
"You're living in farming country. Do you honestly think they care what time of the day it is?"
"Touché."
Heath agreed.
The scent of the meat on the hot plate's of the barbecue hit my senses.
Oddly, the churning in my stomach ceased.
I smelt onion, egg, bacon and my mouth practically started watering.
Weird...
Heath pulled me forward.
"C'mon. We're up."
"What?"
I snapped out of my daydream about a steak sandwich with the lot.
"Oh!"
I hurried to follow him to the table where the refreshment's were being served.
"Bailey Harley! How are ya doin Darlin?"
Jenny Smart, the Cattle Sales Manager Michael Smart's wife greeted me with a big grin, wiping her hand's off on a tea towel.
I smiled quickly.
"Good thanks, Mrs. Smart! How bout yourself?"
"Not too bad for a Sundey mornin, Darlin! What can I get for ya?"
"Uh-"
I glanced quickly towards Heath.
For some reason, I always expected the older person to take charge.
Though I guess Jenny know's who I am...
"Two coffee's with two sugar's, one with one and-"
I looked quizzically to Heath.
"Three for mine thanks."
He pulled the money Blayze had given him from his worn jeans pocket.
Jenny nodded.
"Comin' right up."

As we strolled around the cattle sales, coffee in hand, I couldn't get my mind off the steak sandwiches.
Which is weird.
I never come to a sale or any other event and order a steak sandwich with the works.
Normally I leave that business up to the boy's!
"Earth to Bailey?"
I came back to the here and now, blinking at the tanned hand waving in my face.
Blayze.
I shook my head.
"Sorry. What?"
"Are you hungry?"
The tone behind Blayze's words, led me to believe it wasn't the first time he'd asked the question.
I resisted the pink blush that wanted to coat my cheek's.
YES!
As if on cue, my belly growled.
I shook my head.
"I didn't bring any money."
Blayze rolled his eyes.
"I didn't ask if you brought money. I asked if you're hungry?"
"Well..."
"C'mon. We'll go get food."
He placed a hand on my shoulder to steer me towards the shed's where the food and drink's were.
Steak, steak, steak, steak, steak!
My mouth practically watered at just the idea of it.

As Blayze drove the truck back into the farm yard, I noticed several of the neighbour's car's parked near my house.
I frowned at the vehicles, confused.
Since when were we having a gathering?
Oh no!
What's happened?!
I spun in my seat to look at Blayze, eyes wide!
Contradictory to my pounding heart though, he seemed calm, but frowning slightly as if confused.
He guided the truck to it's usual designated place alongside the machinery shed.
We climbed out of the vehicle and Troy and Heath walked towards us, looking just as confused as I felt.
Muffled music blared and Blayze pulled his phone out of his pocket.
"Lukas..."
He mused before sliding his finger across the answer bar on the touch screen and holding the device to his ear.
"What's up?"
He asked my Uncle.
Confusion, then surprise danced across Blayze's face.
"Uh, righto. We'll be there in a minute."
He told my Uncle.
"Righto. Bye."
He pulled the phone from his ear and ended the call.
"So, who of you dipshit's forgot about the meeting for the muster?"
The comment was probably also directed at me, but Blayze trained his gaze on the two guy's.
Surprise and confusion danced on both Heath and Troy's faces.
Heath looked bewildered!
"What meeting? I knew nothing of a meeting!"
"I... wasn't aware..."
Troy hedged.
"Well you had to be, because I definitely told you."
Blayze wasn't quite snapping, but his tone said he was close.
"Well you must've forgot to!"
Heath insisted.
"You just looked surprised then when Lukas called."
He gestured pointedly to the phone Blayze was still holding.
As if trying to hide the evidence, Blayze shoved his mobile back into his pocket.
"I told you all. As if I wouldn't."
He denied stubbornly.
That was true.
Blayze was normally all over the task's of the Farm.
But I was certain I hadn't heard anything about the muster yet and Troy and Heath looked as shocked as I felt.
"Right."
Troy sighed.
"I guess we'd better get to this meetin then."
Clearly he figured it wasn't worth riling Blayze up over it.
Smart move.
Heath momentarily looked like he wanted to argue, then shut his mouth and turned to follow Troy with a shake of his head.
Blayze turned to me.
"I did tell everyone."
I heard the question in his words, even though he didn't entirely make it sound like one and not everybody would pick up on it.
I bit my lip and gently shook my head.
"I didn't know anything. But maybe it's not been talked about coz I do live..."
I nodded pointedly towards the large stone farm house.
"Shit!"
Blayze kicked at the dirt beneath our boot's.
"How the fuck did I forget to tell everyone?"
I drew a pattern in the dirt with my own boot toe.
"When's the Muster?"
Blayze pulled a small packet of smokes from his pocket and a lighter, lighting one within a couple of moments and shoving the packet and lighter back into his pocket.
I crinkled my nose, the stench of cigarette smoke hitting my nostrils.
Yuck!
"The muster start's Thursday mornin."
He told me after he'd taken a drag from the disgustingly stinky stick.
Oh.
"Wow. Doesn't seem like much prep time."
Had they always only done the meeting the Sunday before?
"Normally there's maybe one new recruit from each property to join, so most know what to expect anyway."
Blayze shrugged.
"Hence the lack of need for a huge day of planning. But we do still like to get together to run through the shit. Goddammit."
He scowled.
"This throw's my day!"
"Were you going to go see Tameron?"
I couldn't help but to feel a little heavy hearted when I thought of this being his reasoning.
Which was terrible.
It wasn't the poor little boy's fault!
"No."
Blayze shook his head.
"I do have a Quarter Horse Filly and a Stock Horse gelding to work with though."
He nodded at the yard's nearby to the stables and feed shed, where a sweet looking two year old Chestnut Quarter Horse Filly with a forelock and mane slightly lighter than her coppery coat, the forelock hung long and almost into her wide dark brown eyes.
She had a sweet, gentle disposition and would do wonders under Blayze's starting.
Beside her in the next yard was a brown three year old Stock Horse gelding with not a speck of white on him.
He was already quite large at roughly 16.1hh at only three.
He was sweet, but shy and quite timid around new people and we guessed that was coming from the Rodeo Franchise company he'd arrived from.
Somehow word got down the chain and they'd eventually sold him to a nearby Farmer but he was too frightened and skittish for the Farmer's workmen to have any luck with him, so he's come to Blayze to have a shot at re-finding his feet.
Blayze had his work cut out for him with this one.
But he'll make it work.
He always does.
And in the best interests of the horse.
Blayze put his cigarette out into the dirt, sufficiently squishing it, then covering it with dirt to make sure it's embers were out.
"Guess we'd better join this meeting. Though Lukas is coming so I don't really see why I needa be in on it too."
I rolled my eyes.
"You're his right-hand-man. Course he wants you to be there."
Blayze smiled slightly.
"There ain't a thing I can do that Lukas can't as well. When I came along, he just saw he was able to take more time off is all."
It was bogus and we both knew it.
Blayze was highly valued among our ranks.
He was sorely missed when he qualified for the Rodeo Circuit in the U.S.A and took the position of the top ten rider's of our Country who were asked to join.
Troy, Alex and Jake had been fairly lost and Uncle Lukas struggled a bit to juggle between his family and keeping the hand's on the job and in line.
Shayne had been ridden pretty hard being his first year on board the crew, too, because the rest of the group noticed Blayze's absence.
"C'mon. Let's go."
Blayze placed a hand onto my shoulder to steer me toward the house.