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Annie laughed. “It’s a strength test for your heart.”

“You’re not kidding.”

“Lucy is a strong rider,” said Davey. “She practices every day.”

“Tammy is doing well for her first year,” said Annie. “She knows she’s behind Lucy and she tries extra hard to learn and catch up.”

The tension in the air was palpable for the final round. Most of the parents were probably holding their breath.

Lucy was last to ride, and Athena Adams from Wyoming had the best score on the board. With the number to beat right in front of her, Lucy knew she had to be fast. She gave it her best shot and shaved two-tenths of a second off Athena’s score.

Our cheering section went wild—especially Jacks—who was Lucy’s biggest fan. Easy to see how close they were—like twins almost. We all stood up and hooted and hollered for the girls. All the girls had done their absolute best, including Tammy who came fourth.

A great effort by both our girls. They had learned so much already, I couldn’t wait to see what they could do at the end of the beginners’ class.

Once the horses were cooled out and put in the corral, the girls grabbed their weekend bags from the barracks and ran to join us. After a round of congratulations and hugging, we all piled into the truck.

With Annie-girl and I riding in the front, all five of the kids had to squish into the back seat. They giggled and laughed asthey jockeyed for position. The girls practically had to sit on top of the boys, but none of them seemed to care about the close quarters.

“I stink,” said Lucy, “and there was no time for a shower. I sweated a bucket out there in the sun. My deodorant gave out.” She giggled and so did Tammy.

“Yeah, you do stink,” said Harlan. “Sit closer to your brother and sweat all over him.” He winked at her.

“Pizza to celebrate,” I hollered to be heard over the racket in the back seat. Pizza Nova was the place we’d gone the last time, and the kids liked the pizza there.

“Yahoo,” hollered Jackson. “Party time.”

Tammy was a little too quiet and Harlan said to her, “You did fantastic, Tammy. You just started in barrel racing, and you came fourth out of all those girls. Don’t be sad over that.”

“That’s what I think too,” I said. “You did amazing, Tam.”

“Thanks, Travis.”

“When you start competing for real, Tammy,” said Annie, “there will be a lot of disappointing days at the rodeo before you come out on top. You can’t give up. Rowdy told you that already. Look how many years it took him to become world champion.”

“I’m not going to give up, Mama. I’m never giving up. Bonnie Grace tries so hard to get it right.”

“She was like lightning out there today,” said Davey. “Faster than I’ve seen her.”

Annie smiled. “You’re handling Bonnie Grace much better, honey. Is somebody at Marilyn’s ranch helping you with that?”

“Andy is. One of Marilyn’s cowboys is working with Bonnie Grace and with me. He’s a great teacher and he never gets mad when I make a mistake and have to start over. I think we’ve made a lot of progress.”

At the mention of Andy’s name, Harlan prickled. He’d be asking questions later.

“You definitely have made strides,” I said. “The first time you were on a horse was last November. You’ve put in a lot of hard work, Tam.”

“Thanks, Travis.”

Pizza Nova. Shelby.

My family had mushroomed—from me, Tammy, and Harlan—into seven people, and we needed a huge table at the pizza parlor. There was a booth in the back corner with a big round table that we all managed to fit into.

Annie and I ordered beer while the kids all slurped Cokes and argued about the available toppings listed on the menu.

“Here’s the deal,” I said. “Three large pizzas. Pick a partner who wants the same three toppings as you do. I can eat whatever is left—I’m not fussy.”

“I’m only eating one slice,” said Annie, “so I don’t need to be anybody’s partner. Travis, you team up with somebody and leave me out.”