Page 20 of Only With Me

“Sure, just tell me whatcha need.”

“You’re the best.” She grins appreciatively. “Piper needs to be lunged and then you can keep her in the pasture for a half hour. Miss Swift and Lacie-Mae need to be moved to the westpasture, and then if you can tack Mac up for me so I can train her next, I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure, but ya owe me one!” I taunt, walking toward the stables.

“Yeah, yeah!” she calls.

Piper’s a brown and white spotted Appaloosa who’s been here for the past four years. Noah’s been training her and Harlow, and from what I’ve seen, she’s a decent show horse.

It takes less than an hour to finish and once I get Piper back into her stall, Landen and Dad are back with the trailer of feed.

“Y’all wanna hand?” I ask, not bothering to remove my work gloves because I already know his answer.

“Yeah, it’ll help us get done faster,” Landen responds.

There’s only half of the bags left, which means they’ve already stopped at the retreat barn, and I doubt Wilder returned from lunch to help.

“Ellie gettin’ nervous yet?” I ask Landen while we haul bags inside the stables.

“More like an excited anxiousness…” he confirms. “She’s workin’ out like crazy to stay in shape and practicin’ as much as Ranger can handle it.”

“I can’t wait to watch her.”

Considering I’ve never been to the NFR or any rodeo event that big, I’m excited about the trip, especially since the whole family is going. Ayden, the stables manager, will stay behind with Ruby and they’ll make sure the other ranch hands stay on top of mucking stalls, feeding, and exercising the horses.

Since the event is ten days long and Ellie has to be there earlier for press, she and Landen are leaving the day after Thanksgiving with their trailer to drive Ranger across the country. The rest of us will fly out there to watch the final few days and hopefully see her win the championship.

When I get home later that evening, I scroll through more texts in the group chat and find an update from the girl with poison ivy.

She sends a photo of her upper chest and neck area that’s starting to turn red and form bumps. Then another photo of her arm looking worse than it did this morning.

Unknown #1: My mom got me some anti-itch cream but it’s not helping. I want to claw off my skin.

Unknown #2: Did you try soaking in a warm bath?

Unknown #1: Yes, with some oatmeal. It feels better when I’m in there but as soon as I get out, the unbearable itchiness returns.

Deciding to pitch in, I offer another solution.

Waylon: Do you have any baking soda?

Unknown #1: I think so. Probably. Why?

Waylon: Mix it with water to create a thick paste and apply it over the rash. It’ll absorb the excess moistureand help relieve the itching. Then once it dries, you can rinse it off.

Unknown #1: That sounds messy, but I’m willing to try anything at this point.

Waylon: You can do it a few times a day as long as it’s not making things worse.

Unknown #1: Thanks, I appreciate the tip!

Waylon: No problem. Good luck.

I should’ve asked her earlier what her name is, but now it feels almost too late. Or maybe it’d be awkward to ask only her in a group chat of several others I don’t know.

Once I’ve showered and had a bigger dinner than usual since I worked through lunch, I video call Bentley—my fifteen-year-old “little brother.” I joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters program last year after Landen got into training some 4-H Club kids. He said it gave him a purpose outside of being a rancher and that hit home for me. Outside of my family and work, I don’t have much that feels meaningful.

Getting to mentor someone, a kid I can be there for in any way he needs me and be an extra ear, has helped give me something to look forward to.