Page 23 of Stirring Up Trouble (Saddle Up #1)

Twenty-One

Robin

Six months later

“Hurry up, Daddy! We’re gonna be late!” I bounced in the seat as we neared the exit.

“Baby, I’m doing the best I can. This city is a fucking NASCAR race. Why are people going ninety on the highway?”

“Maybe so they’re not late to the rodeo,” I replied, tone heavy with sarcasm.

His gaze cut my way, eyes full of a promise to make me learn my lesson later. Daddy wasn’t a fan of me being a brat.

To be fair, it was a rare thing. I just couldn’t help it today. This was far too exciting, and he was driving like an old slowpoke.

“Everything will be fine. Maddox said they’d wait for us to get started. Surely he and Leon can keep Jake from running off while we find a place to park. And hey, we don’t have to worry about the trailer this time.”

“True.”

He was right about that being a bonus. We weren’t here for any animals.

After the fun we had at Daddy’s rodeo, I knew I couldn’t wait a whole year to do it again. Once we got me all moved onto the ranch, I focused on options for rodeos we could go to that might be at a time when our friends could come too.

Thankfully, the Houston Livestock and Rodeo was close enough to Bellport they agreed it was the best option. On top of that, the organizers reached out to Daddy to see if he’d judge one of the contests since he was coming.

Now I realize that sounds strange. Why would they pick him out of all the people who came?

I’d be happy to answer.

Daddy was a badass.

Ok, so it was more than that. Part of me moving onto the ranch involved me building a proper business model to bring us into a new level of profit.

With Wes's help, I formed a plan that involved harvesting the vegetables best for the area, connecting with local businesses to provide them with their meat needs, and my favorite — offering camp stays for people who wanted to experience a piece of the country without being too far out of their comfort zone.

Jake told me it was called glamping when I video called him to share the idea.

He said he wanted to be a silent investor since we were family.

He also liked the idea of having a place to stay when they came to visit in the offseason.

His financial backing ensured him a permanent place to stay where he could, and I quote, “Fuck his Daddies as loud as he needed to.”

In no time we had the Anders Ranch booming with business. Jake made back his investment just last week, and he’s decided to put even more in since we’re already booked out for the next year.

“Saddle Up?” The sign at the gate drew my attention as we pulled in.

“Yep. That’s the theme this year for the events. It drew a big crowd from what I heard.”

“Oh, cool. It makes sense. Cowboys and saddles.”

Daddy laughed, then focused on getting us a spot. It was stupid busy, which was to be expected. This place had thousands upon thousands of people coming each year. It was much bigger than the rodeo we’d put together.

After he secured things, we took off to the gate. Daddy flashed the passes we’d been sent, then we were let through. I was more than happy to explore, but we had to find the others first.

It turned out to not be a difficult task. Jake was standing on a table right past the entry, a pair of binoculars in hand like he was birdwatching.

“JAKE!!” I waved my arms.

He turned at the sound of his name. I knew the minute he found me because he jolted. Maddox had to reach up to hold him steady.

I giggled as I rushed forward to meet him. Daddy followed, of course, though much slower.

Jake and I crashed together in a hug. “Cousin Robin! You’re here!”

“I’m here. Finally!”

“Easy, baby. You don’t want to get in trouble before things get started.” Daddy’s voice sent shivers down my spine.

I definitely didn’t want to get in trouble. But the idea of what he’d do was enticing.

“No time for the sexy bits. We’ve got to go watch some cowboy action. I was promised a production,” Jake declared.

Leon extended his hand. “Then come with me. We’ve got to get to the box to watch the events. We’ll grab food on the way.”

“Box?” I asked.

“Jake said he didn’t want to miss anything, so he bought one of the boxes where we’ll have privacy.” Maddox shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

All I could think about was how expensive that had to be. I felt guilty we hadn’t contributed to the expense. Then again, we’d been gifted some simple passes to get into things because of Daddy’s access. This would actually be a better deal for us.

We wouldn’t have to split the group up.

“They said there would be food in the room,” Jake called back to us as Leon tugged him ahead. The other man had his phone open, his gaze on a map of the stadium. I spotted it before he turned around and marveled at the area.

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 is all about 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, but they 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?”

“Wanted to look some more,” he mumbled, his gaze going back to the animals.

I stepped away, wanting to give them some privacy. Even so, I still caught “Daddy” and some type of squeal that told me Jace was definitely getting his wish.

“Baby, come look. This is something else. I couldn’t imagine having any of these on the ranch?” Daddy called out to me as he pointed to the alpacas.

“Nope. I can’t either. I don’t have the patience for all that. Plus we’d have to shear them too, right? That would be a lot of work.”

He nodded. “It would. Let’s stick to what we know right now. I’m happy with what we’ve got going.”

“Same, Daddy. I’m content as a cucumber.”