Blame It on the Rodeo. Amanda Renee

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      LEXI AWOKE BEFORE the first rooster crowed. You wouldn’t find anyone sleeping in at the Lawsons’ house. Sixth-generation farmers, they were champing at the bit to start their day long before the sun came up. Lexi’s younger brother, Nash, maintained the petting zoo animals while their father, uncle and cousins tended the fields. Her mother and aunt ran the market and gift store.

      Situated right off the interstate, the 130-acre farm dated back to 1820. The original barn had been converted into a retail market and gourmet kitchen in the early fifties, catering to tourists as they drove through the state. Lexi’s sister Mazie learned to cook in that kitchen, leading her to open the Bed & Biscuit in the center of town.

      The Lawsons gave visitors the true farm experience, from the petting zoo to fresh picked produce, some of which the customers were allowed to harvest themselves. Strawberry and pumpkin season filled the fields with people, but the two-acre corn maze around Halloween drew the biggest crowds.

      The horses were Lexi’s domain. Before showering, she headed down to the barn and fed the family’s handful of horses. Once she checked her schedule for the day, she saddled Autumn’s Secret and surveyed the property. Their morning and evening routine allowed Lexi to escape from the rest of the world.

      Robert Smith Surtees wrote, “There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.” The quote had inspired the name of her mare, which she helped foal on the Langtrys’ farm the first fall she returned from Cornell. Seeing how much Lexi was enamored with the horse, Joe Langtry bestowed the mare upon her—a little assurance she’d stay in town. She trained Autumn herself, and while man’s best friend worked for some, horses bore Lexi’s secrets, and she was confident they wouldn’t be shared.

      Lexi swung by the Magpie for a cup of coffee since she had to wait for the Critter Care animal hospital to open its doors. Shorted on tetanus vaccines in yesterday’s shipment, she needed to borrow a few doses for the pregnant mares due to foal in the next six weeks. Lexi had had more problems of late with her supplier and needed Ashleigh to research a new one before the week’s end.

      “I have a bone to pick with you,” Charlie Slater said from the corner table.

      “Take a number,” Lexi replied while Bridgett waited for her to order, doing little to keep a straight face. “If Maggie’s made any banana nut muffins today, I’ll have one of those and a large coffee, extra hot in case I have to pour it on some unsuspecting patron.”

      “If you’re going to chase my customers off, you can’t come around the Mill anymore.” Charlie never referred to his own last name when talking about his bar.

      “Bridge, make mine to go.” Pulling a few bills out of her pocket, she handed them to her friend. “I’ll cover Charlie’s breakfast to make up for the one, possibly two, beers that rude boy might’ve ordered. Oh, wait, that’s right, he did order them—and wore them.”

      “If you don’t tell Charlie what that guy wanted the other night, I will.” Bridgett gave Lexi her change. “You were justified.”

      “I don’t want you buying my breakfast.” Charlie swiveled to face her. “I want you to stop assaulting people. One of these days, you’re going to start a riot. That man was furious.”

      “Let him think what he wants.” Lexi shrugged. “I’m sure there was a time or two that I dumped a drink on someone for lesser reasons. Let it go.”

      “If you say so.” Bridgett placed a muffin in a white paper bag and handed Lexi her order. “I’ll catch up with you at the ribbon cutting this afternoon.”

      Lexi stopped by Charlie’s table on her way out. “People bought more drinks when I got on that stage than they did all night with Elvis playing the same drivel he plays every Saturday. I did you a favor, so the way I see it, we’re even. Trust me when I say, you don’t want his kind around there.”

      A few minutes later Lexi pulled into the animal hospital’s parking lot. She knew Mazie probably saw her from the kitchen window of the Bed & Biscuit next door and would want to talk. When the old Victorian went up for sale a few years ago, Mazie realized its proximity to the animal hospital and the bark park would attract future clients by catering to their pets’ every need.

      Checking her watch, Lexi knew fifteen minutes wasn’t enough time to visit with her sister. She loved Mazie, but her propensity to chat for hours wore thin when Lexi had a packed day ahead of her. Relieved when she saw Dr. Cerf park his SUV, she quickly picked up the vaccines and headed to Bridle Dance.

      Lexi’s cell phone rang.

      “Good morning, Mazie,” Lexi said without even looking at the caller ID.

      “You should have stopped in. I’m pulling one of your favorites out of the oven right now. Spinach and mushroom frittata. Do you have time to turn around and have a little breakfast? We haven’t had a chance to really talk in a few weeks.”

      “I’m sorry, my schedule is super tight today.” Lexi turned off the main road. “I have a lot to do before the ribbon cutting, but I promise we’ll catch up there. I love you, sis, but right now, I do have to go.”

      Lexi dropped the phone on the seat next to her and rolled her shoulders to ease the stress she felt starting to build. She loved her job, but some days, the constant running between ranches wore thin.

      The rearing bronze horse statues at the entrance to Bridle Dance glinted in the morning light. The fully expanded foliage of the pecan trees shaded the entire length of the dirt road, while puddles of water formed near their trunks from the ranch’s buried drip irrigation. Lexi’s father had helped Joe Langtry design the system to maintain constant water levels during the summer dry spells.

      A white canopy stood off to the side of the new equine facility in preparation for the afternoon ceremony. The massive building with beige siding sat behind a series of corrals used for the rodeo school. The rear of the building incorporated secluded pastures for hippotherapy use. In front of the double carriage-house-inspired entrance, two statues were draped in dark cloth and tied at the bottom, waiting for their unveiling in a few hours.

      Local cowboys gathered around the nearest round pen. “When are you going to marry me, Lexi?” one of them called out to her.

      “When you’re old enough to shave,” she hollered back.

      “I’m twenty-one. I’m legal.” The other men egged him on. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

      “You boys go on.” Nicolino waved them off. “Good morning, Lexi. Will you be at the grand opening today? Ella was talking about you this morning, saying how long it’s been since she’s seen you.”

      Shouts came from within one of the corrals. With a quick nod in her direction, Shane sat atop a bareback and raised his arm in the air to signal the chute gate to open. Bucking wildly, man and horse twisted and turned through the dust-filled eight-second ride. With all the flair and skill he’d exhibit in a competitive event, Shane grabbed his pickup man as he rode by and dismounted with the grace of a gymnast, bowing her way.

      Lexi shook her head and redirected her attention to Nicolino. Starting out as a ranch hand fresh from Italy when Lexi was in grade school, the newcomer had barely spoken a word of English when Joe hired him. He’d grown to be a part of their family and married Kay’s niece Ella Slater, the eldest daughter of her brother Charlie. Five kids and two loyal decades later, Cole had promoted him to general operations manager in January. Raised in the butteri cowboy tradition, he opted to wear heavy cotton pants and a wide-brimmed hat instead of chaps and a Stetson. The mazzarella staff he carried was used to threaten unruly teenagers more than it was to herd the horses.

      “I’ll be there.” Lexi looked in the stalls. “I have a couple of mares to vaccinate and some paperwork to fill out here, then I’ll return after making my rounds.”

      “Don’t you want to stick around and see the show Shane’s putting on for you?” Nicolino feigned shock that she’d dare leave