Like a Rodeo (book 1 of the Life Is... Series)

5.

“It wasn’t even a fractured rib.” Jodie argued with Travis. “They are only bruised and a mild concussion.”

“Are you forgetting about the hairline fracture on your shoulder blade and dislocated hip?” He argued right back. “No riding for you.”

“I’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

“No riding.” Russel says as he walks into the room. As much as Travis loathed the man, he was a damn good doctor so, he refrained from punching Russel while they were here.

“I won’t ride, Jeez.” She held her hands up in surrender and winced.

“For six weeks.” Russel glared at her.

“I won’t get on a day sooner.” She said.

“Yes, you will.” Travis and Russel say in unison.

“Just not onto Satan.” Travis continues.

“Fine.” Her voice was irritated. “Can I leave now?”

“Yes,” Russel spoke, “You can leave now. Here is a prescription for pain meds. Take them, please.”

“Thank you.” Jodie started to stand and Travis was right next to her for support. He managed to get her into the truck without any issues.

“Where do you live?” Travis asked he buckled into the driver's side.

“I need to get my car from your place.” She buckled herself in. “I also wanted to check on Silia. Make sure he’s settled.”

“Is that the damn horses name?” Travis turned to her.

“His name is Vasiliás Apollyon – it means King Satan in Greek.” She explained.

“He’s not yours?” Travis asked as he started the car and pulled out of the parking.

“Nope. He is a client horse. And as much as I wish I could drop him, I am an investor in the horse and the owner is a friend of my dad's so I have to see this through.” She sounded unimpressed and even irritated. “So, I have to train the damn horse.”

“Not for the next six weeks.” Travis reminds her.

“I don’t have to ride him to train him.” She retorts. “I was going to go back to in hand work anyway. He needs a fresh start.”

“He has been wreaking havoc on my ranch. Took eight men two hours to herd hm into a field.” Travis was regretting his decision to say yes but at least the damn horse had its own groom that would be helping with the other horses as well.

“I’ll fix him. Soon he’ll be herding cattle and jumping in the big leagues.” She said half-heartedly.

“I want to see you herd cattle.” He joked.

“Christine and I will herd circles around you.” She started to get her light-heartedness back.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

~

Jodie checked the time on her watch – actually her grandfather's watch. He had given it to her on his deathbed. Use it to count the seconds until you are with a horse and once you are on that horse, ignore the ticking hands. A true horseman.

Six forty-three p.m.

She walked over to the nurse's station and leaned over the counter to grab a pen and immediately regretted it. Not only was her face bruised but her side looked like a child had finger painted it with purples and blues. It also hurt like a motherfluffer. Her shoulders hurt too and the accident had triggered her old broken vertebrae injury to flare up.

Maggie, Jodie’s favourite nurse, walked over with charts in her hand. She ducked behind the station desk before placing a cup with painkillers in front of Jodie along with a cup of water.

“Don’t be a hero.” Maggie didn’t even look up from her chart as she spoke. Jodie took the cup and downed the pills. Today she would not be fighting taking painkillers. She took an anti-inflammatory as well.

“Need me for any more patients?” Jodie asked as she rested her forearms on the counter.

“Go home darlin’,” Maddie instructed, “Go rest.”

“Not going home Mags,” Jodie pushed up and winced as her shoulder protested. “Going to see the horse.”

“Six weeks Jodie.” Maggie looked up with that stern look that made Jodie feel like a child.

“I’m not riding it. Just checking on it.” Jodie waved as she walked away. “Night Mags.”

~

Silia was banging on his door when Jodie arrived at Travis’s barn. She sighed as she walked in. Travis had stuck him on the other end by the door that led out to the paddocks.

“This horse is crazy!” A young man scrambled off the floor across from Silia as commented while Jodie got closer.

“That he is.” Jodie smacked the horses nose as he reached out to bite her. What was she going to do with this one? Three days and he was even more tightly wound than when he arrived.

“Jodie.” She introduced and reach her hand out to his.

“Lee.” He replied and shook her hand. “Travis put me in charge of looking after Silia during the night.”

“I’m sure he’ll survive the night without supervision.” Jodie commented and pulled a treat out her pocket to feed to the damn horse. He took it and munched happily for a moment before weaving and kicking the door.

“Travis won’t risk it.” Lee looked over at the horse. “It’s an expensive horse.”

“He’s insured so no need to stress too much.” Jodie touched Lee’s shoulder as she walked back out the barn. That kid was young, no more than nineteen, Jodie reckoned.

She knocked softly on Travis’s door and heard a faint come in. Travis was sitting at the kitchen table having dinner upon Jodie’s interruption.

“Sorry to interrupt dinner.” She said with a small smile. His gaze was on her with a soft smile of his own.

“Why do I feel like you’re here to see the damn horse and not we?” Travis placed his fork on the plate.

“I’ll come visit just you next time, Travis.” Jodie winked at him. “But I have a favour to ask. Can I borrow Christine for the evening?”

“Borrow Christine?” His eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What plan are you concocting woman?”

“Nothing too crazy.” She smiled.

“You had better not get on that horse.” He said as he stood up.

“What are you doing?” She asked as he walked around the table to sit on the wooden block and pulled his boots on.

“Supervising you because you seem like you’d do something stupid.” He opened the door to gesture her through it.

“I’m not going to do anything stupid.” She protested. “You back to your supper.”

“Let’s go darlin’.” He gestured again and she walked out in front of him. The two of them walked over to the barn where Lee jumped off the floor again.

“Lee,” Travis spoke as him and Jodie stopped by Christine. Jodie gave her a treat and rubbed her face as she munched. “Go grab Luke and Silia’s groom please.”

The young man ran out the darn while Jodie put Christine’s halter on.

“We don’t need an audience.” She said as she opened Christine’s door. Travis quickly took the lead rope. “I barely need you here.”

“What are you planning on doing?” He asked her as he followed her to the door leading to the paddocks.

“You are a very impatient man.” She pulled the door open with her good arm. They kept walking into the first paddock and Jodie pulled Christine’s halter off. The cowpony nudged her pockets for another treat which Jodie willingly provided. Satisfied, Christine walked out into the dark paddock. Travis followed Jodie as they walk back to the barn.

“Leave it open.” Jodie said as Travis starts to close the gate. She could feel his quizzical gaze on her back as she walked. The other men were just walking into the barn as Jodie unlatched Silia’s stall and swung the door open. The horse sped out of the door and ran towards the paddocks. All of the men started running for the horse but Jodie halted them before strolling out to the paddock. She swung the gate closed and watched the shadow figures of Silia and Christine running around the pasture. Jodie knew the older mare would put that bolshy gelding in his place. All the men watched in astonishment as the two settled down and grazed, Silia attached to Christine’s side.

“That was a stupid idea!” Travis was fuming at her. “Christine could have been seriously hurt!”

“He was never going to hurt her.” Jodie slid down to sit with her chin resting on the bottom pole of the paddock fence.

“You did not know that.” He was livid. She understood why and that was why she did not want Travis there – why she refused to tell him what she was doing.

“How are we going to catch them?” Lee asked as Travis snatched Christine’s halter off the floor.

“We’re not.” Jodie settled in. She was going to be here the whole night to watch these horses.

“Like hell we aren’t.” Travis climbed over the fence.

“That is going to kill you if you try to take Christine away. Have a little trust in me Travis.” Jodie looked up into those sparkling eyes. “I know what I'm doing. She needs this just as much as he does.”

Travis nodded once before heading back to the house. Luke and Carter, Silia’s groom, headed back to the bunk house while Lee sat down next to Jodie.

“How did you know it would work?” He asked her.

“I didn’t know,” was all she could say, “something in me just said it was right.”

~

Travis was fuming when he went to bed and still angry when he got up. How could she have done that? He understood little of Jodie’s decisions but that one was plain old stupid. Yet when Travis walked down to the barn, he saw Christine and Silia waiting at the gate to come in for breakfast. He had not seen Christine wait at the gate since his mother had died. Christine had lived out her whole life but when his mother had died, Travis refused to risk Christine. But the cowpony looked so happy. His heart ached. This was the sight he had grown up seeing – Christine standing by the fence for breakfast and his mother sitting between her legs as Christine happily grazed. Maybe there is a little method to Jodie Venters madness.

She was still sitting on the floor, exactly like last night, except now Lee was resting his head on her shoulder. Travis walked over and stood next to them so he could look out over the land in a moment of peace.

“You are just as crazy as that damn horse.” Travis said to Jodie. He looked down to see that mischievous grin he was growing to love.

“You have no idea.”