Every Rose Has Its Thorn

I was a professional barrel racer. So I was on TV a lot. So I was famous. My horse was also famous. But you see the thing is, I didn’t always like being famous. Just because I as famous was the reason most guys wanted to be with me. I was currently on a rodeo circuit and was going all around the U.S. so a relationship was kind of hard to keep when you went always around. The only thing I could really understand doing was dating someone on the trip I was on. We wouldn’t compete against each other; they divided men women into their own divisions. I sighed softly and led my last horse onto the trailer which was hooked up to my F-450 King Ranch truck. I had a four horse trailer. I had a four hour drive ahead of me. So one of my ranch hands was coming with me, I drove the way there and he drove the way back, unless he had to leave, which he might because he has two kids. So then I’d be driving back as well, but who knows with kids. I knew the guy about five miles down the road was going on the circuit, too. He’d offered to pick me and my horses up, but I felt more comfortable driving my own animals. Jack had already loaded the tack for my four horses then came from the barn a frown on his face. “I’m afraid I can’t come with you, will you be able to drive both there and back?” He asked softly. He was a soft spoken guy, never got into trouble, and never stood to anyone really. He wasn’t the kind of guy for me. I wanted someone who spoke their mind, but wouldn’t yell or want to start fights only end them or stick up for me and protect me. I wanted someone to make me feel safe. “No, it’s fine.” I said softly as I shut the ramp on my trailer. The horses had hay at the moment. I’d be stop half way and give them more hay and water. Then it would be on the road again. “The tack room door is shut and locked. Drive safe you hear?” He said as I got in my truck, taking my cowboy hat off, the windows down seen it was burning up. “I will, they have their windows open, right?” I asked. He smiled and nodded. “Okay, see you.” I said before waving and starting out the drive way. I looked in the mirror to see him waving goodbye before walking into the barn to care for my other six horses which couldn’t come with me. I sighed softly. “Here we come.” I said softly as I pulled slowly out onto the road and watched in the mirror to make sure the trailer came out okay just as well as the truck came out.

...Two Hours Later, Half Way to Austin, Texas...

I pulled off the highway and into a truck stop. I parked right next to the grass so one side of tires were on the grass. I got out of the truck and got each of the horses out and tied them to the side where the grass was. I got out their buckets and watered them. I refilled the hay nets and then waited half an hour. Then I loaded my horses up, dumped the water that was left over, and put the buckets back in the trailer’s tack room before I locked everything up on the trailer, got back in the truck and pulled back onto the highway.

...Two Hours Later, Now at Arena in Austin, Texas...

We were finally here. And by ‘we’ I meant me and my horses. I was glad they let us drive into the Arena, well the back were to public couldn’t go. And park our trailers. I parked and got out of my truck, putting my cowboy hat on, my cowboy boots clicking against the floor as I walked to the back of the trailer as some of the arena workers came to help. “Do you need any help, miss?” One of the men asked me as I lowered the ramp to the trailer. I tapped Rugged Good Lookin’ – Punk to back up. He did as I asked him. “The tack room is on the other side. I need their saddles, bridles, pads, brushes, boots, hay, buckets, grain, and the hay nets out of the trailer. But I’d wait for the hay nets until I get them all out.” I explained to them. As they started to get the stuff out I asked Spot's Of Hansomeness – Spot to back up as well. I took both their leads and led them towards their stalls. I unclipped Punk’s lead and let him go into the stall and shut the door, latching it. I set the led on the hook and led Spot to the stall next to him and did the same. I walked back to the trailer as the arena workers carried all my stuff for the horses and set it down in front of their stalls in a huge pile. I looked at it in shock, if they broke my saddles, they’d be buying me new ones. I tapped Luck of the Irish – Irish and let him back up. The arena workers stepped aside as he stood beside the ramp, waiting. I tapped King of Kings – King and allowed him to back out. I took them by their leads. “That’s all of them, so you can get their hay nets now.” I said over my shoulder and led them to their stalls. I unclipped their leads and let them into their stalls before shutting the doors and hanging their leads on the hooks. I got my saddle pads and bridles from the pile as they added the hay nets and set my saddles on the saddle racks in front of the stall. I went back for the saddles and set them on top of their saddle pads on the rack. I filled their buckets with water and hung them in their stalls. I tied the hay nets up as well and gave them each a handful of grain and set their ground feeders in their stalls before I sat down in the chair in front of the stall and sighed. They had stall guards on the stalls. I just didn’t trust them when other horses passed by while they had grain in the stall. My name is Jessica, but call me Jess.