Page 58 of Sunday Morning
“I like Matt.”
“You can like more than one guy, but you shouldn’t hog both Matt and Isaac. That’s not fair.”
I didn’t want to laugh. It wasn’t funny. But that’s whatbest friends did—they made you smile. Heather and I had a bond that felt stronger than family. Sometimes, I felt like we were the same person because we shared every secret and every experience.
“I don’t want both guys. Right now, I’m mad at Matt, and I think Isaac is toying with me. But that doesn’t matter anyway because I should love Matt, even though I’m mad at him. And the last person I should be with if I weren’t with him is his brother. You know?”
“Should? Sarah, did you just hear yourself?”
“I know.” I covered my face with my hands. “What is happening to me? And why can’t I stop it?”
“Isaac’s dreamy. Of course, you’re attracted to him.”
I grinned. “He is. But I don’twantto be attracted to him. And if you ever tell anyone I said that, I’ll deny it.”
“Ugh! This is all too unreal. I can’t believe Mr. Cory is having an affair,” Heather quickly changed the topic.
I couldn’t blame her. My head was all over the place, too, thinking about everything all at once.
“Violet is so nice,” Heather said. “And she’s pretty. And she does just as much around the ranch as he does. What kind of man does that to his wife and his family?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I wonder the same thing.”
As soon aswe arrived at the rodeo, we found seats near the front. My jeans weren’t as tight as the other girls. I wore a loose blouse, while other girls wore tank tops or halter tops. And I didn’t own cowboy boots or a hat.
I had Keds and aviator sunglasses.
No makeup.
No hairspray.
No business being there.
Yet, I felt like an adult with endless possibilities and giddiness over my first rodeo. How I felt about seeing Isaac again—there were no words.
We watched barrel racing while eating popcorn and drinking Pepsi.
Then Heather grabbed my arm at the start of the next event. “Oh my god! There he is!” She pointed to a gate as the announcer introduced him. Isaac looked handsome in his gray and cream western shirt, blue jeans, and black cowboy hat. He adjusted his rope, holding a loop of it in his mouth for a second while he tugged at his gloves.
In the next breath, the gate beside him opened, followed by his gate. The calf sprinted through the dirt, and in a matter of seconds, Isaac had the calf lassoed around the neck. It was impressive. Heather cheered beside me while Isaac flew off his horse, ran toward the calf, and wrestled it while tying its legs. The calf struggled to get free.
I was horrified.
“What is he doing?” I stood. “He’s hurting the baby cow!”
“Shh!” Heather pulled on my arm until I sat beside her again. “He’s roping. And he’s really good at it.”
“That’s cruel.” I turned my head because I couldn’t watch.
“Oh my gosh, Sarah. How did you not know what he meant bycalfroping?”
“Roping is one thing. Wrestling it to the ground and tying its legs is just awful.”
She giggled, covering her mouth. “It’s the rodeo.”
First sex and then the rodeo. Why did I hate such popular things?
Heather forced me to stay for the rest of the roping, but I didn’t watch. I folded my hands, bowed my head, and prayed for the torture to end.