Where It All Began

Where it all began, all the good times hard ships and falling in love with the person of my dreams. Three years ago at a rodeo I met him, he was a roper at the time and I am a barrel racer. He needed a place to keep his horse because his parents and he had just bought a house in town and he refused to sell his horse that would be like selling his happiness. I told him that he could keep him at my family owned ranch in the beautiful Millcreek Valley, and that he wouldn’t have to pay us bored if he would be willing to help out on our ranch. He agreed and that was that. We have been inseparable since. He helps with everything, from helping with fence to helping me with homework. Three years later, Cade was now 18 and I was now 17. I was a senior in high school and he wanted to get off to college, which I didn’t understand why he would give up everything just to go to college. I wanted him to go on the road with me and rodeo. In my world I wouldn’t let anything come between me and Cade nothing.

It was July the hottest month of the year here in Gunnison Colorado and the best time of the year. Cade and I were driving down highway 10 when something caught my eye. Sitting in the passenger seat gazing out the window I saw something I never wanted to see in my life.

“Pull over hurry,” I said.

“Wait why?” said Cade looking at me like I had lost my mind.

“Pull over!” I screamed already opening the door of the moving truck.

Cade slammed on the breaks so I didn’t kill myself.

I was out, leaving the door swinging in the wind. I ran as fast as I could once I actually looked down to see if my legs were touching the ground I was flying, Cade was right behind me, finally seeing what all the fuss was about. When I finally got there it felt like it had been ages like my mind was a tornado flaring and twirling about. I knew what I had to do, save the horse that lay in front of me covered in his own blood all cut up with body parts cut off. It was unbelievable someone had actually done this to this horse while he was still alive. I turned around to Cade.

“I’ll go get the truck and trailer” said Cade willing around and running back to the truck parked along the road.

He was back in 10 minutes with the truck and trailer and now we had to load the once beautiful big black horses with a small white dot on his for head. His legs were all cut up, he had a small hole that seemed to be a bullet hole that went in at his ribs, part of his for head was scalped and he was missing an ear. We got ropes and his head was to cut up for a halter so I just put a rope around his neck and eased him to his feet he could barely stand but, we got him to his staggering feet and Cade helping his body stabile we coaxed him on the trailer.

“Hurry get us back to the ranch” I said in a calming voice

“You’re not riding back here!” Cade said staring at me with those concerning eyes.

“I have to; he will thrash around back here if I don’t stay to calm him”.

“Exactly, he could kill you back here” said Cade getting mad.

“CADE JUST DRIVE!”

I stayed there calming the big horse with the most calming words I could think of trying to keep him as still as possible. When we got back to the ranch we hurried and unloaded him and got him into a stall. I ran to the tack room and called our vet.

“Hello.” Dr. Darby answered.

“Come quick we found a horse that is cut to pieces.”

“Jessie, Calm down, I’ll be there in 15 minutes. Are you at the ranch?”

“Yes we are. Cade and I have him in the barn.”

“Hang in there, I’m coming.” Darby said.

I hung up the phone and ran back to the stall where we had him. I told Cade what she said, Cade and I got towels and tried to stop some of the bleeding and when Dr Darby got there she said we had done the right thing. She went in and looked at him, checking him over and came out to say.

“I think the best thing for this poor boy would be putting him down”. Dr. Darby said looking down at her feet then gazing back in the stall to wear the big black horse was standing.

“No.” I said in a calm voice but inside I was trying not to shout at her.

“Jessie it might be the best thing.” Cade said to me.

“No we are going to save him! He is a brave horse and will get through it.” I said staring them both down.

“Let’s get to work then,” Dr. Darby said looking at me knowing they had lost their argument before they had even began. “Get him out in the hallway wear there is more light.” starting to get her stuff together.

I went in and brought the big black horse out. I held him, never stopping the calming words flowing out of my mouth like a water fountain of words. We all worked in silence; Cade being Dr. Darby’s assistant, and Dr. Darby was working away with cleaning the wounds and stitching cuts.

“Ok I think I have done all I can do.” Dr. Darby said. “You’re going to have a lot of work cut out for yourselves.”

Dr. Darby left and Cade and I just sat there in the stall, in the dirt staring at each other as if we were having a conversation between our minds. We knew exactly what each other was thinking and I was getting the “you are so bullheaded look”. The days flew by every day we worked on the horse and it was drawling us closer and closer. I thought often to myself that Cade would make a good Vet, not just good amazing; he was patient and caring and knew what he had to do. I was beginning to realize why I didn’t want him to go off to college and it wasn’t just because he was an amazing roper it was because I didn’t want to lose him. I wanted him so badly to come with me on the rodeo circuit that I wasn’t seeing his real potential. The abused horse that we had been saving we now call Lucky and he doesn’t look half bad he has scars and his one leg still gets rewrapped every day but we got his ear sowed on and he is very loveable. I was working in the barn when I realized that Cade had come in, he was leaning against the hallway door staring at me. I didn’t say anything just finished wrapping Lucky’s leg, gave him a peppermint and stepped out latching the door behind me. This is when I went over to Cade and stode beside him.

“I have something to say.” we both said at the same moment then laughed at each other.

“You go first.” I said

“No you.” he said.

“Fine.” I said making a face at him like he was killing me.

“So, I think you will make a really good vet.” I said sheepishly.

“Does that mean you will come with me to school?” Cade said looking as if he was going to start jumping up and down.

I stared at him not knowing what to say.

“Cade I don’t know what to say.”

“What do you mean?” he said.

“What I meant was I don’t want to be the thing that holds you from doing what you should do or want to do.”

“Oh.” He said and walked away leaving me there staring after him.

The next day he didn’t come to the ranch this was the first time ever without having a reason or not telling me. Cade and I were very close we told each other everything. I went on with my days and got out Lucky one day. His leg was healed and now I was going to break him. I started as I always did with my colts but he trusted me already so it was no challenge he did whatever I asked from him. And by noon I was on him and walking and trotting around the round pen as if he had been broke all of his life. As the days went by Cade wasn’t there it was like he just didn’t care. I hadn’t heard from him in weeks and it was killing me. I needed him there for just about everything. He was my other half. So that day I went into town, and went to his house his mom was there.

“Is Cade here?” I asked.

“No he is not!” said his mother looking at me with disgrace

“Well can you tell me where he is?” his mom and I had never really got along.

“He left two weeks ago for collage.” she said looking straight at me with those beady little eyes of hers.

“What!” I felt like screaming.

“I have been telling him for years that he didn’t need you in his life and he finally listened!”

I hated her for this I could have smacked her so hard she fell into next week! Cade was my best friend and I wasn’t going to let him go that easily. If he didn’t want me in his life any more he would have to tell me himself. When I got home I called an accepted to the University Of Tarlatan Texas College. I already had a scholar ship for rodeo and could be on their rodeo team. On my last day in my home town I went to a horse sale. I always went and I am very happy I went this day. I found Jake Cades rope horse. I didn’t even know he had sold him I was furious but I knew I couldn’t see anyone else have him he was Cade's. I bought him back and took him home and started packing. A week later I was there and settled in at college. I went to the barn one night a found Cade by Jakes door; I had brought him and my barrel horse and Lucky. He was petting him over the stall, and didn’t know I was even there. I started running I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran to Cade flung my arms around his neck and kissed him before he even realized what was going on.

“You’re here! Jessie how did you get here?” he said kissing me again and hugging me tight.

“I drove silly,” I replied.

“I have missed you so much.” Cade said.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t miss you! And I can’t believe you left without saying anything! And you sold your horse without telling me! Come on you knew I had first dibs on him” I replied to make sure he knew I wasn’t mad.

Cade stared at, me looking like he was trying to find something, just staring at me with that sweet half grin of his that he only seem to have with me and those big blue eyes that shown like twinkling stares and his black hat with his blond hair barley showing. That was him alright the person of my dreams the person I loved and I wasn’t going to let our friend ship stop us this time.

Two years later Cade and I are still together and always will be we are in our senior year of college and are both going to be Veterinarians and we are both still rodeoing. Lucky is still going strong and he is now Cades new rope horse.