This is all fantasy fiction. None of the events are real.
Email me with comments and suggestions:
Proton Mail: Foxfire3730@proton.me
This story is an original work of fiction ©Copyright 2023 Tux - Please do not copy or post without permission.
I appreciate all the emails, suggestions, offers, and support that I get and for those who haven't emailed yet and are waiting or don't feel comfortable or safe emailing let me, let me express my gratitude for reading my story and tell you a little bit about my story. I've been reading nifty for many years about two months ago I just decided to start emailing people and let them know how much I appreciate their stories. I got replies almost instantly. The responses were supportive, encouraging, and some even held spoilers. I struck up a friendship with Andrew and it grew with my confidence and now Andrew is my most trusted editor. I cannot do this without him. Other authors like Lucas and Eric Murphy offer advice and support with my stories and it means the world to me. So, take a leap email an author and tell them how you feel, did you like the story did you not like it, all opinions matter to the author. Do you have suggestions on where you think the story could go, all suggestions interest the author. So take that leap and email your favorite author, you can change his day for the better, and might even influence or change the story. Thank you to all those that were supportive to me and I can't wait to show you the rest of... Counting.
This story and my other work can be found on AO3 at the following link. Tux Edwards - Archive of Our Own
Andrew Thomas and I are trying something new. We have co-written two characters. This chapter introduces Beau and Colt to Counting, however, they originally show up in Boys of Grizzly Valley 3 - Go Bag Find it here
They then show up in Andrew's Trust, chapter 6 for a few chapters. Feel free to read about them here They will be regulars here in Counting.
"..that was a great run, Ellie," says announcer Roy.
"You're not wrong, Roy; her form was almost perfect, but will the extra time Ellie took to get the flag hurt her time?" reasons announcer Buck.
"Well, our little rodeo women are going to take a break while our officials rank their times, and we are going to begin the age group, eight to thirteen-year-old boy's barrel race."
"I'm so excited this year here at Cut Bank, Montana. My favorite, last year's overall singles winner, and making his last appearance in this age bracket, Rex Marken from Huston, Texas."
"Rex was on a tear last year, getting top times in, Break Away, Ribbon Roping, and Bull Riding," shouts Roy as he flails his hands.
"But don't forget the up-and-coming junior rodeo star, Reese Miller from Las Vegas, Nevada. He was nipping at Rex's heels all season."
"That's a good point, but..." pauses Roy to check on his paperwork. "...will Cut Bank's own, AJ Colter, be up for the challenge?"
After ten minutes of entertaining the crowd, Buck yells, "OKAY! ARE YOU READY TO GET DIRTY?! We are starting this thing off with our hometown heroes, Docker Estates', AJ Colter, and Stepper!"
I regrettably tossed and turned all night. I even knocked Colt off the bed at one point. Soon after that, I woke up, and Colt was just gone. I sat on the bed and sleepily searched for him under the bed, but no. In the other bunks, no. In the kitchen, no. Then I heard Pop talking outside, so I went to tell him, "Pop, I can't find Colt." Then I saw him, Colt curled up in AJ's dad's arms, and all I could think of was, AJ is so lucky. His dad is... his dad is...
Mr. Colter stands up and tells me in a soothing voice, "He's just keeping me company, Beau; would you like it if I put you back to bed?" I sleepily nod my head while I rub my eye and yawn. I offer him my hand, and AJ's dad gently takes it. His warm hand enveloped mine, and I felt a connection. I've never had a dad before, not a real one at least. He lays Colt in bed and pulls the covers back for me. I sit on the bed and sleepily tell him, "I wish I had a dad like you," then as I lay down, he covers me up, and tucks us in. Kissing our foreheads, Mr. Colter rubs my back, and I can feel the warmth of his hands transfer deep into my back.
That's the last thing I remember, and the memory blinks from my mind like a bucking bull out of the shoot when the rodeo announcer says over the loudspeakers, "... Docker Estates', AJ Colter, and Stepper!"
Exploding out of the gate is a small calf, with Stepper hot on its tail. The calf jukes and dodges, but Stepper never loses sight of it. AJ swirls his lasso over his head, his cute little tongue just breaking between his perfect lips. "Come on, AJ! Go AJ!" I yell from on top of my horse, Checkers. The lasso flies from his hand, and the hoop opens with purpose as it sails through the air. With the rope inches from the calf's head, AJ pulls Stepper into a slide. The lasso secures itself on the calf's head, and AJ jumps from the saddle. Running to the calf, he grabs the ribbon that is tied to the calf's tail. Bolting back to the gate, AJ leaves dirt and dust in his wake.
"Did you see that? Did you see that?" shouts Roy.
"Oh my god, rodeo fans! I see that! I think that is faster than last year's record set by Rex Marken!" Buck answers in a frantic manner.
"Yes!" I fist pump, and Checkers stirs. "Come on, boy, let's go see AJ!" I spur Checkers on, and we hurry to the staging area. When I got to the staging stalls, Zeke and his boyfriend, um, Parker, had a hold of Stepper, and AJ was being hugged by his dad and fawned over by his mom, whose name is... Alice. She came this morning, and they've been sticking to AJ like glue the whole time. I've wanted to be with him as soon as I woke up, but Pop says I shouldn't be bothering them. I'm strangely drawn to him for some reason--is it his striking emerald eyes, his soft golden hair, his perfect face, or his childlike innocence? An innocence that I was never allowed to have, quite frankly. I've been looking for an excuse to butt in and be included in their family day, but every excuse I come up with just makes me feel rude. But this... I'm just congratulating my friend, that's all.
"Wow, AJ, that was amazing!" I shout as I ride up next to Stepper. I climb down from my saddle, and AJ's dad puts him down on the ground. Without thinking, I embrace him in a huge hug!
Wait! What am I doing?
I let him go and look into AJ's shocked expression. I can see the twins glaring at me over his shoulder. I don't know what to do, so I just extend my hand for a handshake. AJ looks at my hand, then back up at the embarrassed look on my face, and then smiles and sheepishly shakes my hand.
"Thanks, they said it was a record time. Cool, huh?" AJ says overly excited.
Mr. Colter pats my back and messes up my hair, asking, "Good morning, Beau, where's your hat?"
"Pop's behind me somewhere. He has it," I answer back and melt into his strong hand.
"When do you ride, honey?" Asks AJ's mom.
"I'm number fifteen, ma'am," I tell her a little shyly.
"Hey Jack, Alice, Beau's not bothering you, is he?" Pop asks as if I'm not embarrassed enough. "AJ, you were great; I saw it on the Jumbotron," he adds and puts down Colt to give AJ a hug. "The announcers are still talking about it."
"Randy, it's so nice to see you," says AJ's mom, and Pop gives her a hug with the other arm.
Colt hops up and down next to Mr. Colter with his arms up. Noticing this, he picks up my little brother, and Colt snuggles into him. "Humph, Jack, Colt really seems to like you. Other than Beau, he doesn't really get attached to people," says Pop. He gives AJ's dad a hug and receives a pat on the back.
"Why don't you guys join us after the boys are done with their runs?" Mrs. Docker suggests as she plays with my little brother by tickling him. It's nice to hear Colt laugh.
"That's a real nice offer, but I have to help with rodeo events," says Pop. My little brother's bottom lip begins to quiver as he begins to pout.
Pop looks from Colt to my disappointed face, and he's about to say something, but AJ's dad offers, "Then why don't we take the boys?"
AJ gets excited and starts to jump up and down, giving him a little boy glow, just like Colt does. "Can they, dad? Can Beau hang out with us all day?" His dad's eyes switch to Pop, and AJ hops over to him, pleading with him, so I join him. I mean, why not?
Pop quickly thinks it over during the chorus of us three kids, "Please, Pop, can we?" and "Can they please?"
He nods and asks, "Are you sure, Jack... Alice?" The parents talk it over while Mr. Colter puts Colt down and lifts me up on my horse.
Petting Checkers, I wish Beau good luck and take Colt's hand. "We'll be watching from the exit gate." Then my family leaves, and the twins take Stepper to the stalls so he can rest before I have to do the Break Away competition. Mom picks up Colt, and dad puts me on his shoulders. They're perfect seats. We cheer as Rex Marken bursts from the gate along with his calf. His calf seems crafty and is dodging back and forth, but when he releases his lasso, it sails through the air and lands around the calf's head. He wraps the end around the horn and jumps off his horse in a sprint to the calf's tail. The calf is not cooperative, and he has a difficult time getting the ribbon. Once he has it, he runs with everything he has, but his time is nowhere near mine. That means I beat last year's winner. I was real excited but soon felt sorry for him when he just sank to his knees and cried. His dad rushed to him, made him stand, and walk back to the staging area. I hope he does better in the next run.
Beau was next, and he was brilliant. He's so handsome as Checkers gallops after the calf. He almost appears to float over the horse in a fluid motion, but that could be my imagination because I also see hearts floating around his head and have a warm sensation that covers my entire body. Dad hopped up and down as he cheered for Beau, bouncing me out of my daydream. "Go, Beau! Faster! Faster!" I cheer.
Beau joined us, and Dad picked him up, setting him on top of the fence. We bump fists, and my dad tells him, "You were great!"
"But my timing was bad. My calf wouldn't hold still so I could get the ribbon."
"I'm proud of you for not giving up, though," dad says as he shakes Beau's knees.
"Yeah, I just got lucky on my calf flip when Stepper stopped him. I think he was dazed or something. By the time I got to him, he just stood there and let me grab his tail," I reassured him.
Beau smiles and begins to play with Colt. Soon enough, I'm pulled into the `one-finger tickle match', and mom and dad decide that we need to run off some steam. So, we head to the fair.
There is a row of fair booths that have games like ring toss to win a fish, throw a baseball at bottles to win a new bat or glove, and a new one I've never seen before and one that I wanted to play more than anything. The booth was colored in red and blue stripes, and at one end was a small table about my size. On the table are four pellet rifles, and on the opposite side are large boxes hanging from strings from the ceiling. The boxes say things like PS4, New Bike, Stuffed Animal, and Free Fair Rides, but the one that grabbed my attention was the box that said, PS5. I've wanted one from the day I saw it.
"Wow, this is right up your alley, isn't it, AJ?" asks my dad as he shakes my shoulders.
Beau looks curiously at me and asks, "Are you any good?"
I blush and shrug my shoulders. "I'm okay, I guess."
Mom sets Colt down, and he immediately grabs a gun. "No, Colt, not this game. We'll play something else," Beau sternly says as he takes the rifle from Colt.
"Come on, big boy, let's go get everybody lemonade," my mom says, winking at Beau. She and Colt head off to look for a drink stand, much to Colt's dismay, and Beau turns his attention to the rifles.
Dad gives the man ten dollars, five dollars for five shots, and he begins to tell us the rules for the game, "Okay, here's what you wanna do," he said in a weird carny accent. "You've got five shots, five shots to shoot the strings. Now you can't win a prize with something in front of it. You have to work your way there by clearing the way. The prizes are rehung after five shots."
Mr. Colter hands me a rifle, and pays for me to have five tries. I cock the pellet gun, and AJ watches me intently as I fire five times and only win a souvenir drinking glass worth about two cents. So much for showing off. I turn to AJ and blush, saying, "I'm way better than that, you'll have to trust me." AJ's dad pats my back and tells me not to worry about it. "I really wanted that rifle in the back," I say under my breath.
AJ levels his rifle at the prizes hanging on the strings in front of the PlayStation 5 and takes aim. His first shot goes wide, and the shock on AJ's face is unmistakable. He looks up at his dad and sees his smirk. "Work it out, son," is all he says.
AJ takes a moment to think things over, and then he draws something on the table with his finger before taking aim again. His next two shots are perfect, and he wins free fun rides at the carnival and a stuffed animal of his choosing. The man running the booth begins to look a little nervous when he says, "Oh too bad, you have three strings to shoot and two shots."
AJ takes a deep breath, and I walk over behind him and rub his shoulders for support. He turns his head to me and asks me with a whisper, "The rifle hanging next to the PS5, right?"
I give him a little nod, thinking he's giving up on the PS5.
I would like to believe that your life is planned, as they tell you in church. It would be extremely boring without the few times in your life that you break the plan and do something amazing. AJ quickly rises his air rifle and shifts his eyes from the uppity game man, then back to the prizes. The pellet fires from the rifle and strikes one of the strings that are holding the rifle. Being suddenly released from its left string, it swings to the right, crashing into the PS5 and the prize that blocks it. AJ cocks his rifle and fires off his second shot as the three boxes spin together, making one big string. The pellet strikes true, and all three boxes fall to the ground.
The carnie is beside himself. I'm talking mouth open, wide-eyed, and frozen in time. Mr. Colter, on the other hand, grabs AJ from behind and tosses him in the air, yelling, "That was amazing, AJ!" He catches him and shakes him back and forth as AJ laughs and giggles with the cutest face.
"That was awesome, man," I tell my friend, and I embrace him in the best hug I could manage. His giggling stops and our eyes meet, and for the briefest moment, nothing else mattered. The sound of the game man dropping the prizes on the table breaks the connection. I let him go and turned away to look at... a dog walking by. "Look at that dog," I say, trying to change the subject.
AJ just stares at me, blushing, and without moving his eyes, says, "...yeah he's so cute."
Mr. Colter turns us back at the table, and we take in all that AJ won: a stuffed animal (AJ picked this fuzzy brown teddy bear), free fun rides for the day for one person, a Lego set that made a Spider-Man car, the rifle, and the PlayStation 5.
"Good lord, honey, did you two win all this stuff?" AJ's mom asks when she and Colt will return.
"No, AJ won it all. I only won this lame plastic cup," I tell her, still amazed by what happened. "You should have seen him, he's amazing," I add as I look over the rifle box that I wanted.
"Take it; I won it for you. I couldn't have done it if not for you winning that cup," AJ says while handing me the rifle.
"Really!? I can have it?"
Mr. Colter takes the rifle from over my shoulder and says, with a chuckle, "Let's ask permission before we start handing out prizes. Everyone takes a box. We have to get you guys back to do your second ride."
AJ grabs the teddy bear and hands it to Colt. "Here, Colt, I won this for you. You carry it and think of a name for him."
Colt begins to visibly shake with excitement, spilling most of his lemonade. "Weally, it's awe mine? Tank you, A-yay." Then he gives my friend a huge hug, almost squeezing the life out of him.
Back at the trailer, we are reliving the amazing events that led up to AJ's unforgettable shot, so Pop knows how we got all this stuff. While AJ and I build the Lego and Colt seems to be satisfied with just hugging and playing with `Gomer' the teddy bear on the bunk beds, Pop asks, "Was it a lucky shot?"
"No," AJ's dad responds. "... AJ has a photographic memory, and once he watched Beau's shots and made one of his own, he just used math to figure out how off the rifle's sights were. As far as swinging over the one box to tangle with the others, well, all I can say is, AJ will tell you it was obvious, but I think only AJ could have made that shot."
AJ changes his rodeo shirt into a white tee shirt before getting into his rodeo protection vest because Colt must have spilled the rest of his lemonade on his back when he hugged him and he just forgot to mention it. Anyway, we get ready for our second and third runs of the competition.
"...the teen competition is heating up, and next up we have the dynamic duo of the Colter twins, Zeke and Zack," announces Buck.
Roy adds, "They were our team winners last year, excelling in every team run we had, but this year they're playing with the big boys, ages fourteen to eighteen. Let's find out if they can keep up."
We get back in time to hear the announcer call out Zack and Zeke's names. Beau, Colt with Gomer in his tight grip, and I find a seat near the gate. Mom and dad sit a little further away from us, but not so far that they can't see me. It's a scorcher of a day, and dad buys us all sodas and cotton candy, blue for Beau and me and pink for Colt, on the account that they are out of the blue, from the vendor walking up and down the bleachers. Colt didn't seem to mind. This is their first taste of the stuff, and Colt gobbled it up!
Once we get set up, the gate bursts open as a big calf takes off with the twins hot on its heels. Their form is unmatched and mirrored. Their horses even seem to be in sync somehow too. The crowd goes wild, more so than I've heard so far. Before I knew it, the twins had tossed their lassos, the calf had been pulled tight, and Zack had slipped off Shadow Whisperer with the piggy strap in his teeth. Flipping the calf on its back, his legs are tied together.
Zack's arms go up, the buzzer sounds, and the time is... three seconds faster than last year's time. The noise is deafening, and I have to turn down my hearing aid. The twins ride around the area and show off before they ride back to the stalls. Dad goes back to help them pack up. Mom takes us kids to go get our horses.
Mr. Hossenger meets us in the stalls and helps me and Beau get Checkers and Stepper ready for the Break Away and Flag Run competitions.
Break Away, I've never done it before or even seen it done before today, but I'm not sure I even did it right, but somehow, I came out in fourth place, which is thanks to Stepper's speed. I dominated the flag run and took first place. Man, I was sick, and the announcers went nuts, thinking I was going to fall off when I reached out for the flag. Stepper was like a race car, turning around the barrel and then kicking it into overdrive! No one's time was close to mine.
But currently, I stand on the fence looking in on a very large... sheep. That's right, you heard me: a sheep. It's kicking and banging up against the gate, and Colt, of all people, is being lowered on it by my dad while the other rodeo dads try and hold the sheep still.
"Remember, Colt, hold on for dear life. Pinch with your knees, and don't forget to use your legs. When you hear the buzzer, let go!" Beau shouts over the banging. I've never seen this before and can't believe timid little Colt volunteers to go first.
"You can go next if you want?" Asks Beau.
The shock on my face makes him giggle when I say, "Are you nuts? That thing is crazy! Besides, mom already said `No'." I tap the hardened shell of the spine protection vest I have to wear at the rodeo. "I don't plan on dying again; no thank you!"
"Oh, right, yeah, it's probably not a good idea," Beau agrees, locking his feet on the fence like mine. The gate flies open, and the sheep jumps out and takes off running. The rodeo dads, including mine, try to keep up as it jerks back and forth, trying to get Colt off!
"Go, Colt! YAH-HO!" We yell to support Colt. He lasted four seconds, which is pretty good for a crazy kid. Colt got off his knees and picked up his hat, slaps his knee with it before putting it back on his head. Then he runs to Dad full of pride. Dad picks him up with a little toss, and catches him with a little shake to make him laugh. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, that's our thing, isn't it?
Before my mind can dig into that thought, Beau smacks my chest with the vest and says, "You up for the Sheep Run?"
"The what...?"
Beau puts his arm around my shoulder and says confidently, "Stick with me, kid; I'll make a cowboy out of you yet."
Come to find out, after the Sheep Bronco, the rodeo people duct-taped fifty-dollar bills to a sheep. It seems like there are thousands of them. I tried to count them, but with the moving of the sheep, I lost count after about eighty. All of us kids, ages eight to thirteen, who participated in the rodeo got to line up, and when the sheep came out of the gate, we all chased it, trying to get the bills off. Kids younger like Colt use chickens. It was so funny. Anyway, I got two hundred dollars before I found that I needed an inhaler break, so I just headed back to Dad. He picks me up, and while I puff on the inhaler, we watch Beau and Rex work together trying to corner the sheep, but Rex gets knocked over and it gets away. All in all, I know it sounds crazy and absurd, but it was a lot of fun. After that, we all head back to the stands to watch the twins.
The twins don't spend a lot of time around us during the day. Even though I know they are busy with the competition, I still find it odd that Zack hasn't given me a hug or kiss all day. He was off with his friends before I even woke up. Dad says not to worry about it; that boys will be boys, but I can't help but feel a little... alone. Beau has been a big help, and Colt sure is cute with Gomer the teddy bear, but something is missing.
"Come on, AJ! Your dad gave me money for us to get candy apples!" Beau shouts, bringing me out of my thoughts. I hop off the fence and bolt after the Knight brothers.
The boys run around and play all day. If it wasn't for them feeding off each other's excitement, they would have collapsed earlier this afternoon.
All my boys did remarkably well in the rodeo. The twins and AJ are moving on to the Junior Rodeo Finals, which happen next month in Grizzly Valley, California. They are all very excited and can't wait to get there. Beau also got enough points to move on to the finals. Even Colt was on cloud nine after winning five hundred dollars in the Bronco Sheep event.
The closing ceremony on Saturday night was great, but unfortunately, the boys' sugar rush ended too soon for them to watch the fireworks. So, Randy, Alice, and I all took a boy, and we worked our way to the campers. Tomorrow the adults get to play cowboy, and I could honestly use some sleep.
I tuck AJ into his bed after a long, in-depth conversation about why he needs to wear his PJs. Sleeping while naked isn't a good idea in a camper. So, we compromised: he'll wear the onesie but can be naked underneath. Kissing his forehead, I watched him snuggle into his pillow and drift to sleep. He's had a long, tiring day and deserves some sweet dreams.
Heading outside, I meet Zack as he is coming inside. "Tired kiddo?"
"I'm exhausted. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Just be extra quiet; I just got AJ asleep. He really missed you today," I tell Zack, and he stops briefly.
He whispers in return, "...I really missed him too."
Zack comes back to me, and I give my younger son a proper hug. I know my boys, and there is something seriously bothering my youngest. When he felt the hug was too long, he let me go, wipes a few tears, and slips quietly inside. Zeke sits next to Alice on a wooden log. I can hear Randy putting Beau and Colt to bed. Those two and AJ have been running on sugar and adrenaline for the last three hours. I'm sure they will be asleep as soon as they hit the sheets, just like AJ. I take a seat in my camping chair and get Zeke's attention, "Zeke..."
He's poking at the fire and is just winding down, enjoying the sounds of the campfire. He looks at me and then at Alice. When our eyes meet again, I nudge my head toward the camper, and his eyes and smile go wide.
"Oh, okay, I'd best be heading to bed," he says with a fake yawn and then kisses Alice on her cheek, "Night, mom." He gives me a little playful bro hug and then heads inside the camper.
Alice looks at me with a little smirk, and I scoot my chair over in front of her. Leaning forward, I take her hand and look into her eyes. The light from the fire dances in the blue color of her eyes. Suddenly, I'm not sure if this is the right time to bring this up. I look over to Randy's trailer and see his lights go out. I sigh and say softly, "I want to talk to you about... Beau and Colt." I tell her, and by the movement of her eyebrows, I've more than piqued her curiosity.
"The Universe is Made of Stories, Not of Atoms" -Muriel Rukeyser
If you like my stories and want to tip or donate to me, consider buying me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/foxfire3737
I really appreciate your help.
You can buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/foxfire3737 or Click Here
Edited by Andrew Thomas