Everything that Glitters

By request, they started with three George Strait classics: Amarillo by Morning, The Cowboy Rides Away, and I Can Still Make Cheyenne. After that came Garth Brooks' The Beaches of Cheyenne, and Aaron Watson's July in Cheyenne, which was written to commemorate the death of young bull rider Lane Frost.

Zane insisted they lighten it up a little, so they sang Meet Me in Montana and the Green Leaves of Summer, followed by Terry and The Kid doing Blue Tail Fly while Zane drank his beer. He joined in for Wildwood Flower, Rocky Top, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown, which necessitated a break and a beer.

Zane noticed the barrel racers in the pastel hoodies were singing along on most every song, so he again waved for them to sit on the blankets up front, and they again demurred.

When he took his seat, Zane declared it was time for the women to get some exercise, which drew a cheer from the men. In accordance with the tradition recently established, when Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On began, all the women had to get up and parade around the circle, stopping in front of the stage to shake their booties at the crowd. The rainbow clad barrel racers tried to remain on the tailgate, but Carole and another woman drug them off and made them join the parade.

That was so much fun that Billy the Kid decided they should sing I Like Big Butts, and then Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, which resulted in a female-only line dance of epic proportions. The ear-to-ear smiles proved the girls was having a great time, and the men were having even more fun. Zane admitted there were a lot of prime badonkadonk on display, but he tried to keep his eyes off the married women.

He knew two of the three barrel racers were single, but the third had kept her face covered with the hoodie so well he didn't know who she was or her marital status. Regardless, she did have a prime badonkadonk, and she certainly knew how to shake it.

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy was their last nod to the pop country sound Zane intensely dislike, but Billy did a great job of rapping and the ladies danced, so...

Another, longer beer break gave Zane a chance to visit with friends he had seen but rarely since his sabbatical began four years ago. He was making his way back to the barrel racers, but when he looked up, they were gone. He started back to his stool and signaled his two bandmates.

Before he got there, Billy the Kid's darling wife grabbed him and declared, "I know you are going to end this with some of the songs we all love, but can you play one more line dance for us? I promise you we'll make it worth your while!"

Zane visited with his partners; Billy ran over to a trailer, picked up a metal feed bucket, and returned. They played Copperhead Road with Billy drumming on the bucket and singing like Steve Earle. The women did themselves proud and left the men drooling with their line dancing/booty shaking. The hoodies were back, and Zane found their movements particularly memorable, even with the hoodies covering most of their faces. Strange they had their hoodies up, since it was barely cool, but you never know about styles.

Zane sang Tennessee Whiskey when things calmed down, and then gave his usual intro to Bob McDill, "the greatest songwriter of our lifetime".

She Don't Know She's Beautiful, Louisiana Saturday Night, Rake and Rambling Man, Come Early Mornin', and Good Ol' Boys Like Me followed, and then Zane warned, "You boys haven't been holding your end up so far, but this is your redemption. If you can accept that life in a hillbilly band is but a metaphor for life on the tour and the guitar is your horse, you know your woman deserves better. So, when I sing 'Amanda', you're going to look your wife or girlfriend in the eyes and sing to them. They won't mind that you can't carry a tune, as long as they see the love in your eyes and hear it in your voice!"

I've held it all inward, God knows, I've tried

But it's an awful awakening in a country boy's life

To look in the mirror in total surprise

At the hair on my shoulders and the age in my eyes

Amanda, light of my life

Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife

Amanda, light of my life

Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife

It's a measure of people who don't understand

The pleasures of life in a hillbilly band

I got my first guitar when I was fourteen

Now I'm over thirty, still wearing jeans

Amanda, light of my life

Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife

Amanda, light of my life

Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife.

By the end of that song, there were a lot of women cuddling in their man's lap.

Zane was looking down as he strummed the opening cords of the last song. "Some of you will think this is a downer of a song to end the night, but I prefer to focus on the message. It may sound strange, but this song always reminds of Teddy Roosevelt's poem, The Man in the Arena. He tells us that the man we should praise is the man who's out there fighting the big battles, even if those battles end in defeat. Is this song an allegory? I say it is; nothing ventured, nothing gained, and striving for greatness is never a bad decision, in my opinion.

And with that bit of personal philosophy laid out, here we go: The Dance."

Looking back

On the memory of

The dance we shared

'Neath the stars above

For a moment

All the world was right

How could I have known

That you'd ever say goodbye

And now

I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end

The way it all would go

Our lives

Are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss

The dance

Holding you

I held everything

For a moment

Wasn't I a king

But if I'd only known

How the king would fall

Hey who's to say

You know I might have changed it all

And now

I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end

The way it all would go

Our lives

Are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss

The dance...

It was quiet after Zane finished. Lawn chairs were folded and couples stopped by to thank him for hosting them before they walked arm in arm back to their trailers. Zane folded his stool and put it back into storage under his trailer. When he turned back, he saw that the barrel racers were still sitting on the tailgate, in a quiet but animated discussion. He watched for a moment, then made his way toward them.

The one in the middle tried to climb down, but her friends held her arms, keeping her in place. Zane was intrigued, but a sinking feeling developed as he got closer. "Hey, Ladies, thanks for coming tonight. We appreciate your beautiful voices as well as the way you dance." With a teasing grin he added, "And I especially appreciate the way you shook those cute badon..."

He froze in place only a few feet from the tailgate, staring at the young woman in the middle. Her head was down, but when the girl on her right pulled the hoodie back, she looked up into his face. She had an embarrassed or even frightened look, but there was a sense of hopefulness too.

"Hi, Zane. You sing as beautifully as ever. Thank you for doing this, and for letting us be a part of it."

His heart was racing in his chest, but his face remained pleasant. "You are more than welcome, Cassandra, Lindsey, Renee. You added a lot to the singalong, and I have to say you line dance and shake your badonkadonks exceptionally well. You are always welcome."

He tore his eyes off his ex long enough to make eye contact with the other two, and gave Lindsey a wink. Her face lit up for a moment, but then she looked at Cassandra and told Zane, "You two have a lot to talk about. We'll see you mañana Cassandra, and down the road, Zane." Renee and Lindsey walked away, even though the pickup Cassandra was sitting on was Lindsey's.

Zane turned his attention back to the tailgate. "Do we? Have a lot to talk about, I mean. We haven't even spoken in the better part of two years -- why start now?" He stared at his ex-wife for a few moments, wondering how it was possible that she had gotten more beautiful when she was already the most beautiful girl in the world when they got married.

When she continued looking down, her boots swinging back and forth under the tailgate, he said, "Okay. I didn't think so. See ya around."

He turned to go, evoking a hurried, "No, don't go yet! How is Red? I noticed you were riding the colt you raised; he grew into a magnificent horse; he's fast, and pretty good in the arena for a rookie, but he's not Red. Is he okay?"

"Red is at home in the pasture resting up. Unless things fall apart, he's going to Cheyenne with me. Red's getting older, and from time to time he'll stumble, but he's not ready for retirement quite yet. Junior is going to be fine, but Red will handle the deep box and long barrier at Cheyenne better. At least that's what I'm hoping. How's Goldie? She seems as quick and fast as ever."

"She's still the reason I'm in Vega s every year. I've had offers of over two hundred thousand for her, and everyone wants to know who bred and trained her. I just give them one of your cards -- I still have a few left, but you may have to give me more before long, if you are still doing that."

"I'm taking a sabbatical this year from horse raising; just chasin' the dream one more time. But I do appreciate the referrals. I've sold more than a few from your recommendations."

"Yes, I know! One of them is hard on my heels in second place, and if she had a real rider I'd be chasing her!"

"That's Goldie's cousin. She's a good one, but I've got one of Goldie's younger sisters I'm holding onto until I find a deserving rider; that's when you need to get worried!"

"Can I look at her sometime? I love Goldie like you love Red, but she's gonna need some pasture time soon enough, and there is nothing out there like a Zane Rhys bred mare."

Zane considered her words, knowing that didn't sound right; she should have said horse, not mare. They both remained quiet for a moment.

"Can I see her?"

"Well, sure. We're going home tomorrow, and we're staying in Texas for a few weeks before we start the July 4 grind. Come by anytime, but call first."

Those sky blue eyes were pleading more powerfully than her words. "No, I mean our daughter. Can I see Casey? I promise I won't wake her; I just want to see her up close.

I saw her sitting with Carole in your friend Cal's box during the grand entry, and I almost fell off my horse. Please, Zane! I know I don't deserve it, but...please!"

He knew better; hell, he knew better than to have this conversation, but he couldn't keep a mother away from her daughter... even if she did abandon her.

Zane swept his arm, hand up, toward the trailer in the universal gesture for 'be my guest'; Cassie hoped off the tailgate and walked to the door. She entered quietly with Zane following; he pointed toward the bunk bed to the left and she crept toward it.

Looking down at the sleeping blonde angel, her daughter, she stared in awe. "She's so beautiful!" she whispered. She knelt beside the bed and then leaned down to kiss Casey gently on the cheek. The child stirred, opened her eyes briefly, stared at Cassie, gave her a brief smile, and then closed her eyes again.

Cassie hovered over her for several minutes, swaying slightly and hugging herself. In a distraught voice she whispered, "Oh, God, what have I done?" and then hurried from the trailer. The sobs started as soon as she cleared the door, and continued as she ran away.

Zane watched her go, knowing she had just confronted the cost of her treachery.

***

Both runs in the morning slack were successful. Their team roping time was 5.0, and beating their 10.2 average (aggregate) was going to be a task for anyone. More importantly, none of their main competitors had a chance to beat them because their first round times were too slow.

In calf roping, Zane pretty much nailed the door closed with a 7.0 second run. Given that all the first round times were 8.4 and above, someone was going to have to have a very fast run on a tough pen of calves to top his 14.9 total.

By noon they were loaded and pulling down I 17 south to Phoenix, where they caught I 10 east. It was a sixteen-hour pull back to their ranches, even with the speed limit being 80 on I 10 in Texas, so they were spending tonight at a friend's ranch near Las Cruces, New Mexico. That was a little less than halfway, so they could sleep until seven and still be home by mid-afternoon.

Four other couples with kids joined them at Natalie and Tally Evans' ranch, which had a heated pool. Natalie's little sister, Jo Fay, was home from grad school at Texas Tech for the summer, and she let Zane know early and often that she was available and ready. He never had sex with anyone in the trailer when his daughter was along, but Casey solved that by eagerly joining the slumber party in the ranch house with the Evans and Simpson kids.

Jo was your typical 5'2", eyes of blue blonde, with an athletic body. Slender legs, narrow hips featuring a high, tight, round ass, a small waist, and 32 B boobs, which he learned when she threw her bra at him while doing a strip tease. She was indeed athletic; acrobatic too, and uncannily limber. Zane was glad he was in tip-top shape from lifting, running, and hard work, because she could go full speed all night long.

Zane hollered "Calf Rope!" around 2 am, and gave her a choice of going back inside the house or sleeping on the other side of the bed. She chose to stay, but at 6:30 he found her bouncing up and down on his morning wood. There was just enough light to see that her cherry-tipped tits were actually quite substantial on such a small frame, and that that hard little ass was actually a pile driver.

She wanted to come visit next weekend, but he begged off, doubting that he would be sufficiently recovered by then. At age 22 she was only four years younger than he was, but her youthful vigor wore him out. Carole, with a smirk, volunteered to drive for him since he was up all night; he declined, but said he might take a rain check around Ozona.

Their Mack MP8 engines were humming and the Allison transmissions were shifting as they roared through the mountains and foothills between Las Cruces and El Paso, and El Paso and Van Horn. When they hit the flatlands, though, they learned that the 80 mph speed limit was still closer to 90 on I 10, so they let the 505 horsepower engines do their thing. The engines laughed at the 43 ft. trailers carrying two horses, which didn't weigh a fraction of the loads they were made to carry.

Zane was watching the mesas covered in windmills and wondering how much it cost to send that electricity to some city across the state, and what they did with the windmills when they stopped working. Ironically, there were pump jacks all around the wind turbines.

Casey was in the sleeper with her iPad, when he suddenly heard small voice at his shoulder. "Daddy, I've been having a strange dream I want to tell you about. It started at the rodeo in Prescott, and it kind of happened again last night. In my dream, a blonde angel sits beside me and strokes my hair, and then kisses me. I open my eyes, and the angel is Mommy, but she disappears when I wake up and look for her."

Zane wasn't sure how to respond. Should he tell her about Cassie's visit at Prescott, or let it remain a dream? He decided she didn't need to be let down yet again by her mom, so he asked how last night's dream was different from the night before.

"Last night she came to my bed, watched me, and kissed me, but then she got on her golden horse and rode in a barrel race. Her hair was flying and she glittered like gold in the sun, and then she was gone. Why am I having these dreams, Daddy?"

"Honey, it's probably from .seeing the poster of your mom at the cafe and then watching mom ride in the grand entry the next afternoon. Now that we are following the tour, we will probably start seeing her more often, and you can talk to her. Maybe that will help."

"Gram talks to me about her, sometimes. She says she was the best mommy in the world until her daddy the asshole tricked her into leaving all of us!"

"Casey, baby, it's not nice to call your grandfather an asshole. Just say your grandfather, or mommy's father."

"Gram always calls him an asshole. She says 'your grandpa the asshole', or 'Cassie's daddy the asshole', or 'my ex-husband the asshole'."

"I know, Baby, but you are too young to talk that way. Just call him grandpa, okay?"

Casey starred at him for a moment, then stated unequivocally, "He stole my mommy from me; I'll never call him grandpa! I hate him!"

She turned her back and retreated into the sleeper, her iPad held above her head as she played a game, or texted her friends, or whatever she did on that thing.

Zane's mind drifted back to her mommy, and Gram's contention that she was the best mommy in the world before she suddenly abandoned them. He agreed, and thought she was also the best girlfriend and wife in the world for the years before she left with her dad the asshole.

She had been the best fiancée too, and he could relive every second of his proposal to her.

It happened the day after they graduated from high school, at their favorite swimming hole on the banks of the Llano River. She was wearing a little black bikini that barely covered the essentials, he was wearing loose cutoffs, and they had been swimming for about an hour.

"I'm hungry -- let's eat!" she had proclaimed. They ran to the blanket; Cassie stood impatiently while Zane knelt and reached into the picnic basket for some of his mom's fried chicken. When he pivoted on his knee, faced her, and held up a small black box covered in velvet, she looked at it with a puzzled frown, looked at him, and looked back at the box.

Zane opened it, and her sky blue eyes fell on a golden ring with a 1.85 ct. Lone Star Cut Mason County Topaz set among four sky-blue Topaz interspersed with diamond chips.

Cassie's mouth fell open; she looked back at Zane, and he solemnly asked, "Will you marry me? I know we're only 18, but I also know that you are the love of my life, and I can't imagine not having you at my side to face the world together."

Cassie's amazement turned into tears; she fell to her knees and vowed, "Yes, Zane, the love of my life, I will marry you, and we will face all the world's trials and joys together!"

He slipped the ring onto her finger; she kissed him, and then pushed him down on his back. She slipped off her top, and then her bottoms. She unbuttoned his cutoff jeans and pulled them off. That was the first time they had seen each other completely naked, and each thought the other was perfect.