The night came and went light a thief in the night, except all was well and right. The sun shined through the window and awoke Applejack as she got out of bed. With a quick yawn and making her bed, Applejack walked downstairs and met her cousin and Little Strongheart, who was cooking breakfast. A cup of coffee was ready for Applejack, who gladly took it while Braeburn and Strongheart smiled at each other.
And the country mare knew why. She heard her cousin and his fiancée having some "Lovin" throughout the night. Applejack did her best to ignore it, but fortunately, it didn't last long. Knowing his parents would disapprove of any activity before marriage; she decided to keep her muzzle shut. The glowing look the two gave each other made her feel slightly jealous. She felt guilty about it briefly but realized it was something she wanted for herself.
She had put off looking for a husband for too long and never bothered with casual dating. There may have been many whorses in Manehatten that were into that, but Applejack knew romance and her body were nothing to mistreat. As she pondered the subject, the thought of Clyde came into her mind. She liked his confidence, fitness, and willingness to challenge her. He might have pushed her buttons, but Applejack couldn't deny that she liked it.
And he was right to challenge her because her Rodeo skills needed improvement. Fortunately, Braeburn's foresight to have Clyde help her was a good call. Applejack found herself eager to see the smile on Clyde's face again. Strongheart passed a plate of pancakes to her, and she quickly ate them up. The engaged couple raised eyebrows at each other before Braeburn asked, "Are you alright, cousin? You're eating faster than a hog in a hurry."
"Shoot, Ah am eating fast and all. Ah guess Ah wanna get out of the house and find Clyde-No! Practice mah skills. Eeyup, that's it and nothing else."
"Ah'm fine. Ah just got the Rodeo on my mind. Ah want Clyde to help me get a head start on the practice and all." said Applejack.
The mare ate her last pancake and set the plate on the sink. She quickly rinsed it and grabbed her lasso before heading out the back door. The mare took her stetson on the wall hook as well before saying,
"Ah'm gonna get a head start on the practice until Clyde arrives. Let me know if you need mah help with anything."
Braeburn said as the back door closed, "Dang, he really must have got her all smitten. Ah know mah cousin very well, and that's her distracted thinking acting out. She plowed right through that breakfast."
Little Strongheart giggled before saying, "I guess you were right. If there were any guy that would get that stubborn mare's attention, it would be him. I'm still unsure they'll court each other, though."
The stallion chuckled before eating his pancakes. He deviously smiled and said, "So, after breakfast...you wanna shower together?"
Little Strongheart stopped before she ate a bite and asked, "Do I smell? I'm certain that I don't...Oh...OH! Yes, I do."
The two gave each other a knowing look before eating their breakfast. Once they were done, they made sure each other was "clean." It also worked out because Applejack was too busy focusing on winning the Rodeo with Clyde's help. Once they finished their meals, the buffalo and the stallion ran upstairs to the bathroom.
They didn't get interrupted.
Arizona woke in her guest bed and yawned as the sun beamed into her window. She almost returned to bed before Minnesota opened the door and said, "Rise and shine, Missy. Don't forget Clyde will be here in about an hour."
The motherly cow closed the door and walked back down the hallway, leaving the calf alone. Arizona put the cover back over her head and closed her eyes. It didn't last long as she whispered, "Mornin' schmornin'. I'm too sleepy...WAIT!"
Arizona's eyes opened wide as she threw the covers off her and got out of bed.
"Shoot! Clyde will be here in an hour! Dangit, girl! You almost slept the mornin' away."
After making her bed, the young cow entered the bathroom and checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was messy, and her teeth needed a good brushing. She also smelled like a stinky cow and quickly took a shower. After drying herself and adjusting her hair, she was satisfied. Her breath smelled awful, but she realized it would have to wait until after breakfast.
Arizona entered the dining room and met her family, who sat on the pillow mats before the table. An excellent breakfast of pancakes, biscuits, and hay hashbrowns was on the table. It took her to suppress her cow-ly urges to avoid digging in without saying thanks to the host and when ordered.
"Wow!" said Arizona, "That sure looks mighty tasty. Thanks, Aunt Jo."
Her Aunt nodded before turning to her husband, Dakota, and Texas.
"Would the heads of the families begin the thanks and take the first serving?"
Dakota and Texas nodded before saying thanks for the food and filling their plate. The bull was the head of the family and deserved the first serving. With certain exceptions for birthdays and Mother's Day, the bull would always get the first bite. This was right due to having to protect the family and work hard in harsh conditions. After Texas and Dakota got their portions, the food was passed to the rest of the family.
And just as expected, the food was hearty, with no disappointment to be found. No proper heifer would be caught dead without having the ability to cook a good meal. As Arizona ate her food, she realized a big problem.
"Oh dung! I don't know how to cook! I've never done it! I got to be able to cook Clyde meal or something."
Fortunately for the young cow, she knew the solution to her problem; ask her mother and Aunt.
"So, Ma, I was wondering if I could ask you a question."
Minnesota turned her attention to her daughter and replied, "Well, go on and ask. I'm trying to eat, dontcha know."
She slightly blushed before asking, "C-can you teach me how to cook? I don't know how. This food is mighty good, but I want to know how to do it myself...because I'm a girl and all."
Daisy-Jo smiled and cheered, "Well, lookie there! Your calf is growing up, and she's ready to learn housewife skills."
Minnesota beamed with happiness and used her front hooves to clap in celebration.
"My daughter wants to cook! Oh goodie, now that's just something, ain't it dearie?"
Texas was too busy eating a biscuit to care and simply grunted, "M-hm. That's nice, honey."
Daisy-Jo rolled her eyes while Minnesota snorted in disapproval before turning back to Arizona.
"I'll show you how to cook dinner tonight and a special, easy treat too. Once you're done getting signed up for the Rodeo and your practice out of the way, you'll be learning to cook in no time."
Arizona clapped her front hooves with happiness and imagined Clyde taking a meal from her. He would be sitting with her at the dinner table, dressed up nicely. She would have flowers in her hair and a nice neck gown, ready to give him his well-deserved meal. After he was done, he'd give her a kiss with plenty of cuddles on a couch in a nice little cozy home. The feeling of butterflies returned to her stomach once before she was snapped out of her daydream.
"You know Arizona, if you don't eat that, someone else will," said Texas as he eyed up her uneaten food.
"Not to mention that nice man will be here, and you won't be ready at all," added Minnesota.
This caught Dakota's attention, who asked, "Wait, are you talking about Clyde? Now that's a fine feller for sure. Why is he meeting you here?"
Minnesota answered before Arizona could, "Oh, he's going to help her get signed up for the Rodeo and help her practice for some of those events."
Dakota nodded and said, "I'm not surprised; he's one of the most generous, helpful folk I've ever come across on. He helped install the plumbing for our house and fixed a couple of leaks...which were entirely my fault. I was a salt blockhead, but he fixed them up alright."
"Wait," thought Arizona, "He knows how to fix stuff too? That's mighty nice."
As Arizona imagined Clyde working on a broken pipe, Texas asked, "What else has this guy done. He sure seems well-rounded."
Before he could answer, Dakota took a large bite of a pancake and went, "Nom nom nom" before belching loudly. Daisy-Jo chided his poor manners while Arizona laughed. A quick disapproving stare from her Minnesota quickly stopped that laughing as the calf went back to eating. She listened intently to her uncle, who continued talking about Clyde.
"He helped us with our Dairy store a couple of times. Mostly manning the register and moving some things here and there. He showed us a way to make milk last longer. And by longer, I don't mean no week; I'm talking up to a month if kept cooled just right."
That got the table silent as the cows couldn't believe what they heard. Fresh raw milk, when stored properly, only could last about a week, ten days tops. But hearing that milk could last up to a month? That was a big deal to Cattlefolk, and it surprised and impressed Arizona. Minnesota asked her sister, "Is that true?"
Daisy-Jo nodded and replied, "Eeyup. Yes, siree! Ponies have given us a mighty amount of Bits because of Clyde. It's how we got this house faster than most of these ponies ever do. He's a good feller for this town, that's for certain. And- OH MY!"
The table turned their attention to Daisy-Jo as she held her stomach. She was later in her pregnancy, and it was possible her baby calf could come in the next few days. After breathing and sighing, the cow said, "Don't worry y'all. It was just some kicking is all."
The room was relieved that Daisy-Jo was just fine, and Arizona asked, "Sounds like a fighter, just like me. Must like kicking, stomping, and kicking too!"
Dakota chuckled and said, "We can only hope. A strong calf is always something to love."
Texas asked, "How much longer til the youngin' comes a calling?"
Daisy-Jo answered before taking a fresh biscuit and putting honey on it.
"Oh, I'd say almost any day now. I'm hoping the baby will come out after the Rodeo is over. We don't need the other folks tying up the Doctor's time."
"I hope so too; we don't need problems. I want my Aunt's calf to be okay. Now I wonder what Clyde thinks about babies..."
The rest of the conversation at the table turned to normal talk. Dakota talking about his work, Texas sharing the trade deals he was brokering for the Prairie, and the Sisters talking about lady stuff. Arizona finished her breakfast and cleaned the plates before walking to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth well and used mouth rinse. She made sure her breath didn't smell like a dead vulture, as her dad used to say.
She wrapped a clean red bandana around her and sprayed some sweet desert rose perfume. Arizona was sure her Aunt wouldn't mind at all her borrowing some. Satisfied, she grabbed the lasso and told her parents she would wait outside for Clyde. Her family nodded, and just before she could walk out the door, Texas said, "If that Clyde feller messes with you or is too rough during your practice, you let me know, and I'll straighten him out! You hear?!"
"Dangit! My dad is still protective. I hope he won't come to check up on me or something. Does he know I'm trying to get Clyde's attention? Is the perfume too much? Better play it cool."
"You got it, Pa! I'll kick them good for you if he does. See y'all later!" shouted Arizona back.
Closing the door behind her, Arizona walked down to the street and waited for Clyde. True to his word, he walked right around the corner at 9 am. This time he was wearing a green homespun plaid shirt with a silver belt buckle. The bandana was still a clean yellow color, and his face appeared to be freshly shaven. The man looked clean and perfect as if he was trying to look his best for her. Arizona blushed and smiled seeing Clyde walk up to her and wave to him.
The man returned a smile, tipped his hat, and greeted, "Mornin' Arizona. Hope you slept well last night."
"I don't know why, but he's just making me feel all funny in my tummy. I like it!"
"I did, thanks. So are we going to get me signed up?" asked Arizona.
Clyde nodded and pointed towards the other side of Appleloosa and said, "Yes, ma'am. The Rodeo is going to be on that side of town. The pony we need to meet is already there, taking folks' names. Just follow me, and you'll get in before you know it. After that, I'll take you to one of the spare pens and show you some tips and tricks for the beginning events. Good thing you brought your own lasso too."
As he winked at Arizona, Clyde turned around and motioned for her to follow him. She quickly ran up to his side and kept her distance close, not knowing she gave an appearance that they were together. Just as the duo walked away, a pair of eyes were spying on them through a window.
"Hmm." said Texas, "I might have to keep an eye on those two after all."
He kept his stare until they turned around a corner and left his sight. He resolved to ensure Arizona would be treated right, even if he had to make sure himself.
It was going to be a long day.