My Cowboy I Met in Appleloosa

by Creativa-Artly01

Chapter 20-Family Day at the Rodeo

A few weeks later, we take a family trip to Appleloosa for the rodeo’s family day celebration. It’s a very special rodeo family day too, it’s Paint Splatter’s first rodeo family day even if she doesn’t end up remembering it because she’s only a three week old. “It’s good to be back, back here, at the rodeo,” I say to Cowboy with a sigh. “I can’t wait to see you compete later!” He blushes.

“Thanks, honey, I can’t wait!” He responds with a smile.

A few hours later, we are approached by his parents, siblings, and Oak Root with little Double Heart standing behind him and her mother, his sister, Sweetheart.

“Welcome home, brother!” Say his brothers and sister as they embrace him in a hug. “We can’t wait to see you compete later! We’re so excited!”

“Awe, thanks,” blushes Cowboy.

A few minutes later, Cowboy heads off to meet up with the other competitors to warm up before the events begin.

“How have you been doing, dearest?” Says Wildflower to me with a smile.

“I’m good but I’m exhausted,” I respond. “Two fillies is so much more trouble than one, especially when one’s three and the other a three week old.”

“That’s just how it goes,” giggles Wildflower. “After all, I did have four.”

“Yeah, that’s how my mom was too,” I respond. “I think two is plenty for me.”

“To each their own,” she responds with a smile. A few moments later, we head to the arena and take our seats as the events are about to begin. First up is hay bale throwing. It’s a team event this time around. Cowboy is paired ironically with Braeburn.

“How’d Cowboy get paired with Braeburn?” I say with a giggle to his brothers.

“It’s all a name drawing system,” responds Gun Slinger. “It’s all by chance.” The two throw their first bale up then their second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and soon they have twenty bales on the stack.

“That’s insane!” I say in shock and awe. They end up getting the most on the stack at fifty bales. That wins them the event. They then move into the next event, calf roping which Cowboy ends up winning. He ends up placing second in trick roping, losing to AJ. She’s taken the gold every year in the event ever since she started incorporating her great aunt Annie Oak Tree’s signature moves. It’s stunning and mind blowing, she deserves the win. Sorry sweetest but it’s true. In his remaining two events, he ends up taking first though so not a loss at all today. After the rodeo ends, Cowboy and AJ come over to us and AJ and I share in a hug before Cowboy comes to me and kisses me on the cheek before taking Brushstroke up on his back. She cheers and giggles.

“My daddy is da best! My daddy is da best!” She cheers. “My daddy is da best!” Cowboy blushes.

“Thanks, sweetie,” he says with a smile. He soon lowers her back down and takes Paint Splatter in his hooves. “How’d you enjoy it, love?”

“Absolutely blown away by all you do,” I respond with a giggle and a smile. I kiss him on the cheek. We then all head off to lunch as we’re all absolutely famished. As we eat our hay burgers, we chat, laugh, and catch up and talk about how we enjoyed the day’s events and family day as a whole. I have to say, I can’t wait until the next one!

However, as we’re talking, Gold Bar falls to the ground, grabbing his chest in pain. “Dad! Dad!” Says Cowboy as he thrusts Paint Splatter into my arms and rushes to his father’s side followed by his mom and siblings. “Medic! We need a medic!”

Within minutes, a doctor arrives and Gold Bar is taken away to the hospital and we follow behind in a taxi cart. Once at the hospital we follow not far behind the doctors and nurses as they wheel him into an emergency room. His mom stays outside in a panic as Cowboy and his siblings try to calm her down. “Mom, he’s going to be fine,” says Cowboy trying to reassure her, “this has happened before. He’s sick. These trips are nothing new. You know that.”

“Yeah, I guess, but realistically, Cowboy, Arrowhead, Sweetheart, Gunslinger, your father is dying,” says Wildflower, “and we can’t act like he’s not.”

A few moments later, the doctor comes out with some bad news. “Mrs. Goldbar, children, your husband and father has passed away from a duel heart attack and stroke, I’m sorry for your loss.” His mom, broken, falls into his arms in tears. Cowboy does his best to comfort her.

“Mom,” says Cowboy, “you’re going to be okay, you’ve still got us, let’s go. It’s time to plan his funeral.” We go back to Cowboy’s birth home where he and his siblings sit down their mom and try to comfort her so they can actually plan the funeral, but they can’t get her to stop crying. Eventually, though, after a day or two the reality finally sinks in and she comes around and they begin planning the funeral. A few days later, the funeral takes place. Wildflower is inconsolable. Now, outside her children and grandchildren, she is all alone and that’s what scares her the most. After all, for most of her life and their marriage, Gold Bar was her rock and now, that base, that support is gone.

“Mom...” say Cowboy and his siblings. “It’s time to go. The funeral is over.”

“No, I’m not leaving his side...” cries Wildflower, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m not leaving him...”

“Mom, you have to, you still have so much life to live,” Cowboy and his siblings respond. They help her up and lead her away as she continues to cry.

“Goodbye my Gold Bar.” The tears stream down her cheeks. “Goodbye.”

A few minutes later, back at the house, Sweetheart gets her mom some tea while her brothers still try to console their mother. She hands the cup to her mom. “Here you go, maw,” says Sweetheart.

“Thanks, honey,” says Wildflower as she takes the cup. She begins to drink. She takes a sip and continues to talk. “I don’t mean to be a burden, but I can’t help but miss him. I didn’t know I’d lose him this soon. It’s not the only loss I’ve suffered but it’s one of two that was really close to home. I have never told y’all this story, but before you, Sweetheart, I had another foal, he was stillborn.”

“I never knew, I had no idea, mom,” responds Sweetheart. “Please continue.”

“Your father and I had named him and everything. We were so excited! The loss broke me. I was inconsolable for months, years on end. Sweetheart, when you were born, that was the best day of our lives at the time and then same with each of you, my handsome, handsome, boys.”

“What’d you name him?” Inquires Sweetheart.

“His name was Iron Hearth,” responds Wildflower as a tear streams down her cheeks. “I think I need to lay down.” The children nod and lead her to her bed and let her rest. Once in bed, she reaches under it and pulls out her photo diary and finds the pictures of her and Gold Bar from when they were younger, their wedding, Iron Hearth’s stillbirth, Sweetheart’s birth, Gunslinger’s birth, Cowboy’s birth, Arrowhead’s birth. As she sees each picture, though she cries, she can’t help but smile a bit. A few days later, she takes the diary and goes to the graves of Gold Bar who is interred next to Iron Hearth. There, she talks to them and tells them about how she’s going through all their old photographs. She’s learning to cope, although very, very slowly but at least she’s learning to get it off her chest albeit in a rather weird way.