Cowboy Take Me Away

Hangin' With The Boys

I grabbed my cattlemen cowboy hat of the rack and placed it on top of my head, ready for a good day of branding. I opened the porch screen door and was welcomed to a warm breeze and the very bright sun. I was shocked when I already saw them bringing in the calves! They started without me! 

I ran into the barn stalls and I grabbed Pharaoh's bridle and then his saddle, and tacked him up. I couldn't believe they were starting without me! On the way out of the barn, I grabbed my rope off the wall rack and I rid out of the barn and towards the arena. 

There were a ton of guys here because we had a lot of cattle, and it takes a lot of work and lots of time. I rode up behind my dad and he turned around and scrunched his eyebrows at me. "Honey what are you doing here?" He says and I'm the one to scrunch my eyebrows at him. Didn't he ask me to help yesterday? I'm so confused right now. I feel everyone's attention turn towards me and not the cattle. 

"I'm helping dad." I say in an obvious tone, "Didn't you ask me to help yesterday at breakfast?" I say and meet everyone's wondering looks, and they all look the same, is she okay? 

"Oh sweetie, I meant helping your mom make lunch and food for the guys." He says like I should of already known it, and I am out of my mind. I always help brand, and I am offended I would be replaced by some guys I don't even know!! What the hell is this?

"Dad, why can't I help?" I ask him in a hurt tone. 

"We already have enough guys, and you haven't done it in a while, so I thought this would just be quicker." He says, he is such an asshole lately! He's being one of those guys that thinks all women do is clean and make food! What changed with him? I used to do all kinds of things with him around the ranch with him, but now, something has changed. What did he think I forgot how to rope and take charge?

"Dad! I didn't forget how to brand! I-"

"Enough DaKota!" My dad orders and I have to stand down, or else it will only get worse. "If your not going to help your mother, you just stay out of the way and watch." He says and then walks away from me. Did he get kicked in the head earlier today and forget who his daughter was? 

Like little minions, the other guys followed my dad and got to work. Every one was scared of my dad, and nobody dared to question my dad's action. My dad was Satan when he was mad and the only person I had seen stand up to my dad was my brother and it was not pretty. 

Caleb had wanted to go on a trip with some friends to Cancun for spring break, but my dad needed him on the ranch. Caleb had only go to a two-year college, but it was close to home so he could still work on the ranch. Anyways, Caleb really wanted to go because he was single and wanted to party like a regular college boy. Caleb just wanted two weeks of vacation and my dad wouldn't have it, so they started screaming at each other. No joke, the whole house was shaking and my mom and I were laying in my bed together and my mom was crying because she hated it. In the end, Caleb snuck out in the middle of the night and left for Cancun, with my help of course.  

After that night, no one had ever stood up to my dad, because even Caleb was scared to. Trust me, there has been many times were I had wanted to, but I always think of that feeling I had that night, and I automatically shut my mouth. 

Speaking of my brother, where is he? I pull Pharaoh's reins back and back him far enough to "stay out of the way", and then I look around for Caleb. Then I see him throwing a calf to the ground, with his buddies surrounding him. I was shocked to see Cooper here, I was surprised because of last night when I came home from his house. 

Apparently, my dad did not trust "the Blackwood kid". He really didn't explain why, but I had an idea why. Maybe my dad had heard of Cooper being the 'player' type, that Taylor had explained to me. But Cooper wasn't like that with me, sometimes he actually got a little shy, it was really cute. My father said I wasn't allowed over at Cooper's without his permission, ever again. Yeah, not gonna happen. I'm 18, I'm able to make my own choices, and I have since the past two years.