Page 12 of Knot my First Rodeo

I grab a plate, scoop what’s left of the tuna helper, and lean back against the counter instead of sitting. Feels less… official that way. Less like I’m trapped at a table making small talk.

I eat. It’s not as awkward as before, though. Still weird, just… softer somehow.

“You always do dishes right after?” I ask, mostly to fill the space.

“Yeah. Easier that way. Let it sit, and it turns into a bigger mess than it needs to be.”

Makes sense. I nod like I already knew that.

“Back home, we just… didn’t really care,” I say. “Stuff got done eventually.”

“Eventually usually means someone gets stuck doing all of it,” he says.

I huff a quiet laugh. “Yeah, well. That tracks.”

He rinses another plate, sets it in the rack, then glances at me again.

“You settling in okay?”

“I mean,” I shrug, taking another bite, “it’s not the worst place I’ve ever been.”

“That’s high praise.”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

That almost gets a real smile out of him.

I push off the counter and move closer, setting my plate near the sink when I’m done. “You want help, or are you one of those ‘I have a system, don’t mess it up’ people?”

“I won’t turn down help.”

“Shocking.”

He hands me a towel without looking at me, like he already decided I was staying. I dry while he washes, and it falls into this easy rhythm that feels… normal. Weirdly normal.

“So,” I say, glancing around, “you guys just… do all this yourselves? Animals, land, everything?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a lot.”

“It’s work,” he says simply. “But it’s ours.”

I nod again, slower this time. I don’t really get it, but I pretend like I do.

“And the rodeo thing,” I add, casual like I didn’t just spend the afternoon watching videos in the barn. “That’s like… a side hobby?”

He actually laughs at that.

“No.”

“Okay, rude. I was asking a genuine question.”

“It’s not a hobby,” he says. “It’s part of how we make money. Part of who we are.”

I lean back against the counter, crossing my arms like I totally didn’t underestimate that. “Looks dangerous.”

“It is.”