My parents let me go, and my ever-so-clever father gives me a little nudge Colt’s way, who clears his throat and removes his dumb Pit Vipers, cutting his gaze towards the crowd of quickly approaching women. ‘You’re gonna be great.’ He grins, if not slightly bashfully. ‘I’m not lying when I say I’m just glad I’ll get to see you race again. I’ve missed that.’

I choke back a haha, and whose fault was that, with a keen eye on the aunties drawing near. ‘Good. It’s a sign you have a heart.’

Colt snorts. ‘Okay, Velasco. Knock ’em dead.’ He leans down and kisses my cheek, his cowboy hat brushing my forehead. I raise an eyebrow.

He just smirks. ‘My version of “good luck”.’

‘Rodeo, lacrosse, weather. You balance a heavy plate, May.’

‘Don’t I know it.’ I shoot a wry smile at the girl opposite me. Noemi Montes and I have been barrel racing together since we started riding. Noemi took things to the next level, circuit and all, and she’s raced in rodeos as far and wide as the Calgary Stampede by now. I’m pretty sure the only reason my horse still remembers the cloverleaf is because I take him for a slow trot around the barrels every day during chores, and he happily meanders through it, not the fastest, but quite obedient. Rocky has never been anything but reliable.

‘Graduatin’ this year?’ Noemi asks.

I nod. ‘Yep. Got some things to work through.’

‘I take it you’re not going the rodeo route, huh?’

With a glance from her sponsor-laden Western top to my plain blue plaid one, I raise an eyebrow. ‘That obvious?’

We share a mutual laugh at that. Barrel racing is basically going to be life and career for Noemi until she decides it’s time to step down, after which she’ll probably take over her parents’ ranch, not too different from what I could see myself doing. ‘So what will you do?’ says Noemi, spawning my worst fear.

‘I don’t know,’ I admit. It’s better I save the energy it takes to lie – especially one this big. And she knows how it is, leaving the ranch. ‘The weather’s been terrible here lately. I’m not sure if I’ll declare for the draft. Every women’s MLL team is on the East Coast. I’d have to leave, and who’ll look after the ranch after that?’ I shrug. ‘I wonder if it’s better I stay, you know? I can actually make a difference here. Doing research for the early detection programme.’