Noemi looks a little crestfallen at that. Disappointed? She doesn’t know me like that, does she? ‘Really? I mean, your research is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just … we’ve been at this for years.’ She shoots me a wry smile. ‘You certainly have competitive fire. You’re made for sport, May. The ranch, the research, it won’t go anywhere. Your career years will. Trust me.’

The announcer’s voice warbles incoherently over the speakers, and I mount Rocky, giving him a pat of encouragement. A sleek brown quarter horse, Rocky’s been mine since my first state youth lacrosse match – twelve years ago now. He’s sturdy, reliable, and best of all, loving and loved. Rocky only hits the barrels really hard once a year, for the Oklahoma County Rodeo, and he eats up every second of it.

As the crowd roars excitedly outside, I soak in the sound. To be surrounded by cheers, maybe on a lacrosse field, maybe at the very top of the professional league. The high is like nothing else. Isn’t it?

Well. Colt’s not the only one working on adulting.

Noemi gives me a parting wave as she and her horse are called, and they burst right out the gate, speeding around the barrels, making tight turns in the pattern like it’s light work, to ear-bursting applause from the crowds when she comes back into the alley – record time.

Rocky and I trot closer to the entrance, and I can hear the announcer’s next words. ‘And with a special guest in Oklahoma for the season, give a big Okie County welcome to hometown talent and national pro lacrosse player, CJ Bradley!’

Oh. Great.

‘Looks like your boy’s up front!’ Noemi teases as she catches her breath, bringing her horse, Bingo, down the aisle.

‘Of course he is,’ I hum under my breath. I remember his admitting – at dinner with his family – that he’d watched every rodeo I’d raced in before he left, and how excited he was to be back. I thought it’d be as easy as the girls from the team showing up the way they did every year, my parents, and maybe he’d tag along. Casually. Quietly.

But, as I’d learned the second he stepped foot in Oklahoma, there is nothing casual or quiet about the presence of national pro lacrosse player CJ Bradley.

‘C’mon, buddy,’ I whisper to Rocky. ‘Let’s run real fast today.’

The kid helping out with the horses guides us through the alleyway before letting us go, and Rocky and I set off with a start. Dust flies as we hit the first barrel at high speed, a tight turn, and then the next, a beautiful cloverleaf. It’s not our fastest, but Rocky is a stunner, and when we head back down the aisle, he whinnies happily, satisfied with the cheering that follows him inside.