Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, Va.:
“Man, this place is unbelievable.” Debbie and Juni were loving the horse center.

“And the good thing about it is we don’t have to judge anything.” Angela was glad they didn’t have to do anything this time except sing.

Cassady and Jessie were standing next to each other and looking around. They spot a teenage girl dressed in western gear helping a bunch of other teenagers with a bunch of horses. Cassady and Jessie watch as the long, strawberry blond-haired girl leads several horses out of a horse trailer.

“I wonder who they are.” Jessie noticed that all the girls wore identical outfits.

“Performers?” Cassady spotted the name of the group on the side of the trailer.

“Oh?” Jessie looks at her cousin.

“They are called the Whiskey Angels.”

Cassady pulls her cell phone from her back pocket and googles the Whiskey Angels. The results show that they were a group of teenage girls performing horseback tricks at rodeos. She watches a few short clips on YouTube of the girls’ performing tricks at various rodeos.

“Damn! These girls are good.” Cassady shows Jessie the video of the girls performing.

Jessie looked at the screen and couldn’t believe how talented the girls were. Especially the strawberry blonde hair girl. She jumps from one horse to another horse like she is a rabbit. She would do handstands and backflips as well. Sometimes she would hold up targets for two other girls to either shoot or throw knives at.

“Hey, you guys have to see this.” Jessie turns around to show the other ladies in their group and noticed they were gone.

Cassady turns and notices everyone else has walked off. She shakes her head. “I guess they had other things they wanted to do.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see how the girls do.” Jessie wanted to see how good they were.

“Come on, let’s go and explore.” Cassady was going to stay with her cousin.

“All right, you know I don’t need a babysitter.” Jessie looks at Cassady because she knows what she is doing.

“I know. I want to spend some time with my favorite cousin.” Cassady hugs her cousin as they walk.

Whiskey Angels:
April was excited as they unloaded the horses from the trailer. The rodeo season has already started, and this was their third performance.

“I can’t wait until we perform.” April was excited about performing.

“You’re always excited when we perform.” Brenda looks at her best friend and knew how much April loved being a cowgirl.

“What can I say? My mothers say I’m a natural.” April was happy she had parents that really loved her.

Her birth mother abandoned her with her aunt. Then her aunt and her husband abandoned her at an out-of-the-way rest stop. If her adoptive
mothers hadn’t stopped to relieve themselves, how long would she have been there?

They raised her as if she was their natural daughter and taught her everything about riding and performing. They also showed her what family meant and that she would always be loved, no matter what.

“Your mothers are crazier than you, but I love them.” Brenda loved April’s mothers.

“I know, sis.” April looked at her best friend as a sister.

“I heard a new girl group is performing tonight after Roger Cash.” Sidney looks at Brenda and April as she leads driftwood to his temporary stall.

“Do you know what their name is?” Quinn looks towards Sidney.

“Nope, but I found a YouTube video of them that someone posted, and these girls can play. They are an actual Country Western band, like those women in the Trace Adkins Chrome video.”

“Show me the video later, after we get everyone out of the trailer and in their temp stalls.” Quinn wanted to see who this new girl group was.

“Okay.”

The girls transfer the horses from the trailer to their assigned stalls. Afterward, the girls take them for a walk. April was excited as she walked her horse, Joker. Her mom bought him for her a year after she started living with them.

She loved horses and ranch life. She also loved performing and showing off. She follows the others and let Joker off the reigns to run around with the other horses in the pastured they were told they could use.

Cassady and Jessie watch a few performances when they start up. All of them had passes for all the events and since they didn’t have anything else to do. They were going to take advantage of their passes.

Cassady spots the strawberry blonde hair girl a few times, while her and her cousin are exploring. She spotted the girl talking to two older women dressed in western gear. She wonders if the women are her parents.

Jessie was enjoying herself and helping her overcome the grief she was still feeling. She spots Cassady looking at the girl they saw earlier when they arrived.

“What’s got your attention, cousin?” Jessie wonders why Cassady was so interested in the young girl.

“Nothing.” Cassady turns her attention back to the event they had sat down to watch.

It was the adult event of barrel racing. There was a woman around their age out in the arena on a chestnut color horse. Cassady watches as the
rider maneuvers her horse around the barrels. She couldn’t believe the control the young woman had.

“Man, I would be pissing my pants.” Jessie couldn’t believe how complex the course was.

“I know what you mean, cousin. I wonder how long that rider has been doing that?” Cassady was enjoying the show.

The announcer calls out the rider’s time when she finishes the course. The next rider lines up to start the course. This rider looked to be a little younger than the previous rider. When the gun fires, they sprint out and start the course.

Cassady and Jessie watches the barrel racing event for a while. When it ends, the two of them go looking for the food vendors and spot Debbie and Angela had a food vendor tent.

“Hey, where have you guys been?” Jessie looks at Debbie and Angela for an answer.

“We were watching the bronco busting. What you two been up too?” Angela was curious.

“We were watching the ladies Barrel Racing competition.”

“That must have been fun.” Debbie liked the barrel racing, but she also liked watching hot guys get bucked around from on top of horses too.

“Man, that food smells good.” Cassady looks at where they were waiting inline to order. It was a Native American food tent.

“So where is Juni?” Jessie looks around for their missing companion.

“The last we saw of her. She was at a vendor selling saddles and such.” Angela had spotted their missing band member.

“I wonder why she would be looking at a saddle?” Jessie was curious.

“Next.” The four girls move forward and place their orders.