The Sins of Cowboy Colby Slade

Changes

It was getting late, Ma and Pa should have been home a while back now. I carried on with my chores thinking about the beer that sat waiting for me while the smell of beef casserole hit my nose. Putting the last horse down for the night, I gave the stable a quick once over before turning off the lights and making my way over to the house. As I open the door, the phone started to ring, Clay got up from the table leaving his homework behind to answer the call while I took my boots off, my boots had just hit the floor before Clay spoke "Colby it's for you"..

I take the phone from my younger brother.."Colby Slade speaking how can I help?" I'm met with silence before I hear the familiar voice that sent chills through my body..

"Hey Colby, Chief Brady here, look son I'm real sorry, but I'm gonna need to you come to the station, there's been an accident, will you be OK to drive? Also son I think you should bring the kids too"

Feeling my stomach turn I swallowed the bile I could feel rising..."I'm on my way"...as I place the phone down, I turn to be met with my 3 sibling's nervous eyes. Cassidy is the first to ask...

"What's wrong Col?" I look at my sis, she is spittin of Ma with her long blonde hair and curls, I was already havin to threaten off half the boys in town for sniffin around her. 

"Boots on we need to leave, Cass make sure everything is turned off OK?" she nods her head while Clay and my younger sister Candace rush to put their boots on, there are no questions or words spoken as the four of us lock up and get in the pickup. We pull up outside the station after the 20-minute drive, every scenario possible running through my mind while drivin here. I enter the station and the mood is sombre, I look down at the little fingers that have threaded through my own, I give Candace a small smile, hoping I can give her some comfort but that was not gonna happen...not today, there were gonna be some big changes, for us all.

We had just had the 1-year anniversary of Ma and Pa's death, we'd gone over to the far side of the meadow to the tree where they were both berried, we'd all laid a flower and said our piece while looking at the headstone I'd had made for them, I knew Clay would be back later on his own, at 15 he was going through a rebellious streak that I was trying to deal with as calmly as I could, but I wasn't known to be a calm man, out of the 4 of us Slade kids, he had taken it the hardest and was still struggling to express himself, if ever he was missin...this is where he'd be. 

That was the day Preacher Garrett and his wife Annabelle called off at the Ranch, they'd brought us baked goods and other gifts from the congregation offerin words of comfort from the Lord, I tried to hide my distaste, but my folks were religious and had many good friends in the church, so I kept my tongue still. After much coaxing from them both, we promised them we'd all be at  church this comin weekend, seeming happy with that they'd left us be. Once they'd gone i'd helped myself to a beer from the fridge, and sat at the large table thinkin about what my life had become this last year....

At 27 I was now the man of the Ranch, and guardian to my 3 siblings, we ran a successful cattle ranch which turned over a good amount but, I made my extra cash competing in the Wyoming's state sport..Rodeo's! 

More often than not, I went alone and Cass would stay on the ranch with Clay and Cand while I "did my thang" as she'd say. She'd known I was gay for some time, I'd never told Ma and Pa, like I said my folks were religious and in the eyes of the Lord it was a sin, "Man must not lie with man"...im sure my Ma had her suspicions but, she never once mentioned it ...

Going to the Rodeo's was were I got my release and not just riding the bronc's....