“They distract the bulls or broncs while the cowboys get away and they generally entertain. Cash loves it. He used to ride the broncs until he got too slow. It about killed him to give it up but then he found out he could clown and he’s really good at it. Makes enough to pay for the hotel rooms and puts him back into the excitement of the rodeo.”
Two people were in the elevator when the doors opened. A little girl dressed in jeans, a pink shirt emblazoned with rhinestone longhorns on the front, and scuffed up cowboy boots and her mother who was dressed for a rodeo but didn’t take Austin’s eye like the little girl did. The little girl looked up with bright blue eyes set inside hot pink and silver face paint and smiled at Maddie.
“Nanna,” she whispered.
“No, but I’d love to be,” Maddie said.
The mother smiled. “You would remind her of my mother. She’s only seen her a couple of times. My father is military and they’ve been stationed in Germany ever since she was born.”
“How sad. They are missing a princess growing up,” Maddie said.
“Yes, they are but such is life,” the mother said as the elevator doors opened.
“I want a whole house full of those and I can’t get a single one of my kids to cooperate.” Maddie sighed.
“Girls?”
“Either or both. I’m just ready for grandchildren. It’s not a long walk and our seats are reserved.” Maddie pointed at a building when they left the hotel. “That is the 8 Second Club. Cash paid the dues for the family so make Rye take you there to eat after the rodeo.”
“Rye made me watch a movie by that name the other night. I don’t know anything more about rodeos than what I saw in that movie. I’m feeling a little out of place.”
“Like maybe you need your spike heels instead of them boots,” Maddie laughed.
“Yes, ma’am. Exactly. Like I’m the clown and trying to be something I’m not.”
“Going to the rodeo is like going to the opera. Either you love it or hate it. After tonight you’ll catch the bug and want to be here every weekend or you’ll never come back.”
“I love the opera. Get emotional every time I go.”
“Then you know what I’m talking about. Loved it the first time you sat in the balcony and didn’t understand a word of the songs but felt the emotion down to your toenails, didn’t you?”
Austin nodded.
“So did I. Cash hates it.”
“How about your children?”
“Gemma said she’d rather spend the afternoon in an outdoor toilet as go back. Raylen and Dewar snored through their first visit and never went back. I got Rye to go twice but it’s not for him. But Colleen, now there’s a girl who loves it as much as I do.”
Austin sighed. Wasn’t that just the luck?
The excitement was a living breathing entity that wrapped itself around Austin’s shoulders like a mink coat on a bitter cold day. From the moment she walked through the gates and up into the stands surrounding the arena her heart raced. The smell of dirt, horses, and bulls and the noise of the crowd surrounding her all mixed together to stir her emotions even before she looked up to see Rye coming across the arena with his tall Texas swagger that made her blood boil.
The walk across the arena was the longest walk Rye ever made. It was Austin’s first rodeo and he was scared shitless that she’d hate it. He remembered when his mother made him go to an opera in Dallas. He thought he’d die of boredom before that woman stopped singing. Give him some good old country music any day of the week. He swore he’d never go back to another one of those bellowing banshee affairs. And now Austin was sitting in the same kind of spot. If she hated the smell of dirt, hot sweaty bulls, and cow shit, he wouldn’t make her ever go to another rodeo, but it would break his heart.
When he sat down beside her and brushed a kiss across her cheek, his palms were sweaty. “So?”
“So what?” she asked.
“Do you like it?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t seen anything yet except a dirt corral and a bunch of people.”
“I’m so glad you are here,” he whispered.
“Welcome to the Resistol Arena,” a big booming Texas voice said from the judge’s stand. “And welcome to the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. Get ready to see the meanest bulls in Texas, the wildest broncs, and the cowboys and cowgirls who intend to tame them tonight. And now please welcome our judges for tonight’s performance with a big round of applause.”
Catcalls and hand clapping went on for a full minute before the announcer could be heard above them. “Sounds like a good crowd tonight. So I’ll ask everyone to stand while tonight’s singer, Colleen O’Donnell, does a fine job of our National Anthem and then we’ll have a moment of silence for all our troops.”
“Colleen?” Austin asked as she stood and put her hand over her heart.
“She went to Nashville for a year. Might’ve made it but she hated the city life,” Rye whispered.
Colleen’s soulful rendition of the song brought tears to Austin’s eyes and she could have sworn even the bulls bowed their heads for a moment of complete silence. Rye slipped his arm around her waist and peace settled around Austin like angel wings.
“Thank you,” the announcer said. “Once again, welcome, and now we’ll begin our opening ceremonies for tonight.”
“What’s going to happen?” Austin asked.
“Just watch.”
The first horse to come from the far side was a big black beauty that stepped high. A lady in a sparkling silver shirt and tight jeans rode standing up, her boots in stirrups at the front of her saddle, one hand on the bottom of the American flag, the other on the top edge. The motion sent it fluttering back behind her as she controlled the horse’s speed with her feet.
The next horse was just as black and beautiful and Gemma rode on his back with the Texas state flag in her hands. She wore red sequins and black western-cut jeans. Her belt buckle was the Lone Star state flag done completely in sparkling jewels. She smiled at the crowd as they clapped and stood up when the flags passed in front of their part of the bleachers.
“Oh!” Austin exclaimed. “I love it!”
Rye didn’t even know he was holding his breath until he let it out in a whoosh.
She looked over at him. “What?”
“I was afraid you’d hate it as bad as I hate opera.”
She kissed him smack on the lips right there in front of his mother. “Darlin’, it is spectacular. I love it. When do the bulls come out of the chutes? Can we really do this every weekend all summer?”
Colleen joined them, sitting beside her mother. “She’s looks beautiful tonight, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does.” Rye was grinning from ear to ear but it didn’t have a lot to do with his sister. “Be nice if she can stay on that bull long enough to rack up some points.”
“How does that work?” Austin kissed him again in front of Colleen just to prove to Verline that she wasn’t afraid of any of the O’Donnell women.
Colleen gave her a dirty look but explained, “There are three judges. Two in the box and one back by the bull chutes who’ll break any ties with his points. Fifty is a perfect score from each judge. Twenty-five is for her performance. Twenty-five is for the bull. Forty is a good high score from each judge. Serious riders want a mean bull because he gets points for power, speed, and drop in the front end, kick in the back end. If he can change directions that’s even better. She needs the points to get seeded.”
“What’s that and what would get points taken off?” Austin asked.
“Seeded means the rider is ranked among the top forty-five bull riders. She’ll get to go to the PBR’s major league tour and then have a shot at the season finale held in Las Vegas. She’s been close before and this could be her year,” Rye explained.
“What about her new beauty shop business?”
“If she gets a shot at that tour, the business will have to wait,” Maddie said.
“Things that woul
d go against her are touching herself or the bull with her free hand. That’s instant disqualification. She’d lose points for poor body position or lack of control,” Rye explained.
“Is she riding one of your bulls?”
“She got the draw for Lucifer.” Rye nodded.
“Is he mean?”
“I’ve only seen two riders stay on him the full eight seconds.”
Austin grabbed his hand and held on tightly. “Don’t you worry about her?”
He draped the other arm around her shoulders and slid in closer to her. “She’s a good rider. Hey, you want to ride the mechanical bull when this is over? You could get a taste of riding.”
“Good Lord, Rye,” Colleen said. “Boots and jeans don’t make her riding material.”
Austin shot a look at Colleen. “I’d love to ride the bull.”
“Better not eat first. You’ll have trouble keeping it down,” Colleen said.
“Why don’t you join us for supper and watch me ride? I’ll bet you a hundred dollars I can stay on it for the full ride at top speed,” Austin said.
Colleen reached across her mother with an outstretched hand. “You are on, lady.”
“You ever ride the mechanical bull before?” Rye asked.
Austin shook her head. “But I’m taking a hundred dollars from your sister tonight. You want to bet against me, I’ll take your money too.”
Rye shook his head from side to side. “No bets from this corner of the house.”
The opening ceremonies ended and the bull riding began. First the men rode. Two of them managed to stay on the full eight seconds and had a total of eighty points each. The third judge, the one on the back of the bucking chute, had to break the tie with his points on both of them. Austin could smell the excitement in the rolling dust from the middle of the arena, the bulls’ snorts and kicks, and the tension that lasted eight seconds on the clock and eternity in real time.
“It’s a good thing I never went to one of these before now. I’d be one of those groupie girls like in that movie,” she told Rye.
“You mean like Rosalee?” Colleen asked.
“Colleen!” Maddie exclaimed.
“Well, she was. Remember when she used to call the house and even stalked him?”
Austin smiled even though she was so jealous she could have bitten nails. “I might have had to whip her cute little ass if I’d been a groupie back then.”
“What makes you think it was cute?” Colleen asked.
“Must’ve been cute if Rye looked at it,” Austin shot back at Colleen.
The announcer’s voice stopped any more talk. “And now coming out of chute six on Lucifer, the biggest, meanest bull in the great state of Texas, is Gemma O’Donnell. If this girl don’t land the big silver buckle at the PBR rodeo this winter, I’ll be one surprised cowboy. Give it up for our own Texas cowgirl, Gemma O’Donnell.”
The crowd went wild, whistling and stomping the bleachers until Austin was sure the real Lucifer wrapped his long tail around his ears to keep out the noise.
When the gates opened, Austin sucked in a lung full of air and held her breath. When the bull rolled to one side, his nose practically touching his tail, with all four feet off the ground, she let it out in a whoosh. With one hand up in the air, Gemma leaned back and kicked the bull to make him work harder. Three seconds into it, Austin was on her feet. Five seconds and she was yelling as loud as Colleen and Rye. Eight seconds later a rider went out to help her get off the animal which was still pitching and bucking.
“Let’s hear it again for a near perfect ride,” the announcer said.
Gemma hopped down off the horse and raised both hands until she heard the points. Then she settled her hat and headed around the edge of the arena to sit with her family. It took several minutes to get there because she had to stop along the way for hugs and pats on the back.
When she reached the family, Rye wrapped her up in a bear hug. “You done good, sister.”
“Was there ever any doubt? I had a visit with Lucifer beforehand. I told the sumbitch if he didn’t get out there and be the meanest critter in Texas I was going to drown his sorry old speckled hide in the Red River at the end of the season.”
Raylen and Dewar were off their game that night. Neither of them did a bit of good on their broncs but they both declared they’d do better the next week.
“Okay, you want to stay and watch it to the end or go over to the club and get something to eat?” Rye asked.
“I want to eat but first I’ve got a bull to ride,” she said.
Gemma looked at Colleen, who explained.
Gemma grinned as big as her brother. “I’ve got twenty out that says Austin can stay on it the full eight seconds.”
“You put that kind of trust in me?” Austin asked.
Gemma nodded. “If you say you can ride it the first time out, then I reckon you got your reasons for saying so. Don’t make me lose twenty dollars. How much did you bet, Rye?”
“I didn’t.”
“Chicken!” Gemma said.
“I don’t have a doubt in the world that Austin can ride that bull. Hell, I’ll even let Colleen operate the machinery so we know there’s no favoritism. She’ll give her the hardest ride possible so if Austin stays on Colleen can’t do anything but pay up with a smile,” Rye said.
“You got a deal,” Colleen said from three feet behind them as they headed toward the club.
“Ride first. Eat later.” Austin hoped like hell her training at horseback riding, ballet lessons, and skiing paid off.
“You sure you’ve never been on a mechanical bull?” Colleen asked.
“Cross my heart.”
“Then what makes you so stupid?” Colleen asked.
“Maybe I’m just looking forward to a trip to Cavender’s Western Wear Store in Nocona on your hundred dollar bill,” Austin replied.
Maddie, Colleen, Gemma, Austin, and Rye all headed for the bull without stopping to lay claim to a table.
“Mind if I borrow them spurs?” Austin looked at Colleen.
“Be glad to loan them to you. You know you get extra points for spurring him or for drinking while he’s bucking. Want me to get you a beer?”
Austin nodded. “Longneck. Coors. Now Gemma, you tell me the rules.”
“They’re the same as the arena. Eight seconds. One hand up all the time. One hundred points possible. If you get a perfect score you get three free pints from the club. Your choice of beer. We’ll have two judges, neither of which can be Rye, or me, since I’ve got a bet on your ass. So I’ll find a couple of waiters to judge.”
Gemma motioned for a couple of waiters.
Colleen returned with the beer and a pair of gloves.
Austin rolled up slightly on her toes and wrapped an arm around Rye’s neck.
“Kiss for good luck,” she said as her lips met his in a crashing hot deep kiss right there in front of Colleen. “Don’t worry, darlin’. I’ve had lessons in horseback riding, ballet, and skiing plus I’ve ridden something meaner and tougher than that bull.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yep, and to top all that off, I’ve ridden a helluva sexy cowboy and stayed on more than eight seconds,” she whispered in his ear.
“You’d better get ready to give up that hundred dollar bill,” Rye told Colleen.
“There’s never been anyone stay on the back of a bull eight seconds when I’m running the controls. Don’t expect one bit of sympathy,” Colleen said.
Austin wrapped the rope around her left hand and held on. She held the beer in her right hand and settled onto the back of the mechanical bull. She took a long swig of the beer and yelled, “Okay, let her rip.”
Colleen moved the control from bottom to top in two seconds and Austin spurred, swilled beer, and rode the ton of metal for the full eight seconds, putting on enough of a show that the waiters were clapping and whistling by the time it was over. When it stopped, she crawled off, hoped her stomach didn’t spew t
he beer all over Rye when she got to him, and held out her hand to Colleen, who promptly laid a hundred dollar bill in it.
“You cheated. There’s no way you have never ridden before,” Colleen grumbled.
Austin shoved the bill down into her bra. “Never have. Never been to a rodeo until tonight. But I’ll be honest. I watched close and I’ve done a lot of skiing and horseback riding. And when I was younger I took ballet and gymnastics. It’s all a matter of balance.”
Gemma patted her on the back. “Shit, girl, you ought to be riding the real thing.”
“No, thanks. Doubt I’d ever get back on that one. He was pretty dang tough. Did I get enough points for my three pints or not?”
One of the waiters handed her three tickets. “Darlin’, I’d let you ride anything I’ve got any night of the week.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve got my own personal cowboy that I have trouble keepin’ up with.”
Rye drew her close with one arm and kissed her on the top of her head. “You were damn good. I don’t think you needed any lessons from me, though,” he whispered.
“I was damn good but it was the kiss that brought me good luck. My stomach is starting to settle. I could eat a steak the size of a turkey platter.”
“Whoever is feeding this woman better have a big bank account. She always could out eat any hired hand Verline had on the place,” a woman said from behind them.
Austin spun around to see Pearl right behind her. “Pearl! What are you doing here?”
“Checking out the hot guys in tight jeans.” She laughed and hugged Austin tightly. “Hell, girl, you did better than me on that bull and I been tryin’ to tame him for five years.”
“Want to have dinner with us?”
Pearl was a short woman with shoulder-length curly red hair worn the same way she did when she was fifteen. She was slightly top heavy with a tiny waist and rounded hips. She had full lips and green eyes with golden flecks dancing in them.
“I’m here with a friend. Can’t exactly say it’s a date like you’d think of a date but he’s picking up the tab for a beefsteak tonight. Introduce me to… oh, my God, is that you, Colleen?”
“It is. Haven’t seen you in a helluva long time,” Colleen said.
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