by Jake Mactire
“That was a great ride, Jeffy!” He gave me a real nice kiss.
I could hear the announcer. “That was Jeff Connolly, sponsored by the Lucky Jeff Ranch. A Washington State cowboy, Jeff’s partner is Mike Guidry who bucked just a while ago. Looking at Mike, I’d agree that Lucky Jeff is lucky.” We all laughed. Mike and I had moved over to the fence at the edge of the chutes and sat on it together.
I leaned into him. “He’s right. I sure as hell am lucky to have you.” He gave me a look that really got me going. It was sweet, tender, wild, and horny all at once.
“Forty-eight points!”
“I knew you was gonna do good, Jeffy.”
“Thanks, you did great too. It was just your horse lost points.” In bareback bronc riding, both the cowboy and horse are judged. Maximum score is twenty-five points each. “Rodeo ain’t over yet. We still gotta buck tomorrow. You’ll get a better horse.”
“Yep, and I’ll leave you in the dust.”
“It’s a good thing to have dreams, buddy, but that ain’t a dream, it’s a fantasy.”
“I reckon it’s no different from normal then. You’re the subject of all my fantasies.” We kissed again, and I heard several clicks. Several guys were standing around with cameras.
The grand entry was after the bronc riding, so Mike and I went and joined Jeanette, who was the only other representative of the Washington State Gay Rodeo Association present. The grand entry is where all the rodeo associations and the other folks putting on the rodeo enter the arena. There’s usually a pretty big group of drag queens. Since the grand entry is almost always late, I’ve heard a lot of guys joke that it was because two of the drag queens got in a fight over who’d go first. We paraded in, and they sang the American and Canadian National anthems and introduced each rodeo association. Then they had the ceremony of the riderless horse. For this event, a saddled horse is led around the arena, signifying that its rider is no longer with us. It started when AIDS was decimating the gay community and has continued on. This time the announcer added a very chilling bit of information.
“We’d also like to commemorate those taken from us by a heartless maniac, the West Coast Cutter. With the discovery of Officer Nate Hughes’ body this morning, his total is rising.”
THE rodeo continued on. We’d run into Bryan and David and AJ. We sat together and watched the events. They saved us seats when it came time for the pole bending, barrel racing, and steer riding.
“Jeff, Mike, thanks for telling me about the gay rodeos. I’m having a great time. I understand a lot more about what you were saying about the cowboy culture when I was at the ranch.”
Mike nodded at AJ and smiled. “It’s my first gay rodeo too. It is fun though.”
David giggled.
“It looks like we have two rodeo virgins here, guys.” Bryan looked over at AJ. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it, AJ. David, I think that after straight rodeos, the gay rodeo would be a piece of cake for Mike.”
“Oh.”
“How long have you two been attending gay rodeos?” AJ looked at Bryan.
“This is about the fourth year I’ve attended some of the rodeos.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to attend a few more too.”
Just then our friend Lonnie walked by. “Hey, Mike, Jeff, is it okay if I join you guys?” He climbed up the stands. “Howdy, Jeanette.”
“Hey, Lonnie, you buckin’ this year?”
“No, I dislocated my shoulder a month ago, and the doctor told me to take it easy.”
Mike looked at him. “Jeff got shot a few months ago, and he’s here.”
“I guess I just ain’t as smart as Lonnie.”
“Are you a real cowboy too?” David was staring openly at Lonnie.
“I am. I live and work here in Arizona.”
“I’m Bryan, and this is my partner David.” Lonnie reached over and shook their hands.
“I’m AJ, Lonnie.” They shook hands, and Lonnie sat down next to AJ.
“You guys both looked great in the bareback bronc ridin’. Are you all competing in the wild drag race?” He looked from me to Mike to Jeanette.
“Yep, we are.”
“So who’s goin’ in drag?” He looked from me to Mike.
I couldn’t help but answer. “Jeanette.” She punched me lightly on the arm, and everyone laughed. “I reckon that’d be me. We weren’t too sure Mike could stay on the steer.”
“From what I’ve seen of his rodeo skills, he shouldn’t have a problem.” Mike smiled at AJ for the compliment.
Lonnie jumped in. “See, Mike, not only is the man handsome, but he’s a good judge of steer riders.” Lonnie and AJ smiled at one another.
A couple of drag queens walked by and said hello. I tipped my hat and said, “Afternoon, ladies.” They giggled. Before we knew it, the announcer was calling the contestants for the wild drag race. Jeanette, Mike, and I headed over to the chutes.
IT WAS about a half an hour later, and we were standing in a group of people waiting to compete. I was wearin’ an old housedress over my jeans and shirt. I had on a big-hair blond wig. One of the guys in the group laughed and came over.
“You got the wig on backward, dude.” I put it on the right way. It did fit a bit better.
“Much obliged.” I turned to Mike and Jeanette. They were laughing.
“I wouldn’t laugh if I was either of you. Number one, I’m the only one brave enough to go like this, and Mike, wouldn’t you rather I didn’t know one end of a wig from another?”
“You got that right, Jeffy.” Before we knew it, we were up. I stood out in the middle of the arena. Jeanette was by the chute gate, and Mike was about halfway between us. The whistle blew and the steer trotted out of the gate. Jeanette grabbed the rope, and Mike ran up and began dogging the steer. I ran and pushed from the back. Jeanette fell and Mike and I managed to hold on to the steer until she got up and got the rope again. We finally dragged, pushed, and led the steer over to the first line. I jumped on its back. It immediately bucked before I even had my balance. I fell off.
“I reckon I’m gonna have to teach you how to steer ride, Jeffy.”
“In your dreams, buddy. Watch this.” I jumped right across the steer and pulled one of my legs over it and held on around its neck. I spurred it on while Mike dragged it, and Jeanette pushed. Finally the buzzer rang.
“That was fifty-seven seconds. The best time so far by Jeff Connolly, Mike Guidry, and Jeanette Randall from the Lucky Jeff Ranch out of Washington State.” I pulled off my wig and waved it, and Mike and Jeanette waved their hats. I finally put my arm around Mike on one side and Jeanette on the other, and we walked out of the arena together. We all enjoyed all the applause. As soon as we got by the trucks in back, I ditched the dress and the wig in Jeanette’s truck. When we got back to the stands, Lonnie had beers for each of us.
“Thank you much, this hits the spot.”
He chuckled. “I was gonna get you a pink lady, Jeff, but I thought you’d prefer the beer. In any case, good job.”
We sat and watched the wild drag race for a while. There was quite a bit of creativity in a lot of the costumes. There was Little Bo Peep, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, and a guy dressed up like Pippi Longstocking. We didn’t manage to hang on to the best time.
“So, what other events are you competing in today?” Bryan looked at us.
“We just got team ropin’ and bull ridin’ and that’s it.”
“Bull riding, that’s dangerous, isn’t it?” AJ frowned.
“Any event in rodeo can be, AJ. Cowboyin’ is a dangerous job. Rodeo developed for cowboys to show off their skills. Lotta the guys ridin’ bulls professionally ain’t even cowboys, just bull riders.”
“Do your rings have anything to do with the roping?” Bryan had noticed our rings.
“Yeah, they do. Jeffy made ’em for us because we do team ropin’. He’s the heeler, and I’m the header.” Just then the announcer made the call for team roping.
“You’ll get to see us in action now.” We walked off to the chutes with cries of good luck sounding in our ears.
THE din surrounding us was pretty amazing. We were at a large table in a raucous Mexican restaurant across the street from the host hotel in downtown Phoenix. Mike, myself, Jeanette, a friend of hers named Debbie, Bryan and David, Lonnie, AJ, and Robert were gathered around the table. Several baskets of chips and salsa were scattered around, and Mike, myself, Jeanette, and Lonnie had beer. AJ, Debbie, Bryan, and David had margaritas. Robert had a glass of red wine.
“I still can’t believe you two at team ropin’.” Lonnie looked from Mike to me and shook his head.
“I hope you were takin’ notes there, Lonnie,” Jeanette chimed in.
“I just can’t believe how lucky the two of you were. I mean, I know you guys are good, but that was incredible.”
“What was incredible about it?” David asked.
“Just the fact that they had the calf roped in perfect form in only twenty-three seconds.” Lonnie shook his head again.
“Jeffrey and Michael are both excellent cowboys.”
Jeanette looked at him. “You can say that again, Rob.”
“It’s Robert.”
“That’s what she said.” Mike winked at Jeanette and then smiled at Robert. Debbie, Jeanette’s friend, was also a rodeo cowgirl.
“You three had a great day. One or the other of you are in the lead for flag racin’, steer, bull, and bareback bronc ridin’.”
“We’re just good, ain’t we, Mike, Jeannette?”
“Damn right, Jeffy!”
Lonnie chuckled. “Don’t shine them buckles yet, boys, you still got tomorrow to go.”
“Lonnie, you know buckles are nice to have, but they don’t matter. Me and my buddy here are havin’ fun. That’s what’s important.”
“I guess it’s time to change the subject before you three get big heads. So Bryan, David, AJ, you three were the first guests at the ranch. How did you like it?”
“We had fun.” David stared at Lonnie when he said it. Bryan nudged him.
“It was a lot of fun. From the skiing, to Jeff and Mike teaching us about cowboy culture and their arts, to the staff, everything was really nice. The food was fantastic too,” Bryan added.
“You can say that again. It was great.” AJ winked at Lonnie.
“Hmmm. Maybe I’ll have to meet you there, AJ.” Lonnie smiled at AJ, and Robert cleared his throat.
“I imagine it would be interesting to go there as a paying guest.”
“You’re always welcome, Rob, and I promise, no son-of-a-bitch stew this time.”
“Michael, my name is Robert.”
“That’s what I said.”
Robert looked from Mike to me, his expression serious. “With the news seeming to focus exclusively on the West Coast Cutter, and even knowing some of the victims, it might be a nice escape to visit the ranch and forget about serial killers for a while. It was really sad about the police officer.”
“It really was.” Lonnie had a long face. “What does that bring the total up to now?”
“Twenty-six confirmed victims, but they think there might be quite a few more. To have killed that many people and gotten away with it, the guy must be a lot smarter than the police.” David’s opinion shocked me a bit.
“Why do you say that, David? He’ll get caught sometime.” Lonnie seemed a bit perturbed with David’s statement.
David stuttered an answer. “To kill so many people and get away with it.” Bryan frowned at David.
AJ spoke up. “I saw a show about serial killers on TV the other day. They say that when the victims are just chosen at random or are peripheral to the killer, the crimes are a lot more difficult to solve. I guess, David, if you mean the Cutter is smart enough to choose his victims so as not to cast suspicion on himself, you’re right.”
“Quite frankly, I think the idea is terrifying. If a trained officer of the law could fall to this person, the rest of us should be very concerned.”
“You’re right, Robert. It is kind of scary. I reckon we all just got to be careful.” Lonnie put his arm on AJ’s shoulder as he spoke. AJ smiled. It was obvious they were really attracted to one another.
Bryan looked from me to Mike. “You two are awful quiet. What do you think? Do you think the guy is smart or just lucky?”
“I reckon he’s gotta be a bit of both.”
“Yeah, I reckon Mike’s right, a bit of both. I just hope his luck runs out, or he makes a dumb mistake.”
“He scares people.”
“That he does, David. Now guys, how about we change the subject. Lonnie, are you gonna buck in any rodeos this year?” I was glad Jeanette had jumped in. Lonnie must have been too. He looked relieved.
“Yeah, I reckon. My arm and shoulder will be better by the Denver Rodeo in July. Then I’ll compete in the ones after that. What about you guys?”
“We’re thinkin’ on Texas next month, then the rodeos in New Mexico, Nevada, and California.”
“What about you Bryan, David?”
“We already have plane tickets for Denver, San Diego, Albuquerque, and Reno.”
AJ jumped in. “I’m gonna have to go to another rodeo or three. This is fun.”
We continued to talk over dinner and then went to the bar as a group with the shuttle bus from the hotel. As we walked into the bar, Jeanette, Debbie, David, and Bryan went to get drinks for us all. The rest of us found a place over by the dance floor.
I had to laugh when I heard the DJ announce the next song. “This next one is for all of you out-of-towners visiting us for the rodeo.” The song he played was “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight,” by Toby Keith.
“C’mon, buddy, I’m not just talkin’ about tonight. I’m talking about forever.” I grabbed Mike’s hand and led him out onto the dance floor. The next song was one of the occasional pop or disco numbers they play, “Amor a la Mexicana,” by Thalia. Mike and I were still on the dance floor, and the rest of our little group joined us. After a few minutes, we were wedged in like sardines. It just meant that I had to get closer to Mike.
“You don’t mind me dancin’ so close, do ya, Mike?”
“Hell no, Jeffy. I’d mind it if ya didn’t.” As the song came to an end, the slow and sultry sounds of “Black Velvet” filled the air. I grabbed Mike and spun him around.
“What are you doin’?”
“This is called a shadow dance. We both dance in the lead position.” I took his right hand in mine, grabbed his left and put it around him. We began a slow two-step. After a few steps, he was in perfect form, and we moved together. I put my chin on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. “You like?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s nice bein’ in your arms. I like the way I can touch you here and hold your hand and stuff, and people are okay with it.”
“I just like bein’ with you.” When we got back to the group, there was another round waiting for us. It was gonna be a fun night. Bryan and David danced a few, and it was fun watching Lonnie teach AJ how to two-step. Robert danced with both Mike and me. When the sounds of “Wild Wild West” came over the speakers, we all went out on the floor for the barn dance, a dance where there are two circles, and you change partners, one circle moving one way, the other in the other way. Robert had stayed behind and had gotten yet another round for everyone, including shots of tequila. “Cotton Eye Joe” came on, and we formed a line of all nine of us.
About midnight, Mike and I decided to take the shuttle bus back to the hotel. We agreed to meet everyone for breakfast tomorrow in the hotel restaurant at seven. Mike was pretty tipsy as we walked out of the bar.
“Jeffy?”
“What’s up, bud?”
“Thanks. I’m havin’ lots of fun.”
“Me too, buddy.” We shared a kiss that got us a few catcalls as we boarded the bus.
“Now let’s get to the hotel and get some sleep. We just about used up this day.”
Chapter Sixteen
MIKE leaned against me as we sat together at the picnic table. It was day two of the rodeo. Today was quite a bit cooler than the day before. It had clouded over. Today’s high was forecast in the low sixties. The clouds did nothing to stop the omnipresent dust of South Phoenix. Jeanette sat on my other side, and AJ and Lonnie were cuddled together across from us. Robert was walking over with something he’d bought from one of the vendors, and Bryan and David were still in line.
I turned to Mike. “I am bone-tired and sore, buddy.”
“Me too, Jeffy. We did pretty well in the events so far today, though.”
“That we did. It looks like you’re gonna get the buckle for chute doggin’.”
“Are you goin’ all modest on me? You’re in first place on bull ridin’. That’s the only event left. You already got buckles in bareback bronc ridin’ and flag racin’. We already got the buckles for team ropin’.”
“You two over there gloatin’?” The twinkle in Lonnie’s eye belied the words he said.
“I can’t help it, we’re good.”
“You’re humble as ever, Jeff. I wonder if it’s you’re so good or the other guys are just weekend cowboys.”
“Probably a bit of both.” I took another bite from my burger. It was good, but greasy as hell.
Mike leaned up against me again. “I’m gonna be happy to take some vacation time and see Arizona.”
“Me, too.” I leaned a little closer and lowered my voice. “I’m gonna be happy as hell to get outta this jock strap. It’ll be nice to take my boots off for a bit too.”