Bulldozed (13 page)

Panting for breath, Smoke stayed perched on the rail, peering up at the monitor to check the replay for the bull’s score. Then he dropped lightly into the ring and waved at the crowd. They cheered for him anyway, successful ride or not. He always made it exciting. Then he climbed up on the fence and stepped over to join Trey on the catwalk behind the chutes.

Quizzically, Smoke raised one eyebrow at Trey. “At least I fell off with style.”

“Yeah, your get-off was a 90-pointer.” Trey slapped Smoke on the back, wishing he had the right to hug him the way Alex grabbed Dolly after her ride. “Bad luck, Smoke.”

Smoke flashed him a grin. “Serves me right. I was sitting up there waiting on the whistle, all proud of myself and counting my money a little too soon. I was going a hundred and the bull was only going sixty. He just couldn’t catch up to me.” Smoke removed his helmet and wiped the sweat off his face. “You deserve the round win. I think you’re the first man to cover Buck Nekkid.”

“Thanks,” Trey started, but Smoke held up a hand when Jordan Lee started talking.

“And here’s the score for Bucking Fantastic. That bull dominated Smoke Carter with 45.5 points while Smoke is looking at a big fat donut. Smoke is such a consistent rider, it’s almost easier to keep track of his buck-offs than his rides.”

Miss Demeanor said, “And that buck-off keeps Trey Stuart at the top of the leaderboard going into the short round. Of course, Smoke Carter still has enough points from the first round to make it into the short-go, and he could make up some ground there.”

“You mean Smoke could still win it,” Jordan Lee cut in. “But don’t forget, there are four other riders in the short round, and for the first time ever, one of them is Dolly Miller, the first female rider to qualify to ride in the final round.”

“I would love to see her win,” Miss Demeanor said.

AS THE
rider with the highest score, Trey would ride last in the short-go. Ahead of him were only four other riders. With the lowest score, Dolly would go first.

Her bull was Sink the Bismarck, and this time the DJ played “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Her song sounded like a paean of triumph, and when Trey went to help her, he was pleased that, for the first time, another rider and the old-timer Virgil also came to the chute to assist Dolly. Success breeds success. Virgil leaned into the chute to give Dolly some advice.

“Honest bull,” Virgil said. “Good in the chute. Predictable trip. Puts his feet into the same spot each time around. But watch out when you get off. He’ll try to hook you.”

“Thanks, Virg.” Dolly grinned up at Virgil and then looked at Trey.

He nodded and smiled. “You can do this, Dolly.”

She swung her leg over the rail and plumped down on the bull’s back, showing a lot more confidence than yesterday.

“Remember, Dolls, this is fun,” Trey said. “And forget what you know about the bull. Just feel what he’s doing underneath you.”

“Got it.” She started her wrap while Trey kept one hand on her vest, but the old-timer was right. The bull stood as docile as a milk cow while Dolly made ready. “Let’s go!”

The gateman pulled the gate open. The bull hopped out and settled immediately in a right-hand spin. Dolly handled it easily until after the six-second mark. Then Sink the Bismarck took a sudden leap forward and rocked Dolly back. The bull whipped around and Dolly slid to the outside. Trey leaped up on the rail, sucking in his breath with anxiety, but Dolly managed to cling to the rope until the whistle blew, although she was hanging off the side for the last second and a half.

As the bull turned, she was slung facedown over its back on her belly, and Trey realized her hand was hung up in the rope. The bull kept spinning, and Dolly’s legs flew out like a helicopter blade. The bullfighters jumped at the bull, trying to free her hand from the rope. One of them managed to snatch the tail of the rope, and as he fell with it, his weight released her hand and she sat down on the ground suddenly.

Without a second thought, Trey dropped into the ring and ran to her. He lifted her to her feet and ran her to the rail, but the bullfighters had already drawn the bull to the gate. Her body shook in his arms, but Trey realized she was laughing.

“Are you okay?”

“What a rush! I covered another bull!” Suddenly Dolly whooped and pumped both hands in the air. She stomped a circle in the dust, waving at the audience and shrieking, “I am the woman! I am the woman!”

Trey relaxed into a grin. “You sure are. You go, girl.”

“And it’s another score for Dolly Miller!” Miss Demeanor announced.

“That could have turned into a bad wreck,” Jordan Lee said, “but Dolly hung on to make the whistle. If anyone wants to argue that a woman can’t ride a bull in the men’s division, Miss Dolly Miller has proven them wrong. And she made a good score of 76.”

“Let’s hear it for Dolly Miller!” Miss Demeanor stood up and led the applause. Then she drew her hand across her throat. “Enough with the adulation! On with the show.”

“Let’s get out of the ring, cowgirl,” Trey said. “It’s payday for you.”

“Three more rides between you and the buckle,” Dolly said.

“Yeah, but one of them is Smoke.”

“Pfft.” Dolly snapped her fingers. “You’re gonna take it tonight. I know it.”

THE NEXT
cowboy fell off in under four seconds. The following bull out of the chute took off hopping like a bunny rabbit instead of acting like a bull. The rider managed to hang on long enough to earn 63.25, but the dismount left him limping badly. He turned down the reride and was helped out of the ring by two medics, leaving only Smoke to challenge Trey for the win. Despite that fact, Trey helped Smoke get ready as he usually did. From the look on Smoke’s face, he wasn’t going to make it easy for Trey to win. But Trey was still feeling lucky.

“Good luck.”

“Luck’s got nothing to do with it.” Smoke grinned up at him and then gave the nod.

The aptly named Skull-Crusher turned to the left out of the gate and exploded high into the air. When they landed, Skull-Crusher went low with his front end. Smoke snapped forward but avoided making a touch. Then Skull-Crusher switched into a lightning-fast right-hand spin. When Smoke handled that with no trouble, the bull jumped up, kicking his back legs almost vertical enough to bump Smoke in the back. Skull-Crusher switched directions again and spun to the left. When the whistle blew, Smoke let go and the momentum sent him flying. He landed on all fours, but popped up immediately and ran for the fence.

“That was one bumpy ride; that bull never did settle into a good rhythm,” Jordan Lee said. “One of your stars from the Gay Rodeo circuit does it again. I think maybe the judges shortchanged him with a respectable score of 86.5 for Roy ‘Smoke’ Carter on Skull-Crusher. With only one rider left to go, the win is up in the air.”

“The question you’re all asking is can Treyvon Stuart beat Smoke for the buckle?” Miss Demeanor cut in. “And we’ll have that answer in just a few minutes now when he gets on the back of Outlaw Kelly.”

“You are not going to see any bull here spin faster or buck harder than Outlaw,” Jordan Lee said. “This bull has a 100 percent buck-off streak with a record of 21-0 against all comers. No one has covered Outlaw Kelly yet. He may be in the running for top bull of the season.”

“Trey Stuart is fixing to get on the rankest bull in the draw,” Miss Demeanor said.

Trey lowered himself into the chute, sliding his legs down on either side of the bull. He ignored Smoke’s hand gripping his vest, focusing only on the bull underneath him. The thunder of his pulse deafened him and his mouth was dry, but he forced himself to breathe. He didn’t hurry through the ritual, calmly going through each step. When he closed his fingers around the rope and flipped the tail end out of the way, he sensed the challenge coming from the bull. Outlaw stood solid as a rock in the chute, as if he was saying, “Take your best shot, cowboy, but it’s all up for grabs after this.”

Trey inched forward until he was sitting right up on his riding hand. Then he gave the nod, keeping his gaze fixed on the bull’s shoulders. He had this one. “Let ’er buck.”

The first jump was long rather than high. They were going fast enough that Trey practically heard the wind whistle past his ears. They finally came in for a landing twenty feet from the gate. He had to force himself to stay loose when the bull landed hard and dug its feet into the dirt to push back with immense power. Trey leaned forward, bent almost double as the bull made an abrupt turn. Outlaw turned so fast, it almost lashed its nose with its tail. Then Outlaw threw in a subtle move to the side and almost got away with it.

Trey snapped his free arm back and desperately twisted his body to keep in line with the bull. The bull threw a flying kick at him high in the spin, and splayed out all four feet in the air. Coming down, the drop felt like the tallest roller coaster in the world, and the jolt when they landed nearly launched Trey into the stratosphere, but he simply refused to open his hand. Each time Outlaw touched down, it turned in a different direction, switching back and forth so fast the crowd in the stands blurred in Trey’s vision. He couldn’t hear a thing but his own panting and the outraged bellow from the bull.

Outlaw lunged toward the fence and crashed its hind end into it, trying to use the rail to scrape Trey off. That was going to leave a mark. Then the bull changed directions again, leaping high and humping its back to dislodge Trey. He forced his weight down his legs to keep them from whipping back behind him. Outlaw slammed down hard enough to knock Trey off balance. He felt himself starting to slide into the blender on the inside and frantically lifted his outside leg, pulling himself back to center.

After one last vertical leap in the air so high they cleared the top rail—they could have soared into outer space—finally the buzzer sounded. He had done it! Trey let go of the rope and the momentum flipped him upside down. He knew he was heading for a crash landing and it was going to hurt. But instead of the shock he expected, one of the bullfighters stuck out his arm as Trey shot into the air, and caught him on the lower back, causing Trey to pivot in midair so he landed on his feet.

For a moment he was startled into immobility, but the bullfighter who’d caught him grinned and gave him a high five. Trey grinned and slapped his hand. Then he ripped off his helmet and shook it in the air, shouting, “Yeah, yeah! Yee-hah!”

The riders all lined up behind the chute, and all of them were cheering and holding their right hands up in salute. Smoke was grinning and pumping his fist in the air. Alex’s shrill scream cut through the pandemonium, even though he couldn’t see her.

Jordan Lee was on his feet, screaming into the microphone. “This score is going to be huge! What confidence and calm Trey Stuart displayed on the back of Outlaw Kelly. He completely dominated that bull. He would not give up. Whatever that bull threw at him, Trey rode him like a whirlwind. He came out of the gate spurring for the extra points, moving the entire ride, working that free arm. He just showed us the kind of ride you see only from a seasoned rider with a lot of talent. Trey didn’t have to think about it, he just did it. And the score is up! Trey Stuart posts 92 points to seal the victory here in OK City!”

Miss Demeanor was also standing up, grinning with glee. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, gay or straight,
that
is the American cowboy way of life! We saved the best for last. Trey Stuart, the first man to ride Outlaw Kelly, but what an incredible way to end a great bull’s winning streak.”

“You are right, Miss Demeanor, that was no day off for that bull. He came on like a freight train! It was as good a trip as I’ve seen Outlaw make, and Trey took him like he was a dairy cow.”

“Treyvon Stuart, bull rider and Chocolate Thunder in a sequined bra,” Miss Demeanor said.

The crowd in the stands took up the chant. “Choc-olate Thun-der, Choc-olate Thun-der!”

“I suspect your fans want you to come up here and claim your buckle.” Miss Demeanor held up the box to show off the buckle. “Sorry, Trey. We still have one event to go before we hand out the hardware. In my humble opinion, we’re about to witness the most important event this weekend. Everybody get ready for the Drag Race!”

Getting cut off like that couldn’t dim the glow of his triumph. Trey went back behind the chutes to hide from the audience, but Smoke and Dolly were there. No mistaking the pride shining in Smoke’s eyes when he pounded on Trey’s back. And Dolly hugged him again, making this a record weekend for embraces and ninety-point rides.

Trey settled down between them to watch the Drag Race and wait until it was time to claim his buckle. While he sat there, the other riders and old-timers filed past to congratulate him. Even the bullfighters stopped by, and the one who saved him in the ring gave him a kiss.

“Thanks, guys. And thanks for keeping us all safe out there.”

“Our pleasure, big guy.” The third bullfighter smacked his shoulder.

Although the Drag Race was pretty funny, Trey looked at it but didn’t see it. He was too busy living his winning ride over again. His luck was truly in. Two ninety-point rides, and both scores were personal bests for him.

When it was time for all the winners to collect their checks and buckles, Trey took his place backstage at the end of the long line. Odd that Smoke wasn’t here instead of him. And he saw no sign of Rowdy Stetson, so he must not have won his event, whatever it was.

Most rodeos Trey competed in were smaller, and they pretty much chucked the buckle at you and you were done. The GRA made a bigger deal of it.

Each winner was called out one at a time, in the order in which the events were held. Barrel racing, roping on foot, bareback riding, steer wrestling, dressing the goat, team roping, breakaway roping, team penning, bronc riding, and finally bull riding.

Hearing his name over the music was almost surreal. Coming through the wall of blue-tinted smoke, Trey emerged in the ring to lights flashing in his eyes and the roar of the crowd. He held his giant-sized check high over his head with both hands, turning in a circle so the entire arena could see it. His jaw was tight from grinning, but he couldn’t seem to stop, he was so damn proud of himself.