The guy before me nods and the gate swings open. I don’t watch to see how things go for him. I set both feet on Buck Nasty’s back and slowly slide onto him.
Man, he’s a big bastard.
My mouth is dry, I’m nervous but still confident. In this moment, I can’t think about anything. If I start thinking about the end result, good or bad, it only distracts me from being in this moment right here. If I want to ride this bull, I have to have a clear mind and a will to win.
“Pull it up,” I say to Wade.
I warm up the rosin on the tail of my rope, I can smell it burn as it starts to get sticky. The last bull leaves and the arena crew all get set at my chute. I vaguely hear the announcer say my name and start hyping up the crowd. I put my hand in my rope, and knowing he goes right, I set my hand a little further to theright of his backbone. Just in case I get a little behind, it will give me a second chance to catch back up.
Today, I know I’m in my zone, I’ll be where I need to be. My mind is calm, and I can’t even hear the noise around me. Not the other bull riders offering last words of encouragement, not the roar of the crowd or even the announcer talking about me over the loudspeakers.
Wade pulls my rope tight and hands my tail to me as I pull it over the palm, then wrap it back around my hand, and back over the palm. Then I run the tail between my pinky and my ring finger. The suicide wrap. I normally wouldn’t do it, but I’m not going to buck off the bull to win it on because my hand pops out.
After I finish my wrap, I take two deep breaths, slide up over my hand, and push up on my legs. Once I feel ready, I nod my head, and I hear the clang of the latch.
My world explodes, and there’s no time to think, only react. Buck Nasty has a ton of power as I set my hips to my rope for the first kick. When he extends his hind legs to their full length, above his head, it feels like an invisible force is pulling at my vest, trying to get my face to meet the back of his head. I flex my lower back muscles and use my feet to keep myself from bowing out over him.
He slings his head, and I can feel that he’s in the right lead. He rears and kicks again, this time he’s moving right and fast. I set my hips and hold them just like I did before, only now I throw my free arm over my head.
The bull in my visualization didn’t move this fast with this much power. Probably should’ve added that. Noted for next time.
The next round goes by in a flash. I get shaken to the outside, but when he kicks, I lift my outside knee and foot to kick my hips back into the middle of him. I immediately drive forward on mylegs to meet his rear. I can hear myself grunt between my gritted teeth every time I pump my free arm over my head.
Every jump, he yanks on my arm, trying to break my grip from the handle of my rope, but I refuse to let go. Round after round, I give it everything I have to stay on Buck Nasty’s back. Then, the buzzer finally sounds.
I grab my tail as fast as I can without getting myself jerked down and I let Buck Nasty sling me off his back. I land ten feet away in a ball, shoulder first. At least the arena dirt is softer out here. I get to my feet and run to the fence where it’s safe.
“He did it, ladies and gentlemen! The man from Oklahoma just conquered one of the rankest bulls in the business!” the announcer bellows over the microphone as the crowd loses their minds. “How about this, a new arena record to win this year’s Extreme Bulls title. 92 points!” the announcer says, as the crowd lets out another roar.
The bull leaves the arena, and I thank my bull fighters. One of them hands me my rope and slaps me on the shoulder.
I walk out of the arena, and Trey is waiting.
“When are you going to let me win one for once?” He smiles as he lifts his hand for a high five.
“Not today, apparently.” I laugh as I slap his hand.
“That was probably the rankest bull ride I’ve ever seen, you deserve it.” He holds my hat out to me so I can put it on for the interview.
“Thanks, man. Hey, can you take my gear to my bag?” I hand him my helmet, put my hat on, and unzip my vest.
He nods and I hand over my gear. As he walks away, I go back into the arena for the buckle presentation and interview.
Afterward, I head straight to my bag and grab my phone. I don’t waste a second.
“Congratulations!” Kacey answers, and my heart swells.
Chapter 27
Knox
After that night, Kacey and I talked every day, sometimes twice a day. And starting off my summer run strong with a win in Weatherford was great. Trey and I had a few more rodeos in the south after that, but tonight was our last. Now we’re headed west for the summer. Vernal, Utah, is our first stop and I’m driving north on I-27 when it dawns on me—it wouldn’t be very far out of our way to stop at the ranch. We have an extra day before we need to be in Vernal.
Trey is asleep, so I make the executive decision to change course. I grab my phone off the dash and update my maps for the Diamond Hart Ranch. If I drive until 3 a.m., then have Trey trade me, we could be there by midmorning. This will give me one night with Kacey, one night to convince her we should give this a real shot.
It’s 3:15 a.m. when I finally reach across the truck and shake Trey awake. “Hey, wake up. We need to trade, I’m getting tired.”
He groans at me, rolling away. “Just pull over. I’m tired, we’ll drive it tomorrow.”
