Nate threw a shoulder into the bull’s side, turning it away from the sliding rope, and his hand popped free. Coke was right there on the other side, yanking him down and tossing him away before Buckboard could get his balance.
“Yeehaw!” He hollered, waving his hat. He’d done gone and done it!
“Move, Landon!” Nate pushed him back toward the fence. Whoops. Seemed to him like Buckboard didn’t think they’d made a deal.
He climbed up, and Cotton hauled him over by his shirt collar. “It look good, Boll?”
“Looked like another ninety, buddy!” Cotton clapped him on the back, hooting.
Adam roped the bull, got him moving, but what Landon saw was ninety-three.
Ninety-three and a win.
He started dancing, hollering out his joy. Adam and the bull flashed by, and on the way back out, he saw Adam’s huge grin and thumbs up.
Damn. Damn, what a good fucking day. It got better when the last three riders went down without a score and he was the event winner.
He got to stand beneath the huge check, and he made sure Cotton got a picture to show Sister. Grinning ear to ear, he bounced through the interviews and all, then headed back to the locker room, walking on air.
He’d done it. He’d got himself to the finals. Now all he had to do was ride like hell for the rest of the season.
Hell, he’d be able to take care of Sister. Thank God. Another two years of taxes would be taken care of, and she could patch that hole in the roof.
Landon grinned. Lord have mercy. He had his cowboy, a paycheck. Life was good. His stomach rumbled. Maybe it was time to see if there was food.
Barbecue, Adam, and a beer—not in that order.
Yeah. This was the life.
