Rodeo Dreams

by Sarah M. Anderson

  Maybe Travis should change his name to The Travis Younkin. Whenever he was with June and someone recognized him, they had to add the The.

  “Calm down, Robin!” June said with a happy laugh. “Yes, this is the Travis Younkin.”

  “Oh man, oh man,” the kid named Robin said, jumping up and down. “You won seventy-five thousand dollars your first year in the pros! Your score of 98 on Micro Processor was never beat! You were just 79 points away from winning it all!”

  Travis hadn’t thought about that bull in a long time. It felt like this kid was talking about someone else, not him. Still, the fact that someone remembered something about his career that didn’t start and end with the wreck was impressive.

  Crouching down to eye level, Travis smiled as he ignored the pull in his hip. “You sound like a guy who knows his way around a bull. You must be Robin.”

  Too late to react, Travis watched as the kid lunged like a hug was on his mind. Travis braced for the impact, because he couldn’t see how a full-body tackle from this kid would do anything but hurt, but June cleared her throat. Robin pulled up short and began to hop in place again. “I can’t believe you came! You’re a famous bull rider!”

  “Bull riders do lots of stuff. Can’t spend your life on a bull. And June is pretty famous, too, you know.”

  “Yeah,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes, “but she’s just June. You’re the Travis Younkin!”

  “I missed you, too, you little rugrat,” June said as she ruffled Robin’s hair. “Didn’t your dad want to meet the Travis Younkin?”

  “Oh, yeah! Don’t go anywhere!” Robin’s feet spun out so fast that he wound up in the dirt, but it didn’t stop him. He was back up in a heartbeat, sprinting toward a huge barn. “I’ll be right back!”

  “Sorry about that,” June said with a chuckle as she watched the boy go. “He’s sort of your number-one fan around here.”

  “Goodness,” a soft female voice said from just inside the door. “He’s been wound tighter than a top waiting for you two to get here.” A woman stepped out onto the porch as she wiped her hands on an old-fashioned apron. “Honey, it’s so good to see you.”

  “Leslie!” June hugged the older woman. “I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

  The two women came down off the porch and into the sun. Leslie was older but not quite old enough to be June’s mom. Her hair was a dark red, and her face was splashed with freckles. She looked a little like June—the face had the same shape, the same kind of nose—but she didn’t look a whole lot like an Indian. Not what he was expecting. She smiled at him.

  “Travis, this is Leslie Yellow Robe. Leslie—”

  “Travis Younkin, of course.” She shook his hand with the kind of grip that only ranch women could pull off—a lot harder than the average woman shook, but still somehow entirely feminine. Suddenly, he was nervous all over again. He wished the kid would come back. “You’re all Robin has talked about. I’m glad you could come to visit.”

  “Glad to be here, ma’am.”

  Mrs. Yellow Robe held his gaze, like she wanted to see if he’d blink first. “Let me get you some lemonade.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Mrs. Yellow Robe patted him on the arm then went back into the house.

  “See? It’s him!” This time, Robin did clock into Travis with enough force to knock him back a step.

  “Robin.” The deep voice had a thick accent, and it held a note of warning.

  Not that the voice worked on the kid. “Sorry! But see? I told you!”

  As he regained his balance, Travis found himself face-to-face with a man who wore a scowl like some people wore a hat. Travis knew this man wouldn’t look right without one.

  “Welcome.” The man who could only be Joseph Yellow Robe turned back to the boy. “Robin, give Mr. Younkin a chance to settle in.” It wasn’t a request. It was a flat-out order.

  Joseph will try to scare you, June had said.

  Travis blinked again, and saw the world through June’s eyes. He didn’t know how old Robin was, but right now, this looked less like some sort of war and more like a kid being scolded by his parents in front of company. He remembered the feeling.

  Joseph shifted his gaze from Robin back to Travis like a knife cutting through the air. “I apologize on behalf of my son,” he said.

  “It’s fine.” Travis wasn’t sure he meant it until June leaned her head onto his shoulder. The simple touch reminded him that he was here with her. And, more importantly, she was here with him.

  He took a deep breath and, interlacing his fingers with hers, stood up a little straighter. He had faith it would all work out.

  “June,” Joseph Yellow Robe said, sounding less like he was saying hello and more like he was passing judgment. “Been behaving yourself?”

  She didn’t hesitate, God bless her. “Yes, Joseph.”

  Her tone was far more deferential than Travis had ever heard before. But then, he wouldn’t want to piss off this guy, either.

  Joseph said, “We invited your mother up for dinner.”

  June nodded her head, a move that was closer to a bow than anything else. “I appreciate that.”

  Joseph turned to Travis. Travis steeled himself. “I’m sorry we got off to a rocky start. We’re glad you’re here.”

  June nudged Travis with her boot. Oh, yeah, he remembered. The gifts. “It’s, uh, good to be here,” he said, sounding not quite convincing, even to himself. “I brought gifts.”

  That broke the stalemate. Leslie beamed at him as Robin started clapping in excitement. Joseph tilted his head, like he was a little surprised, but they all moved over to Travis’s truck, chatting the whole time. When Travis gave Robin the bag with the bull-riding spurs, the boy let out a whoop and headed straight for the barn.

  “Stay off the bulls!” Leslie called after him as she took her box of chocolates and placed a motherly kiss on Travis’s cheek. “This was sweet of you. Thanks.”

  “Thank you for putting me up for the week.” He handed Joseph the tobacco June had told him was the right gift. Joseph smiled as he palmed the small bag. Travis swore he heard Joseph’s whole face creak under the weight.

  “Well, now, that’s a man who came prepared,” Joseph said just a little too loudly as he clapped Travis on the shoulder. “Let me show you around.” He pulled Travis toward the barn, leaving the women. “We’ll be back.”

  They would? Without June?

  “Dinner’s in an hour and a half!” Leslie called after them. Travis began to wonder if she did anything but call after people.

  The barn was a lot bigger on the inside than it had looked on the outside. “You still ride?” Joseph asked, leading a beautiful paint mustang out of a stall and drop-tethering him in the middle of the barn.

  It had been a long time since Travis had been on a horse—since before the wreck, back when he still had a farm to ride on. “Sure. I don’t think I can handle a trot, though.”

  “Probably not the best for rods,” Joseph agreed, letting another horse loose. With a whistle, the mare stopped in her tracks, a mere two steps from Travis. “We’ll take it easy.”

  “Are you guys going for a ride?” Robin shot into the barn, his new spurs dragging lines in the dirt behind him. “Can I come? You said I could show him my bulls!”

  Joseph turned to Travis, like it was up to him. The kid had his own bulls? “Sure.”

  “Yah!”

  They went out while Robin saddled up his horse. “So,” Joseph began, eyes focused on the horizon, “what are your intentions after the season ends? Will you be back out there riding next year?”

  “Hard to say. I can’t keep doing this forever—I’m not nineteen anymore. But I don’t have anything else lined up.”

  “Nothing?”

  Not if he didn�
��t count that soulless desk at corporate headquarters. He just couldn’t see his way back down that path—especially if that path didn’t involve June. “Not a damn thing. Excuse my French.”

  “Well,” Joseph replied, seemingly unconcerned with the cussing. Travis felt a little more at ease. “Robin has a few interesting ideas I’d like to run by you. No rush, though. You’ll be here for a few days.”

  “Sure.” The kid had a few interesting ideas?

  That boy had seemed to be the most normal person he’d met today. How much more interesting could it get?

  * * *

  “WHERE IS HE?” Ian talked like he drove— recklessly. Mom hadn’t even gotten out of his truck yet and the man was shouting. “Where’s the man who stole my cousin’s heart?”

  June forced herself to ignore her cousin and his swagger as she hugged her mom for the first time in five months. Mom sober was a woman with neatly braided hair, a warm-if-shy smile and bright eyes. She even looked like she’d lost a little weight. “I’m so glad to see you,” June replied with another hug.

  “Me, too, Chaska. Me, too.”

  So what if the affection had come years after she’d really needed it? Mom was glad to see her. Long years of neglect, of having to find her own way, of having to be the responsible one when all her friends were busy just being kids, melted away. Having a mom now was better than never having her at all. June didn’t need her dad, as long as she had her mom.

  “So, where is he?” Ian boomed. At the sound of his voice, Robin came streaking down from the barn, spurs jangling the whole way.

  “Ian! Travis is here! He brought me real bull-riding spurs! Look!”

  “Let me see those.” In no time, Robin was upside down, dangling a good foot off the ground. “Yes, I see. Real bull-riding spurs!” he shouted over Robin trying to cuss him out without actually cussing in front of his mother.

  “Boys!” Leslie yelled over the melee. “That’s enough!”

  Some things never changed. Ian might be about to start his senior year of college, but he still acted like a fourteen-year-old idiot. Finally, he set Robin down, only to be promptly punched in the gut. “Oh,” he said as he doubled over in mock pain. “That was a good one. Almost hurt there.”

  “Shove it,” Robin replied, circling his nemesis.

  “So, where is this famous bull rider, huh?”

  June’s mouth opened, but Robin was quicker at the draw. “They’re putting the horses away. We went to see the bulls!”

  “Damn—dang,” Ian quickly corrected as Leslie glared at him. “I wanted first crack at him.”

  “Oh, I’ll crack you,” June said, taking a menacing step forward, fist ready.

  Ian notched an eyebrow and had the nerve to smile. “Bring it, June. You’ve got it coming!”

  “I can’t believe you’re still bitter about—”

  Ian cracked his knuckles. “Can’t wait until I meet this guy.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Leslie muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Susan, can I get you some lemonade while they reestablish the pecking order?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Yellow Robe,” June’s mom said as she and Leslie headed in.

  June was on a first-name basis with Leslie and Joseph—and had been for years. But Mom wasn’t. At least she was here.

  Now, June had to get past Ian. If she could knock him down... June was fast, but the not-so-little twerp was faster. Damned football players, she thought as she found herself in a headlock. True, it had been a long time since she’d had the upper hand—“bull rider” didn’t have much on “middle linebacker.” She thought about going for the shins, but decided fighting dirty wasn’t the way to go in front of the kid.

  “Thought you were supposed to have these great reflexes, Junie,” Ian said, holding her just tight enough that she couldn’t wiggle out.

  “Jeez, Ian,” she managed to spit out as she bent in his iron grip. Last time she’d try that. No way she could beat him now. Where was Jeff when she needed him? The mutt had long since disappeared into the prairie grass, chasing all sorts of critters. “What’d you do? Grow another foot?”

  “Only a couple of inches. Been saving it up to meet this famous bull rider.” Ian tried to flex his biceps, but instead he loosened his grip.

  June smiled. He might be bigger, stronger and twice as irritating, but he hadn’t gotten a whole hell of a lot smarter. She grabbed his arm and twisted. In a second, she had his hand up between his shoulder blades.

  “We have a guest.” Joseph sounded like he was walking the line between less-than-thrilled and mad.

  She spun—and spun Ian with her—to see Joseph and Travis watching them. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought Travis looked almost proud of her. He seemed a lot more comfortable with Joseph than when they’d left. They were less father-figure-intimidating-boyfriend and more cowboys-shooting-the-bull.

  Joseph liked Travis. Travis was okay with Joseph. The relief made her want to dance with joy.

  She let go of Ian with a shove and went to her man. “Travis, come meet my irritating cousin.”

  “Sure.” He looked like he was hurting a little so she waited for him, arm at the ready. “Next time Red barges into my place, I’ll let you handle him,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

  Ian could wait. She touched his hip. “How was your ride?”

  “Not bad,” he whispered, putting a protective arm around her. “Your mom here?”

  “Inside. She’s seen enough of me and Ian having it out.” By now, they were getting within earshot of Ian. “So, Travis, this is my cousin Ian. Ian, this is Travis. Be nice or you’ll live to regret it.”

  “Ian Tall Chief,” he said, jutting his hand out. “Glad to meet you.”

  “Travis Younkin. A pleasure.”

  Cracking a wide grin and still holding Travis’s hand hostage, Ian pulled him forward and slung his arm around Travis’s shoulder. “You treating June right?”

  “Ian...” she said in her most threatening voice.

  “Just checking on you, Junie,” he replied as he walked Travis up to the porch.

  Mom was waiting for them, her face tight and tense.

  “Travis,” June said as she wrestled him away from Ian, “this is my mother, Susan Spotted Elk. Mom, this is my boyfriend, Travis Younkin.”

  It was hard to tell who looked more uncomfortable, because Travis was forcing a smile that looked more like he was showing his teeth off to the dentist.

  “Hello,” Mom said mostly to the ground.

  “A pleasure to meet you. Your daughter is something special.” He fumbled the box of tea into her hands. “I brought you a gift.”

  He must have done okay, because Mom thanked him in a soft voice before she disappeared into the dining room. Everyone else followed as Leslie shouted that dinner was served.

  Travis hung back. “Was that okay?”

  “You’re doing great, babe,” June said.

  * * *

  BY ALL OBJECTIVE MEASURES, the week had been good. Great, even. After the first, awkward dinner, things had been close to normal.

  Travis met the fabled Uncle Dave, who gave Joseph a run for his money in the intimidation department. However, Dave and Travis had bonded over Mort horror stories. June still wasn’t sure what Uncle Dave had over Mort, but at least Dave seemed to like Travis.

  Even Ian hadn’t been too much of a jerk—but then, he hadn’t hung around. He’d had plans and June knew better than to ask what those plans were.

  She and Travis had lunch a couple of times with Mom when she was on break for work. It’d been...challenging, to say the least. Mom hadn’t wanted Travis to see the house, so they’d met in the break room at the Real Pride’s corporate offices. It’d been weird. Mom didn’t like that June rode bulls a
nd June got the feeling that Mom didn’t like that June had taken up with a bull rider, but at least she put a polite face on it.

  June and Travis had also found themselves following Robin around the ranch as he talked a mile a minute about his “interesting” ideas—getting the Real Pride bulls into the TCB circuit. The kid had the numbers to back up this plan.

  As he’d launched into contract versus single bull pricing, Travis had interrupted him. “You know all this?”

  “Sure,” he’d said, like everyone knew about how stock contractors got paid for providing the bulls. “I wrote my math paper on it.”

  That was Robin for you. A ten-year-old with a business proposal for stock contractors.

  Soon enough, it was Thursday night. Tomorrow, Travis would head out early for his True West signing and she’d catch a ride with Ian later in the day. But for now, they were having dinner with Joseph, Leslie and Robin. More than once June caught Joseph and Robin staring at Travis. Something was up.

  “I wanna ask him,” Robin suddenly announced.

  “This is not the time, Sikosa,” Joseph intoned.

  Robin began to pout. “Come on, Dad! This is my deal and you know it!”

  Every single one of June’s alarm bells went off.

  “Go,” Joseph ordered, pointing toward the stairs.

  “What deal?” Travis whispered to June as father and son stared each other down.

  “Not sure.”

  Finally, Robin buckled and stomped off to his room. Leslie rolled her eyes as she gathered the dishes. “I’ll leave you three to it.”

  June didn’t think it was possible for the alarm bells to get louder, but before she could say anything, it was just her and Travis sitting across from Joseph.

  “Travis,” Joseph began. “What did you think of the bulls?”

  Travis looked—well, not nervous, but maybe a little concerned. Under the table, she took his hand. He held on tight. “If you really want to give stock contracting a shot, you’ve got a good foundation.”

  “What do we still need to do?”