Dancing With Danger: Book 8: Dancing Moon Ranch Series

by Patricia Watters

  By the time several more riders had been bucked off without incident, while Josh did little more than jump around the bulls while the riders were on them, and wave his arms at the bull until the riders were safely on the fence, Genie began to wonder if most rodeos were this uneventful, although this was not a rodeo, she reminded herself...

  "This is a pretty disappointing showing," a voice came from behind.

  Genie turned around to see Jeremy approaching. He had on a protective vest and was holding a braided rope with a bell on it, so she assumed he was about to ride. "Why do you think it's disappointing?" she asked. "No one's gotten hurt."

  "No one's had much of a challenge either," Jeremy said. "I don't know who's been working with these bulls, but they're not very rank."

  "Because they're not mean?" Genie asked.

  "No, because they don't have much action. The only reason most of those guys went off before the timer is because they're inexperienced. You ever see Josh working a rodeo with pro cowboys and rank bulls?"

  No," Genie replied. "This is the first time I've watched him at all."

  "He's one of the best bullfighters out there. If he keeps going the way he is, he'll make it to the National Finals," Jeremy said. "As long as he's one of the bullfighters when I ride I know I'm in good hands, and not because I'm his brother. He's the same with any cowboy. One time I got hung up and couldn't get my hand out of the loop, and when I tried to free it the bull hooked me with his horn and threw me to the other side. The next thing I knew, Josh was on the bull's back. He managed to release my hand and when I hit the ground he threw himself on top of me and stayed there, taking a hell of a beating from the bull."

  Genie tried to digest everything she'd just heard, but it was like trying to swallow liver. "Didn't you worry that Josh could be seriously injured?" she asked, wondering what kind of man would want his brother out there risking his life.

  "Sure I worried," Jeremy replied. "When I was pinned under him I told him to get the hell off, that I was fine, but he wouldn't budge, and since I was flat on my face, and he's as big as I am, I was stuck."

  "How badly was he hurt?" Genie asked.

  "You should know," Jeremy replied. "He landed in your hospital."

  Genie looked at Jeremy with a start. "He was protecting you when…" She paused.

  "He got rear-ended by the bull," Jeremy completed Genie's thought. "Yeah, that made me feel pretty shitty too when he came home from the hospital walking bowlegged because he'd gotten nailed in the nuts to keep me from getting the same treatment. I figured if he couldn't make kids after that I owed him big time."

  "He can make kids," Genie said, then realized she needed to qualify that comment. "That is, when he was in the hospital he had no trouble… umm. He needed ice packs… there… and..."

  "That's okay," Jeremy said. "He told me about it."

  Genie looked at Jeremy, wide eyed. "He did?"

  "Sure. He wanted me to know he was still a functioning male. He said it happened every time you walked into the room."

  Genie felt her cheeks grow hot with memory. "That's because I was the one who had to apply the ice packs. Obviously that wasn't enough to make him give up bullfighting though."

  "Challenging bulls, whether on top or on the ground, gets in your blood," Jeremy said.

  "Did you ever get injured badly enough to think about quitting?" Genie asked.

  Jeremy laughed. "No, but that's because bull riders have short memories. Our brains get scrambled every time we ride. When we get bucked off, no matter how busted up we are, the first thing we want to know is how long before we can get back on again. There's also prestige that goes with bull riding. We're like the rock stars of rodeo except instead of groupies we have buckle bunnies, and there are lots of those to go around, which makes it pretty much fun."

  "Getting busted up doesn't sound like much fun to me," Genie said, thinking that Jeremy had a lot of growing up to do, while wondering if he ever took life seriously.

  "Like I said, we have short memories. It's all about making the National Finals, which is where the money is. I know a rider who had his bull-riding spurs plastered into his cast so he could ride with a broken leg, that's how important it is. "

  "Then you plan to be a professional bull rider?" Genie asked.

  "For the rest of the summer," Jeremy replied. "It's paying off my college loans and it's a lot more fun than working. I’m not looking forward to growing up. I’m enjoying myself too much right now and it's all about riding bulls and having fun. And speaking of having fun, I'd better hike my buns over to the chutes and get ready to ride." He turned and headed toward the chutes.

  "Wait, I'll walk with you," Genie called after him, curious if maybe he wasn't joking and had at least gone to college, even if he hadn't graduated. When she caught up with him, she said, "Are you serious about college?"

  "Sure," Jeremy replied. "It wasn't half bad though. I went on a rodeo scholarship and was on the college rodeo team, and I also competed on my own on weekends during the school year, but summers are all mine, except now that I've graduated, my dad expects me to get a regular job in the fall. But until then, there are rodeos in droves across the country, so I'll try to hit as many as possible in hopes of snagging a spot at the National Finals Rodeo. This has been a good year."

  "What was your major?" Genie asked, still having trouble imagining Jeremy as a college student.

  "Livestock management," Jeremy replied. "I figured it would be more useful than engineering, which was Josh's major to start with, but then he switched to animal science."

  "Wait, you're kidding about Josh," Genie said, while trying to match Jeremy's long strides.

  "What? About Josh majoring in engineering or going to college?"

  "Well, both."

  "Actually, Josh started out in engineering, since he was a math whiz in high school, then he decided he didn't want to end up with a desk job in the city and switched to animal science. Well, I see they're loading my first bull so I'd better climb into the chute."

  Genie stayed where she was and watched from behind the fence. Josh was directly across from where she stood, but he was focused on the chute gate and didn't notice her. She glanced over to see Jeremy stretching his arms and back then putting on a glove, so she knew he was next. The following rider managed to stay on longer than the others, but not the full eight minutes, but then a couple of minutes after he'd left the arena, the chute door opened, and the bull with Jeremy on its back vaulted into the pen.

  The bull immediately went up on his front feet while hurling his back feet high in the air. Then the bull went into a spin while bucking, all the while Jeremy stuck to him, seeming to stay square on the bull while it bucked and spun. It seemed no time at all when the buzzer sounded, and a moment later, Jeremy hurled himself off the bull and rolled to the side. Josh was immediately between Jeremy and the bull, dancing around close to the bull to distract it while Jeremy got himself up, grabbed his hat, and ran for the fence.

  It wasn't until the bull was heading for the exit chute that Genie found herself releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She was relieved that it had been another uneventful ride, except that Jeremy definitely stood out among the riders because of the way he stuck to the bull.

  For the rest of the practice, Genie sat on the bleachers. To her relief, none of the riders seemed to be hurt, although many were thrown to the ground like rag dolls. Still, they got up and either ran for the fence, or if the bull had exited, dusted themselves off and walked away.

  After the old cowboy with the beard announced that they were done, and the riders and what appeared to be their families and girlfriends began funneling toward the parking lot, she spotted Josh and Jeremy standing near the bull pens, talking. When she joined them, Josh curved his arm around her shoulders, and said, "That wasn't so bad, was it babe?"

  Genie smiled, and replied, "I suppose not. You're not even very dusty."

  "Yeah, but I'll still need a good ho
t shower when we get back." Turning to Jeremy, he said, "So, I guess you're off to Pete's, since you seem to have connected with a bunny."

  Jeremy's eyes fixed on something not far from where they stood, he said, "I think the grass is greener just ahead."

  Genie followed Jeremy's gaze and saw a woman, who looked more cowgirl than buckle bunny, standing near a bull pen just across the way from where they stood. Josh reaffirmed what Genie thought, by saying to Jeremy, "I wouldn't mess with that one. She looks all business."

  Jeremy smiled. "She's not. She's just acting that way. I saw her looking over here."

  "I did too and she didn't looked impressed with what she saw."

  "That's because you've never learned to read these women," Jeremy replied. "Just watch a pro in action, little brother." He squared his shoulders and strode over to where the woman stood.

  Josh eyed his brother in annoyance. "He's been pulling the big-brother card all our lives because he was born five minutes before me."

  "You're better looking though," Genie said.

  "We're identical twins," Josh reminded her.

  "No you're not." Genie stroked Josh's chin. "Jeremy has stubble here and I like a clean-shaven man. Meanwhile, I'm curious to see how a player plays, so maybe we could move a little closer and watch and listen." She tugged Josh a few steps closer to where Jeremy was, and pretended to be looking at a couple of bulls in a pen.

  Josh let out an ironic laugh, and said under his breath, "If the woman is a buckle bunny, I hope she's clever enough to beat Jeremy at his own game."

  "My guess is she will be," Genie said, then turned her attention to Jeremy…

  "I'm new around here," Jeremy announced, as he approached the woman. "Do you know of a place to go, maybe a pub? I could use a beer."

  "There's Pete's Pub in Pine Grove," the woman replied. "It's a cowboy hangout."

  "Great," Jeremy said. "If you're free, maybe you could join me and give me a rundown on what there is to do around here since I'll be here through the rodeo."

  The woman scanned the length of Jeremy, stopping midway to stare at his buckle, then raising her eyes to meet his, she said, "Are you a pro or do you just wear that buckle for show?"

  Jeremy squared his shoulders again, and replied, "I've been pro for five years. You might have heard of me, Jeremy Hansen."

  "No, can't say as I have," the woman replied.

  Jeremy looked as if a little of the wind had left his sails. Then he glanced over the pens and the bulls milling around in them, and after stroking his chin for a couple of moments, said to the woman, "I can't say much for these bulls. They're pretty flat. I was looking for some challenge here."

  The woman eyed Jeremy with annoyance. Planting her hands on her hips, she said, "You know what, cowboy? I've got a bull named Wild Card that's ranker than any bull you've ever ridden, who comes spinning out of the chute like a cyclone. He could flatten you and that flashy buckle you're wearing so quick you wouldn't know what hit."

  "What do you mean you've got a bull?" Jeremy asked.

  The woman pointed to the hand-painted sign. "I'm Billy Bree Fitzsimmons. I own this place. And just for the record, I don't hang out at Pete's, I'm not a buckle bunny, and you can take that cinched-on hardware you're so proud of and peddle it somewhere else." Turning abruptly, she strode off.

  Josh laughed and walked over to rap Jeremy on the shoulder. "Now that I've seen a pro in action, I'll take my buckle bunny and head for home."

  Jeremy eyed Josh with irritation, then looked back at the woman, and said, "She might own this place, but some of that spitfire was show. She's interested."

  Josh let out a loud guffaw. "Keep dreaming, cowboy!"

  Jeremy said nothing, but spotting the woman who'd approached him earlier, who was now leaning against his rig, he headed toward her. She smiled as he approached, and when he got up to her he said something that made her laugh, then he grabbed the end-ties of the knot holding her halter top closed and peered down the front, to which the woman laughed and playfully swatted his hand while giving a little shimmy. He opened the door of his truck and she slid inside and sat in the middle, and they drove off.

  While eyeing the rear end of the truck, Josh said, "Jeremy thinks he's God's gift to women. I'm looking for the day when he finally gets serious about one and she gives him crap." He glanced up at the hand-painted sign. "Someone with four times the bail, buck, blitz and belligerence of Jeremy."

  Genie laughed. "You mean someone like Billy Bree Fitzsimmons."

  Josh smiled and got a look on his face like maybe that was worth considering. Then the smile faded, and he said, "Meanwhile, we still have some evening left, and even if the bed at my place stays cool, you could still come so we could talk and maybe do other things."

  "You're right about talking," Genie said. "I learned some things about you from Jeremy and you have some explaining to do."

  "Oh boy, this doesn't sound good," Josh said. "Jeremy and I are twins, but that doesn't mean we agree on things, at least not when it comes to women. What kind of things did he tell you?"

  "That you went to college and have a degree in animal science."

  "Why did he bring that up?"

  "I don't really think that matters," Genie said. "The point is, you've talked about marriage, but you never mentioned anything about going to college. Why not?"

  "Because right now I'm concentrating on being a bullfighter."

  "When were you planning on telling me?"

  "I don't know," Josh said. "I don't want pressure from you or anyone else about getting a job that ties me down. Working for Matt, I'm free to bullfight three-day weekends as long as I put in the extra hours."

  "Then you don't plan to use your degree?" Genie asked.

  "Eventually," Josh replied. "I majored in animal science because it included genetics, breeding and artificial insemination, which would fit in with my plan to raise bucking bulls, but that's sometime in the future, when I'm done with rodeos."

  Genie wondered why everything had to be about bulls. "Why not raise cattle?" she asked. "They don't come after you with horns."

  "I'm not interested in cattle when one good bucking bull can bring upwards of fifty thousand dollars," Josh replied. "Matt's willing to convert some of his stock to buck-herd stock and go in with me to buy a good American Bucking Bull, which is one of the best bucking breeds. I'd manage the young bulls and get them ready for sale to stock contractors, and Matt and I would split the profits."

  Genie said nothing as she mulled it over. The problem was, for years she'd imagined marrying a doctor, then in three days that plan crumbled when Josh landed in the hospital and she found herself falling in love with a man who was about as far removed from a doctor as any man could be, who was also living miles from any place where she could find work. And now a plan to raise bucking bulls had entered the picture and she didn't know if that was a plus or a minus. Long term, it could mean Josh putting down roots because he'd have a piece of land and a reason to stay, but he'd also be working with bulls. "What does raising bucking bulls entail?" she asked.

  "Basically, turning young buckers out on pasture and supplementing that with high quality feed, making sure they get exercise, and monitoring and controlling every aspect of their lives. When they're two years old, chute training begins so they get used to standing in chutes and being touched, and later, mechanical dummies are strapped to their backs and released by remote. That's when you know if you have a potential bucker."

  "That's it?" Genie asked, thinking it didn't sound too dangerous. Two-year-old bulls couldn't be all that formidable.

  "That's it for starters," Josh replied. "The ones showing promise are entered in competitions for young bulls where mechanical dummies are used, and when the bulls are around four, actual riders can be used. That's when you cull the best buckers. If a bull doesn't buck out of the chute, it doesn't return to the arena and it isn't used for breeding."

  For some reason, handling and moving around four-yea
r-old bulls didn't sound as dangerous as being in a rodeo arena with full-grown, angry ones. But they were still bulls with the potential to do serious harm. "What about Annie?" Genie asked. "She'd probably be protesting your operation for mistreatment of bulls."

  Josh let out an ironic huff. "Bucking bulls have the cushiest life of any animal. After their eight-seconds is over in the rodeo arena, the flank strap's removed and they basically hang out with the other bulls for the rest of the weekend. Because they're only worked eight seconds a rodeo, they work less than five minutes a year, while also getting royal treatment. Owners have been known to house their bulls in stalls with mattresses, and the entire herd is treated like family. My young bulls would have better treatment than Annie's Kigers."

  Genie had no argument for that. "What about your involvement with rodeos?" she asked. "Would you still be bullfighting?"

  "I don't know," Josh said. "After you left last night you had me thinking some."

  "Thinking about what?"

  "Us and what I have to do to get you to marry me."

  Genie looked at Josh, whose face was serious, and she realized he was on the verge of giving up his dream for her, but that wasn't a compromise. He loved bullfighting, and from what she'd heard, he was unusually good at it, and maybe she was being unreasonable, wanting him to give up what he'd worked years to achieve. "I've been thinking too," she said, "but I don't want to say anything yet. I told you I needed until after the rodeo, just to make sure."

  "Which way are you going with this?" Josh asked. "Making sure it works, or making sure you make the right choice?"

  "Making sure we can both be happy," Genie replied. "Meanwhile maybe we could go to your place after all."

  "To talk?" Josh asked.

  "That too," Genie replied, "after I've scrubbed your back."

  Josh smiled, curved his arm tighter around her, and headed for his truck.