Rocky Mountain Cowboy

by S A Monk

  Becky patted her gloved hands as they lay on her blanketed legs and gave her a secret little smile. “I don’t think you have to worry about Hawk.”

  Jenny looked at over her friend and raised a suspicious eyebrow. “What do you mean? Do you know something that I don’t?”

  “I can’t tell you, but you’ll find out soon enough.” Becky shook her head in self- chastisement. “Geez! I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Jenny shot her a narrow-eyed look. “Spill!”

  “No way. Hawk and Scott would kill me.”

  “You’re bad, Becky!”

  “I am,” she admitted without shame, then pointed to the arena. “Oh look, there’s Hawk and Steve getting ready for the team roping. Do you know how it’s done and scored?”

  “Yes. Dad used to enter all the roping events in these local rodeos. I went to everyone with him until he and my mom split up, and I left.”

  Jenny remembered how she had sat on the fence as a girl and proudly watched her dad, usually accompanied by two or more of his young friends from the Boys’ Club. These local rodeos were mostly for fun, but even back then there had always been a little prize money to be won, and her dad had won his share. Memories like those would always stay close to her heart.

  “All the other cowboys wish Hawk and Scott would stop entering. They usually win the event because they were professional champs.”

  Jenny watched a chute open and a yearling steer come charging out. Immediately Hawk and Scott gave chase, charging after the escaping animal at a full gallop. Riding Red Phantom in the header position, Hawk swung his lasso over his head and caught the steer’s horns, while Scott, mounted on his horse, threw his loop and caught the two rear legs. Within a couple of seconds literally, both horses turned to face one another, stretching their riders’ ropes and snagging the steer neatly between them. The run was posted at 4.2 seconds, a lightning fast run that later proved impossible to beat. Jenny was totally impressed. Their performance was a sure indicator of how good both men must have been on the pro rodeo circuit.

  There were other roping pairs after them. Hawk and Scott had been the first, but none beat their time and score. When they were announced as the event’s winners, Hawk, sitting on top of the fence across the arena from her, swept off his dark hat, placed it over his heart, and bowed his head in a salute to her. Beaming at the gallant gesture, Jenny sent him a single fingered kiss.

  “Women can compete with men in this event,” Becky informed her, waving a thumbs up to her new husband.

  “I saw that one of the teams had a woman partner.”

  Just as Jenny was contemplating walking down to Hawk, Cindy Caldwell came up behind him. Dressed in her usual tight flamboyant clothes, she put her long red-nailed fingers on his behind, stroked it in a slow circle, then ran her hand down his chap-clad thigh. He turned to the woman, then hopped down off the fence, strode to the gate, and walked around to her. Jenny abandoned any idea of personally congratulating Hawk. As usual, he was instantly responding to Cindy’s entreaty. Cowboys and animals soon obstructed her view of them, and she looked down at the clenched hands in her lap.

  “Bitch,” Becky murmured beside her, looking across the arena. “Don’t worry about her, though,” she assured her, giving her hand a pat. “She’s history.” Then she pointed toward the concession stand. “How about a cup of hot chocolate or coffee?”

  Eager for a diversion, Jenny followed Becky down the steps and out of the stands to the booth at one end of the bleachers. While they were waiting their turn in a busy line, Steve Walker, came up to them. After closing the cell phone he’d been talking on, he tipped his hat to both women, then turned all his attention to Jenny.

  “How are you?” he asked with honest concern. “I heard you went back to L.A.”

  “Just for a few days,” Jenny responded, surprised by his knowledge. The community certainly had a good grapevine— so different from Los Angeles, where no one knew where you went or cared. It was a change she’d have to get used to; one of the adjustments of living in a small town.

  “Are you back for good? Have you decided to stay?” He watched her over the rim of his Styrofoam cup as he took a drink.

  “Yes, I have.” She smiled at him and was surprised to see him frown. “How about you? Have you found another job?”

  “Day work— here and there, for a couple of different outfits.”

  She was curious enough to ask, “The Caldwell place?”

  “Some,” he answered reticently. “I’m going to Wyoming next week for a wrangling job up there. It should last awhile.”

  “Congratulations then.”

  “How’s your horse adjusting?”

  “Great. I get to ride him every day, and I think he loves it here. Hank is training him to work cattle.”

  “You’re all recovered from that incident a couple of weeks ago, I hope?”

  She could see the genuine anxiety on his handsome face, and gave him a reassuring smile. “I was just a little shook up. I was fine the next day. I don’t blame you, Steve. Dark Shadow got away from both of us. I should have been prepared for how disorientated and edgy he’d be after such a long drive.”

  “That’s nice of you to say so, Jenny, but it was my job to expect that.”

  It wasn’t worth arguing over, so she changed the subject. “Are you entered in any events today?” He was dressed in chaps and looked like he’d been heading to the staging area of the arena.

  “Yeah, the bull riding. They’ve got a big pot going on it— winner takes all. The last I heard it was up around $5,000.”

  “I heard.” Jenny shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “That seems like a lot for a small town rodeo.”

  “It’s the last one of the year so the local businessmen donated lots of prize money for good will, then the participants put in the rest to make it more interesting. It draws a lot of contestants and entry fees. The Circle K brought in their meanest bulls for the event. We should get some good rides outta some of them, long as it’s not their Brahma. It’ll be a good show. I think that’s what drew such a big crowd,” he said, gesturing to the spectator-filled stands.

  “Sounds dangerous.”

  “That too,” Steve laughed. “But everybody always loves the bull riding the best, you know.”

  Jenny touched his arm. “Be careful— and good luck.”

  “Thanks, but Hawk is entered, too. After being on the pro circuit, he’ll probably take the pot, ‘less he’s gotten too old for it.” After throwing his empty Styrofoam cup in the trash can behind him, he turned back to her and tipped his hat again. “Take care of yourself, Jenny.”

  She nodded. “Good luck in Wyoming.”

  Becky, who had made her way through the line while Jenny had been talking to Steve, returned with two cups of coffee and two hot dogs. She handed one lathered in mustard to Jenny. “I hope you like mustard. I was getting a little hungry. How about you?”

  “I haven’t eaten today at all, so yes.”

  As they walked back up to their spot in the stands, Jenny asked about the bull riding contest. She was concerned about Hawk being entered in it. She’d seen those bulls. They were all huge, but the Brahma was particularly frightening. Undoubtedly, Hawk had entered because of the money. Wasn’t he ever going to stop pushing himself to the limit to make more of it? She didn’t want him getting hurt to make a few more extra dollars, but it was probably too late to get him to pull out.

  “Hawk used to ride the bulls when he first started rodeoing,” Becky told her as they reached their seats and sat down under the blanket again.

  “Yeah, when he was what? In his late teens, early twenties? When his body could bend more easily?”

  Becky laughed. “No doubt, but you know guys— they don’t think they ever get too old to compete at something.”

  “Is Scott entered?”

  “No, I wouldn’t let him.”

  Jenny threw her hands up. “Great! I guess you have to be married to have tha
t kind of influence, huh?”

  “Probably, but the money tempted him— a lot. He’s pretty put out about not getting to ride.”

  “Well, Hawk isn’t in the mood to pass up a chance to make a dollar lately. He’ll take everybody else’s money— just not mine.”

  Becky gave her a sympathetic look. “He wants this money for something else.”

  “What?”

  “Can’t tell.” Becky smiled in a wickedly secret way.

  “He probably wants to use it to buy me out.”

  “No, that’s not it.” Her friend fended off further inquiry with a shake of her head and a zipping motion across her lips. “I’m sworn to silence by two men who will kill me if I say another word.”

  Jenny gave her an exasperated look. “Becky, you are the worst secret keeper I’ve ever seen!”

  They sat through several more events, including women’s barrel racing, which Becky encouraged Jenny to try someday.

  “Maybe you could train your horse to do that. The girls who do it have a lot of fun. Course, you could always get Hawk to turn you into a team roper.”

  “Both of the events look like fun, but I think I’ve got enough to do for a while.”

  “Are you going to keep traveling back and forth to Los Angeles to work?”

  “Only until I finish this latest movie job. I told the producer and director that after that I was devoting all my time to fashion designing… and ranching.”

  “Will you miss it? It paid pretty well, didn’t it? And you got to work with all those movie stars.”

  “My life has taken a different direction now, and it’s time to move on to what I’ve always secretly dreamed of doing. I put my condo in L.A. up for sale. I think Peter is going to buy it. It’s hard to get property on the beach out there, and he’s liked my place for a long time.”

  “Wow! You are making changes. Have you told Hawk?”

  “No.”

  Jenny searched the arena area, wondering where he was. She hadn’t seen him since he and Cindy had walked off together. It was just like Becky and Scott’s wedding reception all over again. Jenny wanted to believe him when he said he was finished with Cindy, but damn it, the woman kept showing up, and he always went with her. If he really wanted to be rid of her, wouldn’t he deliver a message that was clear enough to stop her from seeking him out all the time?

  “You’ve made the right decision,” Becky assured her after a long moment of silence. “Once Hawk hears about it, he’ll be elated.”

  “The changes I’ve made aren’t for Hawk or because of him, Becky. They’re for me. It’s what I want. I guess it’s up to Hawk to decide how he wants to fit into my future— or if he even wants to.”

  “Be optimistic.” It was all Becky would say, and Jenny let the matter drop. The last rodeo event of the day was the bull riding, and because the prize money was so large, it was the event everyone had been waiting for. Jenny again thought about descending to the staging area where Hawk had recently reappeared, but she decided she could see better from where she was. By the time a half dozen cowboys rode the various bulls that had been selected, she was a nervous wreck.

  Seeing men’s bodies thrown around like rag dolls, up in the air, down hard onto the ground and nearly trampled under the hooves of the immense animals, made her wish she could go down and drag Hawk away before he got on one of the beasts. It was bad enough watching strangers do this, but not someone you loved. Becky saw her agitation and reassured her Hawk had done this enough to be a veteran. It didn’t make a difference. When they announced his name as the next rider, she wanted to put her hands over her face and not watch. Instead she sat forward on the bleacher bench, her hands curled around the cold metal edge until her knuckles whitened.

  The big gray Brahma was the bull no one wanted to ride, but as luck would have it, Hawk drew the animal So far, only two men had managed so far to stay on their bulls for the full eight seconds.

  The announcer made sure the audience knew this particular bull was the meanest of the bunch. He reminded the crowd that the score to beat was a 90. This was the animal who could beat the score, if the rider, Hawk in this case, managed to ride it to the whistle. Everyone in the stands clapped and cheered, while Jenny wanted to scream. The animal was nearly kicking apart the sides of the chute he was caged in. Hawk had to wait beside the enclosure until it calmed down enough for him to climb up and ready himself over the huge creature.

  Jenny watched him tug his hat down tight on his head, climb the rails, and settle over the bull, his long legs spread-eagle, straddling either side of the chute. He must have felt her trepidation, even across the distance that separated them, because he looked up, gave her a crooked grin, then a thumbs up signal. She sent him back a silent prayer and touched her lips to softly blow him a kiss. Off to the side of the staging area, she saw Cindy Caldwell waiting and watching, frowning as she caught their exchange.

  Finally, Hawk eased himself onto the animal’s broad, humped back. Several cowboys, including Scott, stood over the top of the chute to assist him get situated. Once he was on, he wrapped the thick bull rope that circumvented the bull around his hand, adjusting it between thumb and fingers until he was satisfied with the fit. That one handhold and his legs were the only things that were going to keep him on the two thousand pound monster.

  Jenny sucked in a deep breath when he raised his free arm high into the air and nodded once to indicate he was ready for the gate to be opened. It swung hard against the fence. Cowboys scrambled out of the way, and the bull exploded out. Hawk only needed to stay on for eight seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Immediately, the bull started kicking and bucking furiously, trying to get rid of its rider. Hawk was tossed around on top of it like a gyrating crash dummy, his arm flung high and wide until it looked like it would surely be pulled from its socket.

  Then the bull rose straight up into the air and back down, with a force that must have rattled Hawk’s teeth and shaken the ground beneath it. From that incredible maneuver, it went into a wild spin, first in one direction, then abruptly into another. It was almost beyond comprehension that an animal that size could move with such agility and speed. But even more mystifying was the fact that a man could remain atop such a devilish whirl. It was just as amazing that Hawk rode the bull’s momentum with such finesse and fluidity. Jenny was terrified, but so proud of him that tears glazed her eyes.

  Finally, mercifully, the eight second whistle blew. The spectators went wild, clapping and cheering loudly, excitedly, sensing a possible winner. But Jenny held her breath. Hawk still had to jump down or be ejected from the dangerous animal without injury.

  With amazing agility, he leaped off the bull’s back and rolled in the dirt toward the fence. Two rodeo clowns, one in a barrel, immediately rushed over to distract the Brahma. Hawk pushed to his feet and started to dash to the safety of the fence. The big, humped-back bull had other plans about its rider’s escape, though. Changing its direction on a pivot, it dropped its horned head, and charged Hawk’s retreating figure.

  Jenny stood and screamed his name. The two rodeo clowns ran at the bull to distract him, one waving a red blanket and the other still in the barrel. The bull ignored their antics and went after Hawk. Just before he leapt onto the fence, the bull caught him on the left shoulder with the tip of his horn. The momentum of the head-butt slammed him into the fence, then lifted him high into the air against it. Hawk grabbed the top rail on his way down on the other side and was immediately caught by Scott and another cowboy who held onto him to prevent him from falling back into the arena where the bull waited. Furious at the loss of his prey, the Brahma slammed sideways into the metal rails. Despite his friends’ grasp, Hawk fell onto the ground, onto his back. But at least he was no longer in the arena.

  Jenny didn’t even remember coming to her feet, but she was still standing when it was over. People around her had also come to their feet, but began to sit down when Hawk dropped over the fence. The announcer was talking about th
e ride, praising it. The points were soon awarded and announced over the speakers. Hawk had earned a hard-to-beat 92. People cheered and clapped again, but no one said anything about what condition the rider was in.

  Behind the arena, a tight knot of cowboys formed a circle around Hawk. Jenny couldn’t see him any longer. Sick with fear, she started to ease past the people between her and the aisle. Becky grabbed the stadium blanket and followed her.

  She hurried down the steps of the stands, then around the circular arena, to the back staging area. There were so many people milling around, she got a little lost in the crowd. Becky came up beside her and pointed toward a parked ambulance.

  “That’s where they would have taken him,” she indicated. “Go. I’ll check in with Scott. I see him over there.”

  Jenny just nodded and zigzagged through cowboys who parted for her. Ten feet from the emergency vehicle, she finally spotted Hawk. He was sitting on the rear bumper, angled so that his back was to her. He had taken off the fitted padded vest he had worn for the bull riding. From the rear, his pretty blue shirt was stained dark with a huge patch of blood. The EMT was standing in front of him, but so was Cindy Caldwell. And the damn woman was unbuttoning his shirt and removing it.

  Hawk couldn’t see her, but both the EMT and the blonde were facing her and looked toward her as she skidded to an abrupt halt to stare at the trio, blanching, probably to a linen-white, when she saw the exposed, bleeding wound on Hawk’s left shoulder. Clutching his vest and shirt in her hands, Cindy sent Jenny a venomous glare that clearly told her not to approach. The EMT dismissed her after a moment, and began cleaning the wound. Hawk’s smooth bronze skin was torn in a long jagged gash. No doubt it would need stitches, but it wasn’t so deep as to have struck bone, thank God!

  Relieved, Jenny released the breath she’d been holding. Cindy leaned in to Hawk, curled her long red nails around the back of his neck, and pressed her lips to the hairline at his temple, all the while keeping her eyes narrowed on Jenny.