A coyote howling in the distance awoke her when the sun was peeking over the horizon. It was a glowing line of orange waking up a whole new world. She was snuggled up close to Hank and he was sound asleep. She took advantage of the moment and stared at his dark hair, feathered back but a little longer than it had been the day of the town meeting. Dark eyelashes resting on his cheeks. A mouth that wasn’t full enough to be feminine but not thin enough to be hard. And a body made to cradle a woman’s body next to his.
“Hey, you’d better wake up, cowboy, or we’ll miss the big show,” she whispered in his ear.
He opened his eyes and smiled. “Would you look at that?”
“Beautiful, ain’t it?” she said.
“Like all beauty, it’s worth the wait.”
She smiled. “Is that a pickup line?”
“Nope. It’s the truth. Shhh. No more talking. Just prop up on your elbows like this and watch it happen,” he said.
She flipped over on her stomach and watched the new day. One with no marks on the page and that didn’t care what yesterday had brought or tomorrow had to offer. It was just there for one turn around the earth and then it started all over again.
One day at a time.
That’s all anyone ever got, no matter what their names were.
Chapter 18
Henry leaned on the corral fence, one foot hiked up on the bottom rail and his elbows on the top one. “This is my favorite day of the year. It’s what a ranch is supposed to sound like.”
Larissa didn’t hear anything but the bawling of cows, a few yapping hounds, and the clattering engine of a big yellow school bus throwing up dust as it came down the lane. Hank had invited her to a rodeo one of the first times she’d met him and Henry had insisted her first one be at the ranch.
She’d arrived thirty minutes early and found Henry waiting by the fence. He was dressed in a western shirt with a red bandana around his neck, a straw hat perched on his head, and spurs on his boots that jangled when he moved. She wondered if he was going to ride bulls or broncs at his age.
“Why would a bus be coming down here? Did you invite the kids to come to the rodeo?”
“No, the kids are the rodeo,” he said.
She thought she’d heard him wrong and frowned. “How’s that again?”
“This is the most important rodeo in the whole state. I invite the kindergarten children out here for a play day rodeo in September every year. It’s good for them but it’s better for me. I look forward to it all year long,” Henry said.
“And how many kids are there?” She remembered her kindergarten class. Twenty-four students were in her room and there were four different classes. They all had recess at the same time and the playground was a war zone.
“Palo Pinto has a little school. Only has about ninety kids in the whole thing,” he said.
“Kindergarten through twelve?” She did the math in her head and that was only seven kids to the class.
“No, just through the sixth grade. They told me they’d be bringing an even dozen today. The teacher is driving the bus so that’ll make thirteen. That’s a perfect number.”
“All day?” Larissa asked.
“Yeah, it sure ain’t long enough, is it?”
She turned to look at the bus coming to a stop between her and the house. It sounded like eternity to her.
“Why’s a ranch supposed to sound like a kids’ rodeo?” she asked as the doors of the bus folded back.
“Lot of land should grow kids as well as cows. Where in the devil is Hank? He’s supposed to be here to welcome them with me.”
Hank rounded the front end of the bus just as the teacher stepped off. “Hello, Mr. Wells. I am Haley Smith. I’ve got twelve cowpokes here for a rodeo today. Are you ready for them?”
She was the same height as Larissa. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a bandana tied around it. Her pearl snapped shirt was tucked into tight jeans and matched mustard colored round-toed cowboy boots. She carried twenty more pounds than Larissa and most of it was hips and thighs. Brown eyes lit up like twinkling Christmas tree lights when she saw Hank.
“Well, bring them bull riders and ropers on out here so I can meet them,” Henry said.
She motioned and twelve children came off the bus in single file. Most of them had a sparkle in their eyes but one little girl hung back and eyed the fence as if it were the biggest hurdle she’d ever come up against.
“I’ve got eight cowboys and four cowgirls today,” she said.
“There’s four of us so I reckon that’ll be three for each,” Henry said.
Larissa’s hands started to sweat. She’d never been responsible for three kids in her entire life. She looked across at Hank in time to catch him lower one eyelid in a wink.
“We’ll do competition bull riding, some roping, and barrel racing this morning. Then we’ll have some lunch up at the cookhouse. Miz Oma is making hot dogs and chocolate cake. After we eat and have a little recess, we’re going to get real serious and do some mutton bustin’,” Henry said.
“Yeah!” Eleven shouts went up.
The little girl shrunk back against the bus and stuck her thumb in her mouth. When she felt Larissa looking at her she jerked it out with a pop and wiped it off on her hip pocket.
“Okay, then Mitchell, Levi, and Josh, you are with Mr. Wells.”
“Ah, man, Miss Haley, I wanted to partner up with Austin today,” Mitchell whined.
“Not today. Austin, Ross, and Forest with…” She looked right at Hank.
“Hi, kids, I’m Hank. Looks like if we divide by threes we’re going to end up with a girl in the crowd. Why don’t me and Dad each take four boys and you ladies take two girls each?”
“That sounds like a plan, Hank.” The teacher’s eyes left no doubt that she was very interested in the cowboy standing not five feet from her.
“I can take all four girls and that way Miz Smith can be free to rotate among them,” Larissa offered.
Damn! Why did I say that? She looks like she would drop her tight fittin’ jeans and fall on her back if he touched her with his little finger, so why did I just give her a chance to flirt anytime she wants? Besides, I don’t want to be responsible for one kid, much less four little girls all day long. Sharlene is going to get a kick out of this story.
“That’s awful nice of you. You’d be Hank’s sister, right?”
“I want Austin with my group,” Mitchell whined.
Haley was drawn away from Larissa to settle that issue. “That isn’t happening. You two get into enough trouble when you are separated. Austin will stay with Hank, along with Ross, Forrest, and Joe. Bobby Dean, you go with Mr. Wells. Miz Wells, you get the twins, Ruby Jane, and Garnet plus Natalie and Brenda. I’ll tag along with Hank’s group for the first go-around. What are we doing first, Mr. Wells?”
“You can all call me Henry.” He grinned. “First rattle out of the chute is bull ridin’. I got the bull all primed and ready. He’s a mean one and it’ll take a big man to stay on him for eight seconds.”
“Or girl,” Garnet said. She and Ruby Jane were definitely identical twins. They had the same black hair pulled back in a ponytail, the same slightly toasted skin that said one of their parents was part Hispanic. But Garnet had a confidence about her that Ruby Jane lacked.
Henry tipped his hat at her. “Yes, ma’am. Might be that one of you girls will outride these ornery boys.”
“I will,” Garnet said. “Put me on that bull and I’ll stick to him like I was stuck to his sorry old hide with glue.”
“Her dad rides,” Haley informed everyone.
Henry put a hand on Mitchell’s shoulder. “Sounds like she knows the language and you boys are going to have a tough time with her competing. Okay, my guys, follow me. We’ll open the chute and get the bull out so everyone can have a turn. Rest of you cowboys and cowgirls have a seat on the hay bales. And remember the folks in the stands are just as important as the ones doin’ the performin’ so
let’s clap and holler for every one of them.”
Small square bales of hay had been arranged in a circle around the four sides of the corral. Hay had been strewn in the middle and two small chutes thrown up out of plywood at the far end. Mitchell, Levi, Josh, and Bobby Dean followed Henry to one chute and stood to the side.
“Surely there’s not a real bull in there,” Larissa mumbled.
Ruby Jane reached up and grabbed her hand in a tight squeeze. “I’m afraid of them things. Garnet, she ain’t afraid. But I am. We ain’t goin’ to have to touch a real bull, are we?”
“Well, for this time around all we have to do is watch,” Larissa told her.
She kept a tight grip on Larissa’s hand. “Will you sit by me?”
“Yes, I will.”
The other three little girls ran on ahead and settled on seats on the other side away from Hank and his boys who were bouncing around like rubber balls.
“I betcha Mitchell falls on his ass,” Garnet said.
“Shhh. Don’t you say that word or Miz Haley will put you on the bus. She said if you said another bad word, you wouldn’t get to ride in the rodeo,” Ruby Jane said.
“Well, shit!” Garnet muttered.
Larissa laid a finger over her lips. “I’m bettin’ that you beat every one of those boys over there. But you’ve got to be careful and not say bad words. Wouldn’t it be awful if they won because you were in the bus and couldn’t ride? Tell me those boys’ names again.”
Brenda pointed. “That’s Mitchell. Him and Garnet get into the most trouble. Garnet says bad words and Mitchell won’t be still. That’s Levi. He’s all right but he picks his nose. That’s Josh. He’s smart and can already read. And that other one is Bobby Dean.”
“What does Bobby Dean do, Garnet?” Larissa asked.
“He’s a big baby. He can’t even tie his shoes. He’s goin’ to fall off the bull in one second.”
“He is not a big baby,” Ruby Jane said.
“He is too and so are you.”
“Am not.”
Larissa rolled her eyes at the cloudless blue sky. A whole day of this and she’d be ready to give the Honky Tonk to Victoria Radner, lock, stock, and barrel and light a shuck to Egypt to live the rest of her life as a nomad in tents with no possibility of ever clapping eyes on a man. That way she’d never have to worry about children.
Henry got everyone’s attention by clapping his hands. “Okay, listen up. This is a mean bull. I worked him over real good before y’all got here and told him to buck his hardest. Hank will have to leave his rodeo crew with Miz Haley for a little while and come help corral this wicked critter.”
Hank left the teacher with two little boys on either side. When he reached the corral door he opened it up and jumped back in mock horror. “It’s black and mean and ready to ride. Okay, bully bull, come on out and we’ll see who’s boss. I’ve got some mean hombres here ready to tame you.”
Henry smiled brighter than Larissa had ever seen.
Ruby Jane’s hand relaxed when they pulled the bull from the chute by the horns. The meanest black bull in all of Palo Pinto County had started out life as a tractor tire. Henry had used a box cutter to turn him into a proper bull and then tied him to a wooden framework with ropes. The whole thing resembled a homemade rocking horse that Larissa had when she was a little girl. Only the one she’d gotten for Christmas that year was a brown and white plastic horse on a metal frame. Henry had attached one long rope to the front right corner of the bull and one to the back left. Henry grabbed one rope and Hank the other and began to jerk the bull from side to side.
“See how mean he is. I call him El Diablo. There ain’t been a kindergartner this year that’s been able to stay on him for eight seconds. You got the stopwatch, Hank?”
Hank made a show of pulling it from his pocket. “Right here.”
“I’ll ride ’im first,” Garnet said.
Ruby Jane let out a whoosh of air. “It ain’t a real bull. It won’t bite me.”
“No, it won’t and you’re going to show them boys that you aren’t a big baby. You’re going to ride that thing longer than anyone else,” Larissa whispered softly into her ear.
She nodded seriously.
“Okay, first up is old Cowboy Mitchell,” Henry shouted. “Mount up, cowboy. Here, put this glove on and settle your hat down real good. Remember the rules. One hand up and it can’t touch the bull or the ride is over.”
“I reckon I’m going to need some help with this stopwatch,” Hank said.
“I’ll do it,” Haley yelled. “You boys sit right here. Larissa, if you see them acting up you tell me when the ride is over and they won’t get a turn.”
“Can we holler?”
“Of course you can. It’s a rodeo,” Haley said.
Mitchell picked up a handful of straw and rubbed it on his hands before he put the glove on. Hank hoisted him up on the bull and he wrapped the rope around his gloved hand three times, held up his other hand, and nodded at Hank.
The yelling began with three boys beside the chute, four across the arena, and three little girls shrieking from Larissa’s corner. Ruby Jane watched quietly, her eyes narrowed and her chin tucked into her chest.
Haley pushed the button on the stopwatch and the ride began with Henry yanking the bull one way and Hank the other. Six seconds later Mitchell slid off the side and bit the dust. Haley held up six fingers.
Mitchell knocked the dust from his hat by hitting it against his leg. “It was a mean old critter.”
“Good ride!” Henry told him.
“I’ll go next,” Levi said.
He lasted five seconds and Mitchell beamed.
Josh mounted up for the third ride and the kids all began to scream and holler for him to hang on tight. He tied Mitchell’s score. Bobby Dean was a scrawny little blond-haired boy with big green eyes and thick glasses. His jeans were clean and ironed with a crease down the legs but were an inch too short. His knit shirt was a size too big and his boots flopped slightly on his feet when he walked out to the bull.
“He gets meaner and meaner. It’ll take a big man to tame him this time, Bobby Dean. You up for the ride?” Henry asked.
The little boy swallowed hard and nodded. He didn’t rub dirt or straw on his hands but put the glove on and wrapped the rope around it three times counting carefully as he did so he’d get it right.
“You ain’t got a hat. Man can’t ride a bull without a hat,” Henry said. He opened a wooden feed bin beside the chute and brought out a straw hat to settle on Bobby Dean’s head. “You stay on that mean critter for eight seconds, son, and that hat belongs to you,” Henry whispered.
The corners of the little boy’s mouth turned up in a shy smile. He nodded at Hank and the ride began. Henry pulled and Hank yanked and Bobby Dean held on. The crowd roared. Henry pulled harder. The bull bucked one way and then the other and the crowd screamed even louder.
“That’s it! Eight seconds!” Haley yelled.
Ruby Jane danced around Larissa screaming, “He done it. He beated Mitchell.”
Henry darted around the bull like he was afraid for his life and finally reached up to rescue Bobby Dean. “Whew, man, I thought that thing was going to keep you and not let me get you off his back. You really tamed that bull, Bobby Dean. I reckon you’ll grow up to be a cowboy rancher for sure.”
“Yes, sir. Can I really keep the hat?”
“You can. You earned it. That was a big job you just did. Means you got the right to wear a cowboy hat like a real man. Everyone who can stay on this bull for eight seconds today gets a hat. You’ll have to work hard as Bobby Dean to get one. So far, he’s the cowboy of the day,” Henry said.
Mitchell slapped his hat against his leg and crossed his arms over his chest. “Can I try again?”
“No, but you might win something for mutton busting this afternoon, or else lassoing later on today,” Haley said.
He looked like a Halloween pumpkin with a big snaggle-toothed grin. �
�I’ll whip you on the mutton, Bobby Dean.”
The little boy tipped the brim of his hat. “You’ll have to work hard. I stayed on that bull and I can stay on the back of a sheep.”
“Girls next or boys?” Henry asked.
“Boys!” a yell went up.
“Girls!” Garnet yelled.
“What do you say, guys? Cowboys are tough but they are respectful of the women, aren’t they?” Henry asked.
It was then that Larissa realized the value of the rodeo. It wasn’t to come to a ranch and have a play day. Henry was teaching them lessons and they thought they were there for fun.
“Boys!” Austin yelled.
“Girls!” Garnet shook her fist at him.
“Charm is part of a cowboy’s way,” Henry said.
“And a cowgirl’s,” Larissa said.
“Well, shucks, go on and let the girls ride. It’ll be over real quick when they get on the bull anyway,” Austin said.
Henry chuckled. “Okay then, ladies, who is first?”
“Me.” Garnet started toward the bull.
“I think Ruby Jane is first,” Larissa said.
Ruby Jane hung back. “Me?”
Larissa pulled her up to her side and laid a hand on each shoulder. “Sure. Bobby Dean tamed that bull down. If you ride him now he won’t be nearly as mean as when Garnet gets through spurring him and making him mad.”
Garnet stuck out her lower lip. “But I want to go.”
“Ah, let Ruby Jane go. She’ll fall off in one second,” Brenda said.
“Bet I won’t.” Ruby Jane marched out to the bull and spit on her hands. She rubbed them together and slipped the glove on. She nodded at Henry who sat her on the bull, wrapped the rope three times, and looked at the bin where the hats were kept.
Henry picked out a pink hat and put it on her head. “Is this cowgirl ready to show this old bull who’s the boss?”
“My name is Ruby Jane and I can ride anything my sister can,” she said with a lisp.
Henry’s smile got even bigger.
Larissa saw him wink at Hank. The ride began and the crowd cheered her on. Henry pulled and Hank yanked. The way they hollered and yelled about it being a tough old bull convinced every kid there that Ruby Jane was riding for her life.
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