Page 15 of Titus

“No, stay back here and watch from the box with Lab. I want you here after these ten seconds.”

“Ten?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back in ten.”

“Cole!” he yells again.

Quickly, she pecks my lips. “Go and see you in ten,” she says.

She rushes over to Lab and I grab Phoenix. I walk her to the box then mount her. The calf I’m roping is in the chute next to me. I check Phoenix’s neck rope and keeper then run my rope through the keeper, under her neck rope, through her reins, and loop it around my saddle. Tie-roping is a game of timing and finesse. The key is getting a good start and throwing your rope fast as hell so my rope has to be perfect.

Phoenix and I are both ready. She’s trotting in place, ready for me. It all happens fast and every minor detail matters. It’s go time and I’m ready for this shit. My rope is in my right hand, my left is on my saddle horn, and my piggin’ string to tie the calf is in my mouth.

The chute opens and the calf flies out into the arena with its head start. Phoenix and I are ready. Her instinct is to run after it but she’s trained to wait on me. There’s a barrier in front of us and it can’t be broken until the calf reaches the advantage point. If we break it prematurely, that’s a ten second penalty and I’ve lost before I’ve even tried.

It’s just a matter of seconds before I ride and my heart pounds in anticipation. The rush I get from this shit is better than any day I spent in the streets. I love it.

My hands grip the rope and my teeth clench my piggin’ string as I watch and wait for the damn barrier to break. As soon as it does, we bolt out. In two seconds, we reach the calf and my loop. Phoenix immediately stops and I hop off and sprint to the calf. As fast as I can, I flank it, getting it on its side. In a flash, I tie its two back legs and one front then secure my knot. I only have to tie three with my piggin’ string. When the tie is secure, I throw my hands up to end the clock.

Nine point six!

Hell yeah!

I did it!

The crowd is roaring and my heart is pumping fast but my mind is stuck on the most important six seconds. My eyes stay glued to the large timer as I step back to Phoenix and remount her. We ride forward a little to create slack in the rope and the seconds tick. In order for my time to stand, the calf has to remain tied for six seconds. If the calf kicks free, it’s a wrap and my nine point six turns to zero.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. It doesn’t break free and my time stands.I fucking did it!

One of the arena helpers unties my knot and I pull my rope in. We ride back through the box. Lab and Quinn are clapping when we enter. I lean into Phoenix’s ear and pat her sides as I congratulate her.

“You did it, girl,” I say and she proudly neighs. I pull her victory carrot out of my pocket and place it into her mouth. “Good job.”

The minute I dismount, Quinn’s pretty ass is all over me. While jumping in my arms, she plants kisses all over my face. “My God! That was fast!” she exclaims. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

The adrenaline from tie-down roping is better than any high. I don’t even fuck with weed anymore because I don’t need it. I’m floating right now, faded from my ride, the roping, and my time. I love this and get paid to do what I love. The only thing better than this is having Quinn with me at this moment. She’s got me hooked in the worst way.

“That first roper was eleven point one. You’re leading,” she boasts. “You’re definitely going to advance.”

“Nine point muthafuckin six,” Lab says before dapping me up. “Nigga,” he utters with pride. He took Phoenix to her spot and secured her for me.

“Thanks.” My arm is still around Quinn and she nuzzles into my side. She glances up at me and I lean in to kiss her. “You were my lucky charm.”

“That was no luck. That was pure speed. You were so fast,” she says with amazement. “Let’s go to the gate to watch the others.”

“Nawl. I don’t watch. I stay back and just listen but you can go watch.”

“No, I’d rather stay back here with you. We can listen.”

She steps in front of me and I wrap my arms around her waist. We stay like this and listen as the next six ropers ride. Ten point seven one. Eleven point twelve. Ten point four eight. Eight point eight. Nine point seven five. And zero. The calf broke free at four seconds on the last rider. I advance to the second round along with the other three top ropers. I compete again on Thursday afternoon, and when I place then, I’ll advance to the finals next week.

After checking on Phoenix, we all join Rini in the dirt deck. As soon as we are seated, a server approaches and I order two Gatorades and a Rodeo burger—a double barbecue burger with bacon and cheese. Tie-down roping makes me hungry as hell.While we eat and drink, we watch the barrel racers and bull riders. Normally, after I compete, I get something to eat and drink then take my ass back to the hotel, but I like this, enjoying the rodeo with Quinn.

During the last bull ride, we make our way to the back. Quinn needs to handle some business with her sponsorship stuff and I need to get Phoenix back to the ranch and let her stretch her legs. Getting through all this traffic is going to be a beast.

“What are we doing to celebrate?” Quinn asks the moment we are all back by the box and chute.

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