Page 1 of Bull Riders Don't Swoon

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Griff

Eight Years Ago

January—second year of University

“That one with the white splotch. Have you been on him? Cauliflower is his name.”

The bull rider standing next to me, Jordan, shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so. I’d remember a name like that.”

Well, that’s the truth, isn’t it? Who was mean enough to name a fierce bull after a vegetable? If I was a bull rider, I’d remember it.

“I think he’ll be a re-ride for whoever draws him.”

Jordan scoffs. “How can you possibly know that?”

His lips quirk, not with a telltale,I’m better than you smirk, but more like the kind that says he’ll humour me and go along with the joke. Both annoy me, but just once I’d like one of these guys to take me seriously.

“I just know. I can tell.”

Okay, maybe that sounds lame, but there’s nothing I can describe in words how I just seem to know what a bull might do. I just…know.

My dad used to call it a sixth sense, like the dog whisperer. I’ve learned I have the skill of rapidly analyzing behavioural clues andmaking predictions. Sadly, it seems not to work with humans. I still don’t understand those cues.

“Ya gotta give me more than that if you think I’m gonna listen to a rookie bull fighter.” He struts off to join his group ofcool guys.The rodeo cowboys who have been here for a few years and established their names. I know there’s a pecking order, and that’s fine. But if he draws Cauliflower, I will gloat so hard when that bull lies down on the job.

“Do you really have a way to know that?”

The tallest of all the bull riders here and the one who is definitely the best cocks his head as he waits for my answer. I’ve paid attention, and he’s an anomaly for the bull rider group. He’s all legs and twig thin, but I bet he’s the strongest guy here. He shouldn’t be as good as he is, but he carries himself with a confidence I both envy and admire. It’s almost like he knows he has a hidden talent and doesn’t understand it either. With some extra muscle and more practice, he’ll be at the top of the sport. Not that I’m an expert or anything. It’s just the vibe he gives off. Like he knows he’s destined for something great, but doesn’t know how to get there.

“It’s a gut feeling. I can’t explain it, but after watching a bull a few times, sometimes for just a few minutes, I can pick up on little things and make a good guess.”

It’s only my second year at Red Deer College, and I’m here on a scholarship, but not for rodeo. Rodeo, I just sort of fell into. While I’m not about to climb onto the back of a two-thousand-pound bull for fun, I learned that my sixth sense with bulls had value in other ways. Not one to miss an opportunity to earn extra money, I jumped at the chance to be a bullfighter at the rodeo team practices.

“So, what about this one?” The guy asks me as he points down the chutes to the bull staring right at us.

“Black Knight. He’s gonna throw his rider off in less than two seconds.”

The guy’s eyes widen, and he leans in closer. “How?”

“Well…he’s going to burst from the chute, one spin, buck…” I swirl my finger in the air, “and then on the second spin, which he’ll take to the left, the poor rider is gonna eat dirt.”

Silently, we watch the next rider take his time to settle on the back of the bull. At the bull rider’s signal, the bull bursts from the chutes and does exactly what I predicted. Almost. He made the second spin to the right, but close enough.

“Holy shit.” The guy next to me breathes, awe lacing his voice. “Are you like telepathic or something?”

Laughing, I shake my head. “Nah, dude. I told you, I just notice things fast and have a crazy memory. Then I get a feeling.”

“I have to ride the black one with the bent horn, Pothole. Any tips?”

“I don’t remember that one. Show me?”

I know it’s supposed to be my turn to sub in for one bullfighter shortly, but this guy is the first bull rider who hasn’t just brushed off my statements. I want to hang around him a little longer. Plus, he’s kinda cute.

He points to the bull in question in the chutes, and I remember it from an earlier rodeo. “I haven’t paid too much attention to that one today, but last week he was right ornery, so I’d just hold on for the ride.”

He holds out his hand with a booming laugh. “I’m Jamieson, by the way, and while I’ll let that answer slide as a no-brainer, I’d like to talk to you more about your bull watching.”

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