Page 37 of Buck This
They were having trouble getting Rawling settled onto his back, because Buck This was wild in the chute, and the commentators were eating it up, building up the crowd’s excitement as they explained it was always a show when Buck This Storme bucked.
The cheering of the crowd was deafening, and for a few seconds, she looked around to take stock of the moment. She saw some of the T-shirts she’d sold in the crowd. Someone was holding a Buck This Storme banner, and she didn’t know why, but chills rose on her skin, and tears of pride filled her eyes.
“Come on, Buck,” she said under her breath. “Come on, you can do this.”
On his back, the rider nodded to the gatemen, and they pulled the rope attached to the chute.
There was no hesitation tonight. Buck This Storme exploded from that chute, bucking to the left.
Raven had explained the judges looked for bucking, kicks, spins, intensity, and level of difficulty when they scored a bull, and what Buck This was doing with his body was something she’d never seen before. He switched directions three times, his back legs flying so high into the air, kicking at the top. He twisted his body into every jump, and the arena dirt exploded under his hooves every time he landed. Dust flew off his hide every time he landed. She was counting in her head. Four seconds. Five.
Buck This landed and switched directions suddenly, slinging the rider off into the arena dirt.
He went after him immediately, and a bullfighter ran across his line of sight, touching him between the horns as he drew his attention from the downed rider. Another bullfighter was dragging the rider toward the fence, and another had rolled an empty barrel toward Buck this, who charged it. He slammed his head into it and the barrel went flying. The crowd was eating it up, but Torrey couldn’t even breathe right now. He’d done it. He’d done it.
“It’s good,” Annabelle said, her eyes up on the big TV that hung above the stands.
“Come on,” Raven murmured, holding Torrey’s hand so tightly, her eyes trained on where the score would be posted.
Whoever beat the eight second mark—rider or bull shifter—was scored up there.
The crowd was getting quieter as two flankmen ushered Buck This to an open gate near the chutes.
Buck This turned suddenly and headed straight for their box, his wild eyes on Torrey.
“It’s good, it’s good, it’s good!” she called nonsensically, holding her hand out to try and deter him from jumping the fence. “I’ll come back there. Change back there and I’ll meet you!”
He skidded to a stop and ducked this way and that at the edge of the fence before the flankmen rode their horses toward him and herded him back toward the gate. One of them had to throw a rope around his neck and rode his horse right through the gate, dragging Buck This Storme as best as he could. Buck This Storme disappeared through it, bucking like he had a rider again.
The audience went insane, and she looked up to find his score had been posted. 94.
“What does that mean?” she asked breathlessly.
Beside her, Raven was cheering and let off a shrill whistle. “Ninety-four of a hundred points. It’s a three-day event so the bull shifter with the score closest to three hundred at the end of tomorrow wins it all. He got sixty-four with that penalty last night, so his combined score is 158. He’s still in it!” Raven crowed. “We just need some riders to hang on for eight seconds on some of the top bulls and there’s a chance.”
“A small chance. Almost microscopic,” Annabelle pointed out. “But it’s a chance!”
“I have to go find him,” Torrey told them breathlessly.
“You go, we’ll stay here and watch his competition,” Raven told her.
“Okay, bye.” She moved to sprint out of the box, but then turned around and grabbed Raven’s hands, squeezing them tightly. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. Explaining everything and involving me. And for pulling me out of that chute when I thought I would die.”
She laughed and nodded once. “Anytime. This is the most excitement we’ve had in years.”
“Yeah,” Annabelle said, patting her on the shoulder. “Quickdraw has been wanting to sponsor bull shifters for a while. He just wanted to start on the right one.” She grinned. “He’s happy with what just happened. I could see him grinning from here.”
And Torrey realized that while she’d been watching Buck This Storme, Annabelle must’ve been watching Quickdraw behind the chutes. It didn’t matter that there was chaos and excitement in the arena. Annabelle had been paying attention to the smile on her mate’s face.
And that was what had been missing from her and Caleb. They’d never formed that bond. They’d never been destined to. But as Torrey walked down the stairs and nodded to Gary Wade, she realized something.
If it had been Buck behind the chutes watching a bull shifter he was sponsoring, Torrey would’ve been reveling in his smile too.
Earlier today, that revelation would’ve terrified her, but now? After Buck had opened up to her, touched her body, and followed her into that chute so trustingly?
