Page 27 of Rough Stock
He came back with a clipboard and stood in front of her, holding it to his chest. “Okay, pick a number between one and fifteen.”
Shyanna sighed again. What difference did it make? If he didn’t like the bull, he’d overrule her choice. “Nine.” It was the first number that came to her mind.
He dropped the top edge of the clipboard and scanned down the sheet. “Shifty. Looks like he’s been rated at a five by the school instructors. I think that would be safe enough for you.”
“What does a five mean?” Shyanna asked.
“It means he bucks, but he’s never been known to be dangerous. A one is a bull that barely moves. A ten is a bull that, well, frankly, if you fall off, you’d better pray somebody has a gun and shoots him before he gets a chance to get sight of you because if he does, you’re dead.”
Shyanna’s jaw dropped. “Do they have any tens?”
“Nope. They usually get rid of those pretty quickly. But a nine… yeah, they’ve got at least three nines, and a couple of eights.”
“Think I’ll take the five and be thankful,” she muttered under her breath.
“That doesn’t mean you won’t get a good ride, and it also doesn’t mean the bull won’t be dangerous. It just means that he’s never been known to be. That can change at any time,” Jensen reminded her. “Never let your guard down with an animal that big.”
“I’d never do that, trust me,” she said, brushing her hands back and forth on the sides of her jeans. “So when do we start?”
“Right now. Let’s go look at the bull. Roger said he’d be here in a few minutes and he has a couple of students who want to ride too, so you guys can all take turns and learn from each other.” Jensen took off for the barn and Shyanna had trouble keeping up with his long legs.
It was going to happen! She was going to get to start riding again! She could barely wait, even though she was terrified. When she stepped through the doorway into the barn, she couldhear some of the bulls snorting on the other sides of their enclosures, and she wondered which one was Shifty.
“Here we go,” Jensen said, stepping up to a tubular steel gate. A snuffling sound filled the space and when she caught sight of the bull, she felt woozy. At his withers, he was at least ten inches taller than she was, and he was so broad she wasn’t sure her legs would fit around him. “Well? Whaddya think?”
No way would she let him see her the least bit scared. “Looks like a crazy ride. Let’s do it.”
“Okay then. A few of the guys are going to start loading the bulls into the chutes.” Then his head shot up. “Hey, how’s it goin?” Jensen called past her.
“Good morning! Going good,” Roger answered. “Chosen a bull?”
“Yep. Old Shifty here,” Jensen said before Shyanna had a chance to answer. “I think she’s rearin’ to go too.”
“Is that right?” Roger asked.
“Sure is,” Shyanna answered, hoping he couldn’t hear the trepidation in her voice.
“Well, then, let’s get some bulls in chutes and some riggin’ on ’em and see what you and the boys can do. Lexi? Rory? We need Shifty, Two-Hand Luke, and Grizzly loaded in chutes one, two, and three, please,” Roger barked to two young men at the end of that barn’s concourse, and they both took off toward the arena. Shyanna knew that the other side of the pens they were standing near ran alongside the center of the arena, and it would only be a matter of herding them around a bit to get the bulls into the chutes. As he headed the same direction, he turned and looked back to Jensen. “Take her over to the tack room at barn two. There should be plenty of riggin’ and the like in there. She can take her pick to use until she can get some of her own.”
“Thank you,” Shyanna called after him, but he just gave her a back-handed wave and kept walking. “That’s really nice of him,”she told Jensen as he walked alongside her toward the second barn.
“Yeah, but what else was he going to do? You don’t have any of that stuff. And you’re going to need a saddle for saddle bronc riding, and riggin’ for bareback broncs too. You’ve got a lot of stuff you need,” he pointed out.
“True. At least some of the stuff is interchangeable though. I can use the same flanking strap for both bronc events, but what about for the bull riding event?”
“Yeah, you’ll need a different flanking strap for that. This will be a good chance for you to try out a lot of different kinds of things and see which suits you best. Here we go,” he said as they rounded the corner of the tack room. “And word of warning: Youwillbe wearing a helmet. No argument. And a vest.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she snapped.
“Don’t be a smartass. At least I care what happens to you,” Jensen answered, his voice icy.
Shyanna’s face burned. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m not used to anybody giving a damn about me. It’s kind of weird?kind of nice, but kind of weird.”
His eyes softened. “I get it. Stick around me long enough and you’ll get used to it,” he said with a tiny grin. “Now let’s get you ready to ride.”
Ten minutes later, Shyanna had a vest, helmet, some gloves, a riggin’ strap, and a flanking strap. She also had rosin for her gloves. The only part she hated was the chaps. Bright red leather with white leather diamonds inlaid down the sides and white fringe, they screamed RoyRogers and DaleEvans, and she cringed as she looked down. But they were top quality and very well padded, and they’d keep her legs very safe.Note to self: Get plain brown chaps, she said internally as they made their way to the arena.
Roger looked up as they walked in and he pointed to the chute. “They’re waiting for you,” he said, and she followed his finger.
