Page 58 of Reckless Skye

‘Okay,’ she said simply.

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ She smiled, trying to ease the tension. ‘I mean, I did have to watch you ride a bull yesterday, so I figure I know the feeling.’ Wanting to close that distance between them, she moved over the bed and went to where he stood. She wrapped her arms around him, rested her cheek on his bare skin, and said, ‘Thanks for caring.’

He sighed and roped his arms around her. ‘Are you going to come watch me ride today?’

‘Of course.’

He briefly let her go to grab his black hat off the corner post of his bed. He plopped it on her head, said, ‘Do me a favour? Wear the hat?’

Skye rolled her eyes playfully.

But when she retook her seat between Janey and Ryan at three p.m. that afternoon and settled in to watch the show, TJ’s black hat was firmly on her head.

The crowd was thicker today, almost every seat in the house taken. People chatted and cheered between performances, got up and down to get refreshments and take bathroom breaks, but the action on the sanded arena never rested.

Events flowed, one into another. Skye was eager, anxious even, for TJ’s ride to come – or, maybe, to go. And, still, when the announcer’s voice boomed, ‘All right, folks, next up we have the bull riding!’ the crowd roared and Skye’s stomach dipped.

‘Also known as the toughest sport on the dirt, the objective of bull riding is simple: stay on. Ride well. Don’t die.’ While the crowd laughed, Skye huddled over in her seat, unconsciously trying to weigh down those anxious flutters in her stomach. ‘And for any of you who missed his ride yesterday, we have Scottsdale’s very own Jesse James Jones competing this weekend. That’s right, folks – Triple J himself is here at the Equidome!’

‘Remember the Name’ by Fort Minor blared out the speakers.

One row behind Skye, a woman on her cell phone said, ‘Hurry, babe. They’re starting!’

They watched four rides, and while two riders made the full eight seconds, it seemed to be a night for the bulls. The huge animals, fuelled by the flank strap and the loud crowd, came out fierce and had no mercy on the humans holding onto their backs for dear life. Once they’d performed, the bulls trotted off with their heads held high, shoulders perked, as if they’d communicated before the rodeo and come to an understanding that tonight was theirs for the taking.

‘I always thought it a little cruel,’ Skye observed offhandedly. ‘But now, after watching this weekend, I gotta say: the bulls look like they know their job, maybe even like it.’

‘Oh yeah. The bulls are athletes,’ Ryan said. ‘They’re listed as such on the PBR’s website, alongside the riders. And they’re treated like stars. A healthy, strong bull performs better and pulls in more rodeo money. As their earnings increase, so too does the value of their bloodline – and their semen. It’s an entirely separate revenue stream for bull breeders.’

‘Honey, I’m sure Skye doesn’t need to hear all this.’

‘Oh, it’s okay,’ Skye insisted. ‘I find it fascinating.’

‘Well, in that case, what Ryan is conveniently leaving out is that a big portion of the bucking genes are passed down from the female line. They call those cows stud dames,’ Janey explained. ‘Their offspring are so valuable that some farmers do yearly embryo transfers – kinda like modified IVF. Embryos are extracted from the stud dame and placed in other cows to carry to term.’

‘I had no idea,’ Skye marvelled.

‘Most people don’t.’

Janey’s eyes snapped to the arena when the announcer said, ‘Next up we have Triple J, riding Dancing Devil! TJ is a four-million-dollar bull rider and four-time PBR World Finals qualifier from right here in Scottsdale, Arizona!’

The entire crowd roared their approval.

‘For those of you who haven’t seen TJ ride, you’re in for a wild time. Let’s go!’

Skye barely heard. She was so focused on TJ, her eyes lasered in on him as he lowered himself down onto the bull, set himself up, and then pushed the bull from side to side with his legs, before gripping the side of the chute.

His eyes were obscured by the black hat he wore, but Skye saw his lips moving. The men around him laughed at whatever he’d said.

‘Only TJ would tell a joke right before he’s about to ride,’ she mumbled.

Next to her, Janey released a surprised chuckle. But she sobered almost instantly, whispered, ‘Come on, baby.’

Everything slowed.

TJ nodded.