Chapter 4
Tonight is night four of Stampede Days. It’s the first rodeo I’m working, and I’m surprisingly excited about that. The first three days of the event, I worked earlier in the day, snapping shots of all the booths and the crowd and the other events that weren’t rodeo related. When it comes to the actual rodeo, I won’t lie, the entire world is a little confusing and foreign to me. I’ve been to my fair share of rodeos at this point in my life—you don’t grow up in a place like Copper Lake and not go to them—so I understand the basic concept of how they run and what everyone does, but as a whole, I’m pretty much clueless.
Although, I don’t need to be a rodeo brainiac to take killer pictures of the event for the arena’s social media page, which is what I’m here to do.
“Oh! Uncle Grady, can we get one? Please!”
Stopping in front of the table that has dozens of cowboy hats in various colors and sizes, Suzy peers up at me, her big brown eyes pleading. She’s such a perfect mixture of my sister and Boone. She’s got his dark eyes, but Jade’s pale blonde hair. Sass from her mom, but her dad’s determination. Suzy can be stubborn as hell when she wants to be, but she also knows how to butter you up when she wants something, which is all Jade. Like right now as she hits me with the puppy dog eyes and the pouty bottom lip, her tiny hands clasped in front of her chest.
I’ve got about an hour before I have to start working, and Jade just dropped Suzy off with me so she can run back home really quick. We’ve been wandering around the arena grounds for the last ten minutes, taking in everything there is to see here. It’s set up almost like a fair, but much smaller. There are rows and rows of booths littered with stuff for sale. Bracelets and earrings, hats, temporary tattoos, shirts. You name it, it’s probably here.
Mabel’s with us, too. For as young as she is, she’s very well behaved. They got her only a few months ago. She doesn’t overly tug on her leash, doesn’t bombard people who are near us, doesn’t bark or whine.
“Please, please, please, Uncle Grady!” Suzy goes on, really amping up the sweetness. “I won’t ask for anything else all night. I promise!”
I chuckle because that’s a lie.
“Which one do you want, Suzy Q?”
A smile splits her face as she looks back at the hats. “This one!” She points to a teal one with rhinestones all over it. “No, no, no, this one.” Picking up a pink one with a decorated front, she shows it to me. “I want this one.”
“Put it on,” I tell her. “Let’s see if it fits first.”
Suzy plops it on her head, looking every bit like the miniature cowgirl she is. “It fits!”
There’s a small mirror sitting on the table that Suzy uses to admire herself. After I pay, we continue on with our perusal of the grounds. We come up to a small empty field just on the other side of the arena, and I let Suzy and Mabel go run and play for a bit. People will start filing into the space shortly after, and Jade will be back soon. They’ll have to go in too and find a good seat in the front where Suzy can see her dad. She’s mentioned no less than five times since I’ve seen her today how excited she is to watch her dad ride the “wild bulls.”
The sun is starting to set, the horizon colored with skillful strokes of burnt reds and oranges and yellows, giving everything a golden glow. It’s one of my favorite times of day, where the sky is muted yet bright at the same time. A time when the world feels settled. I once heard somebody describe a sunset as the last gasp of beauty before the death of the day, and though morbid, it was a beautiful metaphor.
Slipping an arm out of my backpack, I spin it around the front of me before I unzip it and grab my camera. Watching the two of them running around together, Mabel with her tongue hanging out of her mouth and tail wagging, and Suzy with her eyes lit up and giggles bubbling out of her, I crouch down and bring the camera up to my line of sight. Several clicks of my finger produce a dozen candid shots of the two of them, the gold horizon their backdrop. At one point, Suzy tumbles to the ground and Mabel comes up and licks her face, making Suzy cry out with laughter. Her clothes are probably going to get a little dirty, but who cares? She’s having fun.
She gets up, brushes the curly blonde hair out of her face, and it’s then she notices the camera. Like a little model, she pops her hip out, hand planted right on it as she flashes me a toothy smile. I can’t help but chuckle as I snap the photos, with Suzy going from pose to pose. For one of the shots, she gets behind Mabel, wrapping her arms around the puppy’s neck, and I swear, Mabel also smiles as I take the picture.
Before long, Jade’s back, and she takes Suzy and Mabel to go find their seats while I head into the arena and get ready for the show to begin. Excitement buzzes in my veins that I’m getting to do this. It may not seem like a big, important job, but it is to me. Powder Ridge Arena has a huge social media presence, from people inside Copper Lake and out. It’s an arena known for its world championship winning cowboys and cowgirls, so within the rodeo world, this place is a pretty big deal. Getting to snap pictures of these men and women in action is thrilling and, to be honest, an honor. The pictures I take will get a lot of views if they make it on the website or their social media avenues. It’s excellent exposure.
The event has beenincredible so far. The talent these people possess is out of this world. I can ride a horse just fine…but this? What they’re doing, it’s fun as hell to watch. I already know I’ve gotten some amazing footage from tonight. If I’m not mistaken, bull riding is up next, and that’s the last sport of the night. Just as the thought crosses my mind, the announcer comes over the loudspeaker, introducing the first rider. Somebody from a town I’ve never heard of. The crowd roars and claps as the music starts and the guy busts out of the gate like a bat out of hell. I don’t know much about how it all works other than he has to keep one hand in the air the entire time and not fall off before the eight-second buzzer goes off. Both of which he does.
As the next couple of riders come and go, my finger clicks away on my camera, snapping shot after shot. They all seem to do well and score pretty high, except for one who fell off and received no score. Sucks to be him. I can’t imagine going out there, riding one of those wild bulls and risking my entire life—literally—only to end up with no score. Fuck that.
Colt Bishop is up next. He’s another rider from Copper Lake, and one of Boone’s closest friends. I’ve known him basically my entire life. He’s twenty-three, if I’m not mistaken, only a few years older than me, and this is his third year in the professional rodeo. Like a lot of the other guys, his dad was in the rodeo when he was younger too, so he followed in his footsteps. Max Bishop was a bull rider for the books. Extremely well known in this world. There’re movies made about him and his career, and how he almost lost his life riding one of these beasts.
Wanting to get a little closer to the gate, I make my way around the arena, finding a spot in front of a row of bleachers. After I make sure I’m not in anyone’s line of sight, I get ready as the announcer gives the introduction.
Colt’s known for pushing the limits. He’s got big shoes to fill, and he rides like it. The crowd roars as he comes out, and by the time that buzzer sounds, they’re going wild all over again. He’s a fan favorite, that’s for sure. Probably helps that he’s sinfully good looking and a total playboy. He’s not shy about the women or men he entertains; always plastered on social media with a new face—or faces. His manager probably hates him, a PR nightmare, but he’s actually a really nice guy if you know him outside of the rodeo.
Once he exits the arena, the man behind the mic introduces Boone up next. Like with Colt, the fans go wild. I can’t help the wide grin that takes over my face, both at their reaction to him, but also because I get to watch Boone front and center. Because of school, I’ve only seen him compete in a professional setting in person a handful of times, the last time being about two years ago. Before college, I used to go with Jade to watch him a lot.
He”s another fan favorite, and for good reason. Standing at six-foot-three, he’s an anomaly in the bull riding world. On paper, he shouldn’t be able to ride. He’s significantly larger than every other man on the circuit in his sport, and yet, he’s still one of the best there is. His size works against him, but he somehow swings it to his advantage, and people on the internet go feral over him.
Like Colt, Boone has a huge social media presence. He loves showing the behind the scenes, loves letting people see glimpses into his life when he’s not on the road. Where Colt is seen as dangerous and sexy on the internet, Boone is the wholesome family man. Which is fucking hilarious to me because, in my eyes, Boone is just as sexy as Colt is, if not more. The internet just doesn’t see that side of him.
Er, not that I let myself notice how good looking Boone is all that often.
Bull Ridin’ Son of a Gun by The Charlie Daniels Band fills the arena as the chute opens and the bull bucks out of the gate. One hand on the bull rope, the other in the air, Boone moves with expertise on top of the beast. The angry bull bucks, spins, and kicks, trying to throw Boone off, but like the pro he is, Boone takes it all. Almost like he expects the bull’s every move.
He’s got a helmet protecting his head—something that I’ve noticed not all of the bull riders wear—a navy vest decorated with sponsor patches overtop a lighter blue long-sleeve shirt, and a pair of chaps covering his thick, muscular denim-clad legs. Leather fringe on the side of the chaps matches his vest. The buzzer goes off eight seconds later, but those seconds feel like an eternity as we watch him ride. Almost every person in this arena, myself included, jumps up and cheers for Boone as he gets off the bull.
My heart pounds harder, blood running hot through my veins. The adrenaline I feel watching him doesn’t even compete with the way he’s feeling, I’m sure. I can’t even begin to imagine the high he must feel doing what he does. How on top of the world he must feel once that timer goes off. It’s admirable and fucking incredible to witness.
The rodeo clown ushers the bull off the dirt, and before Boone makes his exit, he strolls over to where Jade and Suzy are sitting, chest heaving, cowboy hat pulled down over his dark eyes. Pointing a finger at Suzy, he forms a heart with his hands that she mimics, a bright smile on her face and laughter bubbling out of her. Seeing videos of him from other shows in the past, I know this is something they do after almost every ride. It’s cute, seeing their relationship and how much they love one another. I manage to get photos of the interaction, along with all the other incredible shots I got of him before he leaves the dirt.
A couple more bull riders are up next, and while I do a decent job of getting footage of them, I can’t help but replay Boone riding his bull in my mind over and over again. It’s a miracle I’m able to pay attention to my job at all. What the hell is that about?