8. Jackson
eight
Jackson
“ Y ep!”
The steer shoots out with a moo and Hunter has the animal damn near under my horse before I can slide off and wrestle him to the ground.
“Let’s give Jackson Sutherland another round of applause for the fastest time tonight of 3.3 seconds! He’s a big guy who gets it done f-a-s-t fast, folks!”
The announcer has the crowd on their feet and I wave to them as I walk over to my horse, standing with Hunter.
“Fucking hell, Jack. You keep getting better and putting all the young pups to shame.”
Laughing, I pull myself back up in Lady’s saddle and pat her neck.
“I’m in the zone, Hunter. I don’t know what it is this year but I feel like we can’t be stopped. I’m winning this season. We’re winning this season.”
It’s only our third event this year, but I’ve never done better. I feel like a superhero. No steer will get past me.
“The boys will want to celebrate tonight.”
The crowd cheers, drowning out Hunter’s voice, but I know what he’s already saying .
There’s only one person I want to celebrate with tonight and I won’t be finding him in a bar six hours away from home.
“You go without me. I’ll stay with the horses.”
Hunter already knew I’d say that. Some rodeo stops require us to have a trailer and tie our horses outside. Hunter has a massive camper with the horse trailer built in, so at least if it’s raining we can provide them shelter. But we never leave them alone.
The usual scenario is the boys hit whatever bar is closest and I stay at the campsite. It’s worked for several years and I don’t mind one bit.
Rodeo is something I live for. The adrenaline surge is real and rather than riding it the whole night, I crash in the evening and search for a quiet space. Sometimes, it’s around the campfire with the guys, and other times, it’s in my bunk with a book and an early bedtime.
Me and Hunter are the only ones in our group who travel with our horses. Jamieson and Griff travel together but will share a campsite with us. I know I’m the father figure of our friend group, too, but I really don’t mind.
After my victory lap in the ring and securing the horses, me and Hunter head back to the chutes to wait for Jamieson’s bull ride. We spot Griff in his bullfighter attire wearing a scowl so off-putting I’m almost afraid to say hello.
“Hey, Griff. You okay?” Hunter asks.
Griff, normally a more cheerful guy, growls when he stops in front of us. I don’t think I’ve heard a man growl like that. It’s creepy.
“Not really. That asshole isn’t taking me seriously and I’ve got a bad feeling. ”
Hunter and I exchange a confused look. Griff isn’t a ball of sunshine, but he’s also never angry. Not like this. He states facts and goes with blunt honesty as a default setting.
“Who isn’t taking you seriously? Jamieson?”
There’s no way he means his best friend. Jamieson listens to Griff a hundred percent. Griff is like Hunter, but with bulls. He studies their patterns just like the bull riders themselves, and Griff has a knack for sniffing out trouble.
“Yes, Jamieson! He drew Homewrecker and doesn’t want to listen to my advice! Says I should stick to my job and let him do his.”
Both Hunter and I suck in a breath. Bullfighters have one of the most dangerous jobs in rodeo. Griff is one of the best and it’s not like Jamieson to be rude to him. He’s like a six-foot-tall stick of cotton candy.
“Do you want us to talk to him? I don’t have an issue if he snaps at me,” Hunter asks while I search the chutes for Jamieson. “Let him take out whatever is bothering him on me.”
Spotting Jamieson, I put a hand on Hunter’s chest.
“Let me talk to him. He doesn’t need to be upset before he gets on the back of a bull.”
Hunter shrugs and I study Griff for a beat.
“Are you okay doing your job tonight?”
Griff nods. “Yeah, I’ll…I can shake it off. But…if he listens to you Jackson, tell him Homewrecker is behaving off. I don’t think he’ll be a straight bucker tonight. He’s gonna spin and…” Griff throws his hands up with a huff. “It’s just my gut, okay?”
“I get it. I’ll talk to him. ”
Leaving the two of them, I walk down the chutes until I find Jamieson in his gear, pacing at the rear of the loading chutes.
Jamieson has the same ritual every time he rides. I don’t know how to describe it other than being very animated. But he’s not doing any of his usual stuff. He’s currently pacing a groove in the ground with his hands curled into tight balls.
“Hey, J. Ready for the ride?”
He stops and whips his head up at the sound of my voice. Jamieson closes his eyes with a huff. “No. Yes? I don’t know.” His voice carries off in a whisper and I motion for him to follow me and step away from the chute area. There’s less action outside the chutes on the grass and we can still hear the announcer from where I stop near a truck loaded with barrels for the barrel racers.
“Talk to me, J. I saw Griff, and he’s worried.”
At the mention of Griff’s name, Jamieson drops his head.
“I was an asshole to him and…I don’t know how to fix it.” Jamieson swallows and looks up at the sky instead of me and crosses his arms as he leans on the truck.
“He said you drew Homewrecker. He usually throws up a great score.”
Jamieson nods. “Yep. That bull is a straight bucker, but he gets air. He’s a tricky one.”
“Mhm, from what I hear, he might spin.”
A faint smile appears on Jamieson’s face. “Did Griff tell you that?”
“He did. He’s a lot like Hunter that way. Hunter and Griff get gut feelings, and I always listen to Hunter.”
Jamieson bites at his lip before turning to me. There’s a swirl of emotion in his eyes I can’t quite sort .
“I always listen to Griff too, but this isn’t about not taking his advice, and I don’t want to get into it with you right now.”
“No problem. But if you change your mind, I’m always open to listening.”
Jamieson nods, opening his mouth to say something, but closes it again. After a beat, he says, “Tell him I’ll be ready for the spin. He doesn’t need to worry.”
“Okay.” Clapping him on the back, I motion to the chutes. “Sounds like you’ll be riding soon enough. Good luck tonight.”
He nods and walks back to the waiting area, and I wander back to where I know Hunter will watch from the sidelines. He never likes to sit in the bleachers, instead staying inside the competitor zone and standing near the chutes.
Griff is in the ring, waiting for the bull riders to start. I wave and, once he sees me, I give him a thumbs-up and his entire body sags. He quickly brings his hands together in prayer and nods his thanks before focusing back on the riders.
“Is Jamieson all squared away, then? Did you give him the full dad talk?”
Laughing, I shove at Hunter. “Just a half one. He’s fine. I bet there’s more to their fight, but I’ll let him come to me.”
Hunter says nothing and we watch the bull riders. All the bulls are rank tonight, throwing riders hard, and few riders have stayed on for their eight seconds. The bull fighters are working extra hard to keep the riders safe.
We watch Jamieson mount his bull in the chutes. “Do you have a feeling about his bull?”
Hunter remains silent for a minute, watching the movement in the chute. “No, but I’d listen to Griff. It’s his job, after all. ”
Homewrecker bursts from the chute with Jamieson on his back and, after two straight bucks, does something I’ve never actually seen before. The mammoth bull bucks and spins, but not how I would have expected. The bull seems to do both movements with all its feet off the ground. It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen.
And Jamieson holds on. Even when the bull changes direction and lurches him the opposite way as his feet touch the earth before lifting away again. Jamieson makes it look easy, adjusting his tall frame to remain centred and in control, all with one arm in the air. When the buzzer sounds and Jamieson is still on the back of the bull, I hold my breath. The bullfighters hover nearby and Jamieson finally dismounts, stumbling along the sand and immediately swooped into the arms of Griff, who steers him towards the safety of the chutes while the others coax the bull to the exit.
“That was wild.” Hunter breathes, and I release a long breath of relief.
“No kidding.”
Jamieson’s score flashes. A 92, which is epic and launches him to the top of the leaderboard.
Hunter claps me on the shoulder.
“Let’s get back to the campsite. I think it might be a long night of celebrating.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”
Shaking my head with a laugh, I clap Jamieson on the shoulder.
“I’m not feeling the bar scene tonight. You guys go have fun.”
“I get it. You’re sneaking in a secret hottie.” He mimes zipping his lips.
“Not quite, but let’s go with that.”
Jamieson cocks his head. “So you are keeping a secret? I promise I won’t tell.”
“Get out of here. Have a shot for me.” Before he turns away, I touch his elbow and lower my voice. “You and Griff are okay, right?”
“Yeah. We’re good.” He hesitates like he wants to say more, but simply says, “Thanks.”
Jamieson joins the group, and they meet the taxi at the park entrance for the trip into town. After getting a blanket from the camper and checking on the horses, I settle by the campfire and add another log.
Sadly, there’s no secret hottie. There’s a hottie, but if he was mine, I’d be showing him off every chance I get. But Hunter’s words about being careful with a man who seems to have issues with cowboys sticks. As much as I wish Riley was more than just a friend, I have to wonder if he’ll ever get past the cowboy part. It’s not something I can change about myself .
That doesn’t stop me from hitting video call on Riley’s contact number though.
He answers on the second ring, but not with his face.
“Uh, Riley?”
“Hi, Jackson. I’m here. I just, it’s a spa night and I have a mask on my face.”
Spa night?
“Oh. I don’t mind. Can I see your pretty eyes at least?”
With Riley, it’s so easy for me to say stuff like that and before I can apologize for being so forward, he responds.
“Are you playing me?” I smile at the tease in his voice. “That’s not what someone shy and awkward would say to their friend.”
“Well, I’m not shy with you. Just awkward sometimes. But it’s the truth. I like your eyes. Friends can compliment one another.”
His phone moves and my screen goes dark. Like he covered it with something and I laugh. “If you won’t let me see you, you’ll at least talk to me, right?”
“Of course I will. But you can see me if you promise not to laugh.”
“I’d never laugh at you.”
The darkness moves away and the phone moves again. This time, Riley shows his face. But I don’t laugh. Instead, my heart turns to mush.
“Oh my god, Riley. When you said a mask, I thought you meant, like, a mud mask or something. Are you a…polar bear?”
A sheet is stuck to his face, and it’s all white. There’s a black animal snout over his nose and eyeholes to show me his pretty blue eyes. A tiny pair of bear's ears sit on the mask at his forehead. It’s the most fantastic and cutest thing I’ve ever seen .
“Yeah. It’s a moisturizer, and it has an animal face. I bought a few on sale and they’re not bad.”
“It’s fucking adorable.”
Riley’s small huff of a laugh sets me at ease.
“Thanks. So, um, how did your weekend go?”
“Amazing. I won again. I’m posting the best times of my life, which is great for overall points at the end of the season.”
Riley smiles under his mask and the bear nose shifts to the side.
“That’s so wonderful for you!”
“It is. It means I get an invitation to a big money rodeo in Big Rock. I don’t always plan for that one because it’s by invite only. Only the best go and I think after today I’ll be getting the call.”
Riley shifts and even under his polar bear mask, I know his brow dipped.
“I googled you,” he says quietly and for a moment, I don’t understand.
“My rodeo event?”
He nods. “Yeah. There are loads of YouTube videos with you out there. I know what steer wrestling is, I just…never paid attention.”
“And what do you think?”
My heart slams hard, hoping he likes it.
“You’re very good at it.” He clears his throat. “It’s, ah, you’re…um…”
I laugh softly. “Now who’s tongue-tied?” If he didn’t have that mask on, I’d bet his cheeks were a cute shade of pink.
“You look good. Comfortable even. Well, as comfortable as one can be, diving off a running horse like that.”
For a man who was against cowboys when we met, this feels like an enormous breakthrough for me. If Riley Benton took time out of his day to google me and my rodeo event… and liked it? I will hold that close and celebrate the breakthrough.
“Thank you for saying that. I know rodeos aren’t your thing, so that means a lot.”
Riley’s polar bear face stares back at me, and his lips part before closing again. He clears his throat. “So how come you’re all by yourself?”
Okay, he wants to change the topic and as much as I want to keep poking to find out more of what he thinks, I’ll let it rest. One day, he’ll tell me why he has barbed wire around his heart for any cowboy who gets close.
“Well, I don’t like the bar scene and we have our horses here, so I stay behind and let the others go out.” I pan my phone to the fire. “I like to sit by the fire and just be outside. Sometimes I have a book. Tonight I wanted your company.”
Riley scratches his cheek, and his mask slips. “Damn it. Give me a minute. I’m going to take this off. You can keep talking while I do.”
The phone moves as he walks and now my view appears to be the ceiling in the bathroom. Water runs and I figure I’ll just keep talking like he said.
“Jamieson—he’s a bull rider—was teasing me about staying behind. He said I must have a secret hottie. I just let Jamieson go along with it. He likes his friends happy, you know?”
“How are you going to meet someone and get over your awkwardness if you don’t go out with your friends, Jackson?”
I still can’t see Riley’s face, and that’s probably a good thing. He’s the only one I’m interested in more with, and I was never good at hiding my facial expressions .
“I told you. I don’t want to be with some guy I meet at the bar.”
Riley’s face reappears, all shiny and soft. He slicked his hair back, and his lips are shiny with a substance. Maybe lip gloss? He’s stunningly beautiful, and all I can do is stare.
Riley’s lips tilt in a small smile. “Jackson? Did you hear me?”
Shit.
“No, sorry. I was…um, you’re really fucking pretty, Riley.”
Dear lord, I sound out of breath as the words tumble out before I even register what I said.
His eyes grow wide, and for a minute, I think I’ve overstepped, maybe even shattered this tender new friendship with my limited ability to not just blurt out what I’m feeling. This is one instance in which weird animal facts would be less embarrassing.
Riley’s face softens, and there’s a longing in his voice that’s new.
“You’re making it really hard to stay away from cowboys, Jackson.” With a sigh, the phone moves, and the rustle of blankets sounds. The screen shows Riley again, tucked under blankets with a pillow under his head.
“I think you deserve to know why I avoid cowboys. How much time do you have?”
“All night if you need it.”
Riley nods, and he moves around again. Now I’m positioned to see him with both hands tucked under his cheek.
“Let me tell you about a guy named Chase and how he broke my heart.”