Chapter Two
Leo
“I’m gonna do it!” I declared, eyeing up the large bull in the pasture.
My best friend, Maddy Cartwright, shuffled on the spot next to me.
“I don’t know, Leo.” I heard the slight waver of doubt in her voice and it made me pause. But only for a moment.
I nudged her with my shoulder, looking down into her hazel eyes.
“Aw, you scaaaared, Tough Girl?” I taunted.
She shoved me, a small smile pulling at her lips. “Shut up. This is serious.”
She was right. It was. But I was determined, just like she was a few years ago.
That was the best thing about us; we both liked a challenge. Liked to push the limits and go outside our comfort zones. We always egged each other on to do hard things, so the fact that she wasn’t sure had me hesitating.
Since we wrestled, we’d become firm friends. I cared more about her than the boys I’d been hanging out with. They were so dumb. That day I sat with her at lunch, I lost all my friends, but I didn’t care. I gained a best friend and that meant more to me than anything.
The first time I went to Maddy’s home at Redemption Ranch, her mom, Sherry, eyed me up something serious.
She didn’t like me, I could tell. I was the boy twice her daughter’s size who wrestled her, hurt her and ruined her clothes.
But Sherry didn’t realize that her daughter was fierce and could protect herself.
Maddy’s dad, Charlie, knew what she was like and didn’t mind me too much.
I ended up at the ranch more than I was home, not that my mom minded. She was working hard at her two jobs. And it was nice being around another dad.
My dad died when I was five, I don’t even remember him really.
I only remember a police officer coming to the front door one night.
I was watching with my stepbrothers at the top of the stairs in the dark.
The rain was pounding down outside, droplets hitting the wooden floor in the entrance.
My mom crumpled to the ground, wailing, while the officer spoke.
Apparently, Dad had been coming home from work during the storm.
Lightning had struck a tree, a huge branch falling and crushing the car, killing my dad instantly.
Mom did her best to raise us, I don’t even know how she did it.
She’d had to quit her job in the city and find one closer to home.
It was hard and it didn’t pay enough, so eventually she had to get a second job.
My grandparents helped out as much as they could and it was great having them around but eventually they both passed away.
My stepbrothers didn’t cope well. They were in their teens when Dad died and took to drinking and fighting until Mom couldn’t handle it anymore and gave them an ultimatum. I haven’t seen them in a while. Mom was always so sad, the house became too quiet without them.
I think that’s why I liked Redemption Ranch.
It was exciting and always busy. I liked seeing all the horses and cattle.
Charlie knew my dad so took me under his wing and taught me to ride on his favorite horse, Chestnut.
The thrill of the horse hooves pounding the ground and the wind rushing in my hair was unlike anything I’d felt before.
Mom wasn’t that keen on me spending so much time away, but I told her how happy it made me, so she let me keep going.
Maddy’s sisters were cool too. I liked Kat, she was a couple of years older, and her friend Gertie was always at the ranch.
They were similar to Maddy, not into typical girly stuff and liked being at Redemption.
Their sister Daisy was a few years younger, but her personality was starting to show and she was growing up to be as sassy and strong as her sisters.
I looked at Maddy now, her blond hair had started getting streaks of bronze and brown through it.
Her hazel eyes were normally light in color, but they were darker now with her worry.
I liked that her eyes changed depending on her mood; it was how I always knew what she was feeling. Right now, she was scared.
I trusted her but I also wanted the thrill, and I knew she would understand that too. I took her hand and squeezed it. “I’ll be okay, I promise.”
She met my stare. “You do?”
“Sure.”
She pushed out a breath and then nodded, squeezing my hand back before she dropped it and stepped away.
I turned toward the grazing bull. He was a pretty calm one, so I wasn’t in any serious danger.
That’s what I tried to tell myself. I’d been watching lots of rodeo on TV and I’d also seen Charlie trying to break some mustangs.
Since then, I’d fallen in love with the idea of creating a connection with a wild animal, the bond that was forged once you gained its trust, along with the challenge of taming it.
We were in the south pasture where the bull was being kept, away from the female cattle grazing the north pasture. I approached slowly, my arms spread, and palms up, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible.
The bull raised its head, a clump of grass hanging out of its mouth as it eyed me. His ear flicked off a pesky fly and he grunted.
“Leo!” Maddy hissed in warning, but I waved her off.
I stepped closer and the bull dropped its head, munching on the greenery again and I was forgotten. I took that as a good sign and kept inching in, Maddy squeaking every now and then behind me.
Eventually, I was beside the giant beast. I was growing taller so he wasn’t as big as he would have been a few months ago.
I used my athleticism to my advantage and swung a leg in the air, trying to get it high and over the bull’s back, whilst latching onto its neck.
He snorted and kicked a leg out but I tugged something fierce and pulled myself onto him.
Triumph fired my blood and I looked to Maddy, who stared at me wide-eyed, her hands fisted at her sides.
“I did it!” I shouted with glee. “I’m a rodeo king!”
No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the bull gave an almighty buck, the force making my spine snap.
I heard a pop and fire spread up my back.
I held on tight, trying to stay on but when he bucked again, enraged at my gall, I lost my grip and fell to the ground in a tangled lump.
I landed on my wrist and heard a crack. The same fire spread up my arm but didn’t fade like it did with my back.
It intensified and my eyes watered with the pain.
“Leo!” Maddy cried and it was loud enough that it startled the bull into running in the opposite direction, thankfully nowhere near trampling me.
I rolled onto my back and stared up at the sky, the clear blue so bright. The clouds so fluffy. I couldn’t catch my breath.
“Mads,” I croaked out.
“I’m here.” She fell to her knees at my side. “Are you alive?”
I choked on a laughed, then flinched. “Of course, dummy.”
“You’re the dummy.”
“You are!” I shot back. “You were worried for nothing.”
She peered at the arm I was cradling. “Really? I’ll give you a million dollars to high-five me, right now.”
“You don’t have a million dollars!” I glared up at her smug smile. “Shut up and help me.”
She tugged me to my feet, with lots of hissing from the pain and I’d begun to sweat. My arm throbbed and I couldn’t touch it.
“I think it’s broken,” she said, staring at it. “It’s swelling. We need to tell my dad.”
I shook my head. “No way, he’ll tell my mom and she’ll kill me!”
“Leo, it looks broken.”
“Nuh-uh. It’s just sore. Come on, let’s get back, it’ll be fine.”
We started the slow walk back and when we got to the mouth of the pasture, I turned around and saw the bull watching me in the distance.
In that moment I felt connected to it. Like I’d triumphed and there was a mutual respect between us.
Either that or I was completely out of it from the agony I was in.
My throbbing arm distracted me, and I followed Maddy back to the main house.
“Are you okay? You look pale,” she whispered as we eventually walked up the porch steps.
“Uh, huh,” was all I could reply, the pain was getting worse and draining all my energy.
“I think we should tell someone.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s because you’re a tattletale.”
Her lips pressed together in a disapproving line and my eyes dropped to the freckle she had on her top lip, to the left. It disappeared the more she pressed her lips together and that’s how I knew I was in trouble, that freckle disappearing.
“Please, Maddy?” I begged.
She sighed. “Fine.”
We went inside and kicked off our boots, Maddy helping me pull mine off.
“Hey kids!” Sherry poked her head out the kitchen archway. “Are you staying for dinner, Leo?”
Sherry liked me now that I’d been hanging around so much. “Yes please, Mrs. Cartwright.”
We sat in Maddy’s room until it was dinnertime and I had to keep biting my lip at the pain. It was starting to make me feel sick.
Eventually we got called back down and sat at the table. I glanced back and forth between my plate and my cutlery, not sure what to do. Maddy took my knife and fork and started cutting up my food for me.
Charlie frowned when he saw it. “Why are you cutting up his meat, Mads?”
“Uh,” she began and her eyes flicked to mine, pleading.
“She’s just fussin’ over me,” I replied.
Maddy frowned at me and I knew she was pissed at that. She nudged my arm and I gasped in pain, the throbbing intensifying. My arm was on fire, the skin pulled tight. My stomach heaved and dark spots appeared in front of my eyes.
“Leo?” Charlie’s voice sounded far away. I felt like I was falling and then everything went dark. I could hear everyone around me, but I didn’t think I was awake.
The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital waiting room with Charlie sitting next to me and Maddy on the other side.
Charlie was quiet, which scared me. He was mad.
And I hated that he was mad at me. Maddy was mad too.
But no one was madder than my mom who chose that moment to fly into the waiting area, her eyes blazing with anger.
“You! And that damn ranch!” She poked Charlie in the chest.
“Now, Nadine, I didn’t know what they were up to and I certainly don’t approve of it. I’m sorry it happened, but kids will be kids. Especially these two who are always getting up to no good. It’s a ranch and there can be accidents.” He tried to placate her but she wouldn’t be placated.
“What were they doing unsupervised?”
“They’re almost fourteen, they’re old enough to be outside on their own. Granted not in a pasture which they both know they’re not allowed to go to alone.” He shot us both a stern look.
“It’s that damn ranch that’s responsible for all this. He shouldn’t be going there.”
Charlie sighed deeply. “Nadine, come for a family dinner one night and we’ll show you around. You can see for yourself what goes on there and that it’s a great place for kids to learn and grow.”
But Mom ignored him, instead whirling on me. “You’re forbidden from going back there, you hear me? No more!”
“No!” Maddy cried, latching an arm around my neck.
A lump formed in my throat. I could tell Mom was serious.
Behind her Charlie took off his black Stetson and ran a hand through his silvery hair.
He’d bought me a cowboy hat for my last birthday.
It was too big but he said it was fine, I could grow into it.
I still wore it and I couldn’t remember where I’d left it.
“Nadine, please.” He sighed again. “It’s an accident. Let’s not get too hasty.”
“Too hasty? My child could have died!”
“I know you’re scared, but you’re not going to lose him too,” Charlie soothed.
I turned away from their arguing and saw my best friend staring at me with tears in her hazel eyes.
“We won’t see each other anymore,” she whispered, her lip wobbling and I felt my own wobble in return.
“We will, I promise.”
She stomped her foot. “You promised you wouldn’t get hurt and look where we are!”
“I know, Maddy. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what would happen.”
“But I did, I told you!” A furious tear tracked down her cheek, the sight of it twisted my insides. Maddy never cried.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t listen, and now I’m paying for it.”
“Good!” she huffed, but I knew she didn’t mean it.
“And we’ll still see each other.” I lowered my voice. “And not just at school. I can sneak over; we’ll still get to hang out.” She threw herself at me and I flinched as she hit my arm.
“You promise?” she mumbled against my t-shirt.
“You still trust me to promise?”
I felt her reluctant nod against me.
“Then I will find a way.”
Eventually my mom tugged us apart and dragged me off to see a doctor. I turned and stared at Maddy as Mom pulled me down the hall until Maddy was out of sight.
I sat on a bed, waiting for my x-ray results. The pain had dulled to an ache now that I’d been given something for it.
Mom paced in front of me. “You scared me, Leo. Have we not lost enough? You want to do this to me?”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I just wanted to see what it was like to ride a bull, like they do on TV.”
“Bull riding?” she scoffed. “Well, that’s the last time you’ll ever get near one, or that ranch.”
“Please, Mom. It wasn’t Mr. Cartwright’s fault. I did it on my own. And Maddy even tried to stop me!”
She stopped in front of me, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “But you wouldn’t have been able to get on a bull if you weren’t at that ranch.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“Promise me, you won’t go there again. You won’t go to the ranch, and you certainly won’t ride a bull again.”
I rolled my lips inwards, refusing to say it. I’d promised Maddy something else and I wouldn’t break it. I didn’t want to be away from my best friend.
“Leo,” Mom warned.
I hung my head and crossed my legs. “I promise.” There, that didn’t mean anything if I crossed my legs. She seemed satisfied with that and stroked my head, dropping a kiss on my hair.
The doctor came in and confirmed I had broken my arm and put it in a cast. We left the hospital and I searched the parking lot for Maddy or Charlie but couldn’t see his truck anywhere.
The ride home was silent.
Mom turned to me. “I know you’re mad, but you need to be safe. You can hate me for it, but your safety is all I care about. You’re the only one I’ve got left.”
I felt bad. I’d scared her today. She’d lost so much with my father and stepbrothers.
But the rush I had when I got on that bull was unlike anything I’d felt before, and I was already desperate to do it again.
And no way would she keep me from my best friend.
So it seemed like I’d be breaking some promises.