Page 63 of All Night with the Cowboy
Ryder studied his wrist, feeling it and turning it over, before putting the tape between his teeth and pulling it out.
“I’ll do it nice and tight, but you know you’re only asking for trouble if you keep at it without healing properly first, right?”
“Yeah, I know.” Tanner listened to the roar of the crowd, knew the clock was counting down until his ride and he needed to get ready. His head was all over the place and he needed to sort his shit out before he stepped anywhere near that damn bull.
“You’re on that mean bastard Thunder Cat again today, aren’t you?”
Tanner had been seeing that damn bull in his sleep and it was driving him crazy. “That’s the one.” He’d been mighty unlucky to draw him again so soon.
“He’s just a bull, no different than any other out there. Don’t overthink it, and get the hell away from him when you come off.”
Tanner met Ryder’s gaze. Ryder had been the best bull rider around in his day, and he appreciated the pep talk.
“And then come find me for a beer afterward,” Ryder said.
“So we can commiserate?” Tanner asked with a laugh.
“No, so I can tell you that the best part of being a bull rider is retiring, you fool.” Ryder tipped his hat and pointed toward the action. “Quit while the going is good, that’s my advice. Now get out there and have the ride of your goddamn life.”
“You’re serious?”
“Deadly.” The set of Ryder’s face told him he wasn’t kidding around. “I’m no saint, but being home with my girl and being on the other side of the ring is a damn sight more enjoyable. Once you give up the adrenaline rush, anyway.”
Tanner blocked out what Ryder was saying, not wanting to even hear the word “retirement” with the battlehe was facing. And when he walked toward the chute, the roar of the crowd in his ears as they cheered for whatever poor bastard was riding for his life in the ring, everything disappeared from his head. He climbed up and looked down, hearing the heavy, snorting breath of the bull that had almost killed him.
Thunder Cat looked up, throwing his head, and Tanner caught his eye.
“Time for second chances,” he murmured, waiting for his name to be called, clapping powder between his hands, before slowly easing himself down onto fifteen hundred pounds of mad, wild flesh.
The accident flashed through his mind; the stabbing pain; the bite of torn flesh; the searing, vomit-inducing crack that still echoed through him whenever he thought about that day. And that goddamn bull spinning around and staring at him before goring him on his way past.
Go away, he ordered.
“And next up we have former PBR grand champion and one of the highest-earning bull riders of all time, Tannnnnn-er Ford!”
Tanner sucked back a breath, his lungs on fire as he eased down. His legs were shaking until they were against the bull, fingers tight through the rigging as he settled in, ready for the fight of his life. His body was feeling good, his pulse was racing, and he was as pumped as he’d ever been—it took him back to his first ride when he’d believed he was invincible and couldn’t wait to climb aboard a big goddamn bull and show the crowd watching exactly what he was made of. He’d hated the Ford tag when he was growing up, and bull riding had been his way to prove to the world that he could make it on his own, that he was stronger, tougher,and more talented than anyone gave him credit for. And to show his family that as much as he liked his trust fund and the perks that came with being part of the Ford dynasty, he didn’t need family money in order to survive.To thrive.
The signal went and the chute opened, and all Tanner could hear was the huff and puff of the wild-as-hell beast beneath him. He spun and whipped around, bucking wildly, and Tanner counted in his mind, ready to scream as he held on like he’d never held before. His body was flung back and forth and he dug his fingers tighter, refused to loosen his grip, refused to let the bull get the better of him a second time. He could do this—this was his comeback, and no one, not even this son-of-a-bitch bull was going to take his moment away from him.
Eight.The last buck sent him flying, but he’d done it! Tanner flew through the air and landed roughly on his feet, stumbling as he tried to correct himself. The clown was doing his job, but Tanner looked back and saw him charging, knew the bull wanted to smash him into the ground and gouge him all over again if he was given half a chance.
Tanner was hauled back and he leapt up, scrambling up the wooden side fence and tucking his boots up high.
Fuck you, Thunder Cat, he thought, watching the sleek black bull charge around the arena as the crowd went crazy.You didn’t get me today, and you won’t get a goddamn chance to get me again, either.
Tanner inhaled the familiar rodeo smell, absorbed the addictive feeling of being in the arena with thousands of fans screaming and clapping and watching the sportthey loved. He flexed his hand and experienced the familiar, jolting pain. It wasn’t bad most of the time, but he could sure as hell feel it right now after the stress he’d just put his entire body through.
He might love being a bull rider, but Ryder was right. The best thing for a guy his age, after so many years at the top, was bowing out on a high. He had never wanted to accept defeat before, but it was time to retire. And it was no one’s decision but his own, and that’s why it finally felt like the right thing to do. When he’d been asked before what else he had left to prove, it had rubbed him up the wrong way fast, but faced with his father’s mortality and what he’d decided he wanted from the future? It was time.
Before he climbed down on the other side, Tanner waved to the crowd and fist-pumped the air. The announcer was running through his ride, hyping up how well he’d done, and Tanner hoped he’d done well enough to win. If this was his last ride, it had better have been enough to beat the young riders who’d been chasing his tail for the last couple of years. He’d always loved seeing the new up-and-comers, the way they didn’t give a shit and believed they’d bounce when they hit the ground. Hell, they probably did bounce the first few times, their bodies more lithe and unbreakable than the older guys on the circuit, but only the odd one ever climbed the ranks and managed to succeed big time. But it was time to move aside and let someone else take his place, and he was ready to cheer them on instead of gritting his teeth and competing alongside them.
Bull riding had been his everything, but he’d had a change of heart, and if he’d learned anything over theyears, it was that following his heart, not his head, was always the better decision.
***
“Dad?” Tanner called the second he’d pushed the big oak front door open at River Ranch. “Dad?” he repeated, kicking his boots off and heading into his father office. He wasn’t there. He heard the faint sound of a television down the hall and smiled. His father was definitely home.
“Hey, Dad,” he called out, not wanting to startle his old man.
