Page 95 of The Hearts We've Broken
For a split second, the world around me froze, as if everything was moving in slow motion. A flash of blonde in the crowd was all it took to distract me, and my gaze settled on the crowd, ripping my focus away from the ride and the bull beneath me for a millisecond.
A distraction that would cost me.
The bull switched directions, breaking its bucking pattern and catching me off guard. One millisecond was all it took for me to lose my balance and grip on the bull’s back.
He flung me off his back, but I couldn’t get my hand loose from the rope to get to safety.
The arena fell silent. I couldn’t tell if it was because a hush fell over the crowd or because my body had gone into flight mode. Either way, my ears were full of static, and my mind was full of panic.
I slammed against the side of the bull, his hooves coming dangerously close to my body as he continued to kick, hell-bent on making sure I didn’t get out of this arena.
Men yelled from around me, and a wave of chaos surrounded me.
Get yourself loose, dammit.
I was finally able to free myself from the bull, but it was too late.
When I hit the ground, a shockwave went through my body and I couldn’t scramble away fast enough.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Revenge came down on my leg—my ankle—and white-hot pain shot through my body.
My ankle.
The world around me spun as the bullfighters got the beast out of the arena. But I still couldn’t move. I was frozen to the earth, my muscles weren’t responding.
All I could feel was the burning pain.
Then an epiphany.
One day I wouldn’t have bull riding anymore.
One day I’d be a prisoner to those stands.
One day I’d only have the memory of the thrill, the rush, the adrenaline.
And the only person I wanted by my side when that day came was her.
Her.
No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I’d never be able to get away from her. Not now. Not after everything we’d been through.
Juniper was the only thought running through my mind when everything went black.
BREAKING: PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDER MIKEY TUCKER INJURED IN SMALL TOWN MONTANA RODEO
PRCA bull rider Michael “Mikey” Tucker was injured over the weekend after his matchup against Relentless Revenge, a bull from Triple Creek Cattle Ranch. He was taken to the nearest hospital in Billings, Montana, to undergo tests after the bull landed on his right ankle just seconds after being thrown.
Witnesses to the accident say he looked distracted during his ride, and after being thrown from the back of the animal, his hand got caught in the rope. After he freed himself, spectators recalled him trying to scramble away from the bull before the devastating injury.
Sources say that moment out of focus cost him a qualifying ride and potentially the rest of the rodeo season.
His timeline for return has not yet been determined.
