Leroy Watches Jr. & the Badass Bull (Bloodsong Series) by Sandy Nathan Page B
Authors: Sandy Nathan
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win. “Want to know more about this young cowboy? This is Leroy Watches’ first rodeo. He is an enrolled member of one of our Native Nations down in New Mexico. He’s riding wild horses he started breaking three days ago!”
Seemed like the crowd was bigger this time. Certainly louder. Leroy left the arena feeling very embarrassed. “Did you tell them that?’ he asked Reason Jimson, who’d ridden Blondie out of the chute next to him in the bulldogging. He kept the steer running straight.
“Oh, I might have. I’m still taking offers on the horses.”
“Make sure they go to people who will treat them right.”
On Saturday, he healed his father before and after the bulls tried to tear up the cowboys riding them and everything else they could reach. He also did a little something that his pop wouldn’t like. He kept the bulls settled down and away from him. They were almost docile when they were herded out of the arena.
Leroy was bone tired by Saturday evening. Getting himself into the arena to compete had taken as much doing as training the horses. You couldn’t just sign up to enter a class. He found that out when he went to the office.
“I have to be a member of the rodeo association? I’m only going to ride in one rodeo,” he said to the lady from that association headquarters on the phone. Didn’t matter one rodeo or a hundred, he had to be a first level professional rodeo cowboy. To do that, he had to fill out paperwork and give the association a bunch of money. Then he had to enter his classes, giving the rodeo another bunch of money.
The tribe stood behind him, paying his fees and getting him stalls at the Thomas & Mack for his horses. Even the rodeo office was helpful, faxing the paperwork in just before the national rodeo association office had closed on Friday. When people heard who his father was, that greased the skids.
The championship rounds were Sunday. If he did as well again, he’d be the high point rider in both classes. Leroy measured that in terms of what his purse could buy for his cabin.
Blondie blazed out of the chute once again. He had the calf caught and tied before he drew three breaths. He slowed her down a little. He didn’t want to call attention to himself by breaking any more records.
“Forgive me for hurting you. I heal your wounds. May you live a life without pain!” he said to the calf before letting it loose. The crowd, hyped up, repeated his words, mauling all the phrases. Still, the calf was healed.
Buzzard performed better in the Sunday go round of the steer wrestling than he had the previous day.
“We have another record for our young cowboy, Leroy Watches Jr. What are you going to do with that purse, Leroy? Take all those young ladies to dinner? Take a victory lap, Leroy. Let them take a good look at you. Show us what you’ve got!”
Buzzard seemed to have a show-biz flare, streaking around the arena at a hard gallop. He turned into the center on his own volition and reared, then ran flat out through the entrance doors. Outside the ring, Leroy glanced at the replays shown on the big screens. They also played videos of the crowd. A lot of women were watching him. He felt nothing for them.
Then he remembered how it went: Grandfather told the spirit warrior that he had had a dream that he would marry. The warrior had to find his mate after that. Usually they found them at the Meeting. Hundreds of couples were married there. Marriages performed by his grandpa always lasted. The warriors had never had a divorce. Remembering that, Leroy was even more motivated to get to the Meeting and Grandfather.
All he had to do was take care of his father for one more sparring session with the bulls. Then he could collect his purses and head for New Mexico.
9
THE THOMAS & MACK
They arrived in front of the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Las Vegas, home of the National Finals Rodeo. A big basket-like structure, a half-oval of metal
Seemed like the crowd was bigger this time. Certainly louder. Leroy left the arena feeling very embarrassed. “Did you tell them that?’ he asked Reason Jimson, who’d ridden Blondie out of the chute next to him in the bulldogging. He kept the steer running straight.
“Oh, I might have. I’m still taking offers on the horses.”
“Make sure they go to people who will treat them right.”
On Saturday, he healed his father before and after the bulls tried to tear up the cowboys riding them and everything else they could reach. He also did a little something that his pop wouldn’t like. He kept the bulls settled down and away from him. They were almost docile when they were herded out of the arena.
Leroy was bone tired by Saturday evening. Getting himself into the arena to compete had taken as much doing as training the horses. You couldn’t just sign up to enter a class. He found that out when he went to the office.
“I have to be a member of the rodeo association? I’m only going to ride in one rodeo,” he said to the lady from that association headquarters on the phone. Didn’t matter one rodeo or a hundred, he had to be a first level professional rodeo cowboy. To do that, he had to fill out paperwork and give the association a bunch of money. Then he had to enter his classes, giving the rodeo another bunch of money.
The tribe stood behind him, paying his fees and getting him stalls at the Thomas & Mack for his horses. Even the rodeo office was helpful, faxing the paperwork in just before the national rodeo association office had closed on Friday. When people heard who his father was, that greased the skids.
The championship rounds were Sunday. If he did as well again, he’d be the high point rider in both classes. Leroy measured that in terms of what his purse could buy for his cabin.
Blondie blazed out of the chute once again. He had the calf caught and tied before he drew three breaths. He slowed her down a little. He didn’t want to call attention to himself by breaking any more records.
“Forgive me for hurting you. I heal your wounds. May you live a life without pain!” he said to the calf before letting it loose. The crowd, hyped up, repeated his words, mauling all the phrases. Still, the calf was healed.
Buzzard performed better in the Sunday go round of the steer wrestling than he had the previous day.
“We have another record for our young cowboy, Leroy Watches Jr. What are you going to do with that purse, Leroy? Take all those young ladies to dinner? Take a victory lap, Leroy. Let them take a good look at you. Show us what you’ve got!”
Buzzard seemed to have a show-biz flare, streaking around the arena at a hard gallop. He turned into the center on his own volition and reared, then ran flat out through the entrance doors. Outside the ring, Leroy glanced at the replays shown on the big screens. They also played videos of the crowd. A lot of women were watching him. He felt nothing for them.
Then he remembered how it went: Grandfather told the spirit warrior that he had had a dream that he would marry. The warrior had to find his mate after that. Usually they found them at the Meeting. Hundreds of couples were married there. Marriages performed by his grandpa always lasted. The warriors had never had a divorce. Remembering that, Leroy was even more motivated to get to the Meeting and Grandfather.
All he had to do was take care of his father for one more sparring session with the bulls. Then he could collect his purses and head for New Mexico.
9
THE THOMAS & MACK
They arrived in front of the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Las Vegas, home of the National Finals Rodeo. A big basket-like structure, a half-oval of metal
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