The Bull Rider's Brother by Lynn Cahoon Page A

started already? I’ve got to go.” His first promise as a father and he’d already messed up. James took off toward the staging area.
    “Hey, I was joshing. I don’t think they’ll let you ride,” Jesse called after him.
    James pushed through the milling cowboys waiting for the team roping competition. He got to the corral as the sheep and their riders were released. He searched the crowd of kids and sheep for JR. There, there was the straw hat. He was still on the sucker.
    “Hold on, JR. You can do this,” he yelled, even though he knew JR would never hear him over the roar of the crowd. He’d been in the middle of that madhouse. But he yelled just the same.
    The flock had already lost most of their riders; still three young boys and a girl were going strong. One by one, the other kids were thrown or slipped off their sheep, leaving JR and the girl. One more spin around the corral. James saw JR’s face, wearing a look of determination and a smile. The girl was slipping. All of a sudden JR was the last man standing. A rodeo clown stepped in front of JR and his sheep and pulled him off, swinging him up to his shoulder.
    “We have a winner. JR Hudson, a local boy, is the mutton bustin’ champion. This kid held on with determination. His folks might have an up and coming bull rider on their hands. Now we’ve got all the sheep penned up, let’s get the team roping started.”
    James took off at a run to find JR and Lizzie. He found them as they were leaving the staging area, a small trophy gripped in the little boy’s hands. JR saw him first.
    “James! I mean, Dad. Did you see me ride? I held on like Gramps said. And they gave me this.” He shoved the trophy into James hands.
    “I saw you, buddy. Did you hear me cheering for you?” James crouched in front of JR. Emotions swept him. How could he be so attached already? He grinned at Lizzie, surprised to see dark clouds on her face.
    What had he done now?
    “ — and the announcer said I could be a bull rider,” JR continued excitedly. “Do you think Uncle Jesse would teach me? Maybe tomorrow after he rides?” JR looked up at James, his face alight with happiness.
    “Maybe. First we have to introduce you to your uncle. He’s going to be surprised. This is nice. You’ll have to take it for show and tell for school.” James handed the trophy back. Standing up he nodded to Lizzie. “You okay?”
    “Fine. I wish you would have been here like you said.” Accusation filled her voice.
    Confused, James shot back, “I am here.”
    “Now. Now that the hand holding and hard part is done.” She leaned closer, whispering so JR wouldn’t hear, “He needed you before the ride, too. That’s when he was scared and wanting a man to tell him it would be all right. But both you and my father were somewhere else. That left JR alone when he needed you.”
    Anger seethed through James. “He wasn’t alone. He had you.”
    She shook her head. “No. I’m not the father he just met who promised to be here then broke that promise to chase his grownup brother. I’m not the grandfather who taught him to mutton bust in the first place when I wanted him to wait another year then deserted him to be who knows where when the time actually came to ride. I’m not a man , and that’s what he needed. No, James, I told you. You make a promise to my son, you keep it. Period.”
    “That’s not fair.” James glanced over at JR, intently watching the team ropers. Or at least pretending to watch. James figured JR was listening to the exchange between him and Lizzie. And trying not to take sides. “I didn’t get the memo on my being a dad until what, five hours ago? And now you’re rating my performance on timing?”
    “Not getting the memo didn’t stop you from making a promise you shouldn’t have made if you weren’t going to keep it, James.” Lizzie puffed out an angry breath. “I should have known when you had to make a choice it wouldn’t go in our favor. Jesse has