Walk for Christmas

Chapter 5

Vincent POV

Mr Dickson worked hard at the rodeo. He kept his head down and did the job, and he did not socialize like he used to; he was too worried and checked his phone often for messages.

I was on my last ride. I needed a good time to win, and I got Goliath. I knew this bull intimately and had practiced on him during his training and workouts to keep him fit.

I felt so lucky to have drawn a bull I was so familiar with.

I still had that heavy pit in my stomach that I got each time I climbed on a bull.

I have a great respect for those huge bulls. They are amazing animals, and I love testing. I may know this bull, but he can occasionally throw something else, catching me by surprise. I need to be on my game, or he will throw me.

I briefly looked over at Mr Dickson and saw him staring at his phone again. I hope he gets good news soon. Roxy was so important to him and his wife that they raised that kid more or less. I shook my head to clear it from those thoughts and get back into riding this crazy, lovely bull.

Wrapping the rope around my gloved hand, taking my time to ensure it was secure and tight, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and focus on the bull below me. Using my legs to feel him below me, he was antsy, ready to do what he had been trained to do; the longer he had to wait, the harder this ride would be. I nodded at the man at the gate to say I was ready, and the excited shiver that I got when I settled down for another ride ran through me, and the gates opened.

The time you have to stay on is a maximum of eight seconds. That may sound like it would be easy, like eight seconds is nothing, but when you are on this huge, almost two-ton beast, eight seconds is forever. It twists and turns, and you will be surprised at how that sizable animal can move. You have to train hard to ride the bulls; you need strong leg muscles to hold onto the girth and a strong hand and arm to cope with the jar as you move up and down and side to side. With muscular abs, a strong back, and a strong neck, every part of your body is thrown around, and you use those muscles to stay on. By the time you throw off or make the time and jump off, your legs are jelly, and you feel like you have spent all your energy. You have to be careful to jump off the bull, as you are not safe yet. The ride is done, but the bull does not know that and is still bucking about. And you have to get out of the way as fast as you can, or you could get hit by this beast. It is not you he is aiming at. He is in his zone and needs help to calm back down. This can be more dangerous for everyone in that ring at the moment, and I take my hat off to those guys who risk their lives to distract the bull and try to keep that mountain of muscle away from me.

Goliath was at his best, twisting me about. I felt myself being thrown about as if I were a doll. I tried to hold on, but in the end, he threw me off just as the buzzer went off, and I had no idea if the buzzer went off first or not or at the same time. I landed hard, winding me a bit, but I could not lie there. I rolled over in time to see Goliath coming my way, his back leg just missing my face as he continued to buck. Shocked at how close his foot came to my face, I felt the dirt hit my face; he was that close; my life flashed before my eyes as I quickly rolled over a couple of times to get out of his way and managed to stand up.

I stood up quickly and was relieved to see that Goliath was distracted away from me.

I dusted off the dirt from my jeans and chaps and waved my hat at the crowd, turning to see what my time was. I still had no idea if I was the champion. The announcer was saying something, but I could not hear what he said over the cheering of the crowd.

My score and congratulations as the event winner were in large letters on the big screen.

I made it, and I kept my title for the second year in a row in this town. I beat my brother Jonas, who was getting closer to me each year. He is fourteen months younger than me and has shown skills; it won't be long before he takes the title from me, and I am okay with that. This was the beginning of the season, and we had a long way to go, but to get this first one under my belt and winning in hometown was a big boost to me, making me feel good, full of pride, and rewarded for all my hard work.

I walked out of the rink, waving my hat at the crowd, and headed to look for Mr. Dickson and give him a hand. My event might be over, but my work is not. I needed to tend to the bulls, make sure there were no injuries, and feed them. Tomorrow morning, I will help load the bulls back up and take them to the range.

In the past, I would go and join the boys and get drunk as we celebrated the end of the event, but now I have no interest in that any longer. When I won last year, I did not go and celebrate because my brother was injured in the barrel event; the horse lost his footing and fell, my brother gained a few cracked ribs, and the idea of celebrating seemed wrong. I no longer had a woman to celebrate with me this year, which was still a bitter pill. I hate now that the other girls who know I am available are trying to gain my attention, but I am still hurting inside and am not interested, and some girls don't take no for an answer. It is better if I just don't show up. Then they can't get in my face.

'Mr Dickson, how are the bulls?' I asked as I got closer to the bull's enclosure. I thought I heard a whisper that one was injured, but I do not know if that was true or not, as I was too busy helping with our horses and his other bulls and had only just enough time to reach the enclosure to mount my bull ride, no time to think and get into the zone. Maybe that was why I did so well. I did not have time to get my nerves up and freak out or worry about the ride.

'All good; Daizy was limping for a little while, and the vet checked her; she is good—nothing to worry about. I might pull her from the circuit and put her out to stud. I think she will give some beautiful calves.' Mr. Dickson patted Daizy's rump as he walked by.

'Any news?' I did not say who I was talking about. I am sure Mr Dickson knows who I was talking about.

'The boys said she should be waking up any time now.'

'That is good news.' I meant that.