“Seems like it. Sucks he has blond hair, though.”
“Okay, seriously, go find a girlfriend to talk to about this stuff, will you?” he said as he turned and started toward the barn.
“You don’t want to help me pick out a dress?” I called out with a giggle. He replied by shooting me the middle finger.
“I’m taking that as a no, then!” I shouted to him.
That earned me double middle fingers. God, I love my brother.
Chapter Three
DIRK
Guthrie, Oklahoma, PBR circuit
I hit hard at the rope tied around my hand and made sure it was secure and where I wanted it on the bull. My heart pumped in overdrive, like it normally did when I was about to ride.
Billy Marshal, another rider, pushed the bull away from the wall so I could get my leg down all the way. Then, he shouted, “Remember, he’s gonna turn away from you, so be ready!”
I nodded. “I know.”
“He likes to spin and then quickly change direction on ya.”
I knew that, too, and gave him another nod. Hell, I missed Brock being out on the circuit with me. He didn’t tell me shit I already knew. Simply told me to ride good.
After I got settled in, I gave the nod and they opened the gate. This was my last ride before the break, and I needed it to be a damn good one.
The bull did exactly as I thought it would. It turned away from me. Which meant it turned in the opposite direction of my riding hand. I was ready for it.
Then, it damn near stopped on a dime and quickly went the other way. I laughed as I held on and adjusted my body, anticipating the bull’s every move. When I heard the eight-second buzzer, I got my hand free and let him sling me off.
I stumbled on the landing and felt something pop in my ankle.
“Fuck,” I mumbled as I hopped on it, trying my best to shake it off. The crowd went wild, and I lifted my hat and smiled. I needed a solid score to win this one. When it came up on the screen, I nearly jumped for joy, but the throbbing in my ankle had me waving my hat and fist pumping instead.
“Another win! How does it feel?” Kim, the CBS reporter, asked as I stepped out of the arena. It was a packed crowd tonight, so the cheers were almost deafening. With a quick glance back out toward the arena, I smiled as I saw most of the crowd up on their feet cheering.
“You know it feels good, really good. Hornet’s Yellow is a tough bull, and he’s thrown a lot of cowboys, so to be able to ride him the full eight was nice.”
She smiled. “And what’s the plan after tonight?”
“That’s an easy one. I’m going to take advantage of this break and head on back to Montana for a couple of weeks. See my family and friends and relax a bit.”
“When you landed it looked like you might have twisted your ankle?” Kim asked.
“Nah, I rolled it a bit, but I’m fine. I’ve ridden with a lot worse wrong with me.”
Kim laughed and then looked into the camera. “You heard it here, folks, your current world champion is still sitting at number one and is healthy going into the break!”
The camera turned off, and Kim put the mic down. “How’s Brock and Lincoln?” she asked.
I smiled. Kim had interviewed Brock at least a thousand times as well over the years. Not only was Brock my best friend, but we had grown up together bull riding. We both entered the PBR at the same time, and neither of us had looked back. Brock retired after his wife, Lincoln, got pregnant with their daughter Morgan.
Brock had previously married Kaci, the girl we’d both fallen in love with in high school, and they had a son, Blayze. Sadly, Kaci had died in childbirth and never knew Blayze. Brock suffered with guilt for a lot of years until Lincoln came into his life. She was exactly what he needed.
I snapped out of my little walk down memory lane and answered Kim. “They’re doing great. You know they had another baby?”
“I heard she was pregnant again! Boy or girl?”
“They had a little boy, Hunter Mason Shaw. He was born on May seventeenth.”
Kim smiled and tapped her belly. “I’ve got one cooking in the oven again!”
“Congratulations,” I replied.
“Thanks. You better go; they’re waiting on you for the buckle.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw they were indeed waiting on me. Turning back to Kim, I gave her a nod. “See ya around.”
“See ya, Dirk.”
As I made my way over to get my buckle, I couldn’t shake the weird feeling that came over me. I had been chasing this dream for as long as I could remember. Being number one. The best in the world. I was on my way to a third championship, but there was something in my life that was missing. I felt…off, and I had no idea what it was making me feel this way.