My ankle ached ever so slightly, and I rotated it completely out of habit. I’d broken it months back when I jumped off Trigger and landed wrong after winning the final round in Tulsa. I had taken some time off of roping after that to let it heal and stayed at my folks’ ranch back in Montana. It wasn’t anything that kept me from roping, though, and I could have easily pushed through the pain, but I needed that break. It was more of a mental break than a physical one, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself back then. And now I yearned for the Montana skyline to be replaced by this Colorado one.
With a deep inhale, I took in the crisp winter air. The sun would be sinking behind the mountains soon, ending another night out on the road. A strange feeling of yearning hit me once again, and I couldn’t shake it. What was it that was making me feel this way lately? This longing to be home wasn’t anything new, that’s for sure. I loved being home on the ranch, but roping had always been my passion. At least, it had been up until my brothers all started to settle down and work with my father on the ranch. I missed them so damn much lately, and tonight it seemed that there was something else I was missing as well. I couldn’t put my finger on it, even though I tried. That pissed me off and made me feel less in control. Control was what kept me on that horse and kept me winning on the circuit. Not being in control meant my life and my career were both at the mercy of fate…and I didn’t like that one damn bit.
The sound of the crowd from the arena usually got me fired up, sparking that side of me that yearned for the chase, begged for the adrenaline rush, but not today. I’d been feeling off for the last month, and I knew Chance, my roping partner and best friend, could sense it. Truth be told, neither one of us had been ourselves for a while, and neither of us would admit that our hearts had been somewhere else other than roping.
“Tanner?” Chance asked.
“Yeah, sorry, I was taking a minute,” I said as he rode up next to me and stopped. He stared out at the same scene I had been captivated by only moments ago.
“Is your head in this ride, dude?” Chance’s voice sounded strained.
“My head’s in it. Yours?” I asked, motioning for Trigger to turn and face Chance. Trigger was my five-year-old gelding I’d bought when he was three from a friend of my father’s for five-hundred dollars. Never dreamed he’d turn out to be such an amazing horse when I first broke him. He was cowy, meaning he could watch a cow come out of the shoot and stay on it like no one’s business. We were a perfect fit, and he was one hell of a horse. With Trigger, I had four Wrangler NFR Qualifications and one World Championship as a header. This coming year I had a feeling we would be on top again if Chance and I stayed healthy, didn’t break our damn necks, and got our shit together. Three months ago, it had been pretty much all I had thought about. Winning another championship. Then everything seemed to shift when I had gone home for my brother Ty’s wedding. That was the day I had met her.
Timberlynn.
I glanced back to Chance and waited for his response. He paused, and it spoke volumes.
Chance rubbed the back of his neck. “Honestly? No, I ain’t in it. Not at all. I think it’s the end-of-the-year shit. Or maybe she’s still in my head. I don’t really know.”
I nodded because I had no clue what to say to him. It had been a long year for both of us. Chance and I had been best friends for as long as I could remember. It hadn’t been a surprise to anyone when we started roping together. The two of us were the male version of Forrest Gump and Jenny’s peas and carrots. We just worked together so well. Me the header, Chance the heeler. And we were good. Damn good. When we had our shit together, that is. This year, hell, this year had been a challenge for both of us, though, and we had been tested a lot.
Chance had found himself in love, and I had found myself without my best friend for the first time in years. Not that I wasn’t happy for him, mind you, because I was. He had met a girl, fell for her, asked her to marry him, and without another word, she left him. Just like that. Left him for some city slicker guy who promised her the moon and stars under the bright lights of New York City. I think a part of Chance knew she would never have been happy with him on the road as much as we were now. It takes a strong-ass woman to handle a man being on the road for months at a time, knowing the temptations that we are faced with on a daily basis. The damn buckle bunnies were in abundance, no matter the venue or the city. That was the name given to women who prowled around rodeos looking to hook-up with the cowboys, especially those who won buckles. Some of them had even been known to steal the buckles as some sort of
