TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Chapter 1: TOUGH RIDING

  Chapter 2: OUTSIDER

  Chapter 3: A PROMISE

  Chapter 4: SADDLE SORE

  Chapter 5: UNSADDLED

  Chapter 6: NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

  Chapter 7: DEMON

  Chapter 8: TOURISTS NOT WELCOME

  Chapter 9: STEPPING INTO THE DANGER ZONE

  Chapter 10: MAKING HIS MARK

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Glossary

  Discussion Questions

  Writing Prompts

  More About the Rodeo

  Explore More

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  CHAPTER 1

  TOUGH RIDING

  Dust hung in the air outside an old red barn. The barn sat on a low hill where two boys watched a girl riding a horse. One of those boys, Wade, leaned against a wooden fence post, his chin resting in his hands.

  Wade sighed. “I’ll never be able to ride like that,” he said.

  Javier stood near Wade and clapped him on the back. Javier was Wade’s friend and a son of one of the ranch hands. He was also the brother of the rider.

  “Maria’s been riding her whole life,” said Javier. “You just got here for the summer. You can’t already expect to be as good as she is.”

  Wade watched. He was both jealous and impressed. Maria’s chestnut brown quarter horse, Sammy, responded to Maria’s every word. Sammy dashed, cut, and jumped on command.

  Maria rode over and hopped off Sammy’s back. She handed Wade the reins. “Want to take him out for a spin?” she asked.

  Javier turned to Wade. “That’s a rare offer,” he said. “Maria almost never lets anyone else ride Sammy.”

  Wade wasn’t about to miss the chance. He jumped into the saddle and flashed Maria a grin. He nudged Sammy with his heels to let the horse know it was time to go.

  Sammy didn’t budge.

  “C’mon, boy,” Wade called. “Giddyup.”

  Nothing.

  Maria and Javier were watching. Wade guessed that everyone who was up at the house was watching as well. And there he sat, looking like a fool. Wade gave Sammy another nudge.

  Nothing.

  This time he reached back and gave the horse a swat on the backside. Suddenly Sammy lurched forward and then danced to one side. Wade clung to the pommel, trying not to tip over sideways. Just as Wade was about to regain his balance, Sammy reared up, kicked, and whinnied.

  Wade tried to hold on, but it was hopeless. One second, he was in the saddle.

  The next second, Wade flew through the air and crashed to the dusty ground. Sammy trotted off without looking back.

  Cupping her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter, Maria rushed to Wade’s sid. Javier made no such attempt. He was literally rolling on the ground, giggling so hard that he struggled for breath.

  Wade’s face turned red. He brushed himself off. He pretended that his shoulder didn’t ache from the fall.

  “Please don’t worry,” Maria said. “It’s my fault. Sammy doesn’t like anyone but me to ride him.”

  “Story of my summer,” Wade mumbled. He swept past Javier and his laughter and marched back toward the house.

  CHAPTER 2

  OUTSIDER

  Wade took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he walked. The ground crunched under his uncomfortable cowboy boots. Sweat dripped from his hair. His shoulder throbbed from the fall, but mostly his pride was wounded.

  The summer hadn’t been going like Wade had hoped. Uncle Hank’s invitation to spend summer break at the ranch had seemed like a dream come true. Wade was excited when his mom dropped him off.

  He imagined doing things like riding horses, roping cattle, and breaking in a good pair of cowboy boots.

  But after a month, Wade was upset. The only horse he hadn’t been thrown from was an old mare named Molasses. He found he could barely tie a knot much less rope a calf. His cowboy boots were giving him blisters.

  Of course, it hadn’t all been bad. Everyone at the ranch treated him kindly, and he’d made a great friend in Javier. The boys had become almost like brothers. But Wade could tell that they all thought of him as a city boy. A tourist. He wasn’t exactly fitting in.

  Wade heard footsteps behind him.

  Javier patted Wade’s shoulder. “Hey, man, sorry for laughing at you,” he said.

  Wade noticed the rough feel of Javier’s hand on his shoulder, probably made tough from a lifetime of ranch work. The skin on Wade’s palms was soft. For some reason, out here, that embarrassed him.

  The two of them usually loved to give each other a hard time. But Wade’s scowl made it clear to Javier that Wade was in no mood for joking.

  “You okay?” asked Javier.

  “Yeah,” Wade said. “I’m just frustrated.”

  The friends made their way toward the ranch house. Javier waved to Marco, his dad, who was busy saddling a horse. Marco worked for Wade’s uncle, and Javier spent almost all of his time at the ranch.

  “Look,” Javier said, “I know you had your heart set on entering the rodeo with us. But rodeo’s not for everyone.”

  “Doesn’t really seem like I can hack it anyway,” Wade replied.

  “It’s not that,” Javier insisted. “I started in rodeos when I was five years old. It’s a part of me. It’s a part of all of us here.”

  All of us… Javier didn’t say it, but what he really meant was everyone besides Wade.

  “Yeah, I get it,” said Wade. Javier meant well, but his words made Wade feel like even more of an outsider.

  Javier socked Wade with a playful punch in the shoulder. “You going to be in the stands tonight? I could use you there to cheer me on.”

  Wade put on his best smile. It seemed to fit about as well as his cowboy boots. “Wouldn’t miss it, buddy.”

  CHAPTER 3

  A PROMISE

  The rodeo got Wade’s blood pumping. It was the rumble of the crowd as the people filed into the bleachers. It was the smell of the animals. It was the haze of dust that hung over the place. Being there helped brighten his mood.

  Wade cheered, groaned, and laughed with the crowd as the events unfolded. He hooted at the kids who happily chased goats around the dirt-covered arena. He and Uncle Hank made bets on who was going to win each event.

  “Never bet against a kid with a great cowboy hat,” Hank would always say.

  Wade’s favorite part of the rodeo by far was bareback riding, Javier’s specialty. Javier was one of the top youth bareback riders in the state. Watching him ride broncos had been Wade’s favorite part of the summer.

  This rodeo’s bareback riding event came down to Javier and another rider named Travis. Wade watched in silence as Travis got ready to take his turn. Travis tipped his hat, showing off to the crowd.

  Wade had seen Travis compete a couple times. He didn’t know Travis well, but it was clear that Travis was a loudmouth. Wade secretly hoped that Travis’s bronco put him in the dirt.

  There was no such luck. Travis rode well. He earned an 85. It was a very good score, the highest score of the night so far.

  The announcer called out the final competitor. “Next up, we have Javier Sanchez. He’s riding… Danger Zone!”

  Uncle Hank winced.

  “What is it?” Wade asked.

  “Danger Zone is probably the strongest horse here,” Hank replied. “Javier is going to have his hands full.”

  Wade and Hank stood up, hooting.

  The horse burst out of the chute. Javier held on tight with one hand as the horse began to buck. His other hand waved all around as he tried to keep his balance on the bucking bronco.

  The cheering grew louder with every second. Javier was in control. He held on tightly as the bronco tried to shake the rider off.

  Finally after the eight seconds that the judges used to score the ride were up, Javier slid off over one side of Danger Zone.

  Wade watched the scoreboard. At last it flashed Javier’s score. It was an 87, two points better than Travis’s score!

  “Yeeee-haw!” Wade shouted at the top of his voice.

  Hank pumped his fist in the air.

  The cheering went on as Javier dusted off his favorite maroon shirt and smiled at the crowd.

  Next up was Maria’s event, barrel racing. She was the first rider to compete. She sat tall in the saddle as Sammy trotted out.

  The clock started. Maria spurred Sammy into action. Sammy streaked across the open field and cut cleanly around the first barrel.

  Dust kicked up from Sammy’s rear hooves on a tight turn. He and Maria worked together flawlessly. They rounded barrel after barrel.

  The crowd let out “oohs” and “ahhs” as the pair approached the final barrel. Maria and Sammy had been on a perfect run.

  That’s when it all went wrong.

  One of Sammy’s hooves slipped as he dug into the turn. He skidded through the turn with a jolt. Maria wasn’t ready. She spilled out of the saddle and slammed down onto the ground.

  Wade gasped. The entire place went silent as an EMT rushed out to check on her. Marco, sitting in the front row, leaped over the railing to be at his daughter’s side. The relieved crowd cheered as Maria stood and hobbled off to get further medical atte ntion.

  Wade slipped over the rail and stepped around the back. That’s where the EMT was checking Maria. Her face was ghostly white and streaked with tears. Wade cringed as he got a look at Maria’s arm. It was bent at a horrible angle.

  Wade’s stomach lurched.

  “You’ve got a fracture here,” said the EMT, a young woman with fire-red hair. “We’re going to get you to the hospital right away.”

  Maria’s gaze met Wade’s. She looked scared and in pain.

  “It’ll be okay, Maria,” Wade said.

  “Sammy needs to keep working,” Maria said. Her voice cracked. “I need you to ride him. To keep up his training. Tell me you’ll do it, Wade. Please.”

  Wade flashed back to the last time he tried to ride Sammy. He wasn’t eager to try again.

  But Maria needed him.

  “Of course, Maria,” Wade said. “You can count on me.”

  CHAPTER 4

  SADDLE SORE

  Wade wolfed down a plate full of scrambled eggs for breakfast. He strolled out to the barn. Uncle Hank was out on business. Marco and Maria had gone into town to see the doctor. Javier was still in bed. Wade figured it was the perfect time for him to start working with Sammy. Nobody was around to see him fail.

  In the barn, Sammy was in his stall. The horse watched Wade silently.

  “Hey, Sammy,” Wade called out softly. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a few sugar cubes. Sammy gobbled them up.

  Wade fastened a saddle to Sammy’s back. Then he opened the gate to Sammy’s stall and led the horse out of the barn.

  Sammy snorted.

  “I get it, Sammy,” Wade said in a soothing voice. “I’m not Maria. But we’re going to have to make the best of this.”

  Wade hoisted himself onto Sammy’s back. The horse snorted again and shimmied nervously to one side.

  “Easy,” Wade said. He patted Sammy’s neck. “Okay, let’s have a little trot.” Wade tapped the horse’s side with the heels of his boots. He’d watched Maria do this a hundred times. Sammy knew exactly what it meant.

  Sammy didn’t budge.

  Wade tapped a little harder. “Get!” he barked.

  Suddenly Sammy surged forward. The burst of movement caught Wade off-guard. One second, he was holding Sammy’s reins. The next, he was flat on his back, coughing in a cloud of dust.

  Again and again, Wade tried to ride Sammy. Again and again, he found himself with a face full of dirt.

  “Fine,” he hissed at Sammy. He grabbed the reins. He led Sammy back to the barn. “You win, Sammy. But you won’t get any more sugar cubes.”

  * * *

  After dinner, Javier and Wade decided to do some fishing at a nearby stream. As Wade cast his line into the rushing water, he cringed. His shoulder ached. His whole body ached.

  “Didn’t go too well with Sammy, eh?” Javier asked.

  “That horse hates me,” Wade answered.

  “Horses can be fussy about who rides them,” Javier explained. “Sammy is just upset that Maria isn’t riding him.”

  It was a slow day. The fish weren’t biting. But Wade didn’t mind, even when Javier thought it’d be funny to push him into the cold water. That quickly grew into a full-blown water war.

  After a while, the fishing poles were forgotten, as was Wade’s morning with Sammy. The boys stomped through the stream. They launched themselves at each other in a very wet game of King of the Hill.

  By the time they headed back home, they were soaked from head to toe.

  They approached the house to find Maria on the porch. She picked at a cast on her arm. Wade waved.

  Maria rolled her eyes at the drenched boys. “You two,” she said.

  Wade’s face turned bright red. There was something about Maria that made him feel clumsy whenever she looked at him.

  “Yeah, well, hey, Maria,” Wade stammered. “I’m gonna, umm… we’re… I’m wet.”

  Maria grinned.

  “How’d it go with Sammy?” she asked. Her voice sounded tired.

  Wade thought of telling her the truth. But she had been through a lot recently. There was no need to burden her any more. “Just fine,” he lied. “We’re making progress. Don’t you worry.”

  Maria’s face brightened. “Thanks, Wade. That means a lot to me. Maybe tomorrow I’ll feel up to going out to watch you work with him.”

  Wade gulped. The thought of climbing onto Sammy’s back again filled him with dread. The thought of others watching him get bucked off made it even worse.

  What in the world, he asked himself, have I gotten myself into?

  CHAPTER 5

  UNSADDLED

  Sammy reared back and dumped Wade into the dirt for the third time of the morning. Javier hooted. The morning air was brisk. Dew clung to the grass.

  “Man, you weren’t kidding,” Javier said. “That horse has it in for you.”

  Wade rubbed his shoulder. He picked himself up off the ground. Maria hadn’t come up from the house yet, and he wasn’t eager to have her watching. “Think I’m done for now,” he said.

  Javier hopped over the fence. He grabbed Sammy’s reins. “I have an idea,” he said. Wade watched as Javier unfastened the saddle on Sammy’s back. Javier slipped the saddle off and turned to Wade. “Try riding him bareback.”

  Wade furrowed his brow. “That sounds dangerous, with how Sammy feels about me,” he said. “Also, I’ve never ridden bareback. I’m not even sure how.”

  “Only one way to learn,” Javier replied.

  Wade made a face as he looked at Sammy.

  “Trust me,” Javier said.

  Wade had watched Javier do this a hundred times. And riding with a saddle clearly hadn’t been working for Wade.

  “Okay,” Wade agreed. “I’ll try it once. At this point, what’s one more bruise?”

  Javier gave Wade a boost up onto the horse’s back.

  Everything felt different without the saddle. Wade could feel every twitch of Sammy’s muscles. Wade watched as Javier fastened rigging around the horse’s neck. Javier pointed to a strap made of rawhide and leather that reminded Wade of a suitcase handle.

  “Hold on tight,” Javier said. He slapped Sammy hard on the rear flank.

  Sammy reared up, kicking his front legs high into the air. This time, maybe because he could feel Sammy’s every move, Wade was ready.

  He leaned forward, clinging to the rope. Just when he was sure he was about to fall backward, Sammy stomped his front hooves down. Then he kicked his hind legs.

  Wade arched his body backward to keep his balance. Again, Sammy kicked, reared back, and bucked again. Wade felt his body sliding to the right, but he didn’t let go.

  With no saddle between him and the horse, Wade felt ready for Sammy’s every move. Sammy bucked again and again, but Wade didn’t let go. Sammy gave one final buck — the biggest one yet — and Wade finally lost his grip. He toppled off and landed on the ground with a thud.

  Disgusted, Wade brushed off his pants. He braced himself for more teasing. But Javier just stood there, staring. Behind him, Uncle Hank came running toward the fence.

  “What?” Wade asked.

  “That… was… amazingly incredible!” Javier shouted.

  “Wade!” Uncle Hank yelled, leaping the fence. “How did you do that? That had to be twenty seconds!”

  Wade looked from Hank to Javier and back to Hank. He was confused.

  Hank broke out in a huge grin. He picked up Wade with a huge bear hug. “That was some of the finest bareback riding I’ve ever seen!” he said. “By gosh, Wade, we’re gonna make a cowboy out of you yet!”

  CHAPTER 6

  NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

  The next few days were a whirlwind. One morning, Uncle Hank walked with Wade to the barn.

  “The last rodeo of the season is just a few weeks away,” he said. “If we’re going to enter you in the bareback bronc event, we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s one thing to have some natural talent. To compete with the top riders, you need to learn some technique as well.”

  And so it was time to work. Only there was one problem. Sammy wouldn’t buck and now seemed fine with Wade riding him.

 

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