Cowboy Crazy by Joanne Kennedy Read Free Book Online

bracing their feet, leaning into the wind like figureheads at the prow of a rusty, rattletrap ship.
    “I’m the king of the world!” Kelsey would shout, spreading her arms.
    Sarah wondered what had happened to Roy’s old pickup. Sold, probably, along with everything else. Her mother had driven a series of nondescript sedans that had degenerated from simply used to derelict, reflecting the declining path her life had taken after Roy had died and she’d started finding comfort in the bottle again. She’d passed on two years later, and everyone at the funeral had called it “a blessing.” Sarah thought the blessing came a little late. Her mother could have used God’s grace a little sooner.
    The crunch of gravel under the tires brought her thoughts back to the present. As they turned into a wide, flat parking lot, the rodeo grounds loomed before her like a slice of her past plopped down in the middle of the open plains. There was no good reason for the arena to be where it was except that some enterprising rancher had decided to use some extra lumber to build a set of bleachers. From that small beginning the place had grown into pretty respectable rodeo grounds, with fenced corrals for livestock, a high booth set on stilts for the announcer, and a playground for the kids—though why ranch kids would want to ride plastic ponies on springs was anybody’s guess. As Lane and Sarah passed the chain-link fence that kept the kids corralled, Sarah saw a little boy throw out a loop and snag one of the play ponies like a pro, dallying his rope on the handle of the teeter-totter.
    It was summer, so a carnival had sprung up around the grounds. Trailers advertising hot dogs and turkey legs were parked in ragged rows, and a few rickety rides competed with the playground. There was a beer tent on the far side of the arena, and a few enterprising women from the Wind River Reservation had set up tables in the parking lot to sell jewelry.
    Lane checked his watch and cussed under his breath. “We’re running late,” he said. “I’ll meet you after the bucking. You want to watch the barrel racing then, or hit the beer tent?”
    “Beer tent,” she said quickly. It was an easy decision. Watching the girls urge their horses through the cloverleaf would bring back memories, while tossing back a beer would help stave them off.
    She headed for the stands, enjoying the way her old boots crunched on the gravel walkway. A bunch of girls dressed in sparklicious rodeo queen attire were loping their horses up and down behind the concession trailers, showing off for the cowboys who lounged carelessly on their truck tailgates and pretended not to notice.
    She took her time strolling to the entrance gate, dawdling over the jewelry tables. A young girl dressed in a tourist-pleasing buckskin dress smiled at her over a display of fetish necklaces and squash-blossom pendants. Sarah fingered a cheap silver necklace that was obviously made for the tourist trade. A tiny running horse dangled from the chain, frozen in motion, its silver mane streaming from its neck.
    The child behind the table dimpled, smiling so hard her eyes almost disappeared behind her plump cheeks. “Only five dollars.” She gave Sarah a sly sideways look, her eyes gleaming mischief.
    “Three,” Sarah said, catching on to the game.
    “Okay.”
    Dang. The kid was sharp. Sarah hadn’t really intended to buy anything, but she handed over a few crumpled dollars from her wallet and strung the necklace around her neck. Silly, cheap thing. And a horse, too. She shoved the charm inside her shirt and hurried over to the ticket line.
    The voice of the rodeo clown crackled from a tinny speaker mounted high on a light pole, bantering with the announcer about goats and what great girlfriends they made. She could picture him in his baggy pants and wide suspenders, boogying on a barrel in the middle of the arena while he kept up a constant patter between rides. Shifting from one foot to the