M. D. Grimm - Love Is a Whirlwind.pdf

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Love Is a Whirlwind | M.D. Grimm
2
Chapter One
C ALEB tightened the bull rope, making sure the bull rider
had a good grip and that the bull still had the ability to
move. The arena was loud, and the barrel man was doing his
usual ditty for the crowd. He listened with half an ear,
double-checking that everything was secure on his bull.
He looked into Whirlwind’s eyes and smiled. “Just one
more, buddy, then it’s over.”
“For good or bad,” the bull rider said, thinking Caleb
had been talking to him.
He patted the man’s shoulder and sat back, waiting for
the bull rider to nod to the gate man to let him know he was
ready. Caleb lifted his head and looked around the large
arena. The crowd was loud, shouting and screaming for bull
and man alike. He took a deep breath, taking in the sweat,
the smell of bull, and the smell of victory. Whirlwind was the
best bull in this arena. He had a 100 percent buck-off rate
and the baddest reputation of any bull in the Professional
Bull Riding circuit, or the PBR for short. He was up there
with Bodacious and Dillinger, and he had won the Bucking
Bull of the Year two years in a row.
He wasn’t the only bull Caleb had in the circuit,
however. He had eight other strong bucking bulls, but none
compared to Whirlwind.
He looked back down at Whirlwind and saw that the
bull was antsy. He was ready to get out there and show the
Love Is a Whirlwind | M.D. Grimm
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crowd what he had. The bull rider gave the gate man his
nod. The chute opened, and Whirlwind lived up to his name.
The bull flew out of the chute, bucking like a demon,
and the bull rider didn’t stand a chance. Whirlwind twisted
like a tornado and kicked up dirt, making it hard for the bull
rider to keep up. It wasn’t three seconds before the bull rider
flew off and did a face-plant in the dirt.
The crowd ate it up, but the bull wasn’t done. Whirlwind
ran after the rider even as the rodeo clowns descended on
him, trying to keep the rider safe. The bull seemed to be
satisfied with running those jokers off and let the bull rider
gain his feet. The cowboy hightailed it out of the ring while
the bull flung his head around in triumph. He strutted for
the crowd, the flank strap and bull rope falling to the
ground.
Caleb grinned wide, his face actually hurting. He
cheered with the rest of the crowd. That was his bull out
there. His friend.
With a coat of rich brown, deep brown eyes, and the
strength of an elephant, Whirlwind was a prize many stock
contractors wanted. Numerous offers had been made, but
Caleb and his mother would never sell Whirlwind, not for all
the money in the world.
Whirlwind strutted through the return gate, head high.
Caleb snickered. Whirlwind was so full of it. Arrogant prick.
But he was his arrogant prick.
It was over. They had won. He knew without a doubt or
looking at the points that Whirlwind had won. They would
have some more money to take home and more prestige than
they’d ever had before. He wished his dad were still alive.
Wouldn’t his mother be ecstatic?
Love Is a Whirlwind | M.D. Grimm
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Of course, good ol’ Mandy O’Connell wasn’t one to get
ecstatic. She would just nod, humph, and say “good work.”
But that was the equivalent of other people jumping for joy
and doing a victory dance.
For himself, Caleb would do the victory dance. But it
was too crowded in the arena to get a good one in at that
moment.
The celebration wore on, the bull riding champion was
named, pictures were taken, and Caleb, along with his crew,
were given the winner’s check and were nearly made blind by
all the flashes of cameras. The crowds slowly filed out, the
media left, and the cleanup crew came in. Caleb, sweating
and probably smelling like a dumpster, made his way to the
trailer where Whirlwind was kept.
The other bulls and the rest of his crew were already on
their way home, but he took care of Whirlwind personally.
He drove the trailer that housed the star bull, and he set his
own schedule when he started home. He always left a day or
two after everyone else.
“Hey Caleb!”
Annoyed, he turned around to see one of the rodeo
clowns jogging toward him. It took him a moment to
remember the man’s name, and the paint he still had on his
face didn’t help. He stopped, planning to give him only five
minutes of his time.
“Hey, Rich,” he said. “You were good out there.”
“Me?” The man laughed and slapped his shoulder.
“What about you and that bull? Whirlwind’s amazing! Never
seen a bull so quick and smart. Sort of eerie, right? The way
Love Is a Whirlwind | M.D. Grimm
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he knows just how to turn, and when to buck, and how high.
Intelligent.”
Caleb shrugged, unease making his stomach cramp. “As
far as bulls go, I guess he’s intelligent. You could also say
he’s well-trained. There were other bulls out there that were
just as impressive.”
“Come on,” the clown said, nudging him. “Just between
you and me, what’s the secret, huh? You have to admit, he
almost has human intelligenceit just blazes in his eyes. Yet
he’s a bull. Strange, right?”
His palms were sweating, and he rubbed them on his
jeans. “Yeah, right, listen, I have to go. Nice talking to you.
Good show this week.”
He left as quickly as he could, never looking back. He
rubbed his stomach and forced himself to put it aside. That
wasn’t the first time he’d been asked about the “secret” when
it came to Whirlwind, but there had been a strange gleam
almost manicin Richard’s eyes, and Caleb hadn’t liked it.
At all.
The trailer wasn’t as large as other trailers that housed
more than one bull, but the size was adequate for a prize
bull. It was mostly black, and the sides were painted with
flames and the words “Professional Bull Riding” in large
print. He had done the work himself. The bull was sleeping
in his trailer but instantly opened his large brown eyes when
Caleb opened the doors. Those brown eyes could always
capture my attention. He stood in front of Whirlwind with a
huge smile. The encounter with the rodeo clown drifted to
the back of his mind and was buried. This wasn’t the day for
worries; it was the day for celebration.

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