No. He was too reckless. Too good-time Rowdy. Not that anyone had told her this, but she knew in her heart that he was. Tim had had that same look. His smile came too easily and it teased too often.
The boys who weren’t on the team climbed to the top of the arena rails. They looked so cute sitting up there. Wes, Joseph and Tony climbed between the rungs and sauntered her way.
“We’ll take care of the cow,” Wes said, looking cocky, and Lucy believed he would.
“We’re going to let you learn here in the small pen. So I won’t have to rope her, the boys will just grab her and then I’ll move into place and tell you when to make your move.”
She nodded. “Gotcha.”
“Okay, then, let’s get this party started. Fellas, it’s all yours.”
They whooped like she’d learned they were prone to do, then dived at the cow so fast it didn’t have time to make a break for it. Wes grabbed the head and Tony joined him. Joseph grabbed the cow’s tail. They all grinned at her as the cow let out a “Maaawwww” that sounded like a battle cry.
“Let’s go. Follow my lead and watch out for the back leg. I’ll get the milk first, so watch closely.”
Was he kidding? She kept him squarely between her and the cow as she crept behind him. He whipped out the jar that was supposed to hold the milk, and as she watched he raced into the danger zone and reached for an udder.
It was udderly unbelievable. Funny, Lucy, you’re a real riot.
“You do it like this,” he called, bending toward the moving target. The boys were holding the cow, but she was bigger than them and not standing still. Rowdy displayed the milk in the clear jar as he moved back beside her.
“Piece of cake. You can do it.”
“Yeah, go for it, Lucy!” the kids called from the fence.
Praying she didn’t lose her lunch, she was so nervous, Lucy grabbed the jar and headed toward the cow with Rowdy beside her. “Piece of cake, my foot,” she quipped, making herself smile for the kids. Hunching down, she reached toward the udder. When she slipped her hand in, the cow moved as she grabbed hold and milk shot her in the face.
Spitting and blinking, she scrambled to hang on. The cow bellowed and sidestepped, taking the boys with her. Lucy didn’t let go, but lost her balance and fell forward, hitting the cow in the belly before planting herself face-first in the dirt! The cow bucked, kicked its leg out then stepped on her arm. Then her shoulder. Pain seared through her and Lucy would have screamed but her face was plastered two inches deep in smelly arena dirt.
Chapter Eight
This was not how it was supposed to go. Rowdy put himself between Lucy and the cow. The boys let the animal go and it sped to a corner at the far edge of the pen. Rowdy knelt down just as Lucy lifted her face out of the dirt and spat.
“This is disgusting,” she croaked.
“Yeah, you’re right. Sorr—” Rowdy’s words stuck in his throat. The sleeve of her shirt was ripped and flapped open as she sat up, exposing her arm. The skin, as far down as he could see, was puckered and angry, disfigured terribly in spots. His gaze locked on her burn scar and he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Suddenly seeing him looking, she snapped a hand to her arm and pulled the material closed the best she could.