“It looks like a giant saddle.” Manny came around the side, running his hands over the faux cowhide. “This one is specially shaped like a bull—see the hump where the shoulders would be? And the handhold on it is like my bull rope. It’s a little old, but it works.” Rafe motioned for Quint and Andy to move it into the center of the barn as he retrieved the mattress pads. “I bought it used off a seasoned bull rider about five years ago, and it helped me train for my first championship when we couldn’t buck out some bulls because of bad weather. Good thing I didn’t sell it with the rest of my spread, huh?” It was about the only thing left of his Texas ranch he hadn’t sold. As soon as Manny left, it would go up on the auction block too. “Can I ride it?” Rafe moved the red padded mattresses in place on the floor around the bull. “If you don’t tell your mother.” Manny grinned and climbed aboard, holding on to the strap and lifting his left hand high. “I’m not supposed to touch the bull with my free hand, right?”
