Chapter One

      Beau Blanton, professional PBR (Professional Bull Riders Association) Bull Rider pulled on his protective vest as he waited for his mother to answer the phone. He had only half an bour before he was scheduled for his turn on one of the massive, perpetually angry bulls. As with many others there was a ritual prior to a ride that must be carried out and no way was he going to miss it. His last few minutes before a ride he spoke with his little half sisters, Ava, who was 6, Kassandra, 9 and Geniveve, 14.  Failure to speak with them spelled disaster in the arena, every time. These were the National Championships and he knew the girls would be waiting in front of their TV and listening for the phone.

"Hello," A small voice answered.

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled his pleasure at hearing the wonderful little voice. "Howdy, kiddo. How's my lucky charm doin'?!" he said into his blue tooth.

"Beau!!" Eva squealed with true excitement. She had been born with Spina bifida, a hole in the spin. Unfortunately, her father, Beaus step-father had been unable to accept an imperfect child and wanted nothing to do with his youngest daughter. Beau, on the other hand had taken one look at the beautiful little girl who had wrapped her tiny fingers around his large finger and his heart and had taken over her care. He had asked to become her legal guardian and would have willingly adopted her but his mother refused to relinquish her parental rights, despite wanting little to do with the child herself.

"Hi, baby. So are you going to answer my question?" he asked with a chuckle.

Eva giggled. "I'm ok. Genevieve, and Kassandra are helping mommy with supper! They're making popcorn! That way we have snacks when we watch you win! You are going to win right?!"

Beau beamed with pleasure, he love all four of his younger sisters, but he had a special bond with Eva. "I'll do my best, honey. I drew "Good Ole Boy" this round. He's the meanest bull they have, so we'll just have to see. I take it Jane isn't there?"

Jane was another one of his younger sisters. Well, step-sister. She was 24 and had just passed the bar and was a licensed prosecutor for the state of Montana. He love her, but they could never se eye to eye. They lived in two different worlds.

"No. Mommy said she was to busy to come home. When you win can you bring home the buckle?! I want a see it too!"

He chuckled, "Don't I always, Darlin'? Now I need my little good luck charme to sing our song or I'll never win." Beau smiled as Eva sang him their song....."Matador, by Sylvia Hutton". "That's my girl. Give mom and the girls my love and I'll talk to all my ladies tomorrow, alright."

"Ok, Beau. I love you." Eva said hung up her mother's cell, and returned her attention to the flat screen and waited for her big brother's Championship Ride.

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Beau slowly lowered himself down on the the back of the angry 3000lb Brauma bull. The mountain of muscle tried to rear and unseat the only cowboy that he had not thrown into the dust. Beau smiled as he took deep, slow breaths, settled himself and secured his gloved hand in place. He took three deep breaths, blowing them out with a "whoosh" and nodded to the gate keepers as "Good Ole Boy" moved under him and bellowed his readiness. The sound of the crowd chanting his name faded into the background as he gave the surrounding cowboys a quick nod and the gate flew open.

The powerful beast beneath him snorted, threw his head back and bolted into the arena spinning and bucking. Beau threw his arm up, began pumping his legs and let the bull have his way. The crowd roared their appreciation and leaped to their feet when the buzzer singled the full eight second ride. Hearing the blaring sound, "Good Ole Boy" bellowed his fury at being thwarted and gave a final buck, kick, and spin hoping to spear or trample the cowboy.

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Back home in Montana a small girl sat in her wheelchair next to her older sister Genny. All three girls and their mother watched as Beau lowered himself onto the back of a massive white bull. This was the point that scared them all.

Kassy smiled. "Look, mama! He's wearing a helmet this time!"

Lillie Anderson nodded. "Yes, honey. He promised Brian he would." Lillie lived in fear for both her boys, fore both had chosen a very dangerous profession. Brian, was the oldest at age 35, and he was a Navy SEAL, and then there was Beau. He like his birth father had become a professional bull rider. She was terrified that he would die like his father also.

"Mom, do you think he'll win?" Genny asked.

Lillie smiled, and roled her wheelchair a bit closer to her girls. "I'm betting he will."

With that they turned back to the tv as the speaker talked about the young man in question. They all watch as Beau went threw all the safety steps, and got himself settled. Eva held her breath as Beau nodded to the other men and they released the bull.

The girls all cried out and cheered their brother on as the bull bucked kicked and spun. He even slammed Beau into the railing twice in an effort to unseat the cowboy. They screamed all the more when the 8 second buzzer sounded and it was obvious who the new Champion was.

Beau jumped off the back of the bull and roled to his feet while the rodeo  clowns all worked to keep the bull attention until the cowboys in horseback could herd him back I to the pen. Once on his feet their brother dropped to his knees and gave his customary prayer of thanks. He then stood cried out and threw his helmet in celebration. He walked with a limp and somewhat stiffly from an injury caused by the two slammings, but he still cheered and yelled waving to his fans and then the camera's as he always had. That had always been his way of letting the girls know he was alright.

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Beau sat next to his horse trailer, beer in one hand, brand new buckle in the other. He groaned softly as he ajusted in his seat. That bull had slammed him against the railing twice bruising his hip and thigh, as well as cracking 3 ribs and breaking one, but he smiled smugly to himself, as he recalled how his step-father had laughed and jeered at his dream of being the Bull Riding National Champion.

    "Not bad for a worthless no account, huh pa." he said and saluted his birth father's memory with his bottle. He chuckled to himself, closed his eyes and remembered how his older brother Brian, had always been there to pick him up and cheer him on.

Master Chief Brian Blanton; a Navy SEAL with SEAL Team Eleven, was somewhere over seas on assignment, or he would have been standing in that crowd tonight, and Beau had no doubt that his brother's voice would have been loudest of all. Brian had always been his biggest fan, and best friend.

He fought down a yawn. After the win, he had spent an hour in the ER for his injuries. He now had a full leg brace, and his ribs were tightly wrapped. After he had been released he had returned and had spent a good four hours having his picture taken, giving interviews, and signing autographs. He loved the life, but had to admit that sometimes the screaming girls and wanta be champions out to build a name as a tuff guy were a bit much. But he loved and looked forward to the children. Their bright eyed innocence and shy admiration made the time worthwhile. He loved the exuberance of the teenagers and the bashful glances of "his little cow pokes" as they offered a rodeo program or picture to be signed. He didn't even mind the creaky knees as he squated beside them and pulled them close for a picture. The memory of pink cheeks, shining eyes and shy smiles as the precious signature was caught close to the little chests when they shrugged and murmured their thanks got him through many difficult moments. 

He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the shiny tin siding of his trailer. Even to his own eyes he looked exhausted. He studied his appearance, and just could not see why so many young girls and women were so dead set on winning his hand. He was nothing special.

He was a man used to manual labor, and it showed. Beau was a big man; all muscle, from the years of working on the family ranch and then 15 years of being a rodeo cowboy. He was Six foot four, with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and washboard abbs. He had short dark hair and cobalt blue eyes, that shown with an intelligence that shocked most fans.

With an IQ of 145, he could have been a doctor or a lower. A fact that his mother never ceased to remind him of. He had fallowed is his birth father's footsteps, and understood his mother's fear. David Blanton had been one of the greatest rodeo cowboys in the country. Until one fateful day when he was unseated by a bull name "Widow Maker". That day the huge black and white bull proved just how he'd gotten that name. David's untimely death had been only 6 short months after his son Beau's birth.

He hadn't been home to the Triple B Ranch in close to five years; not sence his step-father's funeral. Each time had just gotten more and more unbearable, with his mother's nagging to leave the rodeo and take over his responsibilities as a ranch owner.

He pulled his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and groaned upon recognizing his mother's picture in the caller ID. He answered it the same way he had for years. "How, ya do'n, Mom?"

"Beau......" she sounded as if she had been crying. He sat up straighter now fully alert, and filled with concern for her.

"Yes, ma'am. Are you alright?!"

"Oh.....Beau,.....honey......" she fought back a sob as she tried to speak.

"Mom, calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me what's happened."

"Beau, I need.......I need......you need to come home.....it's.....it's.....your brother......" she couldn't continue and broke into heartrending sobs, but Beau understood her unspoken message. He straightened and sat back in the chair. Icy shock began to set in. First his father, step-father, and now Brian.

He closed his eyed tight, let out a hard breath and tried to wet his suddenly dry lips. When he was finally able to speak his voice sounded low and gravely. "When.. what?" Was all he could force out.

"Two day ago....*sob* they were coming back from a mission. The helicopter was struck by lightning and crashed into the ocean. There were *sob* no survivers *sob*." She hiccuped a few times as she tried to control herself. "Honey, please come home, I need you to come home. There's going to be a the memorial service, *sob* the copter exploded when the lightning hit. They're saying there wasn't enough left to *sob*. He would have wanted you here. Then I need your help with the ranch. I can't run it from a wheelchair." Again her voice cracked.

Beau closed his eyes and fought back the tears. "Let me take care of some loose ends here and I'll drive home. It will take me a few days, but I should be able to make it home by Saturday." He was horrified to find his own voice cracking. He takes a deep breath to steady himself. "Mom, are....are you alright? Is someone there with you? How are the girls? Are they alright?"

She sniffed, "We're all alright, sweetheart. The girls are in shock and Eva keeps asking for you. Yantsy Roads, (the ranch foreman of many years) is here with us."

Beau thought of Yantsy and briefly allowed himself to remember the father figure for whom he had so much respect, admiration and affection. Yantsy had stepped in and was there for the family following the death of his best friend and the boys father. A tall man with red hair, and laughing green eyes, Yantasy had been a role model for Beau and Brian along with their father. They managed the ranch together and Yantsy had been in charge during David's time on the road with the rodeo. .

It killed Beau to know that little Eva kept asking for him, but knew that Yantasy would look after her and the rest of his girls until he could get there.

"I remember him. Tell Eva and the girls that I'll be back as soon as I can." he replied.

"I will. The memorial is Sunday at noon. I watched your ride on National Television, Beau,......Brian would have been so proud of you tonight, and so am I...." With that she hung up the phone.

He slowly lowered is cell; in shock, and unable to believe the news.

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