Page 7 of Lost Trust

Neither am I.

Because we’ve dreamed about this since we were little boys, climbing on the back of practice bulls every chance we got.

One day.

One buckle.

One historic ride.

One world championship.

Now he’s standing here, holding it.

He removes the handcrafted trophy buckle from his round-one win and replaces it with the new one, drawing every female’s attention directly to his waist.

Axle smirks as his eyes go to Jovie, and he winks. She just shakes her head at him.

I clap until my palms sting.

My chest feels too tight.

That’s my brother.

My best friend.

And tonight, the whole damn world finally knows what I’ve known all along. He’s the best bull rider alive.

Royce

It takes nearly an hour to escape the arena.

Axle, Bryce, Blaze Cassel—the third-place winner—and I navigate interviews, photos, sponsors, and more interviews.

Every five steps, somebody stops Axle to shake his hand.

He never complains. He just smiles and signs another autograph, takes another picture, and thanks his fans. Giving everyone he can his full attention for a brief moment.

I hang back with Bryce while we watch him in action.

“You ready for next weekend?” I ask.

“Fuck yeah. I’m more than ready.”

Bryce is more than just our competition. He’s engaged to our cousin Charli Storm. He also owns Raintree-Storm Rodeo Academy, which is located on our family’s ranch.

The wedding will be held at the ranch next weekend.

“Yeah, I talked to Shelby before we headed to the arena this morning. She said Charli had them all up before dawn, helping her pack up the cabin,” I say.

The massive new house Bryce had built on the hill overlooking the academy is finally finished, and Charli has had her sisters—Matty, Shelby, and Harleigh—working hard this week to get ready so they can officially move in before leaving for their honeymoon.

“I know. I wish I were there to help do the heavy lifting. I’m gonna be in Dallas for a few more days, ironing some things out with my business manager and taking meetings with CBS. They want me in the broadcast booth next year as a television analyst for the PBR Unleash the Beast season.”

“Really? That’s awesome.”

“Yeah.” He runs a hand down his face. “I don’t know. It will take me away from the academy a lot.”

“True. You thinking about turning them down?”