Buck Johnson: Dragon Roundup Read online

  Skeeter: “Well, I’ll be . . . a rodeo . . .”

  Buck: “Snort, are you certain.”

  “Look, you know we been hearin’ rumors about this. And I heard they’re gonna have horses too—real live buckin’ horses hauled in from back home.” At this Buck looked away because his were getting moist. “There’ll be bronc riding, dragon team roping, korth riding, and maybe even jerk-down yertl roping.”

  Buck wasn’t able answer yet, but Skeeter did: “Count me in for the dragon team roping. I’ll have to get a better mount and a new saddle though.” Skeeter was an outstanding heeler.

  Finally getting control of his emotions, Buck put in, “You bet. And I’ll enter the korth riding. Have to get a new korth-riding rope—sold mine years ago. Snort, I expect you’ll enter the bronc riding?”

  “You damn betcha, Buck. ’Cept I don’t own a bronc saddle anymore.”

  “I reckon I can loan you the money for that. I know you’re always broke with your high-livin’ ways.”

  Encouraged by this last statement, Skeeter spoke up, a little tentatively: “Buck, you reckon you could loan me the money for a new saddle and my entry fees? I still owe Quincy Piondexter two hundred Terul credits.”

  “You bet, Skeet—if you’ll be my heeler in the dragon team roping.”

  “Sure thing, Buck.” Although Skeeter was eager to accommodate and more than a little pleased to hear this, something was obviously still troubling him, though neither Buck nor Snort had noticed yet.

  Buck made some mental calculations and observed, mostly to himself, “After I loan you boys all this money I’ll be just about broke myself. You two better cowboy up at this rodeo and win some money so you can pay me back. I already spent a bundle gettin’ my sky truck fixed. It’s a damn good thing them lizard bellies’re payin’ us good. Well, looks like we’re stuck on Terul for a while longer.”

  Now Skeeter felt compelled to inform Buck of what had been troubling him. “Buck.”

  “Yeah, what is it, Skeet.”

  “You know that new ion-drive differential you had put in your sky truck?”

  “Yeah, I paid a helluva lot of money to get that installed. What about it?”

  “Well, I think there’s something wrong with it.”

  “How in the hell could there be something wrong with it? It’s brand new.” A spark of suspicion had now been kindled in Buck’s mind.

  Skeeter began edging away from Buck. “You know the other day when you yelled at me, when I slammed the cargo-hold hatch? Well, some of that hay stuff fell down, and—well, it fell on the new differential. I think it’s broke. But I didn’t mean to, Buck. I’ll pay you—”

  Buck grabbed up a stick of firewood and took out after Skeeter—again. And Snort just grinned.

  Don’t miss the very first story in Wyatt McLaren’s Buck Johnson series—“Buck Johnson, Dragon Wrangler.”

  If you have any comments, questions, or criticisms, you can contact Wyatt McLaren at [email protected].