Here's one for all you cowpokes.
*
I'll never forget the first time I heard about them. I was just a teenager and my dad had taken us to the rodeo. I'd learned what the fairer sex was not long before, and I couldn't help but notice this pair of young girls who were hanging out over by the gate where the cowboys exited after their rides.
They were cheering the cowboys on, waving their hats and such. When a cowboy'd had a really good ride, they'd even blow him a kiss when he left the ring. They were the two cutest girls I thought I'd ever seen -- big smiles, tight jeans, big cowboy hats and cowboy boots. They were way out of my class, older than me and so pretty and lively that I was embarrassed just to be thinkin' the thoughts I was a-thinkin' about them. But that didn't stop me from lookin'.
Dad noticed me paying a little too much attention to those fillies, and he gave me a little nudge, speaking in his 'just-us-guys' voice.
"So, you like what you see?"
I tried real hard not to look embarrassed, but I knew that if I didn't answer him I'd be in for a big load of teasing, so I tried for a change of subject.
"Why are they doing that?"
Dad chuckled a little bit at my ignorance. "Them's just a pair of buckle bunnies. They wait to see who wins the most money and the biggest buckle and then they find him after the rodeo and have their way with him." Dad saw the confused look on my face. "Kinda like rock and roll groupies, only for rodeo riders."
Now that I understood. I felt my face blush as I mulled it over for a minute. "They're awful cute," I said.
Dad chuckled at me. "You should be so lucky." Dad never liked to show too much faith in my abilities, but I know the old codger loved me.
As the years went by and I grew into a young man I never forgot seeing those two buckle bunnies and learning what they were up to. After Dad told me about those first ones, I started watching. Damned if there weren't a few at every rodeo I ever went. One or two, sometimes a whole giggle of 'em -- cute little cowgirls watching the show and then leaving with the winners. I never told anybody this, but catching me one of those little fillies was one of the biggest reasons I got my PRCA permit and joined the rodeo circuit.
Course I ain't no Ted Hedeman, or even Joe Alexander. But I had enough luck and talent to work my way onto the Mountain States Circuit. We'd have a competition in a little one horse little town like Cody, Wyoming on one day, and then we'd be off to Windsor, Colorado the next. It's called payin' your dues, and the idea was to get enough skill and wins to allowed to ride in one of the big shows -- like the West of the Pecos Rodeo in Pecos, Texas, or maybe even to the very top -- the National Western Stock Show in Denver.
So I drove from town to town, me and my horse Joker. That's the cowboy life these days - stayin' in cheap motels, eatin' cheap food and racing to the next rodeo. I hardly ever won much though, and those buckle bunnies left every night with some other guy. Sometimes I wondered if I'd chosen the right thing to do with my life. I think maybe Joker thought the same thing.
But I slowly got better at bein' a rodeo cowboy. I learned show a little more style in my riding. Not that I never got thrown off or nuthin'. Man, I remember limpin' out of that arena a whole bunch of times. But eventually it was like I could start to feel what the horse was going to do before he even knew it, and then my scores started to rise. I was getting closer to winning, and closer to catching my very own buckle bunny.
We were riding in a little county rodeo in Eaton, Colorado when I met her. I was kind of surprised at the size of the crowd, given that the town couldn't have held more'n a couple thousand, if you count the horses. When I first saw her standin' near the entry gate all the other people kind of melted away for me, as if she was the only person there.
She was the prettiest damn cowgirl I'd ever seen. She had short blond hair and a big white hat. But what really kindled my spark was her smile. It just lit up her whole face, and her eyes were merrier than the twinkling stars in the nighttime sky over Rabbit Ear's Pass.
She waved and flashed that smile at ever' cowboy there, cheering our weary hearts and egging us on to ride better. She didn't seem to care who won, like she wanted us all to do well. But we all knew that only one of us was going to take home this prize. And the promise in her eye for the winner of the biggest purse was enough to make us all ride a little harder than usual.
But I wanted her in the worst way -- way more than any of those other fellas. Most of them had already had their share of buckle bunnies, and she was just another little ranch girl in just another little town. I can't exactly describe the attraction I felt for her -- some kind of longing down in my gut. And not just in my gut, if you know what I mean. I was gonna win that big old belt buckle today for that little girl or die tryin'.
Lucky for me I got to ride old Tiger, 'cause I'd ridden him a couple times before. He and I went way back, and even though most of the other cowboys thought he was the orneriest stallion on the circuit, we'd developed that kind of rapport that makes for a high scorin' ride.
My little blond bunny had found herself a seat right by the chute. When I climbed up on old Tiger she leaned up over the rails and smiled that 10,000 watt smile at me. I tried to look like I was concentrating on getting my rigging wound around my hand just right, but all I could really feel was her standing close. I don't know if I was shaking more from my usual pre-ride jitters or just lust for that little filly.
"You ride that pony good, cowboy!" she said, an unspoken offer in her voice. I gave her a tip of my hat and tried not to look too interested just like I'd seen the other guys do, and then it was time to go.
