Leroy Watches Jr. & the Badass Bull (Bloodsong Series) Read Online Free Page B

over his father’s on the kitchen table. His arthritis treatments were going great. Pop looked happier than Leroy had ever seen him.
    “Train a wild horse and ride him at the rodeo? When would I train him?”
    “We could leave early enough so we’d get there Friday morning.”
    Train a wild horse in a day, fit to compete in a huge stadium that scared the bejesus out of him? What would it do to a green horse?
    “I don’t know if I can do it, pop. Maybe in two or three days.”
    “So we’ll leave in time to give you time to do it. We can stay in the camper that long.”
    OK. Now all he needed was the horse.
     
    “The Bureau of Land Management has wild horses. You can adopt them for close to nothing. Maybe they’ll drop him off for you. Let’s see if they got a place in Nevada.” His father was full of ideas.
    Leroy lifted up the phone, ready to ask for information.
    “No, son, do it this way.” Old Leroy was at the ranch computer, another treasure he’d been given by the remodeling rich folks. It was two years old; they had no use for it. “Since my hands have been better, I’ve been able to do a few things. I’ve always been sharp with machines, and I just love this one. It’s a Numenon Ranger.
    “Now look here,” he typed a bit and pictures of wild horses appeared on the screen. “The BLM has a website. Let’s see if they got a place in Nevada.”
    They had two facilities, both of which had nice menus showing the horses up for adoption.
    “I like that one,” Leroy pointed at a big, burly roan. “His head ain’t worth nuthin’, but he’s got legs that would carry him to the moon.”
    “Let’s send them an email and see what they say.” Old Leroy began typing. “There. They’ll get back to us.”
    “I can’t believe how you can handle that machine, pop.”
    “I’m a Watches, boy. This is what I do.”
     
    The BLM responded fast. Both facilities were more than five hours from Las Vegas. They wouldn’t let a horse go unless the owner had housing for him built to their specifications and promised to keep the horse permanently. They didn’t deliver.
     
    “That takes care of that. I didn’t know how we’d afford the $100 to adopt one anyway.”
    “Don’t worry about that, son. I know how to save money: we won’t eat.”
     
    Leroy spent a couple of hard days thinking about the horse.
    His father came to him when Leroy’s brain was so overworked it practically sent out puffs of smoke like their lawnmower. His dad had that crazy wild grin that said he’d come up with something.
    “Leroy, what are you?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Why was your grandpa able to take you away and I couldn’t do anything about it?”
    “I’m an Indian. Mom was half-Indian and half-white, but she counted as a whole Indian. She was a member of the tribe.”
    “And so are you. From your mother and all the Indian blood I’ve got. You are an enrolled member of Grandfather’s Nation.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “What to Indians do?”
    “Help each other, for the most part.”
    “Did you know that there’s an Indian reservation right next to Las Vegas? I looked it up with that computer. They have a website and numbers you can call. It’s a big reservation. Somebody has got to have horses. Maybe they’d loan you one just for the training you’ll put on it.”
     
    He called the office number and spoke in his language. Native languages were often radically different, but Leroy had the power to understand other languages and make himself understood. Besides, after he said a few words to the tribal secretary and told her who his grandpa was, he was passed along to the chairman.
    “Yes, we got a bunch of people who have horses,” the chairman said. “But the best one for you would be Reason Jimson. He’s got some big horses. None of them are broke, though. Some of them are rough.”
     
    Leroy found himself talking to Reason. They agreed that father and son could camp on Reason’s ranch and Leroy could