A Clown with Courage

By Christine Reeve

Ryan Miller is a determined 16-year-old from a small town called Baladin. His parents didn't like the idea of him wanting to learn the art of becoming a rodeo clown.
When he gets a job on the property of the local rodeo proprietor, Tom Jillings, he learns how to ride a horse, in precarious ways at times! Faced with a bull stampede, he has to figure things out very quickly, and it brings him to a life-changing decision.

Ryan adapts to rodeo life in his typical gangly manner and learns many lessons about growing up along the way from his mentor-turned-friend, Bill Sinclair.Then he meets Angela, and together with Bill's help, they train an unruly mare for the competitive sport of barrel racing.
Ryan, unexpectedly, gets his chance as a rodeo clown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jul 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645364207

Christine Reeve

Christine Reeve is 55 years old and lives on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia. She is a former resident of New Zealand, where she left school at 15 to work with racehorses. It was not until she came to Australia in 1984 that she took out her jumps jockey license. She rode 30 winners over the jumps. Christine always enjoyed the spectacle of rodeo and would have loved to live that life, but she always found herself drawn to racing. She is still a track-work rider at the Cranbourne Training Complex, Victoria, Australia.

Book preview

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About the Author

Christine Reeve is 55 years old and lives on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia. She is a former resident of New Zealand, where she left school at 15 to work with racehorses.

It was not until she came to Australia in 1984 that she took out her jumps jockey license. She rode 30 winners over the jumps.

Christine always enjoyed the spectacle of rodeo and would have loved to live that life, but she always found herself drawn to racing. She is still a track-work rider at the Cranbourne Training Complex, Victoria, Australia.

About the Book

Ryan Miller is a determined 16-year-old from a small town called Baladin. His parents didn't like the idea of him wanting to learn the art of becoming a rodeo clown.

When he gets a job on the property of the local rodeo proprietor, Tom Jillings, he learns how to ride a horse, in precarious ways at times! Faced with a bull stampede, he has to figure things out very quickly, and it brings him to a life-changing decision.

Ryan adapts to rodeo life in his typical gangly manner and learns many lessons about growing up along the way from his mentor-turned-friend, Bill Sinclair.

Then he meets Angela, and together with Bill's help, they train an unruly mare for the competitive sport of barrel racing.

Ryan, unexpectedly, gets his chance as a rodeo clown.

Copyright Information

Copyright © Christine Reeve (2019)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales: special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Reeve, Christine

A Clown with Courage

ISBN 9781641822596 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781641822589 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781645364207 (ePub e-book)

The main category of the book — Young Adult Fiction / Action & Adventure / General

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019907897

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Dedication

I would like to thank Shawn Mathrick for his help in ensuring I had my rodeo facts correct.

Chapter 1

Ryan Miller slammed the door behind him as he stormed down the driveway for a long walk to cool down. He could hear his father calling after him, Get back here, boy!

At sixteen, Ryan didn’t consider himself a ‘boy.’ He considered himself adult enough to make his own decisions, to leave school and go after what he wanted. To be a rodeo clown, a bullfighter.

His parents forever hounded him about what he would do when he left school. Ryan had no idea until he went to the local rodeo held on a property twenty minutes from town. He’d watched the cowboys fight – will against might.

He’d loved the smell, he’d tasted the dirt, he’d felt the fear. But what had enthralled him most was the lone man dressed in a funny suit in the arena, defying an 800-kilogram bull to come in his direction away from the sometimes hapless, sometimes victorious cowboy. The clown was the most courageous of all, and in Ryan’s eyes, the unsung hero. He wanted the challenge. His parents weren’t impressed.

Ryan wasn’t very good at schoolwork and he had no ambition to work from nine to five, wearing a collar and tie. He liked sport but couldn’t commit to training and wasn’t interested in hanging out with his mates trying booze and drugs. He couldn’t care less about cars but loved excitement. He wanted to push himself to the edge. He felt a rodeo clown had it all.

Ryan’s lanky five-foot-seven-inch (1.70m) frame strode quickly down his suburban street lined with neat rows of houses and tidy gardens. Not much happened in Graham Street. It was only a fifteen-minute bike ride from the local high school.

The big shopping center stood out, shiny and new. The small town grew like all towns did, with people wanting to shift from the hustle and bustle of the city to a quieter life. They didn’t realize that they brought the hectic and hurry with them.

Although Ryan had never been a country boy, he longed for that life. Baladin had no hold over him, he wanted to move on; not away from his family, he loved them but he felt a need to grow up.

He walked on, going over the useless conversation he’d had with his father. His ‘old man’ didn’t understand his need for adventure, and he didn’t understand that he was probably a lucky parent. His son wasn’t riding motorbikes, doing drugs, or partying hard with his mates.

All that his father seemed concerned about was him having a good income, owning a suburban house, driving the latest sedan, and supporting a family. Ryan couldn’t make his father see that he wanted to live first, then decide when and where he would settle down.

Ryan walked into a milk bar, the first shop he came to on Baladin’s main street. He bought a drink and read the notices on the noticeboard that leant up against the front window beside the door. An ad with the Baladin Park logo stood out amongst the rest.

Wanted: 15–17-year-old for weekend and some after-school work. Interest in livestock a must – some heavy lifting required. Must work in all weather con. Ph: Tom Jillings (Baladin Park) 332 777 6268.

He took his mobile phone out of his back pocket, copied and saved the number into his contact list. He then retraced his steps and went home. Baladin Park was where the rodeo had been held.

The night meal at the Miller house was quiet, except for Ryan’s two younger sisters bickering amongst themselves. Ryan finished his dinner, excused himself, and went to his room. He looked at the new number in his mobile and put Tom Jillings’ name to it. He decided to