Baxter Black is a former veterinarian, part-time rodeo rider and current cowboy poet. Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky? is an episodic and often hilarous book about the fortunes and misfortunes of two cowboys on the rodeo circuit.

If you want a book with a tight plot and a story that actully goes somewhere, you might want to pass this up. But if you don’t mind a slim-to-nonexistent plot, and plenty of farcial action, you will love this book.

Cody and Lick are two cowboys who ride the rough stock events in the rodeo – they specialize in bull riding. They are fairly good at rodeoing, but are not exactly setting the world on fire and Cody is beginning to think the family ranch is looking like a nice place to finally settle down.

There is no real plot to this book – it consists of a series of episodes that tell the adventures of our two cowboys. Most of the misadventures happen to Lick. In one chapter, he and Cody go fishing and Lick accidently sits on a porcupine. When the emergency room nurse finishes laughing hysterically, they have to give Lick anesthesia to get the quills out of some very sensitive areas (and to allow the doctor to have hysterics along with the nurse). Lick is discharged with a warning to avoid riding bulls and having sex for a few days. Unfortunately for Lick, one of his buckle bunny groupies is not very happy that he is temporarily celibate, so while they are relaxing in a hot tub, she dyes him purple with Rit dye.

Another time Lick gets a date with a woman whom he thinks is a buckle bunny, but she turns out to be a crook who specializes in robbing cowboys. She takes Lick’s wallet and clothes and leaves him to get back to the campground while he is naked and trying not to meet anyone along the way. Poor Lick, he’s not very lucky in love (except for the twin baton twirlers), and he’s not really the world’s greatest bull rider either. But Lick is a likable and hopeful kind of guy and when he draws the man-killing bull Kamikaze, you’ll be holding your breath to see what happens.

Cody is a more level-headed cowboy than Lick. He’s fond of the rodeo, but sensible enough to realize that his chances of making all-round champion are slim to none and he gets to thinking that maybe it’s time to settle down. Then he meets Lilac (not a groupie) and when a cowboy falls in love, he falls hard.

Does Cody win the love of the fair Lilac? Does Lick ride the killer bull Kamikaze? Does the purple dye ever wear off? Read this endearingly off-kilter book and find out.