Jesse Boone was born with sawdust in his veins and greasepaint on his dreams. His earliest memories were of his father, Graydee Bulletproof” Boone,flipping through the air, giggling in the face of danger, a rodeo clown who could dodge a bull and sling a punchline in the same breath. But laughter turned to silence the day Lucifer’s Grin—a mean 2,000-pound legend—caught Graydee off guard. It was his last rodeo. Jesse,twelve at the time, sat frozen in the crowd as his hero fell for the final act. For years, Jesse couldn’t touch a pair of clown shoes without feeling the weight of grief. He tried carpentry, truck driving—anything but chasing bulls. But every detour led back to dust, barrels, and a ghost in face paint. At twenty-two, Jesse stepped into the arena with trembling hands and a bucket full of doubt. The crowd did...