Beauty and the Bull Rider (Hotel Rodeo #3)(23)

“I could say the same,” Ty replied dryly. “You’ve been in Oklahoma three weeks and I haven’t heard shit from you. Had to call just to make sure you hadn’t slit your throat from boredom.”

“Boredom? I’m too f*cking busy to be bored. I’m running a ranch if you recall.”

“Hell, I figured it would be more of a vacay for you,” Ty said. “You’ve got a whole crew to do your grunt work.”

“Maybe so,” Zac said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around with my thumbs up my ass. ’Sides, I actually like ranch work.”

“That’s where you and me differ,” Ty said. “I’ll be happy if I never see another post hole digger or roll of barbed wire.”

“Funny you should mention that,” Zac said. “I had a nasty run-in with some of that just yesterday.”

“Barbed wire?” Ty asked.

“Yeah. One of Delaney’s bulls hooked some wire while she was fixing fence. He got all tangled in it and I got a little cut up wrestling him down.”

“No shit? You took down a bull all by yourself?”

“Someone had to do it,” Zac replied. “But I’m not gonna make a fish story outta this. He wasn’t full grown. Only about eight hundred pounds.”

“Sorry you got pulled into her mess,” Ty said. “Cows are one thing, but that woman has no business messing with bulls.”

“Can’t say I agree with you, Ty. She knows her stuff. You should be proud of her.”

Ty snorted. “Are you for real?”

“Yeah. I’m for real. We need to talk, Ty.”

“’Bout Delaney or her bulls?”

“Both actually.”

“She giving you shit?” Ty asked.

“No. It’s nothing like that.”

“Then what’s on your mind?”

“I offered to be her baby daddy.” A long silence followed. “You still there, Ty?”

“I’m here,” he answered slowly. “Just shocked speechless. Damn, Zac, when I made that suggestion to you, I was just joking. Why the hell would you—”

“That’s what we need to talk about. Are you coming down here or do I need to drive up there?”

“Your timing really sucks, Zac. I was just calling to tell you I’m going away for a while—out of the country to be exact.”

“Out of the country? Are you a fugitive or something?” Zac asked.

“I’m not running away,” Ty said. “It’s business.”

“Who’s gonna run the hotel?”

“We’ll be closing most of it down for demolition,” Ty said. “I’m only leaving the bar open during the construction phase. Hell, it’s the only part of the operation that shows any profit anyhow.”

“How did you come by the money to renovate?”

“Monica,” Ty answered. “We’re partners in this. She’s agreed to stay in Vegas. It was her idea to take a trip to Spain to look at the bullfighting rings.”

“Bullfighting?” Zac said. “If that’s what you want to see, you only need to head south a few hundred miles. The biggest bullring in the world is in Mexico City.”

“We may go see it on the way back.”

“What’s behind this sudden interest in Spanish bullfighting?”

“It’s not the bullfighting, it’s the architecture,” Ty replied. “Monica and the architect are exploring some design ideas for the new hotel. I’m just trying to keep an open mind.”

“So when do you leave?” Zac asked.

“Next week.”

“Then I’ll drive up to Vegas this weekend. There’s some things we need to work out before you go. We need a face-to-face.”

“It’s that serious?” Ty said.

“It is.”

“All right, Zac. I had a few things to share with you too, but I guess those can wait. I had another reason for calling,” Ty said. “I’ve got a lead on a private livestock sale in El Paso.”

“Oh yeah? Whereabouts?”

“Colby Hart’s place. Do you know him?” Ty asked

“He’s a rodeo contractor in West Texas, isn’t he? Didn’t you once have a run-in with him over one of his bulls?”

“The one that put me in the ICU? Yeah,” Ty confessed with a laugh. “But that’s all water under the bridge now. Tom smoothed it over for me. Colby’s had a heart attack and decided to sell out. He’s giving us first look at his stock. There’s s’posed to be several good bulls in the lot. Think you can drive out there and check it out?”

“I just left Laredo a little over an hour ago with a half-full trailer.” Zac glanced at his GPS. He was still an hour south of San Antonio. He could easily pick up I-10 from there to El Paso. “I guess it would make more sense to head there now than to make a second trip.”

“Great,” Ty replied. “If you see anything that’ll buck, buy it.”

“You still haven’t told me exactly what you plan to do with all these bulls.”

“It’s all part of the master plan,” Ty replied cryptically. “But I’ll reveal all that when you get here.”