Beauty and the Bull Rider (Hotel Rodeo #3)(27)

The rest of the ride was short and silent, which only amplified the tension. Delaney’s nerves were stretched as taut as high-tensile wire by the time they pulled through the gate of the Circle B. It was a sprawling complex that included a main house, a bunkhouse, and a number of corrals and outbuildings. The main house was built in the style of a Mexican hacienda and sat on over ten thousand acres, which stretched out over grassy plains all the way to the river.

The ranch had belonged to Tom Brandt. He and Ty’s father, Will, had been best friends and business partners in a rodeo company in their younger days. Tom had played around with Mexican fighting bulls back then, but his interest had died a sudden death when one of his prized animals gored and trampled Will Morgan to death. After that, Tom shut down his contracting business and shifted his main operation to raising Texas longhorns. He’d also taken on the role of surrogate father to Ty.

Because Ty and Tom were close, Delaney had spent a lot of time at the Circle B during the first few months of her marriage, but things had changed after the divorce. Although Tom had never made her feel unwelcome, it wasn’t the second home to her that it was to Ty.

She was surprised when Zac drove her around to the back rather than parking in front of the house. “I thought we were having dinner.”

“We are,” he replied. “But I have something to show you first.” He parked his truck adjacent to a maze of chutes and pipe corrals, one of which contained a huge bull, a solid gray Brahman cross whose sheer size resembled a mountain as much as a bull.

“He’s gorgeous, Zac!” she exclaimed. As if he understood, the bull raised its head with a snort. “Did you pick him up on your trip?”

“I did,” he said. “He had a solid first season and was on his way to the big leagues when he injured a hock in the chute during a practice last year. The vet said he’s never going to buck again so they decided to sell him. The price was right so I brought him home.”

“How’s he bred?”

“Champions on both sides. He’s a son of Troubadour out of a granddaughter of Dillinger. His stats were real strong before he got injured. He had an eighty percent buck-off rate.”

“Impressive,” Delaney said with a nod. He really was a magnificent animal. She eyed Zac speculatively. She still didn’t understand why Ty and Zac had suddenly got it into their heads to get back into bucking bulls. She’d begun to think of Zac as an ally, but now it seemed he and Ty were bent on competing with her in the breeding business. “So what’s your plan for this bull?” she asked. “I thought you were only buying bucking stock.”

“We don’t really need a stud at this juncture, but I was thinking you might consider him as a herd sire. I also bought a pair of heifers I thought you’d like. They’re twins.”

“Really? Where are they?” she asked, her interest piqued.

“I have them over on the other side,” he replied, jerking his head toward the hay barn. “Didn’t think it was a good idea to keep them too close to this monster. You wanna see ’em?”

“I’d love to,” Delaney replied.

Zac led her back past the maze and through the main barn, where two horses stood tied. She recognized the bay with the scarred rump as the horse that Zac had ridden to her rescue. On the other side of the barn was another set of corrals, where two young cows munched hay. Both were white with black spots.

“They’re beautiful,” she remarked. “Plummers?”

“You do know your livestock, don’t you?” He grinned. “Plummer breeding on the top and Reindeer on the dam side. Bred to buck for certain. I saw them in action with dummies. I can show you the video if you like. Figured I’d let you take your pick and I’ll keep the other one.”

Confused, she turned to face him. “Why wouldn’t you take your pick first and let me have the other? We’re in competition with each other, aren’t we?”

“Are we?” he asked with a sidelong glance. “I’d rather like to think of us as partners.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interests?” she asked. “You’re already partners with Ty.”

“So are you,” he countered.

“Not really. We share ownership of the ranch, but that’s just the real estate. He’s not involved in any of my business dealings. And I have nothing to do with his. It’s worked out fine until now and I’d like to keep it that way. This breeding endeavor was going to be mine alone, Zac. This isn’t something I was planning to share with anyone.”

“Just like the baby you want?” he asked. “Why is it so damned important to you to do everything alone?”

“Because this is my life. I finally have control of it. Good or bad, I want to make my own decisions. I don’t want anyone ever to take that away from me again.”

“You think I’d try to control you?” he asked.

“Maybe not intentionally,” she said. “But you’ve already begun.”

He cocked his head with a look of confusion. “What do you mean?”

She took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. “I know you meant well, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but you bought this livestock on your own. It wasn’t my decision.”

“I told you I’d keep an eye open for you,” he said. “I found a bull that I think would make you a great sire and two heifers to help build your herd of bucking cows.”