Beauty and the Bull Rider (Hotel Rodeo #3)(39)

“Awaking just in time from his snooze, Bill Cody pulled himself to his feet to meet the bull’s charge head-on. A dust cloud arose several feet high at the impact of the fifteen-hundred-pound freight train blasting into the three-thousand-pound bovid mountain. When the dust cleared, the stunned Mexican bull lay on his knees. Breathless seconds passed before the animal shook away the cobwebs and took once more to his feet.

“The crowd cheered as their champion positioned himself for another attack, this time to the bison’s more vulnerable flank, but the joke was on the Mexicans. None of them knew what Will Morgan knew—that, unlike bulls who pivot on their hind end, buffalos can spin on their forehand. So as the bull prepared for another go, intent on skewering his opponent with his horns, the bison spun his front end, once more absorbing the bull’s full charge with his massive skull plate. But this time, the buffalo put some thrust behind it, launching the bull like a missile.

“Once recovered from the counterattack, the bull was so terrorized that he tried to climb out of the ring. The enraged Mexicans demanded a rematch. Moments later, a new contender roared out of the chutes to the same outcome as before. No matter what tactic he employed, the bison met him head-on. This scenario played out twice more with fresh bulls—to the same end. By the end of the day, not one, but four of the most celebrated fighting bulls had been vanquished by the bison, who then lay back down to resume his nap. Will offered quadruple his original wager but had no takers. The next day, with over ten grand in pesos lining his pockets, Will Morgan loaded Bill back on the trailer and headed back to Oklahoma.”

“Is this really true?” Delaney asked skeptically.

“Cross my heart,” Zac said with a grin. “Will retired him to pasture after that. In fact, he’s even buried out on your ranch.”

“Oh my God!” Delaney declared, hand to mouth. “I’ve seen his gravestone before! I always thought it belonged to one of Ty’s dead relatives.”

“I never saw the animal,” Zac said. “But I did see newspaper clippings from back when they traveled the rodeo circuit. Ty kept a whole scrapbook of those when he was younger.”

“I know you and Ty have been friends for a long time, but how did you first meet?” Delaney asked.

“Would it surprise you to know we were fierce rivals before we ever became friends?” Zac asked.

“Really?”

“Yup. It all dates back to high school, where we first met on the football field. We later competed against each other in the rodeo arena when we both rode bulls. Ty went on to college after graduation and I joined the pro bull-riding tour. After a couple of years, he showed up again on the circuit. We were still rivals, but both being short on cash, we started traveling together. We’ve been tight ever since, or were until . . .” His voice dropped off.

“Until I came along?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Things were rough for a while, but we’re okay now.”

“I’m glad,” Delaney said. “I hate that I came between you.”

Zac shrugged. “I could say the same. But it’s all water under the bridge, right?” He glanced her way.

“I don’t resent him anymore,” Delaney confessed. “I did for the longest time, but now I just feel sorry for him.”

Zac eyed her curiously. “Why?”

“Because he puts on a good act, but he has to be lonely.”

Zac’s brows drew together. “I think that’s changed now.”

“So you think he’s really serious about Monica?” she asked.

“Appears to be.” Zac slanted her a sidelong glance. “Does that bother you?”

“No. Surprisingly, it doesn’t,” she answered. “I hope they’ll make each other happy.”





Zac’s chest tightened at her answer. It did a lot to resolve his apprehensions about her feelings for Ty. “Hungry?” he asked after an extended period of silence.

“Starving,” she confessed.

He was glad, having skipped breakfast in favor of putting some miles behind them. “We’re coming up on Amarillo soon. Wanna stop for breakfast?”

“Sure. Do you have anyplace in mind?”

“Ever been there?” He pointed to a huge yellow billboard advertising THE BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH.

“Isn’t that the place with the seventy-two-ounce steak challenge?”

“Sure is, but they also serve breakfast. It’s one of the biggest tourist traps in Texas with food that’s overpriced and mediocre at best, but it’s still worth stopping if you’re passing through Amarillo.”

“Ever taken the challenge?” Delaney asked.

“I’m always up for a challenge. A real man never backs down from one.”

“So you did it?” she asked. “You actually ate four and a half pounds of steak in one sitting?”

He looked abashed. “I tried six times and failed. It was one of those macho cowboy things.”

“You’re kidding!” Delaney laughed. “I was watching the Food Network and saw a one-hundred-twenty-pound woman from Nebraska eat two of them.”

“That’s damned humiliating to the whole male gender,” Zac replied with a doleful head shake. “We’re passing by the Cadillac ranch real soon. I can stop if you want any pictures. It’s quite a sight to see all those old cars half buried in the ground out in the middle of nowhere.”