Two To Wrangle (Hotel Rodeo #2)(45)

The gate flew open to the chorus of Chris LeDoux’s “Hooked on an 8 Second Ride.” True to his name, the bull busted out of the gate twisting and turning like a cyclone, but Zac sat tight as a tick, foiling the animal’s every frantic attempt to unseat him.

Zac knew all the lyrics by heart, but the only sounds his brain registered were the crash of the gate, the snorting bull, the jangling of the bell on his rope, and his own pulse pounding in his eardrums as he mentally counted down the seconds.

As the whistle sounded, Zac glanced up in triumph. Even with the wrong hand, he’d made his time. Maybe his champion days were over, but at least he wouldn’t be going home with empty pockets. He moved to dismount, but his taped wrist made it difficult to free his riding hand. As he fumbled with the rope tail, the bull feinted and then threw him into the well of another spin—it was the perfect storm. Zac’s moment of victory instantly transformed into a cataclysm of chaos.

Hanging from the bull’s side, he scrambled for purchase as the animal continued to plunge and kick. Once more, the bullfighters moved in but no one could get close enough to free him from his bull rope. The next few minutes were a blur of pain and agony as he fought like hell to keep from getting dragged under the bull, all the while feeling like his shoulder was getting ripped from the socket. He was vaguely aware that it took several men to shut the bull down. The instant he came free, Zac’s legs gave out. The bull spun as if to have another go at him, but one of the fighters intervened, shouting and waving his hat. Zac realized it was Ty.

Holy shit! What the hell is Ty doing in the arena with no protective gear?

The bull hesitated, staring Ty down, and then charged, but Ty slipped in the dirt. Man and beast collided as the bull plowed straight into Ty’s chest. Zac couldn’t see anything beyond the bull and Ty’s long legs stretched out motionless in the dirt.

Fuck! He’s not moving!

Zac struggled to his feet as the pickup man cast his lasso, roping the animal’s horns. The bull snorted and shook its head, still fighting as horse and rider dragged it back toward the chutes. The audience watched in silence until the gate slammed shut with a resonating rattle of metal. With the bull out of the way, everyone turned their attention back to Ty.

A medic appeared with a stretcher just as Ty stirred to life and spat a mouthful of dirt. He was still struggling for breath as the medic began poking his ribs. “What the hell happened? Did I black out?”

“Don’t talk,” the medic ordered, pressing a stethoscope to Ty’s chest. “Lung sounds are clear. No gurgling,” he said. “How’s the pain? Can you move?”

Ty took a wincing breath and then struggled to sit up. “Ain’t nothing I can’t handle.”

“You really dodged a bullet this time cowboy,” the medic said.

“Maybe the bullet but not the bull,” Ty winced and waved the stretcher away. “Give me a hand, will you, Zac?”

Zac reached down to help Ty to his feet. “I owe you, Ty.”

“You don’t owe me nothin’,” Ty replied. “We may have fallen out for a while, but I’ll always have your back.”

Ty’s remark brought home to Zac how much he’d missed his former best friend. He swallowed hard to dislodge the lump in his throat.

Holding his ribs with one hand, Ty reached down with the other to retrieve his hat. The moment Ty set it back on his head, the crowd went wild. Ty turned toward the chutes with a wide grin stretching his mouth. With a tip of his hat, he limped off to rejoin Monica in the stands.

Zac turned to find his brother Kade standing beside him brushing off the arena dirt that covered him from head to foot. “What the hell happened to you?” Zac asked.

“I was catapulted by your damned bull.”

“You okay?” Kade was one of the best bullfighters on the pro tour, but he still couldn’t suppress his protective instincts toward his little brother.

“I’m fine. If I’ve learned one thing since I’ve been doing this, it’s how to take a fall.”

Kade laughed. “Eighty-eight in case you’re wondering.”

“ ’Scuse me?”

“Your ride. Thought you might not have caught the score with all the commotion. Damn good for a left hand ride, let alone for a right.”

“Eighty-eight?” Zac repeated in amazement. It was his highest score in months. He might not be bowing out of the game with a championship title, but at least he was ending his career respectably.



At the end of the night, Alvaro finished with the championship as expected, but to everyone’s surprise, Zac McDaniel’s was the high point ride, even with his hang up.

After the bull riding, Kade and Zac returned to the hotel in full celebration mode. “The drinks are on me,” Zac called out to the bartender. “Ty saved my ass tonight.”

“I saw it all on the television,” Gabby said from behind the bar. “I can’t believe you did that, Ty. That bull could have killed you.”

“That’s exactly what I said,” Monica remarked with a dark look before excusing herself to the ladies’ room.

“It didn’t,” Ty replied with a shrug. “I’ll have a beer.”

Zac ordered a whiskey, downed it in a swallow, and then called for another round.

The bar was quickly filling with fans from the bull riding championship. Within minutes the three cowboys found themselves surrounded by a half dozen buckle bunnies. As the hero of the hour, Ty drew particular notice from a blonde named Josie flaunting her double D’s in a low cut tee. Rather than enjoying the attention, Ty looked about as edgy as a bull calf entering the chute for the first time. It didn’t take long before he said something and gave a nod in Monica’s direction. Josie replied with a toss of her blonde head and moved on down the bar to wrap her arms around Kade, who pulled her onto his lap.