ruined your life, you’re not tough at all,” she said. “He figured you didn’t care about it. You never returned his calls.”
“I didn’t know what he wanted. Figured it was just more Carrigan bullshit.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “I can tell your family’s everything to you.”
“Well, it seems to be everything to you. And I still don’t understand that.”
His fifth wheel was parked on the edge of the lot, the gaudy gold Carrigan logo glinting in the fading light of the sunset. She remembered how he’d asked if she was “something more than an employee” and stopped feeling bad about hitting his hurt arm.
“I’m not taking anything from your family, Lane. An honest paycheck, that’s all. I’m just doing my job.”
“And that makes everything okay, right?”
“It’s what I have to do, so yes, it does.” She tightened her lips. “If you’ve been shut out, it’s not my fault.”
“I wasn’t shut out. I was never in. My father just trotted me out like a prize pony every once in a while.”
“Like Whiplash.” She couldn’t help smiling.
“What?”
“Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey. He rides a dog around the arena, does some rope tricks. They trot him out—I don’t know, what you said just made me think of him.”
He lowered his brows. “How do you know about that? You a rodeo fan?”
She flushed. “Of course not.”
“Hardly seems like your kind of thing. And anyway, I’m not a monkey.”
He reached for the gear bag, lifting it as effortlessly as if he’d never been hurt.
“Where’s the sling?” she asked.
“Took it off.” He flung it on the bed along with the gear bag.
“Doesn’t your arm hurt?”
“Nope. You want to come in? I need to check on my dog.”
“No, I’ll wait.” What did he think she was, stupid?
Lane stepped inside and whistled. “Willie? Come on, Willie.”
Sarah laughed. “Does this work very often?”
“What?”
“Getting girls to come to your trailer to see your Willie.”
He didn’t answer, just called again, sounding slightly muffled from the back of the trailer. “I can’t find him.”
“And I suppose you want me to help you look.”
He reappeared at the door. “He’s probably out visiting the barrel racers.”
“Yeah, right. I bet he does that a lot.”
“He does, actually. Sociable little dude.”
Sarah snickered, but he didn’t seem to notice as he jumped the steps and relocked the door.
“So,” he said. “Beer tent?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “You were going to show me something good about your world tonight. You had all that talk about community, but the only cowboy I’ve met tried to steal your girl.” She grimaced. “Worse yet, he assumed I am your girl.”
He grinned. “Well, you are a woman, princess. And you are walking beside me.”
“Behind you, actually.”
He paused and waited for her to catch up. “Sorry.”
He sounded like he meant it, but she couldn’t tell if he was going to fling another zinger her way because his eyes were hidden in the dark shadow cast by the brim of his hat. “You know, you’re right. This hasn’t exactly been the best of the West.”
He set off again, but this time he eased his pace so she could keep up. They passed the grandstand, heading toward the pens where competitors kept their horses. “Want to take a look at the horses?”
She shook her head so fast she almost gave herself a case of whiplash. “No. I’m…” Dang. What could she tell him?
Maybe it would be good to tell somebody the truth for a change. “I’m afraid of them.”
“Really? I didn’t think you were afraid of anything.”
She shrugged, suppressing a faint glow inside at the compliment. Fearless. That’s what she wanted to be. What she’d been, once. But fear ruled her life these days. Fear of poverty. Fear of losing control. Fear of failure.
Because she’d failed her family back when Roy died. All the way home from the hospital after his death, she’d listened to her mother rant about Flash, about how dangerous he was. He should be put down, she said. Sarah had convinced her to call the sale barn instead of euthanizing the horse, but her mother had still insisted that Flash would stay in the trailer until they came to take him away.
It was the one time in Sarah’s life she was glad her mother reacted to stress by drinking herself into a stupor. With her little sister asleep and her mom passed out, there had been no one to stop her from sneaking out to save Flash.
***
The stallion’s coat had been hot and damp, lathered with sweat from the stress of staying so