Tess should just sell the place—bulls and all. Brock Tolman would buy it in a heartbeat. There’s got to be more to life than shoveling manure and hauling bulls and pinching every penny.”
Val rested a hand on Lexie’s shoulder. “Give it time. I know I’ve said it before, but Shane wants the best for you—and until the best is what he can offer, he won’t ask you to settle for less.”
Lexie gazed into the darkness, saying nothing. Maybe leaving wouldn’t be such a bad idea. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made.
“There’s something else I need to talk to you about,” Val said. “Something that’s got me worried—about you.”
“Go on.”
“It’s just this—” Val broke off as the screen door creaked open and Tess stepped out onto the porch.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked. “It’s too quiet in the house.”
“Sure. Pull up a chair.” Val flashed Lexie a warning glance. Evidently, whatever she’d been about to say would have to wait.
* * *
For the past few mornings, Shane had been waking up with an erection. Piss proud—that was the old-fashioned term for it. It had little or nothing to do with arousal, and it went away when he relieved himself. The doctors had said it might happen, and that he should take it as an encouraging sign—a sign that physically, at least, everything was connected and working.
Not that he felt confident enough to make love. Lexie was the one woman he wanted. But his pride had alienated her; and even if she were to come to him in the night, the fear of failure would leave him humiliated. Even if he could function, why should she want him when she could have a man—any man she wanted—whose body was whole and unbroken?
Why should she love a cripple? Shane was doing his best to get used to the ugly word, to accept it as truth.
As he dressed, he willed himself to sweep the negative thoughts aside and focus on the day ahead. This would be the boys’ last full day at the ranch. Tess had planned a special treat for them.
The two-year-old bulls were ready to face their first test with the bucking dummy—a small, weighted metal box attached to a strap with a remote-controlled release.
The ones that showed promise would begin a long period of training, with increasing weights, followed, finally, by a human rider. They’d be trained in chute behavior, loading and transport; and they’d be acclimated to the lights and noise of the arena before they were ready to compete. Those bulls that weren’t inclined to buck would be auctioned off.
Today, with plenty of help, the two boys would be working with the young bulls. They’d be taught how to attach the dummy in the chute by dropping the strap down one side, hooking it from the other side, drawing it up and around the bull, and fastening it to fit. Shane and Tess would coach them on what to look for in a good bucker and how to pick the best. The boys would also be herding the bulls in and out of the chute. This important job would be a reward for a summer of feeding, watering, shoveling, and mending fences.
The bucking corral was attached by a gate to a paddock beyond the complex of sheds and pens. The distance wasn’t far, but the ground was too rough and uneven for Shane’s wheelchair. Lexie would be taking him in the ATV, which she would park next to the chutes, where Shane could coach the boys.
The plan suited Shane. His strained relationship with Lexie had worsened over the past weeks, to the point that she was avoiding him. In his pride, he’d hurt her in ways he’d never intended. He still loved her, still wanted her. But what if he’d already pushed her too far? What if she’d already washed her hands of him?
As far as he could see, the only solution was an honest conversation. Talking might only make matters worse. But that was a chance he’d have to take. At least the ride in the ATV would give him some time alone with her.
He was waiting on the porch when she came around the house in the ATV and stopped at the foot of the ramp. From that point, Shane could use his upper-body strength to transfer from the chair to the passenger seat of the ATV.
Lexie gave him an edgy smile. She looked pretty this morning, all in blue, with