Whirlwind - Janet Dailey Page 0,31
bad, so that her family might be more inclined to sell him? Or worse, what if Tolman was out to punish the Champions by hurting the bull in some way? How could she trust Tolman’s fair-haired boy with her precious bull?
“Don’t worry, Lexie.” Shane spoke to her fear. “I have too much respect for you, your bull, and myself, to pull any dirty tricks. It’ll just be me and Whirlwind out there, both of us doing our damnedest for eight seconds.”
Lexie forced a smile she didn’t feel. “Then I’ll just have to trust you. But I’ll be cheering for Whirlwind to dump you in the dirt.”
“Understood.” Shane grinned. “Meanwhile, I’ll make good on my promise to show you around the place. Come on.”
His hand rested lightly on the small of her back as he guided her past the bucking chutes and down a long hallway going off to one side, under the arena seats. Conscious of the warm contact, she walked beside him, past offices, storage and locker rooms, to the well-equipped medical room at the end where doctors and therapists worked with injured riders. Even at this hour, there were people here—cowboys on exercise machines, medical staff stocking supplies, and others working late to ready the place for tomorrow. Everyone seemed to know Shane. They greeted him as a friend and wished Lexie good luck with her bull when he introduced her.
Along the hallway, the walls were hung with framed photos of great riders and bulls. Lexie pointed one out. “There’s Oscar. He was Whirlwind’s great-, great-, however many greats, grandfather.”
“I know. I did my homework. Most of these pictures you’ll recognize, I’m sure.”
“Yes, I do my homework, too.” Lexie had devoured magazines, videos, and Web sites devoted to the sport of bull riding and breeding. Most of the great bulls in the pictures—Pearl Harbor, Asteroid, Little Yellow Jacket, Blueberry Wine, Red Rock, and others—were gone now. But their descendants were bucking today, all over the country. The science of bull genetics—the breeding of select cows and bulls to produce superb bucking animals—had come to rule the sport. It was all about bloodlines.
“I’ve always thought Whirlwind was extraordinary,” Lexie said. “But when I look at those bulls out there in the pens, they’re all extraordinary. They’re all amazing.”
“That’s true,” Shane said. “There are no average bulls in the PBR. And with selective breeding, they’re getting bigger, smarter, and more athletic. But now and again you get a bull with that extra spark of greatness—like Sweet Pro’s Bruiser, or Smooth Operator, or Cochise. Whether Whirlwind is one of those bulls remains to be seen. Brock believes he is.”
“So what does Brock plan to do about that, now that I’ve told him we won’t sell?”
“Brock tends to keep his plans to himself,” Shane said. “But when he goes after something, he usually gets it. You might keep that in mind.”
Lexie went rigid. She took a step away from him. Until now, she’d been warming toward the handsome bull rider. But his words about Brock Tolman brought reality crashing in on her. Shane Tully was one of the enemy. She couldn’t let herself forget that.
She had set out with him to learn more about Brock’s plans. But what he’d told her didn’t help. It only made her want to get away.
“Thank you for the tour, but I’ve seen enough,” she said. “It’s time I got cleaned up and rested for tomorrow. I’ll be fine walking back to my truck. No need for an escort.”
“I need to go back anyway.” Shane fell into step beside her. “My invitation to spend the night still stands. And I promise not to lay an ungentlemanly hand on you.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine in the motel,” Lexie said. “After talking to that nice woman, I can’t believe the place is as bad as you say it is. I just need to get my duffel out of the truck.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Lexie. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “The motel is only a couple of blocks from here. I have the address. It’s an easy walk.”
“I can’t let you do this,” he said.
“It’s not your choice. Stop fussing like an old mother hen. I’m a big girl. I’ll be all right. And if I’m not, Aaron will be right next door.”
“Passed out, more than likely,” Shane muttered. “Are you really set on doing this?”
“I am,” she said.
“Fine.” He turned to stand in her path. “But you can’t stop me from going with