Whirlwind - Janet Dailey Page 0,99
his battles alone. If she loved him, she would stay back and let him.
Steeling her resolve, she turned away and walked down the hall to her own bedroom.
* * *
Tess had managed to get a few hours of sleep in her truck. After cleaning up in a park restroom, she’d gulped down some coffee and hurried to the arena, only to learn that the program had been reordered. Whirlwind, who’d been scheduled among the early buckers, was to be the last bull out of the chutes. Riding him would be former world champion Clay Jeffords, currently number one in points on the PBR circuit.
Tess stared at the posted schedule, scarcely daring to believe her eyes. If Whirlwind bucked off the current world leader or gave him a high-point ride, the exposure would be phenomenal. On the downside, she’d planned to leave early and drive home overnight. Now, given the late finish and the need to allow rest time for the bull, she wouldn’t be leaving Gallup till dawn.
After checking on Whirlwind in the pens, she found her seat and settled in to watch the competition. Following Jack’s death, she’d dreaded seeing another bull riding event. But, for the most part, she was able to block the nightmare memory and enjoy the sport. Only once, when a downed rider was solidly rammed by a bull’s head, did she stifle a scream. But as the bullfighters closed in, and the young cowboy scrambled to his feet, she began to breathe again. She was going to be all right.
She’d looked for Casey among the bullfighters and was relieved not to see him. If he’d been here, and if he’d asked about Val, Tess would’ve been forced to lie. She didn’t know what her sister might be hiding. That was Val’s business. But if she didn’t want her old love to know she’d come home, Tess would respect her wishes.
A stray breeze cooled Tess’s face. The arena was an outdoor facility, modern and beautifully set against a massive outcrop of red rock. With the moon and stars overhead and the night lights glowing, the effect was almost magical—except for the stress of thinking ahead, to the moment when Whirlwind would explode out of the chute with a world-champion cowboy on his back.
She would go down to the pens after intermission to make sure her bull was ready and to attach the flank strap when he entered the chute complex. For now, there was nothing to do but wait.
“Is this seat taken?” The deep voice made her nerves quiver like taut bowstrings. This was no coincidence. If Brock Tolman was here, it was because he’d planned to be.
“Suit yourself.” Tess kept her gaze fixed on the arena.
“You must be looking forward to seeing Clay Jeffords ride your bull.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing Clay Jeffords get dumped on his butt in the dirt.”
Tolman’s laughter boomed from deep in his chest. “Let’s hope you’re right,” he said. “But either way, I want you to know I had a hand in it. Jeffords was looking for a challenging bull who could rack up the points. I suggested Whirlwind, so he made the request.”
“I suppose I should thank you,” Tess said coldly. “But Whirlwind still isn’t for sale.”
“I’m not here to talk about Whirlwind,” he said. “I’m here to talk about Shane.”
“For what it’s worth, Shane isn’t for sale, either. You think that just because you’ve got money, you can buy anything—or anyone—you want. But you’re wrong.”
A beat of silence passed before he answered. “You don’t understand, Miss Champion. Shane was a sixteen-year-old runaway when I took him in. I care about him. And now that he’s injured, no one is in a better position to help him than I am.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want your help. Maybe he wants to help himself.”
“But I can get him what he really needs—the best doctors and trainers, the best equipment—”
Tess rose from her seat. “I’m not the one making his decisions, Mr. Tolman. All I did was offer him a job and a place to live. I’m not kicking him out on your say-so. Where Shane goes is entirely up to him. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going down to look after my bull.”
“Go ahead.” His voice rose slightly as she moved toward the stairs. “But think about this. I want what’s best for Shane. Can your sister say the same? Or is she too starry-eyed to care?”
Tess pretended not to hear him as she made her way down to the