Beauty and the Bull Rider (7 page)

“Zac! You've got to help him?” Delaney cried tearfully. “Caesar retreated with only a few scratches, but Romeo's all tangled up. Thank God he hasn't panicked yet.” She darted a worried look to the bull. “He's bleeding pretty badly, Zac. What are we going to do?”

Rubbing his chin, Zac appraised the situation. The animal's back legs were bound together with tangled wire, which hampered his mobility, but Zac knew not to underestimate his strength. If he had Bart, they could rope his head and front legs from horseback, and take him down that way, but he didn't have Bart. He squinted at the horizon, looking in vain for a sign of an approaching rider. “That ol' man better get the lead out of his ass. We need him now.”

“Bart?” she asked. “Where is he?”

“He was supposed to be right behind me.”

“What do you need him to do?” she asked.

“Rope the front legs. The way I see it, I'm gonna have to put the bull on the ground and hold him while Bart cuts the wire off.”

Delaney's brows furrowed. “How the hell are you going to do that? Wrestle him down?”

Zac dismounted, lasso in hand. “Kinda looks that way. What's he weigh? 'Bout eight hundred?”

“At least that much!” Delaney exclaimed.

“I was a decent bulldogger back in the day. Biggest steer I ever took down was probably six-fifty, but I was smaller then.” He gave the bull another assessing look. “I should be able to take this guy. Think you could manage the rope?”

“I don't see why not,” she said. “I've handled one a few times. How are we going to do this?”

“I'm going to take him by the horns. If I can get him down, I need you to lasso his front legs and dally on the saddle horn.” He nodded to the gelding. “That horse'll know what to do after that.”

“I think I can handle it.” Delaney accepted the rope with a nervous smile.

“What the hell happened to your hand?” he asked, noting her bloody glove.

“I stuck my thumb with some barbed wire. That's how this all started,” she said.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. It's no big deal, but I'll probably need a tetanus shot.”

“You sure you're all right to do this?” he asked.

“It's only a scratch, Zac. I can handle the rope. Just tell me what to do.”

“You need to stand back and give me plenty of room. He can't do too much with the back legs, but he's probably going to thrash pretty wild with the front ones. Try to get both if you can. If not”—he shrugged—“one'll just haveta do.”

“Are you sure about this, Zac? What about the wire?” she asked with a worried frown. “What if you get tangled up in it too?”

Zac darted her a sidelong look. “I guess that would really suck, wouldn't it?”

“It's not funny, Zac.”

“I ain't laughin',” he replied. “I'll be careful. You just watch yourself. I need you to stay clear until his head and shoulder hit the ground. Once that happens, we've gotta move real fast.”

As instructed, Delaney stayed well back as Zac moved slowly toward the wary bull.

Romeo snorted and pawed in warning as Zac approached his shoulder. “Easy there, ol' son,” he said in a low, soothing voice. “We only wanna help.”

The bull was trembling and smelled of blood, sweat, and manure. Zac held his breath, praying the animal wouldn't hook him before he could take hold of the horns. As long as he stayed behind the shoulder, he was in the safety zone, but once he got in front, anything could happen. He was doubly thankful the animal was only half grown.

“Get ready,” he spoke a quiet warning to Delaney.

The next seconds were a blur of motion and adrenaline as Zac wrapped his arms around the bull's horns, twisting until the animal's slick nose met the crook of his elbow. The bull tossed his head with a snort as Zac threw his hip into the animal's neck. Straining and grunting, he flipped the bull over his leg and onto its side. “Now, Delaney! Quick. Get his legs!”

While Zac lay on top of the struggling animal, she leaped into action, but failed to rope the legs. Letting loose one of the horns, Zac reached out to guide the lasso over a foreleg, but the bull jerked before he could catch it. On the third try, Delaney got them both. She gave a solid yank on the rope to tighten the loop and then turned to the horse, who stood ears pricked in readiness as she dallied the rope to the saddle horn.

“Got the cutters?” Zac called out.

“I got 'em,” a gravelly voice answered.

Zac looked over his shoulder to find Bart dropping from his horse.

“What the hell took you so long?” Zac growled.

“Traffic,” Bart snapped back sarcastically, and then knelt by the bull, wire cutters in hand.

Delaney joined him with another pair. The two went straight to work squeezing and snipping, cutting the wire away by sections. Zac's stomach knotted with apprehension as blood coated the tools and their hands. Ten minutes later, the bull was freed of the barbed wire, but, weakened by blood loss, the animal had stopped struggling. It lay panting with its black tongue lolling. The bleeding by now had slowed, but it was impossible to assess the full extent of his injury.

Delaney looked anxiously to Zac, her brows knitted. “How bad is it?” she asked. “Will we have to put him down?”

“Hard to say,” Zac replied. Where the hell was the vet? “He's lost a lot of blood, but I've seen animals bounce back from a lot worse. Bulls are tough and resilient.”

Zac was wondering if he'd have to use the shotgun when the sound of an engine broke the silence. A pickup appeared on the horizon. It was the vet, towing a stock trailer.

Delany waited, nervously chewing her lip. She rushed to the truck as soon as the engine cut off. “Thanks for coming so quickly, Kevin,” Delaney said.

“I'm sorry it took me as long as it did,” the vet said with an apologetic look. “I was literally up to my shoulder in a cow when your call came. I got here as soon as I could.” He moved quickly to evaluate the bull. “Glad you have him immobilized. That's always half the battle.”

“I never could have done it without Zac,” she said.

The vet nodded, acknowledging Zac with an appraising look.

“We got all the wire off, but he's hurt pretty bad,” Delaney continued, her worry lines deepening. “Please do whatever you have to. I've got a lot invested in that animal, but I don't want him to suffer.”

After examining the animal, Kevin reported a severed artery in the pastern and went to work stitching and bandaging. “The bleeding's stopped. He's weak but I think he'll pull through,” he reassured Delaney a few minutes later. “Whether he'll be well enough for future competition, only time will tell.”

“I hope so,” Delaney said. “He's my best prospect.”

“He still needs some IV fluids,” Kevin said. “We also need to keep him quiet to be sure that artery doesn't open up again. I'd like to take him back to the clinic so I can keep a close eye on him for a night or two if that's all right with you.”

“Keep him however long you have to,” she said.

Delaney stepped back to allow the men to move in. In a few minutes, they had the injured animal loaded onto the trailer. “Take good care of my bull, Kevin,” Delaney said. “I'm serious when I say do whatever he needs.”

“You know I will,” Kevin replied.

Zac watched them intently as he latched the trailer door.

“I'll come by first thing tomorrow to check on him,” she said.

“I'll look forward to it. I've seen far too little of you lately,” Kevin replied with a smile that suggested far more than a strictly professional relationship.

Lately?
Zac's gut twisted. What the fuck was going on between Delaney and the vet?

“Just been real busy,” Delaney answered.

Kevin gave Zac another speculative look.

Zac answered it with a glower that hung over his brow until well after the vet climbed into his truck and drove off.

 

After the vet departed with her bull, Delaney turned back to Zac. His jeans were caked with mud and his shirt was torn and covered with blood. Was it his? The bull's? Or a combination of both? Delaney's chest tightened at the significance of what he'd done for her. Had he lost control, the eight-hundred-pound bull could easily have crushed him, yet he hadn't hesitated to help her. “I don't even know how to begin thanking you for what you did.”

“Just being a good neighbor.” Avoiding her eye, he squatted to retrieve the bloody wire cutters, and tossed them into her cart.

“It was much more than that,” she insisted. “I know I could have lost Romeo today if it wasn't for you.”

“Seems to me Kevin was the hero of the day.”

She shook her head. Was that what was eating him? Why he looked so sullen?

“By the time he got here, you already had Romeo under control. He couldn't have done much of anything if you hadn't. Kevin's a great vet, but there's no way in hell he could have out-muscled that bull. I know who the real hero is, Zac,” she finished softly. “You risked your life for my animal.”

He stood and faced her, the harsh lines around his mouth relaxing. “Didn't do it for the bull, I did it for you. Told you I'd be here if you needed me, and I meant it.”

“I wish I knew how to thank you.”

“I could think of lots of ways,” he replied softly. She could imagine a few ways too, but was quick to quash those thoughts. “How 'bout we just say supper when I get back from Laredo?” he suggested.

She swallowed hard, already fearing where this might lead. One thing for certain, if he kept up this kind of campaign, he was going to lay waste to all her well-made plans. She'd become dangerously attracted to Zac McDaniel. She wondered if she'd be wise to make a polite excuse. She opened her mouth to do just that, but what could she say without appearing ungrateful or rude? She took a breath and replied. “Yes, Zac, I'd like that.”

“Great,” he replied with a terse nod. “Call you when I get back.”

Delaney prayed that if she could keep things light and impersonal, maybe she could get through it unscathed.

D
elaney constantly occupied Zac's thoughts on the eight-hour drive to Laredo. His gut knotted at what easily could have happened to her out there alone with her bulls on a thousand-acre pasture. What if she hadn't called him? Eight years of independence had made her strong and self-reliant, but also willful to a fault. Thankfully, she'd turned to him in her need. Did that mean something? Was he starting to gain her trust?

Although he was reluctant to leave her so soon after that incident, he hoped the time apart might work in his favor. He hated this waiting game after he'd laid it all out on the line, but there was no rushing her decision. He respected that too. She desired a baby and he desired her, so he'd offered his services to give her one. Seemed like a simple enough plan when he'd presented it, but so was riding a bull—until you actually got on one of the sons of bitches.

Nothing was simple or easy about Delaney. She was so damned contrary it made his head spin. And what was up with that vet anyway? He'd never felt insecure about a woman before and sure as hell didn't like the idea of competition. The buzz of his phone jarred him from his thoughts. A glance at caller ID told him it was Ty.

“Hey, pardner!” Zac answered. “Was wonderin' when I'd hear from you.”

“I could say the same,” Ty replied dryly. “You've been in Oklahoma three weeks and I haven't heard shit from you. Had to call just to make sure you hadn't slit your throat from boredom.”

“Boredom? I'm too fucking busy to be bored. I'm running a ranch if you recall.”

“Hell, I figured it would be more of a vacay for you,” Ty said. “You've got a whole crew to do your grunt work.”

“Maybe so,” Zac said. “But that doesn't mean I'm going to sit around with my thumbs up my ass. 'Sides, I actually
like
ranch work.”

“That's where you and me differ,” Ty said. “I'll be happy if I never see another post hole digger or roll of barbed wire.”

“Funny you should mention that,” Zac said. “I had a nasty run-in with some of that just yesterday.”

“Barbed wire?” Ty asked.

“Yeah. One of Delaney's bulls hooked some wire while she was fixing fence. He got all tangled in it and I got a little cut up wrestling him down.”

“No shit? You took down a bull all by yourself?”

“Someone had to do it,” Zac replied. “But I'm not gonna make a fish story outta this. He wasn't full grown. Only about eight hundred pounds.”

“Sorry you got pulled into her mess,” Ty said. “Cows are one thing, but that woman has no business messing with bulls.”

“Can't say I agree with you, Ty. She knows her stuff. You should be proud of her.”

Ty snorted. “Are you for real?”

“Yeah. I'm for real. We need to talk, Ty.”

“'Bout Delaney or her bulls?”

“Both actually.”

“She giving you shit?” Ty asked.

“No. It's nothing like that.”

“Then what's on your mind?”

“I offered to be her baby daddy.” A long silence followed. “You still there, Ty?”

“I'm here,” he answered slowly. “Just shocked speechless. Damn, Zac, when I made that suggestion to you, I was just joking. Why the hell would you—”

“That's what we need to talk about. Are you coming down here or do I need to drive up there?”

“Your timing really sucks, Zac. I was just calling to tell you I'm going away for a while—out of the country to be exact.”

“Out of the country? Are you a fugitive or something?” Zac asked.

“I'm not running away,” Ty said. “It's business.”

“Who's gonna run the hotel?”

“We'll be closing most of it down for demolition,” Ty said. “I'm only leaving the bar open during the construction phase. Hell, it's the only part of the operation that shows any profit anyhow.”

“How did you come by the money to renovate?”

“Monica,” Ty answered. “We're partners in this. She's agreed to stay in Vegas. It was her idea to take a trip to Spain to look at the bullfighting rings.”

“Bullfighting?” Zac said. “If that's what you want to see, you only need to head south a few hundred miles. The biggest bullring in the world is in Mexico City.”

“We may go see it on the way back.”

“What's behind this sudden interest in Spanish bullfighting?”

“It's not the bullfighting, it's the architecture,” Ty replied. “Monica and the architect are exploring some design ideas for the new hotel. I'm just trying to keep an open mind.”

“So when do you leave?” Zac asked.

“Next week.”

“Then I'll drive up to Vegas this weekend. There's some things we need to work out before you go. We need a face-to-face.”

“It's that serious?” Ty said.

“It is.”

“All right, Zac. I had a few things to share with you too, but I guess those can wait. I had another reason for calling,” Ty said. “I've got a lead on a private livestock sale in El Paso.”

“Oh yeah? Whereabouts?”

“Colby Hart's place. Do you know him?” Ty asked

“He's a rodeo contractor in West Texas, isn't he? Didn't you once have a run-in with him over one of his bulls?”

“The one that put me in the ICU? Yeah,” Ty confessed with a laugh. “But that's all water under the bridge now. Tom smoothed it over for me. Colby's had a heart attack and decided to sell out. He's giving us first look at his stock. There's s'posed to be several good bulls in the lot. Think you can drive out there and check it out?”

“I just left Laredo a little over an hour ago with a half-full trailer.” Zac glanced at his GPS. He was still an hour south of San Antonio. He could easily pick up I-10 from there to El Paso. “I guess it would make more sense to head there now than to make a second trip.”

“Great,” Ty replied. “If you see anything that'll buck, buy it.”

“You still haven't told me exactly what you plan to do with all these bulls.”

“It's all part of the master plan,” Ty replied cryptically. “But I'll reveal all that when you get here.”

“Okay,” Zac replied. “I'll call you with an update on everything once I get back to the ranch.” He flipped the phone shut with a disappointed groan.
Damn
. He wasn't looking forward to two more days of driving. The highway to El Paso was also one of the longest and loneliest Zac had ever experienced. Although he'd lived the better part of his adult life on the road, he'd always had traveling buddies. It was the cowboy way to share a ride, a room, and even a can of beanie weenies if someone faced a dry spell between paychecks. He'd long ago tired of eating out of those cans and drive-through burgers, and yearned for the day he'd sit down every night to a home-cooked meal.

Lately, he'd begun to fantasize about eating those meals with Delaney. Was she a good cook? Hell, he didn't even know, but truth be told, he didn't care. He'd live on a diet of hot dogs and Cheerios if he could wake up to her beautiful face every morning. He was really looking forward to that dinner with her, but as it stood, he'd only have a day to spend with her before he'd have to leave again for Vegas. That was
not
the way to win his Delaney campaign. So much for the promise he'd made her to be there. He just hoped to hell she'd understand.

 

It was mid afternoon when Delaney noticed a missed call from Zac. Was he back already? She quickly realized that was impossible even if he'd driven straight through. Why had he called? Rather than wasting time in speculation, she hit redial instead.

“Hello, Zac? It's Delaney. I just saw you called. You aren't back already, are you?”

“Nope.” Zac's deep baritone vibrated warmly in her ear. “I just left Laredo.”

“Was it worth the trip?” she asked.

“It was,” he replied. “Picked up four respectable bulls at a good price. They're older but should still have a few good years left in them.”

“So you're headed back home now?”

“I only wish,” he replied dryly. “That's what I was calling about. I just got a call from Ty asking me to go to El Paso. Seems an old compadre of Tom's has decided to sell his ranch. He offered Ty first pick of all the livestock so I'm heading out there to check it out.”

“What kind of operation is it?” Delaney asked.

“Mainly rodeo stock contracting, but he had his hand in a little bit of everything. He has some longhorns, a bunch of ranch horses, and some bucking stock. He used to have some decent bulls back in the day, so I'm gonna be gone a lot longer than I thought. My little jaunt just turned into an eighteen-hundred-mile trip.”

“Oh, Zac! I'm so sorry!” Delaney said. “That must be hellish to drive all that way alone.”

“I'll survive it. It only makes sense to kill two birds with one stone. It saves me six hundred miles to do it in one trip instead of two, but that's why I called. I'm not gonna make it back for that dinner I promised you tomorrow night. Any chance you'd give me a rain check?”

“You really have to ask?” she said.

“I've learned not to take anything for granted when it comes to Delaney McCall.”

“As well you shouldn't,” she replied with a laugh.

“It's good to hear you laugh,” he said. “I'm hoping to hear a lot more of it.”

She didn't know how to reply to that. “So when do you think you'll be back?” she asked.

“I'll be in El Paso by suppertime tonight. I'll probably spend the better part of the day tomorrow shootin' the shit with those guys before we get down to any business. So I expect I'll get back sometime Thursday afternoon.”

“Then how about Friday?” she suggested.

“What time?” he asked.

“How's six?”

“Sounds good to me. You just gave me something to look forward to.”

“Ditto, cowboy. See you Friday.” Delaney hung up the phone with a lingering smile.

She spent a second restless night, thinking about all that had passed between her and Zac McDaniel. She still didn't understand his doggedness. Was he the type to stick it out, or would he get tired of waiting? That possibility stopped her in her tracks.

She didn't understand how or when it had begun, but something was growing between them. It wasn't just the physical attraction that she'd been fighting all along, but something warm and genuine. Zac didn't judge her life or actions. He just seemed to “get” her when nobody else ever had. She was in real danger of falling hard for Zac McDaniel, but if she were to let go, would he really be there to catch her?

 

True to his word, Zac called two days later. “Are you back already?” she asked.

“Yeah. Got in early this morning,” he replied, sounding exhausted. “Are you still free for that dinner tonight?”

“Don't you at least want some time to rest?” she asked.

“I wish I had that luxury, but I don't,” he said. “I have to drive to Vegas tomorrow to meet with Ty. That's why I drove through the night . . . in hope we could spend some time together.”

His invitation couldn't have come on a busier day, but Delaney wasn't about to refuse. “I'd like that, Zac,” she replied. “Is six still good for you?”

“Works for me,” he answered.

“Then I'll see you later.”

The rest of Delaney's day was a whirlwind of activity, beginning with the ranching co-op and ending with a trip to Duncan to pick up Romeo from the vet clinic. By the time she got home, unloaded her bull, and finished her chores, she had hardly any time to get ready for her date with Zac. Date? She paused. When had it become that? Regardless of what she chose to call it, she applied a touch more makeup than she had the last time and fluffed her hair with a bit of spray. It was more primping then she'd done in ages, but she refused to think too hard about her reasons.

Thankfully, clothes weren't a hard decision. Jeans were all that filled her closet anymore. She pulled on a pair of butt-boosting Wranglers, and a button-up blouse, then slipped into her favorite boots, a comfortable pair of Ropers.

She was just getting ready to leave when her canine choir announced an arrival. A glance out the window revealed Zac's black dually. She met him outside as he pulled into the drive. He hopped out of his truck and gave her a once-over with an appreciative smile.

“My, my, Miz McCall, you put the very sun in the shade.”

“I never knew you were a flatterer, Zac.”

“I'm not,” he said. “I just call it as I see it.”

She cocked her head in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn't change your mind about dinner, did you?”

“No,” she replied. “I was just about to drive over.”

“Then I got here just in time,” he said.

“In time for what?” she asked.

“To pick you up,” he replied.

Secretly flattered, she shook her head in mock exasperation. “I can drive myself, Zac.”

“I know that, but last I knew, it was still proper protocol to pick a woman up when taking her out.”

“Taking me out?” She shook her head in confusion. “I thought it was just a dinner at home.”

His mouth compressed. “Does the idea of a date with me make you that uneasy?”

She blew out a breath. “Yes, it does, all right? I had a
plan
, Zac, and it didn't include
dating
.”