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As the truck pulled away and headed to a parking place, Jim gave Tess a friendly grin. “Nice to see you, Miss Champion,” he said. “Did you bring that black bull that gave us so much trouble?”
“Yes, he’s here,” Tess said. “So far he’s done great. No qualifying rides in six outs. But this rodeo, with the big crowd and the world-class riders, will be a whole new challenge. Wish us luck.”
“You got it. We’ll be cheering for him.”
“Thanks.” Tess turned to walk away, then stopped. “Oh, do you know if Brock plans to be here?”
He shrugged. “As far as I know. I haven’t seen him yet, but when he shows up, I’ll tell him you asked. Where can he find you?”
“When I’m not at the arena, I’ll be at the Redrock Inn up the street. Room 116 if he needs to know. But never mind telling him. I’ll probably run into him later.”
Tess walked away, winding through the maze of chutes and pens to find her bulls. She probably shouldn’t have asked the young cowboy about Brock. Gossip among the hired hands was never a good thing.
Her bulls appeared relaxed and contented. Even Quicksand had settled and was calmly chewing his cud. She curbed the impulse to reach between the rails and scratch his ear. Some bulls liked being petted. Quicksand wasn’t one of them.
“You’ll show them what you’re made of tomorrow night, won’t you, big boy?” she murmured. “I know you will. You’ll make us all proud.”
* * *
By the time Tess caught sight of Brock, rodeo fans were pouring into the stands. She spotted him from behind, his broad shoulders and black Stetson just visible above the crowd. She curbed the impulse to catch up with him. If he wanted to find her, he would.
He disappeared in the direction of the press box. A few minutes later, she heard the text chime from her phone and saw his message.
Hilton 1138
The Hilton was the luxury-style hotel near the arena. The number had to be Brock’s room. But what was she supposed to read into the message?
Was it a summons or an invitation? Did he plan to read her the riot act for allowing Poulson’s interview? Was he inviting her to a business conference? Or did he simply want some private time together.
Tess wanted to believe that he was leaving the decision to her. She could come if she chose to, or she could stay away. Her finger hovered over the reply option. Then, with a shake of her head, she put the phone back in her purse. Part of her wanted to run to his arms. But this was no time for rashness. She would make up her mind later.
As usual, bull riding would be the final event of the rodeo. Tess studied the roster posted next to the gate to see which riders had drawn her first two bulls, Avalanche and Loose Caboose. She recognized the riders by name—a Texan and a Brazilian, both of them in the top fifteen. If her bulls performed as well as expected, the scores should be impressive. The riders for tomorrow night’s championship round wouldn’t be drawn until after tonight’s semifinals. It would be tomorrow before she knew who’d be riding Quicksand.
As she turned away from the roster, a familiar figure strode past her, headed somewhere in a hurry. Seeing her, Clay Rafferty gave a brief nod before he disappeared in the direction of the bucking chutes. Tess took a deep breath as tension crept over her. With Rafferty here, it was even more important that her bulls do well, especially Quicksand.
She found Ruben with the bulls, looking fresh after his midday nap. The two bulls set to buck tonight had been herded into a holding pen, where he was giving them a final inspection. He glanced up as Tess joined him. “You look worried. Is everything all right,hija?”
“Fine. I just saw Rafferty, that’s all. Our bulls had better be at the top of their game tonight.”
“Ojalá.”He grinned, using a Spanish expression that invoked hope and luck. “These two bulls, Avalanche and Loose Caboose, they know their jobs. As long as they’re well taken care of, they’ll get out there and put on a show. But that one—” He nodded toward the adjoining pen where Quicksand and the other bull, Rocket Man, awaited their turn tomorrow. “That black rascal—all we can do is pray.”
“So far, he’s been fine.” Tess scanned the bustling pen complex for Brock’s tall figure, but there was no sign of him. What was he thinking? Should she have replied to his text?
But never mind that, she told herself. Brock would be totally involved with his bulls and the business of the rodeo. He probably wasn’t thinking of her at all.
When the time came for Tess’s bulls to buck, everything went fine. The two riders qualified with scores in the high eighties and would be moving on to the finals tomorrow night.
Soon after that, the rodeo ended. As the crowds filed out of the stands, Tess checked her phone again. There was nothing from Brock except the text he’d sent her earlier. She hadn’t seen him since his bulls had finishing bucking. Could he have slipped out of the arena early to wait for her?
It was decision time. But the decision had already been made.
“I have someplace to go,” she told Ruben. “I may be coming back late. We both have keys to the room, so don’t wait up for me.”
“All right. I’ll get some dinner and check on the bulls before I turn in. But be careful. Don’t go wandering around alone.”
It wasn’t Ruben’s place to ask where Tess was going. But he’d known her since she was a little girl, and he often treated her as if nothing had changed. Tess tolerated his concern, knowing that it sprang from a well of goodness in his heart.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” She tossed back the words as she joined a crowd of well-dressed people walking down the street toward the Hilton. The night breeze was mellow, the distance only a few short blocks. Ruben had no cause to worry.
