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“I just love watching bull riders,” she said. “You know that makes me horny as hell.”
“I’m sure Keith is thrilled by that,” Shane said, removing her hand from where she’d placed it on his knee.
“Keith is going to be busy for the next hour and a half. Why you and I go see what trouble we can get into my camper?” Abigail said, running a sharp red nail down his arm.
“You know that Keith is looking right at us,” Shane said.
Abigail whipped her head to where the bull riders were waiting their turn to ride, and sure enough, her fiancé was scowling up at them. She simpered and waved at him, but it didn’t change the sour expression on his face.
“Why are you like this?” Shane asked. He honestly wanted to know. “Keith seems to be everything that you want. Why do you want to risk fucking it up by sleeping with me?”
“Don’t act like Keith is the wronged party here,” she said grumpily. “I know what goes on in the bars when I’m not on the circuit with him.”
“So you’re saying you and Keith have an open relationship?” Why was he even having this conversation?
“No, of course not.”
“If you both want to screw around, why not?”
“Then he’s not going to want to marry me.”
“I’ve got news for you, sweetheart, if he’s fucking around on you, he doesn’t want to marry you anyway.”
“You’re an asshole—you know that?” Abigail got up angrily and stormed away.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I’ve heard that before.” And from her.
His other bulls did really good. Ingvar tossed his rider. Torkel was ridden for eight seconds, but he kicked and whirled like a champion. Both he and his rider, Jennings, got a great score. Shane was proud of them.
And then it was time for Sverre and Ronnie. Shane got his phone ready. His father always loved to see Sverre in action. Out of the gate, Ronnie looked strong. He was seated well and had a good grip on the rope. His form was impeccable. He could do it.
Sverre was a maniac. He kicked and whirled. Bucking hard, Sverre tossed Ronnie who flipped over the bull’s head. Sverre nailed him with his horns on the way down. Shane winced at the hard shot Ronnie took in the back. Landing on his hands and knees, Ronnie was in a bad position. Sverre jumped and landed on him. What the hell? Sverre was unreasonably pissed off. Ronnie crumpled, his neck at a terrible angle. Shane shot to his feet, his phone falling to the ground.
Taylor and Barney rushed in. Sverre stomped on Ronnie again and kicked out at Taylor, nailing him in the chest. Taylor was flung back and landed on his ass. Scrambling up, he went back in. His chest protector mitigated most of the blow, but he would still be black and blue later. Sverre shook his head and lunged at Barney with his horns. Barney held on while Taylor covered Ronnie’s body to protect him as the paramedics waited for it to be clear to come in. Ronnie wasn’t moving.
“Shit,” Shane muttered. He hoped Ronnie was all right.
The pickup rider got a rope around Sverre and between him, Barney, and another bullfighter, they muscled the ornery son of a bitch back through the chute. The paramedics rushed in. Shane had a bad feeling in his stomach.
By the time Shane pushed his way through the hysterical crowd to the backstage area, they had loaded Ronnie and his wife Vanessa into the back of the ambulance. As the ambulance sped away, Shane caught Barney’s eye. Barney shook his head in a slow, mournful no. Shane’s stomach dropped. Fuck.
“That bull of yours is a menace,” Keith Kilgore said grabbing Shane by the shirt.
Shane knocked his hand away and shoved him back. “Back off,” he said.
Keith went at him again, but Nash was suddenly there. He held Keith in a half nelson and pretty much perp-walked him out of the area.
“You should see to your bull,” Barney said under his breath and patted him on the shoulder.
The raucous cheers and pulsating music that filled the air felt distant and muffled to Shane. It wasn’t strange that the rodeo went on with their events like nothing had happened. And yet, as he wandered around the barn and animal pens waiting for news about Ronnie, it all felt disrespectful.
When Barney found him a few minutes later, Shane was sitting on the ground by the pen that Sverre was in. Barney’s face was solemn and Shane’s heart sank, a wave of foreboding washing over him. He had harbored a hope that Ronnie would be okay, but the look on Barney’s face confirmed what they both had known when the ambulance had pulled away.
“He’s gone,” Barney said the words. “Dead on arrival.”
A heaviness settled in Shane’s chest, and he fought to steady himself. “Damn it. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Shane put his head in his hands. No one ever wanted to hear news like that.
“As you can imagine, the boys are devastated. They might come here looking for revenge.” Barney eyed Sverre warily.
