Lynette Eason - Rodeo Rescuer

She gave the driver the address for the rodeo grounds. Seth leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Tonya started to reach for his hand and stopped. She couldn’t let herself care for him any more. She couldn’t develop any feelings for him. Or depend on him. Not just because she was leaving, but because he could break her heart.

But she silently admitted she’d always liked Seth, thought he was one of the cowboys who just had a special quality about him. She’d heard the rumors, of course, about his girlfriend leaving him after he broke his leg. That he’d been devastated but more determined than ever to make a comeback.

And he had. He held the fifteenth spot and she had no doubt he would continue to move up the list as he kept winning rodeos. He would be riding the NFR and she wouldn’t be around to see it. The thought made her inexplicably sad.

Exhaustion swamped her, but she still had a long night ahead of her. She glanced at her phone. Mia had called four times. She called her friend back.

“Are you okay?” Mia demanded. “Where are you?”

“I’m fine. I went to the hospital with Seth.”

“That was some crazy move you did over that fence.”

A small smile curled her lips. She felt relieved she had a reason to actually smile about something. “I suppose I should thank my parents for all of the gymnastics classes in my youth.”

“Is there anything you need?” Mia’s voice had lost its edge, softening now that her worry was eased. She could picture her best friend’s forehead creased with worry. Mia’s tall, lanky build disguised her ability to move with speed when faced with an angry bull. Her friend’s agility in the arena was amazing and she had fans who came from all over to watch her perform.

“No, I’m on the way back with Seth. The bull bruised Seth’s leg, but we’re grateful it wasn’t broken again.” She paused. “Mia?”

“Yeah?”

“You know that man I told you about? Hank Newman?”

“Hank Newman? No... Wait. The guy who tried to kill you in college? The one you said stalked you?”

“Yes.”

“What about him?”

“He was there today. At the rodeo.”

“ What? Are you sure?” Mia’s skepticism came through loud and clear.

“I’m sure.”

“But...why?”

“I think we know why.”

“Did you call the police?”

Tonya sighed. “No. Not yet. I haven’t had the chance. But, I mean, what’s the point in calling them, anyway? If past experience is anything to go by, it’s not like they can do anything. All he’s done is come to a rodeo. That’s not against the law.”

“Surely the fact that he tried to kill you before would hold some weight in what they could do, wouldn’t it?”

Tonya thought about that. She was still so shaken that Hank had found her, she wasn’t thinking straight. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll have to find out.”

“I think you really should. Be careful, Tonya. You never know what he might do.” She paused. “Actually, you do know what he might do. Best to avoid that.”

She hung up with her friend and closed her eyes.

“You okay?” Seth asked.

“I’m scared,” she admitted without opening her eyes. “I can do high-wire acts, let someone springboard me out of a cannon and face down ornery bulls, but the thought of coming face-to-face with Hank Newman paralyzes me with a fear I don’t know what to do with.”

She felt his hand close around hers with a gentleness that disguised his strength. The instant comfort she felt surprised her—warmed her. “We’ll go to the police if you see him again.”

“At first I didn’t think going to the police would even matter. But Mia pointed out the fact that he has been jailed for trying to kill me, so maybe...”

“We’ll get a restraining order.”

She sighed. “Like I already told you, I’ve done that before. And I’ll do it again, of course, but he doesn’t care. It didn’t stop him from tracking me down at work the day he got out of prison, and I’m afraid it won’t stop him now.”

“My brother is a sheriff’s deputy in Wrangler’s Corner. I’ll ask his advice.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She’d let him do that but didn’t hold out much hope that it would help. After all, she’d already been down that road once before. She knew it led only to a dead end.

* * *

Seth’s leg burned with an ache that kept him tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position on the mattress. He finally threw the sheets off and sat up. 1:40 a.m. He sighed and debated about taking a pain pill. He hadn’t bothered filling the prescription the doctor had given him earlier, but he had a few left from his first fall.

If he was honest, it wasn’t really his leg that was bothering him as much as it was what he’d learned tonight about Tonya Waters. Someone had tried to kill her—and apparently that someone was back. He shook his head. There were some crazy people out there.

During the cab ride back to the rodeo grounds, he’d gathered his strength and called Jake, whose trailer was right next to Seth’s. After Seth explained the situation, his buddy had agreed to swap sites with Tonya.

“That’s way too much trouble,” Tonya had protested.

“What if I need something during the night? What if something happens and I need you to come help me out?”

She’d narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying it and knowing as well as he did that Jake would be there for him if he needed it. But she’d sighed and shrugged. “Okay, you win.”

“It’s not about winning, Tonya—it’s about making sure you’re safe. And besides, security is close by, as well as some of the other bull riders. If anything happens, you’ll have help.”

She’d bitten her lip and nodded. Then fought the tears he’d seen gathering in her pretty blue eyes. “All right. I’m not going to be stupid. Thank you.”

The process had taken a grand total of thirty minutes. One thing about living on the road: buckaroos and bullfighters had the art of moving down to a science.

Now Tonya was tucked in her motor home next to his.

And he still couldn’t sleep.

He walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of water. Standing at the window, he studied Tonya’s motor home. She had one she drove—a Class C. Seth looked around his fifth wheel. Space-wise, his was larger, roomier than Tonya’s, but he had to haul his behind his truck. But he didn’t mind. When he wasn’t on the circuit, he was home in Wrangler’s Corner, his fifth wheel parked in a space on the property where he could hook up and have his own privacy. One day he’d build a house there.

A house for his wife, his family.

He couldn’t help glancing at Tonya’s motor home one more time. The light was still on, the brightness peeking around the edges of her pulled curtains.

He’d heard the rumors, of course. That after Daniel’s death, she’d closed herself off from any romantic entanglements with those in the business. He sighed. He understood it. He felt the same way. After Glory’s betrayal, he’d vowed that he’d make sure a woman loved him for himself, not his name or the money in his savings account. He grimaced and massaged the muscles above the bruise on his sore leg. Why was he even pondering these things? He was being silly.

No. He was lonely. He wanted a wife, a marriage. One like his parents’. They’d been married thirty-seven years. They’d had good times and bad, but they’d stuck it out and stayed together. Which was exactly what he was looking for.

Too bad the women he seemed to be attracted to didn’t feel the same way. Except maybe Tonya.

“Enough.” He swallowed the last of the water in his glass and headed back to bed. If he was going to ride tomorrow, he needed to sleep.