“One of the Mexicans, a cocky vaquero named Alejandro Aguilar, accepted the wager. Two weeks later, Will and Tom hauled Bill Cody down to Juarez, to face Mexico’s finest fighting bull. Word of the challenge had spread like wildfire on both sides of the border. Will and Tom were overwhelmed to find a crowd of thousands gathered as they backed their rig up to the arena and released the buffalo from the semi trailer they’d hauled him in. You can imagine the looks on their faces when ol’ Bill Cody lumbered out of the trailer. Most of ’em had never even laid eyes on an American bison before. When Will had made the challenge, he’d only said he had a bull that could take on any Mexican bull. The Mexicans had naturally assumed he was talking about a bull of the bovine variety, but male bison are bulls too, so there was no backing out.
“As a performing animal, ol’ Bill was oblivious to the thousands of spectators. He ambled around the bullring like he was taking a Sunday stroll. Worn out from his long trip, the shaggy bison reached the center of the ring, and flopped himself down to take a nap. The arena exploded with laughter at the very notion that this awkward, lazy creature could challenge their agile, athletic beast of destruction.
“Minutes later, the Mexican bull was released into the arena. The crowd surged to their feet with cheers and whistles. Agitated by the darts his handlers had embedded into his flesh, the belligerent bull lowered his head and charged across the arena like a juggernaut from hell.
“Awaking just in time from his snooze, Bill Cody pulled himself to his feet to meet the bull’s charge head-on. A dust cloud arose several feet high at the impact of the fifteen-hundred-pound freight train blasting into the three-thousand-pound bovid mountain. When the dust cleared, the stunned Mexican bull lay on his knees. Breathless seconds passed before the animal shook away the cobwebs and took once more to his feet.
“The crowd cheered as their champion positioned himself for another attack, this time to the bison’s more vulnerable flank, but the joke was on the Mexicans. None of them knew what Will Morgan knew—that, unlike bulls who pivot on their hind end, buffalos can spin on their forehand. So as the bull prepared for another go, intent on skewering his opponent with his horns, the bison spun his front end, once more absorbing the bull’s full charge with his massive skull plate. But this time, the buffalo put some thrust behind it, launching the bull like a missile.
“Once recovered from the counterattack, the bull was so terrorized that he tried to climb out of the ring. The enraged Mexicans demanded a rematch. Moments later, a new contender roared out of the chutes to the same outcome as before. No matter what tactic he employed, the bison met him head-on. This scenario played out twice more with fresh bulls—to the same end. By the end of the day, not one, but four of the most celebrated fighting bulls had been vanquished by the bison, who then lay back down to resume his nap. Will offered quadruple his original wager but had no takers. The next day, with over ten grand in pesos lining his pockets, Will Morgan loaded Bill back on the trailer and headed back to Oklahoma.”
“Is this really true?” Delaney asked skeptically.
“Cross my heart,” Zac said with a grin. “Will retired him to pasture after that. In fact, he’s even buried out on your ranch.”
“Oh my God!” Delaney declared, hand to mouth. “I’ve seen his gravestone before! I always thought it belonged to one of Ty’s dead relatives.”
“I never saw the animal,” Zac said. “But I did see newspaper clippings from back when they traveled the rodeo circuit. Ty kept a whole scrapbook of those when he was younger.”
“I know you and Ty have been friends for a long time, but how did you first meet?” Delaney asked.
“Would it surprise you to know we were fierce rivals before we ever became friends?” Zac asked.
“Really?”
“Yup. It all dates back to high school, where we first met on the football field. We later competed against each other in the rodeo arena when we both rode bulls. Ty went on to college after graduation and I joined the pro bull-riding tour. After a couple of years, he showed up again on the circuit. We were still rivals, but both being short on cash, we started traveling together. We’ve been tight ever since, or were until . . .” His voice dropped off.
“Until I came along?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Things were rough for a while, but we’re okay now.”
“I’m glad,” Delaney said. “I hate that I came between you.”
Zac shrugged. “I could say the same. But it’s all water under the bridge, right?” He glanced her way.
“I don’t resent him anymore,” Delaney confessed. “I did for the longest time, but now I just feel sorry for him.”
Zac eyed her curiously. “Why?”
“Because he puts on a good act, but he has to be lonely.”
Zac’s brows drew together. “I think that’s changed now.”
“So you think he’s really serious about Monica?” she asked.
“Appears to be.” Zac slanted her a sidelong glance. “Does that bother you?”
“No. Surprisingly, it doesn’t,” she answered. “I hope they’ll make each other happy.”
Zac’s chest tightened at her answer. It did a lot to resolve his apprehensions about her feelings for Ty. “Hungry?” he asked after an extended period of silence.
“Starving,” she confessed.
He was glad, having skipped breakfast in favor of putting some miles behind them. “We’re coming up on Amarillo soon. Wanna stop for breakfast?”
“Sure. Do you have anyplace in mind?”
“Ever been there?” He pointed to a huge yellow billboard advertising THE BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH.
“Isn’t that the place with the seventy-two-ounce steak challenge?”
“Sure is, but they also serve breakfast. It’s one of the biggest tourist traps in Texas with food that’s overpriced and mediocre at best, but it’s still worth stopping if you’re passing through Amarillo.”
“Ever taken the challenge?” Delaney asked.
“I’m always up for a challenge. A real man never backs down from one.”
“So you did it?” she asked. “You actually ate four and a half pounds of steak in one sitting?”
He looked abashed. “I tried six times and failed. It was one of those macho cowboy things.”
“You’re kidding!” Delaney laughed. “I was watching the Food Network and saw a one- hundred-twenty-pound woman from Nebraska eat two of them.”
“That’s damned humiliating to the whole male gender,” Zac replied with a doleful head shake. “We’re passing by the Cadillac ranch real soon. I can stop if you want any pictures. It’s quite a sight to see all those old cars half buried in the ground out in the middle of nowhere.”
A few miles later, Zac pulled off the highway to let Delaney snap some pictures of the graffiti-covered cars with her iPhone. Having driven these roads most of his life, he’d taken the sights for granted until he saw everything through Delaney’s eyes. She seemed to enjoy it all with a childlike delight. “You haven’t taken many road trips, have you?” he asked.
“No. I haven’t,” she confessed. “My family travelled a lot when I was growing up, but not like this. We went to top-notch resorts and avoided all of the hokey tourist traps. It’s kinda fun though, isn’t it?”
“Hokey?” Zac repeated in mock affront. “Guess I’ll have to strike the Clown Motel from the itinerary.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope,” he replied with a laugh. “It’s in Tonopah, Nevada, coupla hours north of Vegas. If you don’t believe me, you can look it up on your phone once we have signal again.”
“I hate clowns, Zac.” She shuddered. “I’ve always been creeped out by them.”
“Then I guess I’d best scratch that reservation at Circus Circus,” he replied with a teasing look.
A few miles later, they pulled into the parking lot of a garish yellow diner flanked with a giant cowboy boot and longhorn cow. “Ty and I stopped
here a lot when we were traveling the circuit. In addition to the motel, they have a pool shaped like the state of Texas and a separate hotel just for horses.”
The breakfast was an overpriced buffet the size of Texas. After refueling on huevos rancheros with a generous side of bacon, a mountain of pancakes, and biscuits with sausage gravy, they were ready to hit the road again.
“How much farther is it to Albuquerque?” she asked.
“’Bout four hours,” he replied. “Give or take. I was thinking to break the trip there as it’s about the midway point to Vegas. We can stay in town if you like, but I’ve got a buddy whose family runs a guest ranch maybe twenty miles east of the city. It’s situated along a stretch of the Rio Grande at the base of the Sandia Mountains. I usually bunk there whenever I’m traveling. The cabins are rustic, but they have everything you need and the sunsets are gorgeous.”
Not to mention they offered the privacy he craved. He’d made a call the night before in the hope she’d agree to stay there. The last thing he wanted after waiting so long to be with Delaney was to spend their first night together in some cheap roadside motel. The cabins were ideal—quiet and, best of all, very private.
“That sounds great, Zac. I think I’d like that.” She rested her hand on his thigh. It was an intimate and mildly possessive gesture he hadn’t expected. Was it a nervous reaction, or was she purposely ramping his anticipation? He was already running in overdrive.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened at the clinic yesterday,” she said. Her hand tightened on his thigh. His muscles contracted reflexively. He tried not to think about how that hand had felt wrapped around his dick. A glance at her face had him wondering if she was thinking about that too. Their eyes met, but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she inched it higher. Any lingering doubts about her intent flew out the window.
“It’s only Thursday,” he said slowly.
“I know that,” she replied. “I read this really interesting article yesterday while we were at the clinic. It said sperm quality improves when a man ejaculates frequently. They claimed it improves motility.” She slid her hand still higher, perilously close to his balls.
His hand clamped over hers. “Is that so?” he countered evenly, all while losing his fight with a burgeoning erection. “Well, I read somewhere that multiple orgasms relax the cervix and help women conceive.”
“Is that so?” She cocked a brow. “Then I think we should do whatever it takes to improve our chances.”
He eyed her narrowly. “Didn’t your mama teach you that it’s dangerous to play with fire?”
“What if I’m looking to start one? You complained only this morning that I’m not spontaneous enough.”
“I don’t mind spontaneous,” he said. “Matter of fact, I love it, but there’s a time and place for everything and driving down the highway at eighty-plus miles an hour isn’t the time for a hand job.”
“I just thought you might appreciate some relief after yesterday.”
“Damn it, Delaney! A man can only take so much.”
“How much, Zac?” she asked. Her eyes flickered as he slid their still joined hands back down his leg to rest just above his knee. “Move your hand again,” he warned, “and we won’t make it to Albuquerque.” He didn’t know what had gotten into her, but he had a helluva time concentrating on the road after that.
Zac and Delaney arrived at the Lazy Q several hours later. It was too early to retire to bed, though that was about all Delaney could think about for most of the drive. The easy camaraderie they’d enjoyed earlier in the day had been replaced with nerve-stretching tension. By the time they pulled into the ranch, she feared she’d snap.
Zac’s buddy Chase Quinn was there to greet them with a broad, toothy grin as they pulled up to the main house. “Zac McDaniel! It’s been too damned long.” He clapped Zac on the shoulder the minute he climbed down from the cab. “Missed you at the invitational last week. Where ya been hiding?”
“I’ve retired from bull riding,” Zac replied. “I took a job at Tom Brandt’s place over near Frederick, Oklahoma.”
Chase removed his hat at the mention of Tom. “I was damned sorry to hear about his passing. Tom was a good man. Bet Ty took it real hard, huh?”
“Yeah. Tom was like a father to him,” Zac said. “The ranch is Ty’s now. Speaking of which, have you ever met Delaney McCall? She’s half owner of Ty’s spread.”
Delaney stepped forward and offered her hand, glad that Zac hadn’t elaborated on the specifics of her relationship to Ty. Chase accepted it in his larger, calloused one. “Miz McCall. Don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure.”
“Just Delaney,” she said. “Nice to meet you, Chase.”
“I know y’all have had a long drive. Why don’t you get yourselves settled and then c’mon up to the house to meet the folks. You’re in the Alamo cabin,” he told Zac. “You know where that is, right?”
“Sure do.” Zac nodded.
“I’m s’posed to take some folks out for a sunset ride in an hour,” Chase said. “You’re welcome to join us if you’re up for it.”
Zac looked to Delaney. “Your choice.”
“I’d love to,” she replied.
“Great.” Chase tipped his hat. “See y’all in about an hour.”
Zac threw their bags over his shoulder and led Delaney down a meandering path past several quaint split log cabins that surrounded the main house, finally stopping at the most isolated of the cluster. Zac opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. The cabin was a single room with a loft, sparsely but tastefully furnished with a fireplace, kitchenette, and a queen bed.
“This one is considered the honeymoon suite ’cause it has a private bath,” Zac said, nodding to a door on the far side of the room. “Most of the others share a communal bath house. Thought you might like a little time to yourself to freshen up.” He dropped her bag by the bed.
“What about you?” she asked, confused by his abrupt change in demeanor. Only hours ago he’d laughed and teased. Now his manner seemed suddenly so curt and his words almost terse.
“I’ll catch a quick shower in the bath house,” he replied. “After that, I’ve got a few calls to make. Signal’s a little iffy out here so I’ll need to use the landline at the main house. I’ll be back to get you in half an hour or so.”
Delaney stared after Zac. She’d anticipated this moment for a seemingly endless drive only to be left all alone? Had her forwardness in the truck turned him off? Is that why he’d rebuffed her? Was he one of those control freaks who needed to dominate a woman to get off? It sure hadn’t seemed that way yesterday when she’d given him head at the clinic. He’d even said it was incredible. Her throat thickened. What the hell had gone so terribly wrong?
He wouldn’t have a shred of control knowing she was naked in the shower, so Zac chose to leave Delaney in privacy. He hadn’t lied about the calls. He needed to touch base with Ty and let him know he was running a day behind. He also had to call his brother. He’d asked Kade to make some arrangements for him. He still didn’t know if things were going to turn out as he’d hoped, but he wasn’t about to lose the opportunity simply because he hadn’t thought ahead. After grabbing a quick shower, he circled around to the stables, where he’d hoped to find Chase. As expected, his buddy was saddling horses for the trail ride.
“Need a hand?” Zac asked, nodding to the horses.
Chase looked up as he tightened a girth. “Nope, got it all covered. Where’s Delaney?”
“Back at the cabin. I thought she’d want some privacy.”
“I’m guessing that little lady had something to do with your sudden retirement?”
“Mebbe,” Zac confessed with a shrug.
“Why else would you take a ranch job when you’ve got your own place?”
“Had,” Zac corrected. “I’m selling it. I’m going into business with Ty.”
“How’s Ty doing anyway?” Chase asked. “I heard a rumor that the
Hotel Rodeo’s shutting down. Is he bankrupt?”
“Far from it. You listen to too much gossip. The fact is he’s shutting down only to rebuild.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Nope, it’s a fifty-million-dollar overhaul. He’s planning to get back into stock contracting too, although I don’t know all the particulars. That’s part of why I’m headed to Vegas.”
“Only part? What’s the other reason?”
“A wedding,” Zac said.
“Oh yeah?” Chase asked. “Who’s gettin’ hitched? Anyone I know?”
“Yeah,” Zac said. “Me.”
Chased looked like he’d swallowed his tongue. “You and Ty’s ex? What does he say about you taking up with his ol’ lady?”
“So you know about that? I wondered.”
Chase laughed. “Everyone knew about Ty and his beauty-queen bride. Have to wonder now that I’ve seen her why he ever left.”
“Ty was too fucked up to know what he was doing,” Zac said.
“You didn’t answer my question. How’s he gonna take it when he finds out?”
“He already knows. Matter of fact, he encouraged it.” It was a half-truth, but it was past time to shut this subject down. Ty would know all soon enough. Zac even hoped he’d stand up with them—that is if Zac could ever get up the nerve to ask Delaney.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Rather than waiting for Zac to return, Delaney made her own way to the main house, where Chase introduced her to his large and boisterous family. Zac appeared shortly after, but remained unusually aloof and conspicuously quiet as Chase led them out to a string of saddled trail horses waiting for the paying guests.
They set out at a leisurely pace, with Delaney intentionally hanging back to study the two cowboys as they rode. Both sat confidently in the saddle, but Chase was smaller, lean and wiry compared to the brawny Zac McDaniel. The contrast didn’t end there. Always joking and nearly bursting with kinetic energy, Chase was almost a foil to the calmer and quieter Zac. She wondered how they’d become such good friends. Then again, the cowboy world was a universe unto itself, with a culture and creed shared by all.
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