Shaun cheered as loudly as anyone in the crowd as she raced to the third barrel. “You’ve got this, Bitsy,” he shouted as she circled the barrel. “Run, baby, run!”
Rocket stretched out his stride and raced across the arena. He’d almost reached the electronic eye that timed the ride when his feet went out from under him. The horse went into a deep slide. Brylee ended up under him in the mud.
The crowd gasped and Shaun took off running across the grass, slipping twice and almost falling. He was only halfway across the arena when Rocket got to his feet. A nearby group of cowboys stepped in to help. One caught Rocket’s reins, even though the horse fought against him. Two others helped Brylee to her feet while a third retrieved her hat out of the mud.
Shaun didn’t even realize he was still holding the rake until he reached her. He tossed it to one of the boys who’d been standing around and the teen took off running back in the direction Shaun had come.
“Brylee, are you okay? Anything broken?” he asked, placing an arm around her back for support when she seemed to have trouble standing on her own.
“I think she got the wind knocked out of her,” a cowboy named Chet said, moving back as Shaun looked at Brylee.
“Do you need the medic team, Bitsy?”
She shook her head, but didn’t seem in a hurry to move.
“Give Brylee Barton a hand, folks,” the announcer boomed. “That little gal has had quite a season. Regardless of her score today, you’ll see her competing in Las Vegas at the finals. Are you okay, darlin’?”
Brylee raised a mud-coated hand and waved to the crowd.
“Can you walk?” Shaun asked as she took a halting step.
She didn’t answer, but took another step that made her wince.
Shaun started to pick her up, but she shook her head. “I have to walk out of here on my own, Shaun. Just give me your arm to lean on.” Brylee took his forearm in a death grip and he inwardly cringed with each painful step she took.
The crowd cheered her on with the help of the announcer.
Once they disappeared out of sight beneath the bleachers, Shaun swept her into his arms and headed straight for the sports medicine trailer.
Brylee leaned her head against Shaun’s shoulder, too weary and disappointed to fight against him. Truthfully, she was grateful he’d run to her side then picked her up when she didn’t think her legs would continue to hold her. Her ankle felt as though someone had put it in a vise and cranked the pressure one too many turns.
She wanted to scream at the injustice of making it through the barrels with what surely would have been a first-place time only to have Rocket go down at the last possible second. The poor boy was probably scared and in need of attention, and here she was getting carted off to the medic trailer.
Why, of all days, did it have to rain today? The weather the past week had been warm and gorgeous. Rain wasn’t even in the forecast. If it had been, she probably would have spent several days freaking out instead of the forty-minutes she had between the time it started raining and when the barrel racing began.
Disappointment rolled over her in violent waves that made her feel nauseous, or maybe that was from the pain radiating from her ankle up her leg. If she’d damaged her recently healed break, she knew she’d be out of competing for a long while. As in no-trip-to-the-finals recuperation time. Months spent out of the game meant no winnings from finals to pay off the ranch debt.
Fear threatened to choke her as Shaun carried her to the trailer. Mud dripped off her, much like it had the last time she and Rocket had taken a fall in the rain, but she wouldn’t be the only one tracking a mess into the medic trailer.
Shaun set her down inside. The doctor took one look at his anxious face and shook his head. “Go find something to do while I see what’s injured.”
Brylee grabbed Shaun’s hand. “Please, go check on Rocket. I’m worried about him.”
Shaun squeezed her hand, then rushed out the door.
“You ought to be more worried about you, young lady,” the doctor said, helping her back to a private area to do the exam with the help of a volunteer nurse. When he finished, the doctor gave her a smile. “Your leg is fine, but you’ve got a dandy sprain on that ankle, Brylee.”
“But nothing is broken, right?”
“No breaks, that’s the good news. The bad news is, you need to baby that sprain. Stay off that foot for at least two weeks. I’m not kidding around. Completely off it. No walking anywhere you don’t have to, and absolutely no riding,” the doctor warned her as he gently rotated her foot to show her where it was already starting to bruise. “I can give you a prescription for pain pills if you need them.”
“I’ll be fine without them,” she said. Her foot had already swollen to the size of a cantaloupe. She certainly couldn’t get her boot back on and walking all the way out to where she’d parked her pickup and trailer seemed like it might as well have been five miles away.
She heard the door open and someone else enter the trailer. A female volunteer appeared in the exam area carrying a sack from one of the vendor tents across the street.
“A cowboy left this for you,” the woman said, handing Brylee the bag. Inside was a new pair of jeans and a blouse, along with a pair of socks.
The doctor smiled. “Glad to see someone is watching out for you. Go ahead and get changed out of those wet, muddy things. When you’re ready, we can help you out of here.”
Brylee took off her muddy shirt and used the inside of it to wipe away as much mud as she could from her hair. She pulled an elastic band from her pocket and twisted her hair into a loose bun and secured it with the band, hoping to keep the mess from spreading too much on the new clothes. Two white towels from a nearby stack turned grimy as she used them to clean up as best she could. She pulled on a pair of jeans that fit her perfectly and a navy blue blouse with little white hearts that looked like polka dots. She’d eyed it earlier in the morning when she’d gone through the vendor tents with Birch. Had he purchased the clothes for her? Most likely, she could attribute the gift of clothing to Shaun.
However, if her brother was waiting outside for her, he could help her get to the pickup. She’d asked her grandpa to drive it up closer, but she didn’t want him trying to walk through the mud.
When she was dressed, she wadded her muddy clothes into the shopping bag, pulled on her left boot, and hobbled to the front of the trailer. Shaun and Birch both waited there for her.
“You sure like to play in the mud, sis,” Birch teased before giving her a hug. “You about scared me and Grandpa half to death. I’m not sure he’s calmed down yet. I left him sitting in the bleachers with Tate and Cort because he was shaking so bad, I didn’t think he’d make it down the steps without falling.”
“I’m okay, Birch. Nothing’s broken.” Brylee forced a smile for her brother’s benefit. “Why don’t you go back and help Grandpa out of the stands and I’ll see about getting the pickup.”
Birch made no move to leave.
“And just how are you planning to drive?” the doctor asked, giving her a pointed look.
Brylee glanced down at her right foot and sighed. “I… um…”
“I’ll make sure you and your rig make it home then have someone pick me up,” Shaun said, taking out his phone and texting someone a message. His phone pinged with a return message. He tapped out another one and hit send then stuck it in his pocket.
Brylee shook her head. “All the way to Walla Walla? No. I don’t want to be an imposition. Besides, I need to get Rocket loaded and…”
Shaun placed his fingers over her lips, making a shiver wash over her. She blamed it on the cold mud that still coated a good portion of her body and not the good-looking cowboy who seemed determined to make things easier on her.
“It’s less than an hour to your house. Honestly, it isn’t a problem. Besides, Rocket is already loaded and ready to go. I had the vet check him over and he’s perfectly fine, even if he looks like he took a mud bath.
” Shaun tipped his head to the doctor. “Thanks for taking care of her.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Shaun. Just make sure this girl follows my orders.”
Shaun grinned. “I’ll do my best, but she’s tougher and meaner than me.” Before Brylee could protest, he handed the bag of muddy clothes and her boot to Birch, and then swept her into his arms.
“Birch, get the door, please,” Shaun said. He stepped outside and people seemed to stop to watch as he carried her toward a side gate. Jessie and Chase stood outside a nearly new SUV with the back door opened.
“What’s going on?” Brylee asked.
“Chase and Jessie thought you might be more comfortable in their SUV. I’ll bring Birch and Ace in your pickup. Okay?” Shaun asked as he set her down on the fleece blanket Jessie had spread across the back seat.
Jessie folded the blanket around Brylee and patted her on the arm before moving back. “We’ll follow you, Shaun.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been out to Blue Hills Ranch, although I’ve heard you have some incredible horses there,” Chase said, smiling at Brylee.
Tears stung her eyes and she wanted to bury her head in her hands and weep. Instead, she drew in a deep breath. Pain shooting up her side jogged her memory about the bruised ribs the doctor mentioned. She held a hand to her side and did her best to give Chase and Jessie a watery smile. “Thank you both so much for helping.”
“Our pleasure, Brylee. Really, it’s no trouble at all. It gives us an excuse to duck out on all the fan stuff going on after the rodeo.” Chase grinned at her. “Can’t say I mind a bit.”
“Did you guys...?” Birch started asking questions, diverting their attention.
Shaun leaned inside the SUV. He brushed a hand over Brylee’s cheek then cupped her chin. “You scared at least ten years off my life back there. I’m glad you’re going to be okay.”
She nodded and tried to swallow the lump of emotion stuck in her throat. “I’m glad nothing is broken this time, but Shaun, I didn’t even get a score. It’s not how I envisioned today going at all.”
“Life is seldom how we plan it, Bitsy, but always worth the ride.” He kissed the top of her mud-streaked head then shut the door.
She watched him and Birch jog off toward the area where the contestant trailers were parked.
Chase held Jessie’s door before hustling back around to the driver’s side and sliding behind the wheel.
Jessie turned around and gave Brylee a compassionate look before handing her a water bottle. The woman smiled at her husband and started asking him questions about who won, what late season rodeos were left, and the rankings for the events other than barrel racing.
Brylee appreciated Jessie’s efforts to keep the conversation light and offer her a chance to remain quietly in the backseat, contemplating her loss of the day as they drove her home. Her ranking was solid and she knew she wouldn’t get bounced so far down that she’d miss out on Vegas before the season ended, but it rankled that she missed the opportunity to win today. If Rocket had remained on his feet just a tenth of a second longer, she probably would have come in first. If not, it would have been a close second.
In spite of the rain and her worries about Rocket getting hurt or her breaking something, she’d raced him like everything was on the line. They’d been so close to winning, so close to taking another championship title. Yet, here she was, riding home with a foot twice the size it should be while Shaun once again came to her rescue.
Since she wouldn’t be competing anywhere for a while, it seemed like a good time to tell him goodbye, again. She felt indebted to him for all he’d done — all he and his dad and the Rockin’ K crew had done — but part of her resisted letting him go. In the past two months, she’d grown accustomed to having him around.
He made her laugh and see things from a different perspective. Brylee had come to realize the years she’d spent at the ranch listening to her mother’s negativity day in and day out had taken a toll on her. She used to be a happy, upbeat person, but disappointment and pain had left her feeling like an embittered empty shell.
It was only after she’d decided to forgive Shaun that she started feeling more like herself. Not like her old self, because that naïve, clueless girl no longer existed, but a grown-up version of the person she used to be. One that had finally come out on the other side of a horrible experience.
Brylee breathed a sigh of relief to see her mother wasn’t home when they arrived. Although they’d all invited her to go with them that morning, she insisted she had work to do and houses to show to a couple flying in from Seattle, intent on buying something before they returned to the city Sunday evening.
Her mother had been so different when Brylee was growing up. Not that she’d ever been lighthearted and full of fun like her dad, but her mom hadn’t been so harsh and soured on life. Brylee noticed a change in her mother after she started competing in rodeos. When she went pro and was gone for weeks at a time, she could almost feel the negativity and bitterness as a palpable force anytime she came home. Then Brylee returned to the ranch with a shattered heart. A year and a half later, her dad passed away, and things had gone from bad to worse.
Despite how much her mother complained about having to work in town to keep things afloat on the ranch, she’d gotten her realtor’s license several years ago. She dabbled with it, selling a house or two a year, until necessity forced her into doing it full-time. And Jenn loved it. She loved finding just the right house for people and didn’t even mind the mountains of paperwork. But her relationship with the ranch and its occupants seemed to be a love-hate thing, with a lot more hate than love lately.
Brylee had no idea what made her mother tick, what her hopes and dreams were, now that her father was gone. Sometimes, it seemed like her mother just struggled to get through one day at a time.
She hated that her grandfather had to come back to the ranch to help them out, but someone who had a clue about ranching needed to be there to oversee the seasonal help they hired. Birch was far too young for that kind of responsibility. Brylee’s mother seemed to have no interest in work on the ranch anymore. Her only interest in Blue Hills Ranch was to make sure it stayed intact as a legacy for Brylee and Birch.
“I can’t thank you enough for driving me home,” Brylee said as Chase parked the SUV at the end of the front walk. “I really am sorry to be such a bother.”
“You aren’t a bother at all, Brylee. I’m just sorry about the way the day ended for you.” Chase looked over the seat at her then glanced outside.
“Is that King? Your dad’s roping horse?” Chase asked as he noticed the horses in the pasture across from the house.
Brylee smiled. “Sure is. If you come in the house and get a handful of carrots, you’ll be among his favorite people for life.”
Chase grinned at Jessie then hurried out of the SUV. He opened Brylee’s door. “How do you want to do this? I can carry you, or you can walk between us and we’ll support you,” Chase glanced at Jessie for a suggestion as she stepped beside him.
“I think if you just help me hop to the door, I can make it with no problem.” Brylee untucked the blanket from around her and swiveled so both feet were flat on the floor instead of one propped on the seat.
“I’ve got her,” Shaun said. He stepped forward and scooped Brylee into his arms before she could protest. Not that she really wanted to.
Birch and Ace led Rocket out of the horse trailer and over to the barn. He was still covered in mud, but Brylee knew her brother and grandpa would take good care of him.
Shaun carried her up the steps and handed Brylee her pickup keys to unlock the door. He bent down so she could reach the doorknob. She gave it a push and he walked inside.
“Where to?” he asked as he stood inside the tiled entry, looking around.
The house hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d been in it nearly six years ago. Brylee pointed to a hall just past the ranch office.
“If you
wouldn’t mind carrying me to my room, I’d really like to wash off all this mud before I do anything else.” At the teasing, suggestive look on his face, she popped him on the shoulder. “And no, I don’t need any help. While I do that, would you run into the kitchen for some carrots? Chase wants to meet King.”
Shaun grinned. “For the record, I don’t mind carrying you anywhere. You don’t weigh as much as a sack of feed, but sure are more fun to hold.” He waggled his eyebrows at her as he stepped into her bedroom.
Unlike the rest of the house, it had changed greatly from the last time he was there. The girlish posters and prints on the walls were gone. She’d put away trophies and awards she’d won in high school. The room looked more like something out of a home décor magazine with crisp white curtains, white furnishings, and a queen-sized bed with a navy duvet cover. Coral and white accent pillows were tossed across the bed and a white-painted reclaimed wood headboard stood in stark contrast to the navy wall behind it.
“Oh, wow,” Shaun said, setting her down just inside the door. “I had an idea, but this confirms navy blue is still your favorite color.”
“It is.” Brylee looked over her shoulder at him as she hobbled to a dresser and opened the top drawer. “Mom talked me into taking an online class in staging homes. I help her and some of the other realtors in her office from time to time. This was my first project, to see if I was any good at it.”
“I’d say you have a talent for it, Bitsy. It looks nice, even if I’d get all that white stuff filthy by the end of the first week.”
She grinned at him. “You wouldn’t make it past the first day.” Brylee hobbled toward her bathroom. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”
“Take your time. Once Chase starts studying the horses, it might be a while before he’s ready to leave.” Shaun backed up a step, but shot her the half-smile that made her wish he was truly hers. “Sure you don’t need help?”
Racing Christmas Page 16
