Did she have it in her—the empathy and the patience—to form that kind of bond with a special animal? The thought of the challenge made her blood race. Buck had been right. This was going to take more time and work than she’d ever imagined.
Buck’s second choice, a feisty black heifer, was harder to control than the first one. But Cheyenne knew that managing a difficult animal added more points. When the heifer charged, Chief turned it deftly aside and kept it contained until the whistle. As Buck rode out of the arena, the judges’ score was posted. A near-perfect 79.3 points had put Buck in first place for the win.
At least, that was what Cheyenne thought. But she was wrong. The contest wasn’t over.
She was standing to cheer for the winner when a new announcement boomed from the loudspeaker. “Ladies and gentlemen, our final contestant will be Hayden Barr, riding Steely Dan.”
For a moment, Cheyenne thought she might have misunderstood.This was a mistake. It had to be.
As the crowd stirred, Cheyenne sank back into her seat. It appeared that the announcer hadn’t gotten the word, that was all. Someone needed to tell him that Hayden had been called away and wouldn’t be competing.
She waited for the correction and the announcement that Buck had won the event. She was still waiting when a familiar-looking rider on a paint horse galloped into the arena.
Cheyenne stared, scarcely daring to believe her eyes. The rider was unmistakably Hayden.
She’d watched Hayden ride in the practice arena. She knew he was good. But tonight, he was on fire. Cheyenne knew that he was determined to beat Buck’s near-perfect score. But where Buck had led with patience and precision, Hayden appeared to be almost angry, driving the horse with his voice and subtle jabs of his knees.
Steely Dan responded with bursts of amazing speed, pushing the cow into showy maneuvers meant to rack up points. Hayden was skating the edge of the rules, but the crowd was drawn in, even clapping at some of the flashier moves.
After the final whistle, a hush fell over the crowd as they waited for the score. Would Hayden be penalized for pushing the limits, or had his showmanship earned enough points to put him over the top?
At last, the score was posted and the winner announced. Hayden had earned a score of 79.5. He had beaten Buck Tolson, the national champion, by two tenths of a point.
The buckle and $250,000 prize money would be awarded later that night on the festival stage, to be followed by a party and concert. For now, the show was over. As the crowd flowed out of the stands, Cheyenne paused tocheck her phone. There was still no word from Roper. After sending him a short text, she headed for the area behind the arena. Hayden would be there, receiving congratulations and giving interviews to the press. He owed her an explanation. But right now, Hayden wasn’t the man she wanted to find.
Making her way through the solid mob of well-wishers took time. At last, in the open space behind the arena, she could see Hayden talking to a TV crew. One of the stable hands was leading Steely Dan away. But Buck was nowhere in sight.
Maybe he’d taken his horse back to the stall. Cheyenne was about to go looking for him when Hayden broke away from the TV crew and called to her.
“Cheyenne! Wait up!”
Cheyenne kept walking. But she had no right to be angry with him, she reminded herself. She was just confused and needed answers. Slowing her step, she allowed him to catch up.
“Sorry,” he said. “I know you must be upset with me.”
“I’m not upset. I was concerned, that’s all,” she said. “I’m sure you had your hands full, but I would have appreciated a text—even a word or two.”
“Again, I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s been a hell of a day.”
“I can imagine. Don’t apologize. Just tell me what you’re doing here. I thought you’d be with your father.”
Hayden took a deep breath. “I rented a plane at the airport and flew to Gallup. I got there too late. My dad had already passed. I knew how much he’d wanted to see me compete, so I decided to do it as a tribute. I made some calls—contacted a few friends and his lawyer and arranged for his transport to the funeral home in Wichita Falls. Then I turned around and flew back to Vegas. I got here just in time to saddle up for the competition.”
“And you won. Congratulations, even though I’m sure your victory was bittersweet. I’m so sorry about your father. I never met the man, but I’ve heard good things about him.” Cheynne remembered Roper’s praise for Chet Barr—and she remembered that she needed to call her brother.
“The victory was more sweet than bitter. Wanting to beat Buck Tolson has driven me for as long as I’ve been competing. Now that buckle will finally be mine. The award ceremony will be starting soon, with a party and concert afterward. Are you coming?”
His question caught Cheyenne off guard. “I don’t know,” she said. “I hadn’t even thought about it. Maybe I’d better—”
“You’ve got to come!” Hayden grabbed her hand. “I want you right there, front and center when I get that buckle and the check. Then, pretty lady, I want to show you off at the party. Come on, it’s almost time to start!”
He swept her into the flowing crowd, the momentum carrying them toward the festival stage. Cheyenne had little choice except to grip Hayden’s hand and follow his lead. She could only hope to make a fast escape after the award ceremony. She wasn’t in the mood for the party that would follow, and she needed to connect with Roper.
As the throng moved her past the entrance to the barn, Cheyenne glimpsed a tall figure standing in a doorway, keeping clear of the crowd. For an instant, his gaze locked with hers across the distance. Then the river of people carried her past him. When she looked back, Buck was gone.
In the waiting room of the ER, Roper took a few minutes to check his phone. There were several voice messages from Cheyenne, clearly worried, asking why he hadn’t shown up at the cutting event. He needed to call her.
Finding a quiet alcove, he scrolled to her number. She answered on the first ring.