“You don’t know me. But I know you. We need to talk.”
Darrin’s nerves had begun to crawl. “Talk about what?”
“You’ll find out. Are you going to Las Vegas for the big horse show?”
“We’re still talking about it.”
“If you go, we can meet there. No need to look for me. I’ll find you.” There was a silent pause.
“Wait, damn it!” Darrin exploded. “Who the hell are you?”
The mysterious voice chuckled. “I’m your brother, Darrin.”
CHAPTERTHREE
Cheyenne had shared a pizza with Hayden in a noisy restaurant a few blocks from the arena complex. Hayden had offered to take her to an upscale place downtown, but after the incident on the freeway, she was too emotionally drained to enjoy good food. She was also worried about the horses. They were Roper’s responsibility, but she loved all horses, and she cared deeply about these three animals.
Roper had phoned her about the decision to euthanize Millie. Cheyenne had seen the injury. She had been around horses all her life, and she understood why it had to be done. Still, she was heartsick. The beauty, the talent, the training, the hope, and the innocence of a young animal, all lost for nothing. She burned with silent anger.
She and Hayden had walked to the restaurant by way of a side street. Now they took a different route back to the equestrian complex, a narrow shortcut connecting a shabby motel, a shuttered pawnshop, and a couple of dimly lit bars. Beyond the jagged line of rooftops, the lights of Las Vegas gleamed like distant stars. Cheyenne might have been nervous walking this way alone, but with Hayden at her side, she felt safe enough.
They chatted comfortably on the way. Hayden was easy to be with. Cheyenne found herself liking him more and more. But she hadn’t come to Las Vegas for romance. Hayden Barr was her ticket to a new career.
“I’m looking forward to meeting your family.” He guided her along the uneven sidewalk with a touch at the small of her back. His eyes kept a sharp lookout for any moving shadows. “Will they be coming to watch your brother compete in the Run for a Million?”
“Some of them plan to be here. Just so you’ll know, Roper’s my half brother. His father died in a rodeo when he was young. Our mother remarried another rodeo rider and had the rest of us—me and my three brothers.”
“So you’re the only girl?”
“That’s right. And rodeo’s in our blood. My father was crippled by a bucking bull. He’s been in a wheelchair for as long as I can remember, dribbling Jack Daniel’s into his coffee to dull the pain. He’s part of the reason I want to break out of the pattern. Even though I don’t ride buckers, my luck might not last forever. I worry about my brothers every time they ride out of the gate.”
“What about your mother?” Hayden asked. “Is she anything like you?”
“Hardly!” Cheyenne forced a humorless laugh. “My mother is a saint! She can quote whole chapters of Scripture from memory. And she lives every verse. Not that I’m complaining. She raised us to be decent and respectable. She cooks great meals from scratch, on a shoestring. The house is so clean you could eat off the floor; and she’s taken care of Dad without help for years. I respect my mother. But, believe me, I wouldn’t be like her for all the golden thrones in heaven!”
Hayden chuckled. “So will I get to meet this amazing lady?”
“Probably. She dotes on Roper, and I know she wants to watch him ride. I think my brother, Stetson, is planning to drive her to Vegas. If she comes, she’ll be sharing my hotel room.”
Cheyenne could have bitten her tongue. Why had she mentioned the room? Was she sending a subconscious message—that if Hayden wanted to sleep with her, he’d have to move fast? Heaven help her, that was the last thing she’d intended. She lengthened her stride, moving ahead of his guiding touch.
“And what about the rest of your family?” he asked. “Will they be coming?”
“Rowdy and Chance will be out on the circuit. I don’t know about my dad. He’d be hard to bring, but if he stays home, he’ll need somebody to stay with him. What about your family?” she asked, changing the subject. “I know your father will want to see you compete and see Roper show Fire Dance. Will there be others?”
“Nope. Just me and my dad. My mom died of cancer when I was”—he took a breath—“when I was fourteen. That would be eight years ago. Dad’s had a few women in his life, but he never remarried, so there’s just the two of us. He’ll be coming in a day or two. He flies his own plane, so I can’t be sure when he’ll get here.”
“That’s interesting about your dad. Do you fly, too?”
“I do,” Hayden said. “But the horses don’t. I drove here with my cutting horse, Steely Dan. And I’ll be driving him back to Texas with Fire Dance after the big show’s over. I just hope Fire Dance will be fit to compete.”
They were passing the motel, a two-story stucco building with a walkway along the second floor and a moldering pool out front. A row of lights along the roofline cast shadows over dimly lit parking lot.
The orange neonNO VACANCYsign in the office windowsputtered on and off, but the vehicles that crowded the parking lot—mostly older cars and pickups, a couple of farm wagons, and a bobtailed semitruck—made it clear that the rooms were full. A scantily clad woman, tucking cash into the pocket of her cut-off shorts, slipped out of an upstairs room and descended the stairs. As the light caught her face, Cheyenne could see that she wasn’t a young girl. Maybe she had children at home. Or maybe she just needed drug money.
As the woman vanished among the vehicles in the parking lot, Cheyenne’s gaze fell on the bulky outline of the semi, parked without a trailer, at the far end of the lot. Her pulse lurched as she recognized the squared lines of a Peterbilt—a common enough truck. But what were the chances that it could be green?
What she was imagining was next to impossible. There had to be hundreds of Peterbilts, even green ones, on the road. But Cheyenne knew she couldn’t pass by without a closer look.