“Oh, good deal. I’ll just wait here with you until they get back.” Mackey needed someone to watch him.
Hudson patted the seat beside him. “You okay? How is he?”
“Bad headache enough that he’s knowing they won’t let him work tomorrow.” That was never good. Just never.
Still, at least Mackey was admitting it.
“Well, he’ll have a week before he has to work again. That’s good, right?” Hudson shook his head. “He’ll be okay. He might actually be more stubborn than you are.”
“Maybe.” Jack winked over. He knew better, though. Mackey was way more stubborn than him, when it came right down to it, but that could be their secret.
“Did he throw you out?” Sid crossed the waiting room with a cup of coffee in one hand and Tommy on his heels.
“I think he was going to close his eyes. He seemed to me like he needed it.” Mackey had told him to come sit with his guy.
“Thanks, Jack.” Sid gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Fair enough. I’ll be keeping an eye on his team, like he asked.”
Sid seemed to relax. “Oh. Oh good. Thank you.” Sid took a few steps down the hall and toward Mackey’s room. “Thanks, Jack. See you soon.”
“Anytime, friend. Anytime at all.” He nodded to Sid, then winked at Hudson. “Wanna?”
Hudson stood and smiled at him. “Yeah. I wanna.”
“Me too.” And he did. Whatever it meant. He wanted, and he thought Hudson could give it to him.
7
Sid told Jack this morning that even though Mackey was feeling good, Doc wasn’t having it and didn’t clear him to work the last day of the event.
Tommy was perfectly capable of running the bullfighter team without Mackey, and the team swing was solid, but that didn’t stop Ellie and a lot of the family members in the VIP seating from being a little nervous.
Hudson wasn’t nervous though. Jack was focused on the work, and the show had gone pretty much as they all did.
Plus, Scott Hamish rode well and won the weekend.
“So… Louboutin or Prada?” He grinned at Ellie as they made their way from the stands to the cages.
“Oh, honey. Lucchese.” She winked at him, shimmying. “I want the ostrich ones in the burgundy.”
“That had better be the least you get after that nail-biter of a ride.” He hugged her shoulders. “Tell him congrats for me. I want to find Jack before he leaves town.” Sometimes Jack liked to get on the road; sometimes he stayed another night. They hadn’t discussed plans, but usually they’d go their separate ways a few hours after the Sunday event.
“He worked his butt off. I bet he’s headed to Mackey to debrief him.” Scott surprised them both, kissing his wife with passion.
Okay, that was adorable.
He slipped away, knowing full well he’d see them both in Vegas, and went looking for Jack. Ellie was right; Jack would probably want to see Mackey, and that meant going back to the hotel, so he jogged out toward Jack’s truck.
To his shock, Jack was waiting there in the late-afternoon sun. “I got them loaded up and had a Coke. Helluva short-go.”
“Right? A lot of good rides. I bet you want to tell Mackey all about it. I’m glad I caught you.” He leaned up against the truck next to Jack.
“I figured you might be here tonight. I didn’t know.” That smile was slow and easy, but Hudson saw exhaustion in the lines written there.
“I’m here. I uh… I have an early flight tomorrow. I thought you might want to have dinner.” In the room. In bed. After he let Jack have an appetizer.
“I do. Hop in. I’ll give you a ride.” Jack winked once, teasing him. “You’ll get a re-ride too, I reckon.”