Last of the Red-Hot Heroes

by Tina Leonard

  And Michael’s dad apparently wanted back in the picture.

  Throw in the fact that Judy was miffed—and seemingly, some of the committee—and Harper might feel like she didn’t belong in Hell any longer.

  Shit.

  “Where’d Steel go?” Harper asked, between bats of the ball.

  “To do his sheriff thing. Which is essentially be a pain in my neck,” Declan said.

  “It’s time for a pain pill,” Harper told him. “And you sound like you could use one.”

  “Think I’ll have a beer instead. Can Michael have a soda?”

  Michael looked at his mother. Harper glanced at Declan, surprised. “One,” she said.

  Declan ambled off to get the drinks, feeling out of sorts. He needed time to think, and he needed to come up with something big. Grabbing two beers for himself and Harper, and a soda for Michael, he went back out, put the cans on the table.

  “Are you feeling all right, Declan?” Harper asked.

  “Yeah. I’m just . . . I don’t know what I am. Ignore me.”

  Like a bear with a sore tooth, that’s what he was. A general pain in everybody’s keister. “Harper,” he said suddenly, “how long would it take you to consider candidates for another team?”

  She caught the ball, looked at him. “I haven’t thought about it, at least not in definite terms. Why?”

  “I don’t know. Again, ignore me.”

  He went inside, tugged off his boots and jeans, wriggled out of his shirt. Cursed the huge bandage as he struggled to slide up a pair of swim trunks. All he knew was that he wanted Harper and Michael to stay in Hell, wanted them to stay here with him.

  So close—and yet so far from his reach.

  He went out, slid into the cool, refreshing water. Harper eyed him. “What are you doing?”

  “Not letting life pass me by.” He perched on a step. “Shoot me the ball, Michael.”

  “Not a good idea.” Harper watched as Michael gently sent the big ball Declan’s way.

  “This is a man’s game,” Declan said, knowing he’d ruffle Harper’s feathers. He sent the ball back with his good arm, and Michael’s face lit up with the biggest smile he thought he’d ever seen the kid wear.

  A boy, a dog, a ball, a beautiful woman on a summer’s day. This was heaven.

  “The surgeon said rest,” Harper reminded him. “Remember that?”

  “The surgeon got paid. Right now, I’m healing my mind.” Declan and Michael continued sailing the ball back and forth to each other, and finally Harper came to sit beside him on the step. “See? Very relaxing,” he told her.

  “But not doctor’s orders.” Still, he heard a certain softening tone in her voice and grinned.

  “So what if I backed you financially for a new team?”

  “Did Steel tell you that the committee won’t authorize funds for me to have a new team?” Harper asked.

  “We didn’t discuss funding, but he did mention that Judy’s pretty annoyed at the moment. Feels like you let her team go over to the dark side.”

  “I know.” Harper sighed. “I’m going to have to talk to her. I don’t know if there’s anything she’ll want to hear from me, but I’ll go see her tomorrow.”

  “You think Winter and Cassidy and Micaela lack discipline? That they chafed under someone coaching them?” Declan asked. “I’m wondering if they’ve navigated their own decisions for so long that they may not be able to take instruction.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Harper said, and she sounded sad. “I think I was a mother and I was new to having a team, and that put me at a distinct disadvantage in their eyes. They’re not totally wrong.”

  “But Judy doesn’t even ride, and you and Ava and Cameron respected her. At least until she stopped paying you.”

  “We still respected her then, and we still respect her now,” Harper said softly. “But we had to eat and pay our bills. So, Cameron chose to go into law enforcement, and I decided I’d try to give having a Hell team a shot.” She watched as Michael made a particularly good save, diving into the water as he kept the ball above it. “Judy’s not mad because of the team. She’s mad because she wants Hell to be a family place, and bringing young people, committed athletes here, is good advertising for Hell. She believes I gave her vision over to Ivy. She was always mad at me for taking over the team, but deep in her heart, she was proud of me for trying to make it work.”

  Gypsy dove into the water to get the ball, no longer able to resist the temptation. Toad eyed the edge warily, trying to decide if he should follow, not certain it was his best option. “No, Gypsy. No popping the ball.” He pointed to the steps, and Gypsy got out dutifully, if not happily.

  Michael laughed, and Declan perked up when he saw Harper smile at her son. “It’s going to be all right,” Declan said. “Let me fund your next team. You find the candidates. We’ll put together a kick-ass team.”

  Harper looked at him. “Are you offering to help me because it gives you something else to compete with your brother about?”

  Declan pondered that. “I hadn’t considered it, but it sounds like excellent motivation to me.”

  Harper laughed, flicked water at him. “I don’t want you helping me just so you can one-up your brother. I’ll talk to Judy, tell her I’m sorry, and offer to share a team with her.”

  He hesitated. “Judy’s not a sharing kind of woman.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  “I admire you being open to softening up our town queen bee.” Declan itched to take her in his arms, kiss her, take away the hurt he knew she was feeling over her team’s defection. “Look, you need Hell. We need you. You bring the riders, I’ll show you how to take my brother out.”

  “I wouldn’t feel good about deliberately trying to undermine Winter and Cassidy and Micaela. I don’t fault them in this, Declan. It was as much my fault in not protecting them from Ivy’s spell.”

  He didn’t believe that for an instant. “You’re going to have to toughen up, baby girl. No one wins any prizes in this town for being honorable, and you should know that as well as anyone. Those girls were wild as March hares, and my brother as good as stole them right out from under you.”

  She looked at him, turned her gaze to her son. Michael tried to float on top of the ball, and the ball turned over, sending him under the water. He shot back to the surface, laughing, tried to ride the ball again.

  “All right,” she said finally. “We’ll take them on. After I talk to Judy, see if I can smooth things between us.”

  “Meet me back here tomorrow night?” he asked. “Same bat place, same bat station?”

  She smiled. “If you can swim in a pool, you don’t need us.”

  “Let’s stay here, Mom,” Michael said. “I like swimming!”

  “I have plenty of room. And I need protection from Steel and Frick and Frack, and all my well-meaning friends who are convinced I can’t take care of myself if someone wants to—“

  Harper’s warning gaze shut him up.

  “Well, you get my drift. I need you,” he said.

  “I doubt I’m any protection,” Harper said, “if someone decides to aim at you again.”

  “Maybe not.” He looked at Michael, smiled as the child grabbed a paddleboard and kicked his way around the pool, splashing everywhere and driving Gypsy crazy with her herding instinct. Declan grinned. “But you’re my good luck charm, obviously. And I’d be dumb to let the one thing I’ve got going for me get away.”

  * * *

  Now it was her turn to spy. Harper felt no guilt at all as she hooked her boots over a rail to watch Fallon train her one-time team. The Horsemen had a decent training center, though it was not in the tip-top shape that the Outlaw’s training center was in; it wasn’t as new, for one thing. Still, a lot of people came here for horse riding lessons, and Wild Jack, the owner and Jake Masters’ father, did a great job of advertising and keeping the place up.

  There was a reason Wild Jack had a helicopter and a huge mansio
n. He dealt in real estate all over Texas, and had his fingers in lots of pies—some said dirty pies, everything from the odd shady deal with government officials to influencing politics whenever he felt the need.

  Curiously enough, he stayed out of Hell politics, leaving Hell, and this training center, mostly up to his son to run. She had to admit Fallon was a decent instructor, as she watched him put the girls through some beginning paces.

  She wasn’t surprised when thirty minutes later, he meandered over to where she was perched.

  “Spying?” Fallon asked.

  Harper smiled. “Just returning the favor.”

  “They won’t come back to you. If that’s what you’re hanging around here for.”

  She looked at the handsome evil twin of Declan’s. “I’m not worried.”

  “Don’t try to mess me up. I’m going to take these girls to the next level.”

  Harper shrugged. “You do that. I’m just going to watch your greatness, maybe pick up a few tips.”

  He frowned, marring his handsome face, but not by much. It was a shame he had such a sour streak in him, Harper thought. He and Declan were so different, they might as well have had different parents.

  “You were never suited to coach a team,” Fallon told her. “You lack discipline.”

  “I lack discipline?” She stared at Fallon. “How do you figure that?”

  “You’re tough, but you’re not focused. You’re a good rider, really good, but once your team folded, you gave up on the idea of bullfighting. I never understood that.” He looked at her. “It was the perfect time for you to get serious, and you ditched Judy’s team.”

  “It wasn’t a team by then. And we weren’t getting paid. I thought I could do a better job of bringing up a team that would do credit to Hell,” Harper said defensively.

  “Yeah, but you didn’t.” He studied her. “I can’t figure you out. You had everything. More than anybody else on your team, you had the talent, the grit, and the bravery. Scary skills. But you gave it away. Was it because of Michael? Or my brother?” he asked, his tone suggesting he knew the answer to his question.

  “You go train your team. I’m going to sit here and watch a pro do his job.”

  “I could train you,” Fallon said, his voice low. “I swear, Harper, if you ever decide to give it a go, I’ll train you, get you on a bullfighting team. I know the best bullfighters in the country. And unlike my twin, I’m not scared shitless of bulls. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you should cloak your dreams in Judy’s dreams.”

  He walked back to his team, barking out commands. The girls moved into line precisely as he wanted them, their attention completely on him. Harper felt a slice of pain watching them so willingly train with Fallon. Her insides were hollowed out from his words as she played them over in her mind.

  After another thirty minutes of watching her team learn and respond, Harper slid off the rail and escaped to her truck, feeling somehow as if she’d let everybody down—but most of all, herself. And Michael. Which was the last thing she’d ever wanted to do.

  * * *

  Ivy smiled when Fallon made his way into the Honky-tonk that night. “I hear the first day went very well.”

  Fallon shrugged, took the beer a sexily-dressed cocktail waitress handed him. “There’s a lot of talent there.”

  “I love it. My team! I could hear Judy’s teeth gnashing all the way out here.”

  “Very likely.” He sipped his beer, wondering why he didn’t feel good about putting one over on his brother, or for that matter, Mayor Judy. The beehive-headed woman had never done a damn thing for him, so he shouldn’t care what was going on across the highway from here.

  “Let’s discuss the expenses for the team.” Ivy brought out a ledger from behind the bar, flipping through it. Fallon watched her, fascinated as always by the way her mind worked: always on business. “You told the girls that the three thousand dollar signing bonus to move their team to me was absolutely confidential and never to be mentioned? Penalty of being kicked off the team?”

  He nodded. “Ivy. It’s my team.”

  “My money, my team.”

  “That’s not what we agreed. It’s my team. You’re a silent backer.”

  She raised a brow. “I’ve never been very silent about anything. Besides which, taking over Harper’s team was my idea.”

  “I’m the instructor. And I had to convince them to come over to the dark side.” He grinned at Ivy, and she stared him down. But he wasn’t intimidated of Ivy like most people were. She needed him for this deal—only he could train the girls in trick riding. He could match them trick for trick, pull a few they couldn’t. After he’d taken a good stomping from a bull, he’d made horses his life—horses and everything about riding them.

  Now, Declan—he’d be the one for training in bull riding, bullfighting. If it had to do with bulls, Declan was the one to go to. But Declan wanted no part of bulls these days, and Fallon felt certain the new team he’d poached would stay his.

  No matter what Ivy said.

  “It’s my team, or you can find yourself a new stooge. Instructor.”

  She flipped her beautiful long hair over a shoulder. “Fine. Just remember who thought this thing up. I’ve waited a long time to kick the legs out from under my dear cousin.”

  “What?” Fallon said. “Your cousin?”

  “I meant that in the sense that we’re all cousins here in Hell,” she said quickly. She gave Fallon her most winning smile. “We’re all family, you know.”

  He sipped his beer, not caring about family ties. That topic reminded him that Declan still hadn’t gone out to see their folks, and he doubted he would. Which totally sucked, and was wrong, but not only that, his share of the ranch was tied up until Declan went and made peace.

  Fallon had had no choice but to take Harper’s team. It gave him a bargaining chip with his brother. If Declan wanted this team back for Harper, he’d have to compromise a little, go do the small thing their parents wanted.

  That is, if he wanted to look like the big man in Harper’s eyes by getting her team back, and Fallon had no doubt that Declan wanted that very thing. He wasn’t even surprised when he saw Declan walk in the door of the Honky-tonk.

  Declan made his way through the pretty women who tried to stop him to talk until he reached the bar.

  “Drink, Handsome?”

  “No, thanks.” Declan looked at Fallon. “You’re an asshole.”

  “Maybe,” Fallon said, “but I’m also holding all the aces.”

  Declan looked at Ivy. “You’re not interested in having a team. You just want to hurt Judy.”

  Ivy smiled, but Fallon didn’t feel warmth from it. He could be sitting near a refrigerator and he’d feel warmer.

  “Aren’t you the perceptive one?” she said to Declan. “So what? If Judy’s hurt, that’s her problem. She needs to put her big girl panties on and get over it.”

  “That’s her big dream you stole. And Harper’s.” Declan shrugged. “You know, they say cheaters never win.”

  “They would be wrong.” Ivy laughed. “I always thought that was such a stupid expression. One woman’s cheat is another woman’s perfect strategy.”

  “Anyway, I just came out to let you know that my shoulder’s feeling much better.”

  Ivy’s gaze narrowed. Fallon wondered what his brother was up to. “In fact, my shoulder feels so good I’m taking on a new team. My team would be in direct competition with yours, but competition is good for the soul, don’t you think, Ivy?”

  Annoyance crossed Ivy’s face. “Not always. What does Harper say about your new team?”

  “She’s going to be the main instructor.” Declan smiled. “We’ll be working together.”

  “Harper doesn’t want her team back?” Ivy asked, and Fallon thought she sounded surprised and a little disappointed. He leaned back against the bar, interested to see where his brother was going with this—and trying not to grin at Ivy’s plan taking a detour.
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  “No, Harper’s fine with building a new team.” Declan rubbed his shoulder, stood up straight. “What’s the name of your team, Ivy?”

  “I—” Ivy shook her head. “I haven’t gotten that far.”

  “It’ll come to you.” Declan tipped his hat. “Stop by in the next couple of weeks and welcome the new Hell Belles to town. See you around, Fallon.”

  Fallon watched, stunned, as his brother departed.

  “You didn’t tell me about a new team,” Ivy snapped.

  “First I’m hearing of it.” Fallon wondered at the sudden turn of events. Clearly his brother was taken by Harper; Declan had said a hundred times he wasn’t interested in coaching, instructing, team dynamics, anything like that. He was interested in growing the Outlaw’s Training Center with Saint and Trace, and that was his focus. He gave the occasional lesson, but mainly he was the financial brains behind the outfit.

  And then he got it: Declan was in love with the blond mother of little Michael. It was the family he’d never had, a family he wanted. There was no other reason he’d knock himself out over a team unless he thought he had a solid shot at winning Harper’s heart by helping her with a team.

  Declan didn’t want Harper to leave Hell. Helping her bring on a new team would keep her here, maybe for years.

  “Competition is not good for the soul,” Ivy said, “damn it, you’ve got to stop Declan from bringing a bunch of new riders here. My team needs to be a novelty, like Griselda and the caravan behind the Honky-tonk. I do one-of-a-kind acts. That’s what brings people all the way out here to my part of town.”

  “Along with the hookers and underage drinking, the occasional blunt and snort,” Fallon said.

  “There are no hookers here,” Ivy said icily. “These women are sophisticated companions and escorts of a very high caliber.”

  “Sorry.” He motioned for some whiskey, drank it when a very attractive redhead poured him one. “No one would deny that what you’ve got going here is like nothing else in Texas. Hell’s very own chicken ranch.”

  Ivy smacked his forearm with the ledger. “Damn it, Fallon, you have to convince your brother that there’s only room for one team in this town!”