The Bull Rider's Son

by Cathy McDavid

  Chapter Fourteen

  After a final pass by the bull pens, something Shane did more to burn off excess energy than any real concern that the stock wasn’t quietly settled in for the night, he wandered back to his trailer. It was nearing ten and sleep beckoned. The crack of dawn came early, and he had a full day tomorrow.

  Instead of hitting the shower as was his habit, he grabbed a soda from the fridge and, sitting at the table, powered up his laptop. He and Bria had recently taken up a new daily routine of emailing each other pictures and jokes and sometimes a short note. It was a way of maintaining constant contact. It was good for both of them. Of course, the emails were sent to and from Judy’s account, who read them to Bria and composed the ones from her to Shane.

  He was pleased to find a new email from Bria in his inbox including the link to a humorous YouTube video. Smiling, he watched the video in the semidarkness before firing off a quick reply. The smile promptly dimmed as thoughts of Cassidy and their disagreement intruded.

  She was an amazing person. A loving and devoted mother, a hard worker with an incredibly passionate nature that, when ignited by the right spark, was a wonder to behold. That same passion, unfortunately, could also take the form of anger, obstinacy and tunnel vision.

  Life with her would never be boring. It would also be a challenge, and Shane had begun asking himself if he was up to the task.

  It was possible they’d rushed into their relationship before either of them was ready. They were both still putting their lives in order. Shane had a new daughter and a new job. Cassidy had recently reconciled with her estranged brother and father. Wasn’t tonight proof enough they were ill-prepared for the challenges facing them? One fight and Cassidy was ready to call it quits.

  His chest tightened. She had called it quits. This was no cooling-off period. Two visits, four phone calls and three texts, all unanswered, couldn’t be denied. The realization left him hollow inside.

  Closing his laptop, he began getting ready for a shower and bed. His steps were slow, his spirits low. Foolishly, he’d hoped he and Cassidy could beat the odds. He should probably be glad to get out early before they hurt each other worse than they already had. Hadn’t history shown them they didn’t have what it took for the long haul? Heck, this time they hadn’t even lasted a month.

  Tired as he was, sleep eluded Shane. Quite a difference from the last two nights he’d spent with Cassidy. He hadn’t slept then, but for entirely different reasons.

  His ringing cell phone made Shane bolt upright in bed. He glanced at the alarm clock on the night stand, momentarily confused. Twenty past eleven? Apparently, he’d fallen asleep, after all.

  The distinctive ring identified the caller as Hoyt.

  “Hey,” Shane cleared the sleep from his voice. “What’s up?”

  “It’s Benjie.” His brother didn’t return the greeting. “He won’t stop crying.”

  Shane didn’t need to be told. He could hear Benjie’s wails in the background. “Is he hurt?”

  “No. I don’t think so. He was fine up until a couple hours ago. We fished all afternoon, then had sandwiches from the marina store for dinner. I have no idea what’s wrong.”

  “He could be sick.”

  “Cheryl felt his forehead. She doesn’t think he has a temperature. And he’s not throwing up.”

  “What did he eat besides sandwiches?”

  “Fast food chicken at lunch with the usual fixings,” Hoyt said.

  “What else?”

  “Chips and dip. Cupcakes. I bought him an ice cream bar at the marina store.”

  Not the healthiest of snacks. And consumed on a rocking boat. “You sure he doesn’t have a stomachache?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  Shane felt like he was leading a toddler by the hand. Was he once that naive? “Ask him.”

  There was a rustling on the line while Hoyt put the phone down. He came back a minute later.

  “No stomachache.”

  “What does he say is wrong?”

  There was a long hesitation before his brother answered. “Something about being scared.”

  “Of what?” Shane heard it then, loud and crystal clear. Benjie cried out over and over that he wanted to go home and wanted his mother. “Want my advice? Take him home.”

  “You sure he won’t quit and fall asleep?”

  “Probably, but is that the kind of good time you want to show him? He’ll refuse to go anywhere with you again.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “Why are you hesitating?”

  “We rented the boat for the entire night.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” Shane tried to be sympathetic. He’d been in Hoyt’s shoes himself not very long ago, completely inexperienced with kids and having to be taught. Luckily, Judy had been, and still was, patient with him. “Look, Benjie hardly knows you.”

  “I’m his father.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact, until this weekend, you were a complete stranger.”

  “Yeah, well whose fault is that?”

  Shane ignored the dig at Cassidy. “Look, she told me Benjie’s never spent the night away from home except at her friend’s house. This is all brand-new for him.”

  He heard Cheryl in the background seconding his suggestion. At least his sister-in-law was showing some sense.

  “I don’t want to take him home yet,” Hoyt said firmly. “If I do, Cassidy will win.”

  “This isn’t a contest.”

  “She’ll deny me visitation.”

  What was with these people? Shane was ready to pull his hair out.

  “Quit being selfish and bring your son home. Accept it’s too soon for an overnight trip. Plan your next visit. Make peace with Cassidy.”

  He waited while Hoyt spoke to Cheryl, straining to decipher their murmured conversation. He made out nothing other than a word here and there.

  “Okay,” Hoyt finally said. “We’re on our way.”

  “Good. I’ll see you in the morning.” Shane figured his brother and Cheryl would come around sometime before their flight left.

  “Actually, we’re going to head straight to the airport. It’s been a tiring trip.”

  “What about Cassidy? Aren’t you going to talk to her?”

  “The less said the better.”

  “You’re making a mistake.”

  “I’ll see you in Payson next month.”

  “Benjie, come back here.” Cheryl’s voice rang out. “We’re going home, but first we have to pack.”

  Where was the boy going? Weren’t they still anchored at the marina? Shane jumped out of bed, wanting to do something and feeling helpless.

  “Wait,” Hoyt said. “Benjie wants to talk to you.”

  The next instant, his nephew’s trembling voice said, “Uncle Shane?”

  “Yeah, pal. How you doing?”

  “I want to come home.”

  “You are. Your dad’s promised. As soon as you’re packed.”

  “He wouldn’t let me call Mommy.”

  Poor decision on Hoyt’s part. Had Benjie talked to Cassidy, he might not have had a meltdown, or as big a one. Hopefully, Hoyt had learned his lesson.

  Benjie audibly swallowed a sob. “He doesn’t like me.”

  “That’s not true, pal. He loves you.”

  “He doesn’t.”

  Shane’s shoulders sagged. He’d badly wanted this initial meeting between Hoyt and Benjie to go as well as it had with his own daughter. And the frustrating part was it could have been great. Hoyt, as usual, allowed his excitement to overrule his good judgment.

  “I want you to do me a favor,” Shane told Benjie. “It’s important.”

  “What?”

  “I want
you to give your dad another chance. Just because you didn’t have fun this time, doesn’t mean you won’t the next. He’s learning to be a dad, and you’re learning to be his son.”

  “I guess.”

  “Good boy. Now, go on, help Cheryl pack so you can come home.”

  “Will you be there?”

  The hope in Benjie’s voice tore at Shane, and he regretted his answer. “Not tonight. But you can bet I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Cassidy, he was sure, wouldn’t appreciate him being there. Plus, he didn’t want to interfere in Hoyt’s relationship with Benjie. Now that he thought about it, he and his nephew really should have a talk soon about how they could be the best of friends, but Hoyt was still Benjie’s dad.

  His brother took back the phone when Shane and Benjie were done. “Thanks for your help.”

  Unlike earlier, Hoyt sounded truly appreciative. Good. Maybe he was slowly coming around.

  “Anytime.”

  After knocking around the trailer for the next ten minutes, Shane fell into bed, utterly spent—only to toss and turn. Wound up tighter than a spring, he grabbed a magazine and read until barking dogs, the low hum of an engine and distant voices alerted him that Hoyt and Cheryl had returned with Benjie.

  Rising, he threw on some clothes and a warm jacket and ventured outside. His plan wasn’t to barge in on the family, merely observe them from a distance.

  From the corner of the barn, he watched Hoyt and Cassidy talking, their forms clearly illuminated in the beam of his brother’s rental vehicle’s headlights. Shane couldn’t make out what they were saying, which he supposed was for the best. So far, they weren’t yelling at each other. Benjie must have already gone inside. The poor kid was probably a wreck. Hell, they were all wrecks.

  The minutes passed. If Shane had the sense of a gnat, he’d haul himself back to bed. He was further motivated when Cassidy turned to go inside the house. The discussion, whichever way it had gone, was over, and no one seemed any worse for it.

  Shane started down the long barn aisle. He’d just reached the other end when a dark but distinctive figure emerged from the shadows.

  “Mercer.” Shane froze. “What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

  “Same as you.” Mercer stepped closer. There was no warmth in either his voice or manner. “Sunny called me.”

  “I’m glad Benjie’s all right.”

  “That brother of yours, he doesn’t know how lucky he is. If he ever tries anything like this again, I’ll personally deck him.”

  Shane wasn’t in the emotional frame of mind to debate his brother’s behavior with Mercer. Not at two o’clock in the morning when they were both tired.

  “He did the right thing in the end and brought Benjie home.”

  “He’d have been sorry if he hadn’t.”

  “If you don’t mind.” Shane took a step. “I’ve got to be up in a few hours.”

  “One more thing.” Mercer planted a hand in the center of Shane’s chest.

  “What?” He immediately went on the defensive and shook off the offending hand.

  “I also heard about you and Cassidy. She’s pretty distraught.”

  “Frankly, Mercer, it’s none of your business.”

  “If it concerns my daughter, it is.”

  Before learning about Bria, Shane would have disagreed. Now, he understood and marginally lowered his guard.

  “We had a misunderstanding.”

  “More like a knock down and drag out fight.” Mercer’s face hardened. “I warned you weeks ago you weren’t to hurt her and, if you did, you wouldn’t be working here anymore.”

  “Are you firing me?”

  “I’m considering it.”

  Shane tensed. He needed this job. The chances were slim he’d find another one so well suited to him and close to Bria. But he wouldn’t beg. He wasn’t in the wrong.

  “I hope you’ll consider carefully. I’m a good bull manager.”

  “You’ve got one week to make it right.”

  With that, Mercer strode off in the direction of the house.

  Make it right? Shane wasn’t sure how to interpret his boss’s remark. Did he want Shane and Cassidy to reconcile or did he want Shane to end things with her on good terms?

  How could he decide when he wasn’t sure himself what he wanted? Cassidy had changed, going from someone he thought he could possibly love to someone he barely knew.

  * * *

  TATUM’S TWO OLDEST children bailed out of Cassidy’s vehicle the moment she came to a full stop in front of the elementary school.

  “See you later,” Drew called. He was a year behind Benjie, and the pair were practically inseparable. “You coming?” He waited for Benjie, who remained rooted in the middle back seat.

  Cassidy studied her son’s glum expression in the rearview mirror. “Give him a minute, will you, Drew?”

  “Okay.” The kindergartener hesitated, then, adjusting his backpack, joined his sister in the stream of students walking from the drop-off point to the school entrance.

  “Want to tell me what’s wrong?” Cassidy asked, though she had an inkling. Benjie had been out of sorts for most of the week, ever since the fishing trip fiasco.

  “Uncle Shane says he and Bria aren’t coming with us to Payson.”

  “He does, huh?”

  Originally, Shane and his daughter were to accompany them on their visit to Hoyt at the Payson rodeo in March, turning the excursion into a family trip. But she and Shane had argued and barely spoken all week, ruining the plans.

  He must have assumed he and Bria were no longer invited and told Benjie they was driving separately. Well, he’d assumed correctly. She wasn’t ready to spend two days with him. She may never be ready.

  “Why, Mommy?” Benjie asked.

  She sighed, unsure how to answer.

  Behind them, a horn beeped. Cassidy automatically checked her side mirror, noting the long line of vehicles waiting impatiently for their turn at the curb.

  “I want him and Bria to go with us,” Benjie whined.

  “You can see her another time.”

  “You’re being mean.”

  In his eyes, she probably was. Cassidy hadn’t explained her argument with Shane to Benjie. She was, stupidly, hoping it wouldn’t affect their relationship. Wrong, yes. She should practice what she preached and do what was best for her son. Except Shane had hurt her, and she wasn’t ready to let bygones be bygones.

  More than hurt her, he’d disappointed her and betrayed her, though the latter was a bit of a stretch. Still, she’d trusted him, which wasn’t easy for her, and he’d let her down. He knew her fears. She’d told him during their most intimate moments, and he’d shown her he didn’t care. Just because he felt a certain way, she was supposed to feel the same. Well, she didn’t.

  Five weeks ago, her life had been ordered and simple and routine. Now, she didn’t know what was happening one minute to the next. And Shane was responsible. Like a tornado, he’d appeared and wreaked havoc, picking up the different pieces of her life, tossing them around and then dropping them. She had yet to stop reeling.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. I know it doesn’t seem fair.” She was about to say how parents sometimes had to make difficult decisions. Benjie’s disappointed face had her reconsidering. “Maybe we can all drive up together. Let me see.”

  “Yay!” Benjie grabbed his backpack off the seat.

  “No promises,” she said, her words drowned out by the sound of the slamming rear door.

  Benjie was gone in a flash.

  Another sigh escaped. She would have continued to sit there, the engine idling, if a horn blast hadn’t roused her.

  “All right, already, I’m leaving.” She threw the truck into gear.

>   Thanks to traffic letting up, the drive home was considerably quicker than the one to school, leaving Cassidy with less time to ponder her current dilemma than she’d have preferred.

  How to approach Shane about the trip to Payson without him getting the wrong idea? Economics, she supposed. Why take two vehicles on the four-hour round trip when one would suffice? And with the children for company, she and Shane could avoid each other.

  But wait. If they drove together, they’d have to stay at the same hotel overnight. Had he already made reservations? Damn, she should have thought this through more carefully before mentioning it to Benjie.

  At the arena, she went straight to the office and found Tatum alone.

  “How’d it go?” her friend asked. “The minions behave themselves?”

  “They were fine.” Cassidy sank into the visitor chair across from Tatum’s desk, already exhausted and the day had hardly begun. “It’s Shane. Well, not him. Benjie wanted to know why the four of us aren’t driving together to Payson to see Hoyt.”

  Tatum laid down the monthly newsletter she’d been proofreading. “What did you tell him?”

  “I’d talk to Shane about it.”

  “Good.” She went back to reading.

  “That’s your only comment?”

  “You two need to sort things out. You’re both miserable, and this is a great icebreaker.”

  “I’m not miserable.”

  “Humph. Could’ve fooled me.”

  Cassidy sulked silently, fiddling with the buttons on her jacket.

  After a moment, Tatum glanced up from the newsletter. “I’m not suggesting you make up. Actually, I am. But, at the least, you and Shane have to get along. Your children are cousins and friends.”

  “Is he really miserable?”

  “And then some.”

  Cassidy sunk farther into the chair. “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.”

  “You know, your father put him on probation.”

  “What?” She jerked upright.

  “I overheard him telling your mom. Don’t say anything to them.”

  “Forget it. I’m confronting Dad.” Cassidy groaned. “The man knows no bounds, I swear.”