Racing Christmas

by Shanna Hatfield

  “True. It’s not like there are many secrets in this business.” Jason leaned forward as the announcer’s booming voice introduced Brylee. “I hope she wins this thing.”

  Shaun remained quiet, although he hoped she did, too. While some girls focused on speed and looking pretty, Brylee worked hard at getting the most out of her horse and herself. He’d noticed Thursday night how much she’d improved her skills since he’d watched her ride at the finals in Las Vegas all those years ago.

  “The arena is a mess. Sure makes it hard on those poor girls running the barrels,” Jason said, tugging his hat down and flicking moisture off his chaps.

  “I’m glad no one got hurt. With the rain making the arena slicker than the end of a bull’s snotty nose, it’s a wonder one of them hasn’t taken a spill.” Shaun stood up in his stirrups and watched as Brylee entered the arena. Her horse spun around the first barrel so perfectly, his movements almost appeared fluid. Hooves churned up chunks of mud as he carried Brylee around the second barrel and on to the third.

  As though it happened in slow motion, Shaun watched as Rocket started to skid. It looked like he hit a patch of ice for the way his legs went out from beneath him. He twisted his body around before he landed on his side and slid in the mud with Brylee still on him.

  “Open the gate!” Shaun yelled above the gasps of the crowd and the beat of the rain. He and his dad rushed into the arena. Rocket flailed around then got up and began running around the arena, but Brylee remained unmoving in the mud by the fence. “Get the horse, Dad!”

  Jason nodded and took off to catch Rocket while Shaun rode toward Brylee. When he saw her move her head, he released the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. Relieved she was alive and moving, he willed the hammering beat of his heart to slow. He rode up close to her, noticing her foot wedged beneath the fence and caught in the mud. Something must be wrong or she would have jerked herself free by now.

  Unsettled to see her and scared she’d truly been injured, he hid his concern. He plastered on his most obnoxious smile and greeted her by the nickname he’d used during the months they dated.

  The moment he called her Bitsy and referred to Rocket as Christmas, a name that always annoyed her, he wondered if the sparks shooting from her gorgeous cobalt blue eyes might actually cause him harm.

  Before he could further rile her, the medic team mucked their way over to her. Shaun stepped out of the way then swung back on Lucky, his favorite horse. His dad rode up with Rocket, although the horse didn’t seem any too happy to be caught.

  “Rocket, settle down,” Brylee said in a firm, commanding tone as she glanced over at him.

  The horse calmed a little as the medics asked Brylee questions and two of them freed her foot from the fence.

  “I’m fine,” she assured them, struggling to rise from her bed of mud. Two cowboys pulled her upright and she gave them both an appreciative smile before turning to take Rocket’s reins from Jason.

  “Thank you, Mr. Price,” she said, placing a hand on Rocket’s saddle horn and wincing as she pulled herself into the saddle.

  “Let’s hear it for a great lady and a great athlete, folks! Miss Brylee Barton and Rocket!” the announcer said.

  Cheers and applause followed her as she rode out of the arena. Shaun stayed by the doctor who’d come out to check her. “Is she okay, Doc?”

  “I want to take a closer look at her leg, but she refused to go out on a stretcher.” The doctor gave him a speculative look. “You know her well?”

  Shaun might have known Brylee well six years ago. But the determined woman with a spine made of steel who just left the arena was a complete stranger. “Not really, Doc.”

  All during the bull riding, Shaun continued glancing in the direction of the medic trailer, wondering if Brylee was there, if she was okay.

  The moment the rodeo ended, Jason rode up beside him. “Go see how she’s doing. She might need a hand.”

  “Who?” Shaun asked, trying to appear nonchalant while feigning ignorance.

  His dad laughed. “You know who. Don’t play dumb with me, Shaun. I perfected that move when I was far younger than you.”

  Shaun grinned at his father. “Yes, sir.” Before anyone could waylay him, he rode over to the medic trailer where one of the barrel racers stood outside beneath a big yellow umbrella.

  “Is Brylee okay?” he asked, dismounting and leading his horse over to her. The girl, a beautiful spitfire named Savannah, was one he recognized from the rodeo circuit.

  “The doctor is doing X-rays. I think she’s hurt more than she’s letting on,” Savannah said, tipping her head toward the trailer door. “Rocket is not happy about someone other than Brylee attempting to take care of him, so I left him alone. At least for the moment.”

  Shaun nodded. From experience, he knew Rocket was just a step below a fire-breathing dragon when he was out of sorts. “I’ll go check on him and come back.”

  Savannah released an exasperated sigh. “Brylee insisted on checking him over before I brought her to see the doctor. I think he’s fine, just keyed up. Brylee on the other hand… She didn’t want to get the medic trailer all dirty. You know what she made me do?”

  He had no idea, but a few guesses entered his mind.

  “She made me take a hose and spray off the mud that covered her from head to toe. She was shivering so hard, I thought she might crack a tooth when I helped her over here.” Savannah sighed in disgust. “That girl is the most hard-headed, tough, big-hearted ninny I’ve ever met.”

  Shaun couldn’t argue with her. Not from what he’d seen of a woman he once knew every bit as well as he knew himself. “Is Brylee traveling with anyone?”

  “Nope. She’s totally on her own,” Savannah said, then tossed him a grateful smile. “Thanks for checking on Rocket.”

  Shaun led Lucky through the dispersing competitors who were in a hurry to get in out of the rain and made his way to Rocket. Brylee had left the horse in a stall in the rodeo stable. Coated in mud, Rocket appeared as though he’d blow flames at anyone who looked at him cross-eyed.

  “Rocket, my man, it’s been a while,” Shaun said quietly. He looped Lucky’s reins around a nearby post and slowly approached Rocket’s stall.

  The horse snorted and swished his tail then kicked at the side of the stall.

  “Here now. There’s no need to get so worked up, Rocket,” Shaun said, cautiously opening the stall door and checking to make sure the animal had both feed and water. The mud coating him from his ears to his tail could wait. He gave the horse a thorough study. No open cuts were bleeding, and there was no swelling anywhere that might indicate an injury. Other than a bad temper, Rocket seemed fine.

  “I can’t believe Brylee is still riding you, old boy,” Shaun spoke in a low, smooth tone, one that had calmed many a scared animal and wooed more than a few girls.

  The horse stopped switching his tail and one ear perked forward.

  Shaun held back a grin as he took a step closer. “Did you miss that last turn, Rocket? Hmm? Did the nasty ol’ mud pull your feet right out from under you? I bet that’s not how you or Brylee planned on things going.” He reached out and lightly touched Rocket on the neck. The horse twitched once, but didn’t move away. Instead, it was as though he suddenly remembered Shaun and all the times he’d brushed him down, fed him, or taken him for a warm-up ride.

  Rocket dropped his head and bumped against Shaun’s chest. “Hey, boy, you do remember me, don’t you?”

  The horse pushed against him, as though he’d just encountered a long lost friend.

  Shaun scratched his mud-covered neck and talked to him a few more minutes, waiting until the horse appeared settled. “You behave yourself until I get back to check on you.” He gave Rocket one final scratch then moved out of the stall. He took Lucky’s reins in his hand and headed back to the medic trailer.

  He arrived just as the doctor opened the door and looked around to see who was waiting for news about Brylee. When
he saw Shaun, he waggled a hand at him, motioning him closer. Apparently Savannah got tired of standing in the rain or had something else she needed to do, because she was gone.

  “Is she okay, Doc?” Shaun asked as he moved near the door.

  “No. Her leg’s broken. I knew we should have carried her out on the stretcher.”

  “From what I know, she’s plenty stubborn,” Shaun said. That might be the understatement of the year. Once Brylee set her mind on something, it might as well be cast in stone then encased in cement.

  Shaun released a long breath. “I suppose she walked all the way over here from the barn on that broken leg?”

  The doctor nodded, clearly unhappy. “She sure did. I’d be shocked by it, but after doctoring cowboys a long time, I already know they are as mule-headed as they come. That applies to cowgirls, too.” The doctor released a long-suffering sigh. “As far as breaks go, it could have been much worse. It’s clean, small, and easy to treat. She has a stable tibia fracture.”

  Shaun gave the doctor a questioning look. “Which means?”

  “She has a fracture in her shin bone. Fortunately, the ends are lined up together. That’s what makes it a stable fracture.” The doctor formed two fists then fit the backs of his knuckles together to illustrate what he meant.

  Shaun nodded. “I had one of those in high school.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me at all.” The doctor grinned then turned serious again. “Brylee’s leg is really starting to swell. It would be ideal for her to stay off it and let that swelling go down for about three to five days. My recommendation is for her to get a cast on it for at least two weeks. After that, she can most likely move to a brace. It allows more movement of the knee and ankle while still protecting the break. We’ve found that patients who wear a cast the whole time have problems with stiffness later, so the brace is a good alternative. Brylee has assured me she has no plans to drop out of competition, but agreed to stay off her feet, at least for now. Until that leg is completely healed, though, no driving for her. At all.”

  “So what can we do to help her?” Shaun asked, wondering if Brylee would even speak to him let alone allow him to offer her a hand.

  “Unless she has someone here she didn’t mention who can wait on her hand and foot for the next few days and drive her where she needs to go for the next six weeks, she could definitely use some help,” the doctor said.

  “Okay. I’ll see what I can find out. Will you keep her here until I get back?”

  The doctor nodded. “I gave her some pain medication that knocked her out. She’s going to be groggy even if she does wake up anytime soon.”

  “That’s good, Doc.” Shaun gave the man a grin, mounted Lucky, and then rode through the rain to where Rockin’ K employees worked to load the stock into trailers. Since this rodeo was only an hour away from the Rockin’ K Ranch where they kept all the stock, they’d head out as soon as the last truck was loaded.

  “How’s Brylee?” Jason asked as he rode up to Shaun after chasing a load of bulls into a truck.

  “Broken leg. She’s gonna need some help,” Shaun said, leaning down to open a gate and riding inside a pen.

  Jason’s eyebrows shot upward, nearly disappearing beneath the brim of his hat. “You have someone in mind?”

  Shaun gave him a long look. “Yeah, I do. And no, it isn’t me.”

  Jason laughed. “Okay, then. I’ll leave you to your plans.”

  He rode to the back of the pen to herd steers toward the truck while Shaun rode over to his boss, the manager of the Rockin’ K Rodeo Company. Kash Kressley and his wife Celia had been friends of Shaun’s long before he started working for them as a pickup man.

  “Hey, Shaun. Your dad said you went to check on Brylee Barton. Is she okay?” Kash asked as he kept an eye on the bucking horses being loaded into a trailer, glanced at paperwork, and shrugged deeper into the rain slicker he wore.

  “She broke her leg and needs somewhere to rest for a few days until they can put a cast on it. I know it’s a lot to ask, but she’s traveling alone. Do you think she could hang out at your place and have Barb or your dad take her to get the cast put on?”

  Kash nodded. “I don’t have a problem with that at all.” His brow wrinkled into a frown. “You and Brylee used to be quite an item back in the day. Are you two…?”

  Shaun raised a hand to stop him. “No! There is nothing going on. I haven’t seen her in years or spoken to her, but she’s by herself with no one to help her. The doctor said she won’t even be able to drive for at least six weeks. Somehow, she’ll need to get her rig home. And then there’s her horse.”

  “Man, that Rocket is a great animal. If she ever decides to sell him, I’d sure be interested,” Kash grinned at him.

  A crooked smile kicked up the right corner of Shaun’s mouth. “Get in line. You aren’t the first, or the last, to be a member of Rocket’s fan club.”

  “But you seem to be the number one fan of Brylee’s,” Kash teased. At Shaun’s dark scowl, he sobered. “Seriously, what do you need us to do?”

  “Just give her a place to stay for the next week. If it’s okay with you, I’ll drive her rig back to the ranch so she won’t be fussing about getting it or worrying about Rocket. Maybe she can figure out a plan from there. The doctor said she’s adamant about continuing to compete.”

  Kash shook his head. “That doesn’t surprise me. She’s what, third or fourth in the rankings right now?”

  Shaun feigned indifference, even though he’d made a point to see where she ranked when he first noticed she was competing again. For someone who’d been out of the game for so long, she was making one remarkable comeback.

  If Brylee was anything like he remembered, she’d be eating herself up with worry over this little setback.

  Why he wanted to help her, why he cared, wasn’t something he cared to examine. He was a guy who always tried to lend a hand when it was needed and that seemed like a good enough reason to do what he could to help Brylee. He wondered if her folks had come to watch her, but then decided this was probably far enough away they’d most likely stayed home in Walla Walla.

  “Let’s get this last bunch of horses loaded then we can head out. I’d have Celia drive Brylee, but she headed home right after the rodeo ended.” Kash motioned to a group of horses in the next pen over. Shaun helped load them then took Lucky back to the trailer his dad would drive to the Rockin’ K.

  “So what’s the plan, son?” Jason asked as he stepped out of the trailer and Shaun led Lucky inside.

  “Kash is going to let her stay at his place for a week. Brylee will have to get a cast on in a few days. It just seems like the easiest solution to the problem of her being here alone. I’ll drive her rig and take Rocket to the ranch.”

  Jason gave him a questioning look as they led in the last horse then closed the trailer gate. “And you’re doing all this because…?”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do.” Shaun didn’t like the way his dad was staring at him or what he was implying. “I already told you that Brylee and I are history. Even if I wanted to resurrect a relationship with her, and that is a colossal if, it’s so long dead and buried the bones have turned to dust.”

  “Whatever you say, son,” Jason grinned at him then opened the door to the truck. “I’ll see you back at the ranch.”

  “Okay, Dad. Drive carefully in this rain.”

  “You, too. I’m hoping it stops soon. Looks like it’s starting to ease up a little.” Jason glanced at the sky then climbed into the truck. “Be nice to that girl, son.”

  Shaun ignored his dad and headed back toward the medic trailer.

  Savannah walked up to it from the opposite direction and smiled at him. “The doctor said you were going to find somewhere for Brylee to stay for a few days until she gets her cast. Are you good with that? I could stay with her until then, if needed.”

  “Kash and Celia Kressley have a room for her at their ranch and it’s not too far away. I’ll
make sure she’s taken care of.” Shaun smiled at the beautiful woman. Under other circumstances, he might have asked her out, or at least flirted with her. Now, he wasn’t in the mood. In fact, he just wanted to see Brylee and make sure she was okay.

  Savannah smiled at him. “Brylee has my number. Tell her to call me if she needs anything. I’m not heading out until tomorrow morning.”

  “Thanks, Savannah. I’m sure I’ll see you around at another rodeo.”

  She gave him a coy laugh and turned to walk away, tossing her black hair over her shoulder in a move that looked practiced and perfected. “I’ll count on it, Shaun.”

  He tapped once on the trailer door then opened it and stuck his head inside. The doctor glanced up from where he wrote something on a notepad.

  “How’s she doing?” Shaun asked, hesitant to step in and get mud all over the inside of the trailer.

  “Still resting” the doctor said. “Did you make arrangements for her?”

  “Yep. Kash Kressley has room for her at his place. His housekeeper can keep an eye on her and take her to get the cast on in a few days.”

  “Perfect. Who’s going to drive her there?”

  Shaun gave the man a sheepish look. “I guess that’ll be me.”

  The doctor raised a questioning eyebrow, but merely tore a piece of paper off the pad and handed it to Shaun along with second sheet of paper. “That’s a prescription for pain medication. The other paper is detailed instructions of what she needs to do going forward. If you bring her rig around here, I’ll help settle her in it so you can get on the road.”

  “I need to load her horse first. Do you have her keys?”

  The doctor disappeared and returned with a set of keys. “She said it’s a dark blue pickup with a silver trailer parked at the end of the row.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back in a minute.” Shaun went back to the stalls and retrieved Rocket, leading him out into the cool evening air. At least the rain had stopped.