Whirlwind (The Champions 1)

He seated Lexie on his right. Looking down the row, she saw Chip Harris. He gave her a smile and a nod. “So this is how the other half lives,” she whispered to Shane.

He laughed, showing a dimple in his cheek. “Don’t get used to it—not yet, at least. Just enjoy it while you can.”

For the next hour, Lexie was treated to a front-row view of some of the greatest riders and bulls in the profession. When a Brazilian scored 92.1 on a burly animal named Big Black, she groaned, knowing that Whirlwind had been beaten out of first place. But seeing the great ride was a thrill.

The only dark moment came when a nineteen-year-old rider bucked off out of the gate and landed hard on his right side. Still bucking, the bull ran over him, striking him hard with its front hooves. After the bullfighters drove the huge red animal out through the gate, the young man was still lying on the ground, doubled over in pain.

As the medical staff rushed out to assist him, Lexie felt her heart contract. The memory of Jack’s death flashed through her mind. She closed her mouth hard, stifling a cry as they bent over him. What if—? But no, seconds later he was on his feet, injured but alive.

As the medics supported him out of the arena, Lexie could sense Shane watching her. Reaching over the arm of the seat, he covered her hand with his. He understood.

By the end of the event, Shane and Whirlwind had dropped to third place—after a 91.0 by the current world champion. But Lexie’s bull had finished in the money. She wouldn’t be going back to the ranch empty-handed. Tess would be happy.

Shane left his seat long enough to go down into the arena and congratulate the winner. The bullfighters stood together in front of the chutes, joining in the applause as the first-place rider received his check and trophy buckle on the shark cage. Turning to walk out, Casey caught Lexie’s eye and gave her a thumbs-up.

By the time Shane returned to the seats, people were already leaving. “Come on,” he said, reaching for Lexie’s hand. “We need to pick up our prize money. Then we’re out of here. I know a shortcut to a spot where we can get a cab.”

“I’ll need to look in on Whirlwind before we go,” Lexie said.

“I know. That’s the way we’ll be going.”

They picked up their checks at a table set up in the hall downstairs. Lexie glanced at her check and folded it into the hip pocket of her jeans. Ten thousand dollars, plus an additional payment for bringing her bull to the event. It wasn’t a fortune, but it was better than nothing. Shane’s check, she suspected, would be much larger.

They exited through the bull pen complex. Whirlwind had finished his chow and was relaxing in his pen. He appeared to have made peace with his neighbor. Lexie reached through the rails and scratched the spot behind his ear. The bull snorted softly and closed his eyes. “Good job, big guy,” Lexie whispered. “Sleep tight. Tomorrow we’ll be driving you home.”

Shane chuckled as they walked through the parking lot to the street. “Good Lord, you really love that big, dumb brute, don’t you?”

“I was there when he was born,” Lexie said. “When he was two years old, I put the first dummy on his back and watched him buck it off. Yes, I love him, but he isn’t a big, dumb brute. He’s smart for a bull.”

“What he is is fortunate,” Shane said. “Anybody—bull or man—who has a loyal, passionate person like you in their corner should thank their stars.”

“My sister Tess says I treat Whirlwind too much like a pet. She’s probably right. I tend to get very attached to things I love. People, too, I suppose.”

“Then you’re lucky. I don’t recall being attached to anything—or to anybody.” He gave her a sidelong glance as they walked. “So is there anybody else you’re attached to—like maybe a boyfriend?”

Lexie shook her head. “Not really. I dated in college, but I always knew I’d go back to the ranch and raise bulls. Even when I was in school, I spent most weekends and holidays at home. I’d planned to graduate, but after Jack died, and with my father so ill, I knew that Tess couldn’t carry the load of the ranch without me. I came home for good. I’m not sorry. I don’t need a piece of paper to use what I learned in school.”

It occurred to Lexie that she could ask Shane a similar question—whether he had a girlfriend somewhere. But something told her she already knew the answer. A man like Shane, who spent much of his time on the rodeo circuit, would have a hard time managing a stable relationship, especially with the buckle bunnies—women who showed up to sleep with prize-winning cowboys—flocking to every event.

Shane flagged down a cab to take them to the restaurant he’d chosen. They sat in the dimly lit back seat, just close enough to touch. Lexie felt the tension and uncertainty of the competition melting away.

“I saw you doing an interview with that reporter,” she said. “What kind of things did she ask you?”

“Oh, the usual—like how did it feel doing a ninety-point ride, and what I thought of the bull.”

“What did you tell her—about Whirlwind?”

“I said he had incredible power and the smarts to go with it. And I said he could become one of the greatest bulls ever. How does that sound to you?”

“Wonderful, if it’s true.”

“It is. I wouldn’t make a fool of myself by lying on national TV.”

Lexie exhaled and settled back against the seat. He slipped an arm around her shoulders. The warm pressure felt good—maybe too good, but she had no will to move away. He was strong and solid, his skin smelling of clean, honest man sweat from tonight’s ride.

She looked up at him, her gaze meeting his as the city lights flashed past through the cab window. He lowered his head for a lingering kiss, not pressing hard but holding the contact long enough to ignite a sensual tingling that rippled through her body to become a slow-burning flame. Feeling the barest flick of his tongue, she suppressed a moan.

Heaven save her, she was already in trouble.