Whirlwind (The Champions 1)

“Thanks . . . I think.” Val left the kitchen, grabbed a small bag from the stack in the living room, and headed down the hall and into the bedroom that had been her brother’s. Seconds later the door closed behind her.

By now it was almost five o’clock—time to start the day for Tess, Lexie, and the rest of the ranch crew.

“I’ll clean up here and cook something for a real breakfast,” Lexie offered. “You can go get dressed and head outside if that’s where you need to be.”

Tess glanced down as if she’d forgotten that she was still in her pajamas and robe. “Thanks. But first there’s something I need to do.”

She walked down the hall and into the master bedroom, which hadn’t been touched since Callie’s disappearance. Moments later, Lexie heard the toilet flushing again and again. Intrigued, she followed the sound to the master bath. She found Tess emptying bottles of prescription pills into the toilet and flushing them down.

“Dad’s leftover pain meds,” she explained to a surprised Lexie. “I thought they might come in handy in case somebody fell off a horse or got stomped by a bull. But we can’t risk letting Val find these. Have you got anything else we should get rid of?”

Lexie shook her head. “What about the beer in the fridge?”

“Leave it for now. We’ll see how it goes.” Tess checked the cabinet one last time and closed the door.

“You don’t seem happy to have Val back,” Lexie said. “You’re not even pretending to be glad to see her.”

Tess sighed. “Val’s got a lot to answer for. She ran off without even saying good-bye and left me to carry her share of the ranch load. It wasn’t too bad until Dad got sick and couldn’t work. And then when Jack died . . .” She shook her head. “Val was off living her glamorous movie star life. She didn’t even care enough to come home for the funeral. Why should I be overjoyed to see her, especially since she might need babysitting to keep her clean and sober?”

“She’s our sister, Tess.”

“I know. But she’s got a lot to prove.” Tess left to get dressed for the day.

Lexie stood for a long moment in the room her father had shared with his two wives, the room Callie had kept after his death. The bed was still unmade. Callie’s clothes still hung in the closet.

Somebody, she realized, would need to strip the bed, launder the bedclothes, and box up Callie’s personal things—a heartbreaking task that would likely fall to her. Maybe she would ask Val to help. It would give them a chance to get reacquainted, maybe even take the first steps toward becoming close. Unlike Tess, Lexie was ready to welcome Val with open arms.

But first things first. In her own room, she dressed in work clothes for the day. Again and again, her thoughts flew back to Shane. Today he’d be transferring to the rehab facility in Tucson, where he would learn to function in his new, limited world. Tears welled as she imagined him struggling to move his body, dragging the dead weight of his unresponsive legs. Lord, he was so proud—so passionate about the sport that had been his life. And the only thing she could do to help him was stay away while he tried, failed, and tried again.

In the kitchen she fried bacon and scrambled eggs and made pancakes from a mix she found in the back of the cupboard. Callie had made everything from scratch, and everything she’d cooked had been wonderful. But Lexie had never gotten past the basics of cooking. Not that she planned to make this her permanent job—but for now, somebody had to do it.

Tess, Ruben and, a little later, the boys, trickled in and out of the kitchen, shoveling down their food without saying much, although Tess and Ruben did exchange a few words about the stud bull in the paddock with the cows. The big, ugly animal seemed to be doing his job, but Lexie hadn’t given up on the idea of buying semen. And she was still sore about allowing Tess to trade away their best yearling.

She sighed as she piled more pancakes on the platter and set it on the table. Maybe next year, if she proved herself, her suggestions would carry more weight.

Through all of this, Val’s door remained closed. It was still closed when Lexie finished cleaning up in the kitchen and walked back down the hall to start clearing out Callie’s bedroom. By now the morning was getting on. But Val had spent most of the night driving, Lexie reminded herself. Or maybe Hollywood was a place where people were accustomed to sleeping late.

But what if something was wrong? Lexie stood in the hallway, gazing at the closed door. What if Val was sick, or what if she’d taken pills to make her sleep and swallowed too many?

She’d give it another half hour, Lexie resolved. If Val wasn’t stirring by then, she would open the door and check on her.

Steeling her emotions, she flung open the door to the master bedroom and started on the bed. As she pulled away the rumpled sheets, the scent of Callie’s perfume rose from the fabric. Shalimar. There was a bottle of it on the dresser. Lexie gathered the sheets into a ball and buried her face in them, overcome by memories of Callie hugging her, that fragrance rising from between the warm cushions of her breasts.

“You look like you could use some help.”

The husky voice startled Lexie. She looked around to find Val standing in the doorway, wearing black jeans and a forest green silk tee that matched her eyes. She still looked tired, but she was freshly showered, her curls still damp. No makeup—but Val had never needed any.

“Yes, thanks, I could use some help,” Lexie said. “In fact, I was hoping you’d show up. There should be some empty boxes in your old room. If you’ll get some, we can start packing her . . . things.” She spoke past the lump in her throat.

While Lexie finished stripping the bed down to the mattress, Val went for boxes. When she returned, they started on the bureau drawers. Neither of them spoke about Callie. The grief was still too raw.

“I can’t believe how beautifully you’ve grown up, Lexie.” Val folded a cotton nightgown before laying it in a box. “You must be fighting off the boys.”

“Not really.” She’d tell Val about Shane later, Lexie decided. “I’ve been busy helping Tess on the ranch and taking one of our bulls, Whirlwind, to PBR events. He’s good. The best bull we’ve ever had. And his younger brother, Whiplash, could turn out to be even better.”

Val was silent for a moment, as if her thoughts had flitted away to some secret place. Then she smiled and spoke. “The PBR, you say? Wow, that’s great. That’s where the big money is these days.”

“And money is what this ranch needs. Just ask Tess.” Lexie took a deep breath. “I’ve run into Casey a few times. He still treats me like his little sister—and he still asks me about you. Wait till I tell him you’re back.”