Rodeo Queen (36 page)

She heard the commotion from the chute and a slam as the door burst open to a flourish of heavy metal rock meant to charge the crowd. She couldn’t watch with Scott and Derek both in the line of harm, so she made her way to the EMT tent where she could be useful for any injuries that were bound to occur. She heard a collective gasp from the crowd. The EMTs ran past her, carrying a backboard, and her heart dropped to her knees. She hurried back to the arena in time to see the bull turn and attempt to charge Noble.

Sydney’s breath caught in her throat as Noble dodged the bull, spinning deftly before Scott tightened the rope around the bull’s head and led the animal toward the exit gate. She breathed a sigh as Scott released the rope and the bull was through the gate. Sydney hurried back to the trailers to offer any assistance that might be needed behind the scenes. She heard the announcer commending the cowboy and a cheer went up from the stands. She tied the gelding to the stock trailer and ran toward the ambulance that was always present during a rodeo.

She pulled up short as she saw a familiar limp heading toward the chutes. She hurried under the grandstands where she could get a better look. It couldn’t possibly be Kurt. Why would he have come here? Now?

“Sydney.” She heard the hushed voice from the corral and turned to see Jen wave to her. Sydney raised a hand to let her know she heard but was busy. “Come here,” Jen insisted.

Sydney shot a glance back toward the chute but had lost the cowboy. She made her way to where Jen waited. “What? You don’t . . .”

“It’s Kurt. He came in this afternoon as a late sign-up for the bull riding.”

“What . . .”

“I already called the police. They are on their way.”

“What would possess him to show up here?”

“He’s crazy,” Jen shook her head. “We already know that. But he probably doesn’t think he can be caught and he can just take the prize money and leave. It would be another jab at Scott that he was right under our noses. I only found out by accident.”

The chute burst open and another rider was thrown within a few seconds. Several riders rode their animals to the buzzer when suddenly the crew grew quiet. The only sounds the women could hear were the bulls shifting in the chutes. Sydney thought she heard Kurt’s voice yelling at one of the crew and hurried to the back gate where she could see better. She stood on the railing of the fence as the gate burst open.

Kurt had drawn one of the larger bulls, which usually accounted for a lower score since they didn’t buck as hard, but Diablo Gold was known for his ability to spin before twisting. She saw the surprise register on Scott’s face when he recognized Kurt on the back of the animal. Kurt’s body was balanced as the bull spun in one direction before switching and cutting to the inside. Time seemed to stand still. Sydney was waiting to hear the horn blare, signaling the completion of his eight-second ride, when the bull twisted again in the opposite direction, pinning Kurt between the chain link fence and the side of the bull. As the bull turned back toward the center of the arena, Kurt’s spur caught in the fence, pulling him from the animal’s back.

Scott and Derek hurried in to distract the bull as the clown helped a shaken Kurt to his feet and shoved him toward the gate. Before Scott could even build his loop the bull stopped and turned back behind the pick-up men before heading straight for the retreating backs of the clown and the thrown cowboy. Derek yelled out as the bull charged the pair. The clown, a bullfighter who had worked with Findley Brothers for nearly ten years, heard Derek and jumped onto the fence, pulling himself higher than the bull’s horns to the relief of the spectators.

Sydney watched in horror as the bull scraped his horn along the chain-link fence before heading straight toward Kurt. He glanced over his shoulder in time to jump onto the chute, but he wasn’t about to get high enough to avoid the onslaught from the animal. The first hit in his low back was enough to knock him from the gate and send the cowboys running from the chutes, trying to reach him and pull him over.

Sydney saw the fear flit over his face as he reached for the hands of another cowboy only to slip from his grasp and hit the dirt, directly below the bull’s head and the chute. The bull backed up and lowered his head as Kurt rolled into a ball, attempting to minimize the damage to his body. The crowd seemed to hold their breath collectively. The bullfighters ran to his aid as the bull charged again, this time pounding Kurt’s sides with his front hooves before dropping his head and slamming Kurt between his horns and the gate again.

Scott tossed the rope expertly, slapping it across the bull’s back in an attempt to redirect the animal’s attention as the bullfighters jumped in front of the animal. Derek tossed a second loop over the bull’s horns as they tried to drag the mass of pulsating muscle toward the gate. Sydney heard the crackle of a walkie-talkie as someone from behind the chutes called the EMTs out to the arena. She heard the ambulance roar to life and knew that it was only brought in for the most serious cases.

She dropped from the gate as she saw Scott and Derek release the bull into the corral. She caught Scott’s eye as he headed back into the arena, and she could see that he was torn between worry for a fellow competitor and hatred for the man that had caused so much misery in his life and Sydney’s. She opened the gate for the ambulance driver, then stepped into the arena as the entire rodeo came to a halt while they EMTs worked on the man who still lay unmoving on the ground. Cowboys exited their chutes to wait and pray for the safety of a fellow competitor as the announcer talked about the dangers of rodeo to the crowd.

The EMTs tried to block the cowboy from the view of the spectators as much as possible, but Sydney had a clear view from where she stood. She could see the blood spreading quickly on the back of Kurt’s shirt. The paramedics worked furiously, cutting off his shirt in an attempt to stem the flow. He still hadn’t regained consciousness as they slipped an IV into him, lifted him into the truck, and left the arena with sirens blaring.

Sydney stood by, waiting for Scott as they released the bulls from the chutes and guided them back to the corral. The announcer informed the crowd that they were going to redraw the bulls since the animals had been in the chutes too long and explained the rules that kept the animals safe and healthy. Scott rode over to her at the gate and dismounted, pulling her into his arms.

“Are you okay?”

“Scott, what was he doing here?” She buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“I don’t know, but it was a joke to him. He made sure to catch my eye from the chute and give me that smirk.”

“Jen called the police already, so we’ll send them on to the hospital.” She shook her head. “It didn’t look good.”

Scott kissed the top of her head. “I think he got gored.”

She tipped her chin up so she could meet his gaze. “Scott, you tried to save him. Even after all that he’s done.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“I couldn’t just let it happen.”

“Scott.” Jen appeared at the gate. “They are loading in the next set of bulls. And the police are here.”

Sydney pushed him back toward the arena. “Go ahead. I’ll talk to the police.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

S
YDNEY LAY CURLED
against Scott’s chest. She inhaled the scent of him, humming in tune to the song playing quietly on radio. Scott’s fingers feathered over her ribcage before resting on her abs, her t-shirt bunching under his palm.

“When are you planning on telling me?”

She looked up at him, startled. “How did you know?”

“Jen told me.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Why didn’t you tell me that day at the pool?”

Guilt flooded her. Sydney wanted to be angry with Jen for betraying her confidence, but if she had told him, Jen wouldn’t have felt the need. “You’re not angry that I didn’t tell you?”

Scott tipped her chin up with the pad of his finger before running his thumb across her lips. “I wish you had told me.” His eyes darkened with sadness and regret. “But I also understand that you had to find out where
we
stood before telling me about our child.”

“I was going to tell you, but I didn’t want you to feel trapped. And that day . . .” She shrugged, her fingers splayed across his chest. “Everything fell apart, and it just wasn’t the time. You weren’t in a place to hear it.” Sydney raised herself onto her elbow and looked down at him. “Scott, I swear, I wasn’t going to keep you from your child. I was going to tell you before I quit.”

Scott laughed. “You’re crazy if you think Mike would have let you quit.”

Sydney tried to hide her smile. “That’s what he said the first time I tried.”

Scott rolled over her so she lay under him. She ran her hand over his stubbled jaw. “Princess, I wouldn’t have let you go either.” He brushed a curl from her forehead. “It might have taken me a little longer, but I would have figured it out.”

She smiled up at him. “I love you, Scott Chandler.”

His kiss was tender but desperate, as if she were an apparition that was bound to disappear. She held his face, tasting his love, savoring the feel of his body weighing on her, his hand still protectively covering their child. He wound his fingers into her hair and leaned his forehead against hers, slightly breathless.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you. Thank God Derek stepped in and helped me see what was right in front of me all along.”

“How did that happen? I thought the two of you could barely be in a room together?”

Scott smiled. “Let’s just say that after a bottle of whiskey, Derek can get his point across. Even if it means a monster hangover the next day.” Scott nuzzled the hollow of her jaw. “You’ve given me back my brother as well as my heart.”

Sydney jumped as someone pounded on the door of the trailer. Most of the crew had headed to the rodeo barbeque and the dance. She could still hear the band in the distance, so she wondered who could be needing them now.

“Scott!” It was Jen’s voice. “Sydney!”

Scott jumped from the bed and hurried to the door. “What’s wrong? I thought you guys were going to the dance.”

“We were. The police came to inform us that Kurt didn’t make it.”

Scott reached for Sydney as she approached and wound his arm around her waist. “What happened?”

“They said that there was too much damage to the liver and spleen. He never came to once they left.”

Sydney buried her face in Scott’s side. “It’s finally over?”

T
HE MORNING OF
the wedding dawned bright and breezy. It had been a whirlwind of activity on the ranch trying to plan a wedding in less than a month while keeping the stock moving from rodeo to rodeo. Sydney had asked Alicia and her mother to stay at the ranch and help her plan the event with Jen and Silvie. Against everyone else’s wishes, Sydney insisted on the ceremony being held in the corral at Scott’s cabin. Only Scott seemed to understand that she needed to close the door on the past and see the place of Valentino’s death in a new light with a happy memory.

The guests had begun to arrive and were being seated in the corral, waiting for the bride to make her appearance. She knew that Chris had already arrived, and according to her father and brother, Scott was becoming more nervous with every passing moment as he was greeted by several rodeo friends.

Sydney rose from the end of the bed and stood in front of the full-length mirror. The gown of white satin and tulle surrounded her like a cloud. The modest, princess-cut neckline was covered in beads and tiny pearls and cut in at the waist, giving the bodice of the dress a heart-like appearance. The full sleeves, while slightly impractical for a summer wedding, were made of delicate lace cut out and tapered to a tight cuff at the wrist. The tulle, accented with pearls and sequins, billowed from her waist to the floor, the train trailing behind her.

“Are you ready?” Sydney looked back and saw her father enter the room. She smoothed the skirt of the dress and noticed that her hands were trembling.

“I’m scared.”

Her father came and kissed the curls piled inside the veiled crown on her head. “Come here.” He led her to the large picture window that overlooked the corral. “Do you see that man out there?” He pointed at Scott, standing between the preacher and Derek. “He loves you and you love him. The two of you are going to have a child soon, and you’re going to adore him or her. That’s all you need to remember.”

She stared at Scott. He was gorgeous. He stood talking to Derek and Clay, his groomsmen, with this hair damp and curling beneath his black cowboy hat. Freshly shaven, he wore black Levis and boots paired with a tuxedo jacket, shirt, and vest. She had never seen him look more handsome. She smiled up at her father. “I love you, Daddy.”

“W
E BETTER GO
find those ladies and get this started,” Clay laughed as he gave Scott a hug and patted his shoulder.

Scott stood at the head of the aisle. He tried not to fidget, but he couldn’t seem to keep his hands still. He wasn’t nervous, but he was anxious to call Sydney his wife. Scott held his breath as Clay escorted Jen into the corral. His sister beamed, her smile spread from one cheek to the other. Derek, with Alicia’s arm in the crook of his own, smiled down at the woman walking with him. His breath caught in his chest as he saw Bill Thomas escorting his daughter toward him, a vision in white.

She was breathtakingly beautiful as she took another step, closing the distance between them. Scott felt as if he had waited for this moment since he had nearly run her over at the rodeo with his horse. Time seemed to stand still as Sydney approached him.

Her father slipped her hand from the crook of his elbow and placed it in Scott’s hand. He lifted the veil covering his daughter’s face and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Scott could see the tears shimmering in the man’s eyes. “Take good care of her, son.”

“I promise, sir.” Scott smiled as he stared down at the woman who had become the reason his heart beat.

The preacher began to speak, saying the words they had practiced the night before at the rehearsal, but Scott tuned him out. His entire being focused on the way her hair fell to her shoulders and curled around her cheeks. He could only think of the sweetness of her lips as he watched them move, repeating the vows to love, honor, and cherish him. Scott said the same words, wanting nothing more than to take her into his arms as he felt her hands shake in his own.