Cowboy Country (84 page)

Paco cursed.

As they twirled in crazy circles like a washing machine on spin cycle, Ava caught a glimpse of a light-colored SUV. But it was hard to tell what make it was in the fast-falling snow. She forgot about it as the truck hit the edge of the pavement.

Paco tried to wrench the wheel and straighten the heavy vehicle, but he was no match for the gravity of the barrow ditch. The weight of the truck tipped it onto its side and it slid down the highway, sparks flying. Glass shattered. Metal grinding against pavement screamed.

The airbags deployed.

The world went black.

~*~

In his familiar environment behind a rodeo arena, Levi should have been relaxed. Instead, his nerves jumped under his skin like prairie dogs around a trigger-happy hunter. His agitation was due to more than his upcoming performance. He was always a little wound up before a ride, but this was different. Neither Paco nor Ava had checked in, and they should have reached the ranch hours ago.

Nearby, Pake and Drew readied their own equipment.

Travis noticed his nerves. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Levi checked his saddle for the twentieth time. He spun the dull rowels on his spurs with his thumb. “You heard from Paco yet?”

“Not yet.” Travis slapped him on the back. “Quit worrying. They’re fine. You worry like a fussy old grandma hen.”

Levi laughed, but he wasn’t amused.

Travis sensed his mood and turned serious. “This girl’s really gotten under your skin. Like none other since Beth.”

“She’s in more trouble than Beth was, and look what happened to her.” His mind turned back to the pretty blonde with laughing cornflower eyes who’d gained a stalker when she chose Levi over another man. A scorned lover who terrorized her, then murdered her. Levi closed his mind to the bitter memories. “You wonder why I don’t take Ava to the cops and let them take over? They didn’t protect Beth.”

“I know.” Travis stood and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ll go outside and see if I can get Paco or Mom on the phone. The storm’s probably interfering with cell reception. News says the weather’s turned real nasty.”

Pake walked over and dropped his gear next to Levi. He glanced around, then said, “Ava safe?”

“For now.”

“Good.” Pake dug out his cinch and began going over it with a critical eye. “She’s a nice gal. Damn shame what’s going on.”

“Yeah.”

They watched the team ropers for a while, but Levi didn’t really see them. When Travis didn’t return, Levi became even more restless. What had he found out about Ava? Was she at the ranch, safe with Mom and the boys? What was keeping Trav, anyway? Probably bumped into some old rodeo buddies and was shooting the breeze.

The team ropers began to wind down, only three more to go, so Levi stood and moved to the back of the chutes where the bucking horses were being loaded. His, a big bay gelding named Shoot Straight, was the third one in.

Drew had drawn a dapple gray named Wizard. Both men picked up their saddles and climbed the stairs up to the catwalk behind the chutes to saddle their horses. Pake, a bareback rider, appeared at Levi’s elbow to help.

“Have you seen Travis?’ Levi reached for his cinch.

Pake held Shoot Straight’s halter rope. “Your brother, Travis?”

“That’s the one. Seen him around tonight?”

“Not lately.”

Together, they saddled the horse and tightened the cinch. “He’s a good bucker,” Drew said. “High and straight. No fancy stuff from this guy.”

Levi forced his thoughts from his missing brother to the work ahead. Not keeping his mind on business could get him hurt bad, even killed if he wasn’t careful. “Got it. Thanks.”

The last set of team ropers cleared the arena and the announcer said, “Okay, folks. Get ready for some rough-stock action. We’ve got the saddle bronc boys coming up next. This event is an original rodeo event…”

Levi tuned it out. He’d heard the same spiel since he’d been a kid starting out in Little Britches. Or maybe it had all soaked in when he’d tagged along after Clyde Callahan. Hell, he’d probably heard it all in the womb. His mother had been a barrel racer and she could still rope anything with hair. Rodeo was in his blood like oxygen. He couldn’t live without it.

Drew was up first on Wizard.

The announcer called his name, and Pake slid into the saddle. The gray mare lunged forward, slamming her chest into the chute. When she calmed, Pake nodded and the arena guys opened the gate. Wizard lunged high and fast, her bucks wild and twisty. In an instant, Levi saw Pake was in trouble. The tricky little mare pulled him forward, out of the saddle and over her head. He hit the ground with a resounding thud.

The arena went still, then broke out in applause when Pake stood and waved.

“That’s a no score for Drew Kemper, folks. Give him a round of applause, because that’s all he’s going home with tonight,” the announcer said.

Dutifully, the crowd clapped.

Two more riders went. Then Levi’s turn came.

The announcer said, “Fresh off his National Finals win just a few days ago, welcome world champ, Levi Callahan. He rides Shoot Straight.”

Levi stepped across the top of the gate and onto the big bay. The gelding had to be at least part draft—he was huge, with a heavy black mane. Levi placed his feet in the stirrups and grabbed the thick halter rope. He shortened it and took a death grip on it. With a deep breath, he nodded.

The gate swung open and Shoot Straight reared in the air, then jumped sky high. Levi rocked with the giant horse, spurring as required. The horse grunted with his mighty effort to unseat Levi. Eight seconds passed in a flurry of bone-jarring, teeth-rattling jumps and landings.

The buzzer went off, signaling the end of his ride. Levi spotted the pickup man to his left. He dropped the halter rope, grabbed hold of the rider’s waist and swung off Shoot Straight onto the ground.

The crowd went wild, cheering and stomping.

“And that was a darn near perfect ride, folks. The reason Levi Callahan is the reigning world champion,” the announcer declared. “He has a score of ninety-one. That puts him in the lead. Four more riders to come, though. Will they beat his score?”

Levi exited the arena at the far end and circled around to the catch pen to collect his saddle. Pake stood there and slapped him on the back. “Great ride, buddy. You got this one.”

“Thanks.” Levi grinned. “He’s a good horse.”

“You made him look better than he is.”

“Don’t let Eli Walther hear you say that,” Levi cautioned. “No need making the contractor mad.” He took his saddle from one of the arena crew and bent to unbuckle his spurs.

“No, no need,” Pake agreed.

“You did pretty good yourself,” Levi said. “That was a fine ride you made. Damn shame about Drew, though. I don’t know what happened there. He should have been able to stay on that mare without any trouble.” They walked toward the parking area so Levi could stow his saddle in the pickup. “Where is Drew?”

“Off licking his wounds, I suppose.”

“I wonder where my brother got off to. Maybe they’re shooting the breeze.”

“Haven’t seen Travis tonight, except when he was sitting with you beforehand.”

“I figured he’d come behind the chutes to help out,” Levi said. “It’s not like him to not show up.”

Pake shrugged. “Maybe he’s been out long enough he feels out of place.”

“No, that’s not it.” Travis hadn’t been a competitor in years, true, but he was still well known and liked around the arena. He still had lots of friends among the cowboys.

Levi unlocked Travis’ pickup and stowed his gear in the backseat. “I’m starving. You want to get a bite? Maybe I’ll run into my brother somewhere.”

Pake nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

Drew approached as they walked the corridor toward the food stands.

Levi slapped him on the back. “You okay, buddy?”

“Yeah. I should’ve rode that mare.”

“It happens.”

They bought chili dogs from one of the concession stands and went to the bleachers to watch the barrel racers. Drew seemed especially interested in a girl named Darby Hart. Her quick sorrel tore around the cloverleaf pattern in an amazing amount of time, less than fourteen seconds.

“You know her?’ Levi asked.

“No, she’s new on the circuit.” Drew took a bite of his chili dog. “But I’d like to make her acquaintance.”

“Cute gal,” Levi said, although he found her bland compared to Ava.

“Speaking of cute, where’s your lady?” Drew looked around as if she might materialize out of thin air.

“I sent her to the ranch for a while,” Levi said. “Where she’s safe.”

“Too bad she didn’t get to see you ride tonight,” Drew said.

“I guess.” Would Ava like his sport? What would she think of the rough-and-tumble world of professional rodeo? Would she get into it or hate it? It was unlikely he’d ever know the answers to those questions. As soon as they found a way to shut down Abruzzo, she’d go home to her own life. One that probably had little room for a restless bronc rider in it.

Scanning the crowd, he saw plenty of Stetsons, but not the one that belonged to Travis. Getting a little peeved, Levi wondered what Travis was trying to prove by his vanishing act.

“Maybe he’s down around the barrel racers,” Drew suggested.

More likely Drew just wanted a chance to talk to Darby Hart, but since he had no other idea where his brother went, Levi nodded. “Let’s check it out.”

As they made their way toward the barns, a young woman with a boy of around five, wearing a ten-gallon hat, approached them. “Go on, Toby, ask him.”

The little cowboy blushed and dug his toe into the cement floor. “Mr. Callahan, could I have your autograph?”

“Sure thing.” Levi took the pen from the child and scrawled his name across his rodeo program. “There you go.”

The boy beamed. “Thank you.”

“You going to ride broncs when you get a little size on you?” Levi asked him.

“Yes, I am.”

Gently, Levi tapped the brim of his hat. “I bet you will. Take care now.”

“I will!” The boy hugged his program close. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He nodded at the lady. “Ma’am.”

She smiled and hugged the little boy close. “Thank you.”

He nodded and they continued down the stairs to the contestant’s area. He and Drew made their way through throngs of cowboys and cowgirls, but didn’t see Travis. Levi’s gut clenched and his heart began to speed up as they entered the rows of stalls where the barrel racers kept their horses.

“There’s Darby. Let’s talk to her.” Drew led the way toward the petite cowgirl.

As Drew zeroed in on the object of his desire, Levi looked around. He nodded at one or two girls he knew, and they smiled in return. He read their open invitation, but had no interest. The only girl he wanted was a tall blonde with a killer hot on her trail.

At the end of the row, a girl screamed.

“Oh my God. Somebody help. There’s a body in here with Rebel!”

A murmur swept through the crowd.

“Who is it?”

“What happened?”

“Somebody get kicked?”

Levi shouldered his way through the gathering crowd, afraid he knew who it was.

At the last stall, he pushed his way through the gawkers. Face down in the straw, arms and legs askew, lay Travis. Blood seeped from the back of his head, pooling around his shoulders. His white hat lay a few feet away. Levi rushed to his brother’s side and knelt beside him. He felt his neck and found a weak pulse.

“Quick! Somebody call 911.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Levi paced Denver General’s ER hallway, his stomach boiling.

Doctors, nurses and other personnel bustled about, intent on their business. No one told him how Travis was faring, and his mind was spinning out of control with all the horrible possibilities. If his brother died—

“Levi?”

He turned and saw his mother and sister hurrying down the hallway. His brother had flown them into Denver in record time. With her dark hair pulled into a loose ponytail, her face makeup-free, and wearing a hat, boots and jeans, his mother looked ten years younger than her actual age. His sister Liberty’s hair was blonde and longer, but they could have passed for sisters. They met midway and his mother gave him a quick hug.

“What happened?” she asked. “How’s Travis?”

“I don’t know. The doctor hasn’t come out yet.”

Liberty took his hand. “You weren’t with him?”

“No. I was in the arena.” They moved to the corner of the hallway and sat on orange plastic chairs, where Levi continued his story. “Trav went to call Paco and never came back. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find him until one of the barrel racers spotted him in her horse’s stall. It looks like someone bashed him over the head and stuck him there.”

“Maybe the girl’s horse kicked him?” Liberty asked.

“It’s possible, but there’s no reason he would have gone in there with it.” Levi twirled his Stetson in his hands. “I think the guy who’s after Ava mistook us and tried to kill me, but got Trav instead.”

“You’ve put your life, your friends’ lives and now ours on the line for a girl you barely know?” His mother shook her head. “She must be something pretty special, Levi.”

“I couldn’t stand by and let what happened to Beth repeat,” he said, ignoring his mother’s slight censure.

“Where is Ava?” Levi’s mom asked. “She and Paco never made it to the ranch.”

“What?” Levi came abruptly to his feet. “They should have been there hours ago. Paco hasn’t called?”

“No. We thought maybe he changed his mind and turned around because they storm’s so bad. They had to be facing a real blizzard this morning.”

“Damn.” Concern for Travis warred with worry over Ava and Paco. What happened to them? Did they slide off the road, into a ditch? “I think we better call the State Patrol.”

“I’ll call home first. Maybe they have word there,” Liberty offered. “I can’t use my cell here, so I’ll go downstairs to the lobby area.”