Cowgirl Up (19 page)

“Will
do.”

Lacey
walked out, her mind still whirling. By the time she reached the camper she
shared with a couple other barrel racers, a plan fell into place.

A man
needed his ass kicked and she was just the woman to do it.

“Hold
still, damn it.” Cody absorbed the calf’s struggles with his body, tightening
his grip on the injured foot. Only to receive a glancing blow to the chin from
another of the calf’s hooves. “Shit.”

A merry
chuckle carried to him. Glancing up, he found Lacey, dressed in her typical
jeans and a loose T-shirt a few feet away, watching him with a wide grin on her
face.

“What’s
your story going to be when you walk out of here with a shiner?”

He
snorted, leaned more of his weight on the animal from his straddle position, a
fair impersonation of a calf roper minus the rope, and returned his attention
to the oozing cut on the baby’s hock.

Lacey
stepped forward, plopped down beside him, and took control of the calf’s
kicking legs by trapping two under her thigh and grasping the final free foot
with sure hands. “You’d think as many times as this one has been roped and
tied, he’d actually lie still for at least six seconds.” The amount of time a
calf had to remain down and tied in the calf-roping event.

Cody
didn’t bother to answer. Her cheerfulness this morning clashed with his raw
crankiness, rubbing him the wrong way. Yet, he didn’t dare snap at her, not
when she jumped in, invariably saving him from a few bruises, making his job a
hell of a lot easier.

Grabbing
his bottle of water, he soaked the wound, then dabbed, trying to see the gash
past the dried blood. A couple of wipes later, he had his answer. Not enough
for stitches, but definitely in need of care. Cattle were tough creatures, but
at this level, every animal procured top dollar. While a typical rancher might
let this wound go, on the rodeo circuit, even the smallest injuries were
treated as paramount.

“Heard
you had a stick up your ass last night.”

“By
who?” He already knew the answer. It didn’t take rocket science to realize
Lacey and Trinity were best friends so, of course, they’d share. Besides, he
didn’t speak to anyone else last night, preferring to keep to himself lest he
haul off and punch a cocky, demanding bastard who unluckily crossed his path.

She
didn’t answer his question and since he had his back to her at the moment, he
couldn’t read her expressions. Didn’t matter anyway. Whatever she came to say,
she’d blurt out, then go about her way, leaving him in relative peace once
more. Hopefully.

“What I
can’t figure out is why. I mean, you and she are friends. Hell, I’ve watched
your face when she’s around. You light up like a damn Christmas tree.”

He
snorted. Nice to know he was so transparent.

“Then
last night you get rude and crude just out of the blue.” She sighed. “Not what
Trinity needed after the shitty day she had.”

I’m not going to ask. No matter
what. None of my fucking business.
Instead, he found the antibiotic ointment in his bag,
slathered it over the wound, then reached for the medical tape, only to find it
slapped in his hand.

He
swiveled enough to spare Lacey a glance, then commenced wrapping. By the time
he finished, his curiosity nearly exploded.

“Let
him up.” He waited for Lacey to move before standing up and letting the calf
scramble to his feet, then trot off to join the rest of his friends. Cody
watched him go, observed no signs of limping, but still made a mental note to
have the contractor scratch the calf from tonight’s docket.

Chore
done, he repacked his bag, then stood, finally focusing on the petite brunette
presently staring at him like he’d just stolen her favorite pair of boots.

“Don’t
you care?” Her pitch increased a hair in frustration.

“About
what?” He started toward the gate only to have her cut him off at the pass and
refuse to budge.

“About
Trinity.”

“She’s
a big girl. Whatever she chooses to do is her business.” He forced the words
out in a civil tone, the exact opposite of what he felt at the moment.

“Men
are such pigs, I swear,” she muttered, then planted her hands on her hips.
“Women are only a quick fuck to them. That’s all they think about.”

He
didn’t even blink at her bluntness, but maintained his bored tone while
ignoring the building annoyance in the form of Lacey citing Trinity’s hardships
like the girl had been an innocent bystander. “Like I said, none of my
business.”

She
scoffed. “Yeah, well, you’d think a man such as Gary would take ‘no’ for an
answer. Guess some men think with their dick instead of their head. A caveman
trait, I’m sure.” She tossed her hair and spun to leave. “Thinking he can walk
around, pin a girl up against the stalls, and steal a kiss. What’s this world
coming to?”

Her
words sank in and set loose a protective wave so intense, he grappled to keep
from shaking the rest of the story out of Lacey, then running off and beating
the shit out of Gary.

He
latched onto Lacey’s arm, his grip light, but deterring. “What are you talking
about?” His whispered words sounded lethal to his own ears.

Lacey
faced him and sighed. “Yesterday afternoon Gary stopped by the barns again.
Just like he’s been doing nearly every event. Normally he tosses out lines or
even lewd suggestions, all which Trinity turns down politely but firmly. He
must have decided to step up the game because when she refused this time, he
shoved her against the stalls, pinned her, and kissed her despite her
protests.”

Rage
sparked. Cody pressed the useless emotion down, an ability he learned quickly
in the Navy. No SEAL could perform his job unless he had a cool head. Running
hot made for impulsive decisions that got a guy killed.

“Did he
hurt her?”

She
shook her head. “No. She shoved him away and managed to nearly knee his balls
into his abdominal cavity. But, he shook her up. Then, she lost her stirrup
during the race, and faced your nasty temper.” Her dark eyes peered up at him
in worry. “I’ve never seen her so rattled before. She rarely shares her
problems, but the fact that she did told me how upset she really was.”

Instead
of confronting Trinity, he assumed the worst, and she took the brunt of his
wrath.

Someone needs to kick my stupid
ass.

“How is
she this morning?” He opened the pen gate and ushered Lacey out ahead of him.

“Haven’t
spoken to her. She took Legacy out to the paddock really early this morning,
then to the bathing area. I fed Candy, then decided to go tell someone off.”
She smiled confidently.

“And
you found me.”

“Yep.”

He gave
her a quick grin. “Thanks.”

“All in
a day’s work.” She started back toward the exit.

Her
words replayed through his mind. “Lacey?”

She
paused and twisted around. “Yeah?”

“Leave
Gary to me.”

“Will
do, kemo sabe.” With a quick salute, she turned and sauntered out into the
morning light.

Despite
the information she dumped in his lap, Cody’s optimism returned full force. His
mood elevated too. Instead of fretting about the treachery of women, he focused
his thoughts on two things—making everything up to Trinity and ensuring Gary
opted to take a hint.

He’d
learned interrogation galore in the SEALs. Now, he could twist the same skill
set in his favor. Intimidation worked both ways and he doubted Gary would care
to take him on. If he did, then all the better. The need to pummel something
hadn’t completely abated with Lacey’s disclosure, but, it had narrowed down to
the individual recipient.

Just as
he made up his mind to track Gary down and remind the bastard about proper
manners, his cell phone rang. He blew out a breath and answered, “Yeah?”

“Cody.
I need your opinion on this bull. We’re in the holding pens outside the arena,
west end.”

“On my
way.” Cody punched the phone, then tucked it back into the holder on his jeans.
Lucas, the head vet, knew more than Cody and half the other vets put together.
If he asked for another opinion, something must be up.

Long
strides carried him to the location where he found not only Lucas, but one
other vet, and another guy, presumably the handler, standing just outside the
pen where a bull lay in the corner. Not unusual for an animal to rest or nap,
something about this big guy seemed off.

“What’s
up?”

“He
won’t drink,” the shorter dark-haired man answered. “I’ve tried everything,
even adding in soda to help mask the taste. He still won’t drink.”

“What
about eating?” Lucas asked.

The man
shook his head. “Not since yesterday. All he does is lay here.”

Cody
stepped forward and ran his hand over the bull’s side. He pinched and noted how
the skin returned slowly. Too slowly. “He’s definitely dehydrated.”

“Yeah.
That’s what I thought too. Thomas is bringing some IV supplies. Maybe if we can
get him hydrated, he’ll feel better.”

“Anyone
checked his mouth? Ran a scope down him?”

Lucas
shook his head. “No on the scope. We’d have to take him to one of the animal
hospitals for that. I did take a peek inside his mouth. Nothing wrong there
that I could detect.”

For a
long time, Cody stared down at the brindle colored bull. “Temperature okay?”

“One-hundred-one
on the dot.”

The
normal temperature both perplexed and reassured Cody. He pursed his lips.

Thomas
arrived with the IV kit. The fact that the bull just laid there the entire time
without the smallest fuss concerned Cody. As a rule, even the gentlest bulls
turned cranky when cornered and poked with needles.

He eyed
the feed and water bucket sitting nearby. “Did you use a different cleaner on
the buckets? Change the feed at all?”

The
handler just shook his head. “Same as always.”

“My gut
tells me we’re missing something simple,” Cody announced to the small group.
“He doesn’t appear sick, per se, just dry.”

“That
was my thought too.” Lucas ran a hand over his face. “That’s why I wanted other
opinions. I can’t put my finger on it.”

Cody
glanced around, finding the hose used to water the stock. If there was a
problem with the water, the other animals would be in similar conditions. But,
other nearby bulls stood up, swished their tails at flies, and bellowed like
normal. Nothing indicated this was more than an isolated incident.

One of
the bull riders strolled by. He opened the cap on his bottled water, took a
long drink, then replaced the top and continued on his way.

A light
bulb went off in Cody’s head. “Bottled water.”

Lucas’
eyebrows furrowed. “What about it?”

“The
bull wouldn’t drink the city water, even with the addition of soda to help mask
the taste. So, let’s try water without all the additives.” Cody tapped his
chin. “Didn’t I hear one of the bull riders has part ownership in a bottled
water company or some such?”

“Justin
Daniels,” Lucas answered immediately. “His company has a booth set up in the
sales section next door.

“Do we
have a phone number for him?”

Thomas
dug out his phone. “I do. Give me a second.” He scrolled through his phone,
then rattled off numbers.

Cody
punched them in and waited.

“Hello?”

“Justin
Daniels?”

“Yeah?”

“Cody
Winters. I’m one of the vets at the finals. I have a down bull and need your
help.”

He
could almost see the confusion on the man’s face. “What do you need?”

“Some
of your bottled water. A lot of it, in fact.”

“You
got it. When and where?”

“Right
now, in the west pens.”

“I’m
actually at the table right now. I’ll grab some and head your way.”

“Thanks.”

Cody
closed the call and looked at the other men. “He’s on his way.”

Sure
enough, several minutes later, a couple of young, lean men carrying large jugs
of water rounded the corner and made a beeline for them. They set their load
down just on the other side of the barrier.

“Thanks
for coming so soon.” Cody reached out to shake their hands. “I’m Cody.”

“Justin.”

“Taylor.”

Justin
studied the bull. “What’s wrong with Dillon?”

“Thomas,
hold that bucket for a second while I pour.” When the container was nearly
full, Cody set aside the water, climbed in the pen, and moved it under the
animal’s nose.

“He’s
dehydrated. I’m hoping it’s just because he’s one picky bastard and doesn’t
enjoy the taste of chlorine.” He tilted the bucket a bit further. “Come on. At
least give it a try.”

As if
understanding, the bull sniffed the liquid, then took a sip. He paused only a
second before drinking heartily. When he emptied the bucket, Cody asked for a
refill. And another. And another. All in all, Dillon drank nearly all the water
the two men brought with them.