Rough Stock (16 page)

“Hey. I brought you some chow.”

Clay’s face lit up. “Thanks. You wouldn’t believe what they brought me for breakfast. Green gelatin and some sort of rubbery eggs. What the hell kind of meal is that for a man who’s trying to recover?”

Mason laid Clay’s coffee, pastry and an assortment of sweeteners and creamers on his tray.

Clay picked up the Danish and bit into it with a groan. “Now
that
is a good breakfast.”

Mason laughed, not so certain the doctors would agree, but at least his friend seemed happy, and after what he’d been through, he deserved it. “How are you feeling this morning?”

He looked better at least, lying on top of the sheets and dressed in sweats and a T-shirt rather than the hospital gown. Clay had far more color in his cheeks than he’d had since Mason’s arrival in Philly. In fact, he was almost glowing.

“I feel great. My sole goal is to prove to these doctors I’m strong enough to get the hell out of here. Hopefully today.”

Mason raised a brow. “And then what?”

Clay returned his sharp look. “I know I can’t jump right back into competition. Don’t worry. I’ll take a few days to work out the kinks on April Dawn in private before I go back.”

A few days?
Mason didn’t need to speak with the specialists treating Clay to know they wouldn’t approve of a few days of recuperation before he jumped up on a bucking bronc. “Well, you’re gonna have to do it back in Oklahoma, cause that’s where April Dawn is gonna be.”

“What are talking about? Did they ship her back already? I thought you saw her last night.”

“I did, and no, they didn’t ship her back, but I will. I’ve got your trailer and I’ve made plans with the stockman to get her before the rodeo moves out. I’ll be driving her back to the Carson’s farm. I’m sure they’ll be fine with that but I’ll call and check anyway. You can catch a flight home when the doctor says it’s okay and meet me there. We’ll work out together and when the local docs say you’re good to go, then you can get back into competition, and not before.”

Clay watched him with a look of surprise. “You got this all figured out, don’t you?”

Mason grinned. “Yeah. You got a problem with that?”

He could see Clay’s brain working before he finally returned his smile. “Nah. I’m good. But I do have a favor to ask you.”

Mason nodded. “Anything you want. What is it?”

The sound of a shower running turned silent.

“Can I tell you later?”

Taking a big bite of his Danish, Mason shrugged. “Sure.”

Clay grinned and took a gulp of coffee. “Mmm, mmm. I think I love you, man.”

Mason shook his head, laughing, until Clay’s bathroom door opened and a wet-headed April emerged. Mason realized the shower he’d heard running wasn’t in the neighboring room as he’d assumed.

The sugary breakfast didn’t seem to be sitting as well as it had before April, dressed in some little top and pants that clung to her ass, stepped into the room. She halted for a second when she saw him, then went to her bag to put something away.

“Hey, darlin’. Feel better?” Clay stretched one hand out to her.

She walked closer, squeezed it, then let it drop with a quick glance in Mason’s direction. “Much better. Thank you, Clay.”

“Good, because I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Mason watched April raise one brow prettily. He scowled at himself for noticing and looked away.

Clay continued. “I got you a ride back home to your parents’ farm.”

Mason whipped his head around to glare at Clay, wide-eyed, as April answered. “I still have to find out from my boss if I can take the time off.”

“Go call now and ask him,” Clay suggested.

She laughed. “I’m not certain he’ll answer this early. He was up pretty late last night, I’m sure.”

“So were you, but you’re awake.” Clay grinned.

Clay better get April out of there, because Mason had a few things to say to his
friend
once they were alone.

Finally, April nodded and fished her cell phone out of her huge bag. “Okay, I’ll just go down to the lobby where the signal’s better.”

Good idea
, Mason thought silently. April was barely out the door when he confronted his supposed friend. “Goddammit, Clay.”

Clay’s response was a grin. “What?”

“You tricked me into that. There is no way I’m going to be trapped in a vehicle with her from here to Oklahoma and once you tell her about it, I’m sure she won’t like it any more than I do. You can just fly her there if she wants to go home. With all the winning you do, you must have the money.”

“Money’s not the issue. She won’t accept a plane ticket from me, I offered last night when she mentioned how much she missed home.”

“Then ask her parents to buy her the plane ticket. Or, hell, buy it and pretend her parents paid for it. I don’t care what you do, but I’m not taking her.”

“She wouldn’t accept it. She’s trying to be independent.” Clay’s eyes bore into Mason. “We had a long talk last night about a lot of things, but in particular, about the three of us.”

“Well, that’s real nice for you, but as far as I’m concerned, there is no
us
. That ended when she went to New York and stopped writing because we were no longer good enough for her.”

The steady sway of Clay’s head prompted Mason to ask sharply, “What?”

“There’s more to it, Mason. She had her reasons—”

“And I don’t want to hear them.” Mason cut him off.

“You promised you’d do anything I asked.”

“That’s unfair, Clay. You didn’t tell me it was
this
. I can’t do it.”

“You mean you won’t do it.”

“No, I mean I can’t.” Mason glanced at the still-empty doorway and lowered his voice. “I can barely even look at her without feeling sick inside.”

“Because you’re still in love with her.”

“The hell I am.” Mason could lie to Clay, but it wasn’t so easy lying to himself.

“Mason. We’ve been through a lot together, and even though we’ve taken different paths the last few years, I still count you as my closest friend.”

Damn, Clay was good at pulling on a person’s heartstrings. “I know. Me too.”

“Do you trust me?”

Mason sighed. Where was this leading? “Yes, of course I do.”

“Then do me this one small favor like you promised.”

He had promised to do Clay a favor, but Mason had never promised to do
this
. When he remained silent, his jaw clenched too tightly to speak, Clay added, “Please, Mason.”

April walked in, halting one step inside the room as she glanced from Clay to Mason and back again. No way she could miss the heavy tension that hung between them. She looked so small and unsure, even dressed in her sophisticated New York clothes.

“Um, I explained things and even though he wasn’t happy, my boss finally agreed that I could take a week off.”

She gripped her phone in her hand tightly, like a child with her security blanket. Mason wasn’t so sure she was all that keen about going home. It looked like Clay had been a busy boy the last twelve hours or so, orchestrating everybody’s life, making them all do things they didn’t want to do to suit himself.

“That’s great, darlin’.” Clay looked pointedly at Mason, the question unspoken.

Mason did some quick estimations in his head. It had to be over a thousand miles from Philly to Oklahoma. Shit, that would mean about twenty-four straight hours alone with April, most of them spent in the close confines of the trailer cab with them stopping only often enough to care for April Dawn’s and their own personal needs.

But Clay looked so damned happy, and April might be the one thing that would keep him recuperating at the farm rather than trying to jump right back into competition.

Shit.
Mason let out a deep sigh. “Okay, Clay.”

Clearly the victor in this battle, his friend grinned widely. “Great.”

Mason scowled.
Great. Just great.

Chapter Seventeen

April had to run to keep up with Mason’s fast stride. She’d forgotten exactly how long his legs were, although in the past, she’d never had trouble keeping up with him. Back then he’d slowed his pace to hers and wasn’t trying to run away from her.

She didn’t know how much more she could take of him treating her like this. She had to tell him about the miscarriage, but as she struggled to run in her heels to even keep him in view as he rounded the corner of the building, now was not the time. The ride home would be soon enough, and the sooner the better because a whole day and night on the road alone with him in this mood would really suck.

He’d reached the front entrance to the arena and turned to shoot her an impatient look as he waited for her to catch up.

“I’m sorry. I can’t move that fast in these heels.” April thought herself in pretty good shape from walking everywhere in the city, but maybe she wasn’t since she was breathless now. “And why did you park all the way over there if the door is here?”

“I parked by the door nearest the stock pens inside. You’ve been to enough arenas with Clay and me to know the stock gets loaded around back.”

That time in her life felt like a million years ago, yet at the same time she could still remember exactly how Mason’s kisses felt.

Mason raised one brow, glancing down at her totally impractical shoes. “Why didn’t you wait with the truck if you can’t walk in those things?”

Good question. Looking at the annoyance on his face, she had to ask herself the same thing. “Too late now. Let’s just get this horse and get on the road.”

“Fine with me.” He pulled open the door and, surprisingly, didn’t let it slam in her face, but instead held it open for her. At least that was something.

Inside the arena, Mason seemed to know his way around and was able to locate a stock contractor amid the hustle and bustle of the preparations for the rodeo to move out to the next venue. The man looked busy and barely nodded when Mason informed him he was taking Clay’s horse.

Mason stalked directly to the back and located the pen that April assumed contained the bronc they’d come to get. “Hey there, baby girl. You ready to go home?”

April’s heart twisted at the familiarity of the gentle tone of voice he used with the mare. The same tone he used to use with her. She didn’t have long to wallow though, because a woman was leading a horse directly at her and April had to scurry to get out of the way. She missed getting stepped on, but did not miss the look the cowgirl shot her as she took April in from the tips of her impractical designer heels to the now horrendously wrinkled silk of her top.

The woman kept her mouth shut even while her eyebrows rose, but April was not the object of her attention for long. Mason, however, was. “Hey there, Mason sugar. I was hoping to see you again before I hauled ass out of here.”

Mason nodded at the tart…um, cowgirl, and even smiled at her. “Hey, Kit. Is this your barrel horse?”

She nodded. “Yup. This here’s Duke.”

It seemed Mason had a kind word for this cleavage-baring woman but could barely speak civilly to her. April watched the exchange through narrowed eyes, denying what she felt was jealousy.

“You need help loading April Dawn in the trailer, sugar?”

The horse’s name cut through April’s green haze of envy. “April Dawn?” she repeated softly.

That comment drew this Kit person’s attention. “That’s what Clay named her. And what’s your name, sweetie? I’m Kit, a friend of Clay’s.”

A friend.
Yeah, April bet she was. Her photo may have been found in Clay’s jeans, but she bet Kit had been in his pants a few times herself.

She somehow managed to spew out her name. “April.”

At that revelation, Kit raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Mason, who returned it with a slight nod. April’s anger and jealousy ramped up another notch.

Mason ignored her totally and spoke to Kit. “Things are pretty crazy around here right now, so I sure would appreciate your help, if you’ve got the time.”

April turned to Mason and frowned. “I can help you load her up.”

He raised a brow and let his eyes drop down to her shoes again. “I don’t think so. Kit can handle it.”

Dammit. It wasn’t like she had brought a lot of footwear options with her from New York and Mason knew it.

“You help me load Duke, sugar, and then we’ll come right back and I’ll give you a hand.” Out of the corner of her eye, April saw Kit wink.

Kit probably didn’t even need help with her stupid barrel horse. She just wanted Mason’s attention.

“Thanks.” Mason nodded in Kit’s direction, then turned to April, looking amused at her expense. He fished the trailer keys out of his pocket. “If you want to help, you can go out this door here and get the truck. Back it right up to the exit.”

Grinding her teeth to keep from saying anything that would embarrass herself, April snatched the keys from his hand. “Fine.”

April spun on her heel and had to do a little dance to sidestep a fresh steaming pile of manure deposited there by Kit’s horse, Duke. Scowling, she avoided looking back at Mason as she heard him chuckle behind her and she realized it was very difficult to stomp away in high heels.