Trip told them all the morning of Levon’s funeral that he wasn’t traveling to Colorado to attend the service because Levon didn’t believe in such things and he wanted to honor his friend. He told Tabby and the rest of the hands they could go as long as they were back the next day for work. He’d hold down things until then. But Tabby figured Trip wanted to honor Levon in his own way. Alone.
The ranch hands had a close bond, so Hal and Dusty drove all night to Colorado to attend the funeral. Tabby couldn’t get the time off work on such short notice, although she was sure she could have convinced Jack Robinson, her boss, to let her go. He was a good family man. Although she didn’t broadcast her life to people when she met them, Jack knew about her parents’ deaths and her reason for coming to Sweet. He didn’t let her use it as a crutch, but he was understanding.
She was thankful for her job even though she hated it. She’d love nothing better than to be able to ride and maybe one day teach riding. But for now, she needed her job at the grocery store to make ends meet. She wasn’t to the point where she was making enough money from rodeo earnings to cover her travel expenses and rodeo fees. Working in the store’s bakery may not be glamorous, but it paid the bills and for now, that was enough.
Kasper Dobbs was still hanging around the ranch, discussing business with Trip. Apparently there was a problem with breeding. She’d learned that when Darren Lacey, a local horse breeder, showed up at the ranch and had it out with Trip. Ugly was the word Levon had used to describe how Trip had been on the phone the days before Levon died. She saw that now.
While the voices were raised, she didn’t listen to the particulars and knew nothing of the details of their disagreement because it wasn’t her business. What was her business was Kas’s interest in her riding. He’d come out to the arena every day for the week after Levon’s death while Tabby trained. He just sat on the sidelines. When she was done, he’d go back to the barn with her and they’d talk about things that had nothing to do with riding while she tended to Tenterhook and got him settled back in his stall. Then he’d leave.
Tabby hadn’t learned the reason why he’d been lingering until Trip knocked on her door that morning to tell her Kas was coming with them to the rodeo to see her and Tenterhook perform in competition. He was interested in sponsoring Tenterhook and possibly breeding him.
The excitement she felt over the possibilities was palpable. She loaded Tenterhook into the trailer and they all headed to one of the last rodeo events of the season in Great Falls. A lot rested on how well she and Tenterhook performed today. Kasper Dobbs could end up being the key to her eventually going pro on the rodeo circuit. A big change in her life. Horseshoe be damned. Luck was on her side.
* * *
Darren Lacey and Tanner Rogers were hanging around the holding area when Tabby rode Tenterhook over to the arena for competition. She didn’t know either of them well but she’d seen Darren many times at rodeos and then just the other day at the Lone Creek Ranch since he and Trip had been doing business together.
She’d never had cause to form an opinion about Darren. But after Darren’s appearance yesterday at the ranch, along with his feud with Trip over how breeding of two of their horses was coming along, made Tabby on edge. Couldn’t he have stayed in the stands and watched all the runs like everyone else? If not for the argument she witnessed in the barn yesterday, she wouldn’t even care. But for some reason his presence seemed so imposing.
She pushed all thoughts of Darren Lacey out of her mind as she watched the barrel racer ahead of her to see how she handled her run. The rider cleared the first barrel and raced to the next barrel in the cloverleaf with good form. Her horse stumbled as it turned, but she recovered quickly, not losing her seat. However, she did lose some precious time.
She fixed her gaze on the rider’s form as she made it to the last barrel and held her breath. From where she was, it looked like she was coming in too close to the barrel. Tabby watched with bated breath. As she anticipated, the rider’s horse clipped the side of the barrel, causing it to tip over in front of the horse and make him stop short.
The horse reared up and the rider tumbled back to the arena floor. The crowd reacted to the fall, the commotion causing her horse to race around the arena and then exit through the opening to the holding area where she was waiting with Tenterhook to begin their run.
As the horse raced by them, it startled Tenterhook just enough for Tabby to notice. “It’s okay, boy,” she said, leaning forward and stroking his neck. To herself she mumbled, “That’s the third fall today.”
The announcer recorded the failed run as the rider left the arena on her own and went to catch her horse.
“We’re next,” she said, stroking Tenterhook’s neck again.
She glanced up in the stands and saw Trip sitting with Kas. He’d been impressed with her run at the ranch arena. His interest in Tenterhook was obvious. If they did well today, she’d have her sponsor and be able to afford to travel to more rodeos on the Western Rodeo Circuit next season. If they continued to do well, she may even be able to go to the national professional circuit.
Emotion filled her chest and bubbled up her throat. Her parents would be proud. Levon would be happy for her, and yeah, he would have been proud, too. He didn’t normally come with her to a rodeo. He always stayed back at the ranch and tended to ranch duties with Dusty and Hal. But when she got home, he always asked her about her ride and gave her a little pep talk if she didn’t do well. She wondered what he’d say to her now if he were here.
She felt Tenterhook’s muscles jump beneath her thighs, a clear sign he was itching to start his run. She was ready.
Tabby started her run, kicking Tenterhook’s sides with her heels and held on to the reins getting ready to take her first barrel turn. They took the first turn good and tight and she focused on the second barrel in the cloverleaf. Just as she was about to make the next barrel turn, Tenterhook faltered, losing his footing.
She lurched forward with his movement, but was able to regain her seat in the saddle. Tenterhook tried to compensate, but stumbled again, knocking over the barrel and jumping over it to stop from falling. Tabby jerked forward again, this time unable to keep her place in the saddle. She held on tight and was only vaguely aware of something flying out onto the arena floor. As she lost her grip and went flying off Tenterhook’s back, she braced herself to hit the soft ground. Instead, she smacked into something hard and bounced off it before her world went black.
* * *
The moment Tabby went airborne, Kas jumped to his feet and started running through the bleachers to the arena floor. He didn’t bother to run around to the opening of the arena. Instead, he jumped the wall and ran straight to the spot on the other side of the arena where Tabby crashed into the wall.
From where he was sitting, he couldn’t tell if Tenterhook had rolled on her after she’d fallen or if she’d hit her head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tenterhook showing signs of discomfort. He was walking slowly with his head bobbing, and his hip was slightly dropped as he took each step. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Trip running up behind him.
“Stop Tenterhook before he runs off and breaks that leg,” he called out. “I’ll see to Tabby.”
People were already surrounding Tabby when he got to her. Heart pounding, he pushed his way through the crowd and found her on the ground surrounded by the emergency team who’d gotten there before him. One medic was putting a neck collar on and talking to her. But her eyes were closed.
“Tabby? Can you hear me?” the medic asked. “You’re going to be fine.”
Kas wasn’t sure he’d be fine after what he’d just witnessed. He’d seen plenty of rodeo spills over the years, but this one had his heart pumping out of his chest.
He dropped to his knees and knelt over Tabby.
“Tabby? Can you hear me? It’s Kas.”
At the sound of his voice, her eyes fluttered open. “Tenterhook,” she whispered. “Get…I think he’s hurt.”
“You’re hurt,” Kas said, pushing her hair away from her face.
“Please, Kas. Please get him before he hurts himself more.”
He could tell she was in pain by the expression on her face and the way her whole body tightened every time the medic moved her. He wanted to stay with her. But he couldn’t refuse her plea.
“I’ll get him. Don’t you worry,” he said, hoping he could give her the assurance he didn’t feel. “He’ll be fine.”
By the time they’d loaded Tabby into the ambulance and it sped off to the local hospital, Trip had managed to get Tenterhook back to the holding area where a rodeo veterinarian was inspecting Tenterhook’s hind leg.
“He needs an ultrasound. There’s clearly some damage here, but it’s hard to say what until you get some films of that leg. I can mobilize his leg and give him a tranquilizer so he’s not in so much pain so you can transport him back to your ranch. He’ll need to be looked at right away by your regular veterinarian.”
“What happened?” Kas asked.
Trip picked up the horseshoe that had been thrown in the arena, but didn’t say a word.
“He’s got some bleeding on his belly,” the vet said. “Not too bad. But looks like he threw the shoe with a nail still stuck out far enough to give him a gash. I’ll clean that out, but it looks like it’s just on the surface. It’ll heal fine.”
Kas took the horseshoe from Trip and looked at it. One of the seven nails was still in the shoe. He grabbed the nail between his fingers but it was stuck. “Tenterhook just had new shoes put on a week ago. Why would he throw a shoe so quickly?”
The veterinarian got up from the crouched position he was in. “Perhaps it’s best to talk to your farrier about that.”
* * *
Tabby was still in the hospital. The news about Tenterhook’s injury hurt her more than the broken ankle and the bang on the head she’d suffered from her fall. Given the distance she needed to go to get back home, the emergency room doctor chose to keep her in the hospital for a few days for observation before releasing her.
That gave Kas some time to do some digging on his own. Hunter Williams had already been by the ranch to check on Tenterhook, clearly showing distress over what had happened. He put a bar shoe on the horse’s injured hoof after Dr. Cornin, the ranch’s regular veterinarian had taken an ultrasound of Tenterhook’s hoof and made his diagnosis. Kas wanted another opinion, something Trip didn’t challenge him on when asked. Especially after he learned that Sean Knight would be coming to the ranch to examine Tenterhook himself.
After giving Sean some time to look at the films and examine Tenterhook himself, he gave Kas his diagnosis in the barn.
“What’s the verdict?” Kas asked.
“I wish I had better news,” Sean said. Sean Knight was a well-known veterinarian on the rodeo circuit, although not formally connected with the circuit as a veterinarian. His family had founded the Western Rodeo Circuit generations ago. While he kept his own practice going, he did a lot of work for the rodeo family when asked. Because Sean now lived just outside of Las Vegas with his new wife, making it more difficult for him to examine Tenterhook, Kas was thankful he was able to coordinate Sean’s visit home to his mother’s ranch in Montana. It was close enough for him to come out to the Lone Creek Ranch when Kas called.
“What are Tenterhook’s chances?” Kas asked.
“Looks like he has a coffin bone break. That in itself won’t keep him lame. He’s hurting right now. He will be for a good while. But with the right treatment and a lot of rest and confinement, he could be sound again.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s a strong horse. A beauty. He reminds me a little of that champion horse going back a few years…what was his name?”
Sean fought to think of the name of the horse that had swept the rodeo circuit with countless near perfect rides two years in a rodeo more than ten years ago. The moment Kas had seen Tenterhook, he’d thought the same thing.
“Silver Moon.”
Sean snapped his fingers. “That’s the one. Real tragedy he died so young. He was a beauty too.”
“Yeah.”
News of Silver Moon’s death years ago made headlines in the rodeo world for months. The stud fee for breeding had gone sky high for what little there was left of frozen sperm that had already been collected. Unfortunately, there weren’t too many horses from his line that had appeared on the circuit since.
“Tenterhook is quite a thoroughbred though.”
“Tabby said he was a mustang.”
Sean frowned. “A mustang? Are you sure?”
“It’s what she told me. Her father bought him from Levon years ago. Levon got him from the BLM.”
Sean whistled. “I never would have guessed this was a horse from the Bureau of Land Management. Well, whatever he is, he’ll get through this injury with some time off as long as he gets proper care. I have no doubt he will, given what I’ve seen so far from Dr. Cornin. This bar shoe the farrier put on should keep him mobilized. He should continue with those through his recuperation. But I have to agree with Dr. Cornin’s initial assessment though. I’m not sure about Tenterhook’s chances of competing again.”
“I think Tabby already knows that next season is out of the question.”
Sean closed the gate to Tenterhook’s stall and leaned his arm over the top rail. “I’m talking about competing at all.”
“Never?”
“This injury will take months to completely heal. At least the whole next season. If Tenterhook gets back to training too soon, he’ll lose all the ground he gained. It could take eight months to a year before he’s back to normal. And that’s only if he doesn’t end up with arthritis.”
“So there’s no chance of him competing again?”
Sean shrugged. “Did Dr. Cornin suggest he would be able to compete again?”
“No. In fact, he said Tenterhook’s competition days may be over.”
Sean rubbed his temple with his fingers. “I’m inclined to agree with him. I’ve seen horses come back after a bad injury. It’s not out of the question. But in my experience, a high-performance horse with this type of injury runs the risk of getting reinjured when pushed in training. Like I said, the coffin bone will heal and he could be a fine riding horse for years to come. But there will be scarring that may continue to be a problem, he may develop arthritis, and there is always the risk of infection. Any number of factors could set him back. So it’s hard to say just what Tenterhook’s future will look like. Only time will tell. If he’d pushed, the next injury could be much worse requiring he be put down. I’d hate to see that happen to such a stunning animal.”
“It would kill Tabby.”
“Then make sure she knows Tenterhook needs more than a little bit of rest. It’s going to take him a lot longer to heal than it will take Tabby.”
He shook Sean’s hand. “I appreciate you coming out here on such short notice.”
“Any time. I was with my brother Jesse when you called. He said you two used to be on the circuit together.”
“We were. I’ve been back East so it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”
“He says hello and asked me to pass on the message to call him for a beer while you’re still in Montana.”
“I will.”
After Sean left, Kas filled Trip in on the conversation about Tenterhook’s care. Tabby was due to be released from the hospital later in the day and he’d offered to get her so Trip didn’t have to drive out to Billings. Before he went to the hospital, he stopped at a floral shop and picked up some balloons to help welcome her home. She’d been depressed the other night when she’d been told she had to stay in the hospital for a few days.
He wasn’t even all the way through the hospital door when he found her fully dressed and sitting on the bed with one leg dangling over the side and the other leg with the cast elevated.
“Trip already called. Now I want you to give it to me straight. How bad is Tenterhook?” she asked.
“I brought you some balloons,” he said. He forced his voice to be more chipper than he felt. He wasn’t exactly sure how she would take the news.
“Thanks. But let’s stay focused.”
He smiled. “I am focused.”
“Tenterhook? Trip said you had a second opinion from another vet. How bad was Tenterhook injured that he needed a second opinion?”
She wasn’t going to let it go. That much was clear. All things being considered, Kas didn’t blame her. He remembered what it was like to sit in that hospital bed and be told that he was never going to ride a bull again. That all his hopes of being a champion were gone.
In that moment, all seemed lost to him. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think of anything beyond what he’d lost. What was worse was he couldn’t even react the way he wanted to. He wanted to punch something or throw something and scream at the top of his lungs. He screamed because he hadn’t been able to do anything else with a broken neck and a halo screwed to his scull to keep his neck mobilized.
“Tenterhook has a coffin bone fracture,” he said bluntly.
Tabby slumped back in bed. What little hope she’d had just seconds ago when she gazed at his face looking for answers was now gone.
“Did both veterinarians suggest euthanization?” She’d choked the last word out.
“No. Neither did. Trip must have told you that.”
Hope was back in her expression as tears filled her eyes. “He did. I thought he was lying.”
“Really. I’m not going to lie. And you know that it is a serious injury. But Sean Knight seemed hopeful Tenterhook would at least be able to heal enough for riding. He could live a long life as long as he’s taken care of properly.”
“But no competing,” she said soberly.
“It’s still too early for that. It’s going to take a long time for him to heal and he needs continued care.”
“That I can’t afford.” She blew out a quick breath and rubbed her hands over her face. “Veterinarian bills are expensive. A lot more than I can afford especially since now I have hospital bills to pay for, too.”
“Don’t worry about Tenterhook. He’ll be taken care of.”
He wanted more than ever to wipe that lost look from her face by saying everything would be all right. But he didn’t know that for sure and if he said it, he would be lying. He’d already promised her he wouldn’t.
“I suppose you’ll be leaving for New York soon. I mean, since you’re done with your business at the ranch.”
“No. I still have business here. I’ll be here for a while.”
She nodded. “You’re looking at other horses to sponsor now that Tenterhook is no longer in the running and Mad Dog isn’t breeding? Or maybe another bull to invest in?”
Her disappointment was profound and he felt powerless to change it.
“I’m always on the lookout for stock to invest in. It’s part of what I do. A small part anyway.”
“What do you do?” she asked, suddenly distracted from her disappointment. He used this moment to bring her out of her depression over the situation.
“I buy companies that are failing. If I can rework them and make them profitable, then they continue on. If not, I break them up and sell them piece by piece.”
She frowned. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“How did you go from bull riding to company chopping?”
He chuckled at her chosen term for what he did for a living. “It was as far away from bull riding as I could get.”
“But you’re not. You still invest in stock.”
“After I started making money and I was completely healed of my injuries, I realized how much I missed the sport. It was the only way I could keep doing something I loved. I knew that if I were still in Montana, I’d get the itch to get on a bull again. My doctor told me if I did, I could risk breaking my neck again and this time I could die from it. So I left. I couldn’t be around the sport for a long time without it tearing me apart. Now I can.”
“Levon said you own a hockey team.”
“I do. Part of it anyway. There are several owners. I have a small share. What can I say? I love hockey.”
“But not as much as bull riding.”
He shrugged. “It’s a different kind of rush.”
Tabby nodded and then drew in a deep breath and eased herself off the bed, wincing as her leg went over the side of the bed and dropped to floor.
“Were the balloons to make me feel better for losing out on your sponsorship?”
He glanced at the balloons and for the first time questioned whether he’d made a good choice. Balloons were usually celebratory. Tabby wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. But she would eventually. She just didn’t know it now.
“The balloons were for you to give Tenterhook. He’s feeling a little blue without you.”
She glanced at him and frowned. Then she chuckled softly. He liked hearing her laugh again. He wondered how long it would be before he saw it again.
“That sounds like something Levon would have said to me. Tenterhook will probably like them.”
She got up from the bed and grabbed the crutches the nurse had left for her to use. She fiddled with them for a bit and then grunted with frustration. “I already hate these. It’s a good thing they set me up with a walking cast because as soon as I am able I’m ditching these things to walk on my own.”
He loved her spirit. He loved that in the face of adversity, she fought back. She would heal and she would go on to compete again, even if it wasn’t with Tenterhook. He was sure of it.