Three-quarters of an hour later, Pete and Mandingo were in the two-horse trailer starting for home with Dad.
Danny had tried to say how sorry he was for lying, but he’d only gotten two words out before Dad raised his hand. “You’ve got nothing to say that I want to hear.”
Tyrell kept his mouth shut as he helped load the horses.
He and Danny watched Dad drive away, the trailer swaying over the dirt.
“Little brother?”
Danny stared after the truck.
“I were you, I’d just keep my mouth shut till he’s ready to talk.”
“Nothing he could say would make me feel any worse than I already do.”
They headed for the stands.
“Danny! Tyrell!”
They turned and saw Ann waving them up. “You go on,” Tyrell said. “I need some water.”
Danny took the steps two at a time.
A man shouted, “Nice roping, kid,” and Danny nodded, thanking him.
Ann was sitting with Meg and what looked like her family. Danny recognized the tall guy. Another kid sat on the other side of him, the two of them looking as friendly as wolves.
Ann scooted over and patted a spot next to her.
Danny sat.
“Danny,” Meg said. “This is my mom and dad and my brothers Jacob and Jeremy.”
Danny glanced over at them and nodded. “Hello.”
The mother had a nice smile, and the dad didn’t look too put out about anything. But the brothers sure did. He wanted to ask Meg what their problem was. Instead he said, “Uh…about Banjo, should—”
Ann touched his arm. “We’ve got it all worked out. We’ll go right after the rodeo.”
“I just want to see Banjo and know that he’s okay.” He looked at his hands, then at Meg. “Thanks for taking care of him. He’s a…a good dog and—”
Danny stopped. He glanced toward the concessions. Hurry up, Tyrell. The girl and her brothers made him nervous.
“Meg,” Ann said. “How interested are you in staying to the end of this?”
“Not too much, I guess. Why?”
“Well, maybe we could go see Danny’s dog now.”
“Sure…if it’s okay with my brother and my mom. We brought two cars.”
Mrs. Harris shielded her eyes from the sun, looking over at Danny. “Okay, but you ride with Jacob, since I don’t know Danny and his brother. That okay with you, Jacob?”
“Sure,” he said.
Tyrell, Danny, and Ann followed Jacob’s truck.
“You sure you want to do this?” Tyrell said. “You know it will only make it harder on you.”
Danny looked out the window. “I’m sure.”
But he wasn’t.
“Those people didn’t look too happy to know the famous Danny Mack.”
“I know,” Ann said. “It was weird.”
“They think I dumped Banjo.”
Tyrell mumbled, “We did dump him.”
A while later, they slowed and drove down a long gravel drive.
“Wow,” Tyrell said. “This is the kind of place you dream about.”
Two horses in a paddock that ran alongside the drive followed Jacob’s truck as they drove in.
In a pen beyond, Danny spotted a lone bay horse watching them. The horse was on the small side but handsome.
In the side-view mirror, he noticed a shiny black big-wheeled pickup following them down the drive. He turned to Tyrell.
“I see him,” Tyrell said.
Jacob parked by the barn.
Tyrell pulled up nearby.
The guy in the black truck parked behind Tyrell and got out.
With a rifle.