It’s a quick ride back to the Circle C, but when I pull into the parking lot, I can see several people standing around. Maguire told me I needed to come see for myself but didn’t elaborate. The sheriff rode with him so when we all get out, I look at them, wondering what the fuck is going on.
“There’s been a riot,” Maguire tells me, and the sheriff nods to his men by the entrance.
“Security caught Mr. Walker on camera bringing the wild bull into the stalls last night. He had help from a couple of riders.”
“I fucking knew it,” I say through gritted teeth. “So what’s with the crowd?”
The sheriff nods to the group of cowboys by the entrance. “Apparently some of the guys found the riders that helped Walker sneak the bull in and decided to handle the punishment themselves.” The sheriff shrugs. “Not that I blame them. Walker was running scams out of the arena, and the assholes that brought in the bull were in on it.”
“Well, ain't this a fucking mess.” I sigh and shake my head.
“I’ve tried to tell them to get out of here, but they demanded to talk to you,” Maguire says.
“Then let’s get it over with.”
The riders from last night are standing around three guys that look beat to hell but are thankfully still alive. When I get close, one of them steps forward, and I see it’s the rider from last night that got injured.
“Jericho, why the fuck aren’t you in the hospital?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“Doctor said it was just some bruising. Besides, I knew I’d feel better after I blew off some steam.” He rubs his knuckles, and I nod in understanding.
“Thanks for cleaning up. What do I owe you? You and your friends did me a favor by holding these guys for the sheriff to haul off. I’d like to find a way to thank you for it.”
“When I heal up, I’d like a chance to compete again in the Circle C.”
“You got it,” I say, not hesitating. He deserves another chance after getting screwed over.
“And I’d like a job.”
“What?” both Maguire and I say at the same time.
“I’m tired of getting my ass kicked in the arena. I want to work for the best, and in my opinion, that’s you, Bronco.”
I look at Maguire, and he shrugs like it’s my decision. I suppose it is, but I’m not exactly sure where we could put Jericho.
“I have a degree in accounting, but I’m happy to muck stalls if that’s what it will take to get signed on here.”
“Accounting, huh?” I think about Tracy never having any backup or having someone to help her in the office to have a day off. Maybe getting her an assistant might ease up some of the work she’s been carrying all this time. “All right, Jericho. You can have your last night in the arena, and then I’ll put you to work.”
“Thanks, Bronco,” he says, shaking my hand. “I won’t let you down.”
“I expect you won’t,” I say, and he and Maguire go over to where the injured guys are sitting on the ground. That’s when I turn to the sheriff. “So what about those assholes?”
“I think we can keep this quiet, but the real problem is Walker. I went out to his trailer with Maguire this morning, but he was gone. It wasn’t too long ago either, because when Maguire used his key to go inside, the coffee pot was still warm.”
“I told him he was supposed to get the hell out of town the night I bought the Circle C.” I narrow my eyes on the front doors and see the brand-new security cameras flashing. “I bet he took one look at the new security system and didn’t try anything after hours. He could sneak in easily enough when the event was going on, but he couldn’t get in after everything was locked up.”
“Is there anything he could want from you besides the money?”
“No, I paid him over what he was asking, and the deal was for him to get the fuck out of town.”
The sheriff rubs his chin like he’s thinking it over. “There’s got to be something. Why else would he hang around? He most likely put the wild bull in to cause a scene and make the event look bad. If he could scare riders away from the Circle C, then you’d have a hard time keeping the lights on. But it feels like he was doing it to distract you or the boys from something.”
I think about what the sheriff is saying, and I can’t think of anything he’d want besides my money. Hell, he signed over his own daughter to get at it. Unless…
“Wait,” I say, thinking about Tracy. “Maybe it’s not something he’s after. Maybe it’s someone.”
“What do you mean?”
Maybe Tracy wasn’t part of the deal after all. Maybe he said all that shit just so I would be forced to take it over. He could have thought I wouldn’t actually agree to take her, let alone fall in love with her.
When she told me those words this morning, it was the first time in my life I’d ever felt worthy of anything. Not when I won Nationals, or when I got into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. When Tracy told me she loved me, that was my proudest moment. That’s when I wanted to be the best version of myself, so that I deserved her love. I was just about to tell her all of that and say it back before we got interrupted.
Tracy is selfless and caring to a fault. She will sacrifice her own happiness even to the one man that deserves it the least. I’d be willing to bet every last cent that Mr. Walker loved having that kind of power over her and isn’t willing to give that up so easily.
“I need to go,” I say, as the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“What’s going on?” the sheriff asks, but I’m already in motion.
If he’s stupid enough to come to my house and try to take Tracy away from me, then he better be ready for a fight. There’s nothing that will separate Tracy from me, especially her deadbeat dad.
“You might wanna send a patrol by my house,” I call out to the sheriff as I get in my truck. “Maybe an ambulance too.”