Page 51 of Silent Deception
The clowns both raced forward, inches from the front of the bull as it staggered to its feet, shook its horns, and spun back to slam Garrett against the chute once, then twice before losing interest.
Two mounted ringmen raced over and herded the bull out of the arena. The gatemen rushed to Garrett’s side, and the medic arrived seconds later.
Stunned, Kristin hurried after Ryan as he flew down the risers to the arena, vaulted over the fence, and ran to Garrett.
But even after those endless seconds, Garrett wasn’t moving.
* * * *
BY THE TIME THE AMBULANCEhad loaded Garrett, he was half-conscious and talking, his blood pressure stable, but no one could be sure of just how much damage he’d incurred.
Ryan’s face was impassive as they followed the ambulance to a nearby hospital.
“You tried to stop him,” Kristin said. “That’s all you could do. He’s a grown man, making his own decisions.”
“Stupid ones,” Ryan bit out. “He’s throwing his life away on this. From what I hear, even his rodeo buddies have tried to make him back off on the bulls.”
“He doesn’t see that for himself?”
“He’s cocky, he’s young. Thinks he owns the world, and the bull riders are the stars of the rodeo.”
“And that kind of thinking could get him killed.” Kristin laid a hand on Ryan’s arm. “At least you were here tonight.”
“To pick up the pieces?” He gave her a brief glance. “He won’t thank me for it. He’s run wild most of his life and has refused to answer to anyone. This won’t be the end of it, I’m sure.”
Three hours later, after X-rays, a CT, and lab work, the ER staff trundled Garrett out of the emergency department in a wheelchair and helped him up into the backseat of Ryan’s truck.
“The doctor did want you to stay overnight,” said one of the older nurses. “You can still change your mind.”
At Garrett’s vehementno,she reluctantly held out his discharge documents.
Kristin reached around Garrett to accept them. “We’ll stay with him tonight, promise.”
“Any problems, and he’ll be in San Antonio pronto,” Ryan added. “Thanks for everything.”
Garrett waited until they were out of the parking lot, then groaned. “No matter what that nurse said, no more docs. I’ll be f-fine.”
“Yeah, wait until those painkillers wear off and tell me that again.” Ryan’s sharp tone echoed the concern etched on his face as he glanced in the rearview mirror. “Maybe next time, you’ll take better care of yourself.”
Kristin twisted in her seat to look back at Garrett. The crimson hematoma covering his right cheek would be purple by morning; his eye was already swollen shut.
Two thousand pounds of angry bull had also given him three cracked ribs, a mild concussion, and a blinding headache. It was an absolute miracle he wasn’t lying on a surgery table...or worse. “Are you comfortable enough back there?”
“Dandy,” he snarled without opening his eyes. He grabbed at the Navajo saddle blanket draped across the backrest of his seat, then shifted so he could lean into the corner and draped the blanket over his long legs. “I still think you coulda called someone at the ranch and gotten the chopper over here.”
“Trevor’s gone for the weekend. Dad can’t pilot any longer. Who’s gonna bring it, Adelfa?”
Grumbling, Garrett tipped his black hat down over his eyes. “Jus’ wake me up when we’re home.”
Miles of empty Texas prairie rolled by, marked by an occasional intersection boasting a gas station or a few shabby, deserted buildings that might once have been the seeds of a small town.
“I’m sorry about this evening,” Ryan murmured as he turned off the two-lane blacktop and onto a cloverleaf entrance for I-10. He glanced at the digital clock set in the dash. “Here you have a weekend alone to get lots of things done at your place, and you’ll be too tired to do anything but sleep. We won’t get back until three.”
“Don’t worry about it. I enjoyed the rodeo a great deal until Garrett got hurt. I haven’t done anything like this since I was a kid. My dad...” Belatedly remembering that her father was a touchy subject at the Four Aces, she faltered to a stop. The heavy weight of sadness and loss settled into her chest. “He was a good man, Ryan. I know he had his faults, but...”
Ryan took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not convinced my father and Leland are right about him. A man is innocent until proven guilty in my book.”
“But you’re working in the ranch’s office, right?” The warmth of his hand felt so reassuring that she felt a glimmer of hope. “You’d be able to tell what happened?”
