Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (5 page)

FIVE

F
riday morning dawned hot and humid. Tonya stood at the window of Mia's little kitchen, looking out over the area. Trailers, motor homes, RVs and fifth wheels filled all the slots. She breathed in the smell of bacon and coffee. Coffee. Her one vice. Okay, one of two vices. She seemed to have a thing for bull riders, too. Her lips twisted. While she loved coffee and drank a lot of it, she needed to avoid the buckaroos. Especially a tall, good-looking, blue-eyed bull rider.

She moved to the table and shoved aside the deck of cards and poker chips. She shook her head and frowned.

She sipped on her second cup and thought about her life.
God, I believe You're in control and nothing is happening to me that You don't allow. But this is a hard one.
Hank Newman. Just thinking his name sent shivers up her spine. And not the good kind. Not the kind being around Seth Starke elicited.

“You ready?”

Tonya gave a little start and lifted her head at Mia's voice. Her friend was already up and dressed, her dogs prancing near their leashes hanging on a peg next to the door. “I'm ready.” She gestured to the cards and chips. “I didn't realize you were into gambling.”

Mia hesitated a moment, then shrugged. “Not me. Monty. He plays with some of the guys occasionally.”

“I appreciate him bunking with someone else so I could stay here last night.” There was barely room for two people, much less three.

“Of course. He probably preferred it.” She gave a small smile. “He says I nag him too much.”

“Who? You? You're kidding.” Tonya let the teasing sarcasm slip into her tone and Mia gave a short laugh.

“I know, right? I can't help it. I'm his big sister. I'm supposed to take care of him.” She frowned and took a deep breath. “These days I just can't seem to do a very good job with that.”

“Monty's a grown man. He can take care of himself.”

“Yeah.” She waved a hand to dismiss the subject. “Now...
he's
not going to mess with your concentration, is he?”

Who? Seth or Hank? “No. I refuse to let him.” The answer fit for either man.

“Have you decided what you're going to do about that creep, Hank?”

“No, I'm still thinking.”

“Okay, well, while you're thinking, I'm going to get the day started.” Mia hooked the dogs' leashes on, grabbed her scooper and a plastic bag and opened the door. “We'll be back.”

“I'll be getting ready.”

Mia left, leaving Tonya alone with her thoughts once more. And those thoughts kept leading her to Seth. In a way he reminded her of her brothers. Strong, caring, protective. She grimaced at the last word but had been grateful for that particular trait last night.

Tonya dressed for the day, still trying to decide what to do, where she would go. She had one more show to do; then she could either take some time off and go into hiding for a while, or she could take her chances and fight back. For a moment she considered calling her family. Her brothers would drop everything and rush to her side. But then she remembered Hank's threats. “All it takes is one bullet,” he'd hissed. “And I've got plenty of those.”

Mia came back and let the dogs inside. Shaggy, the white-and-brown terrier mix, leaped up onto the couch and settled himself on the end. Scrappie, a larger golden retriever, gave Tonya's hand a wet kiss. She scratched his ears and smiled. Animals were such innocent and sweet creatures. She had to admit it would be nice to have your every need catered to. And to not have to worry if someone was trying to kill you.

Or if they'd eventually succeed.

“You all right?” Mia asked as she hung the leashes on their hooks.

“I'm hanging in there.” Tonya forced a smile.

“We have about an hour before we have to be at the arena. Did you eat?”

“A granola bar. I'm not hungry. I think I'm going to go ahead and go over there. I want to check my barrel and get into costume in the dressing room.”
And avoid thinking about last night.

Mia frowned. “All right, let me grab my bag and we'll go together. You probably don't need to be walking alone.”

Tonya hadn't planned on it. She'd already decided to ask Seth if he'd walk with her. But maybe it was better this way. She'd already spent entirely too much time thinking about the handsome buckaroo. Not just in the past twenty-four hours but over the past year since Daniel's death. Seth had been one of the first ones to offer his condolences in the face of his own grief over losing one of his best friends...and she hadn't forgotten that. Only now her feelings had started to turn from friendship to more of an attraction. A romantic interest.

The very idea scared her to death. She gathered her bag and scolded herself for her thoughts. There was no way she would put herself through that again. She refused to love someone who rode a bull for a living. Her heart had only just healed from losing Daniel. And while the grief had faded some, the guilt hadn't.

And besides, Seth was still nursing his own wounded heart. Tonya knew Glory had dumped Seth soon after he'd broken his leg. He hadn't even been discharged from the hospital and she'd already written him off and walked out. Tonya had never cared much for the woman, but after that incident, she avoided being around her as much as possible.

“I'm ready when you are,” Mia said. “Come on. We'll take the golf cart. I don't feel like walking. It was a late night.”

The arena was about a mile and a half away. Tonya wouldn't have minded the hike but didn't argue. She followed Mia out the door and down the steps to the golf cart. The dogs hopped onto the back and Tonya climbed in beside Mia.

“You have room for one more?”

Tonya's stomach knotted and she turned in the seat to find Seth walking toward them. “Sure, hop on.” Freshly shaven and dressed to ride, he looked as attractive as ever. She also noted that he walked with a slight limp. “How's the leg?”

“Not great, but not as bad as I'd thought it was going to be.” He grimaced and settled himself beside Tonya. She gulped at his nearness. His broad shoulder rested against hers and she tried to scoot a bit toward Mia.

Mia gunned the gas and they headed for the arena. Others were up and on the way, as well. They merged with the crowd. Tonya couldn't help examining everyone she could see. Was Hank lurking around? Was he looking for her even now? She drew in a deep breath and focused on the man beside her. “Are you going to be able to ride?” she asked him.

“I don't really have a choice if I hope to keep my spot in the finals.”

Tonya tensed. “If your leg isn't strong enough, you won't be able to hold on. You could fall again.”

“Yeah. I know.”

She knew he knew. They all knew. Including the crowd surging into the arena just ahead. Seth's fall and subsequent injury had been big news in the rodeo industry yesterday. The fact that he planned to ride today was even bigger. Rodeo fans would make a special effort to come out and cheer him on. Or root for his failure, depending on who their favorite was. Tonya clamped her lips shut and tried to mentally prepare herself for the next bullfight.

“Hey, Mia, I never got my rope back from yesterday. Did you pick it up?”

“Yes, it's in the storage room. I hung it on the wall.”

“Thanks.”

After every bull ride, the rodeo clowns usually were the ones who gave the rope back to the buckaroo. In Seth's case, since he'd been injured and on the way to the hospital, storing it was the only option until he could claim it. She noticed his frown. “What is it?”

“I keep going over the fall from yesterday. Something wasn't right.”

“Exactly. You fell.”

“No,” he said and shot her a twisted smile. “That's not what I mean. It was right before I was going to dismount from the bull. The rope slipped—or something.”

Mia scoffed. “How would that happen? You put that rope on yourself.”

“I know, but I think I remember it moving and that's what threw me off balance.”

Tonya studied his serious features. Seth was a really good-looking man. And he had a kind heart to round out the whole appealing package. “Seth, you've been putting ropes on bulls for a long time. Have you ever had one slip before?”

“Never. Which is why I want to take a look at it.” He gestured toward the bag at his feet. “I have another one for today but want to check out the one from yesterday.”

Mia parked the golf cart and pocketed the key. They flashed their badges, made their way into the arena and headed to the area where they would get ready for the show.

Seth stopped Tonya with a hand on her arm. Mia kept going into the dressing room. “Are you sure you're up to this? We're both pretty beat up from yesterday. I don't want you to worry about me.”

Tonya stared at him. She was in exactly the position she didn't want to be in. He was starting to care about her. Yesterday when he offered her comfort and security, she hadn't been thinking about this moment. A moment very similar to the one that had gotten Daniel killed because he'd been distracted by his feelings for her. “I'm fine.” She forced a coldness into her voice. “You do your job and just let me do mine. Don't let your emotions or worry for me cloud your judgment.”

He blinked. Then withdrew his hand from her arm. She felt his emotional withdrawal, as well, and wanted to blurt out that she didn't mean it, that she was sorry. Instead she bit her lip. It was for his own good. He gave her a short nod. “See you.”

“Seth—”

He raised a hand. “I'll see you.”

Regret washed over her. “All right.”

He walked away and she shook off the wish that she'd handled that differently. She felt so alone. Truly alone. A shiver danced up her spine and she looked around.

Or maybe not so alone. A shadow at the end of the hallway caught her attention and set her heart to racing. She slipped inside the dressing room and shut the door. Thankfully, two other rodeo clowns were there and in the process of getting ready. Jeanine and Claire.

Was she being paranoid? Tonya didn't chastise herself for it. She had every right to be. Lifting her chin, she moved to an empty table with a mirror over it. She'd made her decision.

She was going to fight back.

“Which routine are you doing today, Tonya?”

“I'm getting shot out of the cannon.” She tossed a smile at Claire. The pretty blonde mother of three was new and seemed nervous to work the crowd. She was an amazing bullfighter, though, and Tonya figured she'd soon be winning competitions.

Tonya dressed and applied her makeup while her thoughts spun. Remorse gripped her by the throat. She shouldn't have pushed Seth away so hard. He'd just been trying to help her. She'd apologize as soon as she saw him again.

“I figured that's the act you were doing today,” Claire said. “I saw the guys testing the dummy with the cannon.”

Tonya nodded. Being shot out of a cannon was a life-and-death act. It wasn't the shooting so much as the landing. She had to land in the net. Which meant the cannon had to be tested to make sure the distance to the net was correctly measured. She felt secure in the act. In fact, it was one of her favorites.

“How do you do that without losing your breakfast?” Claire asked.

Tonya let out a little laugh. “I love the feel of flying through the air. It's a natural rush.”

Claire shook her head. “Not me. Thanks.” The woman left and Tonya pushed away from the mirror. She was ready. She just prayed if Hank Newman was out there, she saw him before he saw her.

* * *

Seth wasn't sure he was ready for the ride and that worried him. He kept fixating on Tonya's curtness and her apparent disregard when he expressed concern for her safety. It bothered him, but he had to push it aside and concentrate on the ride. He grabbed his rope and headed for the bull pen.

He scanned each face he passed, looking for a match to the picture he'd seen of Hank Newman. But he didn't see him.

“Howdy, Seth.” Jake stood at the entrance to the bull pen, hands working the rosin onto the rope where he'd grip it during his ride.

“How you doing this morning, Jake?”

“Better than you. That leg bothering you?”

“A bit.”

“Going to ride anyway.” Seth offered his friend a tight smile. Jake's words hadn't been a question.

Monty poked his head up from the rope he'd been working with. “Mia said Tonya had some excitement last night.”

“Yes, a bit.”

“She all right?”

“She will be.”

Monty glanced at Seth's leg. “Hope you know what you're doing.”

Seth sighed. “You and me both. Do you mind—?”

“Attention, folks, may I have your attention.” Seth paused as the voice came over the PA system. “The rodeo is canceled for today. I repeat, the rodeo is canceled for today. Please make your way out of the arena. We will let you know when we will be back up and running, but for now, we need you to leave the arena.”

Seth frowned. Jake's jaw dropped. Their eyes met. “What? Are they nuts?” Jake asked. “Canceling the rodeo?”

Seth shook his head. “I don't know, but I'm going to find out.”

He gathered his bag from the hook where he'd hung it. Then pulled his phone from the bottom and checked it. Clay, his brother, had called three times. Seth hit the button to return the call.

“Seth, finally,” Clay said after picking up halfway through the first ring.

Fear sliced through him. “What's wrong? Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone's fine at home. I'm at the arena. I was going to watch you ride—or talk you out of it after I talked to Mom last night—but I got a call from a buddy of mine here in Nashville.”

“Yeah?”

“There's been a bomb threat, Seth. You need to get out.
Now.
”