Chapter 72 Another Betrayal
It wasn’t far to the rodeo grounds, but it seemed like they hit every red light on the way. Her nerves were nearly shot when they finally arrived. They showed their permit to the gate attendant and headed to where they had parked their trailer, along with the thousands of others. They got out of the pickup and headed across the lot toward the competitor's area. At least they were doing something. It made it a little easier to wait when they were doing something. She was certain that he would call at any minute; if not, she would probably bump into him pretty soon. The idea of seeing him was actually more important than hearing his voice.
“I’m going to go check on the horses,” Evelyn said as they reached the competitor’s tent, which was set up as a hospitality area solely for them. “I’ll meet you back here in a little bit.”
They parted ways, and she turned toward the competitor’s tent and saw RJ. She brightened her smile and started toward him, and then realized that there was a stunning blonde with a huge pair of boobs hanging all over him. He turned to the blonde and gave her a long, wet kiss. Had he turned back in time, he would have seen Alexandra, but she had already seen enough and was running away. She didn’t even know where she was going, just away.
She had believed that it was real. She had believed that they had something special, but Evelyn had been right; she had just been another plaything on a long list. She had assumed that a one-night stand wouldn’t last a month. She would never have believed it from RJ. He seemed so sincere, so honest, so real. First Cameron and now RJ, what was wrong with her? Was she simply easy prey for players? Was she just stupid?
She kept running until she was well away from the competitor’s area. She didn’t want to see him with her. She didn’t want to talk to anyone or see anyone. She wanted to be left alone. The nice thing about the crowds at a fair is that it was the perfect place to hide. No one knew her, and no one was going to recognize her. She could simply wander past all of the exhibits and booths without interacting with anyone. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying. She was determined that she would not cry over this one. The tears had welled up, and she knew that her eyes were probably red, but she refused to cry.
She wandered through the entire set of exhibits without noticing anything in particular, and she wandered to the stables where Evelyn was keeping her horses. She hoped that Evelyn wasn’t around. She could use the company of the horses, but she really did not want to hear Evelyn say, “I told you so.” She would have to face it eventually, but right now was not the time.
Evelyn wasn’t around. She had probably already returned to the competitor’s tent and would probably be wondering where she had gone. She had turned off her cell phone, which would be driving Evelyn nuts. Alexandra suddenly realized that if Evelyn was worried about her, then she wouldn’t be focused. She had to call her and set her at ease. She couldn’t be selfish about this. Evelyn had too much to lose. She turned her phone on and noticed that Evelyn had tried to call her twice. She punched Evelyn’s speed dial number, and the line connected.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering where you were. I just figured you had hooked up with RJ,” Evelyn said, answering the phone. She didn’t sound upset, so Alexandra went with it.
“I’m kind of busy at the moment,” Alexandra replied. “What time do you run?” She had studied the order of performance several times, but she couldn’t remember anything but the time that RJ was supposed to ride.
“Show starts at 7, so I’m guessing somewhere around about 8,” she answered.
“I’ll be there to help you get your horses ready,” Alexandra said.
“No need for that,” Evelyn replied. “I can do it, and I know you two have some catching up to do.”
“Actually, he typically isolates and starts getting ready about the time the show starts, so I’m pretty much on my own then anyway.”
“Okay, I’m going to grab something to eat here at the tent,” Evelyn replied. “I guess I’ll see you at the stalls?”
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s where I’ll be. See you in a bit.” She disconnected the call, opened the door into Sonny’s stall, and slipped quietly inside. Of the two barrel horses, she had connected most with Sonny. She needed to feel the unconditional affection that he had for her. She buried her face in his neck and let go of the tears that she had been carrying around with her for the past hour.
The awesome thing about having a horse to cry on was that they never said a word, and they didn’t get all bouncy and bubbly like a dog. One of the other awesome things, Alexandra thought, was that they were big and strong and completely invincible to the likes of her and her tiny little problems. She let it all go and then straightened herself again. She was not going to continue crying over this. Evelyn had warned her, and she hadn’t listened. It was her own fault. Bull riders were always seeking a new thrill. She had been his thrill last mont,h and now Big Boobs was going to be his new thrill. The hard part is that she had let her heart get involved.
She went to the tack box, pulled out a brush, and began working on Sonny’s coat. It was clean and shiny, but it was as calming and soothing to her as it was to him. “I’m not sure why I do it,” she said. “You know, give my heart away to them. They are all pretty much alike. They take what they can get, and when they are done and they find something new, they just move on.”
Sonny turned his ears toward the sound of her voice and swished his tail a couple of times as though he was sharing her disgust. “Men are pretty much all alike. Not you, of course, you’re not one of them. Horses don’t treat other horses that way, do they? I’m sure you wouldn’t.” She giggled as she considered the fact that since he was a gelding, he didn’t treat another female horse to anything, good or bad.
“Maybe we need to geld most of the men in the world,” she chuckled. “Maybe that would prevent them from playing these games with a girl’s heart.”