Chapter 73 The Confrontation
“Y’all are gonna brush the hide off of that gelding.” It was RJ’s voice.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked. She continued brushing and didn’t look up at him.
“Well,” he said. “I didn’t see you around, so I came looking for you.”
“I already saw you,” she said. Her tone was as cold as she could make it.
“You did, well, why didn’t you...” He stopped when he suddenly realized what she had seen. He’d been caught, and there was no need to make excuses. “So you saw me, huh?” The smile was gone from his face.
“You might as well get the hell out of here,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just...”
“No excuses,” she interrupted. “Just get!” She heard him shuffling away. Her anger was burning inside of her, and she needed to get it out. “Wait!” She stepped to the door of the stall and opened it. He was standing about ten yards away, where he had stopped and turned to wait for her. “I believed that we had something real. You seemed so honest and so sincere, and then you pull this kind of crap on me.”
“I just can’t be tied down,” he said. “I move too fast, and things can be over too quick for me.”
“That’s the fucking excuse you’re gonna give?” she snapped. “The real reason is you are a lying, cheating son of a bitch. Yeah, you’re slick. You kill all the ladies with those bright blue eyes and that devilish smile. Inside, however, you’re just a fucking rattlesnake. Now get the hell out of here and go bury your face in that pair of big tits you found!” She turned on her heel and went back into the stall, slamming the door behind her. It spooked Sonny a bit, so she had to calm him and herself.
When she raised her head from Sonny’s neck again, she heard someone stirring outside the stall. The bastard had come back. He was working the latch on the stall. “I told you to leave!” she shouted.
“Actually, you didn’t,” Evelyn replied. “Must have been someone else.”
“Oh,” she said, wiping her face and trying to look like nothing had happened. “I didn’t know it was you. I thought it was...”
“I know who you thought it was,” she said. “I met him as he was leaving. You must have really let him have it.”
“He deserved it,” Alexandra replied. “The bastard! Did you see that bimbo he was with?”
“Yeah,” Evelyn said. “I saw Big Boobs with him. I’m guessing you did too. Anyway, I told him that he'd better get his ass over here and take care of his business with you or I’d tear into it.”
“You did that?”
“I sure as hell did,” she said. “I didn’t know that I could scare a bull rider, but maybe it played on his guilt a little. Anyway... How are you doing?”
“I’ll be alright,” she said. “Sonny is pretty damned good at listening.”
“Why don’t you bring him and ride along while I warm up Ali?”
“Seriously?” she said. “I can’t ride your barrel horse.”
“Sure, you can, he’s a big baby. Come on, it’ll do you good.”
Evelyn saddled and bridled Ali, and Alexandra put the bridle on Sonny and rode him out to the warm-up arena. They made several circuits around the arena in silence. Alexandra didn’t want to upset Evelyn, so she bit back any tears or any discussion about what had happened. She wanted Evelyn to be focused on her event.
“So, that’s why I couldn’t get a hold of you for an hour or so,” she said. “You saw him right off, huh?”
“Yeah.” She bit back the tears. She refused to cry over it. “I guess you can say that you told me so.”
“Nope,” Evelyn said. “I can’t say that. I actually believed him, too.”
“He’s one slick son of a bitch,” Alexandra said.
“They all are,” she replied. “I’ve been there a time or two myself.”
“Hey, let’s not talk about this anymore,” Alexandra said. “You got a race to win.”
“Yeah, and this has me pissed off enough to do it without a horse,” Evelyn smiled.
“I feel sorry for Ali tonight,” Alexandra laughed through her welling tears and then sniffled softly.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m likely to drive him pretty hard tonight, but he’s a male, too... of sorts.”
“Sonny and I discussed gelding all of the men in the world earlier,” Alexandra smiled.
“Not a bad idea, sister,” Evelyn replied. “Ride with me to the gate, would you?”
“Sure.” When they arrived at the waiting area, it was just in time for the beginning of the barrel racing. Evelyn was third in line to run and moved up as the first competitor finished her run. As Evelyn moved away from her, Alexandra called to her, “Evelyn, go win this race.”
Evelyn won every go-round and the finals in Cheyenne. She went to the pay window for one of the biggest payoffs she had ever had from her riding. Despite herself, Alexandra could not stay away from watching the bull riding. Even though she was completely put out with RJ, she had to watch. He bucked off every bull that he rode. His streak was over. “Serves the son of a bitch right,” she told Evelyn after his last buck off of the weekend.
“At least your luck is still holding with me,” Evelyn laughed. “I hope I don’t piss you off.”
From that point forward, the two of them laughed together and talked like they were sisters, developing a deeper bond than they had ever thought possible since the accident. They had both sworn off men until the season was over. “Maybe we’ll find us a couple of hotties in Vegas after the finals are over and get a little wild, then send them home to their wives,” Evelyn joked. “Married men are the best, because you can get what you need and then send ‘em home. You don’t have to put up with their crap.”
“Oh my god,” Alexandra replied with a serious expression, faking like she was hurt.“I can’t believe you just said that.”
“I can’t believe it either,” she replied. Her expression changed to match Alexandra’s thinking that she might have insulted her. “You’re right, that is so totally wrong. Who wants to be the poor wife at home while her hubby is out playing? I’m sorry.”
“So wrong,” she began, then broke into a burst of laughter. “But so totally true!”
“You’re getting better at that,” Evelyn laughed. “I’m gonna have to watch you!”