“I’m shocked down to the bone,” Hank snapped. “So this has been goin’ on for three years?”
“It’s been goin’ on for a hell of a lot longer than that. Did you see her ride? Jesus. She was amazing. No f**kin’ way did she get that damn good in such a short amount of time.” Kyle loomed over her. “You never quit, did you?”
“I didn’t quit practicing. I quit competing. Big difference.”
“No difference,” Hank retorted. “Where’d you get the money to start hitting the rodeos? Because I know it ain’t cheap.”
“I earned it.”
Hank laughed. “Doin’ what?”
“What the hell does it matter to you? I pay my own traveling expenses. And my entry fees. I take care of boarding my horse. It’s my money—”
“What horse you riding? It ain’t one of ours.”
There was that stubborn look again.
“Where’d you get a horse of that caliber, Celia?”
She grudgingly said, “I bought Mickey from Eli as a cow horse. But neither of us knew how much natural ability he had until I started putting him through his paces.”
Hank gave Kyle a look that promised he’d deal with Eli.
A look Celia intercepted with a terse, “Leave Eli out of this. I mean it, Hank. You wanna piss me off worse—”
“Piss you off? You wanna talk about torqued off, little sis, just how long have you been sneaking around behind Abe’s and my backs? Lying to us?”
Her mouth flattened. Her eyes glowed with pure anger.
“Answer him,” Kyle demanded.
When Celia remained mum, Hank also got in her face. “Fine. I’m tired of arguing with you anyway. Get your shit packed and get on home. Abe will hafta deal with you until I get back.”
“No.”
Hank froze. “What did you say?”
“I believe she said no,” Lainie said behind them.
Both he and Kyle turned around.
Fucking great. He tried to calm down, if only for Lainie’s sake. “Lainie. Darlin’—”
“Don’t you dare Lainie, darlin’ me, Hank.” Lainie glared at Kyle. “You either, Kyle.” She moved beside Celia. “You okay?”
“Yes and no. Yes, because I won.” She held up the gold buckle. “No, because . . . well, you heard.”
“Ignore them. Celebrate the good. It was a great ride. I video-taped it with my cell phone, if you want me to send it to you. I’m definitely sending it to Tanna.”
“You are?”
“Yes, but I’ll warn you it’s not the greatest quality—”
“Wait a second. How did you know to videotape CeCe. . . ?” A fresh burst of anger erupted and Hank loomed over Lainie. “You f**king knew she was competing in barrel racing?”
“Yep.”
“How?”
Lainie stabbed him in the chest with her index finger. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you are being a complete and total dickhead to your only sister.”
Hank’s mouth opened. Closed.
“I’ll say this once. Celia is not a baby. She is a twenty-one-year-old woman who you and Abe still treat like a girl. I watched you both do it, so don’t tell me I don’t understand where you’re coming from. I do. Believe me, I do. If you want to drive her away, by all means, keep it up. Continue to make all of her life decisions for her, because she’ll decide to leave, and that’ll be the best decision she makes.”
“Hank and Abe only want what’s best for her, Lainie,” Kyle said.
“No. They want to control her. But you’re in the same ‘she’s a little girl’ mind-set they are.”
“Maybe if Celia started acting responsible, Abe and me would take her more seriously.” Right after Hank said it, he knew it was the wrong damn thing to say.
Celia stomped up to him. “Responsible? Who does all the books for the ranch? Makes sure the bills get paid on time? Checks that our grazing permits and all that other federal, state, and tribal paperwork is filed in quadruplicate?”
Lord. He’d really stepped in it.
“I’ve always done anything you’ve asked, Hank. Both you and Abe. The one thing I wanted in my life? You guys denied me. For my own good. So yeah, maybe it was rebellious to keep up with my training. There were so many times I wanted to tell you, but I knew you’d react like this. And guess what? I wasn’t wrong.”
Lainie rubbed Celia’s arm in a show of support that both inflamed Hank and endeared her to him.
Kyle said, “What’s wrong is that you’re putting yourself at risk. It is childish not to give a shit that Hank and Abe both worry about you. It’s selfish as hell, Celia.”
“You’re one to talk, Kyle. Didn’t you tell me your mama begged you not to get on the back of a bull again? After you were seriously injured? What did you do after a full year’s recovery time? Said ‘too bad, so sad, Mama, see you later; I got me some bulls to ride.’ So don’t you dare lecture me about selfishness and childishness.”
Hank bet Kyle was sorry he’d opened his big trap too.
Yet the man kept going. “Dressing like that ain’t helping.” He gestured to her clothing. “Don’t lie and say this whole thing is only about you wanting to race around a buncha barrels. It’s about you getting noticed by every damn cowboy in the place.”