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town was in peril. Will dug his heels into his mount’s sides and galloped the distance. He maneuvered his horse between the bull and the broken fence. A horn caught his horse’s flank, and the animal brayed. A second lunge narrowly missed Will’s thigh.
People pushed and shoved, madly fleeing the area.
Tomasina frantically gestured toward the cowboy at the far end of the corral. “Grab my rope.”
They had to keep the bull occupied until the majority of the crowd dispersed. The animal kicked at the fence once again, cracking the top railing in two. Time was quickly running short.
With the bull breathing down his neck, Will galloped toward the exit. “Open the gate for Tomasina!”
Several cowboys frantically unlatched the fastening.
He gestured toward her. “Get out of here.”
There was no reason for both of them to take the risk. His only chance at limiting injuries to onlookers was to keep the animal contained.
He glanced over his shoulder, and his heart skittered and stalled. Instead of galloping toward the gate, Tomasina approached the bull at a dead-on run. She worked a rope in her hands, winding her arm in a rhythmic motion. Like a furious Valkyrie, her focus remained fixed on her target, and her hair streamed behind her. Twirling the lasso high above her head, she launched the loop and neatly snared the animal’s head then yanked her horse to a halt.
Shocked by the sudden obstruction, the bull’s speed faltered. The animal shook its head, bucking and snorting. The steer sat back on its heels and spun in a taut circle. Tomasina held tight. Will whistled again, and the frightened steer paused only a moment before resuming its agonized pitching.
Tomasina’s hold faltered. Time slowed. First one hand broke free then the other. The rope caught her legs and yanked her from her mount. Fear urged him forward. She’d be pulverized beneath the bull’s hooves in an instant. Will slapped his horse’s hindquarters with the extra length of reins and charged. The steer pawed the ground, and Tomasina scuttled away. The steer ducked its head and plunged forward. The tip of one horn grazed her head.
Tomasina dug in her heels and frantically scooted backward. Will galloped between the pair and leaped from the saddle. He grasped the bull’s horn and concentrated all his weight into the collision. Twisting his body, he landed on his back, hauling the bull to its side in the process. The air whooshed from Will’s lungs and stars shot like shrapnel behind his eyes.
A gunshot sounded.
The cowboys sprang into action. Bodies swarmed them. Will shook the fog from his vision and kept his grip, draping his leg over the bull’s neck. Another shot sounded and the animal went still.
Will collapsed onto his back and stared at the cloudless sky. His breath came in harsh gasps. The enormous steer lay sprawled in the center of the corral. He touched the animal’s side, felt a great heaving sigh and then nothing. Pushing off, he lurched away and gritted his teeth against the pain firing up his leg.
Thrown from her horse, Tomasina sat back on her heels and brushed at her pants.
The events of the past few moments played out in his memory with sickening detail. She’d nearly been killed.
Daniel appeared in front of him. His friend stuck out his hand and helped Will up, discreetly passing him his walking stick in the process.
Daniel shielded his eyes against the sun. “You all right? That was quite a show you put on.”
“I’m fine.” Will mumbled his thanks.
“Quincy and I will start assessing the damage.”
“I’ll join you in a minute.”
Once his friend had walked out of earshot, Will advanced on Tomasina. “Have you taken leave of your senses?”
She staggered upright, a relieved grin on her expressive face. “That was a real humdinger. I didn’t think you had it in you, Daddy Canfield.”
“Do you have a death wish?” he thundered. “Did you actually think you could slow thousands of pounds of charging bull?”
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d raised his voice to anyone, let alone a woman. Normally his rage was a cold thing. He’d discovered early in his military career that low tones were more lethally effective than shouts. Tomasina was singularly unaffected by his ire, which only increased his fury.
“Don’t get riled at me.” Her expression morphed into annoyance. “You jumped on him!”
“We’re not talking about me.”
She lifted her eyes heavenward. “And I suppose because you’re a man you think you’re the only one who can risk his life?”
“It’s not about who can risk their life, it’s about being sensible.”
“You didn’t look too sensible when you were diving toward those horns.” She blew out a heavy breath. “I don’t think men are as interested in protecting women as they are in taking all the glory.”
“Glory? I can assure you, glory was the very last thing on my mind.”
She scowled, circled the steer and then knelt near its haunches. “Look at that.”
“If you’d listened to me, none of this would have happened.” He realized she was no longer engaged in the conversation. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone speared this animal.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, smearing red across her face. “This didn’t happen by accident. We check all the animal pens for weaknesses and breaches. How did this bull get into the corral in the first place? Someone released him on purpose.” Glaring at Will, she demanded, “Did you have anything to do with this? You wanted my show shut down from the beginning. It’s as good as over now.”
“My whole concern was the safety of the spectators.” He looped the horse’s reins in his hands. “Why would I endanger them this way?”
“All right, all right.” Her shoulders slumped. “It’s just that I promised no one would get hurt. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Ever.”
“I’m not exactly thrilled that my premonition was accurate.”
Will crouched beside her and unfurled his handkerchief.
He reached for her head and Tomasina flinched away. “What are you doing?”
“You’ve got a cut on your forehead.” He dabbed at the flow of blood then pressed against the wound. “You’ll need that stitched.”
“I’m fine.” She pressed her gloved hand over his. “I don’t need stitches.”
Despite her bravado, he felt the delicate trembling of her hand beneath his fingertips. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide and glassy. The adrenaline gradually drained from his veins, leaving him oddly lethargic. His gaze dipped to where their hands touched. His mouth went dry. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He’d never lost his temper after a battle or crises. He’d always been known for his cool head, and yet he’d been raging like a lunatic only a moment before. What was happening to him?
“If you don’t want stitches, that’s your choice.” His words were strained, his voice husky. Slipping his hand from beneath her fingers, he left the handkerchief in place. “You’ll be left with a scar.”
Free from her touch, his head cleared. Her expression remained mutinous.
“So what? I ain’t looking to impress no one.” She squinted into the distance, her brilliant green eyes flashing. “I don’t mind killing when killing needs to be done, but someone deliberately wounded this animal. There’s no call for this kind of cruelty.”
“Which leaves the obvious. Someone deliberately riled that animal during your performance.” Will stood and surveyed the trampled grass and scattered debris. Most of