Page 1 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
Chapter One
“Coop? Coop, I need your help. Please.”
Cooper Adams sat straight up in his bed, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and trying to figure out who the hell was calling him in the middle of the night in hysterics and what they needed.
“Sure, sure. Okay, what do you need? How can I help?”
Who the heck are you? What time is it?
“Broke my pelvis, man. I was working, and a bull got me. It’s bad, and the kids are at home. They’re at the trailer, and I don’t know what to do. Somebody’s going to find out that they’re all alone.”
He started getting dressed, putting the phone on speaker. Benji Whitehead. Of course it was Benji.
That kid was an accident looking for a place to land. Eighteen years old, and the junior bullfighter just couldn’t catch a break.
“Where are you? Do you need me to come get you?”
“No. No. I need you to go get them. Ricky called me today and told me that the social worker from school was asking questions. About little Mina. And they say I’m going to be inhere at least a day or two more, maybe longer. I need you to go get the kids before someone takes them away. Ricky’s only sixteen.”
“Okay, Okay, no problem. No problem. You’re riding with the Chiara company, yes?”
“No.”
Of course not. Dammit.
“I’m working for the Benes right now. But I’m not—I’m. I’m up in Raton. I’m not terribly far—three, four hours out. But I cain’t drive like this, and you know…”
“I know. I’ll go get them.”Okay, old man, focus. You’re retired, not dead. So it’s still o’dark thirty. So what?“Uh, get hold of Ricky, have him start packing everybody up. I’ll get my… Well, I’ll get my truck out there, and then we’ll get them all over here. It’s going to be all right.”
He’d grab the kids, get them settled. He needed to talk to Ryder Chiara, and see if he didn’t know somebody who could run out there and take care of Benji until Coop could get him home.
“I’m sorry, I don’t. I don’t mean to keep calling and…”
“Ain’t no thing.” He was a bullfighter, retired or no, and he wasn’t going to let any one of the guys he’d trained swing in the wind.
“Coop, it’s two o’clock in the morning, and I’m calling and asking you to pick up five kids from my travel trailer. It’s a big deal.”
No, it was going to be a big deal when this one came home to him and he ended up having to deal with Benji’s broke-ass self while he was in traction with five more kids besides. He chuckled softly. “Have they got you on some good pain pills at least?”
That was important.
“Yeah, they’re fixing to surge on me in the morning. I’m kind of scared. The other guys had to move on.”
“Don’t worry, someone will be there before you have surgery, all right?” And he was going to call Wacey Bene and give the man a piece of his mind, dammit.
He thought he heard a soft sob that was quickly swallowed. “Thanks, Coop. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’d be fine, kiddo.” But Benji didn’t have to do without him. He was right here, loving life. “Don’t forget to call Ricky and get him started packing. I’ll be there within the hour.”
He hung up the phone, yanked on his hoodie so his bad shoulder stayed warm, and grabbed his wallet as he dialed up to the house. He hated waking the guys, but it had to be done.
“What is it?”
“Hey, boss. Coop. Little Benji got his pelvis broke out riding for the Bene company. I gotta go pick up the kids in Chama.”
“Where’s he?”
“Raton. He’s having surgery in the morning, and he’s real scared.” He whistled up Thor and Loki, the beagles always up for a ride in the truck. His heeler Suki would rather stay home and chase coyotes.
