24. Conner

Conner leaned his head back against the pillow and sighed. His hospital room was quiet for the moment. His family, convinced that he was going to survive, finally went back to New Mexico to their lives. Beth, Taryn, and Savvy had left for the day.

I love them, but damn. They were smothering me.

He opened his eyes when someone knocked on the door. Ugh. Who now?

Grinning, Conner said, "Hi, Doc."

"How are you feeling today?"

"Less like a bull attacked me and trampled on me and more like I got hit by a fast car."

"That's an improvement." Dr. Jean laughed. "Your x-rays and MRIs are showing a vast improvement as well. You're a lucky man. If you weren't a shifter and if you didn't have those three women in here working on you constantly, you wouldn't have made it."

"I am grateful to all of you," he said.

"So, when's your next event?" the doctor asked.

Conner grinned. "I'm hanging it up. I've got enough bell buckles to start my own store. I'll use my prize money to start a horse ranch. I'll have to ride those horses to train them, but I'm done with bulls. They seem to have it in for me."

"Yes, they do. This is the second time that a bull has almost killed you."

"Why do you think I'm raising horses and not cattle," Conner said. "I think they talk."

Dr. Jean laughed. "I'm going to hold you hostage one more night, and then if all is well in the morning, I'm letting you go. I want to give you one more day for your lungs to heal and to make sure there isn't any more swelling in your brain."

"How could I not have a swelled brain with all those pretty women telling me how hot I am and all the fun they'd like to have," Conner said. "Have you read some of the fan mail and get-well cards and letters that I've received lately?"

"Nope, and I don't want to. If I want to read that kind of smut, I'll pick up a Playgirl magazine. Sylvester Stallone was featured in the October 1985 edition. I'm a huge fan, you know."

"Of Playgirl or Sly?"

"Sly, of course. I've loved most of the movies that he's been in." Dr. Jean laughed. "Now, back to the subject at hand. You. I'm delighted to know that you are done with the rodeo. You're getting too old and decrepit for those kinds of shenanigans."

"I'm only thirty-one."

"And you were brought to me, twice, almost dead."

"Keep rubbing it in, why don't you?" Conner asked.

The doctor laughed and said, "I'll check on you in the morning and let you out."

Gideon stopped by about an hour after the doctor left. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got ran over by a herd of bulls," Conner said.

"At least you're alive enough to feel that way," Gideon replied. "You know we were all talking about you at the rodeo grounds."

"About how amazing I am and that you are all going to miss me?"

"No," Gideon said. "About how lately there's been all kinds of mishaps, especially with the bulls. You got thrown across the arena, you got your wrist broken, and then this. Either there is something in the Wyoming air or you are cursed."

"My guess is that it is the latter. You know about Beth's mother. She warned me that if I didn't leave town there would be consequences."

"She wasn't lying. I'm pretty sure that I've seen her hanging around quite a bit. She's in her fifties with red hair like Beth's?" Gideon asked.

"That would be the one."

"We'll be glad to move on and leave her behind. If you were a cat shifter, you would have already used up all nine of your lives," Gideon said. "Are you going to be ready to go with us?"

"Nah, I'm done with the rodeo. You know I've been thinking about it for a while. I want to be around for Taryn and Beth."

"What are you going to do with Zephyr?" Gideon asked. "I'll buy him from you."

"I couldn't sell him. He's my best friend. That horse is going to be living the best days of his life running around in the wide-open pastures of a ranch I'm going to build."

"He'll love that. He deserves that. Are you sticking around Wyoming or heading home to New Mexico?"

"I haven't decided yet, but either way, you've got my number. Keep in touch."

"I will do that," Gideon said. The two men shook hands and Gideon headed out.

Conner had almost fallen to sleep when the foul odor of too much flowery perfume choked him.

He opened his eyes and groaned. "Matilda."

"I've heard that you are doing a lot better," she said.

"No thanks to you," Conner replied.

"You think I did that?" Matilda asked, in mock innocence.

"I'm pretty sure that you did," Conner replied.

"Okay, fine, I did. I told you to get away from Beth and Taryn and leave town. I have plans for them both, especially Beth."

"She'll never be manipulated by you. She is a good woman with a good heart. To be honest, I have no idea how you are her mother."

Matilda cackled. "I have my ways. It'll take some time, but I know I can get Beth to see the light."

Then, she laughed at her own joke because they both knew that Matilda wanted Beth to go down the dark path of evil magic and not the light.

A dark look came over Matilda's face and the amulet she wore seemed to glow when she snarled at Conner.

"Make no mistake. With you out of the picture, Beth is weaker. I can show her that she will be much happier if she joins my coven. I have a plan for us, where magic will rule the land, and everyone else will be mere servants."

"Beth will never let that happen."

"You are wrong. She will let it happen. She will embrace it," Matilda said. "You are not part of that plan. You got off easy this time because Taryn stopped the bull from killing you. They can bring you back from the brink of death, but they can't bring you back from the dead."

"I'm done with the rodeo," Conner said.

"That's fine. Your truck might blow up or someone else's might get out of control and hit you. Some person might become crazed and stab you to death in the middle of the street. There are a million different ways to die, and you'll never know which one it'll be for you."

The blood-red crystal glowed, and Matilda left his room, laughing maniacally.

"She's gone plum crazy," Conner muttered under his breath. "And I don't doubt for a second that she meant every word of it. I'm a little surprised she didn't try something here."

As promised, Dr. Jean released him the next day.

"Thank you. You are the absolute best," he told her, hugging her.

"Try not to need my services again." The doctor laughed.

"I'll do my best."

Beth and Taryn picked him up and took him to get his truck. Then, they went back to her place for lunch. Taryn was chattering away at all the shifting, horseback riding, and other fun stuff that they could do.

He felt the weight of the rings in his pocket. He could ask Beth to marry him, but he didn't want her to feel obligated to leave her home. If she wanted to come to New Mexico, it had to be of her own free will.

Taryn noticed that he was quiet. She put her hand on his arm and asked, "What's wrong?"

Conner's heart broke, but he had to be honest with them.

"I can't stay," he said.

Taryn's face fell. "What do you mean? I thought that you were quitting the rodeo." Her bottom lip quivered, and Conner felt his soul rip in half.

"I am. But I can't stay in Wyoming. Matilda came to see me in the hospital. She was proud of causing the bulls to attack me and promised my imminent demise if I stayed in Wyoming any longer," Conner said. "As much as I love you both, I have to go back to New Mexico. Otherwise, Matilda will make sure I'm dead within the next couple of days."

Tears poured out of Beth's and Taryn's eyes. He held both their hands and looked at Taryn.

"You both are welcome in New Mexico. I would love to see you. We will spend as much time together as we can. I'll be six hours away. We can meet up in Colorado Springs, Ivy Springs, or any of the other places in between."

He knelt in front of Taryn. "You are the most incredible daughter a father could ever ask for. You are the brightest star in a sky full of stars. I promise that we will have a lot of time together. I expect to see you in New Mexico for all of the holidays, summer vacation, and spring break. I'm going to build a horse farm and you will have to help me train the horses. You get to tell them that they are good babies, but their job is to make sure no man can ever ride them. Then, you give them lots of treats when they buck people off."

"I can do that. It will be fun. Then, I can ride them when no one else can."

"Show off," Conner said.

"Yep. That's me. Just like my daddy."

"You are just like your daddy, and I'm so proud of you. I love you so much."

He hugged Taryn tightly as she sobbed against his shoulder.

"We'll be together again soon," he promised.

Conner stood up and pulled Beth to her feet. He brushed the tears from her eyes and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. He poured all of his love into that kiss, hoping that she would know what words could never say.

"I love you. Now and for always," he said.

Then, without looking back and with a cascade of tears behind his eyes, he pulled out of her driveway. Conner loaded Zephyr into the trailer, shook hands with Gideon and all of his friends, and pointed his truck southbound. He was going home for good, leaving his heart and soul behind in Cheyenne.