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  Take It Back

  Scarlett Brooks

  Copyright © 2020 by Scarlett Brooks

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Untitled

  1. Cara

  2. Hunter

  3. Cara

  4. Hunter

  5. Cara

  6. Hunter

  7. Cara

  8. Hunter

  9. Cara

  10. Hunter

  11. Cara

  12. Crew

  Untitled

  Take It Back

  Texas Billionaires Book Three

  A Texas Forever Love Story

  Scarlett Brooks

  1

  Cara

  BEEP BEEP BEEP

  The system continued to monitor her oxygen levels. Occasionally giving her assistance as needed. But I wasn’t worried. We were almost done here.

  I put the final stitch in Dottie, the beagle’s, front paw. She was still under anesthesia, and it had been a little bit more complicated surgery than I had originally anticipated. But Gwen had trusted me to get it done, so I did. She had put a lot of faith in me over the past couple years, as I was still learning that as a student at her clinic.

  Her clinic was one of the most successful in the greater Austin area. Because she was pretty much an all-species vet. She had very specific training that allowed her to do surgery on cows and horses, all the way down to hamsters. Usually I took on a lot of the smaller cases. Tried to help her out when I could, even coming in on my days off when she thought she would need me. And she usually ended up putting me to work anyway. As much time that I could get learning from her, I would take. Getting this hands-on training was so much better than sitting at a regular veterinarian school. I was doing my classes online, but I could only do that as an independent study if I found a clinic to work at. And luckily Gwen had taken me under her wing. She had been helpful and kind, but also critical. It was helping me become a better veterinarian, and I was thankful for it. I looked at the tech that was helping me, "Can you stay with her? I need to change out of the scrubs and meet with Gwen. She wants to talk about some upcoming patients."

  The vet tech smiled and nodded at me, "Not a problem Cara. The stitches look really nice by the way, Gwen will be proud." I smiled at her as I took my scrubs and gloves off and threw them in the bin. I opened the door and walked across the hall into Gwen's office where she was sitting working on paperwork.

  Gwen had been in a particularly good mood lately. She was seeing this hot new rancher, and they were really hitting it off. It also meant that she was giving me more responsibility at the clinic, so she could take some Saturday nights off to go on dates. Previous to this guy, I don't think she had seen anyone in a long time. She was obsessed with her work, and while that hadn't totally changed, I liked the opportunities I had been given. Lots of new small surgeries, some spays and neuters, and handling more than just registration. It was nice, I enjoyed the change of pace.

  I sat down across from her.

  “How was Dottie surgery? That laceration was pretty big."

  "I know! She stepped on glass, poor thing. But I think it looks really good, she should be back on her feet in no time."

  She smiled at me, "On all four paws?"

  I nodded at her, “Oh yeah, no imputation needed whatsoever. Just cleaned it out and stitched it up."

  She set down her pen. "Fabulous. Now on to other pressing matters. Are you going to the rodeo that's in town next weekend?"

  I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms sitting back in the office chair. Gwen's office was small, I mean really the only thing she needed to do in here was send medical records to other veterinarian offices, or call other vets in order to get a second opinion. Billing and everything else was handled at the front. There was a small couch, a couple chairs, and the desk. And mostly the couch had been unoccupied lately, as Gwen wasn't sleeping here is often. Which was good for her! I was happy that she wasn't trying to cram herself onto that loveseat as often.

  "Rodeos aren’t really my thing, Gwen. I don't know, something about them just rubs me the wrong way. I know that lots of them treat their animals really well, but it's just not my thing."

  She sighed, "I get that. And I wish I could say that it wasn't really my thing either, but they've paid us to be the veterinarians on site. And the money is good. I can't really say no."

  My mouth dropped open a little. I hadn't been to rodeo since I was a kid. They made me really uncomfortable, and I really wasn't up for spending my weekend tending to some idiot cowboys and their horses. I knew how those guys treated women. They called them buckle bunnies. Groupies that hung around with cowboys, trying to get into their bed. And nine times out of ten, they were successful. None of those guys were married, or ever wanted to settle down. They just went out with the buckle bunnies, got drunk at a bar, and ended up in someone's trailer to pass out for the night. Totally not my scene. Not to mention the amount of animals that would need care over the course of the weekend. I knew that the Austin rodeo was one of the biggest in Texas, so if they needed our help, it meant we'd be working tirelessly.

  "Are you sure? There's no way we can get out of it?"

  She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. And they really need both of us. We’re not even the only two vets that they contracted. There's another one from the north side of town, and some equine specialist coming from Dallas with them."

  "While I have to admit it makes me feel a little better to know that it's not just going to be the two of us. They have what a hundred or even two hundred animals? That's a lot! And that's a lot of private owners to deal with. The paperwork alone is going to be ridiculous!" I knew I was complaining, and I hardly ever did that with Gwen. She was my boss. She gave me a chance when no one else would, and it had really paid off for the both of us. I always tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, when she said jump, I didn't even ask how high. I just did it. But this was one time I felt like putting my foot down.

  "Listen, I know it's going to be a long weekend and a lot of work. And around a bunch of single guys…"

  "Yeah a bunch of asshole cowboys. Totally not my type. Nice try though..."

  She sat back in her chair as a smile played on her face. "You can't blame me for trying. When was the last time you went out and had some fun Cara? You've been here for two years and I've never even met a friend of yours."

  "Well course you haven't. You're my boss. I don't mix business and pleasure. And I certainly will get no pleasure out of a bunch of ruthless cowboys this weekend.” I paused, trying to make my point. She was actually right, I didn’t have any friends in the area, but I wasn’t telling her that. She’d worry, and I didn’t need to feel like she was watching me.

  I saw her struggle a little with how to move forward. I never said no, and honestly, I didn’t want to put her, or the clinic in a bad position. So I succumbed. “But if you need my help, I'll do it."

  "Thank you. I swear the money is really good. Might even be able to update some of the equipment around here just from this one payout. As much as the rodeo circuit is a little wild and crazy, the money is significant. And this is a huge rodeo. The stands will be packed every night."

  I rolled my eyes again, "Fine."

  Gwen put her hands down on the desk, "Perfect. I will see you at 7 AM on Saturday morning at the arena. Now go call Dottie's owner and make sure that they know that she's waking up. I'd like to get her out of here in the next couple hours if possible. We have another surgery coming in yet this even
ing."

  I nodded as I stood from the chair and walked towards the door. "You need me to stay and handle that too?"

  She shook her head. "Nope, I've got this one of my own. You head home and get some rest. We’re in for a long week and an even longer weekend."

  I nodded to her and left her office. I wasn't excited about the weekend, but it would give me more time with some of the larger animals. I just had to try to remain positive. Any experience that I could get was going right on my resume. I was only focused on my career, I didn't have time for anything else.

  2

  Hunter

  "You ready?" I tipped my hat in his direction.

  Of course I was fucking ready. When wasn’t I? I'd been riding bulls for as long as I could remember. I was probably four the first time I got on steer. But steers were safe. Bulls weren't.

  I put my leather gloves on my hands. Slapped the sides of my chaps, and fixed my helmet. Sure I was a cowboy, but I wasn't an idiot. I still wore a helmet, a lot of the pros did. We liked our brains to stay inside our skulls when a two thousand pound beast tossed us into the air. I had heard guys hit the ground. Bone and gravel hitting one another. It was always ugly. Or even worse you got stuck between the bull and the gate. You could lose a leg doing that, or worse, your life.

  People wondered why I enjoyed it so much. The rush of that required eight seconds. I could've done other rodeo events. But I wasn't someone who wanted to win all-around cowboy, I just wanted to be a bull rider. And so far my career had been good to me. The season specifically, I had been winning purses up and down the state. Next week we would travel to Austin, one of the biggest rodeos of the season. And I would fucking kill it! I already knew it. Everyone was telling me it was true, not just my sponsors. They were always nice to me, but when I heard from some of the other guys at the arena, I knew it was true. I could take home the biggest prize of the season. If I could just hold on for eight seconds. And then not die afterwards either.

  I remembered when I was a teenager I used to be a rodeo clown, mostly because it was fun, not because it paid well. It got me to be around some of the greatest Texas rodeo legends. I learned from the best by watching them. But also it got me tossed into some dirt, and I learned how to do clown makeup which was a weird skill to have now as a rodeo champion. I still helped some of the younger guys with their clown skills. How to interact with the crowd, keep people occupied between riders.

  Rodeo wasn't an easy life. I was constantly on the road. I didn't even have a real home anymore, just a trailer. And not even a big one, I lived in a truck camper. But it was the easiest way to live and pull my horse trailer. Two horses traveled with me absolutely everywhere. They were my best friends. Sure I had guys in the arena that were like brothers to me too, but we were spread all over the country. Some of them even went into the rodeo circuit in Europe or Canada, but that wasn't for me. I was a Texas boy through and through. I had never competed outside the country, and I didn't intend to. Besides everybody knows that the rodeos are best in Texas. So why go anywhere else?

  My bull was ready. The guy before me was out of the ring and they were ready to pull the chain, open the gate, and let me ride. I hopped on and wrapped the rope around my hand. I made sure it was as tight as possible. I wasn't about to let myself get kicked off before those eight seconds for anything. If I was going to win I had to do it the right way.

  I put my left hand up in the air and nodded.

  It was time.

  Let’s fucking go.

  They opened the gate and damn if that bull did not do everything possible to get me off. His legs kicked wildly and he tossed his head back and forth. I squeezed my legs as tight as possible, because that's how you win. Sure your right hand helps you a little bit, but really it's all in the legs. I held on as tight as I could, but this bull was a son of a bitch. One of the hardest ones I'd ever been on. He tossed and bucked and it felt like every second was a millennium. But I just had to hold on, just a little bit longer.

  I tried to count in my head. I had to be close.

  He ran towards the metal fencing.

  Shit.

  Six.

  Just a couple more seconds. Don’t kill me.

  I heard the horn go off and I knew I had done it. But I still wasn’t about to let him throw me. I released my hand and the next time all four feet hit the ground I tumbled off. I watched from the ground as the clowns scurried to get the bull's attention, but he was focused solely on me. And he was pissed!

  Our eyes locked and I knew that I had to get the hell out of there. I scrambled to my feet as dust rose around me and I ran to the nearest gate. Just as I got my legs up above where he could reach he slammed into it, shaking the metal and me. All the way to my core. He was no joke.

  The clowns finally waved in some riders to push him towards his own gate, and let them through. But I could still hear the snorts, feel his hot breath on my legs just as I had right before he hit the metal beneath me. He was strong, I had to give him that. But I was stronger. I held on, just like I was supposed to. That was all that mattered. Eight seconds. I had done it, and I got good money for it too.

  I waited for my score to come up on the board and of course I was met with a round of applause as I was announced in first place. There were only four other riders at this little rodeo, so the money wasn't great. But it was still something and it allowed me to practice my skills again before we headed towards Austin. I needed to do whatever I could to make sure that I was at my best for that rodeo.

  Belt buckles were great, and the buckle bunnies that came with them weren't so bad either. But I didn't have time to focus on girls right now. My life was solely about rodeo, and that's all I needed it to be. I'd be focused on the end game, keep my eye on the prize. If I wanted to continue to travel the country and ride bulls, girls weren't in the picture. Women just wanted to tie you down, make you settle and start a family. And while I wanted that someday, that day was not anywhere near now. Women were just a distraction. And I couldn't handle any distractions right now.

  Right now it was all about the dust on my boots and the roar of the crowd, underneath bright lights and the American flag. And that was all that I needed. A raging bull and a rope strap. My two horses in my truck. I was okay with a simple life, as long as it meant that I kept winning.

  Winning was all that mattered.

  3

  Cara

  I poured a steaming cup of coffee into each of the two to go cups I had in my house. One for me and one for Gwen. I knew it wasn't as fancy as stopping at a café to pick something up for the two of us, but I was short on time and I still wanted to bring something with me. Gwen would make fun of me I was sure, she said that I didn't need to still constantly impress her, I mean I had only just started calling her by her first name a couple weeks ago.

  To me she was always Dr. Kennedy. But a nice cup of coffee just after sunrise sounded like a good idea to me. I climbed into my SUV and drove off to the arena. It was nearly an hour from my house, the clinic was much closer to my apartment then to the arena as well. It was located in a small town outside the city. But the arena was south of the city, and so I got on to the Parkway in order to make my way there. There was hardly any traffic and I ended up getting there earlier than anticipated. For some weird reason I thought the place would be quiet, but instead the parking lot was full of horse trailers and there were tons of cowboys standing around chewing tobacco and probably talking about the latest buckle they had won.

  I tried to ignore their catcalls as I walked across the parking lot towards the arena. The horses were kept behind the arena in stalls, others in gates. Those metal gates were a big pain in the ass. Because if the horse lost control, or a bull went wild, they could collapse those things around you. It certainly wasn't somewhere I would want to give vaccinations. I wasn't surprised to find Gwen waiting at the gate for me, but I was surprised to see that she already had coffee in her hand, one for each of us. Oops.

  "Same idea I
guess," she laughed.

  I nodded. “Looks like it. I mean I got up before sunrise. I figured we both could use some coffee. So what's on the schedule for today?"

  She pushed off of the brick wall she'd been leaning against and we walked through the open arena gates into below the stands. The concession stands surrounded us, but of course they were still closed. Though I could swear that I could smell bacon cooking. Probably someone making breakfast in their trailer.

  "We have a couple of dewormers to give to the calves. New ones that they're using for the first time tonight. And I think there's a couple vaccinations on the list.” She moved over closer to the stands and set the extra cup of coffee down, I did the same.

  She pulled out her phone and started to scroll through what looked like a list of tasks. "Oh yeah there's a lame horse too. Somebody's pleasure ride."

  I looked over her shoulder at the phone. "Not a rodeo horse?"

  She shook her head. “Nope, weird I know. Just a trail rider. Looks like he slipped recently, the owner is worried that he might have broken his coffin bone. Or maybe an abscess. Either way it doesn't look good." I saw her continuing to scroll through the notes.

  "Are we talking about field surgery? That's not really our specialty. I mean draining an abscess is one thing, but a coffin bone is a whole other situation."

  Honestly that was pretty much a death sentence. The likelihood that a trail horse on a rodeo circuit would get an infection after surgery was too high. Unfortunately even with modern medicine sometimes a downed horse was still a dead horse.