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“What I want to know is where the hell is the sheriff’s man?” Denver scowled. “Half the rodeo is out looking for that Rocket feller. They’re gonna kill him, and I want him to go to jail instead.”

“I vote y’all let me and Dustin go find him.” Buick’s voice was dry as dust.

“Let’s go.”

“Dustin!” Denver glared. “He will want you here when he wakes up.”

“He’ll understand. You think he wouldn’t be out there hunting in my stead?”

“Buick, please man.”Don’t make this worse.

Buick just stared him down. “You’re my best friend. You think I don’t have a stake in this?”

“I know, but….”

“No buts.”

Dustin nodded. “Sorry, Pops. I’ll be back soon.”

“No, sir.” Denver stood up, and suddenly Denver Jakoby was a man in his prime, a cowboy who had raised five cowboys of his own and was the head of the Jakoby Rodeo Company. “You will sit y’all’s asses down, and you will wait on the sheriff. You will make a report, or I will beat all y’all down. I will not lose a man to jail because he’s having a dick-measuring contest, not when my oldest boy is laying in a hospital bed!”

Dustin sat back down with a thud. Buick moved over to sit next to him, looking kinda stunned.

Tank breathed a sigh of relief.Thank God.

“That goes for you triple, Deborah Leanne. You so much as twitch, I will beat your butt.”

“I’m right here. I got snacks, soap, and deodorant and all that.”

“Good girl. Does anyone have a Tylenol?”

“Yessir.” Deb dug into one of her bags. “Do you need a drink?”

“Shit. We left the drinks in the car. Please and thank you, honey.”

“I’ll come help lug. You got my go bag, right?” He was still in uniform.

Buick nodded. “In the truck. I’ll get it, man. You stay here.” Buick hopped up, but bobbed his head at Denver. “No funny business, I swear.”

“You’d better mean it.”

“Yes, sir.” Buick looked properly cowed.

Linda came out with a nurse. “She’ll take you back, Tank.”

“How does he look?”

“Pale. Pissed off. Where is the sheriff?”

“I don’t know.” Denver was getting stone-cold pissed.

“You sure, Dustin?” Tank asked.

“Go. I’ll be next.”

Tank didn’t argue. He just went. He followed the nurse back to recovery, his heart pounding.

“He’s doing very well. A little dopey, but he’s good.”