Love All Out - Part 1 (A Stepbrother Romance) by Alice Ward

I can’t have a little more fun.”
    “I’m not interested in any more of your kind of fun,” I told him. I was about to add that Renee could do a lot worse than my dad, but James’s phone rang and interrupted me.
    He pulled the phone out of his pocket. “It’s Mom… she must know we’re back already.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure she was the first call Daddy made when he got to the house. I told you they’re involved. You should go. She’s going to worry now that you’ve ignored her call.”
    He inhaled deeply and the muscle in his jaw jumped. I could tell he wanted to argue. Instead, he said, “Okay, Willow. I’ll leave… for now. But if you change your mind about going for round two, you know how to find me.” James gave me a cocky grin and sauntered out of the barn.
    ***
    “Hey, sweetheart. How’s the little colt doing?” Daddy asked as he came through the front door. It was Wednesday evening and I was stretched out on the couch, reading the weekly newspaper.
    “He’s good,” I replied. “I still haven’t decided on a name for him.” I folded the paper and sat up. “I put a chicken in the oven about an hour ago. It should be ready soon.”
    Daddy pulled off his boots and sat down in his recliner. “That sounds good. We had eleven new calves today. That puts the count at forty-seven so far. And Patches had a filly this morning. We’ve got babies all over the place.”
    “Should I stay in the Mustang barn tonight?” I asked, excited as usual about new foals.
    Daddy shook his head. “Dallas is going to stay with them. You need to get some rest…”
    I was about to argue, but Daddy’s phone rang. He pulled it from his shirt pocket and smiled when he looked down at the screen. I suspected that the call was from Renee.
    “Hello?” he answered. His smile immediately disappeared. “Slow down, Renee. Tell me what happened… oh God, where did it happen?” Daddy jumped up from his chair and started pulling his boots back on with one hand while holding the phone to his ear with the other. “Okay, just calm down. Are they taking him to the hospital in Durango or flying him to Grand Junction?”
    Hospital? What’s going on? Oh God, has something happened to James?
    Whatever had happened, it was clear that Daddy was in a rush to get out of the house. I leapt up from the couch, grabbed my purse, and pulled the keys to Daddy’s truck off the wall hook.
    “Okay Renee, we’re on our way. Can I bring you anything?” There was a pause while he listened. “If you change your mind or there’s any news before we get there, call me back.”
    “What’s going on?” I asked as he ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. I tossed him the keys, desperate to know what had happened.
    “James has been in an accident. He was at the Houser’s place. Their son, Paul, wanted to learn how to ride bulls. James was giving him a demonstration and he was hung up and then trampled.”
    Horror filled my body as we raced out of the house. “He got on a field bull? Without any spotters or safety precautions?”
    “Renee said he wasn’t even wearing his vest. Phil Houser didn’t want to wait for an ambulance, so he loaded him in his car and drove him to the hospital in Durango. Renee’s on her way there now. Phil told her that the doctors are working on him, but they haven’t come out with any news yet.”
    Daddy fired up the truck and sped down our dirt driveway. “It’ll be a good sign if they keep him in Durango. Renee’s supposed to call us if she learns anything before we get there.”
    “Yeah, I heard that part. What the hell was James thinking? Bull riding is dangerous enough in an arena, where there are wranglers on the ground and medics nearby.”
    “I know sweetheart. But James is young, and I’m sure he thinks he’s invincible. Let’s just hope he survives this to learn his lesson.”
    As we raced to town, I thought about the last time I saw James. I’d been so hateful, when all I’d