The Comeback Cowboy. Cathy McDavid

shouted. As on the first run, the wrangler released the calf and Ty successfully roped it in a respectable time.

      “He could do this all day and it wouldn’t be any different,” Adele commented.

      “I’m afraid you’re right.” Pop rolled the toothpick stuck in his mouth from one side to the other. He was rarely without one since giving up chewing tobacco years earlier. Another of his doctor’s mandates.

      “The horse isn’t taking one wrong step,” Adele commented, “and Ty’s doing exactly what he should be doing.”

      “But the magic just isn’t happening.”

      “Could his problem be lack of confidence?”

      Pop shrugged. “Possibly. Losing a world championship when you’re as close as he was could set anyone back.”

      “Except Ty doesn’t strike me as lacking confidence.” In or out of the arena, thought Adele.

      But then, he’d lost much more than the championship. Sponsorship deals, good ones, didn’t grow on trees, and had launched more than one athlete on a successful post-competing career.

      “You never know,” Pop mused out loud. “He could be putting on a good front. My guess is it’s the horse.”

      Adele shot her grandfather a sideways look. “You just agreed Hamm’s a nice horse.”

      “But he isn’t Ty’s other horse. Don’t get me wrong. The boy was always a good roper, one to watch since he began competing in junior rodeo. He didn’t come on strong until four years ago, when he got that horse. It was a perfect partnership. Now he’s lost that partner.”

      “I think Hamm has the potential to be every bit as good as Ty’s other horse.”

      “Maybe even better.”

      Adele nodded in agreement. “He just has to realize that.”

      “I’m thinking he already does.” Pop’s expression became pensive. “Recovering from a loss isn’t easy, be it someone you’ve loved or a dream you’ve held. Something inside dies. There’s no miracle cure and no set timetable for recovery. Ty will come back when he’s ready.” Pop turned a fond smile on Adele. “Or when someone shows him the way.”

      She patted his hand in return, recalling their early days of Cowboy College. “You could be right.”

      Stepping off the fence, she pushed a damp strand of hair off her face. The temperature might be only in the low seventies, but the bright morning sun beat down on them, warming her through and through. “If he were anyone else but Ty Boudeau, I’d recommend the beginners’ class. The best way to get to know your horse is by starting with the basics.”

      Pop also stepped off the fence. “Why not Ty?”

      “He’s…one of the best ropers out there. He doesn’t need a beginners’ class.”

      “Are you sure? Could be just the ticket.”

      “He’ll laugh in our faces, then pack his bags.”

      “He won’t laugh if he’s committed.” Pop moved the toothpick to the other side of his mouth. “And Ty strikes me as a man with a mission.”

      “Excuse me for disagreeing.”

      “Relax, Dellie. You know it’s a good idea. Ty Boudeau has everything it takes to be the next World Champion. And when he is, he’s gonna be thanking you and me.”

      “Okay,” she grumbled. “But I’m not going to be the one to tell him he has to take the beginners’ class. You are.”

      “ISN’T THIS PLACE great? My husband and I arrived just a few days ago. We’ve never been here before. Have you?”

      The woman astride the horse standing beside Ty had been rambling nonstop for five minutes solid, not caring if he answered her question or not before going on to the next one.

      It was different being around people who didn’t recognize him. Different and unsettling. When had he become so accustomed to the attention?

      “How’d you get into roping? My husband rodeoed some when he was growing up. We saw a show on cable TV about couples roping, and decided to give it a try. And now we’re hooked. Me, not so much.”

      The woman paused to take a breath. Ty used the lull to observe Adele.

      She stood on the ground giving instructions to the group, which was comprised of about a dozen beginner ropers. Ty only half listened. He was quite familiar with the training technique she described—a fake calf head attached to a bale of hay and pulled by a wrangler driving an ATV. The group had assembled in one of the smaller arenas beside the barn, away from the ropers practicing in the main arena, in case the ATV spooked their horses.

      “I can’t believe I’m actually taking a roping class.” The woman untangled her reins for the third time.

      “Me, either.”

      When Pop had proposed the idea that Ty participate in the afternoon beginners’ class, he’d balked. Then he learned Adele would be teaching it. That, and the arguments Pop had presented about getting back to basics, convinced Ty to give one—and only one—class a try. He told himself it wasn’t because he found Adele attractive. Rather, he wanted to see if she could teach as well as she roped. His decision to remain at Cowboy College depended on the outcome.

      She continued explaining how the wrangler would take off on the ATV, and that the riders should allow their horses to follow the calf head and bale of hay, rather than attempt to direct them. Yeah, yeah. Ty suppressed a yawn.

      His cell phone rang a minute later, coming just when he thought he’d reached his boredom threshold. Unclipping the phone from his belt, he checked the screen. A photo of his younger sister appeared with her name above it.

      “Sorry, I need to take this call,” he told the students nearest him, and nudged Hamm into a fast walk away from the group. Stopping about twenty feet away, he answered the call. “Hey, Dana.”

      From his chosen spot, he could see Adele frowning at him. Too late, Ty realized there was probably something in the rules and regulations he hadn’t yet read about no cell-phone calls during class. Oh, well, he’d already screwed up.

      “How’s it going, bro?”

      “Not so great.”

      “Why?”

      “Because I’m sitting here in a beginners’ class.”

      “Really! Doing what? Showing the students how it’s done?”

      “No, attending. Actually, attending as little as possible.”

      “I guess a refresher course never hurts.”

      He should have figured Dana would agree with Pop’s suggestion, being it was her idea to come to Cowboy College.

      “Right. I could be doing this in my sleep.”

      “So prove it.”

      “You’re not serious.” He laughed.

      “I am, Ty. You need to figure out what’s not working, and fix it. Taking a beginner class might seem ridiculous, but you need a new perspective, and I’m all for trying anything. You should be, too, if you want to win that championship.”

      Ty tamped down his rising annoyance. It had been a long time since anyone had lectured him. A long time since he’d felt he deserved a lecture.

      A quick glance at Adele confirmed yet another talking-to might be in store for him. She looked about as happy with him as his sister sounded.

      “This isn’t easy for me, Dana.” The admission came with an uncomfortable tightening in his gut.

      “I know, honey. But I’m one of the people who has your back, remember?”

      “And