Relentless (11 page)
“A nap sounds great, but I have an appointment with Jake when I leave here.”
Luc raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
She knew he suspected that she was intimately involved with her trainer, but he hadn’t come out and asked her the question directly. Not that she would tell him even if he did. There were some subjects that were off limits with her dad, and her sex life was definitely one of them.
“Okay, but see that you head straight home after your workout. You need to be well rested tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry; I intend to.” She knew Jake would probably suggest dinner before heading back to his place, but the thought of sleeping with him after her night with J.T. left a sour taste in her mouth. Brad was right; she was definitely a one-man woman, even when the man in question bailed on her without a backward glance.
When there was no one home at the Spencer estate, J.T. decided to pay his brother a visit. Maybe he could convince him to share Nikki’s cell phone number.
Ty’s truck was parked in front of his home studio when J.T. arrived at his brother’s ranch. His sister-in-law and niece were nowhere in sight, so he pulled in behind Ty’s truck and cut the engine. He felt a modicum of guilt that he was interrupting his brother’s work yet again, but that quickly disappeared when he thought of Nikki. He had to see her, talk to her about last night. It killed him to think she may be blaming herself for what happened.
J.T. turned the knob, knowing his brother was a holdover to the days when ranchers didn’t lock their doors. It was careless, given his fame, but Ty was stubborn and too set in his ways to change now. Fame or anonymity, his brother was the same humble guy he’d always been, a trait he secretly admired.
J.T. was all about cashing in on his hard-earned notoriety, while Ty seemed content just to make music that pleased his fans. He often said he would do it even if he weren’t getting paid. J.T. wished he could say the same about bull riding, but too many trips to the hospital emergency room had diminished his love of the sport. No question about it, bull riding was a young man’s game and he wasn’t getting any younger. He’d put off retiring because he had no idea who he was or what he’d do without the sport that had earned him fame and the respect of his peers and fans, but he knew he couldn’t put it off forever. The end was near and that scared the hell out of him.
“Hey, bro, you in here?” J.T. shouted when he entered the silent room. He expected to hear the sound of Ty’s raspy voice filtering through the air. Instead, he heard the sound of a dog barking. After walking to the window, J.T. watched Ty playing a game of fetch with his old golden retriever, Ike. The poor dog was at the end of his life, but Ty was determined to make his final days as happy and comfortable as possible.
J.T. loved ranch life almost as much as his brother, but the thought of living out the rest of his days as a rancher didn’t sit well with him. He’d taken on the responsibility of running his parent’s ranch when his father wasn’t able to handle it anymore, and it had started to take its toll long before they made the decision to sell off most of their land.
He was a free spirit. He loved to travel, hated the thought of being tied down. That was part of the reason he loved competing. He was able to travel to different cities, meet new people who shared his passion for the rodeo, and enjoy the perks that came with being a world champion. He had no idea how he was going to deal with it when people no longer saw him as the top dog.
He’d just be a washed-up has-been who’d given people a few thrills back in the day. Sure, he held a few impressive records, but he had no doubt some young hot shot would come along and knock him off his throne in due time. Within a few years, the same people who’d sang his praises would barely remember his name.
He didn’t know why the hell he was feeling so melancholy today. Maybe it was his time with Nikki. She reminded him that she was at the start of a promising career that would likely span decades, while he was at the end of a career that had been too damn short. Everyone kept telling him he had to have an exit strategy, but he’d been enjoying the present too much to think about the future. But now the future was here and he had no choice but to face it.
Ty opened the rear door and Ike came bounding through ahead of him, anxious to greet J.T. He bent down to pet his old friend, whose tail was wagging happily at the attention. “How you doin’, old boy? You were lookin’ good out there,” he said, scratching the dog’s head. “Who the hell ever said fetch was a young dog’s game, huh? Us old guys can still keep up, can’t we, bud?”
Ty laughed as he sat in one of the chairs in front of the stone fireplace.
The studio also consisted of a small office and sitting room with a big screen TV. According to his brother, downtime was an essential part of the creative process. J.T. wasn’t sure he believed that watching football helped Ty write music, but since it was a shared passion, he wasn’t about to argue.
“What’re you doin’ here, man?” Ty asked, setting his feet up on the oversized ottoman as he laced his hands behind his head.
“I need to bend your ear about somethin’, man. You got a few minutes?” J.T. realized it was true; he did need his brother’s advice. At first he thought his visit was about Nikki, but it was more than that. He had some tough decisions to make about his future, and no one knew him better than Ty.
“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”
J.T. started pacing, too restless to sit still. “I’ve been doin’ a lot of thinkin’ about where I go from here, ya know?”
“You mean professionally?”
“Yeah, I mean I always knew I couldn’t do this forever, and I want to go out on top. I don’t want to be one of those guys who hangs on, just tryin’ to relive his glory days, when everyone else knows his best days are behind him.”
“That makes sense. You give any thought to what you want to do?”
J.T. shook his head, wishing he had the answer. “Not a clue, man. That’s the problem. I’ve made enough money over the years, especially with all the endorsement deals. I could buy a house, invest in a small business… I could have a good life when I retire, but ridin’ bulls is the only thing I’ve ever known, the only thing I’ve ever been good at, ya know?”
Ty nodded. “I get it, man. That’s your identity; it’s who you are. You’re wonderin’ who you’ll be without it, right?”
He knew his brother would understand, even though he couldn’t relate. Ty, like Nikki, had a lot of good years ahead of him. “Yeah, that’s just it. I mean, most guys who do what I do are ranchers too. They love the land almost as much as they love the rodeo, but…”
“But not you.”
J.T. looked his brother in the eye. “No, I mean I loved livin’ on the ranch growin’ up, wide open spaces, the smells, the animals, the…”
Ty held his hand up. “Man, you don’t have to explain it to me. Ranching’s not for everybody. It doesn’t have to be your thing. The question is what your thing is, aside from the circuit, I mean.”
“That’s just it. I have no idea.” J.T. sighed, lowering himself down on the leather sofa. “I’m an idiot not to have a game plan; I know that. Truth is, I never wanted to think about it. Now, I don’t have much choice.”
“You really thinkin’ this is gonna be your last season?” Ty asked, looking skeptical. “I just can’t see you packing it in while you’re still winning.”
He sighed before scraping his hands over his face. “I’ve always imagined myself going out a winner. Some of these kids who’re comin’ up are good, real good. It’s only a matter of time before one of them takes the top spot from me.”
Ty grimaced. “I’m sorry, man. I know it can’t be easy for you to think about that.”
“No, it’s not, but I’ve got to face it sooner or later.”
“I wish I could give you some advice, help point you in the right direction, but I can’t. It’s got to be your call. Only you’re gonna know when it’s time and where to go next. You’ve had a great run. You’ve got a lot to be proud of.” Ty smiled. “You lived life on your terms, were the best at what you did. How many people can say that?”
He knew his brother was right. He had no regrets. If only he had a game plan for the future.
Ty looked at his watch. “Shit, I gotta go, man. I’ve got an appointment with a personal trainer in forty-five minutes.”
J.T. raised his eyebrows. “Since when do you work out with a trainer?” Ranchers got all of the exercise they needed working the land. As far as they were concerned, dumbbells were for guys who were afraid to get their hands dirty.
“This is the biggest tour I’ve ever done. You need the energy and stamina to stay on stage for two or three hours, beltin’ out song after song, givin’ it all you’ve got.”
J.T. knew from having seen him in concert that Ty was a high-energy performer who gave a hundred and ten percent. It didn’t surprise him that he’d be willing to go the extra mile so he could give his fans their money’s worth at every show.
“If you’re heading into town, maybe I’ll come with you. I’ve got nothin’ else goin’ on right now.”
Ty looked uneasy. “Uh, that might not be such a good idea.”
“Why the hell not?”
“This trainer that I’m working out with is…”
“Jake?” J.T. scowled, muttering a curse under his breath.
“Nikki told you about him?”
“Yeah, she told me. Why the hell would you…”
Ty held his hand up. “Hey, don’t get mad at me. I didn’t know you had a thing for Nikki when I set up the appointment with her boyfriend.”
J.T. folded his arms, scowling at his brother. “He’s not her boyfriend. He’s just a friend.”
Ty laughed, shaking his head. “Whatever you say, man.”
“If you thought she had a boyfriend, why the hell didn’t you say something about it last night?”
“I told you not to get involved with her.”
“Yeah, you gave me a bunch of lame-ass reasons, but you never said anything about a boyfriend. What makes you think they’re so tight?”
Ty got up to retrieve a gym bag from inside of a small closet. “I’ve seen them together.”
J.T. wouldn’t rest until he’d uncovered every detail about Nikki’s relationship with this guy.
“Where’d you see them together?”
“A few parties, barbecues at Luc’s place. She’s brought him to rehearsal a few times. Avery and I have, uh, had them over for dinner a time or two.”
Choosing to ignore the latter, he asked, “Her old man approves of this dude? I thought he didn’t want her hookin’ up with anyone because of her career?”
“He doesn’t. Nikki tells him that Jake’s just a friend, and he believes her.”
J.T. clenched his fists at his sides. Suddenly Nikki’s “friend” was starting to sound like a whole lot more. She had better be prepared to explain herself when he finally got her alone. “Huh, I guess she didn’t tell Luc that they’re sleeping together.”
Ty grinned. “I’m kinda surprised she told you that.”
“How the hell did you know they were sleeping together?” J.T. wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he couldn’t compete if he didn’t know the rules of the game.
“Like I said, Avery and I had them over for dinner a couple of times. One night, we stayed up late drinkin’ and talkin’, so we told them to crash here.” Ty laughed. “I got up to get a drink of water during the night. Let’s just say that when I passed his room… he wasn’t sleepin’.”
J.T. grabbed a cushion off the couch beside him, firing it at his brother’s head. “I didn’t say I wanted details, asshole.” He pushed off the couch, scowling. “Let’s go. I need to meet this guy.”
“Oh, hell no.” Ty threw his bag over his shoulder. “If you think you’re gonna go in there and start throwin’ your weight around…”
He shoved his brother out the door. “Shut up and keep movin’ before I kick your ass.”
J.T. strolled into the studio behind his brother, trying to control his escalating jealousy. For a man who’d never been possessive of a woman in his life, he was more than making up for it now. Just the thought of this guy putting his hands on Nikki made him want to knock his teeth out.
Jake was working out with a female client when they walked in, so he merely smiled at Ty before turning his attention back to the woman at his side.