Free The Devil Inside by Kate Davies

his Stetson would definitely work on him. He’d still look just as masculine, just as vital. She gave an involuntary shiver at the mental image.
    They were almost to the hospitality tent, so she shook the distracting thoughts away. “I, uh, had a question for you.”
    “Sure.” He stepped to the side of the tent opening, leaving room for others to enter and exit, and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s on your mind?”
    “It’s about Cody’s ride.”
    Mr. DeLong shook his head. “Rough, wasn’t it?”
    Sam nodded. “I know I haven’t been around the rodeo for a long time.”
    “With good reason.” Mr. DeLong flashed her a sympathetic smile. “It must be hard for you to be here again. Especially since the first time back there was another accident.”
    “I’m hanging in there.”
    “Good.” He tipped his hat to the dark-haired man who’d just exited the tent, and waited for him to pass by before continuing. “So what did you want to know about Cody’s ride?”
    “Right.” She took a deep breath. “As I said, it’s been a while since I was around the rodeo, but it looked like that bull was much more aggressive than any I remember from my dad’s days on the circuit.”
    “Breeding has increased body weight and aggression over the past decade or so.”
    “I’m sure that’s true. But I was looking on the internet and noticed that the Professional Bull Rider’s Association is starting to test for steroids, and I just wondered…”
    “No.” Mr. DeLong cut her off with a sharp shake of the head. “Absolutely not.”
    “The description of the symptoms looked accurate.”
    “The Devil Inside was provided by the Anderson Stock Company. They’ve been our local supplier for generations. And Mr. Anderson is very much against the use of steroids in bulls.”
    “I understand, but—”
    “Sam.” He patted her hand. “I know this whole experience was hard on you, and I’m sure the impulse to find a reason that it happened is strong. But trust me when I tell you there is no way an Anderson bull was on steroids.”
    Sam bit the inside of her cheek to keep from arguing. It was clear Mr. DeLong had his mind made up. “Well, thank you for your time,” she said finally.
    “I know it’s not the answer you wanted to hear.” He laid his hand on her shoulder. “And I appreciate your concern. But the best thing you could do is to put the accident out of your mind and focus on your patient’s continued recovery.”
    “Yes, of course,” she murmured, stepping out of the way of the same dark-haired man entering the tent again. “Thank you.”
    Mr. DeLong tipped his hat as she turned to go. As she reached the edge of the rodeo grounds, she looked back. He was just disappearing into the hospitality tent.
    With a sigh, she shook her head and walked back to her car.

    ***

    Her mother was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine when she got home.
    “How’s the patient?” Sam rolled the suitcase next to the kitchen and put the empty hat box on the counter. “Sleeping?”
    “As far as I know.” Her mother tossed the magazine on the end table and stood, eyeing the luggage suspiciously. “Sam, are you sure about this?”
    “We’ve been over this, Mom.” She dropped her keys next to the box. “And I really don’t want to go over it yet again.”
    Her mother held up her hands. “Okay, okay. You’re a grown woman and can make your own mistakes. I just wish you could have learned from mine.”
    Sam bit back a retort, knowing it would only escalate the argument. Right now, she just wanted peace and quiet, some time to think before Cody woke up again.
    “Thanks for helping out, Mom,” she said as she opened the door. “I know you’re busy, so…”
    “I can take a hint.” Her mother tucked her purse under her arm. “Good luck.”
    “I’ll call you tomorrow.” Sam kissed her mom on the cheek. “It’ll be fine. Honest.”
    And as she closed the door, she wondered who she was