The Bull Riders' Lost Princess

twenty minutes. Someone a

ote three times without

shouted when angry and men who we

she said.

er and slid it inside his jacket.

d he

answer, and tha

y answers a Dragon Rider's engine. Raymond squeezed Hannah's shoulder on his way out

beside your grandfather. Pastor Hale will offi

ose

ssum

s com

. For one day, nobody draws." He

. The question had been in her thro

t. The do

ai

erything I know. Tomorrow, after you've see

if she had had anythi

you tell m

ening. It landed li

aha

d off the desk. "Six years. I called until your number died. I dr

get out of

ve left without leaving

isn't

said. "

. "You don't kno

tell

father." Her voice cr

did yo

ence was right there, unbearably ugly, the weighty secrets she had carried in her shoe for six years.

ton

nna

't. No

e anger drained out of him,

ad it planned. Where, when, what I'd say. I had a ring picked out

on

approaching a horse that had been hur

before she knew

them, enormous. She watched the underst

s pocket as if that had

" he said gently

re she could say

der the security lamp. Graham sat on the back steps with his elbows on his

Raymond dropped down besi

owe me four doll

ot drink. "Maybe I should

ey

He stared at the lot. "I never thought about standing bes

a room full of men who want something from her, told Cole

day isn'

grinned, and Graham huffed something close to a laugh. "The

k. It was terrible but

und her an

d half open, lamplight spilling into the hall. Hannah sat on the edge of the bed wi

h at once, as if she had decided long ago that falling apart was

e her, and he had not re

am's, he t

id not like what it implied. He walke

all Hannah could see was Graham's hand sliding into his pocket. She went

ty. The note was gone. But his

it, so worn the leather had gone soft as cloth, a short braided

topped b

strands of leather stolen from Miller's Garage, a charm from a gumball machine, a promise she had b

had thrown it away. That he had forgott

hrough. It had been worn, ev

hand around it a

ut his keys back exactly

sed his fist around the ring, said only, "Ready?