“Please, Mom?”
If she were honest with herself, Ava sort of wanted to go by herself. When was the last time she’d dressed up for an occasion? Let her hair down. Do an adult-type thing? It’d been ages.
“And Carson’s dad said I could stay here this afternoon if I wanted to,” she added. “Can I do that, too?”
“I don’t see why not.”
It would give Ava time to find a mall because suddenly she didn’t think anything she’d brought was good enough to wear. Might as well go all out.
“Cool. I’ll go tell Kylie I can hang with her tonight.”
“Wait.” She hadn’t said that part was okay, but her kid was off and running. She watched her dash over to a young girl who Ava could tell was her age.
She’d found a friend.
Something had happened to her child. She exuded confidence all of a sudden. It came from the way she held herself now. Tall. Proud.
Thoroughly happy.
Horses had given Bella something Ava never would have thought possible and she had Carson and his family to thank for it. They’d welcomed them with open arms, changed Bella’s life and for that she would forever be grateful.
So she checked in with Kylie’s mom later on, and she could tell instantly that she liked her. It helped when she heard that the Gillians were old family friends. She was on her own.
She didn’t see Carson when she left. That was okay. She’d see him later.
And if that afternoon she spent a little too much money on a cream-colored frilly lace shirt made to look like roses around the low-cut neckline, so what? The lady at the Western store said it was perfect for the occasion, especially when paired with a dark brown mermaid skirt that had similar embellishments along a slit that ended midthigh. She’d even bought her first pair of fancy boots.
She heard from Carson just before she left, and it was silly how her heart leaped and that a smile came to her face. He said he’d meet her at the venue, the home of the owners of the ranch. And so she dressed in her new outfit and pulled her hair back, looping it around and then securing it in such a way that the straight ends fanned out behind her.
Her stomach fluttered as she pulled up to a stunning brick mansion with its private entrance, one far enough away from the equestrian center that all you could glimpse was the red roof in the distance, a massive pasture in between. It was still sunny outside and the view of the oaks and horses grazing in the distance was beautiful. A valet came forward to park her vehicle, and Ava felt out of place all of sudden as she headed for the double-wide front door made entirely of glass and framed by elegant wrought-iron scrolls. She should have sent Carson a text message and asked him to meet her out front, but she was a grown woman. She could enter a room all on her own.
“Welcome,” said an older woman with a wide smile and a simple white button-down shirt and jeans that made Ava wonder if she might be overdressed.
“Thank you.” She smiled.
“You’re with Gillian Ranch, aren’t you?” said the woman. “Dr. Ava Moore?”
Ava tried to hide her surprise. “I am. In a way. My daughter rides there.”
The woman’s grin was friendly and filled with approval. “Well, your daughter is a very lucky little girl. You should buy that horse she rode if you can. Reese Gillian is very picky about who gets to purchase his animals.”
Was he?
The woman moved on to the next guest and Ava entered a massive foyer where people were dressed in an odd mixture of riding clothes and fancy Western attire. Good. At least she wasn’t overdressed.
The room smelled faintly of roses and horses, and it felt as if every pair of eyes was on her. The new kid on the block. She turned, thinking she’d get a drink, and there was Carson, standing next to one of the women from the grandstand, although he wasn’t looking at her. He had eyes only for Ava. She saw him bend without looking away, watched as he clearly said, “Excuse me,” and then walked in Ava’s direction. And Ava was vain enough to love the way the woman followed the direction of his gaze, her eyes narrowing when she saw her standing there.
“Wow,” he said when he got close enough, and yet there was something in his gaze, something that made her study him closely.
“Wow to you,” she said right back. He wore a black cowboy hat with a starched white shirt and jeans, but he’d shaved and his blue eyes gleamed as they eyed her up and down.
“You went shopping.”
Was he worried about people thinking she was his girlfriend? Was the way he stood back his way of giving her more space?
“I wasn’t sure what to wear.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “You look perfect.”
And she just about melted. It’d been a long, long time since she’d been made to feel appreciated and desired. The look in Carson’s eyes made her toes curl.
“Let me introduce you around.” He placed a hand at her back and she instantly felt better.
They made the rounds, Ava knowing she’d never remember a single name. Well, all but one. Melissa Watson was one of the ladies from the grandstand, the blonde one, and her first impression of her didn’t improve.
“So you’re the one whose kid beat mine,” she said with a smile as fake as the diamonds around her neck. Okay. So maybe they weren’t fake, but they were gaudy.
“I guess so,” Ava said with a smile as fake as her own.
“Carson, a little birdie tells me you’ll be making a bid for the NFR again now that your elbow’s all healed,” said the blonde.
“I am,” Carson said. “Figured it’s time I get off my butt and live up to the family name. Even entered a rodeo at the end of the month.”
A rodeo? What?
“But you just started therapy,” said the doctor in her.
“I’m not sure I need that,” he hedged. “It’s feeling pretty good.”
She knew that wasn’t true, she’d seen him rubbing his arm earlier, and she wanted to call him out on it, but she couldn’t, not now. So she bit her tongue, but it irked her. If he skipped therapy, there was no telling what kind of damage he might do to his arm. It might ruin his chance of ever roping again. Or swinging a hammer. Or doing any number of things to support himself. Why would he risk that?
“So that means you’ll be heading back out on the rodeo trail soon,” Melissa said. “How exciting.” She turned to Ava. “Does that mean you’ll be going with him on the road?”
Ava tried to maintain her smile. “Actually, no. I have to work.”
The woman nodded as if she hadn’t known that Ava was a doctor, and Ava decided she really didn’t like her. Not at all.
“That’s too bad.” She smiled up at Carson. “I know how lonely you cowboys get on the road.”
Was that an invitation to call her when loneliness struck? Or a warning? Ava didn’t know, didn’t care. At least, that was what she told herself.
“Nice to meet you.” Ava hooked an arm through Carson’s and walked away.
“You can’t skip therapy.”
“I can’t stand that lady,” he whispered in an aside.
“I won’t let you.”
He stopped.
She stared up at him. “Carson, if you skip therapy, you might do permanent damage to your arm. Isn’t that important to you?”
“Not as important as getting a start on qualifying.” He glanced around, probably worried someone would overhear them. “Besides, if things don’t work out, I’ll build furniture or something.”
“With one arm?”
He wouldn’t look at her.
“Carson. This is serious. It’s your whole future.”
“No. I can ride horses for a living if I have to. It’s not as glamorous as rodeo, but it’s a living and I can do other things, too.”
And live in discomfort for the rest of his life. He might not know
what that was like, but she did. Chronic pain was nothing to mess with. It could lead to other more dangerous problems. Depression. Anger. Addiction. And for what? A chance at a gold buckle.
It made her ill.
And if he was willing to risk so much just in the hope of making it to the NFR, what else was he willing to give up?
That made her even sicker.
Chapter 19
She’d gone all quiet on him. In his experience that boded ill for the male species.
“You okay?” he asked.
He saw her take a deep breath. “I think I need a glass of wine.”
He nodded. “I’ll go get you one. Meet me out on the patio?”
“Sure.”
She was mad about his elbow, and about him skipping therapy, and probably even entering that rodeo. He supposed he didn’t blame her, but it made him wonder if she realized how important this was to him.
Night had fallen. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but her off-white shirt was easy to spot beneath the covered patio that overlooked a softly lit pool. They were alone for the most part, Ava sitting in a chair that looked more like something you’d find indoors rather than out.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her a glass of white wine. “No Zinfandel tonight. Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” she said and then took a sip.
She looked like something out of a television show, the kind that featured well-dressed women and exotic locales. The light from the pool gently brushed her cheeks, one side in shadow, the other not, the green in her eyes nearly the same color as the pool to his right. Her gaze seemed huge when painted by shadows and he wished he could read what she was thinking, because something about her posture told him she was upset. He took a seat near her, a small table separating them.
“When were you going to tell me you wanted to skip therapy?”
Just as he’d thought. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think it was that important.”
“It’s important to me.”
“Is it?”
She didn’t immediately answer. Took another sip of her wine.
“I guess I just can’t believe you’re willing to risk permanent damage to your arm all so you can compete. It boggles my mind, I suppose. What would it hurt to wait a few weeks?”
And there it was, exactly as his dad had predicted, their first disagreement over his rodeo lifestyle. “Ava, it’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. Your bones are still healing. If you fell off now, you could destroy your elbow. I’m telling you, Carson, you shouldn’t do it. But don’t take my word for it. Go see another doctor if you think I’m overreacting.”
“I don’t think you’re overreacting. I get why you’re upset.”
“Oh, yeah? Then why do it?”
Because he was an excellent horseman. He hadn’t fallen off in years. Well, except for the last time, but before that it’d been years.
“Because I really think I’ll be fine.”
The answer seemed to disappoint her. “Look, when you get back to town, let’s take another X-ray. I’ll be able to tell you better how you’re healing then. No. Don’t say anything. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”
Take it or leave it? “Or what?”
She looked away for a moment. “Or...nothing. I don’t know. Just do this for me.”
Demands. Ultimatums. Already they were sounding like his mom and dad. “Okay.”
He’d planned to tell her how he felt about her tonight; instead he held is tongue. His own irritation left a hole in his stomach.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
He took a swallow of his wine, told himself to calm down, and with her staring at him so imploringly, and relief in her eyes working as a balm to his frustration, he found himself bending to kiss her softly. And, as it always did, it turned into much, much more. He set his drink down.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said a long while later.
“And go where?”
He smiled. “Well, it just so happens the resort had a cancellation so I reserved a room for the two of us. We have our own place for the night.” She tensed. “Or for a few hours. Whatever you’re comfortable with. I’ll take what I can get.”
“Okay,” she said breathlessly. “Let’s go.”
* * *
I’ll take what I can get.
The question was, could she? Not now, but later, when he was back on the road again.
It was a thought that repeated itself the next day as she and Bella drove home from the horse show, Bella so exhausted from showing a horse and hanging out with Kylie she instantly fell asleep in the passenger seat, her pretty red ribbon clasped to her chest. That was good. It gave Ava time to think.
So what if he went against her wishes? He was a grown man. He could make his own mistakes.
Except...
It did bother her. Terribly. She’d taken one step forward, and now it felt like she’d taken a step back. And if he didn’t listen to her, that would be another step back. And if he decided to go against her wishes, yet another. She couldn’t be with a man who didn’t value her professional opinion.
He didn’t get back from the horse show until late Sunday night, which meant the next time they’d meet was in her office. Ava didn’t give him a choice. She made arrangements from her home, called Radiology, got him set up for an X-ray and made room for him on her calendar. She texted him the schedule, wondered if he’d show up. She was relieved when she checked in with Radiology that morning and learned he was there.
Yet when the time came for them to meet, her stomach felt as tight as the day she’d sat for her medical boards. She absently pulled up the X-ray on her tablet, walking toward her office, her heart beginning to pound.
A dark shadow on the X-ray made her stop. She switched to the next view. It looked no better. Neither did the next one, she thought, walking forward again.
Something of what she felt must have showed on her face when she opened the door.
“What’s the matter?” He looked so tense, some of her irritation with him faded.
“Hang on.”
“Ava.”
She ignored him, sitting behind her desk and quickly opening up his file and searching the images they’d taken the first day she’d seen him. Next, she pulled up the new ones. Viewing them on a bigger screen side by side. It only made the bad ones look worse.
“Damn,” she muttered.
He leaned forward. “What the hell’s going on?”
She hoped he couldn’t see the way her hand shook as she aimed the screen toward him. “This is what’s going on.” She took a deep breath. “More specifically, the dark spot there, right at the end of the bone.” She pointed. “This is where it connects with your tendon.” She tried to project a confident smile even though she felt anything but. “And that darker area...” Keep your voice even. He’ll be okay. “That usually indicates some damage.”
“I don’t see anything.”
“It’s there, and I’m not going to sugarcoat things, Carson. This concerns me. A lot.” She tried to convert things into layman’s terms. “Sometimes after surgery, scar tissue develops. Sometimes it gets so bad that it affects the tendons and ligaments surrounding the surgery site. I think what I’m seeing here is scar tissue forming near your medial collateral ligament, and the concern is it will get so bad that you’ll lose the range of motion in your arm.”
“So it hurts a little.” He flexed his arm for good measure, but he couldn’t quite conceal his grimace of pain. “I had my first therapy session last week. It’ll get better with more work.”
“No, it won’t. It’ll get worse over time. You’ll be in a lot of pain.”
“Then you can do another surgery, after rodeo season is over.”
She leaned back, her chair swinging sideways the m
otion was so abrupt. As if her operating on him was no big deal. As if she’d be his personal physician. Patch him up and send him on his way, meanwhile his elbow would get worse and worse, all so he could win a gold buckle that’d tarnish over time.
“If you like, I can have my boss and the director of ortho take a look.”
He must have realized he’d said something wrong because he scooped his hat off his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “Geez, Ava, I’m sorry.” He crammed his hat back on. “I’m just surprised is all. It doesn’t feel all that bad.”
“It never does, but that’s why I told you to wait until you’re cleared by physical therapy before you enter a rodeo.” She tried to keep the I-told-you-so out of her voice. Didn’t work.
“When can your boss take a look?”
And now he was second-guessing her diagnosis. Great. Her irritation returned full force.
“I’ll have him take a look today if you want.” She picked up her tablet again. “He can call you.”
“Okay, great.”
She stood abruptly.
“Hey, wait.” He stood, too. “Maybe I could come over tonight. We could talk about this over dinner.”
“No, not tonight.” It surprised her how quickly she put him off. She was steaming inside. Couldn’t he see that? “It’s a school night. Bella always has a lot of homework and I need to help her out. Plus, she still doesn’t know about us, remember?”
He didn’t say anything for what felt like the world’s longest five seconds.
“Okay, sure. I’ll call you.”
“And I’ll have Dr. Eastman call you.”
She left before he could see how utterly disappointed she was in him, and how close she was to crying.
Chapter 20
Dr. Eastman confirmed her suspicions. He wanted Carson to get an MRI to be sure, but they were both concerned. She left a message for Carson, but when they talked, he seemed distracted, and she was so irritated with him she didn’t ask to see him again.
“He’s getting ready for his rodeo,” Bella announced later that week as she sat at the kitchen table doing homework, a week during which Ava hadn’t heard anything from Carson. Not one word. She hadn’t seen him, either—the man did a disappearing act whenever she dropped Bella off for lessons.
Home on the Ranch: Rodeo Legend Page 16
