Reed reached his hand out to the doctor. “Thank you so much for taking such good care of her. When will we be able to see her?”
“She should be out of recovery in about an hour and a half or so.”
As the doctor walked away, I stopped him. “Doctor Monroe, may I ask another question?”
He stopped and looked at me. “You are?”
“Um, Ava’s boyfriend.”
Damn, that sounded good.
“What is it, son?”
I glanced over to Reed before turning back to the doctor. “Ava was only here for a long weekend; she’s originally from Texas. What about traveling?”
“I would think she might want to delay heading back for a least a few days. Just the traveling alone would be rather uncomfortable.”
My mother walked up to Courtney and Reed and gave them a warm smile. “You know Ava is more than welcome to stay at the house for as long as she needs to. Plus, we have two housekeepers, MaryLou and Janet. They will be able to help her with getting around.”
“I’ll be there as well,” I replied.
Doctor Monroe shook my hand and said, “Give me a shout if you have any concerns. The nurse will make sure you have my cell number when Ms. Moore is released.”
With a firm handshake, I replied, “Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“Let’s all go get something to eat while we wait for Ava to get to her room,” my mother stated as she looked at Nate. “Text Dani and Rich and let them know what’s going on. We’ll go to the Post Oak Café down the road.”
I wasn’t surprised at all my mother took over. Ever since my sister Kate died, whenever there was a crisis, she seemed to jump into action. Because she couldn’t help Kate, she tried to make up for it in any way she could.
“Food sounds amazing right now,” Courtney said with a smile.
Everyone made their way to the elevator as I stayed back. “Ryder? You coming?” Nate asked.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you guys there. I have something to take care of.”
Nate nodded and followed everyone down the hall while I pulled out my cell phone and started making calls.
I SAT IN the corner of Ava’s room while Courtney and Reed were on either side of her bed. When they brought her up from the recovery room, they had just given her a strong dose of pain med’s which put her to sleep almost instantly the nurse said.
“She’s waking up,” Courtney said as I stood up. Ava looked at her mother and smiled.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
Courtney let out a chortle and said, “Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”
Turning her head, Ava looked at her dad. “I feel like a train hit me. Oh hey, Dad.”
Reed pushed a strand of hair away from Ava’s eyes as he gently spoke to her. “Hey there. Are you in a lot of pain?”
Ava let out a dry laugh. “I’m feeling okay. I’d feel better if Ryder was here.”
Reed glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled. “He is here.”
Walking up to the side of her bed, I leaned over and gently kissed her lips. “Hey,” I whispered as her eyes lit up.
“Thank you for carrying me down the trail. It was very swoon-worthy of you.”
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Reed said as I stole a glance in his direction. He smiled at Courtney and then gave me a head pop and said, “We’ll talk later.”
With a chuckle, I nodded and turned back to Ava, giving her a warm smile.
“So, how bad?” she asked.
I peeked up to Courtney as she motioned for me to talk.
Clearing my throat, I answered, “Well, to start with you have a small fracture in your ankle.”
Ava scrunched her nose up. “Ouch.”
“That’s not the bad part.”
“My leg?”
“You broke both the tibia and fibula.”
Ava frowned. “That explains the pain when my ankle twisted. I think that’s why I lost my balance and fell.”
Courtney sighed. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, that you’re going through this.”
Ava gave her a weak smile. “For now it’s okay, but I’m not so sure how I’ll feel when the pain meds wear off.”
Reed chuckled and stood next to Courtney. “There’s another problem.”
“Another problem? Like three broken bones isn’t enough!” Ava exclaimed.
Reed stole a glance in my direction before focusing back on Ava. “I don’t think you’ll be flying back to Texas with us tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
I couldn’t help the small smile that spread across my face when Ava grinned and looked at me.
“So, I’ll have to stay here? In Montana?”
Reed cleared his throat and flashed me a dirty look that caused my face to drop.
“Only for a few days, until you feel like you can fly home,” Reed said.
Ava stole a glimpse my way before staring down at her hands. “How long will I be in the hospital?”
“They’re talking about releasing you tomorrow. Lucy and Nate Sr. offered to let us stay as long as we wanted and—”
Snapping her head up, Ava practically cried out, “No!”
Courtney’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was obvious the stronger pain meds were wearing off because Ava was now moving about and grimacing with each movement. “I mean, really Mom, you don’t have to delay your flight because of a broken leg.”
“Well, I mean, Ava, you’re my daughter and I’m leaving you behind with a broken leg and ankle? I’ve already talked it over with your father and he’s going to go ahead and fly back with everyone, and I’ll stay behind to help you out until you’re ready to come back home.”
Ava’s eyes closed and I knew she wanted a few moments alone with her parents. “Do you need the nurse, buttercup?” I asked.
Her head slowly nodded as I excused myself and left the room to find the nurse. I loved that Courtney wanted to stay and help her daughter, but I prayed like hell Ava talked her out of it.
OH FLIPPIN’ SHIT balls. The last twenty-four hours I had been trying to dream up some excuse to stay in Montana a few days longer, but never did I dream I would have broken my leg and ankle to accomplish that goal.
The moment my mother mentioned staying in Montana, I felt the claustrophobia setting in. I loved my mother, but she babied me and I was a grown woman. Plus, this was the perfect excuse to spend more time with Ryder … alone.
I closed my eyes and tried to adjust myself. The pain in my leg felt like it was getting worse, along with the headache I was getting.
“Do you need the nurse, buttercup?”
God. I. Love. Him.
Ryder had to have seen the way I lit up when I was told I had to stay behind. Then how quickly that joy was sucked out of the room by my sweet mother offering to stay behind.
Ugh. This is not going to be fun.
I slowly nodded my head.
“Reed, Courtney, I’ll leave you both to spend a few minutes alone with Ava while I search for the nurse.”
Yep. This cowboy was a keeper.
When the door shut, I felt my mother running the back of her hand down my cheek. Smiling at her warm touch, I prayed like hell her feelings were not about to be hurt.
My head turned to the side as I opened my eyes and looked into her blue eyes.
“Mom, you know I love you so very much.”
Her smile melted my heart and made it ache all at once.
“But …”
My father made a growl sound and said, “Here it comes.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I turned back to her. “But, I really don’t think you should stay. I promise I’m going to be fine, and the moment I fly back home you can come and pick me up and I’ll stay out at the ranch with y’all.”
Her chin trembled as she reached for my father’s hand. “You … you don't want me to stay and help you? Who’s going to help you, Ava? You’re with strangers.”
I gave her a thoughtf
ul look. “I’m not with strangers. Ryder is here.”
My mother rolled her eyes. “Please, Ava. You barely know him or his family, and you’re willing to stay here and let them care for you?”
The tears building in my eyes were hard to contain as I felt wetness cover my cheeks. “I thought you, of all people, would understand.”
I turned and looked out the window as I tried to compose myself.
“Court, maybe now is not the best time to be talking about this. Let’s leave Ava be for a bit so she can rest.”
I sniffled like a five-year-old as I wiped my snot across the back of my hand. Thank God Ryder wasn't here.
“Do you love him?” she whispered.
Pressing my lips together, I took in both of my parents’ expressions. My mother’s was hopeful, my father’s angry.
Forcing the words to come out without crying, I replied, “Yes. I’ve never felt like this with anyone before.”
“You broke your leg on purpose, didn’t you!” my father demanded.
Pinching my brows together, my mouth dropped open. “Seriously? Do you not know me at all, Dad?”
With a slight tap on his stomach, my mother shushed my father. “Reed Moore, you be quiet!”
Her eyes softened as she took my hand in hers. “Oh, Ava. Will this work? I mean, he’s going to be moving to Montana and you’re in Austin and … and … the whole thing with Johnny happening not long ago.”
I squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “We are taking this one day at a time. All I know is Ryder makes me feel so special. So happy. I just want the chance to see where this goes, Mom. And you staying behind and trying to take care of my every need is not going to help things any. I’ll only stay until I feel up to traveling, and then I’ll fly back home with Ryder.”
My father swallowed hard as he wrapped his arm around my mother. “Our baby girl is growing up, and why in the hell she rushes into relationships I’ll never know.”
I let out a titter as I rolled my eyes at him. “Very funny.”
“I want you to know I’m not happy about this, but I understand. You’re my baby and I just want to take care of you.”
My heart felt torn. In a way, I wanted my mother to take care of me, but I also wanted to take this time and spend it with Ryder. We both threw out the I love you so quickly, I needed to make sure it wasn’t because of the amazing night we spent together. I’d been down this road before and not that long ago. I knew in my heart I’d never felt this way before; I just needed to be sure.
“Well, what better way to find out if Ryder and I belong together than to have him thrown into a situation where he is taking care of me.”
My mother grinned as my father moaned. “Oh hell. What am I going to do with you, Ava Grace Moore?”
With a shrug, I flashed him a smile. “There is one thing y’all can do.”
“What is it, darling?” my mother said as she held my hand in hers.
With a pained expression, I murmured, “Find out why Ryder is taking so long with that nurse. My leg and ankle are throbbing!”
MY HEART WAS pounding in my chest as Ryder pulled down the long driveway that led to his parents’ house.
When he turned off the main road, I glanced his way. “Where are you going?”
He smiled big and my stomach jumped when I saw the dimple pop out on the side of his face. Stealing a peek my way, he chuckled. “You didn’t really think I was going to have you stay in my parents’ house, did you?”
“Um … I thought that was the plan.”
Ryder reached for my hand and kissed the back of it softly. “The only good thing that came out of your fall was that we get to spend more time together … alone.”
My heart skipped a beat.
The old stone house.
“I’m staying in the old stone house?”
The jovial smile on his face said it all. “We’re staying in the old stone house, and I’m going to take care of you.”
Pressing my lips together tightly, I attempted to hide how happy I was. Clearing my throat, I tried to act like a grown woman who was not internally fist pumping at the idea of spending so much time with Ryder. “What about your job? You can’t just up and leave everything to stay here and babysit me. I really was only going to stay a few days to heal up and then I planned on heading home.”
Bringing the car to a stop, Ryder turned to face me. His eyes were soft, yet filled with something I found myself longing to see each and every day. Passion. Concern. Love.
“This whole weekend … hell, this whole last month has been a whirlwind. I’ve felt things for you I’ve never felt with any other girl.”
Chewing on my lip, I nodded and stated, “I feel the same way.”
“Would I love for you to have stayed with me without breaking your leg and ankle, yes. Most certainly, yes.”
My hand covered my mouth as I giggled.
“But, you’re here with me and I want to take this time to really get to know one another, Ava. I don’t want you to think I just threw it out there when I said I loved you. I really feel something so deep within my heart for you, and I want to explore that more.”
“So do I, Ryder. I rushed into my last relationship because I thought I was in love. With you it’s so different. It’s exciting, romantic, and scary all rolled up into these emotions I’m not familiar with.”
I looked down at my hands wringing together in my lap. “But … I don’t know how it’s going to go for us.”
Looking up through my eyelashes, I saw him nod his head. “The distance thing.”
“Yeah. The distance thing. I would never in a million years ask you to walk away from your dreams.”
Ryder pushed a piece of hair behind my ear before running his fingers softly down my cheek. “I would never ask you to leave the life you’ve worked so hard for either. Please believe that.”
“I do.”
“Then let’s just take this day by day. Nate is fine working on his own with the company, and believe me, my father couldn’t be happier that one of his sons is home to work on the ranch. We can stay here as long as you want.”
My cheeks felt as if they were burning I was smiling so big. “It’s kind of like our own little private hideaway in the mountains.”
Ryder’s eyes danced with excitement as he searched my face. “It’s my version of heaven.”
Jesus, he is perfect in every way.
“Come on, let’s get you inside. I had MaryLou take care of a few things for me to get everything ready for when you got out of the hospital.”
Ryder jumped out of his truck and ran to my side. Opening the door, he carefully helped me out. “Was there a sidewalk here the other day?” I asked as I tried to balance myself with the crutches.
“Nope. I had them put it in yesterday. It doesn’t go all the way to the main house, but it does go to the barn.”
Dropping my mouth open, my eyes widened as I gave him a stupefied look. “W-what?” I shook my head to get my thoughts together.
“You put in a sidewalk … just for … me?”
With a smile that made me weak in the knees, he reached down and picked me up into his arms, eliciting a small yelp from my lips. The temperature had dropped significantly in just a few days. The cool, crisp air felt good on my face as I buried it into Ryder’s chest.
He carried me toward the charming old homestead as the smell of pine invaded my senses. Lifting my head, I saw beautiful flakes begin falling from the gray sky. “It’s snowing!” I exclaimed, as a light dusting of white quickly covered every surface.
“First snow of the season!” Ryder said as he opened the door and walked in. One look and I gasped out loud at the sight before me. If I thought outside looked beautiful, it was nothing compared to the inside of the cabin.
Ryder shut the door with his foot and gently set me down.
My heart had never beat so hard in my chest. “W-when did you do this?”
His arm wrapped around my waist
as he kissed the top of my head. “I made a few phone calls.”
I peeked up at him with a bemused smile. “A few calls? Ryder, you did more than make a few calls.”
I scanned the entire house and took in all the white lights hanging from the ceiling. The furniture had been moved around to make room for a queen bed that had been placed in the corner near the fireplace that had a fire already roaring.
On the other side of the fireplace, the old writing desk that was upstairs was set up with my laptop, sketch paper and everything I needed to work.
“You have a very nice boss at Amour Boutique. She said not to worry; your job would be waiting for you when you got back.”
Oh my. He’s too perfect. He thought to call my job!
“And Maurice was more than thrilled to know you would be laid up in little stone house in Montana for a few weeks.”
A few weeks. Maybe breaking my leg was a good thing after all! Alone in a romantic old home with Ryder every day. Yes. Please.
“He sent over some ideas he wanted you to begin working on.”
“What? He did?”
Ryder smiled. “Yeah, he said something about he could feel your creativity about to flow. He wants you to … damn, what did he say?”
He glanced up toward the ceiling in thought before snapping his fingers and pointing at me. “He wants you to ľimpressionner.”
My ovaries just exploded. “Impress him,” I whispered. “You know French?”
“A little,” he said with a wicked smile.
I wrapped my arms around him and gazed into his eyes. “I never want to leave. I want to stay in this little house with you forever.”
His lips pressed against mine in a passionate kiss as I moaned into his mouth. When he pulled slightly back, he whispered, “I can arrange that.”
TWO WEEKS HAD passed since Ava had broken her leg and ankle. I was stunned at how well she was getting around. Life had been absolutely blissful. I don’t think I’ve ever taken such pleasure in making anyone orgasm like I had Ava. Exploring her body had become my new favorite past time. The last few days we had gotten rather experimental to say the least when she begged me to make love to her.
Broken Love Page 9
