The Kentucky Cowboy's Baby

by Heidi Hormel

  Pepper stared at her cowboy. How could she ever have imagined he was selfish and uncaring?

  “What I’m trying to say is I am the one who wants to thank all of you. Without this town, we wouldn’t have the ranch and we wouldn’t have EllaJayne safe with us.”

  Pepper listened to the silence and went to the microphone, finally sure what she needed to say, “AJ is right that we owe everyone here thanks, but I’ve learned that allowing others to help is also a gift. So, we thank you for your help on getting our new home started. Thank you for coming out today.”

  Shouts echoed around the open lot.

  Then Danny took over as AJ pulled her in for a hug and a kiss into the top of her hair. “You always know what to say or do. Must be why I love you.”

  Danny said, “Will you two lead us in our first dance?”

  “Hell,” AJ said. “I can’t dance.”

  “You weren’t a farmer either and look how well you’ve done at that.”

  “Guess so. Come on, honey. Let’s show them how it’s done.”

  Pepper snuggled into AJ’s chest, allowing him to rock her around the dusty lot to the slow crooning of the band. She didn’t care what happened next because this was all she needed.

  Then a little girl voice carried over everything, singing to her own tune: “S-e-x, s-e-x, s-e-x.”

  Everyone laughed. AJ said, “That’s our girl.”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A BULL RIDER’S PRIDE by Amanda Renee.

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  A Bull Rider’s Pride

  by Amanda Renee

  Prologue

  The roar of the crowd faded as he sailed through the air. Gravity defying seconds morphed into an eternity until he struck the dirt with a resounding thud. A frenzy of blurred images danced before him in the deafening silence. He scrambled to his knees, searching for the safety of the arena fence. Muted shouts began to seep through the murkiness. Adrenaline triumphed over the growing ache that tore through his left leg. Then darkness overshadowed him. Once more, he was plucked effortlessly from the ground like a twig in a summer twister. The bull’s head slammed into his spine—the sudden blow burning his lungs.

  His arms desperately clawed for something to hold on to as the bull violently swung his head from side to side, but he found only the beast beneath him. With each twist and snort, the animal stole another breath from his body. And then nothing.

  No sound.

  No pain.

  His world slipped away with a single thought... Gunner.

  Chapter One

  “I’ll never understand what motivates someone to climb on top of a one-ton animal hell-bent to drive them into the ground.” Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sheila Lindstrom reviewed Brady Sawyer’s chart one final time before she headed down the hall to give him the news he’d been waiting two months to hear.

  “Bull riders are nothing more than stubborn cowboys looking for an adrenaline fix,” Marissa Sloane said. The junior orthopedic surgical resident assigned to Sheila’s service at Grace General Hospital tossed her coffee cup in the trash behind the nurse’s station and scanned the patient whiteboard. “Look at it this way, bull riding helps keep us in business. Besides, I think you have a soft spot for the cowboy. You’ve monitored his case ever since he was admitted and he wasn’t even your patient. Well, at least not until today.”

  “Only because I was on rotation that night and assisted on his initial surgery.” The trauma team had airlifted Brady from the arena and he’d coded once while en route. “I’m still amazed he made it through the first twenty-four hours, let alone is strong enough for release to a rehabilitation facility.” Sheila was glad she’d been wrong. Seeing a patient leave the hospital in remarkably better condition than when they arrived was its own reward.

  “And you get to go with him.” Marissa playfully elbowed her.

  “I’m hardly going with him. The hippotherapy center is part of my job.” The orthopedic surgeon residency program provided services free of charge to the Dance of Hope Hippotherapy Center located fifteen minutes away in Ramblewood, Texas. The facility, which used horses’ movements to treat a number of conditions, had been a huge incentive when Sheila interviewed for the residency program four years earlier. “Double-check the OR schedule for me and see if there’ve been any changes. I’m scheduled for an arthroscopic rotator-cuff repair this morning.”

  “It doesn’t hurt that he’s extremely good-looking.” Marissa logged into the hospital’s electronic medical records system. “You’re still set for nine o’clock.”

  Sheila checked her watch. It was six in the morning and she’d already put in two hours. “I didn’t notice his looks.” That wasn’t entirely true. She’d noticed Brady’s handsome features almost immediately. His face was one of the few body parts he hadn’t injured. The same couldn’t be said for his head. After registering only a seven out of fifteen on the Glasgow Coma Scale due to an epidural hematoma, his survival outlook had been grim. It had taken a dozen surgeries to save his life and get him to the point where he could be released to Dance of Hope.

  “Lindstrom, I need an assist on an ACL reconstruction.” Dr. Mangone, their attending physician, approached. “It’s your call.”

  “I’m certain Dr. Sloane here is up for it. I have a rotator cuff this morning.” Sheila noticed Marissa’s subtle happy dance out of the corner of her eye. Trying not to smile, she focused her attention on Dr. Mangone. “I’m discharging Brady Sawyer this morning.”

  “Ah, our resident cowboy. I’ll be glad to see him go. In my thirty-six years of practice, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more—how should I put this—determined patient. I just hope he doesn’t overdo it at Dance of Hope. I’m not a hundred percent comfortable with his therapy taking place on the back of a horse. Especially when he’s so fixated on competing again.”

  “I’ve already discussed his condition with the staff,” Sheila said. “But I’ll be sure to reiterate his limitations...and his determination, as you so graciously put it. Not that I think it will stop him.” Brady Sawyer had developed a bit of a reputation around Grace General during his stay. The nurses commonly referred to him as Superman. From the day he awoke from his two-week coma, he
’d vowed to get back in the ring and unfailingly pushed himself. Marissa was right—he was one stubborn cowboy.

  “You see to it that he doesn’t come back here. I’ve operated on him enough,” Dr. Mangone said. “Sloane, scrub in.”

  Sheila proceeded down the hallway toward Brady’s room. It was early, but most patients were already awake since the nurses had begun their rounds. Although she was dying for a caffeine fix, she decided to hold off until after she told him the good news. She hated talking to patients with coffee still lingering on her breath. She hesitated at his door, smoothing the front of her scrubs and inwardly laughed. Despite what Marissa had implied, she did not have a soft spot for the cowboy.

  While Brady Sawyer was no stranger to her, she doubted he remembered any of their previous meetings during his two-and-a-half-month hospital stay. Dr. Mangone had been his physician until yesterday when he’d handed her the reins. Sheila pushed open the door to Brady’s room and was surprised to see it empty.

  She stopped a nurse in the hallway. “Where’s Mr. Sawyer?”

  “Probably in the atrium. He likes to go there and watch the sunrise every morning. Would you like me to get him?”

  “No, I don’t mind the walk.” Grace General’s atrium was a favorite with visitors and staff. Located in the center of the hospital, it had five-story glass walls facing east and west along with a glass panel ceiling. Lush green trees grew around the center fountain giving it a parklike appearance. The morning light created an ethereal haze over the area and there Brady sat in his wheelchair staring out the window, a slight smile on his cleanly shaven face. The sun peeked over the horizon, casting golden shadows across the parking lot. Dressed in black sweatpants and a black T-shirt, he looked as if he was ready to go for a morning jog despite being restricted to a wheelchair.

  “Do you ever take a moment and just watch the sunrise?” He asked without even looking at her. “I never took the time to really notice it until I came here.”

  “Normally, I’m on rounds at this time.” Sheila sat down in the chair next to him. “Enjoy the sunrise, Mr. Sawyer because it will be the last one you ever see here.”

  Immediately Sheila noticed Brady’s jaw tense. “This is the one moment of enjoyment I have out of my entire day and you’re going to take that away from me?” Brady faced her. His blue-gray eyes met hers with intensity.

  “In a sense, yes I am.” Sheila smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Dr. Lindstrom and I’m releasing you today.”

  Brady grasped her hand between both of his. His face lit, exposing tiny creases near his temples. “You really mean it? The other day Dr. Mangone said he wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be here.”

  Sheila knew she shouldn’t revel in the feel of his touch, but the fact that he still hadn’t let go of her hand made it next to impossible. The strength and vitality he had compared to the night he was brought in bordered on miraculous. This was the first time she’d seen Brady up close outside of the operating room. The morning sun on his short dark hair brought out hints of gold she hadn’t noticed from afar. Marissa was right again. He was extremely good-looking.

  “Mr. Sawyer—”

  “Please, call me Brady.”

  “Okay, Brady.” Sheila eased her hand from his grip. “Dr. Mangone transferred your case to me and I’ll be monitoring your progress at the Dance of Hope Hippotherapy Center. I understand you’re aware of the program and all it entails. It’s still in-house physical therapy—much like the program you’re in here—only utilizing horses. It’s my understanding a social worker has spoken with you about residing in one of their on-site cottages during rehabilitation. They have an opening and are expecting you today. Can I tell them you’ll take it?”

  “Absolutely! I live alone and my father’s farmhouse is two stories. Neither place is exactly wheelchair accessible.” Brady rolled his chair backward and forward anxiously. “Not that I’ll be in this thing much longer.”

  Sheila clenched her teeth and forced a smile. “Mr. Sawyer—Brady—while Dance of Hope is an amazing facility, we can’t predict what result the therapy will have. I admire your determination, and believe me when I say it goes a long way, but you need to be realistic with your goals.”

  Brady’s face lost all amusement. “My goal is to compete again as soon as possible. One accident won’t stop me.”

  Sheila rolled her shoulders. She’d heard the nurses talk about Brady’s desire to get back on a bull, but she’d thought the reality of his prognosis would’ve set in by now. “I respect and even understand your wanting to compete again, but another injury—”

  Brady held up his hand, effectively cutting her off. “Please don’t. I have already heard the ‘if the bull’s horn was an inch more to the left it would have pierced your heart’ speech a hundred times. It didn’t. I’m still here. And I’m going to make the best of each day, and that includes riding to win.”

  Sheila rose and stood behind his wheelchair. “Don’t make me regret releasing you today.” She began to push him out of the atrium, ignoring when he attempted to do it himself. “We’ll contact Dance of Hope and arrange your transport. You’ll be ready to go once I’ve given you a final exam and your discharge papers are complete.” Sheila slammed into the back of his chair, almost launching herself over him.

  “I can wheel myself, thank you.” Brady released the brake and began wheeling ahead of her. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to push someone in a wheelchair without their approval?”

  Sheila stood in the middle of the atrium, speechless. Determination was one thing, but Brady Sawyer brought a new definition to the word and it wasn’t pretty.

  * * *

  BRADY DESPISED FEELING HELPLESS. Between his father, Alice—who was his best friend and his son’s mother—and his friends, somebody was always trying to do something for him. He needed to do things for himself—he wanted to. And that included maneuvering his own wheelchair. If Dr. Lindstrom hadn’t been so attractive he probably would’ve realized what she was about to do and stopped her. But her soft silver eyes had captured his attention and held it until she’d started arguing with him about competing. He’d already heard it from everybody else. It would be nice if other people believed in him the way his four-year-old son did. Gunner was his biggest supporter and the only one who still had faith in him.

  Brady barreled into his hospital room and spun his chair around to face the door before Dr. Lindstrom arrived. He squeezed his eyes shut willing himself to get through the next few hours. They were finally releasing him. He’d dreamed of hearing that phrase, yet he’d been completely unprepared for it. Especially when it came from the beautiful doctor he’d watched from afar throughout his stay.

  “You’re right.” Dr. Lindstrom stood in the doorway. “That was very rude of me and I apologize. If you’ll humor me, just for a second, maybe I can explain where I’m coming from. I promise it won’t be a lecture.”

  Brady nodded. He propped his left elbow up on the arm of his chair, running the back of his fingers across his chin. Sure, he could listen for a few minutes in exchange for his freedom. Regardless of what she or anyone else said, failure wasn’t an option. He realized the odds were against him, but this was the only job he knew.

  Dr. Lindstrom entered the room with a nurse in tow. Safety in numbers. Maybe he had been a little too harsh in the atrium.

  “As your physician, I want you to recover as completely as your body will allow. In order to do that we need to set a series of attainable goals so you’re consistently seeing improvement. Of course I want you to strive for the best possible scenario, but when you set extremely high goals from the outset, it tends to hinder recovery. The human body has a remarkable way of rebuilding itself—”

  “Then you understand the ability to recover and return to a normal life.”

  Sheila grimaced. “I understand the body’s abili
ty to heal, yes. And many patients do go on to live normal lives. Not all of them, though. Some must learn to adjust.”

  She sighed. “I’ve sacrificed a lot to become an orthopedic surgeon—my family, friends, social life, not to mention four hundred thousand dollars in student loans I still have to repay. I was one of the surgeons who put you back together—you were on the operating table for fifteen hours. I tend to get a little frustrated when a patient wants to put himself in the same environment that brought him here in the first place.”

  Well that made him feel like a first-class ass. “Don’t get me wrong, Dr. Lindstrom. I respect your point of view. All I ask is that you respect mine, as well.”

  Dr. Lindstrom’s lips thinned. She opened a large envelope the nurse handed her and crossed the room to the light box on the wall. Turning it on, she held up his films. “These are from your CT scans yesterday. Your hip replacement healed beautifully. You’re lucky you’re in a facility that uses the anterior approach because your recovery would’ve been much longer if it had been performed the traditional way. Your broken clavicle, sternum and left humerus look good. The fact you can wheel yourself all over this hospital proves your shoulder surgeries were a success. I understand from your physical therapist that you’re still feeling tightness in your thighs, left knee and spinal regions.”

  “It’s not so much tightness as it is weakness.” Brady attempted to sit taller in his chair. “I can stand, but I tire quickly.”

  Dr. Lindstrom slid the scans back into the envelope and handed it to the nurse. “Let’s take a look.” She walked to him, checked the brakes on his wheelchair and held out both of her hands for him to hold on to. “Don’t worry, I’m stronger than I look, I won’t let you fall.”