Stone Cold Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  Bell’s hand settled on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’s okay.”

  “Do you think these nightmares and stuff will last long?”

  “I don’t know. It depends on her and how well she’s able to cope with what happened.”

  “Sadie’s tough.” Luna touched her hand softly to Sadie’s leg, staring down at her friend. “She’ll get through this.”

  “She needs time to heal both her body and her mind. What she went through out there?” Bell frowned and her eyes went soft with sadness. “I can’t imagine it, Rory.”

  “Me either. I just want this to be over for her.”

  Luna stared across Sadie at him. “Dr. Bowden told me you found her. Thank you for saving my friend.” Tears welled in her eyes.

  Rory nodded, unable to say or do anything else.

  The nurse finished checking the IV line and monitors and slipped out the door.

  “Do you need anything?” Bell asked.

  “I’m good.”

  “You should go home and get some sleep.”

  “I can stay with her for a little while,” Luna offered.

  “Later. I need to talk to her.”

  “About the cattle?” Bell asked.

  “Fuck the cattle,” he spat out, then realized he’d let his anger override his good sense. “Sorry, Doc. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  She smiled. “It’s okay. I get it. You’re worried about her.”

  “How long does she have to stay here?” Luna asked.

  “Depends on how she feels when she wakes up. If the cops decide to take her in—”

  “She didn’t do anything,” Rory snapped.

  Bell’s hand contracted on his shoulder. “If they don’t see it your way, I’ll make up an excuse to keep her here another day if you’d like.”

  “That might give me enough time to find her brother and make him answer for this instead of her.”

  “I hope you do. Someone needs to teach him a lesson.” The determined look in Luna’s eyes said she’d like to see Connor pay for hurting her friend.

  “So you think he’s involved with this, too?” Rory asked.

  “Not think. Know. If Sadie is in the middle of it, it’s because she rushed in to help him.” Luna frowned down at Sadie. “In this case, it’s probably more accurate to say she tried to stop him. I wish I’d known what happened yesterday. I didn’t find out until I went in to work this morning. Everyone is talking about it.”

  “I’ll see what I can do to keep her here if it comes to that. I’ll keep the deputy waiting outside until she’s up to talking to him. I have another patient to check on before Dane and I leave to go to breakfast. Your favorite girl is outside waiting to see you.”

  He smiled, thinking of the little blond angel who’d stolen his heart. “Send her in.” He pressed his hands on the chair arms, making his hand sting again. He caught Bell before she walked out the door. “Hey, Doc, can I have some antiseptic and ointment for this?” He held up his hand, showing her the wound.

  “Did the barbed wire get you?”

  “Not nearly as bad as it got her.”

  “When’s the last time you got a tetanus shot?”

  “About four years ago. I’m good.”

  “Be right back.”

  Rory eyed Luna eyeing him. “What?”

  “You’ve been here all night?”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “Because you want your cattle back or compensation for them? Or some other reason?”

  “No. And yes.”

  “Always a man of few words. Wanna tell me why you’re still here?”

  “No.” Truthfully, he had a hundred reasons and none. Nothing really made sense, except he couldn’t leave her.

  “Have anything to do with you staring at her at the diner all the time?”

  He didn’t answer, just stared at Sadie’s face, waiting for her to wake up again.

  “I guess that answers my question.”

  Rory glanced at Luna and followed her gaze to his hand over Sadie’s. He hadn’t realized he’d held hers again to keep her calm and reassure her she was safe.

  Luna gave him a nod, pulled out her chirping cell phone, and checked her messages. Rory went back to his vigil, waiting for Sadie to wake up and talk to him. What he’d say to her, he didn’t really know.

  Sadie woke up to the chatter of a little girl and slowly opened her eyes. She stared through her lashes at the last image she ever thought she’d see. Rory sat in the chair beside her, a beautiful little blond girl in his lap.

  “This not good. Mommy says clean first.” The little girl dabbed the cotton ball on the top of the bottle she held in her other hand, then pressed it in the middle of the big hand Rory held up for the little girl.

  Rory hissed with the sting of the antiseptic. The little girl pulled the cotton ball away. “Blow make it butter.” She blew on Rory’s hand with short little puffs of air. Rory smiled at the top of the little girl’s head as she bent over his hand. Everything about him changed. His face and eyes softened. His shoulders eased. She’d never seen the man look anything but intense. But when he smiled . . . Wow.

  “Butter?” the little girl asked.

  “All better. Thank you, angel baby. Now what?”

  “Mommy says goo.”

  Rory’s smile grew and he let out a soft chuckle that made Sadie’s stomach flutter. The deep rich sound made her insides warm.

  “That’s right, the goo.”

  The little girl unscrewed the cap, pressed with both hands to push some of the ointment out of the tube, and then swiped her finger over the top to grab it. Rory held his hand open for her. She smeared it in place, a look of utter concentration on her sweet face.

  “And aid.” She looked around her, searching.

  “Here it is.” Rory held up the princess bandage. “You sure this is the one we want?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “Okay,” he conceded, letting the girl put the pink bandage on his hand. He held it up so she could see her handiwork. “Great job, baby. I’m all better.”

  “Not yet. Kiss make it butter.” She leaned in and kissed Rory’s hand. “Der. All butter.”

  “Yes, I am.” Rory hugged the girl close, noticing Sadie staring at him for the first time. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she said back.

  “You’re awake.” Her best friend, Luna, leaned over from her other side and hugged her close. Sadie let out a heavy sigh and leaned into her friend, trying not to move too much. Everything ached. But she needed the warmth and reassurance of a good friend.

  Choked up Luna came, Sadie asked, “When did you get here?”

  “About twenty minutes ago. I’m so sorry, Sadie, if I’d known what happened I’d have been here sooner.”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine,” she said automatically.

  Luna released her far too soon and stood beside the bed. “You are, thanks to him.” Luna cocked her head toward Rory.

  Avoiding him and what his presence meant, she changed the subject. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  “I had to see you, but yes. They can’t survive with both of us out.”

  “Go. I’m fine.”

  “Oh for God’s sake, stop saying that. You’re not fine. Look at you.” The tremble in her friend’s voice upset Sadie even more. She hated to make her friend sad.

  Sadie tried to clear her fuzzy head, but couldn’t bring herself to look at the damage. The images in her mind were enough to make her cringe. Luna’s steady gaze grew even more worried, drawing lines across her friend’s forehead.

  “Please, go to work. I’ll be okay. But come back and see me after your shift if I’m still here.”

  “Count on it. In the meantime, call me if you need anything.” Luna leaned down and hugged her again, whispering in her ear, “I want to know what happened, and where I can find that brother of yours so I can kill him. Also, I want to know more about the hot and very intense cowboy.” Luna stood and brushed Sadie’s h
air back from her face. “You need me to stay, I’ll stay.”

  She eyed Rory still sitting quietly with the little girl, watching her. “I’m fine.”

  Unconvinced, Luna’s mouth dipped down on one side. “I will call you later, unless you call me first.” Luna eyed Rory. “I take it you’re staying, making sure she gets what she needs.”

  “Count on it,” Rory said.

  Luna tilted her head in acknowledgment, patted Sadie’s hand, then left, leaving Sadie wondering why her friend believed Rory meant those stern words and didn’t mean to take out his anger on her over what her brother did.

  She must have missed something. Right?

  “Who’s your friend?” Sadie asked, stalling as long as possible the confrontation about her brother that Rory no doubt wanted to have.

  “Kaley,” the girl announced. She turned back to Rory. “Uncle Rory, can I goo on her? She need lots.”

  “I don’t know, she’s hurt real bad.”

  Sadie couldn’t resist the little girl. “Come here. I need some of your magic medicine.”

  Kaley beamed a smile at her. Rory held her close and stood, setting the little girl on the bed. “Be very careful not to bump her leg. She’s got a bad cut,” he warned.

  “I see.” Kaley tried to pull down the blanket.

  Rory gently pulled her hand away. “No, you stick with the small cuts on her upper arm.”

  Kaley pointed to the handcuffs. “Bad guy.”

  Sadie sucked in a breath. She opened her mouth to explain, but Rory held her gaze and answered for her. “She’s not a bad guy. Once the cops talk to her, they’ll take them off.” The reassurance was for the little girl, but also for Sadie.

  “I can explain.”

  “He’s the devil,” Kaley announced, smudging more goo on her arm than needed.

  Sadie’s eyes went wide.

  “You keep calling me that in your sleep,” Rory explained.

  “No I didn’t.”

  “Did too.” Kaley singsonged the words.

  Heat rushed up her chest, neck, and face. “Rory, I didn’t mean—”

  Dane walked in the door and smiled at her. “This is a hell of a way to get some attention, honey.”

  “Dane.” The sigh she let out wasn’t enough to emphasize the relief she felt seeing her old friend. She’d known Dane since kindergarten.

  Another reprieve from the confrontation Rory wanted. Damn her brother for getting mixed up with the likes of Rory Kendrick. She’d warned him. Since Connor wasn’t here to answer for his misdeeds, it was left to her to answer to the big, forbidding man.

  “Does it have to be every blonde in the state?” Rory snapped.

  Dane’s gaze shot from her to Rory. The mischievous grin reminded her so much of the boy she knew and the young man who’d loved, and never turned down, a good time, which accounted for his reputation with the ladies.

  “What? Just because I’ve seen her naked—”

  Yeah, when they were little kids, stripping down and jumping in a swimming hole.

  “Excuse me,” a woman in a white doctor’s coat said from the door, glaring at Dane.

  “Now, Bell, didn’t you say something about getting pancakes?” Dane tried to weasel his way out of that loaded statement.

  “I get to play the pregnancy craving card, not you.”

  “Um, so I see you’ve met Sadie.” Dane tried to get things back on track. “Sadie, my wife, Dr. Bell Bowden. Most just call her Bell.”

  “Dr. Bowden, so nice to meet you. I heard this one got married.” She turned to Dane. “You look so happy.”

  His smile kicked up another notch. “I am. I see you’ve met our little girl.”

  Kaley planted her hand on Sadie’s thigh, jumped up on the bed, and ran for her dad. “Ancakes,” she shouted.

  Sadie tried to squelch the yelp of pain, barely. Her eyes rolled back and she pressed her hand to her throbbing leg.

  Dane’s hand settled on her calf. “Sadie, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” She hissed the words out, wishing the pain away.

  Rory took a step toward Dane, glaring at him like he wanted to kill him. Sadie didn’t know what was going on here, but she wanted to go home. She needed to find her brother. If the devil dude did this to her, no telling what he’d do to her brother if Connor didn’t deliver on whatever drug deal they had going. She needed to stop Connor and get him to turn himself in before it was too late.

  “How did I get here?”

  “Rory brought you in last night,” Dr. Bowden said, pulling her chart from the end of the bed and reading over it.

  Sadie turned to Rory. “It wasn’t a dream.”

  Rory scrunched up one side of his mouth and shook his head. Weariness filled his eyes and the sigh he released from his wide chest. He’d been through a lot to save her.

  Dane shook his head and pulled his wife into a hug. “I’ll let you finish here, then we’re going to breakfast. You need to eat.” He kissed her on the forehead, then glanced at Rory. “It’s not what you think.” Dane released his wife and walked to the edge of the bed and laid his hand over her handcuffed one. “Did Connor steal those cattle?”

  She stared at the handcuffs and sighed out the answer she didn’t want to be true, “Yes.”

  Dane gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Connor’s the one who deserves to be in handcuffs. You’ve done all you can up to this point. You need to let him go before he really does get you killed.”

  She stared up at him, holding his beautiful daughter, a girl he’d taken in because she needed a family. Dane would do anything for family. “If it were one of your brothers, would you let them go?”

  “He left you out there, didn’t he?” Dane asked.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “You’ve been the cleanup crew since your mother died. You’ve held everything together. You’ve lived for them. When will you start living for yourself, Sadie? Do it now before it’s too late.”

  He rattled the handcuffs to point out that she might end up in jail, an accessory for stealing Rory’s cattle.

  “Rory saved you last night. If he hadn’t come along . . .” Dane left the rest unsaid.

  She’d be dead right now.

  Dane leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. He hovered over her and whispered, “Your life has been one hard choice after the next. This is something you have to do, Sadie. Save yourself.”

  Tears shimmered in her eyes. She knew he was right, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Connor was her brother. He needed her. She’d get through to him, make him see reason. A small voice inside, the one she never listened to, whispered, He’ll never see reason. He’ll never change. She turned her face into the pillow and wept.

  Dane brushed his hand over her hair. “You call me if you need me.”

  “I’ve got this,” Rory said behind her.

  Which could only mean that he meant to make her and her brother pay for what happened. That, or he really did believe she wasn’t the bad guy and he pitied her for all her injuries and what happened. She didn’t know which was worse.

  Sadie wiped her eyes. She didn’t have time for self-pity or crying over what couldn’t be changed.

  Dr. Bowden took Dane’s place beside her after he walked out the door. Sadie stared up at the beautiful woman and sucked it up, mustering what little strength she had left.

  “Congratulations on the wedding and the new baby. Kaley is amazing. She got that one to smile.” Sadie cocked her head in Rory’s direction.

  “He’s a sucker for her.”

  “I see Dane is, too. So, Dane finally found you again. You’re her, right?”

  Dr. Bowden sucked in a surprised breath. “You know about our meeting by the river?”

  “Though I haven’t seen Dane in a good long while, since he ran off to ride the rodeo circuit, he and I have been friends forever. When I really needed one, he was there for me. I’ve been so busy lately, seems I keep up with my friends more through t
he town grapevine than in person.”

  “Life gets in the way sometimes.” Dr. Bowden touched her arm, understanding in her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  “Sore. Everything aches. My wrists, shoulders, and ankles are the worst. I can feel the stitches at my side and on my legs.”

  “Yeah, sorry Kaley got you.”

  “She didn’t mean it.”

  “Considering what you went through, your injuries aren’t too bad. I’ll take the stitches out in seven to ten days. The cuts were deep. Your wrists and ankles are cut, scraped, and raw. That will take the longest to heal. I’ll prescribe some antibiotics to stave off infections. Right now, you’re getting them through your IV.”

  “Did you call my dad?”

  “A sheriff’s deputy contacted him by phone, then Rory’s brother went by to see him.”

  Rory stepped close. “My brother Colt stopped by your place last night. He packed you some clothes and talked to your dad. He found your horses saddled and in the pasture. He took care of them and put them back in their stalls, fed and watered all the horses.”

  “Damnit, Connor just left them like that.”

  “He left you hanging from a tree,” Rory snapped out, his voice laced with pent-up rage.

  “The deputy is waiting outside to speak to you,” Dr. Bowden said. “I’ll be back later to check on you.”

  “I want to go home.”

  Dr. Bowden’s eyes went to the cuffs on her hand. “We’ll see.” She left the room.

  Sadie rattled the cuffs, frustrated, pissed, and overwhelmed.

  “Stop. You’ll hurt yourself.”

  “I don’t see how it can get any worse.”

  “It can always get worse,” Rory said.

  Deputy Foster stepped into the room.

  “Hello, Mark.”

  “Sadie. We meet again.”

  “No offense, but I’m tired of seeing you.”

  “None taken. How about this time you give me some straight answers without trying in vain to make me believe your brother didn’t mean for this to happen and isn’t responsible for stealing nearly a hundred head of cattle.”

  Sadie stared up at the ceiling wishing she was anywhere else but here. How the hell could she protect her brother when everything led straight to him? Did he really think he’d get away with this, or that she could get him out of it? Why did she even bother to try anymore?