Takin' The Reins

by Stacey Coverstone

  Cole chuckled. “You’re sitting in the hospital sore and bruised and chapped, and you’re thinking about your courtyard wall?”

  “Of course! I’m very excited. Tell me.”

  “They’ve started. I have some more good news, if you’re up for it. Your appliances from Lowe’s were delivered this morning. They’re installed and they look beautiful.”

  Jordan clapped her hands like a child.

  “Wyatt locked the house after you were brought here,” Cole continued. “Of course, you’d already given me a key, so I didn’t think you’d mind if we continued with the planned work.”

  “I was hoping you would.”

  Cole covered her hand with his and switched subjects again. “I’m sure glad Wyatt is a psychic.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Didn’t he tell you? He had a premonition. He went searching for you because he felt something was wrong. He sensed it in his gut.”

  “Really?”

  “That’s what I heard. Anyway, the guy’s all right in my book. He’d just better treat you good.”

  Jordan smiled. “Cole, you’ll always hold a special place in my heart. And we’re always going to be friends, I hope.”

  “Are you in love with him?” he asked.

  She didn’t hesitate with her answer. “Yes, I am.” It felt good saying it out loud.

  “Knock, knock. Anybody home?” They both turned to see Wyatt step through the door. He stopped in his tracks and stared at their hands—that were clasped.

  “Speak of the devil,” Cole whispered light-heartedly. He released her hand. “Hello, Wyatt.”

  “Cole.” They nodded at each other the way cowboys do.

  Cole rose from the chair, aware that it was time for him to go. “I’ve got to get back to the ranch and help my men get that wall up, Jordan. I’ll look forward to seeing you back home soon.”

  “Thanks again for stopping by. It was so thoughtful of you to bring the flowers and balloons. They’ll really brighten up this dingy room.”

  “You’re welcome. You rest now and follow the doctor’s orders.” As he passed by, he clapped Wyatt on the shoulder. Their gazes locked. “If I have to lose her to anyone, I’m okay with it being you, Brannigan.”

  With Cole gone, Wyatt sauntered to the hospital bed and kissed Jordan so softly on the lips she could barely feel it. Apparently he didn’t want to hurt her. “Why was he here?” he asked, occupying the chair Cole had just vacated.

  “Just visiting and updating me on the work going on at the house.” She sensed a bit of jealousy lurking behind Wyatt’s confident façade.

  “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he beamed, changing the subject.

  “Oh, sure.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m a sight all right. They won’t let me wash my hair.”

  “Jordan, you’re always beautiful to me,” he replied with a voice thick with emotion. The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled, but this smile was not his usual mischievous one. He seemed melancholy.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting up. “Is it Houdini?”

  “What? No, no. He’s fine. I just can’t stop thinking about you out there in the cold and the rain, alone, hurt, and nearly frozen. I could have lost you.” His heartfelt words touched her deep inside. A heartstring vibrated in her chest seeing the way he cared.

  “But you didn’t lose me. I’m right here, alive and well. Thanks to you.” She reached for his hand, and his fingers twined between hers.

  “I don’t know what I would have done…” He stopped mid-sentence, too choked up to continue.

  “Luckily, we don’t have to think about that,” she interjected. She loved his tender side but sensed his discomfort and changed the subject. “Did you have time to see Houdini this morning?”

  He pulled a hankie from his back pocket and wiped his damp forehead. “Yes. That nut tried to escape when the vet was feeding him. Can you believe it?”

  She snorted. “Yes, I can. He wants to go home—just like me. When can we spring him out of there?”

  “The vet says I can pick him up tomorrow.”

  “Good! I’ve been thinking about it, and he’s going to sleep with me in the house from now on.”

  Wyatt narrowed his eyes at her and shifted his weight in the chair. “I know he saved your life and all, but let’s not get carried away, honey.”

  “Don’t concern yourself about my goat, Brannigan.” She squared her jaw.

  A deep laugh erupted from Wyatt’s belly. “I see you’ve got your tongue back and you’re not shy about using it.”

  Jordan crossed her arms over her chest. “You won’t talk me out of this. I owe my life to Houdini.”

  He shook his head and moved off the subject yet again. “What do you think we ought to do about Buttercup?”

  She sighed. “I’ve been thinking about that. Addison Stillwell has tried his best to intimidate me into giving up the ranch. And the sheriff, I’m afraid, is in cahoots with him. I’ve racked my brains, but I don’t know what we can do. We have no proof he had Campbell and Cruz steal her.”

  “We can take the matter into our own hands,” Wyatt replied in all seriousness.

  “You tried that already. Remember?”

  “Well, you’re not going to let Stillwell win, are you?”

  “No. I’ll never sell the ranch to him. What I’m going to do is carry on with my life and prove to him that he couldn’t beat Lydia and he won’t beat me.”

  “So we’re not going after Buttercup?”

  She shook her head in defeat. “I’m drained. I have too much responsibility on my shoulders as it is. I’ve grown to love Buttercup, and I hope we can get her back one day. I don’t know how, but I hope… But for now, I have to concentrate on figuring out what’s most important for me. The first thing is to get my house done. Second is to sell the other horses. A rescue operation was Lydia’s life cause, not mine.”

  Wyatt smiled. “I’m proud of you, Jordan, and I’m behind you one hundred percent.”

  “You are?”

  “Of course. I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Thank you. I was really praying you’d say that.”

  “I’ll always back you up.” Their gazes locked and he said, “You should rest now.”

  “I don’t want to rest,” she whined. “I want to go home and get on with my life.”

  “There’s plenty of time for that, after you’ve fully recovered.” His hand slipped from hers as he stood up. “I have chores to do, but I’ll come back this evening. Do you think you’ll feel up to company tonight?”

  “I’ll be counting down the minutes until you return. You know there’s no one else I’d rather spend the night with.”

  “Good answer.”

  ~ * ~

  Later that afternoon, Rachel rushed in and grabbed the TV remote off the tray table. She pointed it toward the small television on the wall, pressed the On button and channel surfed.

  “What’s going on?” Jordan rubbed her eyes and propped herself up against her pillow. She’d been dozing.

  “I’m sorry I woke you. Some colleagues had the television on in the nurse’s station and… Look! Isn’t that your goat on TV?”

  Jordan smiled when she saw a video of Houdini filling the screen. He stood in a metal dog crate with his nose stuck between the bars. Unbeknownst to the reporter talking to the camera, Houdini had nibbled the belt loops off his slacks and was chewing on his belt.

  “Look at that,” Rachel cried. “He’s adorable!”

  “Brannigan says he can go home tomorrow. I hope I can, too.”

  “We’ll see,” Rachel said, switching off the television and moving to her side. “Stick out your tongue. Time to take your temperature. Say ah.”

  “Ahhhh.”

  After recording the number in Jordan’s chart, Rachel sat down. She didn’t waste time with further pleasantries. “So, tell me about Cole Roberts. When did you meet him?”

  Jordan grinned. “I suspected thi
s might come up when I saw the way you looked at him earlier today. I saw you blush when he started reminiscing about your childhood days.”

  Rachel’s smiled widened. “I can’t believe I actually told him I had a crush on him! What was I thinking?” She playfully slapped the side of her head. “I don’t know what came over me. I couldn’t stop jabbering.”

  “I think he likes you, too,” Jordan said.

  “You do? How do you know?”

  “He couldn’t rip his eyes away when you walked out.”

  “Really?” She beamed. “He’s still as cute as he ever was. And he does seem nice. I remember him being a sweet and kind guy.”

  “He is definitely sweet and kind,” Jordan said.

  “I don’t know what it is about him, but I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all day. I can’t stop thinking about him. Is that crazy?”

  “No. I know the feeling. You should go for it. Are you dating anyone? I know he’s not.”

  “I haven’t been in a relationship for a while,” Rachel confessed.

  “Then let me play Cupid for you. When I get out of here, you stop over at the ranch. I’ll make sure you run into each other again. I could see a spark between you two. It’ll be fun for me to play matchmaker. Cole’s a great guy, and I like you. You’ve been so good to me.”

  “Thanks. It would be nice to date a decent man for a change. I haven’t had much luck in the romance department lately.”

  “Well, maybe your luck is about to change.”

  “Maybe.” Rachel glanced at her watch and announced she was going off shift. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Here, I brought this for you. I made them myself.” She pulled a thick brownie wrapped in a napkin out of her uniform pocket and handed it to Jordan.

  “Chocolate! You’re a saint.” She opened the napkin, sniffed the delicious aroma, and swallowed the brownie in three bites.

  “Is Mr. Brannigan coming over tonight?” Rachel asked.

  “Yes. I guess I should get myself gussied up, as much as is possible in a hospital gown.” She teasingly primped her hair. Rachel stuck Jordan’s chart in the box on the door and spun around.

  “You know, I think Mr. Brannigan is like an M & M.”

  Jordan tilted her head. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. Why is he like an M & M?”

  “He’s got a hard shell on the outside, but he’s a softie on the inside. Am I right?”

  “Yes. That’s him to a tee.”

  “I envy you. A good man’s hard to find. I like yours,” Rachel said. “Maybe it was destiny you came to New Mexico.” She waved goodbye as she exited the room.

  “Maybe it was indeed,” Jordan whispered.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Good morning, sleepy head.” Jordan jiggled Wyatt’s arm. After opening his eyes, he yawned and rubbed his knuckles across them. He slowly rose from the hospital chair that he’d fallen asleep in and stretched his back. His warm gaze met Jordan’s.

  “I swear you look fresh as a daisy,” he said.

  “You sure know how to charm a woman.”

  “It’s easy with a woman as charming as you.”

  “I can’t believe you slept in that chair all night long. You must have a terrible kink in your neck. Come let me rub it for you.” She tugged on his shirtsleeve to pull him toward the bed. He sat on the edge, and she dug her fingers into the muscles of his neck.

  “Mmmm. Your hands are so warm. And your fingers are strong. That feels good.”

  “It’s the least I can do for the man who saved my life. I think I owe you a neck rub every day from now on.”

  “Could I have that in writing please?” They both chuckled. As Jordan’s doctor strolled through the door with Rachel, Wyatt moved off the bed and stood to the side.

  “Good morning, Miss Mackenzie,” the doctor greeted, acknowledging Wyatt with a nod. “How are you feeling?”

  “Wonderful,” she replied. “I slept great. Will you be releasing me today?”

  “First things first,” he chuckled. “He removed the stethoscope from around his neck and placed it on her heart. After listening to her heartbeat, he opened the back of her gown, placed the stethoscope on her spine and asked her to take several deep breaths.

  “Very good. Nurse, will you please take her blood pressure?”

  Jordan stuck her arm out, knowing the routine well by now. Rachel fastened the cuff around her arm and pumped as the doctor scribbled notes in the chart. “One hundred twenty over seventy,” Rachel reported.

  “Can I go home today, Doctor?” Jordan repeated. Although Wyatt hung back and attempted to be unobtrusive, the doctor momentarily ignored her and addressed him.

  “Your wife certainly has a fighting spirit. It’s simply remarkable the way she’s recovered from this incident so quickly.”

  “Oh, she’s not my wife,” Wyatt corrected, not bothering to explain further.

  “Beg your pardon,” the doctor said. “Well, Ms. Mackenzie, you’re certainly a lucky woman. I’m giving you a clean bill of health.”

  “So I get to go home?” She already had her uninjured foot stuck out of the bed.

  He gently pushed her foot back under the cover. “Yes. I’m going to release you, provided you promise to take care of this foot. We’ve discussed your wearing a brace until the fracture is healed. The nurse will fit you with a basic brace before you leave. I’m also sending you home with ointment to continue using on your face.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.” She shook his hand, anxious for him to leave so she could get into her clothes.

  “You’re welcome. Your nurse can take care of the paperwork and we’ll get you out of here as soon as possible.” He scratched a few more notes into her chart, handed it to Rachel, and nodded again at Wyatt before exiting the room.

  “Can we go pick up Houdini as soon as we leave here?” Jordan asked Wyatt.

  “You’re as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. He’s just a smelly goat. Don’t know what all the fuss is about.”

  She knew he was teasing, so she teased back. “Don’t worry. He won’t be smelly after I give him a bubble bath.”

  “Oh, for gosh sakes.” Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Let me go make a call to the vet and see if he’s ready to go. I’m sure they’re anxious to be rid of the nuisance. If we’re lucky, he escaped that crate they were keeping him in and ran away for good.”

  Jordan knew he meant it. When they talked last night, he made a confession. He told her that when he’d seen the two sets of prints at her ranch the night of the storm, he’d deduced that the only reason she’d gone into the desert during the thunderstorm was because Houdini had run away again. It had made his blood boil. He’d promised himself he’d slaughter the damn goat if anything happened to her. Fortunately, all had ended well, so Wyatt had retracted his promise.

  “Would you mind waiting in the hallway?” Rachel asked him. “I’ll get her paperwork together and she can get dressed. You brought her some clean clothes, didn’t you?”

  “Yep.” He lifted a bag off the floor and handed them to the nurse and then she playfully shooed him out. “After you’ve made your call to the vet, grab a cup of coffee and pull your vehicle up to the front entrance. She’ll be ready in about twenty minutes.”

  ~ * ~

  Being pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair was the last thing Jordan wanted. She protested heartily. “This is silly. I can walk by myself.”

  “It’s hospital regulations,” Rachel said. “Besides, you’re not supposed to put much weight on that foot, even with the brace on.”

  Wyatt opened the passenger door of his pickup, took Jordan’s hand, and gave her a boost into the cab. She rolled down the window and thanked Rachel for the umpteenth time.

  “Come out to the house real soon. Cole will be there every day this week.”

  “I’m off tomorrow,” Rachel replied with a conspiratorial wink. “I think I’ll drop by. See you!”

  Wyatt jumped into the driver’s seat and gave Jordan a sideways glance. �
��What was that about?” he asked, as they drove away.

  “I’m playing Cupid.”

  “Is that so? For the sport and the nurse?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, I think they make a fine pair.”

  Jordan noticed he could barely contain himself. His grin was broad. “I thought you might.”

  They were at the Lucky Seven forty-five minutes later. As soon as they let Houdini out of the back of the truck, he bolted for the barn and scurried from stall to stall bleating, “Maaaaa. Maaaaa.”

  Jordan frowned. “That’s sad. He’s looking for Buttercup. Let’s take him into the house now, to get his mind off her.”

  “Jordan, you’re not really going to let that dirty goat into your house.”

  “I most certainly am.” Her hands fisted on her hips. “Come on, Houdini.” She hooked a lead rope to his new collar they’d bought before coming home. The collar had a little bell on it, and it tinkled every time the goat swayed. She led him up the new sidewalk to her adobe, hobbling on her braced foot.

  “Would you please be careful,” Wyatt said, tagging close behind. “That goat could take off like the devil and you’d be dragged all the way to kingdom come.”

  Ignoring him, Jordan gazed around as she walked the goat to the door. “That apple tree is pruned, and this sidewalk is new again. What do you think of all the improvements, Brannigan?”

  Roberts did a nice job,” he admitted, inspecting the walk.

  Cole bolted from around the corner. “I felt my ears burning.”

  “Cole!”

  “Welcome home, Jordan. Hello, Wyatt.”

  “Howdy, sport.” The two men shook hands.

  “Maaaaa.”

  Cole patted the goat’s head. “Hi ya, Houdini. I see he’s as good as new. Where are you taking him?”

  “Inside to check out his new sleeping quarters.” Jordan flung open the door.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “She’s not,” Wyatt said, sighing.

  “He’s going to be sleeping indoors with me from now on.” Jordan stepped into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. She gasped. “Could you please hold him?” she asked Wyatt, while thrusting the lead rope into his hand. She limped into each of the rooms, taking in the beautifully painted walls. When she returned to the living room, her eyes misted over.