by Debra Kayn
The buzzer rang, and she let go of the rope. She jumped off the back of the bull, dropped to her knees. She struggled to her feet, falling, running, falling again, until she broke into a run. She headed straight to the fence. Reggie gave her a hand up, and she sailed out of the arena.
Reggie gathered her up in his arms. “Dammit, girly, you qualified. You’re in the finale. Three more days until you ride that last bull, and then that belt is yours.”
She held her mouth to his ear. “I need to leave. Now.”
He kissed her cheek. “Go get your dream. You deserve it.”
Roy Lee and Craig waited for her at the end of the walkway. She unsnapped her helmet and tossed it to the ground. At the Suburban, she removed her vest and left it where it fell in the parking lot. She jumped in the passenger seat. Her body shook, but she had enough energy to take on anyone who stopped her from going to Cole and Sarah.
“She’s at the Grace Memorial Hospital. We’ll be there in less than two hours.” Roy Lee gazed over his shoulder and backed out of the parking spot. “The only thing they would tell me is she was brought in. We’ll have to take our chances that we can find out where they have her when we arrive, or maybe find Cole.”
“She can’t be…” She swallowed her fear. Be positive. Be positive.
Roy Lee reached over and squeezed her hand. She clung to him, taking his strength and adding it her own. Whatever Sarah needed, wanted, and desired, she would make sure it happened. She needed to make sure Sarah was all right. If Cole sent her away after that, she’d walk out the door happy. Whatever it took, she’d do it to make sure Sarah healed and came back to Cole, to living a full life.
The flat road stretched out before them, an endless trail of black without a building in sight. She stared at the lines dotting the middle of the road. One mile turned into two, and they kept going.
She rolled over all her actions, all her words to Sarah, and blamed herself. Cole had been right. She should never have put Sarah on Plaid. What kind of mentor encouraged a child to put herself in danger? She gave Sarah her first taste of freedom by letting her ride alone. She wasn’t a mother, just like Cole said.
“We’re almost there, a half hour at most.” Roy Lee flipped on his turn signal and slowed.
She wiggled around and undid her chaps. “Drop me off at the front door. I’ll go in and ask around to find out where they have her.”
“Florentine.” Roy Lee shot her a frown. “Why don’t you wait for us to park and go in with you?”
“No. It’ll take too long. Cole’s already been in there by himself too long.”
“Well, technically, he only has a twenty minute lead on us,” said Craig.
“Doesn’t matter.” Florentine took off her seatbelt, stared at the buckle, and strapped herself back in for the last leg of the ride.
Roy Lee glanced at her. “You love him.”
He wasn’t asking. She nodded. I love them both.
Chapter Twenty-one
The silence of the waiting room pricked at Cole’s skin. The longer it took the doctor to come out and tell him any news on Sarah’s condition, the sicker he felt. He stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. What was taking so long?
He’d arrived at the hospital in time to hear his dad explain that Sarah went into surgery ten minutes ago to repair her broken arm. His knees shook. He’d never felt so weak in his life. His baby was in there without him to protect her.
“Sit down, son. Sarah will be fine. You’ll see. The doctor said it’ll only take an hour, and then she’ll be put in recovery.” John Reardon patted the chair beside him.
Cole walked back and sat beside his dad. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
John put his arm on the back of Cole’s chair. “She’s a lucky girl. If the horse hadn’t dumped her in the ditch right before impact…”
“Damn.” Cole rubbed his face. “You’re sure she only has a broken arm? What about her head? Did they check if she had a concussion or needed stitches?”
“They looked her all over. She was wearing that shiny pink helmet Ms. McDougal bought her,” said John. “Once they have the pin put in her arm, she’ll be good as new.”
The helmet, so similar to the one Florentine had worn at the ride today. He let out his breath. Sarah had compared hers to the one she said Florentine had talked about buying when they stayed at the ranch, and announced that she would always wear one. In fact, Florentine had made Sarah promise. He groaned. In his panic, he’d lashed out at Florentine. She was the one person he should be thanking. Because of Sarah’s friendship with her, his daughter had the good sense to wear her helmet.
He leaned to the side, removed his phone, and dialed Florentine’s number. The call rang and rang, then switched over to voice mail.
“It’s me, Cole. Sarah’s okay. Well, she’s got a broken arm, and she’s in surgery. She’s going to be okay, though.” He glanced at his dad, stood, and walked to the other side of the waiting room. “Florentine…I’m sorry. Call me back when you get the message.”
John chuckled. “You finally met your match with that little bull fighter, huh?”
He leaned against the window. “If it was a competition, she’d win hands down.” He gazed out the glass. “I don’t know, Dad. She makes me look at the world differently, and I find myself wanting to be a better person when I’m around her. She’s shown me a lot about myself that I didn’t want to face.”
“Yep.” John crossed his legs at the ankle. “Falling in love will do that to a man. That’s the way it was between your mom and me, bless her soul. She had me believing I could conquer anything I set my mind to, and when I thought of being without her, she left me weak. I miss her every day.”
“Is that what I’m doing? Falling in love? Because this feels different than when Theresa…”
John nodded. “You can say it. When you and Theresa got hitched, you were both young. You didn’t know yourself, and Theresa was still chasing her freedom.”
“I may have blamed Florentine for Sarah’s accident.”
John grimaced and clicked his tongue. “It’ll take some mighty big apologies to make up for what you did. You were scared, son. Doesn’t make what you did right, but if you mean something to her, she’ll understand.”
Would she? He’d fought with her from the moment he’d told her he was withdrawing from the sponsorship. As his attraction grew, he put up every roadblock he could think of to keep her away. He gazed outside, blind to everything but how wrong he’d been. Not only today, but since he met her.
He’d missed one of the most important days of her life and had no idea if she’d won. She could be brokenhearted over losing, or celebrating that she qualified for the last ride. If she’d talk with him, he’d make it up to her. He would sponsor her until she decided she was too old to ride. There was a difference between being safety-minded and being paranoid. He was also tired of hiding his feelings from everyone, but especially Florentine. Even Sarah deserved to have Florentine in her life. He blinked, and a smile he couldn’t control came over him. I love her.
“Mr. Reardon?”
He jumped away from the window and crossed the room. “Yes? Is Sarah okay?”
“I’m Dr. Gerald.” He shook Cole’s hand. “Sarah is going to be fine. We placed a pin in her arm–right here, above the wrist–and she’ll need to have that removed in two weeks. At that time, we’ll make her another cast, and she’ll be in the new one for four to five weeks more. Kids are fast healers, and I see no problems with her fully recovering.”
“Thank you.” He blew out his breath. “When can I see her?”
“We’re rolling her into her own room now. Give us five minutes, and I’ll have a nurse show you where she is.” Dr. Gerald patted him on the shoulder. “We’ll keep her overnight and let her get a good night’s rest. You’ll be able to take her home tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you so much.” Cole waited until the doctor walked out, and turned to hug his dad.
; “Told you she’d be fine, son. She’s a Reardon.” John patted him on the back. “We’ll take her home and spoil her rotten.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this.” He ran his hands over his face. “I’m going to make sure she has a chance to ride every day. The sooner she learns how to sit a horse, the better. I don’t want this happening again.”
“Good plan.” John laid a hand on his chest and shook his head. “Tell you the truth, the little darling about gave me a heart attack. I saw the horse, and…”
Cole squeezed his eyes. “Sarah’s going to be all right though.”
John nodded. “That she is, son. She was lucky.”
The door opened and a nurse called his name. Cole nodded and followed her out. His legs shook, but he kept up. He couldn’t wait to see Sarah and put his arms around her.
“Here you go, Mr. Reardon.” The nurse opened the door. “She’s a little drowsy, but she’s talking. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.”
“Thank you.” He squeezed past her.
Propped up on pillows, her red hair a wild mess, Sarah blinked at him. He grabbed a chair, sat close to the bed, and ran his hand over her little freckled face. Love for his child swelled in his chest, and it took all his strength to stop the tears.
“I love you so much. Do you know that?”
She laid her head back. “I love you, too.”
Her voice crackled and reminded him of how young and precious his baby was to him. He glanced down at her arm. Today could’ve turned out much worse.
“How are you feeling, Sarah bear?” he whispered.
She inhaled, her chest rising beneath the enormous gown. “I don’t know.”
“That’s because they gave you medicine, and it makes you feel like you’re in a dream.” He picked up her hand. “Tomorrow, you’ll get to go home and take it easy. Maybe I’ll see about ordering you a couple new Disney movies. Would you like that?”
Sarah frowned. “Am I in trouble?”
“Not today.” Cole leaned over, swept her bangs off her forehead, and kissed her. “We’ll have lots of time to talk when you’re feeling better. Right now, I want to take care of you and make sure you’re okay.”
The door opened and John walked in. “There’s Gramps’s girl.”
Cole scooted over and let his dad check on Sarah. He used the distraction to run his arm across his eyes. He’d almost lost her today.
He couldn’t imagine living a day without her, and he swore to be a better dad. Sarah needed to know how to take care of herself, judge a situation, and be prepared. He’d pampered her too long, and she wanted to grow up. The closer he held her, the harder she’d struggle for independence.
It took an accident to make him see what Florentine had shown him all along. He pulled out his phone and remembered the last hospital he visited blocked cell phone signals to keep them from interfering with their equipment.
“Dad?” He stepped up and placed his hand on his father’s back. “I’m going to walk out and make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time. Sarah and I are fine, aren’t we?”
“Dad?” Sarah tried to sit up.
“Don’t move. I’ll come to you.” He walked around the bed and leaned over. “Do you need something?”
She nodded. “I need to talk to Florentine.”
Cole glanced over at his dad, cleared his throat, and nodded. “Remember, she’s got a big day today. It might be hard to get a hold of her, but I’ll try. I’m sure she would love to talk with you.”
“I want her.” Sarah’s chin trembled. “I need to tell her somethin’.”
He ran the back of his hand over her cheek. “I’ll try, Sarah bear. I promise.”
His boots echoed in the room as he headed for the door. He followed the exit signs and took the elevator down to the ground floor. Outside the back of the hospital, he punched in Florentine’s number again on the cellphone. Come on, darlin’, answer.
But the phone kept ringing. He left another message, and then hurried back inside to Sarah. If Florentine didn’t return his call within an hour, he’d try to contact the McDougal Ranch and see if anyone there would relay a message. He had to talk to her, not only for Sarah’s sake, but also for his own.
Back at Sarah’s room, he pushed through the door and came to a dead stop.
Florentine lay in the bed with Sarah, cuddling his daughter to her chest—in the most awkward position because of the cast. She stroked his daughter’s hair and spoke quietly to her. The air in his lungs returned, and all he could do was stand there and try to understand when, how, why Florentine ended up beside his daughter, in the hospital.
Florentine hated hospitals. He’d never forget her absolute fear after her injury. Hell, he’d carried her out in her gown because nothing else would calm her down. He held on to the doorknob. It must be taking every brave cell in her body to be here.
“I’m so glad you’ll be all right, Sarah.” Florentine laid her chin on top of Sarah’s head and closed her eyes. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Sarah bent her neck to snuggle closer. “I’m sorry. I know you told me never to ride without asking Dad or Gramps first. I won’t ever, ever, ever do that again.”
Florentine scooted up, and held Sarah’s face in her hands. “Your dad has rules because he loves you…not because he’s trying to be mean.”
“He’s gonna be mad when we get home.”
“Oh yeah, he’s gonna pace around and the little muscle in his jaw is going to twitch up a storm. He’ll probably lecture you all day, maybe through the night too.” Florentine laughed. “And you know what’s going to happen when you’re sitting there feeling like the most trouble-making kid on earth?”
“What?”
“You’re going to think really hard about if it was worth getting hurt, and then try harder to obey the next time you get a wild idea. That’s what all kids go through. Even me. We all make mistakes, no matter how old we are,” said Florentine.
Cole cleared his throat and leaned against the doorjamb. “Me, too. I’ve made huge mistakes.”
“You have?” Sarah yawned.
“Yep.”
John stood up and motioned Cole toward the chair. “I’m going to stretch my legs and give you all some privacy.”
Cole couldn’t look away from Florentine. “You’re here. At the hospital.”
She smiled and reached across the bed for his hand. “I came as soon as my eight seconds were over.”
“You won? You’ll be able to ride in the final event for the championship?” He smiled. “That’s great. Congratulations.”
“Yeah.” She glanced down at Sarah. “I almost ran out before my ride. I couldn’t let you be here by yourself, and I didn’t…I had no idea…I wanted to see Sarah myself.”
“Thank you.” He leaned over the bed and kissed her. “Knowing you wanted to be here means everything to us, but neither one of us would’ve wanted you to get disqualified.”
Sarah giggled. “Whoa, you kissed her, Dad.”
“Yes, I did.” He laughed, and quickly sobered. “Florentine, I’m sorry. I was afraid—”
“I know. Me, too.” She glanced down at Sarah. “We’ll talk later, cowboy. Right now, I need to go out to the waiting room and tell Roy Lee and Craig that Sarah’s going to be fine.”
“I’ll walk out with you.” Cole leaned over Sarah and whispered, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
“I won’t.” Sarah rubbed her eyes.
Out in the hall, Cole took Florentine’s hand. “Can you wait a minute?”
She nodded. “I’m glad Sarah’s okay. The thought of something happening to her scared me.”
“Me, too.” Cole brushed a strand of hair off her face. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. There’s nothing like fear to make me realize how much I’ve screwed up.”
“Cole, you had no idea Sarah would take the horse. She’s a child.
That’s what kids do. There was nothing you could’ve done to keep her from getting hurt. Even if you’d been home, she would’ve found another time or place to show her independence.” She caressed his cheek.
“I’m not talking about Sarah. I’ve screwed up with you.” He laid his hand on top of hers, and smiled. “I’ve been unfair, overprotective, and full of double standards. I can’t protect Sarah from everything. You’ve shown me that I don’t want to coddle her. I want her to grow up strong and determined, so when she wants to rebel or do something stupid, she’ll have a good head on her shoulders. I don’t want fear holding her back from her dreams. I assumed everyone who took risks was like Theresa, and that’s not true. You are responsible, skilled, and driven. You’re giving and unselfish. I don’t want to lose you. I want you. Now. Tomorrow. For every day into the future. I want you to be a mother to Sarah. I want you as my wife, and to be a part of our lives.”
“Cole.” She pulled away from him. “What you’re asking…I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’m a bull rider, but even if I stop competing tomorrow, I’m still a rodeo girl. I always will be.” She shook her head when he tried to tell her it didn’t matter anymore. “I know how much you’d worry through every second of my career, and in the end, I’m afraid it would only tear us apart. I could never do that to you, or Sarah.”
“I would do anything for you,” he whispered.
She smiled softly. A tear escaped down her cheek. “I know.”
Chapter Twenty-two
The day Florentine had worked so hard for her whole life arrived. Today, she’d find out if she had it in her to win the finale and place in the PBRA. She flexed her hands. Celebrity status would mean she could reach out to the world, and mentor every young girl who dared to dream.
The excitement from the crowd filled her with anxiety. If she lost, she’d have to stay in the semi-pros and try again next year. The riders cast long looks her way as they made their way to the arena, gauging her reaction. She hid her nerves behind a mask. Whatever they thought of riding against a female, she would go at her ride in top condition and strong. No one had to know she was nervous. She’d bet her buckle the other riders had more to fear. They were riding against a female and thought they had a reputation to protect.
