Yelling and sobbing, Gwyn reached for her son, who was now clinching Adrian’s neck and crying. Mia moved past Nikki and down the steps to the small gate by the bleachers.
Nikki noticed the tear in Adrian’s shirt. The horse’s front hooves must have caught his shoulder. She reached for her medical bag then gritted her teeth in realization. All she had was a useless purse. Not even a basic first-aid kit.
She and her father followed Mia. “Fool man. Peterson could’ve gotten his grandson killed. Good thing Adrian’s so fast.” Her father grumbled on, but she was focused on Gwyn and Adrian.
Adrian’s mouth was moving, but he was speaking so low she couldn’t hear him.
The whole county could hear Gwyn. “Thank you. Thank you, Adrian. You saved his life,” she managed between sobs as she hugged Adrian and Cooper.
Mr. Peterson joined them, leading the hard-breathing horse. “Boy, you need to get back on this horse. Not good for a horse to think this is the way it goes. It’s a bad lesson.”
“No, Daddy. Cooper should’ve never been on her to begin with.” She took her son from Adrian. “She’s your horse. You ride her.”
Cooper’s grandfather looked as if he was about to argue.
Going through the gate, Nikki noticed Adrian square up to Gwyn’s father. Glancing around the arena, it didn’t look as if many of the other cowboys were happy about the boy being put back on the horse.
With a grunt, he mounted the horse and turned her to the gate. Gwyn stayed focused on her son. The crying had stopped. Nikki was relieved to see they had gained some control. Other than some sand in his hair, the boy was untouched.
Adrian, on the other hand, was not. “Let me treat the wound,” she said.
He scowled at her as if he had no clue what she was talking about. “I’m fine.”
“Your back is bleeding. The hoof must have sliced through your shirt.” She moved to get a closer look.
Gwyn gasped. “Oh no. You’re hurt.” She started crying again. “That could have been Cooper’s little head!”
He glared at Nikki as if the woman’s emotional outbreak was her fault. “I’m fine, and more importantly Cooper is good. Mia, why don’t you take them over to the back of the concession stand and help them get the sand out of Cooper’s hair, and something to eat and drink? My treat. Gwyn, it’s all good.” Mia nodded and opened the small gate, waiting for them to join her. Gwyn gave him another hug before following Mia.
“Now that they’re getting taken care of, I need to assess your injury.” Nikki stepped closer to him. “At the very least, it needs to be cleaned and covered. It might even need stitches. Do they have a first-aid kit here?”
He twisted his neck trying to see, his right hand pulling his shoulder forward. Jake Torres, the new sheriff, walked across the arena as if he owned it. She shook her head. He was the sheriff now and married to Vickie. Leave for a few years and the world turned upside down.
“I wish I could arrest people for stupidity. How bad is it? Do I need to call the ambulance?” Jake asked.
Adrian glared at him. “You do that, and you’ll need it more than I do.”
Men, they were the biggest babies. “It needs a cleaning. Without a good look, I don’t know how deep it is. Do you have a first-aid kit?”
“Yep. In my truck. Come on, and we’ll get this done.” Jake turned and walked through the small gate. Danica was there.
“I was with the girls and heard Adrian saved Cooper. Is everyone all right?”
Adrian sighed. “Cooper is good. Mia took them to the concession stand to clean him up. I’m going over there to help. Then I’m going home.” He looked at Nikki. “I’ll make sure to wash as soon as I get home.” He glanced at her knee. “You shouldn’t be on your feet without your crutches.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She took a deep breath and smiled. Sarcasm was not needed right now. “A horse’s shoe cut through your shirt and skin. Take a minute to imagine all the stuff that could be wedged between the metal and hoof.” With hands on her hips, she gave him a minute to process that information. “It needs to be cleaned. If it was your daughter, would you wait until you got home to clean it? I was a medic with the navy. Let me clean it and see if you need more.”
He crossed his arms but dropped them quickly. His jaw tightened. “You want me to take my shirt off right here?”
She tried to stop her eyes from rolling. “No. I want you to go to Jake’s horse trailer with me. You don’t even have to take off your shirt. I just need to see the back of that left shoulder, unless you have other injuries you haven’t told us about.”
Jake shook his head and started walking to the trailers. “Stop whining and come on.”
Sammi came up on the other side of Adrian. “Dad has a couple of shirts in the trailer. Want me to get one?”
“I’m fin—”
“That’s a good idea.” Her little sister took off to retrieve a clean shirt.
“It’s better than the boy having blood on him.” Adrian grumbled a few other words.
She touched his arm and he jerked away. “Hey, I know it’s hard to be the one who needs help. I’m the queen of refusing it, but just recently someone came to my aid and I would like to return the favor.”
“Let the lady take care of you, Adrian. Not sure why you’re being so stubborn about her looking at your injury.” Jake looked at Adrian’s closed face then back at her and shrugged.
When they arrived at the large silver gooseneck trailer, Jake pulled a five-gallon bucket from the living quarters in the front of it. A small group of people had gathered around them. Nikki’s skin tightened as the crowd started asking questions and getting closer. Maybe this was why Adrian just wanted to leave.
Jake chased everyone off and pulled out a red box from his truck. “This should have everything you need.”
Vickie came rushing over. “Oh, my! I saw the whole thing. I was with Ashley, who is feeling better, getting her ready to run. That was amazing, Adrian. When Cooper fell under that horse, I just—”
“Where is Ashley now?” Jake stopped her from talking and nodded at Nikki over Adrian’s shoulder. “I think Nikki has this covered. Let’s go make sure everything is running smooth again.”
Nikki’s gut tightened as she watched Jake take Vickie’s hand. Being around Vickie was too difficult. How did you tell someone their children had a half brother?
She thought she heard them say goodbye, but she needed to focus on Adrian. Putting on gloves, she got the scissors out and removed enough of the shirt to see the cut. “Sorry about the shirt.” There was so much uncertainty, her head hurt. She kept doing what she knew how to do, clean and dress a wound.
Adrian’s jaw tightened as his breathing came faster. He leaned to the side and tried to look around the trailer. “Can you see Mia? She’s not around the horses, is she?” He went to stand, but she put pressure on the top of his good shoulder. He gave a low growl. “I shouldn’t have sent her off alone.”
“She’s fine, and she’s not alone. You have a great daughter. She wanted to help, just like her father, and you gave her something productive to do.” Nikki bit down on her lip.
He gave another glance over his shoulder. His skin was clammy and a bit pale. Oh man, he’d seen his daughter being dragged by a horse not that long ago.
This must have brought him back to that horrific moment. “Adrian, she’s okay. Today you relived a traumatic event, and I’ve seen that sorta thing break down the toughest guys. It had to be hard for you. So do whatever you need to do to get it out of your system. It’s just you and me.”
His jaw flexed and his eyes narrowed as he stared off beyond the trailer. No words.
“You responded so fast, that little boy doesn’t have a scratch because of you.” That was why Jake had cut Vickie off and got her out of there. She had been so cau
ght in her own personal drama she’d been clueless to his state of mind. She took a deep breath. “Do you need to talk about it?” She didn’t know what else to say. She’d never been good at emotional stuff, but she knew it had helped some of the guys to talk to someone who was safe.
He grunted. “I’m fine.” His jaw did double time and he closed his eyes. “Cooper should have never been on that horse.”
Using the antibacterial wipes, she cleaned the angry cut that ran across the top of his shoulder blade. Giving him the silence he needed if he wanted to say something.
“Mia is not getting back on a horse,” he managed through gritted teeth.
Not what she was hoping to hear. “It must have been horrible to watch and not get to her fast enough.”
“Everyone thinks I’m overreacting. The other day you pretty much said the same thing.” He sucked in a quick breath as she hit a sensitive spot.
“Sorry. The good news is we can patch you up with some butterfly bandages. No stitches needed. Infection is your strongest threat. It’s bruised pretty badly, so it’s going to be sore, but the bone feels fine.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Do you think I’m overreacting when it comes to Mia?”
This was the problem with encouraging people to talk. They did, and then they wanted you to talk. The sincerity she saw in the leather-brown eyes turned her insides to liquid. She leaned closer.
A light knock on the end of the trailer saved her from saying anything. She had never been so happy to see her sister. Sammi poked her head around the trailer. “Is it safe?”
Normally friendly Adrian glared at her sister. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Sam had a blue-collared shirt draped over her arm, and Danica was behind her. “You saved her the other day, and now she got to save you.”
“You’re a perfect match.” Danica grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.
From the other side of the trailer, George joined them. “So this is where you’re hiding? Y’all are taking turns playing damsel in distress? Sounds like a fun game.”
“No.” Nikki’s voice squeaked.
“I’m not a damsel.” Adrian’s deep low voice matched her higher one. She hated it when her voice did that. George, Sammi and Danica laughed at them. She loathed being laughed at.
Apparently so did Adrian. The glare he shot his brother was lethal. “You need to stop right now. I’m not hurt enough that I can’t shut you up, Maria.”
His twin didn’t seem bothered by the threat. “Oh, this is bad if you’re pulling out my middle name. So you were playing the hero again? There’s already talk of banning Gwyn’s father for the play day. People are saying you jumped in front of the horse and saved Cooper’s life.” George shook his head. “Always got to be the hero. Thanks, Nikki, for being there to carry him off if needed.” He grinned at her. She knew physically it was the exact same grin as Adrian’s, but it didn’t do the trick to her heartbeat that his twin’s did.
“George, leave her alone. She was a medic in the navy, so she’s doing what she does.” Adrian’s jaw had gone all hard again.
This was one of the reasons she hated small towns. Everyone thought they had the right to talk about you.
George moved so he could see Adrian’s back. “Not bad. He’s had worse.” He turned to Nikki. “Thanks for making him sit and take his medicine. I know it wasn’t easy.”
Adrian rolled his shoulder and groaned. It was low but she heard it. She went into the bag for painkillers. He was always forcing them on her. Now it was her turn.
With a hand on her shoulder, George got her attention. She had tuned out the conversation and didn’t know what he was talking about.
“—you should come.”
Danica actually clapped. “What a great idea. It’s tomorrow night and you can go with me and Jackie.”
She looked at Adrian for help.
“You should come. Tomorrow George and I are hosting the monthly single parents’ social.”
Okay, so she would go for the obvious. “I’m not a single parent.”
George winked. “I’m not either, but when you’re a single twin of a single parent, you’re in by default. Since you’re the single sister of twins, I say you are welcomed. It’s what happens when you live in a small town.” He patted Adrian on his good shoulder. “So, we’ll see you there. You deserve a juicy well-cooked steak for putting up with his sorry attitude.”
Adrian crossed his arms, but grimaced and immediately dropped them again. “You weren’t here and have no idea what kind of attitude I had.”
George slid his hands into his front pockets and leaned against the trailer. “Oh, I can only imagine, and it wasn’t anywhere near gracious and kind.”
Why was he giving Adrian such a hard time? “He was fine. Other than being worried about Cooper and Mia, Adrian was a model patient.”
Danica laughed and George raised an eyebrow. “Your time with the navy must have given you a different idea of a model patient.” George straightened and dusted something off his pants she couldn’t see. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave Danica a quick hug before looking back at Adrian. “I’ll grab our rug rat and head home. Take as much time as you need to finish up here.”
Sammi stepped forward and hung the shirt on the edge of the canopy. “I’ll leave the shirt here.”
Danica wrapped her arms around their little sister. “The girls have one more run, then we’ll load up the horses. Adrian, do you mind taking Nikki home? I’m sure this has been too much for her. She’s standing all stiff like she’s in pain.” Without waiting for a response from either of them, she turned and disappeared around the trailer with Sammi.
“Sorry about that.” Nikki forgot how annoying it was to be around people who thought they knew you better than you knew yourself.
“She’s right. You need to get home and get off your feet.” He stood and took the borrowed shirt off the coat hanger. “I’ll slip inside and change shirts. Then we can go home. Do you need any painkillers?”
Now that everyone brought it to her attention, she could feel the throbbing of her knee. “No, I’m fine, but what about you? Should you be driving?”
He snorted. “I’ve driven with cracked ribs and fractured bones. I don’t think a cut is going to slow me down.” He stepped into the living quarters of the large horse trailer, but stopped and turned back to her. His arm braced on the door frame. “Nikki, thank you.”
For a quick second, his lips tightened. “For everything. And the other day I said some things I wanted to apologize for. When I first became a dad, people were telling me how I didn’t know this or that. They treated me like an idiot because I was such a young father. I’d get mad.”
His boots now had his full attention. “Then I heard myself telling you the same thing.” Looking up, he gave her that lopsided grin that melted her stupid heart. “I was wrong. You were right about something. I do have a great daughter, but I don’t know how to let her be independent and keep her protected at the same time. And today...well, today didn’t help my state of mind.”
Throwing the shirt over his good shoulder, he straightened. “Anyway, thanks.” He closed the door.
She was in so much trouble. How had Adrian stayed single for so long? How had Mia’s mother walked out on him and not looked back?
Focus, Nikki. Stay focused. Would he understand if she told him about the decision she made as a seventeen-year-old? She let herself imagine how things would be different if he had been the father of her son instead of Tommy. Would they have told her family together? Would she have kept her son? She shook her head, resisting the urge to hit it against the metal trailer. The past was the past and it couldn’t be changed.
It was time to tell her family. She wasn’t a scared teenager who feared hurting the ones she loved. If she was
really honest, rejection made her want to hide.
Maybe it was a bit of pride too. She had been the big sister who kept everything together. How would they treat her if she confessed to falling down?
All she knew was that the secret created a hole in her gut. Maybe this was the real reason she came home.
Her sisters said God brought her home for something special. She had a hard time thinking God cared enough about her small life to arrange this homecoming. But did He? What she did know was it was time to bring the truth out into the light of day. Maybe it would help her finally be free of the past.
* * *
With his palms flat against the wall of the small sleeping quarters, Adrian pushed his weight into his arms. He dropped his head. His eyes shut tight. He took deep breaths. He couldn’t fall apart every time he saw a kid in danger of being hurt. Nikki had seen through him, but he didn’t think anyone else saw the extent of his trauma. Jake might have seen it. He ushered Vickie out and left him alone with Nikki.
He arched his back before starting to unbutton his ruined shirt. Nikki understood. She hadn’t poked or pushed. She just gave him the space and time he needed. He flinched as he pulled the clean shirt over his head.
Mia was going to go crazy if he kept this up. He knew he had to give her some freedom or he would lose her, but she was only ten. Maybe he should talk to Pastor John. He had a teen daughter and faced problems that overwhelmed a single dad.
He stepped out and paused. Nikki packed the first-aid kit, her movements efficient and graceful. It would be so much easier if he had a partner, a woman’s perspective, as he entered this new territory with his daughter.
Everyone seemed to have a not-so-subtle plan to match them up. If Nikki planned to stay, she would be the kind of woman he would want around his daughter, strong and independent.
He must have made some noise because she looked up and smiled. “That color looks good on you. You should wear that shade of blue more often.” She stood and wiped her hands. “You don’t have to give me a ride home. I can wait for the family.”
Texas Daddy Page 7
