by Piper Stone
Oops.
I didn’t make it.
The venomous creature struck me on the area just under my knee and one inch above my protective boots. I was paralyzed with fear and instant worry and...
Bam!
The single gunshot was followed by dozens of birds screeching in the trees, fleeing to a safer location. I heard the rumble of the earth next as Montana raced toward me, quickly scooping me into his arms but remaining in place.
“What... happened?”
“You were bitten by a rattler. That’s what happened.”
“I know that!” I was shaking like a leaf, shocked to see the gun still in his hand. “You shot a snake. I can’t believe you shot a snake.”
“Would you have preferred I hadn’t?” Montana asked, shaking his head before kicking the rattlesnake with the toe of his boot. “You shouldn’t have been out here. There are all kinds of creatures in the woods.”
“I didn’t think you gave me any choice.”
“What are you talking about?”
I pushed hard against him, trying to get out of his hold. “You called the sheriff. Now let me go. If you’re going to have me arrested, then fine. Just do it and get it over with but let me down.”
He had that same damn look of amusement, the entire situation hilarious to him.
Sighing, he took long strides back toward the house. “I didn’t call the sheriff, Holland. I promised that I wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, for a damn deal for my body. Sir. I know. I’m required to say that.”
Narrowing his eyes, his emotions bounced into appearing hurt. When he spoke again, his tone was velveteen soft, sensual. “He was here for other business that had nothing to do with you. However, if you continue to behave this way, I can certainly try and get him back.”
I gripped his shirt, fisting the material. “Just let me go.”
“No more playing, Holland. Do I need to remind you that you were just bitten by a poisonous snake?”
“Well, I...”
“Good. Something finally shut that bratty mouth of yours. Now, you’re going to remain quiet while I tend to you. And I’m not fooling around about this. Today, I’m your doctor.” He took the stairs two at a time, moving into the house without bothering to shut the door.
“No, you will not tend to me!”
“Would you prefer that I allow the poison to take effect?” He grumbled under his breath as he moved down a hallway toward another part of the house.
“Where are you taking me?” Why the hell was I fighting him? I was well aware what needed to be done in order to prevent any permanent damage.
“Somewhere safe and clean so I can administer the anti-venom.”
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted, surprised as he kicked open a door, still taking long strides inside. The oversized room was set up as a clinic, complete with an examination table smack in the middle. “Do you bring all your girlfriends here and show them a good time?” I heard the slight glitch in my voice. I could already feel a certain level of effect, my leg beginning to swell.
Sighing, he eased me down onto the table, immediately moving around the stainless steel to raise my head and heart as far above the wound as possible. “I think you forgot our deal.”
“You’re kidding me!” I could tell by his face he wasn’t kidding. “Fine, sir.”
“Better. Since you seem to be so curious. I started this clinic after deciding to come back home to practice.”
“But you’re a surgeon, not a general practitioner.”
He snorted as he moved toward my feet. “We need to get your boot off before your leg swells. I doubt you want me to cut that expensive leather you’re wearing if we wait.”
I knew very well the effects of a rattlesnake bite, although I’d never personally had the experience. I’d be a fool to continue fighting him, which seemed to be my specialty as of late. “Fine. Sir.”
“That seems to be your favorite word other than fuck.” He flashed a grin as he wrangled off my boot.
I bit back a moan, another round of fear already creeping up in my throat. I hated doctors. Loathed hospitals. They made me sick to my stomach.
He seemed to sense my discomfort, his usual aggressive tendencies turning gentle. “I worked for a big city hospital for a few years. It nearly took the life out of me. I came back home trying to decide whether I even wanted to practice medicine any longer. My dad thought the clinic would be a good idea. I was happy for almost a year being just an MD. You learn a lot by treating the locals.”
“Is that when you got into the rodeo scene?” I had no idea why I asked the question. The man had so many layers, even more than I’d positioned around me like a suit of armor.
Another lift of his brow was followed by the boot finally coming off. “Not too bad. Just rest. We can talk about the rodeo later.”
Twisting, I was horrified to see the swelling had already begun. Shit. From what I could tell, the two puncture wounds were red and very distinct. I had to admit to myself that I was like a scared little girl. “I don’t like this.”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Holland. We’re over thirty minutes away from the hospital and the emergency vehicles are overworked and understaffed. I can’t risk the time. Stay still and I mean very still. Do you hear me?” he cautioned, leaning over me with his index finger a mere foot from my face.
“Yes. Fine, sir.”
He planted his hands on his hips, another shake of his head. I finally noticed he was freshly showered, the still wet hair giving him an even sexier vibe. Why was my mind going to ludicrous places now of all times?
“This morning, I’m just your doctor, but to answer your question, yeah. The clinic wasn’t enough. Then I was made an offer and figured what the hell. Ridin’ bulls sounded like a hell of a lot of fun.” He grumbled again before quickly leaving the room.
“Where are you going?” Frustrated, I eased my head against the cold metal, trying not to think about the course of events. My days acting like an impetuous child were over. We’d both had our fun and games. Time to simply move on with our lives.
Montana wasted no time, coming back into the room with what appeared to be an IV system.
“No. No. Just give me a shot.”
“Relax, Holland. I’ve lived on a ranch my entire life. My family always had anti-venom on hand. We need to do this in a slow drip. You have to know that.”
“I don’t like this.” I shifted, my hands gripping the edge of the table with enough force my arms were shaking. He noticed and patted my other thigh in a comforting gesture.
“Jesus Christ, for a woman with medical training, you certainly are terrified of receiving any medical help.” He began moving everything into place.
“I have my reasons. Okay?” And he wasn’t going to hear a thing about it. As he moved toward a cabinet, pulling out what appeared to be a fluid bag, I became lightheaded once again. I didn’t think it was because of the snake bite.
“This is just normal saline with the anti-venom. I’m going to let it go for an hour or so. I’m also going to clean and dress the wound.”
I was actually surprised at the change in his demeanor. I’d heard at least a few people talk about his lack of bedside manner, the fact he was gruff with the majority of his staff, but this man was different. “I really will be all right.”
He pulled out my left arm. All I could concentrate on was the needle in his hand, wincing and an audible moan slipping past my lips before I could stop it. What surprised me the most was that he had the opportunity to simply stick in the needle, inflicting as much pain as possible.
He didn’t.
I hadn’t felt a thing.
“You’re all set,” he said, eying me warily. “You should learn to trust people more.”
“How can I trust you? You are keeping me prisoner.” I looked away, angry with myself for keeping the sparring going. “That was uncalled for.”
“Maybe, but it’s true. You’re stuck with me for an entirely
different reason now.”
“No! I have to go back to my clinic. I have patients.”
His old personality returned, the same smug look on his face I’d seen at least a dozen times. “From what I’ve heard you have very few clients.”
I opened my mouth to retort but for the craziest reason in the world, tears slipped past my lashes. All the hard work, the sacrifices I’d made, the worries every day and nightmares every night and this asshole had the nerve to make fun of me. “I may not be some big shot in this town and you’re right, I have sixteen clients on my books. Sixteen. Not enough to keep the lights going let alone my mortgage. But I’m trying. I work every day, seven days a week. I don’t take time off, except for the rodeo and do you want to know why I actually thought joining the circuit would be a good idea?”
I waited for his smart comeback. He kept those gorgeous eyes of his pinned on me as he cleaned the wound, but perhaps the cat had ripped out his tongue.
“Because of the extra money and I thought maybe I could become the team’s vet. I know that sounds grandiose to a man like you who has everything handed to him on a silver platter. To me, ten thousand dollars might mean the difference between owning a business and losing everything I have, which is very little.” He was still dead quiet, now wrapping my leg with the same care I’d seen in him before. What the hell? Was he Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? “Fine. I get it, but you know what? I care about animals much more than people and I’m beginning to fully embrace exactly why.”
Montana exhaled twice before checking the IV and without looking at me, he walked toward the door. “You need to remain quiet and calm. I’ll check on you in an hour.”
Another door closed.
Another brushoff.
God, I hated this man.
Chapter Seven
Montana
I was a Grade A prime asshole.
There was no other way to look at it. I’d seen the tears in her eyes, the level of fear that had nothing to do with our little sparring match. She’d been genuinely terrified of receiving medical attention. What had I done after? Acted like the pompous jerk she’d just accused me of being.
I stood at the kitchen window, trying my best to swallow the bitter taste of coffee. Nothing was going to taste good at this point. The poor girl couldn’t even have anything to eat or drink right away. Jesus. I poured out the remainder, tossing the cup into the sink and slamming my hands on the counter. The rattling of the few dishes I hadn’t bothered with nagged at my last nerve.
Hell, yeah, I’d checked up on her, finding out all the gory details about her veterinarian clinic. Her problem wasn’t her demeanor—which I’d already heard was amazing around animals—or her skills; what few clients she had highly recommended her. Her problem was that the asshole who’d retired had been a cranky drunk who’d driven everyone away from a former prospering business. Some people thought Holland was his daughter and as stupid as the situation was, they were afraid she was a carbon copy.
Had the opportunity presented itself to tell at least a few folks otherwise? Yes. Had I done so? Hell, no. Maybe I’d get a tattoo of the word ‘asshole’ so the entire world knew how shitty I’d acted to her.
Why did the woman get under my skin so bad? I could probably figure out a psychological reason that fit, but my heart and my gut knew the truth.
She’d managed from the very first day I knew her to peel away at the mask I’d been wearing for years, threatening to expose the man inside. All her methods were working, especially since my cock continuously ached for her.
Damn it. I had to get her out of my mind.
I allowed my thoughts to swing to the reason Garland had just dropped by in the first place, asking about the condition of my horses. While he’d been tightlipped, I’d gathered the distinct feeling that some suspicious activity I’d heard about through the boys at the rodeo was true.
Someone was attempting to sabotage several of the larger ranchers.
Some of the ranches were tied to the rodeo circuit, whether by funding or participating. I hadn’t been able to offer much. I’d been too busy pretending to be the big champion or the heroic surgeon to notice anything.
Except for Holland.
Bratty little bombshell.
No amount of drilling him had garnered me any additional information, but I’d seen the concerned look in his eyes just seconds before he grilled me about Holland’s truck.
“So, she stayed the night, did she?” Garland punched me playfully in the gut.
“Who the hell are you talking about?”
“Candy-coated Holland, of course.”
“What the hell? You some unrequited poet now? That’s sick and disgusting,” I snarled, feeling a slight hint of heat along the base of my jaw. The last thing I needed was jabbing from this man, no matter how close we were.
“Nah, it’s sweet and sultry, but not as good as tasting her little pussy.”
“Christ!” I started to walk away from him.
“Just kiddin’. Why are you so damn sensitive?” he shouted after me.
Like everything else, I had my reasons.
“Do me a favor, if anything odd happens to your horses, let me know.”
Odd. If some motherfucker thought he was going to hurt one of my babies, they had another think coming, like a bullet in their head.
After checking the time, I headed out the door, grabbing the newspaper on my way to the barn. I don’t know why I continued to pay for something I never read when I could look online. I hated the news, the day to day political bullshit that seemed to fill every page, assholes pontificating their views to anyone who would listen.
I also loathed getting my picture in the paper. I’d had that experience too often in my life. But here I was again, smack on the front page. Instead of one of the promo shots I’d been forced to have taken, the asshole photographer had used a picture of Holland and me fighting.
Is There Trouble or Love in the Ranks of the Rodeo?
Anger rushed into me in a heated wave, blinding me for a few seconds. I glared at the picture, reading the basics of the article. The reporter had certainly done a number on both of us, making both Holland and me out to be love-struck teenagers. What I had difficulty doing was resisting studying her picture. The photographer had captured her essence perfectly.
All the sass.
All the pent-up anger.
All the disregard for rules in any manner.
Yeah, I wanted to dominate her in every way.
I crumpled up the paper, tossing it away as I continued to seethe. How dare they post some shit like that? I moved into the barn, swiveling my head from side to side. From what I could tell, there was no sign of anyone other than the ranch hand I hired on a part-time basis.
As I moved from stall to stall, checking over the gates, I could see fresh food and water.
“Hiya, beauty. Anyone been bothering you, girl?” I patted the palomino’s head as she nuzzled my face, still looking around for anything that might be disruptive. I didn’t use my horses on the circuit and I certainly wasn’t the holder of any power in the county.
I spent time with every horse, realizing I’d allowed almost an additional half hour to go by. Holland would be fuming even more than she had been. Using the key, I entered through the side door and directly into the clinic. I had no idea why I’d hadn’t turned the area back into a spare bedroom and office.
Maybe I was worried about tempting fate.
I stopped cold as I entered the examination room. Where in the fuck was she? I could see from where I was standing that at least she’d finished the solution and hadn’t ripped the needle out of her arm. What in the hell was wrong with this girl? She knew the effects of being bitten just as well as I did.
I couldn’t get down the hallway fast enough. I was able to see her truck was still in the driveway. Dear God, if she took off walking in this kind of heat, I was going to punish her ass for a solid two days, no matter her condition.
She was
nowhere on the bottom floor, but two kitchen drawers were partially open. She was looking for her keys, planning on taking off. I was going to spank her bottom so damn hard, lecturing her until my words were permanently echoing in her mind.
I pushed open every door with a hard thud until I reached my bedroom. The door was already open a crack. Using just a single finger, I pushed it open, easing against the doorway as I watched her going through my things.
One. Drawer. At. A. Time.
“You’re not going to find them in here,” I said quietly.
Her back to me, she jerked up, immediately dropping what was in her hand. My underwear. I heard the single moan, although she did her best to mask the sound. As she turned toward me, I found it difficult to keep a straight face with hers the color of cherry Popsicles. I allowed my gaze to fall to the floor.
Hers did as well, another round of embarrassment shifting all the way up her lovely neck. She cautiously picked up the pile, her hands shaking. “I can explain.”
I sauntered in, retrieving the few sets of briefs. “I tend to go commando.”
“Fuck me.”
I tossed them in the drawer, slamming it for emphasis, and reached for both of her arms. “Here’s the deal. If you weren’t required to be under medical attention, including resting, I’d blister your ass. I will when I feel it’s appropriate.”
“I’m sorry. I just...”
“You just what? Wanted to get away from me so badly? Wanted to risk your health? So impatient that you thought it best to riffle through my things?” Just the heat of our combined bodies was almost too much, stripping away every breath I had in my body. I had the need to protect her, keep her safe, if only from herself. This wasn’t like me.
Not in the least.
“I need to go back to my clinic. I told you that before, but you weren’t listening.”
“Some special client who might save the day?” I snapped then rubbed my eyes. “Look, I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I didn’t mean to belittle your clinic. I know you’re trying, and you have all the odds stacked against you.”
