“Isn’t there somebody else I can call for you?”
“I don’t have anybody else.”
The soft look in her eyes lasted only a second or two before it turned to steel. “Then I’m going to take you to the Medical Center.”
I lifted my hand, blocking her renewed attempt to grab me. The thought of moving again turned my stomach, and I wasn’t interested in testing out how long the no-hurling part of this ordeal might last. “Just give me a minute.”
“You want to wait and see if you getbetterfirst? It would take a miracle at this point.”
“Pray for me, June.”
She laughed a little, just a slight exhale of breath, but her smile did me in. It always had, since that first day I’d seen her on my younger brother’s arm. Bret always had been a lucky, selfish bastard.
Thirty-one years old, and he’d never been faithful to a woman yet. His carelessness for the way he took and then discarded what he wanted should have crushed him under whole mountains of shame, but he didn’t seem to feel it. He’d moved on from June easily enough, a feat I couldn’t understand, since I hadn’t managed to forget her and I hadn’t even been the one dating her.
I squinted at her while she fretted over me. I hadn’t thought I’d have to see her until Booker and Eden’s wedding. I couldn’t very well avoid her then if I wanted to—I was Booker’s Best Man and June the Maid of Honor. We were pretty well destined to interact. In my mind, our reunion would be polite but distant. A nod between us now and then, a little meaningless conversation at the rehearsal dinner. Maybe even a slow dance or two at the reception.
But having her turn up out of the blue to watch me get kicked in the chest by Bullet? Hadn’t seen that coming.
“You know your ribs are broken, right?” She kept her voice gentle, cushioning the blow.
“I’ve got a hunch.”
“I know you’re a man and all, but you still need to see a doctor. I’m no WebMD, but even I know a horse kick straight to the chest isn’t good.”
“You know I’m a man?”
She always did have a funny way of talking to me, pointing out the obvious and poking at my ego being her chief go-tos. Or they had been two years ago, back when I’d still allowed myself to talk to her. After a while, our closeness had become too much to bear, and I’d retreated to my ranch and kept my distance. Leave it to the universe to match up my best friend and her favorite cousin.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes.” I groaned, shifting in the dirt as if I might magically find a comfortable position. “I’m a man.”
“For the moment. I could call that horse over here and let him have another go at you.”
I started to laugh, but the shaking in my chest dropped me into a new level of misery. I just managed not to shout. Oh, hell, had I yelled when I got kicked? I didn’t even know. I couldn’t rightly remember anything beyond the sound of my bones breaking. I glanced down at my crotch, but everything looked normal. You know you’re having a bad day when not vomiting or pissing yourself is the high point.
“We really need to get you to the Medical Center. Come on, I’ll help you up.”
“Can’t do anything for broken ribs but load up on pain pills.” I had too much to do around here to spend a few days floating off to dreamland.
Dammit. I wouldn’t be able to do anything around the ranch for the foreseeable future. If possible, my chest constricted even more as my brain pieced together what this would mean for my business.
I’d built up a nice clientele since I started working for myself four years ago. In addition to a few easy boarders, I had a steady stream of horses coming in for training. I wouldn’t mind more, but I had enough for now. Mostly, I trained work horses, the occasional riding horse, and starting colts. Those wild, young ones were my favorite. Or they had been, right up until one landed a hoof on my ribs.
“Then let’s get you those pain pills.” June maneuvered so her shoulder was ready to slip under mine, but she didn’t quite touch me. She seemed to be waiting for a signal this time.
I looked her over, doing my best not to linger as my eyes skated up and down. “I’ve got a hundred pounds on you.”
“I’m not offering to carry you to my car.”
I tried to take a deep breath, but the inferno in my chest stopped me. I’d just have to make do with shallow gulps of air. My lungs seared either way, from lack of breath or too much of it.
“On the count of three.”
Where June got off bossing me, I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I kind of liked this take-charge side of her. I would have liked it even more if we weren’t in a filthy horse pen.
Not the time.
